The basic premise of this class is that one best learns film history, technique, and influence through the analytical viewing of films. These facets of film communication can be documented by the viewing of the films that mark milestones in cinematic development. One or more films are scheduled for each class meeting, and students in the class are strongly encouraged to view as many films outside of class as possible.
Common courtesy is expected of class members during class meetings. Specifically, students should not carry on conversations or make disturbing noises during lectures or screenings. Students should not access phones or other light-emitting devices during screenings.
Since films are the primary texts of this course, the viewing experience should be respected by all. If you must get up during a film, please do so quietly and unobtrusively. Never walk in front of a television or in the throw of a movie projector during a screening.
| W Jan 19 | Beginnings of Film Communication |
| M Jan 24 | Lumière, Méliès, and Edison |
| Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography (AFI/NHK, 92, 1:32). | |
| Lumière Premiere Program (Lumière, 1895) | |
| Le Voyage Dans La Lune (Méliès, 02,:14) | |
| The Great Train Robbery (Porter, 03, :12). | |
| W Jan 26 | D.W. Griffith |
| Birth of a Nation (Griffith, 15, 2:59). | |
| M Jan 31 | The Silent Comics |
| Rob Roy (Caton-Jones, 95, 2:19) | |
| Good Morning, Babylon (Taviani, 87, 1:55) | |
| Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow (Brownlow & Gill, 87, 2:40) | |
| W Feb 02 | The Silent Comics II |
| The Bangville Police (Lehrman, 13) | |
| The Rink (Chaplin, 16, :25) | |
| The Immigrant (Chaplin, 17, :30) | |
| The Gold Rush (Chaplin, 25, 1:12) | |
| City Lights (Chaplin, 31, 1:27) | |
| The General (Keaton, 27, 1:14) | |
| M Feb 07 | German Expressionism |
| Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari (Weine, 19, 1:09) | |
| Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (Murnau, 22, 1:36) | |
| Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam (Boese, 20, 1:25) | |
| Metropolis (Lang, 26, 2:00) | |
| Beetlejuice (Burton, 88, 1:32) | |
| Recommended Viewing: Shadow of the Vampire (Merhige, 00, 1:32) | |
| W Feb 09 | Soviet Montage |
| Bronenosets Potemkin (Eisenstein, 25, 1:05) | |
| The Music Man (DaCosta, 62, 2:31) | |
| Jaws (Spielberg, 75, 2:04) | |
| The Untouchables (DePalma, 87, 1:59) | |
| M Feb 14 | Documentary |
| Nanook of the North (Flaherty, 22, 1:05) | |
| Berlin, Synfonie einer Großstadt (Ruttman, 27, 1:19). | |
| Chelovek s kinoapparatom (Vertov, 29, 1:08) | |
| W Feb 16 | Documentary II |
| Triumph des Willens (Riefenstahl, 34, 1:19) | |
| The Lion King (Allers & Minkoff, 94, 1:29) | |
| Gladiator (Scott, 00, 2:35) | |
| The March of Time (de Rochemont, various) | |
| Olympia 2. Teil - Fest der Schönheit (Riefenstahl, 38, 1:30) | |
| Drifters (Grierson, 29, :49) | |
| The River (Lorentz, 37, 30) | |
| Nuit et brouillard (Resnais, 55, :30) | |
| Buena Vista Social Club (Wenders, 98, 1:45) | |
| M Feb 21 | Sound and Animation |
| Little Nemo (McCay, 11) | |
| Gertie the Dinosaur (McCay, 14) | |
| The Sinking of the Lusitania (McCay, 18) | |
| Koko's Earth Control (Fleischer, 28) | |
| Steamboat Willie (Disney, 28, :07) | |
| The Band Concert (Disney, 35) | |
| Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor (Fleischer, 36, :16) | |
| The Rabbit of Seville (Warner Bros, 50, :07). | |
| W Feb 23 | Sound and Animation II |
| Fiddle De Dee (McLaren, 47, :03) | |
| Gerald McBoing Boing (Cannon/Hubley, 51, :08) | |
| Munro (Deitch, 60) | |
| Moonbird (Hubley, 59) | |
| The Hole (Hubley, 62) | |
| Yellow Submarine (Dunning, 68, :90) | |
| Ersatz (Vukotic, 61) | |
| Ruka/The Hand (Trnka, 65, :18) | |
| The Nightmare Before Christmas (Selick, 93, 1:16) | |
| The Wrong Trousers (Park, 93, :30) | |
| Toy Story (Lasseter, 95, 1:21) | |
| M Feb 28 | The Golden Age & Screwball Comedy |
| Bringing Up Baby (Hawks, 38, 1:42) | |
| The Philadelphia Story (Cukor, 40, 1:52) | |
| W Mar 02 | John Ford & The Western |
| Stagecoach (Ford, 39, 1:39) | |
| The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (Ford, 62, 1:59) | |
| Il Buono, il brutto, il cattivo (Leone, 67, 2:41) | |
| The Wild Bunch (Peckinpah, 69, 2:14) | |
| The Cowboys (Rydell, 72, 2:08) |
The basic premise of this class is that one best learns film history, technique, and influence through the analytical viewing of films. These facets of film communication can be documented by the viewing of the films that mark milestones in cinematic development. One or more films are scheduled for each class meeting, and students in the class are strongly encouraged to view as many films outside of class as possible.
