FILM 196 - Topics in Film and Literature

FDR: HL
Credits: 3 credits in Fall or Winter; 4 credits in Spring
Planned Offering: When interest is expressed and departmental resources permit.

Prerequisite: Completion of FDR FW requirement. Selected topic in film and literature. May be repeated for degree credit if the topics are different.

Topic for Spring 2012:

FILM 196: French New Wave Film (4). Prerequisite: Completion of FDR FW requirement. This course uses French language films as the basis for discussions, oral presentations and directed writing exercises. It is structured as an intensive workshop for students who would like to learn to analyze films. This course is conducted in English and all of the readings are in English. The class focuses on French New Wave films of the 1960s and ‘70s and the filmmakers who revolutionized film style by experimenting with hand-held cameras, natural light and sound, and by playfully questioning accepted film techniques. Students acquire the vocabulary to describe camera position, camera movement, and editing as the grammar and syntax of the ‘mise-en-scène.’ They also acquire a better understanding of how the composition and sequencing of images contributes to narrative development. These films are a window onto the baby boom culture of post World War II France and, as such, provide a deeper understanding of contemporary French culture. All films are in French with English subtitles. (HL). Lambeth.