Courtesy of Swank

Film selection, and introduction, by Rob King, Professor of Film and Media Studies.

Dir. John Schlesinger
1976 | US | R
Runtime: 2 hours 5 minutes

This gripping thriller, adapted by Columbia alum William Goldman from his eponymous novel, takes us back to the gritty paranoia of 1970’s New York. Babe Levy (Dustin Hoffman) is a history student and long-distance runner who is drawn into a shadowy world of espionage when a Nazi war criminal Christian Szell (Laurence Olivier) kills his brother Doc (Roy Scheider) and tries to retrieve his stolen diamonds. Beginning and ending at the Central Park Reservoir, director John Schlesinger takes us on a roller-coaster ride through New York City as Babe develops from innocent scholar to vengeful vigilante. It’s a good thing he can run.

About Lenfest Film: Faculty Spotlight
Join us for the inaugural event in our new series in which we will turn the spotlight on the excellent faculty of the School of the Arts Film Department! The Lenfest Film: Faculty Spotlight series invites Film Department faculty to show the films that have influenced their study, informed their teaching, and deserve to be seen on the big screen.