Common courtesy is expected of class members during class meetings. Specifically, students should not carry on conversations or make disturbing noises during lectures or screenings. Students should not access phones or other light-emitting devices during screenings.
Since films are the primary texts of this course, the viewing experience should be respected by all. If you must get up during a film, please do so quietly and unobtrusively. Never walk in front of a television or in the throw of a movie projector during a screening.
| M Mar 14 | Italian Neo-Realism |
| Ladri di biciclette (DeSica, 48, 1:30) | |
| W Mar 16 | Orson Welles |
| Citizen Kane (Welles, 41, 1:59) | |
| M Mar 21 | Film Noir |
| The Maltese Falcon (Huston, 41, 1:40) | |
| Double Indemnity (Wilder, 44, 1:46) | |
| W Mar 23 | Post War Japan |
| Rashomon (Kurosawa, 50, 1:28) | |
| M Mar 28 | The American Musical |
| Top Hat (Sandrich, 35, 1:39) | |
| The Wizard of Oz (Fleming, 39, 1:41) | |
| Singin' in the Rain (Kelly & Donen, 52, 1:42) | |
| The Sound of Music (Wise, 65, 2:54) | |
| W Mar 30 | Fear & Gimmicks of the 1950s |
| Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Siegel, 56, 1:20) | |
| M Apr 04 | The French New Wave |
| À bout de souffle (Godard, 59, 1:29) | |
| Les Quatre Cents Coups (Truffaut, 59, 1:39) | |
| W Apr 06 | European Art-Cinema |
| Det Sjunde inseglet (Bergman, 57, 1:36) | |
| M Apr 11 | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Rear Window (Hitchcock, 54, 1:52) | |
| North by Northwest (Hitchcock, 59, 2:16) | |
| W Apr 13 | The British Emigrés |
| Lawrence of Arabia (Lean, 62, 3:42) | |
| Goldfinger (Hamilton, 64, 1:51) | |
| Henry V (Branagh, 89, 2:17) | |
| M Apr 18 | Independent & Non-Theatrical Cinema |
| Meshes of the Afternoon (Deren, 43, :18) | |
| Easy Rider (Hopper, 69, 1:34) | |
| Festival Shorts | |
| W Apr 20 | "Chop Socky" and Beyond |
| Meng long guojiang (Lee, 72, 1:31) | |
| Salaam Bombay! (Nair, 88, 1:53) | |
| M Apr 25 | Film School Brats & Blockbusters |
| 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick, 69, 2:19) | |
| The Godfather (Coppola, 72, 2:15) | |
| Jaws (Spielberg, 75, 2:04) | |
| Star Wars (Lucas, 77, 2:01) | |
| W Apr 27 | Cinema Diversity |
| Working Girls (Borden, 86, 1:30) | |
| Do The Right Thing (Lee, 89, 2:00) | |
| Desperado (Rodruiguez, 95, 1:43) | |
| M May 03 | |
The following should be interpreted as a general timetable governing the subjects to be covered in this course. Class discussion, pace – even fluctuations of student attendance and enrollment – often dictate additions, deviations, and omissions. You are advised to frequently consult the most recent version of this schedule; assignments, lecture topics, and links to resources, will be detailed and added throughout the term.
