Last Installment of Syllabus!!
Wow, the end of the semester is already upon us!! There's so much that I'd still want to cover with ya'll... but here's what we've got time left to do!
QUOTE OF THE DAY: “History is written by the victors.” - Winston Churchill
April 11 - WAR & CINEMA, PART I
Reading Assignment - American Cinema, American Culture, Chap. 9; Propaganda (fyi...)
In-Class Viewing
- Finish Hotel Rwanda
- Sixth Media That Matters Film Festival: "In Transit" & "Eyes on the Fair Use of the Prize"
- Introduction to Walt Disney: On the Front Lines
- Der Fuehrer's Face (1942)
- Introduction to Victory through Air Power (1943)
- Victory through Air Power trailer
- Duck Soup (1933)
- Why We Fight: War Comes to America (1943-1945)
"This is Frank Capra's classic first installment from the seven film series entitled, 'Why We Fight.' It is a masterpiece of US propaganda, shown first to soldiers, later to the US public, and eventually to our allies (including the Soviet Union). With dramatic narration and musical score, it drives home the point that "Our World, the free world" must fight "That other world." Capra's idea was to use the film archives of Japanese, German, and Italian propagandists against them with, of course, careful editing and translating." (imdb)
"Walter Huston's grandfatherly voice is used effectively to narrate most of the film with a deftly written script. In the hands of a lesser film maker, the materials presented here would be nothing but propaganda on the level used by Hitler. But Capra stirs the spirit at the same time that he is making his point -- namely, freedom is not something that can be taken for granted. Capra skillfully makes his point that if free people don't stand up for themselves, they will likely be crushed by all the darker elements in human nature -- greed, lust for power, and tyranny." (imdb)
April 18 - WAR & CINEMA, PART II
Reading Assignment - American Cinema, American Culture, Chap. 13
Also, don't forget to bring your brief analysis of one of the films from 4/11 as 1) its role in the history of cinema; 2) as a primary source; and 3) as a secondary source.
In-Class Viewing -
- The Legacy: Covering the Vietnam War
- Apocalypse Now (1979)
- Stop That Tank
- Saving Private Ryan (1998) (For more info... See D-Day FAQs)
- Fog of War (2003) (Clip and Official Website)
- The Sixth Media That Matters Film Fest - "Night Visions"
April 25 - THE COLD WAR & FILM
Reading Assignment - American Cinema, American Culture, Chap. 12
In-Class Viewing
- Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1953)
- Dr. Strangelove (1964)
- Manchurian Candidate (1962)
- What To Do In A Zombie Attack (2006)
May 2 - Da Vinci Code
Reading Assignment - Da Vinci Code
In-Class Viewing
- Da Vinci Code (2006)
UPDATED: Taken Movies for Final Presentation
Adam - "Dirty Harry"
Ben - "The Departed"
Stefanie - "Godfather, Pt. 2"
Talia - "Gladiator"?
Kyle- "Jaws"
Angela - "Amelie"
June - "Cleopatra"/"Ben Hur" (If you looked at the role of the Italian version of Hollywood, Cinecitta', you could conceivably do both if you wanted to...)
Seth - "Schindler's List"
Audra - "Life is Beautiful"
Amanda - "MASH"
Sarah H. - "Shawshank Redemption"
Sarah K. - "Gone with the Wind"
Megan - "Sound of Music"
In terms of initial research, check out the imdb and write down...
We'll work next on focusing on what kind of historical analysis you'll choose to do of your film!
UPDATED: Remember, you can analyze your film using one of the three general approaches we've covered in class...
1) Film within context of the history of cinema
2) Film as primary source
3) Film as secondary source
Need to refresh your memory on how to handle (at least written) primary or secondary sources? (Check out these links!)
Ben - "The Departed"
Stefanie - "Godfather, Pt. 2"
Talia - "Gladiator"?
Kyle- "Jaws"
Angela - "Amelie"
June - "Cleopatra"/"Ben Hur" (If you looked at the role of the Italian version of Hollywood, Cinecitta', you could conceivably do both if you wanted to...)
Seth - "Schindler's List"
Audra - "Life is Beautiful"
Amanda - "MASH"
Sarah H. - "Shawshank Redemption"
Sarah K. - "Gone with the Wind"
Megan - "Sound of Music"
In terms of initial research, check out the imdb and write down...
- year made
- director and principal actors
- MPAA rating
- studio
- filming locations
- any historically-relevant trivia or goofs
Then, make a list of major historical events that occurred in that year. Do you see any way in which the content or form of the film might have been impacted somehow by these events?
I'll collect these after Easter break, but it would be an excellent idea to begin as soon as possible, just in case you need to order anything from Interlibrary Loan. (See below!)
You can use Wikipedia and other sites online as a starting point for information regarding the film and the year, and particularly to look for further bibliography. Afterwards, I'd like to you shift to printed sources (either books, articles, or published articles available full-text online) for the remainder of your analysis, so you should use the library's online catalogs to track down additional sources. (I'd say at least five...)We'll work next on focusing on what kind of historical analysis you'll choose to do of your film!
UPDATED: Remember, you can analyze your film using one of the three general approaches we've covered in class...
1) Film within context of the history of cinema
2) Film as primary source
3) Film as secondary source
Need to refresh your memory on how to handle (at least written) primary or secondary sources? (Check out these links!)
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