Film geeks, gather for Kubrick!

A small group of people enjoyed a rare treat last night at the Magic Lantern . We watched Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film “2001: A Space Odyssey” on the big screen.

Well, kind of. Because Lantern owner Joe Davis had already rented out the larger screen to a private group, we dozen or so movie freaks had to move to the smaller screen. But that was fine, even if the sounds of the revelers kept bleeding into our space, sometimes interfering with Kubrick’s carefully considered sound scheme.

Pete Porter , a professor of film at Eastern Washington University (and director of the Spokane International Film Festival), introduced the film. This was the premiere of a series that Davis and SpIFF are cosponsoring that is being called the “Professor Series.” It’s an attempt to show classic films, each introduced by a film professor, professional or critic.

You can access the whole series by clicking here .

As you can see, the range of films is wide. It includes even “Shane,” George Stevens’ 1953 Western that won an Oscar for cinematography. I will have the honor of introducing it on Nov. 11.

For now, though, those of you who missed “2001: A Space Odyssey” will have another chance tonight. Porter will again introduce the film at 7 at the Magic Lantern. This time it will show on the bigger screen.

Davis promised.