LEADER
David Schmitt can’t quite believe he’s been leading and reading Great Books for as long as he has. He’s an architect, a tutor, and a professional Great Books leader and semiprofessional good-deeds doer. Living just outside Chicago, he has managed to convince Beth, his wife, that she is happily married.
FILMS
Double Indemnity (dir. Billy Wilder, 1944)
The Big Sleep (dir. Howard Hawks, 1946)
Touch of Evil (dir. Orson Welles, 1958)
Chinatown (dir. Roman Polanski, 1974)
Blood Simple (dir. the Coen Brothers, 1983)
SEMINAR OVERVIEW
The world changed dramatically in the first half of the twentieth century, and North America especially changed during that time. America became an urban rather than agrarian culture; two world wars demonstrated how dangerous the world was, and how difficult it is to avoid that danger; the dust bowl and the Great Depression proved how vulnerable we were to the vagaries of nature and a corrupt economic system. The role of women in society changed, and with it the role of the family. All that had been stable had shifted by the middle of the 1940s.
Film noir examines how we must come to live within this new world order. It makes this new world and all its issues accessible not just to the intelligentsia but also to the regular Joe in the audience. Seen through the eyes of the quintessential existential man — the private detective — the world’s misery, its ennui, the corrupting influence of money and materialism, the dangers of lust, and the seductive attraction of cruelty become palpable and direct. We see on the silver screen how one man (for it was often a man) comes to grips with a world in which he often does not belong.
This seminar focuses on five masterpieces of film noir, from its early days to more recent times. Each is representative of aspects of the world which existential man or woman must face. Each offers a great viewing experience. David will screen each of the films the afternoon before our discussion.
Film links available in Canada
Double Indemnity
The Big Sleep
Touch of Evil
Chinatown
Blood Simple
For up-to-date info on streaming availability, see JustWatch Canada.
Film links available in USA
Double Indemnity
The Big Sleep
Touch of Evil
Chinatown
Blood Simple
For up-to-date info on streaming availability, see JustWatch US.
TORONTO PURSUITS 2026 PRICING
The registration cost for Toronto Pursuits 2026 is C$1850. All seminars are C$75 off through 11:59 p.m. Eastern, January 3, 2026. Sale prices are automatically applied.
All orders placed by 11:59 p.m. Eastern, January 3, 2026, also get a complimentary Toronto Summer Music Festival ticket. Participants who register after January 3 can purchase a concert ticket at our group rate, typically around C$80. The concert we will be attending will be announced in early spring 2026.
Bring a new friend and save even more! Take $100 off your registration for every new friend you bring to Toronto Pursuits. Your friend also saves $100 on their registration. Choose your discount from the dropdown menu based on the number of friends who also plan to register, and let us know your friend’s name in the order notes.
The fine print: To get the bring-a-friend discount, your friend must not have registered for any previous Toronto Pursuits seminar in any year. Your friend must register by May 31, 2026, or Classical Pursuits will apply the nondiscounted price to your final payment. Limit one $100 discount per participant for being referred as a new friend. For example, if person A brings new friend B, person C cannot also claim friend B for the bring-a-friend discount. If friend B brings new friend D, friend B qualifies for $100 discount for being a new referral, and an additional $100 for referring new friend D. Classical Pursuits reserves the right to make all decisions about discount eligibility.
PREPARING FOR TORONTO PURSUITS 2026
See the Toronto Pursuits 2026 page for full details on the program schedule, health and safety, booking your accommodations, terms and conditions, and more.
Image credit: madras91 on Flickr
