ENMU to host film screenings with Border Noir

PORTALES — A popular style of film will be showcased at Eastern New Mexico University throughout the spring semester, with a relatable twist in store for attendees.

“Border Noir,” a series of film screenings held by ENMU’s Department of Languages and Literature, will focus on Noir films that deal with borders, both in a moral and literal sense, according to Assistant Professor of English Steve Bellin-Oka.

“Film Noir has always been about metaphorical borders. Racial, sexual and moral boundaries abound in film Noir, and the dangers of crossing them are much of what film Noir is about. Yet in times of social change, boundaries and borders seem fluid and changeable,” he said.

Three free screenings will take place as part of the series: “Touch of Evil” by Orson Welles on Feb. 9, “Ride the Pink Horse” by Robert Montgomery on March 3, and “No Country for Old Men” by Joel and Ethan Coen April 14, all at 7 p.m. in room 112 of the Jack Williamson Liberal Arts building.

Because of the dialogue film Noir creates about social issues, Bellin-Oka believes that the ENMU and Portales communities will find attending to be a worthwhile endeavor.

“We chose Borderland Noir as our theme for the film series this semester because questions about how open we want those borders to be are timely,” he said. “So I think the ENMU and Portales communities will find film Noir to be not only exciting and entertaining as narratives, but also thought provoking about issues we continue to wrestle with generation after generation.”

“Touch of Evil” follows Welles, who plays a corrupt homicide detective on the verge of having his misdeeds discovered by a Mexican police official, played by Charlton Heston.

“The film asks us to consider whether the ends justify the means and how many of our civil rights we might be willing to give up to maintain a sense of safety,” said Bellin-Oka.

“Ride the Pink Horse” takes place in Santa Fe, and sees a war veteran (played by Montgomery) looking to avenge the death of a friend.

“In the shifting moral landscape of the time, it’s unclear who is the good guy and who is the bad guy, and the film contains memorable performances by a number of actors who would soon be blacklisted from Hollywood completely in the McCarthy era,” Bellin-Oka said.

“No Country for Old Men,” known as a Neo-Noir due to its relative newness, is based on a novel by Cormac McCarthy, according to Bellin-Oka.

“All of his work is set in Southwest Texas, and in ‘No Country for Old Men,’ the story revolves around a situation many of us have dreamed of — what would you do if you found several million dollars no one seems to be missing and there are no apparent repercussions for taking it?” he said. “If we’re honest with ourselves, most of us would take the money. In ‘No Country for Old Men,’ the problem is, someone is looking for it, and he’s the embodiment of pure evil.”