English 222.01 History of World Cinema II (3 crs) Spring 2016
Dr. Stephan Flores (sflores@uidaho.edu)
11am-12:15pm Tues.-Thurs. (TR)
TLC 044
http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/~sflores/ English Department: 885-6156
Office hours: W 2:30pm-4:00 p.m. & by appt. Office: Brink 125
Course description:
As stated in the UI Catalog, Engl 222 is an "Introduction to modern film history; a comprehensive survey of the major film movements from the mid 20th Century to the contemporary cinematic scene." Satisfies Gen Ed: Humanities, International; elective course for English majors.
In this class we will begin to explore the fascinations of surveying and studying a range of films as they emerge and develop from different cultures and perspectives, in different genres and tones (including serious and comic and other 'attitudes' and interests), and as film and those who write and talk about films 'converse' with one another. So our studies in film history shall include cultural and historical contexts of film, some introduction to and attention to formal compositions and components of film (such as mise-en-scène, cinematography, editing, film sound), the narrative and organizational structures of film--from stories to genres--critical perspectives on film theories and methods--all this will entail substantial reading about film, attentive weekly viewing of films in class and via online streaming, discussions, and critical analysis of film through sequenced-scaffolded writing assignments. Note that the topics/subjects/settings/action/relationships in some of these films at times include compelling, challenging, provocative materials that portray and examine in expressive, explicit, and critical ways different cultural and ideological perspectives, hierarchies of power, violence, sexuality, and ethnicity. These studies--our work over the semester--are to enable you to develop strengths in understanding film history (films noted for their artistic and cultural/historical significance and influence) from the late1940s to the present, and I expect for many of us, to feed and to foster a lifelong deep enjoyment and keen sense of the pleasures and power and wide-ranging significance of movies in our lives and an open future and in a sense, an open past of wondrous discoveries yet to come.
Written work includes twelve Inquiry-Starter entries posted to a Bblearn discussion thread (200 words each), a Shot Sequence "Plus" Analysis Essay (five pages), a Critical Analysis Essay (six pages), and an in-class midterm exam (some quick questions, plus one short essay; one longer essay).
Recommended preparation: Engl 102. Note: Engl 221 History of World Cinema I or Engl 230 Introduction to Film Studies, are NOT required prerequisites for Engl 222. Though our ‘focus’ is film history, we’ll engage in some introduction to and exploration of film studies over the course of the semester, as we explore diverse films from different cultures and perspectives from the late 1950s to recent cinema, across a range of genres and tones (serious to comic, etc.).
Required primary text (see immediately below), as well as subscription to Hulu Plus:
Thompson, Kristin, and David Bordwell. Film History: An Introduction, 3rd ed. Paperback. McGraw-Hill. (pub. date Feb. 2009; copyright 2010)
ISBN: 978-0-07-338613-3
The most direct avenue to purchasing or renting this required film history textbook is through the UI VandalStore: they have plenty of used copies, with used book rental priced at $15.25, new book rental at 40.00; new book is 133.00; used book is 113.00. They also sell the book in digital format.
[you also can see see highlighted weblink for option to purchase access to a digital edition for six months--this is really the only currently available film history text with such coverage, and is used currently by faculty who teach both Engl 221 and 222--the digital edition is accessed via a 'course' site that is set up within the Connect system at McGraw-Hill--use the following URL to access that site, then you'll see a little image of the blue textbook, click on that image to gain access to the text--you'll have to enter a unique access/registration code that you received when purchasing the digital Connect edition of the text via the URL link above, and that process may also have prompted you to create an account to do so. If you have not yet purchased the digital edition with Connect access, you can do so online directly from within the Connect course site, as follows: Here's the 'course' URL for that access to the Connect digital edition:
https://connect.mheducation.com/class/s-flores-spring-2016
You will need to subscribe to Hulu(Plus): Subscription access to films streaming online at Hulu site via HuluPlus (you can subscribe via link that I will send to you by email, to include two weeks for free, then plan to subscribe for much of the rest of the semester, at $7.99 per month. HuluPlus gives you access to a variety of films/shows--including many of the films that we'll be studying, and including over 900 films in The Criterion Collection on Hulu. For example, see this link to HuluPlus at the Criterion site.You may also? already subscribe to Netflix, and that too can be convenient to have at times during the semester, but unlike Hulu, is not required.
Other PDF documents (including scholarly articles/essays/additional video weblinks/clips on many of our films) in folders via the course Bblearn site.
FYI, I taught Engl 230 Introduction to Film Studies in Fall 2015--follow the highlighted weblink to that course site. I love films and studying and talking about films. If you love films or want to explore a wider variety of significant films to enlarge/begin your 'film education' and to develop your love of films/cinephile self, this may very well be the course to engage in.
Here is one aspect of a guiding premise/claim for this course and its outcomes (also see expected learning outcomes to be added to this site as well as full course description and syllabus, before start of spring semester): Film and literature provide us with a way of understanding how our social life works. Human social life consists of narratives for living, with ‘narratives’ being understood here as an actual life experience spread over time and guided by cultural stories that justify it to participants. Both the cultural and real-world narrative can change; both use frames to exclude norm-dissonant perspectives and values and to ensure that the meanings that support the continuity and homogeneity of the lived process are stable, predictable, and enforced. Who tells the stories in the culture thus largely shapes how that cultural world will be organized. Stories are what people believe and how they believe, and how people believe determines how they act and how they live. Stories can change how people think, perceive, believe, and act. The analysis of the work they perform is thus an important endeavor. And that is what criticism is all about. (An Introduction to Criticism: Literature/Film/Culture--Wiley-Blackwell, 2012).