| R Aug 29 | Beginnings of Film Communication | ||
| T Sep 30 | Lumière, Méliès, and Edison | ||
| Photography | Gianetti, 1-40 | ||
| Edison's Vitascope Cheered | The New York Times in Ebert, 339-340 | ||
| The Great Train Robbery | The Philadelphia Inquirer in Ebert, 340-341 | ||
| Lumière | Maxim Gorky in Ebert, 342-344 | ||
| The Nickelodeons | Joseph Medill Patterson in Ebert, 347-355 | ||
| Writing About the Movies | Corrigan, 1-15 | ||
| Preparing to Watch & Preparing to Write | Corrigan, 16-33 | ||
| R Sep 05 | D.W. Griffith | ||
| I'm Sorry I Made Me Cry | S.J. Perelman in Ebert, 388-393 | ||
| The Edited Image | Corrigan, 62-69 | ||
| Six Approaches: Film History | Corrigan, 78-81 | ||
| Six Approaches: Kinds of Formalism | Corrigan, 86-87 | ||
| Point of View: Play of Glances in Broken Blossoms | Kolker, Ch. 4 | ||
| Camera | Kolker, Ch. 7 | ||
| T Sep 10 | The Silent Comics | ||
| Acting | Gianetti, 237-284 | ||
| From My Autobiography | Charlie Chaplin in Ebert, 359-362 | ||
| Keaton at Venice | John Gillett & James Blue in Ebert, 379-388 | ||
| Elements of Mise-en-Scène: Acting Style | Corrigan, 49-51 | ||
| Cinematic Representation in Steamboat Bill | Kolker, Ch. 1 | ||
| R Sep 12 | The Silent Comics II | ||
| Story: The Classical Paradigm | Gianetti, 332-337 | ||
| Film Terms and Topics | Corrigan, 34-45 | ||
| T Sep 17 | German Expressionism | ||
| Drama | Gianetti, 323-360 | ||
| Six Approaches: National Cinemas | Corrigan, 81-82 | ||
| R Sep 19 | Soviet Montage | ||
| Editing: Soviet Montage... | Gianetti, 150-162 | ||
| Continuity Editing | Kolker, Ch. 2 | ||
| Montage | Kolker, Ch. 4 | ||
| Documentary | |||
| T Sep 24 | Story: Nonfictional Narratives | Gianetti, 344-350 | |
| R Sep 26 | Montage in The Plow That Broke the Plains | Kolker, Ch. 4 | |
| T Oct 01 | Sound and Animation | ||
| Sound | Gianetti, 199-236 | ||
| Movement: Mechanical Distortions | Gianetti, 120-129 | ||
| Minnie and Mickey | E.M. Forster in Ebert, 397-399 | ||
| The Laws of Cartoon Motion | Mark O'Donnel in Ebert, 660-661 | ||
| Sound | Corrigan, 69-73 | ||
| R Oct 10 | John Ford & The Western | ||
| Story | Gianetti, 323-360 | ||
| The Western: or the American Film... | André Bazin in Ebert, 400-407 | ||
| John Wayne: A Love Song | Joan Didion in Ebert, 137-143 | ||
| Six Approaches: Genres | Corrigan, 82-84 | ||
| T Oct 22 | Italian Neo-Realism | ||
| Theory: Theories of Realism | Gianetti, 439-449 | ||
| R Oct 24 | Orson Welles | ||
| Mise en Scène | Gianetti, 41-90 | ||
| Synthesis: Citizen Kane | Gianetti, 471-507 | ||
| From The Films of My Life | François Truffaut in Ebert, 116-122 | ||
| Film Terms and Topics | Corrigan, 45-61 | ||
| Mise en Scène | Kolker, Ch. 6 | ||
| The Long Take | Kolker, Ch. 3 | ||
| T Oct 29 | Film Noir | ||
| Libby Noir | Libby Gelman-Waxner in Ebert, 435-438 | ||
| R Oct 31 | Post War Japan | ||
| From Something Like an Autobiography | Akira Kurosawa in Ebert, 481-488 | ||
| From Something Like an Autobiography | Akira Kurosawa in Ebert, 661-668 | ||
| T Nov 05 | The American Musical | ||
| Sound: Musicals and Opera | Gianetti, 218-222 | ||
| Photography: Color | Gianetti, 21-27 | ||
| Music | Kolker, Ch. 8 | ||
| R Nov 07 | Fear & Gimmicks of the 1950s | ||
| The Imagination of Disaster | Susan Sontag in Ebert, 422-435 | ||
| T Nov 12 | The French New Wave | ||
| Editing: André Bazin and... Realism | Gianetti, 162-172 | ||
| Six Approaches: Auteurs | Corrigan, 84-86 | ||
| R Nov 14 | European Art-Cinema | ||
| From The Magic Lantern | Ingmar Bergman in Ebert, 444-446 | ||
| T Nov 19 | Alfred Hitchcock | ||
| Editing: Hitchcock's North by Northwest | Gianetti, 172-198 | ||
| My Own Methods | Alfred Hitchcock in Ebert, 446-452 | ||
| From Behind the Scenes of 'Psycho' | Janet Leigh in Ebert, 654-659 | ||
| Point of View | Kolker, Ch. 5 | ||
| R Nov 21 | The British Emigrés | ||
| Writing | Gianetti, 361-394 | ||
| T Dec 10 | Film School Brats & Blockbusters | ||
| From The Godfather | Mario Puzo in Ebert, 323-336 | ||
| R Dec 12 | Cinema Diversity | ||
| From Do The Right Thing | Spike Lee in Ebert, 536-547 | ||
| Ideology | Gianetti, 395-436 | ||
| Six Approaches: Ideology | Corrigan, 87-90 | ||
The following should be interpreted as a general timetable governing the subjects to be covered in this course. Class discussion, pace – even fluctuations of student attendance and enrollment – often dictate additions, deviations, and omissions. You are advised to frequently consult the most recent version of this schedule; assignments, lecture topics, and links to resources, will be detailed and added throughout the term.
