This year will mark Jeanine Basinger’s 60th year at Wesleyan University and the 50th year since she created its film program, which has grown into the College of Film and the Moving Image. It is widely recognized as one of the leading film schools in the world, launching many movie artists’ careers. The Hollywood Reporter dubbed this teacher, author, go-to film expert and adviser to the film industry as “the professor of Hollywood” and “an iconic figure in American cinema, one of the most beloved and respected film history professors in the history of film studies.”

Basinger also founded Wesleyan’s film archives, which houses the collections of such diverse film figures as Martin Scorsese, Elia Kazan, Federico Fellini, Ingrid Bergman, Frank Capra and John Waters.

No doubt celebrations of her tenure will be announced for the fall coinciding with the completion of construction of the new film education facilities there — expected to be named in her honor upon her retirement from the school. Basinger’s latest book, "The Movie Musical!” is currently earning wide praise, and the film guru at 84 is working on her next book, this one on American film comedy (tentatively titled “How Funny Is Hitler?”).

Basinger will be in conversation with this writer as the kick-off of the Mark Twain House & Museum’s “A Little Harmless Fun” spring series on Wednesday, March 4 at 7 p.m. at 351 Farmington Ave, in Hartford. The talk will be followed by a book signing. We started that conversation early.

A: The best film Oscar is up for grabs. But the front runner now is “1917” and the best director could be for that film (Sam Mendes) or for “Parasite” (Bong Joon-ho). Or Scorsese. Or Tarantino. It could be a split vote this year for best director. The Academy voting body has changed, and no one knows exactly who and what it is anymore. But the four acting awards seem to be a lock: Renee Zellweger (“Judy”), Joaquin Phoenix (“Joker”), Laura Dern (“Marriage Story”) and Brad Pitt (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”).

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