See the following weblink to my always expanding list of compelling films as well as others' lists of highly regarded films
Engl 222 Prerequisite: English 102 or equivalent.
Note: always refer to the online version of the course description/syllabus because some aspects may be updated over the course of the semester.
Other PDF documents (including scholarly articles/essays/additional video clips on many of our films) in folders/course Bblearn site.
Login to Bblearn by using your UIDAHO NetID. You can update your password at http://help.uidaho.edu/. If you haven't already, setup your NetID at www.vandalsetup.uidaho.edu. If you continue to experience problems accessing BbLearn after changing your password, please contact the ITS Help Desk by email helpdesk@uidaho.edu, or phone (208)885-HELP.
Student Help using BbLearn
Note that in future you might be interested to take Engl 230, Introduction to Film Studies: thatclass is one of the several "foundations" courses required in the Literature emphasis in the English major, and it serves as a good basis for taking additional courses in film studies, such as Engl 221 History of World Cinema I, Engl 420 Literature and Film, Engl 432 Film Theory and Criticism, and Engl 477 Documentary Film.
Broader contexts for desired course outcomes are situated within the department's goals for the English major and the university's learning outcomes. In addition, as mentioned see further below for learning outcomes specific to this course and to 200-level literature and film courses.
Requirements:
1. Twelve Bblearn Inquiry Starters (potential 30 points): a combination of citation (summary-review) with some degree of thesis/problem-driven response (at minimum 200-250 words each), in which you demonstrate that you completed that week's reading and viewing assignments (including writing about both text and film), and find a couple of points of interests that enable you to take a stance/make a claim, state a point of view/thesis, to include--if possible--connecting a specific passage/concept/perspective from our readings that week with your weekly viewing of a film or film clip, to enable you to make sense of our studies/readings through illustration and analysis of an aspect (scene/motif) in a particular film. That is, your Inquiry-Starter should be informed by some aspect of The Film History text or Bblearn PDF reading, and as stated above, also serve to demonstrate--in a sense--that you are keeping up with and finding and engaging with our weekly texts/films in significant ways, particularly as inquiries that may promote further conversation and study. Inquiry Starters present a means for you and the class to share enthusiasms and questions as you delve into the significance, methods, and effects of our film studies, and to learn from others' comments (a version of Graff's "They Say, I Say" exchange, see Bblearn). If the IS is due on a Thursday, avoid merely repeating aspects of our discussion--seek instead to use the reading/viewing/discussion as a point of departure for further inquiry. No late entries—Inquiry Starters are expected on Bblearn preferably by 10 pm the night before the class due date but no later than 10:00am the day of class. Entries posted any later than 11am will lose three points. Come to class prepared to talk about your ISs/ideas. Again: missing or late inquiry-starter entries posted after the class due date will be counted against your semester grade (minus 3 points each, see below--that is, you can lose a bit more as a penalty on each missed entry than the total 30 points for all 12 entries). I will assess your IS entries as a whole (based on individual assessments of each IS, with a typical assessment of 2.5 points for a full and thoughtful/analytical entry and fewer points--such as 1.5 points for commenting only on the film and not on the reading, for instance, or vice versa, and or 2.0 for mainly descriptive entries--I will assign a point total for the semester based on the quality of your posts, as noted further below--however, a preliminary assessment of your first six ISs will form part of my determination of your midterm grade (15 points total for half the ISs), along with the midterm exam. Additional note: I will take opportunities to highlight different ISs, so come prepared to talk about your post with a peer group and with the class as a whole. I will let you know your point total out of the 15 points for the first six ISs, by the end of February. For examples of IS posts, see Bblearn (PDFs).
2. Sequence Analysis 'Plus' essay (titled, five pages, double-spaced, 12 pt font Times New Roman, one-inch margins, due March 29, in class, potential 80 points)--see highlighted weblink for the assignment as well as cautions about 'plagiarism/academic dishonesty' further below.
3. Midterm Exam (in class, 50 points possible). The midterm exam consists ‘first’ or in its ‘minor section,’ of four very short, concise answers, each in response to the selected four chapters in our Film History text: Chapters 16, 20, 22, and 23. This task is a more focused, concise version of what you have already completed in your Inquiry Starters. Next, the ‘main’ part or parts of the exam direct you to write about two films of your choice, in which you write more fully about one of those two films; you are to write about two different films by different directors, selected from the list below. You may choose to write one essay (treating each film in that essay, perhaps with some comparison/contrast) or you may instead write about each film separately, in two essays. You are to use blue or green exam booklets, or provide your own blank sheets of ruled notebook paper for the exam.
In your essay or essays, you are to (seek to) create an argument and to present analysis that may include close attention to a particular scene/sequence but which also moves beyond close analysis to understand the film’s overall narrative arc and its modes of representing and working through problems/questions—both cinematic issues of form or technique as well as cultural/social problems and questions, and to consider to what degree the film seems to answer or resolve such questions.
In other words, what does the film accomplish or perhaps aim to accomplish and how does it do so? What makes the film significant and of import and interest? Is there a particular angle of interest or issue that you want to analyze—do so!
