By JORDAN MARSHALL

Staff Writer

Cinematech, a new organization on campus focused on watching films and discussing them, held its first meeting Oct. 23 with approximately 20 people in attendance.

The organization formed from a History 490 class about Hollywood and the Cold War. Dr. Brian Etheridge, an associate professor of history, said the class covered the Cold War's effect on Hollywood.

Etheridge taught the history class and is now the Cinematech adviser. He said class discussion prompted the new organization.

"Most of the students in the class were interested in movies, and we just started discussing that there is not a forum on campus to watch unusual movies," Etheridge said.

Etheridge also said he talked to faculty members and further explored the idea of starting the organization.

"We talked to the Union Board about the cost of showing a movie and we realized the price was too high," Etheridge said.

"If we were a formal organization, we could show movies for free because it is a learning experience," he said.

Last year, students in the history class and Etheridge set up the groundwork for Cinematech and submitted a constitution, Etheridge said.

Douglas Gauthier, president of Cinematech and a senior chemical engineering major, said the purpose of the organization is to show "films you do not see every day."

Gauthier said he hopes to show movies people can talk about, not just movies for entertainment.

"The movies we show have to have depth," Gauthier said.

Levy Leatherman, vice president of Cinematech and a senior speech major, said the organization hopes to focus on movies that are not mainstream. He said the movies will include foreign films, art films and classic films.

"We're not a bunch of espresso-sipping beatniks trying to find the inner meaning of Robert Deniro's hairstyle," Leatherman said. "We're just trying to expand outside the action, comedy, love story genres that are so typical."

Gauthier said people suggested a wide variety of films to watch.

"People were suggesting movies such as 'A Clockwork Orange' to 'The Breakfast Club,' and these are both good movies but in different ways," Gauthier said.

Members of Cinematech chose to watch "Donnie Darko." The movie is about a troubled teen who has visions of a rabbit that orders him to commit evil acts.

Gauthier said he hopes to show a film every two weeks this year.

Etheridge said he has asked members to e-mail him with suggestions of movies they wish to watch, and he will create a ballot for the next meeting.