Writing 125-14/CAMS 120
Wood, Fall 2001

Course Outline

Note: Click here for the detailed syllabus

Texts for the course:

Film: An Introduction. By William H. Phillips. Boston: Bedford, 1999.
Women in Film Noir. Ed. E. Ann Kaplan. London: British Film Institute, 1998.

Selected readings, as listed below:

Project 1. The elements of film: A case study of The Player

Films: The Player (also, clips from Touch of Evil, Modern Times)

Readings: Film, on The Player, cinematography, editing
Comolli and Narboni, "Cinema/Ideology/Criticism"

Writings: Options: a memory of film; filming two people in conversation

Project 2. The parts of a film; introduction to feminist film analysis

Films: Casablanca; Gilda (clips: Notorious; The Lady from Shanghai)

Readings: Film: on mis-en-scène, lighting
Dyer, "Resistance through Charisma"
Mulvey, "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema"
Doane, excerpt

Writings: analyses of visual elements of two scenes; response to Mulvey

Project 3. Introduction to genre; women in film noir

Films: Double Indemnity; The Grifters

Readings: Film: on narrative and genre; Classical Hollywood cinema
Claire Johnston, "Double Indemnity"
Janey Place: "Women in Film Noir"
Angela Martin: "Gilda Didn’t Do Any of Those . . ."

Writings: how selected elements of film noir play out in the film of your choice (e.g.: the femme fatale; visual elements; masculine anxieties; depiction of social/moral values)

Project 4. Revisions, remakes, reinterpretations, and references: The Hollywood Western.

Films: My Darling Clementine, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Thelma & Louise

Readings: selected readings about each of the three films

Writings: Documented paper on one of these movies, using sources to help you understand, explain and assess how the movie of your choice responds to specific other movies.

Project 5. Competing and shifting interpretations of films

Films: Psycho, American Beauty, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; All That Heaven Allow

Readings: David Bordwell on multiple interpretations of Psycho; Barbara Klinger on Sirk’s changing status over time.

Writings: 1) Discussion of how different authors treat a single film
2) Develop either a web page or PowerPoint presentation

Project 6: End of term portfolio

Revise and submit a selection of your best work from the semester, including at least one documented paper, one paper involving an element of comparison/contrast, and one piece of informal writing, together with a cover letter explaining your work as a writer this semester.