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Film and Criticism

ENGL 291.301
instructor(s):
TR 9-10:30

This is a writing course, a series of exercises in film criticsm or, less grandly, movie-reviewing.  Relying mostly on films available on videotape, we shall consider the literary aspects of film as well as the filmic aspects of literature.  We shall compare movie versions of novels, plays, and short stories with their sources.  We will give special attention to the strengths and weaknesses of traditional literary strategies as they relate to the evaluation and analysis of motion pictures.  There will be short weekly papers but no final examination. Class size is limited to 25 students.

Film List: English 291

1 Rise of Louis XIV - Rossellini, 1966
2 La Marseillaise - Renoir, 1938
3 La Nuit de Varennes - Scola, 1983
4 Danton- Wajda, 1982
5 The Scarlet Pimpernel - Young, 1934
6 Marat/Sade - Brooks, 1966
7 Start the Revolution Without Me - Yorkin, 1970
8 A Slave of Love - Mikhalkov, 1978
9 The Shooting Party - Bridges, 1985
10 Ran - Kurosawa, 1985    

fulfills requirements