Introduction to Film Studies: History and Theory, 1895-1960

This course is designed to introduce students to key issues in film studies, focusing on the history of American cinema from 1895 to 1960. We will pay particular attention to the "golden age" of Hollywood, with forays into other national cinemas by way of comparison and critique. Screenings will range from actualities and trick films, to the early narrative features of D. W. Griffith, Cecil B. DeMille, and Lois Weber, to the development of genres including film noir (Double Indemnity, The Big Sleep), the woman's film of the 1940s (Mildred Pierce, Stella Dallas), the western (High Noon, Duel in the Sun) and the suspense film (Rear Window, North by Northwest, Psycho). Several short papers and in-class discussions will address how to interpret film on the formal/stylistic level (sequence analysis, close reading, visual language) as well as in the context of major trends and figures in film theory. PRS,REA,WRI