At the Movies with AMC: Classic Movies: Episode V: The History of the Star System

“At the Movies with AMC” is AMC’s second virtual event series on American cinema. Curated and presented by LA-based film expert Jon Spurney, each hour-long livestreamed lecture will explore how the worldwide success of Hollywood during its golden era helped to spread America’s cultural influence and popularize the American way of life throughout the world. The series is designed and hosted by Jon Spurney, a longtime AMC volunteer and film expert with a background in composing film and TV scores. Over the course of his career, Spurney has worked for major distributors like HBO, Hulu, and A24, and has worked closely with acclaimed American entertainers such as Spike Lee, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Fred Armisen, and Bill Hader on a variety of large-scale projects. Episode V: The History of the Star System As early as the Silent Era Hollywood filmmakers had learned the power of marketing certain performers through perceived aspects of their on-screen personalities. Through career retrospectives of iconic Hollywood figures such as James Dean, Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, and John Wayne, we will examine the Star System’s effect on cinematic iconography throughout the world, as well as the occasionally negative effect of the star system on the lives of the stars themselves. Schedule & Topics: Episode I: The Hollywood Melting Pot Tuesday, May 20th, 20:00 MSK Episode II: The Effect of Technology on Hollywood Tuesday, June 24th, 20:00 MSK Episode III: The Business of Hollywood Tuesday, July 15th, 20:00 MSK Episode IV: Censorship in Hollywood Tuesday, August 19th, 20:00 MSK Episode V: The History of the Star System Tuesday, September 16th, 20:00 MSK Episode VI: The Rise of the Auteur Tuesday, October 21st, 20:00 MSK