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History of Film Professor Richard Schwartz ENG 4121 sec. U01B Summer B 2007: June 27-August 8, 2007 M/W 2:00-4:45 PM Office: DM 460B phone: 305-348-3394 Office hours: M/W: 1:15-1:45 PM and 5:45-6:15 PM. Email: schwartz@fiu.edu Website: http://comptalk.fiu.edu/new_page_47.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Course Objectives: “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” This course will provide a basic background to the film history of the past 100 years, with special emphasis on showing how technological innovations, changing social and political conditions, and other influences have produced profound changes in cinema, while, at the same time, many of the basic appeals and uses of cinema remain similar to those at its inception.
Although there will be some examples from the cinema of other nations, time restraints require that the primary emphasis be on American cinema.
Grades are based on 10 2-3 page essays.
Required Books Gerald Mast and Bruce F. Kawin, A Short History of the Movies, 9th ed. NOTE: You may use the 7th or 8th edition, which are available at much less cost from online booksellers such as Amazon.com ************************************************************************************************ Week I Wednesday 6/27 UNIT ONE: EARLY CINEMA Show and discuss excerpts from Pioneers of Cinema (PN1993.5.A1 P566 1999) and Martin Scorsese, A Personal Journey Through American Movies, Part I (1995, PN1993.5.U6 P47 1995; 72 min) Assignment for next class session: Read Chpts.4, 7, 8 (All readings are from A Short History of the Movies) Write 1st short essay discussing what aspects of early cinema most stand out to you and why. Consider elements of acting, camera work, technical limitations, subject matter and/or other issues (2-3 pages, typed, double-spaced, standard margins and font).
Week 2 Monday 7/2: D.W. Griffith, German Expressionism, and Soviet realism Show and discuss excerpts from Griffith, Birth of a Nation (1915, PN1997 .B566 1984), Fritz Lang, Metropolis (1926–released 1927, FF 587), Sergei Eisenstein, Battleship Potemkin (1925, FF 047); Robert Wiene, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919–released 1920; FF 915) View Scorsese, A Personal Journey Through American Movies, Part II (79 min) Assignment for next class session: Read Chpts. 5, 6, 9 Write 2nd essay discussing what aspects of Griffith, German expressionism, and Soviet realism stand out to you and why. Consider especially camera technique, settings, use of realism vs. expressionism, and political or social content.
Wednesday 7/4: INDEPENDENCE DAY: NO CLASS
Week 3 Monday 7/9: Early Film Comedies View excerpts from Charles Chaplin (stars and directs), The Gold Rush (1925, FF404 ) and Modern Times (1936, FF963); Buster Keaton (stars and directs), The General (1926, FF 560); and Marx Brothers (stars Chico, Groucho, and Harpo Marx) in Duck Soup (1933, dir. Leo McCarey, FF401) and A Night at the Opera (1935, dir. Sam Wood, FF 195). View Scorsese, A Personal Journey Through American Movies, Part III (74 min) Assignment for next class session: Read Chpts. 3, 11 Write 3nd essay discussing what aspects Chaplin, Keaton, and the Marx Brothers stand out to you and why. (Consider acting, costuming and personal appearance, plot and storyline, visual effects, verbal humor, set designs and props, etc.) How do they differ from more recent comedy with which you are familiar? What do you consider most original, innovative, and appealing about their work? How are they restricted by the technological limitations of film making in the 1920s and 1930s?
Unit Two: HISTORY OF FILM AS SOCIAL CRITIQUE: CAPITALISM AND COMMUNISM Wednesday 7/11 View Fritz Lang, Metropolis (1919, FF 587) 87 minutes Assignment for next class: Read Chapter 15 Write 4th essay discussing how Lang uses set designs, costuming, innovative camera work, lighting, movement, and other cinematic tools to generate sensations of awe, wonder, and fear or concern. OR Describe the view of the futuristic society that Lang presents in Metropolis, especially in terms of how power and wealth are distributed and how science and technology are employed. According to the values projected in the film, what is the greatest danger in that society, and what is the proper way for addressing that danger. Submit 1st 4 essays on Monday, 7/16.