Journey to Italy, dir.by Roberto Rossellini
Umberto D., dir. Vittorio De Sica
Nights of Cabiria, dir. by Federico Fellini
La dolce vita, dir. by Federico Fellini
Black Narcissus, dir. by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
I Know Where I’m Going!, dir. by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger
The River, dir. Jean Renoir
Le Samouraï , dir. by Jean-Pierre Melville
Late Spring, dir. by Yasujiro Ozu
L’avventura, dir. by Michelangelo Antonioni
The 400 Blows, dir. by François Truffaut
Shoot the Piano Player, dir. by François Truffaut
Cléo from 5 to 7, dir. by Agnès Varda
Blow-Up, dir. by Michelangelo Antonioni
Barravento, dir. by Glauber Rocha
Moolaadé, dir. by Ousmane Sembene
Notorious, dir. by Alfred Hitchcock
Shadow of a Doubt, dir. by Alfred Hitchcock
8½, dir. by Federico Fellini
Bicycle Thieves, dir. by Vittorio De Sica
Breathless, dir. by Jean-Luc Godard
Pierrot le fou, dir. by Jean-Luc Godard
Contempt (Le Mépris), dir. by Jean-Luc Godard
4. Critical Analysis Essay (hard copy due in class April 28, also send copy to me by email in MS Word or RTF doc/format, to sflores@uidaho.edu--late essays accepted no later than in class Tuesday May 3--100 points possible): Your assignment is to write at minimum a six page (double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, with one-inch margins) essay that presents an argument to explain how cinematic techniques work together to create meaning in a film—a post World War II film (1945-present) that you select from a list that I have compiled of over 501 acclaimed films that vary by time period, culture, and genre; you may also choose a film that is listed on our course schedule on the main website. See this highlighted weblink to a list of films from which you may choose to write about for this assignment. See this highlighted weblink for the full assignment and see cautions about 'plagiarism/academic dishonesty further below (as a faculty member I [am obligated ] to report all such instances to the Dean of Students Office). Note also that if you wrote on an American film (directed by John Ford or a film set in the United States) for the Sequence Analysis Plus Essay, then you must write on a foreign film (non-U.S. setting) for this assignment.
For this assignment, please review and keep in view the following: in your prior sequence analysis essay, your essay aimed to understand how a sequence makes sense—how a sequence of shots has and creates meaning—including (and because of) its relation to other significant prior or subsequent parts of the film, as the film’s narrative story and plot unfold and arguably either cohere or work in contradiction to enact meaning. In other words, a sequence functions in its fullest significance and range of meaning(s) as it is understood to exist and as it is situated within the overall film and its contexts. In that prior essay you were assigned to create an argument and conduct analysis that begins with a specific shot sequence but which also moves beyond close analysis to understand the film’s overall narrative arc and its primary modes of representing and working through problems/questions—both cinematic as well as cultural/social/historical problems and questions, and to consider to what degree the film seems to answer or resolve such questions.
In this Critical Analysis Essay, you are to create an argument and conduct analysis that may include a focus on one or more shot sequences but that also moves beyond close analysis to understand the film’s overall narrative arc and its primary modes of representing and working through problems/questions—both cinematic as well as cultural/social problems and questions, and to consider to what degree the film seems to answer or resolve such questions.
5. Participation: Please take advantage of opportunities to share your insights and to listen and reply to others' ideas. I hope that questions and discussions will enable you to move the class in directions you find most helpful, give you opportunities to develop critical skills through collaboration, and provide for a productive, interesting exchange of perspectives among the class. You may meet periodically in small groups in class primarily for sharing Inquiry-Starters and to prompt our class discussions. I expect you to contribute productively to class discussion, and I will make an effort to call on you directly, especially if you tend not (!) to pitch in to share your views and questions. In addition, try to remember to bring a piece of paper to each class meeting--occasionally I will prompt you to do some in-class writing--an ungraded pop quiz of sorts--to understand your interests and responses to the chapter/reading from the primary text and to the assigned viewing of films.
6. All required work is due at the begin ning of class on the due date—work turned in late will be graded accordingly. Required graded written work will be downgraded one notch (for example, B+ to B, converted to points for each assignment) for each weekday late (not just days classes meet but counting just one day for a weekend).Work submitted more than a week late will not be accepted. I will grant short extensions for medical and family emergencies—but talk with me as soon as possible to request an extension. Always keep copies of your work.
7. Attendance: always attend class (unless you are sick). One or two absences--excused or not--will not affect your semester grade; a third absence will lower your semester total by three points, with a three-point reduction for each additional absence (four absences=minus 6 points, five absences = minus 9 points); six or more absences is sufficient cause for you to receive a failing grade for the course, regardless of your semester point total. All absences will be counted—excused or not—if something extraordinary occurs, talk to me.
8. Grades: Twelve Bblearn entries (30 points); Midterm Exam (50 pts); Sequence Analysis Essay (80 pts); Critical Analysis Essay (100 pts). These required assignments add up to a maximum of 260 points. Thus 234-260 points equals an A, 208-233 equals a B, 182-207 equals a C, 156-181 equals a D, and anything below 156 merits an F. I shall reserve a potential six bonus points based on my perceptions of the strength of your participation and efforts over the semester; incomplete or missing inquiry-starter entries will be counted against your semester grade, with the loss of three points for each missing or incomplete entry, to a maximum loss of 36 points. NOTE, therefore, that missing even one Inquiry Starter combined for example with three absences, could very well affect your overall semester grade by lowering your total points by 6 points. You might earn grades in the A(-) range, for instance, on the Sequence Analysis Plus Essay and on the Critical Analysis Essay, yet receive a B for the semester if you incur such penalty points because of missing ISs and absences.
