“The making of any film is a small miracle, and the making of a great film is a major miracle,” says Matthew Bernstein, Goodrich C. White Professor of film and media.
Photo courtesy of Matthew Bernstein.
That’s how Michele Schreiber, associate professor and chair of the Department of Film and Media phrased her question to Matthew Bernstein, hoping he would agree to curate the Emory Cinematheque film series this spring. Thankfully, he agreed.
After 37 years teaching film and media at Emory, 15 of them as department chair, Bernstein is set to retire this summer.
In that time, the Goodrich C. White Professor of film and media has endeared himself to Atlanta’s film community. A film scholar of world renown, Bernstein is a frequent and knowledgeable voice at movie screenings on campus and around town, including the Cinematheque and the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival.
“He’s so good at introducing a film and laying out the context for people,” says Schreiber. “But it’s his enthusiasm that you notice — and his ability to translate challenging topics to a broad audience. And he’s just magnificent at leading a Q&A or a class discussion.”
Each Wednesday, beginning Jan. 14, the Cinematheque will screen “Matthew H. Bernstein’s Farewell Favorites,” featuring 14 of his most beloved films. The screenings will take place at 7:30 p.m. in White Hall, Room 208, through April 22. Bernstein will introduce each film and lead a Q&A afterwards.
His picks range from the independent, Southern small-town drama “Nothing but a Man” to the sci-fi classic “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” and the French comedy “The Rules of the Game,” which Bernstein considers the greatest film of all time.
The series, which is free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by the Department of Film and Media and Emory College of Arts and Sciences.
“I think it’s going to be a joy just watching him,” says Schreiber.
Growing an innovative department
Bernstein’s infectious enthusiasm for the power of cinema helped him expand the size and scope of the Department of Film and Media.
When he arrived in 1989, he was one of three faculty in what was then called film studies. Today, 16 faculty teach film and media classes, including film production. The number of students has grown, too. In 2014, 21 students graduated with degrees in film and media. By 2025, that number reached 58.
“All of this results from the vision Matthew had for what this department could be and the persistence to stick with it, over the course of, literally, decades,” says Kevin Karnes, senior associate dean of faculty and divisional dean of arts.
Along the way, Bernstein partnered with Andrea Hershatter, senior associate dean of undergraduate education at Goizueta Business School, to launch a concentration in film and media management at Goizueta. He also reconnected with alumni working in the film industry to help create opportunities for student internships.
When Dehanza Rogers arrived in 2019 as one of the first two tenure-track faculty in film production, she was struck by Bernstein’s quick demonstration of support. She recalls approaching him with a wish list of filmmaking gear.
“Matthew said, ‘Okay!’” recalls Rogers, associate professor and director of production. “It was not ‘Well, how about we get half or a quarter of what you asked for?’ It was: ‘Yes. 100%. Let’s do this.’ So, from the moment I got here, he very much believed in the growth I was looking for, because he was also looking for that growth.”
This month, film and media launched a new production soundstage and teaching space at Emory Point.
Rogers spearheaded the project under the leadership of Schreiber, but both also credit Bernstein’s encouragement.
Bernstein himself credits Emory for nourishing faculty innovation.
“I’m an energetic person,” says Bernstein, “and so are my colleagues. And something I love about Emory is it’s a place where you can do things. If you have an idea, you can develop and present it, and faculty committees may say, ‘Maybe you need to tweak this,’ but then they’ll encourage you to run with it.”
Schreiber says it all comes back to Bernstein’s love of cinema.
“He just carries that love everywhere he goes. And that also had a huge impact on the fabric and the culture of our department. We are not a department of film snobs. We are a department of people who just have a love for cinema, whether it’s an obscure experimental film or the latest ‘Mission: Impossible’ movie,” she says.
Bernstein, Schreiber adds, “is a magnetic, magnanimous, generous spirit.”
Matthew Bernstein comments on three favorite films featured at the Cinematheque
“Notorious”
Wednesday, March 4
This is a great Hitchcock espionage thriller. You have the luminous Ingrid Bergman playing the daughter of a Nazi traitor in America during World War II who’s recruited by Cary Grant to sort of a proto-CIA. And they fall in love, but he’s giving her this assignment to seduce a Nazi. The chemistry between Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman is just unbelievable.
In one scene, she’s got to give a key to Cary Grant, even though she’s married to the Nazi guy, who is beautifully played by Claude Rains. So, she throws this huge party. And the whole point of the party is for her to hand over the wine cellar key to Cary Grant. The scene starts with the camera at the top of the staircase. It cranes down into this big reception hall with lots of people milling around. She’s standing there with her husband and the camera cranes down, down, then comes to a close-up of her holding the key in her hand. Because it all comes down to this key, this one detail. It's just magnificent.
“The Gold Rush”
Wednesday, April 1
This 1925 silent gem really showcases Charlie Chaplain’s comic genius as his classic character, the Little Tramp. In one brilliant scene, he’s stuck in a cabin in the snow. There’s nothing to eat, so he boils a boot. Then he serves it, pouring water from the pot over it like sauce. He treats the nails holding the heel together like fish bones and the laces like spaghetti, and it’s just genius. We’re screening a brand-new restoration print, featuring his original music. It looks stunning.
“The Rules of the Game”
Wednesday, April 22
I first saw this film when I was 14, visiting my older sister at college, and I was just entranced! It’s just one of these marvelous films that’s extremely funny. It’s about a group of “haves” and “have-nots,” and there’s a romantic triangle with upper-class characters and another with the servants, and it all takes place during a hunt and a masquerade party. And it just pulls the rug out from under you with its critique of society.
While with Hitchcock, everything is very carefully composed and controlled, this director, Jean Renoir, has a more naturalistic approach. By the time of the party, things are happening all over the set, and they seem to be happening on their own as he uses long takes with the moving camera. So, you feel like the camera, as one critic put it, is just another guest at the party. The camera picks up what’s happening, and you just know it's continuing to happen after it goes off screen.
Whereas, with Hitchcock, the composition is magnificent, but it feels like if the camera were to move two inches away, you’d see the lights and the crew, you know?
I like to say, the making of any film is a small miracle. And the making of a great film is a major miracle. So, what we have at the Cinematheque this spring are 14 major miracles.
Spring 2025 Emory Cinematheque
Learn more about the Emory Cinematheque films for the spring, along with Bernstein’s thoughts on each. All screenings take place Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. in White Hall, room 208.
Jan. 14: “They Won’t Forget” (1939)
Jan. 21: “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956)
Jan. 28: “Rome, Open City” (1945)
Feb. 4: “Nothing but a Man” (1964)
Feb. 11: “Ashes and Diamonds” (1958)
Feb. 18: “The Lives of Others” (2006)
Feb. 25: “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” (1962)
March 4: “Notorious” (1946)
March 18: “The Third Man” (1949)
March 25: “High and Low” (1963)
April 1: “The Gold Rush” (1925)
April 8: “Sense and Sensibility” (1995)
April 15: “The Lady Eve” (1941)
April 22: “The Rules of the Game” (1939)