 "Photo: Nicholas Pellico | Daily Trojan")
If you ask around campus about professor Drew Casper, you'll hear an assortment of opinions.
"He's eccentric, opinionated and more than knowledgeable about his craft," said Tien Nguyen, an undeclared freshman.
Cristina Rosales, a junior majoring in cinema-television, admits to once being intimidated by Casper.
"I was, like, oh God, oh God, he's going to call on me! Oh God, he's getting closer ... phew, he missed me," she recalls.
But if people can agree on one thing about Casper, it's his status as a legend at USC's School of Cinema-Television.
Thus, one can imagine the anxiety involved in meeting Casper, who holds a chair as the Alma and Alfred Hitchcock Professor of American Film.
No student can graduate from the film school without completing at least one of Casper's classes.
Furthermore, once Casper hears your name you become a "marked man." At any moment, you might be called upon in class to explain the corresponding relationship between filmic space and time.
Yet behind every legend is a person, and for 40 minutes Casper discussed the thing which he cares most passionately about - movies.
For Casper, movies signify much more than mere entertainment.
"The mind and the heart have to be nourished and energized, and movies have the possibility of doing that," he said.
But not every movie accomplishes this goal, especially in today's industry, according to Casper.
"It's a very spiritually bankrupt time for movies," Casper said. "But, once in a while there's a 'Sideways' or a 'Being Julia.' That's why I go."
Films also have the astonishing ability to remain in one's memory over vast amounts of time, according to Casper.
"When students leave the university they are going to have movies that will be with them the rest of their lives," Casper said. "Movies are companions to help us get through. We need to nourish our spirit, and art does that."
After receiving his bachelor's degree in English and philosophy and a master's degree in American literature at Fordham University, Casper pursued a doctorate from USC in communication arts with an emphasis in cinema. At the time, the critical studies department of the film school did not exist.
While creating films, Casper realized the importance of obtaining a thorough understanding of film history. He received such an education at Columbia University in New York City.
As a Jesuit, Casper wrote film reviews for the Catholic Legion of Decency. He asked the Legion if he could spend his summers in New York City so he could take film classes at Columbia while rating films for the Legion.
Upon returning to USC, he had a "good first-hand knowledge of film history," Casper said.
But Casper's profound love for cinema began long before his college years.
"When I was a kid, I would get lost in the movies," he said.
Casper recalled entering the movie theater early in the afternoon and sitting through three or four shows.
"Sometimes I wouldn't come home until 11 o'clock, and my mother would be on the porch showing her fist," Casper remembers.
Casper's unwavering affection for movies is still apparent today. One can feel the enthusiasm reverberating off the walls of Norris Theatre, where Casper teaches.
"(Teaching) is so much fun, and evidently it's fun for them because they come in mass," Casper said. "I guess when they stop coming, and it's not fun, then that's the time to get off."
When teaching, Casper walks up and down the aisles while speaking at a rapid pace. He rarely consults his notes but mainly retrieves facts from his memory. By the time the class concludes, a student can have transcribed countless pages of information.
And then there are the films themselves, which Casper can easily discuss with students again and again.
"I hope they see what film can do," Casper said.
Casper's film screenings include "A Place in the Sun," "Picnic," "Pillow Talk," and "Some Like it Hot."
However, Casper is unique in that he doesn't screen only the classics. Instead, the films he presents are less known treasures of cinema that reinforce class topics.
The objective for students is not to agree with his assessment of a film, but rather to acquire a multifaceted understanding of cinematic history and techniques.
"Film is not a science, so it's all very subjective," Casper said. "But subjectivity should have some kind of grounding."
"You should be able to say you liked a film for certain reasons," he added.
In March, Casper will receive the prestigious "Award for Teaching Excellence" at USC's convocation ceremony.
When asked about the date he started teaching at USC, Casper said, "A long time ago in another galaxy."