9. Office hours. I encourage you to confer with me—especially before assignments are due—to talk about your interests, intentions, and writing strategies. If you cannot make my regular hours (in Brink 125), we’ll arrange another time. I also welcome communicating with you by E-mail (sflores@uidaho.edu) and for students based in Couer d'Alene, Skype.
10. Use of laptops and cell phones during class is prohibited; occasional use of laptops—typically for group work and to access the online components of the class—may be permitted with my approval.
11. Do not submit work for this class that you have submitted or intend to submit for a grade in another course; as always, be careful to cite anyone else's work that you draw upon. See highlighted link on the class website to a useful guide to avoiding plagiarism, and a link to information on the university's policies regarding plagiarism and academic dishonesty, in relation to the UI Code of Student Conduct. University of Idaho Guidelines on Academic Dishonesty (including plagiarism)
12. Classroom Learning and Civility: To support learning and discovery in this course—as in any university course—it is essential that each member of the class feel as free and as safe as possible in his or her participation. To this end, we must collectively expect that everyone (students, professors, and guests) seek to be respectful and civil to one another in discussion, in action, in teaching, and in learning. Because knowledge and learning are constructed and construed through social inquiry and exchange, it is vital that course dialogue and debate encourage and expect a substantial range of reasoned, expressive, and impassioned articulation of diverse views in order to build a stronger understanding of the materials and of one another's ways of knowing. These practices strengthen our capacities for understanding and the production of (new) knowledge. As with the critical writing assignments for this class, our primary aims include engaging with texts and their varied critical interpretations by identifying problems, developing claims and arguments with supporting lines of evidence and explanation, and enriching our literary understanding, interests, and commitments.
Should you feel our classroom interactions do not reflect an environment of civility and respect, you are encouraged to meet with me during office hours to discuss your concern. Additional resources for expression of concern and avenues of support include the chair of the Department of English, Dr. Scott Slovic, the Dean of Students office and staff (5-6757), the UI Counseling & Testing Center’s confidential services (5-6716), or the UI Office of Human Rights, Access, & Inclusion (5-4285).
13. Disability Support Services: Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have documented temporary or permanent disabilities. All accommodations must be approved through Disability Support Services (885-6307; dss@uidaho.edu; www.uidaho.edu/dss) located in the Idaho Commons Building, Room 306 in order to notify your instructor(s) as soon as possible regarding accommodation(s) needed for the course.
Additional reference sources for further study/research: Do not rely upon or incorporate research from non-refereed, non-“scholarly” sources or publications. As noted above, plan to seek secondary research sources from the bibliographies in our texts, and the main secondary sources for you to consider are in folders in the course Bblearn site.
Note--see list below of films studied somewhat substantially to fully in Engl 230, and therefore we won't make these the primary focus of study in Engl 222 but some will be options for viewing and study:
Rachel Getting Married (2008)
The 400 Blows (1959)--could make an exception here so that you can view this stunning film
Down By Law (1986)
Bicycle Thieves (1948)
Vertigo (1958)
Battleship Potemkin (1925)
Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
Stagecoach (1939)
I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987)
Tokyo Story (1953)
Rashomon (1950)
Breathless (1960)
Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)
Close-up (1990)
8½ (1963)
The Thin Blue Line (1988)
Killer of Sheep (1977)
Two Days, One Night (2014)
My Dinner with Andre (1981)
Manhattan (1979)
’71 (2015)
To guide your life long cinephile viewing, here is a lengthy list of acclaimed films--see this weblink for my compilation of 501 Top-Ranked/Selected/Preferred Films, including many from Sight & Sound 2012 poll of all-time films, as well as top ranked lists from Criterion Collection, National Society of Film Critics' 100 Essential Films, and other 'favorites.'
English 222.01 Semester Schedule Spring 2016 (subject to some tweaking/revision as we go along)--unless another source is specified (such as a PDF on Bblearn site), all main introduction and chapter readings/contents are in Thompson's and Bordwell's Film History: An Introduction, Third edition text, and are to be read before the class meeting on the date/day as listed below; video clips are via weblinks in Bblearn folder(s).
