CNTV 201 Teaching Assistants: Hilary Neroni (Lead)

CTCS 201 Spring 2009 Monday 2:00-5:50PM

Professor David E. James

INTERNATIONAL CINEMA SINCE WORLD WAR II

Head TA : Chris Hanson ()()

TAs: Adan Avalos, Cristiani Bilhalva, Mike Dillon, , Veena Hariharan,

Brian Jacobson, Chera Kee, Alex Lykidis Noelia Saenz, Genevieve Yue

“The films created in each country are marked with their point of origin; they have nationalities.”-- Germaine Dulac

"Modern nations are forged less through militaristic activity or blood-lines than through more or less organized systems of language, education, and mass communication. . . . Cinema, both as a general cultural experience and entertainment form, and as the individual films which contribute to that experience, is of course one of these communication systems, one of the means by which the public sphere is constructed on a national scale." --Andrew Higson

"Hollywood can hardly be conceived . . . as totally other, since so much of any nation's film culture is implicitly 'Hollywood.’” --Thomas Elsaesser

************************************

This course will address some of the social, political, historical, economic, and aesthetic aspects of international cinema since the end of World War II. The purpose of the course is two-fold: as we survey a number of national cinemas, we will study individual films and filmmakers as well as some international film movements. We establish the basic vocabulary and analytic methodologies of film studies, and will also ask larger theoretical and practical questions about how cinema functions as a cultural and ideological force, especially how it helps to construct ideas about the nation and national identities. As in any survey class, the actual films screened and film industries studied represent only a small portion of the wealth of available options. You are encouraged to view additional films from the nations we’ll study and to seek out films from nations not represented this term.

COURSE TEXTS

Required:

Course Reader available at the Magic Machine in University Village

Readings must be completed before the designated class.

Recommended: (on reserve at Leavey Library)

Film History: An Introduction by Kristen Thompson and David Bordwell (T&B)

The Oxford History of World Cinema edited byGeoffrey Nowell-Smith (OWC)

A Short Guide to Writing About Film by Timothy Corrigan

SCHEDULE

12 January. Unit One. Italy: Neo-Realism

Ladri di biciclette. Bicycle Thieves, Vittorio De Sica, 1948, 93m.

Maltese Falcon (John Huston, 1941), Sopyonjie (Im Kwon-Taek,1993) (excerpt)
Read: André Bazin, “An Aesthetic of Reality”

Morando Morandini, “Italy from Fascism to Neo-Realism”

*Millicent Marcus, “De Sica’s Bicycle Thief ”

See also: Umberto D (Vittorio De Sica, 1952)

Recommended Reading: OWC 672-678

COURSE REQUIREMENTS

1. Attendance at and participation in all lectures, screenings, and discussions is mandatory; if you do not attend lectures and participate creatively in the discussion section, you will fail the course. All readings must be completed prior to class except those marked with an asterisk (*) above; you may prefer to read these after seeing the film.

2. Four quizzes will motivate you to keep current; the lowest grade will be dropped and the remainder will make up 20% of your grade.

3. A take-home midterm (25% of grade). This must be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper; emailed papers are not accepted. It must be handed in before the lecture on 9 March. Any exam not handed in by this time will be considered late. Take-home exams may be up to 48 hrs late for 1 grade-point penalty; after 48 hours, they will not be accepted and will be graded F. For this essay (and indeed for all your writing in our school), you are strongly encouraged to read A Short Guide to Writing About Film by Timothy Corrigan.

4. Journal (25% of grade). For this you will in your own time screen the “See also” films, select any three from the first five weeks and another four from the last eight weeks, and write approximately 500 words about each, using the vocabularies and methodologies developed in class. The first three will be handed in to your TA on 23 March before the discussion section and the second four on 278 April. These must be typed, double-spaced on standard-sized paper; emailed papers are not accepted. Late turn-ins i.e., at any time after the beginning of discussion, are not permitted and will receive grade F. If appropriate, you may also refer to these films on your midterm and final exams.

All these “See also” films are available on DVD and/or VHS in the Cinema library; you may also obtain them from video rental agencies, including netflicks Netflix (online); Facets Video (online at facets.org); Rocket Video, 726 La Brea, (323) 965-1100; Vidiots, 3rd and Pico, Santa Monica, (310) 392-8508; Cinefile, 11280 Santa Monica Blvd, (310) 312-8836; and Videoactive, 2522 Hyperion, (323) 669-8544.

5. A final exam during the scheduled two-hour period (30% of grade). Date and place of final exam are fixed by the university, and exceptions will not be allowed. We will announce the date as soon as we know it; do not buy plane tickets before this date is announced.

THERE WILL BE NO ALTERNATIVE MIDTERM OR FINAL EXAMS FOR ANY REASON

EXCEPT A DOCUMENTED MEDICAL EMERGENCY.

Notes:

1. Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me (or to my your TA) as early in the semester as possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30 a.m.- 5:00 p.m., tel. (213)740-0776.

2. All homework must be researched and written independently, or you will be penalized for cheating. The USC Student Conduct Code prohibits plagiarism. All USC students are responsible for reading and following the Student Conduct Code as it appears in the SCampus.