Studies various film topics: includes the study of films of specific historical periods (such as early cinema or films of World War II) or study of specific issues (such as the studio system, the star system or film censorship) or historical events (the Hollywood Blacklist).

Recent examples include:

The Godfather and other Great Trilogies
For reasons we will explore, many giants of filmmaking have created film trilogies. Containing some of the most provocative and affective films ever made, this unusual artistic form raises unique dramatic and aesthetic questions. Thematically, the films that make up these trilogies range across human experience – e.g., murder and the ruthless acquisition of power (Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather trilogy), personal combat and war (Hiroshi Inagaki's Samurai trilogy and Andrzej Wajda's War [WWII] Trilogy), questioning God's nature and justice (Ingmar Bergman's The Virgin Spring, Through a Glass Darkly, Winter Night. Other trilogies include Korda's Pagnol trilogy, Antonioni's L'Aventura, La Notte, and L'Eclisse, and Mark Donskoy's Gorky trilogy. Additional trilogies can be selected from Sayajit Ray, Sergio Leone, and Krzyztof Kieslowski.

From Kabuki to Kitano: Japanese Cinema History
(Also Japanese 475.001)

From kabuki films to Kitano Takeshi, Japanese cinema has come a long way in the past 100 years. This course traces the history of Japanese cinema from the silent films, with their extraordinary benshi performances, to recent Japanese cinema as shown at international film festivals. Along the way, we will take in avant-garde and social protest films, fascist entertainments, rock and roll youth films, animations, and trendy idol dramas. We’ll even see the occasional tea ceremony! Most importantly, we will learn to see Japanese cinema as more than a pictoral version of famous novels, or an expression of artistic sensibility; it is a vibrant strand within the ongoing history of Japanese popular culture.

back