Dates |
Tuesday |
Thursday | Notes |
1/14 |
Before class, read Bordwell and Thompson's introductory essay "Doing Film History" online (weblink highlighted in title of essay). If this is your first film studies course, I advice that you see the PDF on Introduction to film studies, with analysis of scenes from films Juno and Harry Potter--the PDF is in the folder in Bblearn labeled Excerpts from texts on film studies; in the film clips folder also view clip analyses for Juno and for Harry Potter; we'll start watching Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train in class today-- finish watching that film (see weblink to clips via Bblearn folder), before class next Tuesday; optional/recommended snippet/summaries of chapters on Film Studies from the book The Film Experience, interspersed over the semester: The Film Experience, Part One: Cultural Contexts: Watching, Studying, and Making Movies |
Juno | |
1/19-21 |
Thompson and Bordwell’s Film History: An Introduction, 3rd Edition: [e.g. Ford’s The Searchers (1956), many more]--we'll discuss Hitchcock’s Strangers on a Train (1951) in class today--what did you find most interesting about the film's form/cinematography? What did you find most interesting (and why) about the film's characters, relationships, and narrative story and outcome? any film is more than 'entertainment'--or rather, if entertaining it also is compelling, addressing our desires, meeting certain kinds of satisfactions or perhaps frustrating such interests--how can we begin to think about the meanings/value, signficance of Hitchcock's film? See Cook's 'chapter' on Hitchcock in the Bblearn folder on Hitchcock. Interested to watch more great Hitchcock?, try Notorious (soon via weblink on Bblearn, or the complex/challenging Vertigo. |
Bblearn Inquiry Starter due by 10am on some aspect of readings/films on syllabus for this week; optional/recommended: Bblearn video clip on Narrators, Narration, and Narrative; also optional/ highly recommended: see via Bblearn weblink John Ford's classic, provocative film The Searchers (1956--this film ranked #7 all time best film (by 846 critics, programmers, academics and distributors) in the 2012 Sight & Sound Poll), with astute audio commentary by Peter Bogdanovich; for next week (this weekend?) watch Vittorio De Sica’s Umberto D. on Hulu Plus, via your subscription to Hulu (1950) and/or Roberto Rossellini’s Journey to Italy on Hulu Plus (1954) so that you have watched at least part of one film and all of one of these films, before class next Tuesday |
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1/26-28 |
watch Vittorio De Sica’s Umberto D.via your subscription to Hulu Plus(1950) and/or Roberto Rossellini’s Journey to Italy on Hulu (1954, ranked #41 all time best film by critics in Sight & Sound 2012 poll) so that you have watched at least part of one film and all of one of these films, before class today--be prepared to talk or write about the plot and a scene from one of those films--we may watch some of Mark Shiel's "Life as It Is" on Italian neorealism but more likely I will lecture on this highly important movement while showing silently a neorealist film, so that I suggest that you watch Shiel's piece via weblink in Bblearn folder on Italian neorealism--if you have never seen Bicycle Thieves (1948) that film is particularly compelling and significant. The Bblearn folder on Italian neorealism includes weblinks to brief essays on these films. Film History, Chapter 16 Postwar European Cinema: Neorealism and its Context, 1945-1959 Try to find time to read Cook's chapter on Italian Neorealism this week The Film Experience: Chapter Two: Mise-en-Scène: Exploring a Material World |
Bblearn Inquiry Starter due by 10am on some aspect of readings/films on syllabus for this week; For class today, read the chapter (pdf) on Realism and Film Theories--Battleship Potemkin and Umberto D., in the Italian neorealism folder on Bblearn; of course you are invited to browse or read through the other reviews or essays in the folder(s) on neorealism--I'll say a bit more about Umberto D. today, then focus some lecture on Journey to Italy, along with time for your discussion of your Inquiry Starters and class discussion optional: see Bblearn video clip on Setting and Expressionism, and clip on Diegetic and NonDiegetic Elements of Narrative in Film; before class next Tuesday, watch Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s romantic comedy I Know Where I’m Going (1945) which should be available via weblink in Bblearn by this weekend, or Jean Renoir’s drama The River (1951) on Hulu Plus, and/or the drama Black Narcissus via weblink on Bblearn by this weekend (1947)[I had thought these Powell and Pressburger films were on Hulu Plus because the Criterion website states that they are 'available online' but that was my misinterpretation]; as an additional option for a second or third film to consider, see folder/weblink to Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samouraï--note that there's an Inquiry Starter due next Tuesday |
|
2/2-4 |
before class today, watch Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger’s romantic comedy I Know Where I’m Going (1945) via weblink in Bblearn, or Jean Renoir’s drama The River (1951) on Hulu Plus, and/or the dramatic Black Narcissus via weblink on Bblearn (1947); as an additional option for a second or third film to consider, see folder/weblink to Jean-Pierre Melville’s Le Samouraï--see folders in Bblearn with weblinks to learn a bit more about each of these films, via review-essays--I'll focus commentary today on The River and on I Know Where I'm Going Chapter 17 Postwar European Cinema: France, Scandinavia, and Britain, 1945-1959 Bblearn Inquiry Starter dueby 10am on some aspect of readings/clips from this week The Film Experience Chapter Three: Cinematography: Framing What We See |
