Harvard Studies Plans For N.E. Film Library

Harvard and five other universities have agreed to study plans for a multimillion dollar film library to house a collection of the world's greatest films.

The library, which would allow for a greater variety of courses on films, will centralize the collections of Harvard, Brown, Brandeis, Boston University, and M.I.T.

Currently none of the college collections is large enough to permit an overall study of the history and criticism of the cinema from Charlie Chaplin to Andy Warhol, James S. Ackerman, professor of Fine Arts said yesterday.

By some time next fall, the library should be in partial operation, according to Ackerman. It will probably be located in the Boston area.

Ackerman said that he and representatives from the other colleges will apply for grants from a number of foundations to buy films which are not already in the universities' collections.

At least 400 films will be needed for a representative collection, Ackerman added. Currently Harvard has only 40 of these films.

The selected movies, Ackerman continued, will be used for scholarly research rather than commercial exhibition. Students will be able to use individual films for writing honors theses and will also be able to make comparative studies of films by great directors such as Eisenstadt, Fellini, and Houston.

Ackerman stressed the library would not compete with public theaters and movie clubs by sponsoring showings to large undergraduate audiences.

The commercial value of the films will be one of the major problems in creating an adequate library, Ackerman explained. Because many of the movies are still shown publically, owners will have to be assured that they will only be used for scholarly purposes.

Ackerman conceded there would be virtually no chance of acquiring rights to the films if the university planned to sponsor public showings.

The library hopes to acquire such early classics as "Birth of a Nation," and "The Life and Death of a Hollywood Extra." In addition contemporary films like "Jules et Jim," "Sundays and Cybelle" and "La Dolce Vita" will be sought.

When sufficient funds are available the library would be expanded beyond the original goal of 400 films, Askerman said. This would mean collecting more experimental movies like Warhol's, and and many minor films by important directors, as well as a number of documentary films.

Plans are also being made to invite a prominent film historian and critic to teach at the 1967 session of the Harvard Summer School, Ackerman said.