Paul McEwan
@paulmcewan.bsky.social
Prof of Mediacom & Film at Muhlenberg. Author of Cinema’s Original Sin: DW Griffith, American Racism, and the Rise of Film Culture.
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in university:
1. Race and Racism (taught by geneticist and sociologist)
2. Global warming (in 1991)
3. Human anatomy (with cadaver dissection)
4. Shakespeare’s comedies
5. Ind. study on Douglas Coupland (GenX baby!)
1. Race and Racism (taught by geneticist and sociologist)
2. Global warming (in 1991)
3. Human anatomy (with cadaver dissection)
4. Shakespeare’s comedies
5. Ind. study on Douglas Coupland (GenX baby!)
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1. Marine Biology (we got to go out on a boat!)
2. The History of the Holocaust
3. Logic and Critical Thinking
4. Eastern Religions
5. The French Revolution
1. Marine Biology (we got to go out on a boat!)
2. The History of the Holocaust
3. Logic and Critical Thinking
4. Eastern Religions
5. The French Revolution
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in college:
1. Origins of Nazism
2. Dante’s Divine Comedy
3. Behavioral Ecology & Conservation Biology
4. Principles of Evolution
5. Thinking and Speaking About Thinking and Speaking
1. Origins of Nazism
2. Dante’s Divine Comedy
3. Behavioral Ecology & Conservation Biology
4. Principles of Evolution
5. Thinking and Speaking About Thinking and Speaking
February 1, 2026 at 5:15 AM
Never mind the jobs you had, tell me five classes you took in university:
1. Race and Racism (taught by geneticist and sociologist)
2. Global warming (in 1991)
3. Human anatomy (with cadaver dissection)
4. Shakespeare’s comedies
5. Ind. study on Douglas Coupland (GenX baby!)
1. Race and Racism (taught by geneticist and sociologist)
2. Global warming (in 1991)
3. Human anatomy (with cadaver dissection)
4. Shakespeare’s comedies
5. Ind. study on Douglas Coupland (GenX baby!)
My book, Cinema’s Original Sin, which traces the influence of The Birth of a Nation from 1915 to present day politics, is out in paperback today. bookshop.org/p/books/cine...
Cinema's Original Sin: D.W. Griffith, American Racism, and the Rise of Film Culture
D.W. Griffith, American Racism, and the Rise of Film Culture
bookshop.org
January 14, 2026 at 3:12 AM
My book, Cinema’s Original Sin, which traces the influence of The Birth of a Nation from 1915 to present day politics, is out in paperback today. bookshop.org/p/books/cine...
I had a really great Film History (pre-1950) class this semester. I’ve put a ton of thought of effort into it over the past decade and it seems to have paid off. They like the films and want to talk about them.
December 6, 2025 at 3:18 AM
I had a really great Film History (pre-1950) class this semester. I’ve put a ton of thought of effort into it over the past decade and it seems to have paid off. They like the films and want to talk about them.
Entranced yet again by the delicious bass line of the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back,” I fell down a Wilton Felder rabbit hole and ended up on this 1971 album full of similar grooves. music.apple.com/us/album/sha...
Shades of Green by Grant Green on Apple Music
Album · 1971 · 8 Songs
music.apple.com
November 28, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Entranced yet again by the delicious bass line of the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back,” I fell down a Wilton Felder rabbit hole and ended up on this 1971 album full of similar grooves. music.apple.com/us/album/sha...
Always worth a Thanksgiving re-post
November 27, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Always worth a Thanksgiving re-post
What perfect album came out the year you turned 16?
1986 included The Queen is Dead and Lifes Rich Pageant, which are also perfect, but I’m going with Master of Puppets
1986 included The Queen is Dead and Lifes Rich Pageant, which are also perfect, but I’m going with Master of Puppets
November 17, 2025 at 3:24 AM
What perfect album came out the year you turned 16?
1986 included The Queen is Dead and Lifes Rich Pageant, which are also perfect, but I’m going with Master of Puppets
1986 included The Queen is Dead and Lifes Rich Pageant, which are also perfect, but I’m going with Master of Puppets
I worked with Jill briefly when I was at Notre Dame. She had a list of commandments for student filmmakers that was more like rules for life. I cite it all the time and have tried to pass on her wisdom. It was an honor to know her.
RIP the great filmmaker and teacher Jill Godmilow, one of the all-time originals. vimeo.com/jillgodmilow
The Films of Jill Godmilow
Jill Godmilow, a working independent film and video-maker and Emerita Professor in the Dept. of Film, Television, and Theatre at the University of Notre Dame.
vimeo.com
September 17, 2025 at 2:10 AM
I worked with Jill briefly when I was at Notre Dame. She had a list of commandments for student filmmakers that was more like rules for life. I cite it all the time and have tried to pass on her wisdom. It was an honor to know her.
This looks fantastic
I promised myself that I'd only post on here if I had something to say, and I think this counts: I'm thrilled to share news of my forthcoming book, "The World of Black Film: A Journey Through Cinematic Blackness in 100 Films". Out 12 Feb UK/17 Feb US via Laurence King Pre-order! linktr.ee/_Ash_Clark
August 1, 2025 at 3:10 AM
This looks fantastic
This looks like a great book from my fellow @utexaspress.bsky.social author @nikostratis.com UTexas is having a summer book sale so it’s good time to pick it up.
my book, The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman has been out for two months! If you’re asking yourself what it would look like next to a dog, and can i still buy it, the answer is like this, and right here (or any bookstore): utpress.utexas.edu/978147733148...