We'll focus today on Black Narcissus, and glance at Le Samouraï (weblinks to both films, with criticism, in respective Bblearn folders) read Bblearn PDF on Analyzing Cinematography; optional: see Bblearn video clip on Lighting and Familar Image: The Night of the Hunter; see video clip on Composing the Frame; see PDF on black and white film, and on color film |
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2/9-11 |
before class today, watch Yasujiro Ozu’s Late Spring (1949, 108 min) on Hulu Plus--this film ranked #15 all time best film (by 846 critics, programmers, academics and distributors) in the 2012 Sight & Sound Poll and see Bblearn folder on Postwar Japanese cinema for additional brief review essays on Ozu, including weblinks to Michael Atkinson's "Late Spring: Home with Ozu" and also the video essay on "The Signature Style of Yasujiro Ozu" as well as Donald Richie's "Ozu and Setsuko Hara";recommended: weblink clip to Talking to Ozu Film History, Chapter 18 Postwar Cinema Beyond the West, 1945-1959 Chapter Four(133-173): Editing: Relating Images |
Bblearn Inquiry Starter dueby 10am on some aspect of readings/clips from this week; Read Cook on Kurosawa and esp. on Ozu (Bblearn folder on Japanese postwar cinema); watch one or more of Kevin Lee's video essays on the 2016 Oscar competition, on Fandor site optional: see video clips on Evolution of Editing: Continuity and Classical Cutting, and also on Montage; see PDF on continuity editing, discontinuity, and the 180-degree rule; video clip: The 180-Degree Rule; |
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2/16-18 |
Before class today, watch Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow-Up (1966, 111 min), via Bblearn folder on Second Italian Film Renaissance, weblinks, including review-essays on Blow-Up, or watch L’Avventura on HuluPlus (1960) Film History, Chapter 19 Art Cinema and the Idea of Authorship Chapter Six(213-251): Narrative Films: Telling Stories |
Bblearn Inquiry Starter due by 10am on some aspect of readings/clips from this week (Ch.19 and Antonioni's Blow-Up or L'Avventura, or film from one of the other directors in Ch. 19); check out, watch some or all of one of the other directors' work from the chapter this week, on HuluPlus (such as Kurosawa or Bergman or Fellini ...) optional: see PDF on the Concepts of story versus plot; see video clips on Shot Types and Implied Proximity and on Camera Angles |
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2/23-25 |
Before class today, watch at least part of one film and all of another of these films, on Hulu Plus and/or via weblinks in Bblearn folder on The French New Wave: Agnès Varda’s Cléo from 5 to 7(1962), or François Truffaut’s Shoot the Piano Player (1960) and/or The 400 Blows (1959)--this latter Truffaut film (The 400 Blows) is a masterpiece, and though I teach it in Engl 230, if you've never seen, you may want to fit it in!--see links to brief review-essays on Shoot the Piano Player and on Cléo from 5 to 7 Film History, Chapter 20 New Waves and Young Cinema, 1958-1967 Chapter Nine(311-349): Movie Genres: Conventions, Formulas, and Audience Expectations |
Bblearn Inquiry Starter due by 10am on some aspect of readings/clips from this week; if you have time, watch first 40 minutes of Glauber Rocha’s Barravento (1962) via weblink on Bblearn, before class today; see Bblearn pdf on Cinema Nôvo and Barravento Optional: see video clips on Point of View and on Zoom and Moving Camera Effects; see PDF shot analysis of City of God (if you have Netflix streaming, City of God is available there and see our Bblearn site/folder). |
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3/1-3 |
Watch Fellini's Nights of Cabiria (1957) before class today (via weblink in Bblearn folder on Second Italian Film Renaissance), or if you wish, Fellini's La Dolce Vita (1960), also via weblink in Bblearn folder--his 'masterpiece is 8½ (1963), but that is studied closely in Engl 230 Film History, Chapter 22 Hollywood's Fall and Rise, 1960-1980 Optional: Marilyn Fabe's chapter on Feminism and Film Form: Patricia Rozema's I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (Bblearn folder--for future follow up reading, see Mulvey's essay and others in the folder on additional film theory in Bblearn); See PDF in Bblearn from Corrigan and White's Chapter Eleven (397-427): Reading About Film: Critical Theories and Methods |
Bblearn Inquiry Starter dueby 10am on some aspect of readings/clips/; Today I plan to show to begin showing a series of short film/video essays on film form and analyzing film, and be sure that you have read: See PDF in Bblearn from Corrigan and White's Chapter Eleven (397-427): Reading About Film: Critical Theories and Methods And the Bblearn PDF, excerpt from Gocsik, Barsam, Monahan on Writing About Movies; |
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3/8-10 |
Before class today, watch all or as much as you can of Ousmane Sembene’s Moolaadé (2004, 124 min) via weblink in Bblearn Film History, Chapter 23 Politically Critical Cinema of the 1960s and 1970s
See Corrigan and White PDF in Bblearn folder for Chapter Twelve (429-461): Writing a Film Essay: Observations, Arguments, Research, and Analysis |
Midterm in-class exam Review the following four chapters to prepare for the exam: Journey to Italy you can choose to write about the two films you've selected in one essay, or write about each film in two separate essays--plan to give more attention to one of the films so that at least one film receives a fuller analysis and contextualization in the time available during the midterm-bring 'green' or 'blue' books or stapled notebook paper to class, but no notes or textbook (or cell phones/laptop etc.).
