History of Film I (312-1-20)

Instructors

Nathaniel Andrew Rossi

Meeting Info

Helmerich Auditorium: Mon, Wed 1:00PM - 2:50PM

Overview of class

This course surveys the history of international cinema from its emergence through the 1950s. We will explore the diverse forms cinema took and functions it performed during this period by looking closely at a range of films and writings about them. We will examine the industrial, social, and historical contexts within which these films were produced and experienced as well as theorizations of cinema that emerged concurrently with them. The course thus introduces students to the study of film history as well as to key national and international trends in making and thinking about cinema as it rose to prominence as a vital component of the art and culture of the twentieth century.

Topics covered include the cinema of attractions; cinema's relation to colonialism; the development of narrative filmmaking; studio systems; audiences; exhibition practices; the concept of national cinemas as exemplified by the cinemas of the United States, France, Germany, the Soviet Union, Japan, India, and China; the avant-garde and cinema's relation to art movements; the coming of synchronized sound; animation; documentary cinema; and diverse conceptualizations of cinema's political possibilities and dangers.

Class Materials (Required)

Kristin Thompson and David Bordwell, Film History: An Introduction, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th edition
(ISBN: 978-0071151412, 978-0073386133, 978-0073514246, or 978-1260837476)
• Between $4 and $83, depending on edition, format, and vendor (5th edition available at NU Bookstore, and earlier editions widely available online)
All other readings will be available through Canvas.

Class Attributes

Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area

Enrollment Requirements

Enrollment Requirements: Reserved for Radio/TV/Film Major and Minor Students until the end of preregistration, after which time enrollment will be open to everyone who has taken the prerequisites.

Associated Classes

DIS - University Hall 318: Fri 1:00PM - 1:50PM

DIS - Parkes Hall 213: Fri 2:00PM - 2:50PM