NOTE TO STUDENTS: The basic topics in this course must be covered but may be accomplished using a modified version of the calendar listed below.
Class Schedule
Issues: Themes, formulas, conventions, plays as major source
Clips: The Duelists, Rob Roy
Films: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, An Ideal Husband, Topsy Turvy, Cold Comfort Farm
Sound, read Chaps 3 and 4 on movement and editing films.
Issues: Silent Films, Stage acting style vs. Cinema Style
Clips: Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Films: Nosferatu, The General, Metropolis
Studio Set pieces, read chaps 5 and 6 on Sound and acting.
Issues: Set vs. Location, Cinematography. Scene manipulation and meaning
Clips: LOTR, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Girl With The Pearl Earring, Sky Captain and The World Of T ommorrow
Films: Rear Window
Genres begin-Westerns-Read Chapter 7 on drama.
Issues: Western conventions and Values, the west (historical vs. fictional). The Modern western will it survive?
Clips: Quigley Down Under, Outlaw Josey Wales, The Good, The Bad,and The Ugly, Pale Rider.
Films: Open Range, The Unforgiven, Dances With Wolves, High Noon, Tombstone
Crime, Detective, Noir
Issues: The Crime world, Cinematography of Noir
Clips: The Godfather, Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, Silence Of The Lambs, L.A. Confidential, Manhunter, Black Rain
Films: Collateral, Blade Runner, Seven, The Big Sleep, The Maltese Falcon, Miami Vice
Comedy
Issues: Reparte, comedy of errors, marriages, screwball comedy-Shakespearean sources? Comedian focus: Cary Grant
Clips: His Girl Friday, My Cousin Vinnie, Pink Panther Clips, Good as it gets
Films: The Philadelphia Story, Bringing Up Baby, Taming of The Shrew. The Pink Panther, A Shot in the Dark
Epics
Issues: Idealism vs Realism, History, Hero types. Epic Types: Sword and Sandal, Colonial Empire, Desert and Medieval. “Ideal Epics vs. Revisionist”
Clips: Compare and contrast Versions of Charge of the Light Brigade, Zulu, El Cid
Films: Lawrence of Arabia, Braveheart, Gladiator, Wind and the Lion, The Man Who Would be King, Beowulf and Grendel
Sci-Fi, Horror, and Fantasy
Issues: Literature sources, effects vs. storyline, believability, intellectual vs. action. Is Star Wars Science Fiction, or is it an epic?
Clips: The Mummy, American Werewolf in London, The Abyss, The Thing, Captain Kronos…,The Devil Rides Out, Dragonslayer, Army of Darkness, The Matrix, Dracula, and The Fifth Element
Films: The Bride of Frankenstein, Alien, Sleepy Hollow, From Hell, Jaws
Cross Genre and Indies
Issues: Creating something new, old subtexts, new surprises
Clips: El Mariachi.
Films: Brotherhood of The Wolf, Last of The Samurai, Name of The Rose, Shadow of the Vampire
Issues: Differences and similarities via culture, ideas, actors cast.
Clips: The Commitments, Wasabi, Crimson Rivers, With Fire and Sword
Films: The Commitments, Cyrano De Bergerac, La Femme Nikita, Impromptu, Mediterranio, Soldier of Orange
Foreign Films Part II - Asian and Bollywood
Issues: Eastern/Western Overlap, Cultural differences and ideas.
Clips: Ju-on, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Yojimbo, Flowers Of Shanghai
Films: The Seven Samurai, Monsoon Wedding, Musa The Warrior
Animation
Issues: Absolute control, mature vs. Family. Is too much animation too impersonal.
Clips: Vampire Hunter D, Revenge of the Sith, Van Helsing, The Animatrix
Films: Princess Mononokee, Triplets Of Belleville, Millenium Actresss
Issues: The Big Picture-how to look at films
Final comes in.
Issues: Final Exam, Essays, Papers etc…
ENG 200 CSA 11/05 - Updated 01/2007