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3/22-24 |
Watch Jean-Luc Godard’s Contempt (Le Mépris, 1963, 102 min, critics' #21 all time best film in the 2012 Sight & Sound poll) before class today, or if you prefer, view Ken Loach's Kes (1969, which received votes in the 2012 Sight & Sound poll, and also ranked in top ten British films of its century), either/both via weblinks on Bblearn Read Lehman and Luhr's chapter on Gender and Sexuality (Bblearn folder on excerpts from film studies texts) Film History, Chapter 24 Documentary and Experimental Film Since the Late 1960s
Chapter 10 (353-395): History and Historiography: Hollywood and Beyond |
Read Lehman and Luhr's chapter on Race (Bblearn folder on excerpts from film studies texts); we'll take a look in class at excerpts from Godard's Contempt (via weblink in Bblearn folder on French films)
Optional: see video clip on Lighting |
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3/29-31 |
Sequence Analysis 'Plus' essay due in class today Before class today, watch Wim Wenders's Alice in the Cities on Hulu (1973) or Wings of Desire on Hulu or via weblink in Bblearn folder (1987), or Stephen Frears's My Beautiful Laundrette via weblink on Bblearn (1985) or Victor Erice’s The Spirit of the Beehive via weblink on in Bblearn (1972), or Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colors: Blue (1993) on Hulu Film History, Chapter 25 New Cinemas and New Developments: Europe and the USSR Since the 1970s
Chapter Eight (283-309): Experimental Film and New Media: Challenging Form |
Bblearn Inquiry Starter due by 10am on some aspect of readings/clips from this week;Bblearn PDF on movie stars/actors/acting; | |
4/5-7 |
Before class today watch the opening scenes of Gavin Hood's Tsotsi (2005, 94 min) via Bblearn weblink (2005), and Fernando Meirelles’s City of God (2002, 130 min), then watch one of the films completely Film History, Chapter 26 A Developing World: Continental and Subcontinental Cinemas since 1970 New Cinemas, New Audiences
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Bblearn Inquiry Starter dueby 10am on some aspect of readings/clips from this week; finish watching Tsotsi or City of God, and perhaps start watching Aditya Chopra's Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (The Big-Hearted Will Take Away the Bride, 1995), or Ram Gopal Varma's Satya (1998), or Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding (2001), or Ram Gopal Varma's Company (2002), or Ashutosh Gowariker's Lagaan (Taxation/2001--last part not available until next Monday) via weblinks in Bblearn folder on films from/of India |
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4/12-14 |
Class does not meet today. Finish watching Aditya Chopra's Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (The Big-Hearted Will Take Away the Bride, 1995), or Ram Gopal Varma's Satya (1998), or Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding (2001), or Ram Gopal Varma's Company (2002), or Ashutosh Gowariker's Lagaan (Taxation/200), or Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003, There May or May Not Be a Tomorrow) and/or watch openings of both Wong Kar-wai's Chungking Express (1994, 102 min) and In the Mood for Love [ranked #24 all time best films in Sight & Sound 2102 poll (2000, 98 min), then watch one or more of the films completely (however, the 'Bollywood'-ish and other films from India tend to be really long! Film History, Chapter 27 Cinema Rising: Pacific Asia and Oceania since 1970 Chapter Seven: Documentary Films: Representing the Real
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Class does not meet today. Bblearn Inquiry Starter due by 10am on some aspect of readings/clips from this week--no class meeting today--use the time to finish watching one or more films! and/or view another episode of The Story of Film |
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4/19-21 |
Before class watch Jim Jarmusch's Stranger than Paradise (1984, 89 min) on Hulu, or Courtney Hunt's Frozen River via Bblearn weblink (2008) or Quentin Tarantino's Jackie Brown (1997) Film History, Chapter 28 American Cinema and the Entertainment Economy: The 1980s and After Chapter One(19-59): Encountering Film: From Preproduction to Exhibition |
we'll continue our discussion and viewing of post-1980s American cinema; come to class with a paragraph that is either a practice draft of your topic/thesis/approach to the Critical Analysis Essay that is due a week from today, or a practice draft of such a topic, on one of the films for this week--you'll do some group work in class on this |
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| 4/26-28 | Before class watch El secreto de sus ojos (The Secret in their Eyes, 2009, 129 mins) or Makhmalbaf’s The Silence (1998); Bblearn Inquiry Starter due by 10am on some aspect of readings/clips/ Film History, Chapter 29 Toward a Global Film Culture |
Critical Analysis Essay due in class today--we'll watch more of El Secreto de sus Ojos and start watching Birdman Film History, Chapter 21 Documentary and Experimental Cinema in the Postwar Era, 1945-Mid-1960s |
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| 5/3-5 | Watch Her or Ex Machina (via Bblearn weblinks) ;Film History, Chapter 30 Digital Technology and the Cinema |
Two distinctive vampire films: take a look at Let the Right One In (2008) and/or A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) via weblinks on Bblearn; see PDF on use of digital technology in Time Code | |
Course Learning Outcomes: English 222
Students will study, explore, and seek to learn in the context of the following learning objectives and outcomes--the Engl 222 course
• Introduces and develops focused/limited secondary research skills
• Develops writing strategies, including the capacity for visual analysis, for a critical understanding of film as demonstrated in essays and other forms of writing
• Helps students investigate how these films shape and reflect their particular contexts, including differences in treatment of socio-cultural, historical, and political issues across the time period covered
• Helps students engage with and develop investment in the films and related texts/criticism—using a range of assignments and resources, including online writing/discussions
• Helps students begin to engage in scholarly conversations about film, including learning some of the vocabulary of film studies and the application of that vocabulary—these conversations proceed with practice of focused, basic research skills and use of evidence to position themselves in dialogue with critical discussions
• To develop an initial understanding of the social and technological history of film, including a selective variety of films widely regarded as signficant in the historical development of film and claims for "excellence" in film since the 1950s
• Helps students become acquainted with some of the formal techniques by which films make meaning and to evaluate the formal aspects of cinema in relation to analytic arguments that make specific claims about how a film's formal aspects can be argued to effect/affect meaning(s)
• Requires, and directs students in ways to write concise, sustained analytical essays (with selected research) that evidence close reading of the films to include well-developed theses/argument, selective, limited engagement with critical sources, and ability to ask meaningful questions of the film and its construction and contexts. Evaluation of students' written work includes instructor's use of a rubric to identify specific areas assessed
• Introduces and supports introductory exploration of theoretical perspectives on film and cultural studies, enabling students to reflect upon, compose, and articulate the ways that they engage with critical theory and practice
•Helps students understand applications of film studies with references to contemporary events/situations that show similar problems depicted in the texts recurring in present day life and social relations
•Expects and monitors that students' writing exhibits correct usage of grammar and of MLA formats and citation conventions
• Fosters, if possible!, a profound, complex enjoyment of films through critical understanding, reflection, and engaged study of a good range of films ranging form the 1950s to the present, to support/anticipate a lifelong fascination and pleasure with cinema
Evaluation/Assessment Rubric for Instructor's Written Responses to Critical Essay and Term Essay, with check mark along a scale of Excellent to Weak, with specific comments to supplement comments/feedback on the texts of the essays themselves:
Rubric for Initial Criteria for Evaluating Critical Writing/Essays: Excellent Very Good-Good Competent-Fair Weak
Note: Ultimately the evaluation of your work is holistic,
and therefore also intends to register the different, nuanced,
unexpected and evocative effects of your analysis,
exploration, creative expression/affect, and engagement
with learning and discovery.
