By Monica Friedlander

Most of next fall's freshmen at UC Berkeley are in for a blockbuster surprise this spring: They're going to the movies, courtesy of the College of Letters and Science and its signature program “On the Same Page.”

As part of their orientation packages, new freshmen and transfer students in the College — who account for more than three-quarters of the campus’s undergraduates – will be asked to watch two of celebrated film director Ang Lee’s most stunning productions: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Ice Storm. In March 2009, Lee, along with his long-time collaborator and screenwriter James Schamus — a UC Berkeley alumnus — will be the program's featured speakers.

"This is a great choice (for the program), because film is a great starting point of discussion," said film studies associate professor Mark Sandberg. "Film is the great cultural vernacular of our time, but careful film analysis and discussion in a university setting can help students become more active and questioning in their relationship to the medium."

Launched in 2006, “On the Same Page” encourages student engagement in rich intellectual dialogues through a variety of activities planned around a central work of art, science or literature, with the author or artist making related presentations on campus.

In its first two years, the program focused on two widely-acclaimed books and their famous authors: “A Briefer History of Time” by Stephen Hawking and “Lincoln at Gettysburg,” by Garry Wills. But the program was never intended solely as a book project, explains Mark Richards, executive dean of the College of Letters and Science.

“When we created the series, we were very attracted to the ‘On the Same Page’ name because the page can be metaphorical,” he says. “We wanted to be open to artists who don’t necessarily write books: playwrights, screenwriters, film makers, musicians, composers. We left that door open."

Richards emphasizes that next fall’s program is focused on the artistic collaboration between Lee and Schamus — not just on the better-known director.

"It's a double feature this year," Richards says.

With their heart-stopping action, breathtaking special effects, tormented romances, sensual love scenes, impeccable acting and jaw-dropping fighting scenes, Lee's movies have something for everyone. Most of all, the films' ability to cut across cultural, national and even sexual boundaries is what organizers hope will resonate especially well with the diverse audience of UC Berkeley students.

Born in Taiwan in 1954, Lee studied theater and cinema in Taipei before going on to earn a B.A. in drama from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in film directing from New York University.

Since then, he's become one of cinema's most versatile contemporary directors. His films include “Brokeback Mountain,” for which he won an Academy Award as best director in 2005; “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon;” “Sense and Sensibility;” “Pushing Hands;” “Eat Drink Man Woman;” “The Wedding Banquet;” “The Ice Storm;” “Ride with the Devil;” “Tortilla Soup;” “Hulk” and “Lust, Caution.”

Schamus, an award-winning film producer and screenwriter in his own right, is perhaps best known for his longtime collaboration with Lee, with whom he co-wrote and produced eight feature films. Also a published film historian, Schamus earned his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and Ph.D. from UC Berkeley. He holds a faculty position in film at Columbia University.

The films "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "The Ice Storm" were chosen for “On the Same Page” for their groundbreaking qualities and their contrasting styles and settings.

“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” which won the 2001 Oscar for best foreign language film, was especially successful in reaching out to both sides of every divide: men and women, blockbuster and art house audiences, and residents of Asia and America. The film accomplished the astounding feat of selling a Mandarin language martial arts romance to mainstream audiences.

“The Ice Storm,” based on Rick Moody's 1994 novel, follows the funny yet tragic dynamics of two upper-class suburban Connecticut families trying to cope with a terrible Thanksgiving ice storm. The novel deconstructs the American family in a rapidly changing world: 1970s America in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and Watergate.

At first glance, it may seem like next fall’s freshmen have lucked out – they're watching movies while their predecessors had to read hundreds of pages to prepare for “On the Same Page” activities. But program director Alix Schwartz offers a friendly cautionary note.

"Students consume a lot of visual media, but they don't always consume it critically," Schwartz says. "What these films will allow us to do is to have faculty-led discussions that will teach students to view films with a critical, analytical eye. When you watch a film by Ang Lee, you are seeing the story through his perspective, and it will be good for students to start to think about how the perspective and the medium shape the message, the material, the story.”

During the 2008-2009 academic year, students will be encouraged to participate in "On the Same Page" events and lectures, including a panel on screenwriting and the featured presentation by Lee and Schamus at Zellerbach Hall on March 16. (Tickets will be available through the Cal Performances ticket office, 642-9988). The Pacific Film Archive is also expected to run a retrospective of Lee’s work in the fall.

"We have now accomplished what we set out to do with this program, which is to establish this as a premier, very high level, high quality program," says Richards.

For Mark Sandberg, the success of the program will be measured by what students take away from it. "I would hope that students would come away from this year's ‘On the Same Page’ program with new ways to think about films, with insight about how they resonate with broader cultural issues, and an understanding of how critical thinking and discussion can open up any field of study – even something as familiar as ‘the movies,’” he says.

For more information about the program, see the On the Same Page website or contact Alix Schwartz at 642-9727. The public event with Ang Lee and James Schamus is run in association with Cal Performances' Strictly Speaking series. Tickets will be available starting Aug. 3 through the Cal Performances ticket office, 642-9988. Student tickets are half off regular price.