Week 4 Monday 7/16: 1st 4 essays are due. View Ernst Lubitsch, Ninotchka (1939, PN1997 .N527) 110 minutes Assignment for next class: Read Chapter 12 Write 5th essay describing the views of capitalism and communism that are communicated in Ninotchka. What are the primary attitudes, beliefs, and concerns of the individuals in each group depicted in the movie (ie.: the countess, the communist officials, etc.). How do the communists regard the capitalists, and vice-versa? Ultimately, which side does the film appear to favor. Explain why you conclude this.
Wednesday 7/18 View Herbert Biberman, Salt of the Earth (1953) 94 min PN1997 .S138 1985 Assignment for next class: Read Chapter 17 Write 6th essay discussing how Salt of the Earth argues both for workers’ rights and women’s rights.
Week 5 Monday 7/23 Tuesday, July 24 is the drop/withdraw deadline View Taylor Hackford, White Nights (1985), 135 min Assignment for next class: Read Chapter 10 Write 7th essay discussing how White Nights makes Baryshnikov’s point about the importance of artistic freedom that was available in the West but not in the Soviet Union. Or Discuss how the director uses costuming, lighting, sets, props, camera work, and other cinematic tools to paint an undesirable picture of the Soviet Union. Or Discuss how the Soviet and American government officials are characterized, and how these characterizations contribute to our approval of the United States and disapproval of the Soviet Union. Submit 2nd set of 3 essays (#s 5-7) on Wednesday 7/25
Wednesday 7/25 Submit essays 5-8 View Oliver Stone, Wall Street (1987) 120 min FF329 Assignment for next class: Read Chapter 13 Write 8th essay discussing what the movie shows to be proper, ethical behavior in a capitalist setting, and it shows to be unethical, improper behavior. How are these behaviors tied to personal character and individual beliefs about what constitutes success, what is admirable, what is moral, etc.?
Week 6 Monday 7/30 View Spike Lee, Do the Right Thing (1989) 120 min PN 1997 .D63 2001 Assignment for next class: Read Chapter 14 Write 9th essay discussing the conditions that give rise to the riot. Discuss what each of the main parties does to contribute to the situation. In addition consider how various attitudes and beliefs about racial and ethnic groups contribute, as well as poverty, poor housing conditions, and other social issues.
UNIT THREE: QUESTIONING THE MEANING OF LIFE Wednesday 8/1 View Ingmar Bergman, The Seventh Seal (1956) 96 min PN1997 .S38 1985 Assignment for next class: Read Chapter 16 Write 10th essay discussing how Bergman uses elements of lighting, costuming, set design, camera work and other cinematic tools to intensify the sense of urgency and despair experienced by the knight, Antonius Blok. OR Discuss how Blok, his squire Johns, and the young couple Mary and Joseph demonstrate different ways for dealing with a hostile, uncertain universe whose ultimate meaning is uncertain, at best, and in which death can abruptly intrude at any moment. Submit final group of 3 essays (#s 8-10) next class, 8/6.
Week 7 Monday 8/6 Submit final group of 3 essays (#s 8-10) View John Byrum, The Razor’s Edge (1984) 128 min
Wednesday 8/8 View Woody Allen, Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) 106 min FF 146 Last Day of Class ****************************************************************************************************** Grades Attendance matters, especially in the abbreviated summer session. I will begin assessing a penalty to the final grade after the second unexcused absence. Grades are based on 10 short essays, which are submitted in three groups. Each group will receive a grade, and the final grade will average the grades for the 3 groups. I care very much about the clarity, precision, focus, and incisiveness of student writing. Precise, direct thesis statements and topic sentences are critical to a well structured, sharply focused, penetrating analysis. So proofread to ensure first, that your essays actually answer the question that is asked, and second, that each essay begins with a strong thesis statement that asserts the essence of your argument and that each paragraph, or related group of paragraphs, begins with a strong topic sentence that elaborates on some aspect of the thesis and serves as the basis for the paragraph.
Act with consideration and come to class on time. If you are late, enter the room discreetly and considerately. Unless it is absolutely necessary, do not walk out in the middle of a class, or otherwise show disrespect to the class and/or the professor. FOR ALL CLASSES AND PUBLIC PERFORMANCES (MOVIES, PLAYS, CONCERTS, ETC.) TURN OFF CELL PHONES AND BEEPERS BEFORE ENTERING THE ROOM!
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