College circuit is a form of

motion picture A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics *Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a varia ...

where old films as well as new ones are shown on college campuses, usually in the evening. The selections range from

art house An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...

fare to

wide release In the motion picture industry, a wide release (short for nationwide release) is a film playing at the same time at cinemas in most markets across a country. This is in contrast to the formerly common practice of a roadshow theatrical release in ...

films and cult classics (also see

midnight movies A midnight movie is a low-budget genre picture or distinctly nonmainstream film programmed for late-night screening or broadcast. The term is rooted in the practice that emerged in the 1950s of local television stations around the United Sta ...

for a similar practice).

Origins

Beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, classes in

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ** Filmmaking, the process of making a film * Movie theate ...

theory and history began to be taught at colleges across the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. To facilitate the growing interest in film, prints were screened for a reduced price for students. Several movies have been salvaged thanks to this practice, including most notably ''

Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American Drama (film and television), drama film directed by, produced by and starring Orson Welles and co-written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz. It was Welles's List of directorial debuts, first feature film. ...

''.

Criticisms

Some of the movies popular on college circuits throughout the years have been either controversial, or of specious

artistic merit Artistic merit is the artistic quality or value of any given work of art, music, film, literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art fo ...

. The content of the movies often appeal to college-age sensibilities. Critics like

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

have expressed suspicion of such films when deemed "artistic", and instead charges them as misleading by presenting exploitive material (such as sex, violence, and drug use) by means that are more aesthetically-pleasing to those educated in cinema studies, and therefore they become more acceptable to an "intellectual audience". This is an argument sometimes leveled against '' Blue Velvet'' or the ouvre of

Ken Russell Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell (3 July 1927 – 27 November 2011) was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were mainly liberal adaptations of ...

References

{{Reflist Cinemas and movie theaters