| T Sep 03 | American Cinematographer Abstract |
| Find an American Cinematographer article that discusses a recent film you've watched and enjoyed. Summarize the article in a paragraph or two, paying particular attention to film stock, lighting, and camera choices of the cinematographer. | |
| T Sep 05 | Choosing Film Stock |
| Use Kodak's Professional Motion Imaging site to research and account for the film stock choice(s) in your American Cinematographer abstract (above). Browse the film catalog and the site's "Chronology of Motion Picture Films" page. Be ready to discuss your findings during class. | |
| R Oct 10 | Research Paper |
| Author a researched essay which responds to a topic assigned by your professor. Submit the final draft as a .pdf via e-mail to your professor. Be certain the words "research essay" appear in the subject field of your message. In all respects of format, your work should be presented in the MLA style. If you are uncertain about the particulars of the MLA format, I suggest you consult the most recent edition of The Little, Brown Handbook or the staff of the Writing Center. Frequent and authoritative citation of primary sources represents the most reliable brand of scholarship. Therefore, in a paper about movies, I will expect bibliographic mention of actual films to far outnumber other sorts of references. By extension, this paper requires that you spend more time watching videos than prowling libraries. Any more than a combined total of seven format, typographical or spelling errors will result in an automatic "F" for the assignment. |
|
| R Nov 14 | Group Project |
| As a team, create a five-minute film sequence out of the following basic situation: An older man and a younger woman are having a conversation in which the woman become increasingly angry; at the end of the sequence, her anger become explosive. In matters of content and form, the sequence should demonstrate the conventions of genre and style assigned you by the professor. | |
| Screenwriter 1. Decide who these characters are. What is their relationship to each other? Father and daughter? Uncle and niece? Businessman and prostitute? Teacher and student? Give them any identities you wish. 2. What are they arguing about? first decide on a general subject -- money, love, sex, crime, a child, a grade -- and then, once you have narrowed it down, begin to write some lines of dialogue about this topic. 3. How does the scene end? What does the woman finally do to express her anger? |
|
| Production Designer 1. Create a setting for these characters. Where are they? What is the mis-en-scene? Does the scene occur inside or outside? Is it a public place, like a restaurant or bar? If so, is it crowded or empty? Clean or dirty? Attractive or ugly? Or is it a living room or bedroom? If so, whose living room or bedroom? How is it decorated? (Since you do not have to worry about the budget of this film, be as creative a set decorator as you wish.) 2. What are they wearing? Include make-up and hairstyles. |
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| Director/Cinematographer/Editor 1. How is the room lit? 2. Storyboard a simple sequence of shots for this bit of narrative. Place the camera anywhere you'd like, move it whenever you want, and cut to another shot whenever you think it's appropriate. Or, if you decide to film the whole bit in a single take, note where the camera is placed at all times. |
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| In a presentation not to exceed 10 minutes, your group will "pitch" the sequence to the class. At that time, you will submit to the instructor a script (with dialogue, detailed descriptions of set and characters, and thorough camera placement notes), a storyboard, and any other relevant materials. The script will conform to the Screenplay Format of the Writers Guild of America. | |
| R Dec 12 | Film Review |
| Using chapter 12 of your text as a guide, review a film assigned by your professor. Please write as if you are reviewing the film for a magazine with national circulation. As a member of the press, you have attended an advance screening of the film. Few people who read your review have yet seen the film. They will likely decide to attend or avoid the movie on your recommendation. | |
| Be sure to deal with the following elements... Photography Mise en scène Movement: primary and secondary Editing Sound: music, dialogue, and effects Drama: production design Literature: themes, characters, narratology Ideology Theory: place on the formalist/realist spectrum and defend ...and, to a lesser degree, acting, story, and plot |
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| As a .pdf attachment to an e-mail message, submit your work to your professor by 12:00 noon. Be certain the word "review" appears in the subject field of your message. |