Instructor: Carter, M Areas: V / U
Unique #: 35795 Flags: n/a
Semester: Fall 2013 Restrictions: n/a
Cross-lists: n/a Computer Instruction: No
Prerequisites: C L 315, E 603B, 316K, or T C 603B.
Description: In this course we will be examining some of the intersections of literature, cinema and Cultural Studies. We will begin with foundations of European cinema: for example, Sergei Eisenstein and the influence of Japanese poetry and theatre on his theories of montage; Dziga Vertov and his modernist and experimental influences on later movements like Cinéma vérité; Surrealism, Realism and Neo-Realism (Rossellini, The Dardennes Brothers, Loach); the Nouveau Roman (Resnais & Robbe-Grillet), and the Nouvelle Vague/New Wave (Godard). We will focus on directors who write their screenplays and will also examine the works of film collectives and the influences of manifesto movements, for example the Rive Gauche Collective (Marker, Varda), the Situationists, and the Dogme 95 Collective. The historical and contextual range of the films covers 1920’s Soviet Constructivist cinema, WWII propaganda, the post-war nuclear age, the emergence of working class artists, Queer cinema (Davies), European reactions to Hollywood and cultural imperialism (Adorno & Horkheimer, Benjamin, Godard, Guy Debord and the Situationists, the Dogme 95 Collective), and the realities of postcolonial and contemporary immigrant Europe (Akin, Audiard, the Dardennes, Kassovitz, Haneke). We will examine two writer-directors’ adaptations of others’ literary works (Antonioni’s adaptation of Cortázar’s “Las Babas del Diablo”); Kes, Ken Loach’s adaptation of Barry Hines’ A Kestrel for a Knave). We will also be examining the adaptation of and experimentation with genres like science fiction and the gangster film, the women’s film, and the musical.
Students will have the freedom to work on other European writer-directors, who may not be included on the syllabus (possibilities include Jacques Demy, Krysztof Kieslowski, Werner Herzog, Claire Denis, Andrey Tarkovskiy, Ingmar Bergman, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Derek Jarman, Pedro Almodóvar, Leos Carax, etc.).
Introduction to cinematic vocabulary and techniques (montage, mise en-scène, dissolves, tracking shots, etc.) will be included in the instruction. All of the non-English films will be subtitled.
Possible range of writer-directors and films:
Sergei Eisenstein (USSR/Russia). Bronenosets Potymkin/Battleship Potemkin (1925).
Dziga Vertov (USSR/Russia). Living Russia, or Man with a Camera (1929).
Luis Buñuel (Spain). Un Chien Andalou/An Andalusian Dog (1929).
Leni Riefenstahl (Germany). Triumph des Willens/Triumph of the Will (1935). Excerpts.
Roberto Rossellini (Italy). Roma città aperta/Rome Open City (1945).
Alain Resnais & Alain Robbe-Grillet (France). Last Year at Marienbad (1961).
Chris Marker (France). La Jetée (1962).
Agnès Varda (France). Cléo de 5 à 7/Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962).
Michelangelo Antonioni (Italy). L’Eclisse/The Eclipse (1962), Blow Up (1966).
Jean-Luc Godard (France). Alphaville (1965), Pierrot Le Fou (1965).
Ken Loach (England). Kes (1969).
Lina Wertmuller (Italy). Pasqualino Settebellezze/Seven Beauties (1975).
Terence Davies (England). Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988), The Long Day Closes (1992).
Mathieu Kassovitz (France). La Haine/Hate (1995).
Thomas Vinterberg (Denmark). Festen/The Celebration (1998).
Jørgen Leth (Denmark). Det Perfekte menneske/The Perfect Human (1967) and The Five Obstructions (2003).
Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardennes (Belgium). L’Enfant/The Child (2005).
Michael Haneke (Austria/Germany). Caché/Hidden (2005).
Fatih Akin (Turkey-Germany). Auf der Anderen Seite/The Edge of Heaven (2007).
Steve McQueen, Hunger (2008).
Jacques Audiard (France), Un Prophète/A Prophet (2009).
Lars von Trier (Denmark). Antichrist (2009) and Melancholia (2011).
Literature and Criticism:
Sergei Eisenstein, “Methods of Montage.”
Dziga Vertov, The Writings of Dziga Vertov.
Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer, “The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception.”
Walter Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.”
Michelangelo Antonioni. The Architecture of Vision; Writings and Interviews on Cinema.
André Bazin, “The Evolution of Film Language” and “Cinematic Realism and the Italian School of Liberation.”
Roberto Rossellini, “A Discussion of Neorealism.”
Emmanuel Levinas, “Totality and Infinity.”
Julio Cortázar. Blow-Up and Other Stories.
Jean-Luc Godard, “From Critic to Film-Maker” and “Struggling on Two Fronts.”
Barry Hines, A Kestrel for a Knave.
Alain Robbe-Grillet, “A Future for the Novel,” “From Realism to Reality,” and “New Novel, New Man.”
Requirements & Grading: This is a very demanding, time-consuming, reading- and viewing intensive class. There will be at least one required film per week, along with additional suggested viewings. Please note that some weeks, we will be watching two films; that comprises at least four hours of prep time for class. It is absolutely necessary for students to have viewed the required film(s) before class analysis and discussion. On-campus screenings will be arranged by the Professor; if you cannot attend a scheduled screening, make sure to view the film independently before the class discussion. Active, significant, and substantial participation comprises a substantial portion of the final grade (25%); silence, passivity, or a lack of preparedness will not serve you well in this class. Regular attendance is required: 3 non-medically excused absences will lower your grade by a full grade (an A will become a B); 4 or more absences will guarantee your failure of the class.
Writing assignments: Three short 2-3 page essays on selected writer-directors and films (10% each); One long 8-10-page paper (50%) of final grade.
Final Grade distribution: Consistently active, significant, and substantial participation (20%); Three short 2-3 page essays (30%); One long 8-10-page paper (50%).