Psychoanalytic Themes in Six Classic Hollywood Films Thomas Wolman, M.D. January 4 – February 22, 2021 Mondays, 7:00 – 8:15 pm 6 classes  /  $150 Fee Location: Virtual – Held on ZOOM To register, click here, visit nypsi.org or call 212-879-6900

NYPSI Extension Course: Psychoanalytic Themes in Six Classic Hollywood Films 
This course will explore six films representing six different genres: Musical, Thriller, Western, Youth film, Science Fiction and Romance. In each case, the connections with psychoanalysis will vary with the film’s subject and style. “The Wizard of Oz” (1939), for example, is a veritable palimpsest of psychoanalytic ideas and an illustration of primitive fantasy a la Melanie Klein. “Spellbound” (1945) offers an interesting, though some would argue distorted, vision of psychoanalysis. “High Noon” (1952), while not overtly psychological in tone presents a model of ethical choice, of interest to therapists and psychoanalysts. And in “Rebel Without a Cause” (1955), the Ur-youth picture, James Dean offers an indelible portrait of adolescent angst. Finally, two very different movies, “Brazil” (1985) and “Eyes Wide Shut” (1999), present comparable views on the psychical functions of fantasy. It is expected that registrants watch each of these films on their own time prior to the course discussion.

Thomas Wolman, M.D. was born and raised in in New York City. He moved back here recently after having lived in Philadelphia for 45 years. He attended Johns Hopkins University and the Pennsylvania Sate University Medical College. Subsequently he trained at the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia, where he taught in both the psychoanalytic and psychotherapy training programs. He has taught at Jefferson Medical College, the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and most recently, the psychiatry residency at Temple University School of Medicine. He has written on Winnicott, Mahler, Kohut and Lacan, as well as on contemporary film and literary themes. He is married with two adult children and three grandchildren.

NO CME/ CE CREDITS OFFERED.

Course Objectives:
1. Participants will gain experience in exploring movie subtexts.2. In a psychoanalytic foray into movies, participants will analyze examples of mise-en-scene and montage as equivalents of free association.

NEW YORK PSYCHOANALYTIC SOCIETY & INSTITUTE

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