July 19, 2025 at 4:55 PM
This looks like a great book from my fellow @utexaspress.bsky.social author @nikostratis.com UTexas is having a summer book sale so it’s good time to pick it up.
.009 .011 .016 .024 .032 .042
What’s a number (or set of numbers) in your field or hobby that might seem unrelated but anyone else in that group would recognise in an instant?
221 255 260 289 302 351
221 255 260 289 302 351
July 7, 2025 at 11:45 PM
.009 .011 .016 .024 .032 .042
Reposted by Paul McEwan
Geologists have long debated whether a formation in Canada contains the world’s oldest rocks. New measurements suggest it does – and that these rocks are the last remains of Earth’s primordial crust
These rocks are probably the last remains of Earth's early crust
www.newscientist.com
July 6, 2025 at 1:04 PM
Geologists have long debated whether a formation in Canada contains the world’s oldest rocks. New measurements suggest it does – and that these rocks are the last remains of Earth’s primordial crust
Two big reasons to celebrate today: it’s Canada Day, and my term as department chair ended yesterday.
July 1, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Two big reasons to celebrate today: it’s Canada Day, and my term as department chair ended yesterday.
If you happen to have read or skimmed Cinema’s Original Sin and spotted an error you were too polite to tell me about, I’d love to hear about it now because I’m making corrections for the paperback.
May 2, 2025 at 4:47 AM
If you happen to have read or skimmed Cinema’s Original Sin and spotted an error you were too polite to tell me about, I’d love to hear about it now because I’m making corrections for the paperback.
I didn’t realize that Kotcheff had also directed Uncommon Valor, which I saw 4 times when I was 12. www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...
Ted Kotcheff, Director of ‘First Blood’ and ‘Weekend at Bernie’s,’ Dies at 94
The Canadian filmmaker also helmed 'North Dallas Forty,' 'The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz' and 'Wake in Fright' and exec produced 'Law & Order: SVU.'
www.hollywoodreporter.com
April 12, 2025 at 1:51 AM
I didn’t realize that Kotcheff had also directed Uncommon Valor, which I saw 4 times when I was 12. www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie...
Reposted by Paul McEwan
If the US agrees to become our 11th province, we'll offer them many exciting benefits—including free Bhangra lessons for every US citizen, delivered with our signature Canadian politeness, warmth and welcoming spirit.
February 8, 2025 at 5:16 PM
If the US agrees to become our 11th province, we'll offer them many exciting benefits—including free Bhangra lessons for every US citizen, delivered with our signature Canadian politeness, warmth and welcoming spirit.
The audiobook version of Cinema’s Original Sin is 70% off (only $6!) until January 2. www.audiobooks.com/promotions/p...
70% OFF Cinema's Original Sin: D.W. Griffith, American Racism, and the Rise of Film Culture
For over a century, cinephiles and film scholars have had to grapple with an ugly artifact that sits at the beginnings of film history. D. W. Griffith's profoundly racist epic, The Birth of a ...
www.audiobooks.com
December 5, 2024 at 3:56 PM
The audiobook version of Cinema’s Original Sin is 70% off (only $6!) until January 2. www.audiobooks.com/promotions/p...
A very kind note on my book.
I taught parts of Prof @paulmcewan.bsky.social's brilliant, BRILLIANT, book about D.W. Griffith this semester that deals not just with the "profoundly" racist BIRTH OF A NATION, but the insight it offered into our society as well as its lingering aftermath. Definitive. www.amazon.com/Cinemas-Orig...
Cinema's Original Sin: D.W. Griffith, American Racism, and the Rise of Film Culture
Cinema's Original Sin: D.W. Griffith, American Racism, and the Rise of Film Culture [McEwan, Paul] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Cinema's Original Sin: D.W. Griffith, American Racism, and the Rise of Film Culture
www.amazon.com
December 4, 2024 at 2:49 AM
A very kind note on my book.
In a bookstore with the 15-year-old yesterday and he casually mentions that “all the books in this series seem to be in the public domain.” No idea how he learned what public domain is, but be still my media professor dad heart.
November 28, 2024 at 5:14 PM
In a bookstore with the 15-year-old yesterday and he casually mentions that “all the books in this series seem to be in the public domain.” No idea how he learned what public domain is, but be still my media professor dad heart.
If you really love someone, you fix the settings on their AV equipment whether they want you to mess with it or not.
For those going home to visit family this weekend:
• Samsung calls it Auto Motion Plus
• LG calls it TruMotion
• Sony calls it Motionflow
• Roku calls it Action Smoothing
• Google TV calls it Motion Enhancement
• Vizio calls it Smooth Motion Effect.
• Samsung calls it Auto Motion Plus
• LG calls it TruMotion
• Sony calls it Motionflow
• Roku calls it Action Smoothing
• Google TV calls it Motion Enhancement
• Vizio calls it Smooth Motion Effect.
November 27, 2024 at 12:41 AM
If you really love someone, you fix the settings on their AV equipment whether they want you to mess with it or not.