Local librarian hosts movie nights

Sep. 14—LENOIR — Mike Holsclaw, a librarian at the Hudson branch of the Caldwell County Library, has been hosting "Movies with Mike" events for the last 12 years, except for a two-year hiatus during the pandemic shutdown. Now, he is excited to be sharing his movie night presentations once more.

On Thursday, Sept. 29, Holsclaw will be showing "The Testament of Dr. Mabuse," by German director Fritz Lang and starring Otto Wernicke, Gustav Diessl, and Rudolf Klein-Rogge as Dr. Mabuse. Klein-Rogge also played the mad scientist, Rotwang, in Lang's more widely known film, "Metropolis."

"I've wanted to show ['The Testament of Dr. Mabuse'] almost from the very beginning of 'Movies with Mike'," said Holsclaw. "After seeing it for the first time on TCM sometime in the early 2000s, it became my favorite Fritz Lang film, and I've yearned for the opportunity to share it with an audience ever since."

"The Testament of Dr. Mabuse" is actually a sequel to Lang's silent film "Dr. Mabuse the Gambler." However, Holsclaw assures that attendees will still be able to follow along and enjoy the movie if they haven't yet seen the first.

As Holsclaw explained, "The Testament of Dr. Mabuse" explores themes of social consciousness and the defects of post-war society. The film strongly implies that "normal" society and the supposedly deviant members of the criminal class have become indistinguishable. Lang further highlights this point by accentuating the similarities between Dr. Mabuse and Adolf Hitler.

"Fritz Lang was a very accomplished director and a talented filmmaker, and I think this is one of his best films," Holsclaw said. "It's kind of underappreciated because he's more famous for his other films, but I think this might well be his best movie, and I want to bring it to people's attention for that reason."

For many years, Holsclaw was unable to show the film because it was not yet licensed. This year, he decided to ask Caldwell County Library Director Leslie Griffin if the library could potentially pay a one-time licensing fee for the film, and she happily agreed.

Holsclaw will start the evening by introducing the film, and then his group of movie fans, which include newcomers as well as the regulars he has fondly deemed "The Usual Suspects," will watch the film and then conduct a discussion.

"That's gotten to be a lot of fun," said Holsclaw. "One of the most fun aspects of the presentation is the discussion we have afterwards."

These movie nights take place on the last Thursday of each month. Holsclaw is hoping next year to expand them to two nights a month because he is eager to share a large number of movies with people.

"I have a bit of an eclectic mix," he said. "I try to balance it out, so we'll show a film noir, then a drama, then we'll show a science fiction film, then a comedy ... I started out with an emphasis on the classics in the beginning. I do show some more contemporary films, but I usually don't show anything past the 1980s. I also try to focus on films that aren't as well known, or if I find a gem that I really appreciate."

In the spirit of Halloween, the next "Movies with Mike" night will take place starting at 12 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 22. with a double feature of "Cat People" and "Curse of the Cat People," both produced by Val Lewton. At the end of the second film, Holsclaw will lead a discussion about Lewton's career and his life after he retired from filmmaking.

Join Holsclaw and other movie fans in Room 1 of the Lenoir Library at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 29. Soft drinks and popcorn will be served.

Contact the Hudson branch at 828-728-4207, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. for more information, or visit the Caldwell County Public Library website at https://ccpl.libguides.com/adults and look for "Movies with Mike" under Featured Events.