I love movies and watch them constantly, but I'd probably check out if you asked me to watch a WWI movie with pacing and conventions typical of the 60s too. Classics are important for a film class, but there's plenty that can be learned from films made after 1970 too and they tend to be a lot more palatable.

This is honestly a terrible example to use as a general lack of interest. They're film students, obviously something drew them there, it just wasn't war dramas from the middle of last century.