1. Strength and clarity of (hypo)thesis/focus/introduction
2. Intellectual/conceptual strength and persuasiveness of
main claim as well as ensuing argument/logic/premises/
critical analysis/theory/ideas
3. Cohesive and coherent development, logical
organization, including well-structured paragraphs with
clear points and compelling, specific support/evidence
4. Analysis of film’s/topic’s relevant cultural/historical
contexts and if specified, of related scholarship/criticism;
analysis of film’s rhetorical/persuasive strategies, structure
5. Topic’s depth/complexity, including explanation of
problem to be addressed, recognition of film’s
conflicts/contradictions (ideological/rhetorical),
creativity and sense of discovery/affective engagement
conveyed—the articulated sense of “what’s at stake, why
all of it matters”
6. Significance/ conclusion
7. Effective sentences, syntax, verbs, diction,
punctuation, complexity, and suitable style: academic,
critical, appropriate to your understanding of the
materials/subjects
8. MLA style—parenthetical citation of sources,
Works Cited; formatting; spelling ungraded but noted
University of Idaho Guidelines on Academic Dishonesty (including plagiarism)
Lessons on Style (general advice/quited dated handout but perhaps worth looking over) [pdf]
Quick Advice on Punctuation (also dated) [pdf]
Summary/Overview of Perspectives on Critical Theory
Online Writing Center Resources (from writing essays to grammar and usage advice):
http://wiki.english.ucsb.edu/index.php/The_Craft_of_a_Literature_Paper
Review Guide to Using MLA Style for Citing Sources [from OWL/Purdue, see esp. left side tab: formatting and style guide]
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NY Times video series Anatomy of a Scene (very short videos that look at a scene from a 'recent' film)
FYI, see this weblink to my favorite films/books/music
which includes these favorite films:
Films (most dates accurate):
8 1⁄2 (1963, including excellent commentary in Criterion collection release) --HuluPlus Criterion Collection
Annie Hall (1977)----on Netflix streaming
Before Sunrise (1995, first in director Linklater's romantic/sentimentally intelligent trilogy, followed by Before Sunset and Before Midnight, spanning 18 years, with Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke)
Before Midnight (2013)
Before Sunset (2004)
Bicycle Thieves (1948)
Birdman (2014)
Breaking Away (1979)
Bullitt (1968)
Casablanca (1942)
L'Eclisse (1962)--HuluPlus Criterion Collection
Fargo (1996)----on Netflix streaming
Fresh (1994)--on Netflix streaming
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Her (2013)
Holiday (1938)
In the Heat of the Night (1967)
Kill Bill: Vols. 1 and 2 (2003/2004)----on Netflix streaming
Manhattan (1979)
Man with a Movie Camera (1929)
My Dinner With Andre (1981)--HuluPlus Criterion Collection
North by Northwest (1959) and Notorious (1946)
Persona (1967)--HuluPlus Criterion Collection
Pulp Fiction (1994)----on Netflix streaming
Rachel Getting Married (2008)
Roman Holiday (1953)
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Stop Making Sense (1984)
The 400 Blows (1959, Les Quatre cents coups, including excellent Criterion Collection critic's commentary)
Three Colours: BLUE(1993), Three Colours: WHITE (1993), Three Colours: RED(1994) in HuluPlus Criterion Collection
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Top Hat (1935)
Two Days, One Night (2014)--on Netflix
12 Angry Men (1957, see also 1997 remake, plus "12", a fascinating 2007 Russian version)
Wait Until Dark (1967)
Want to compare with an avid cinephile closer to your own generation? Check out my son's list of 'great' films (he also keeps track of 'good' films and all films that he's seen)--this is current to 2013: Ben's List of Great Movies
It's interesting to browse through this list of animated movies,from a Time Out poll
And see the somewhat unevenly or less? rigorous Time Out poll/list of 100 Best Movies of All Time!