The G. William Jones Film & Video Collection in the Jake and Nancy Hamon Arts Library is pleased to announce a gift from executive producer, Stephen P. Jarchow, of elements from the award-winning 35mm film “Gods and Monsters.” Additionally, this gift includes a significant collection of original film posters and advertising materials. This generous donation will further the Jones Collection’s mission of supporting and fostering student understanding in the creation, presentation, and preservation of film as an art form.
Directed by Bill Condon, whose screenplay is based on the novel by Christopher Bram, the 1998 film “Gods and Monsters” stars Ian McKellen in a fictionalized portrayal of the aging Hollywood director James Whale, known for “Frankenstein” and “The Bride of Frankenstein.” McKellen received a nomination for Best Actor and Lynn Redgrave, who plays Whale’s housekeeper, received a nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. The film won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
These raw film elements are one of the most significant acquisitions the Jones Collection has ever received. Students at SMU will have the ability to research and study the individual materials of what is inarguably a cinematic masterpiece. Professor of Film and Media Arts Sean Griffin states “Gods and Monsters” is a landmark film in acknowledging the legacy of Hollywood director James Whale, and the countless other LGBT artists who contributed to the history of motion pictures while having to hide their personal lives. Having all of the shot footage for this production will be of exponential value to media scholars, as well as to students in our program learning the film production process.”
Additionally, the collection of film posters and advertising materials not only have their own aesthetic value, they will also provide a vital research tool to those researchers who want to study the form and artistry in film marketing and promotion.
The G. William Jones Film and Video Collection supports instruction and research in the Meadows School of the Arts, the Southern Methodist University, and the global moving image preservation and research community. The Collection’s primary purpose is to support education through the study, preservation, and presentation of moving images. To this end, the Collection maintains moving images in a wide variety of formats, examples of related equipment, print materials associated with moving images, and a climate-controlled storage facility. Among the Collection’s moving image holdings are feature films, news film and video, animation classics, documentaries, television series, and student films. Highlights include the Tyler, Texas, Black Film Collection; the Gene Autry Collection; the Belo News Film Collection; the Sulphur Springs Pre-Nickelodeon Films; and Alfred Hitchcock’s 1926 feature, “The Pleasure Garden.”
Image courtesy of Stephen P. Jarchow.
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