CINE301-12S2 (C) Semester Two 2012
Film History: The Sixties and the New Wave

Description

This course will examine the French New Wave as a revolutionary moment in the history of cinema.  We will address what is generally perceived to be the formative relation between the New Wave film movement and other innovative national cinema styles that emerged in the midst of the political and cultural turbulence of the late sixties.  The first part of our course will focus on the work of core New Wave filmmakers, François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, and Jacques Rivette, and on those filmmakers, Agnès Varda and Jacques Demy, generally considered to be part of the ‘Left Bank’ group.  In the second part of the course, we will move beyond the borders of France to examine such “new” cinema styles as the Czechoslovak New Wave, the British New Wave and the American Independent Cinema.  

Students will learn to analyze films in relation to their historical and cultural context.  Class discussions will place emphasis on the close visual analysis of individual films, stressing the continuum of historical and international styles.  Classroom explanations and individual conferences will guide students through the screening, reading and research assignments. Topics will include:  
• the legacy of neorealism
• the meaning of the term “nouvelle vague” (New Wave)
• the notion of ‘national cinema’
• the criticism and culture of Cahiers du Cinéma
• the evolution of the politique des auteurs (the author policy)
• the tradition of quality and theories of adaptation
• the significance of mise-en-scène
• the importance of youth culture and ‘the new’
• the cultural revolution of May ’68
• the impact of the Algerian war
• Bertolt Brecht and the emergence of a Brechtian cinema
• the significance of technological innovations (Éclair camera, direct sound practice, wide screen, colour and the zoom lens)
• the ‘Left Bank’ group
• the nouveau roman (the New Novel) and experimental narration
• the Czech New Wave and the Prague Spring of 1968
• the New American cinema of Cassavetes and Scorsese

Learning Outcomes

• Specialised knowledge of critical concepts and methodologies of discipline
• Extensive knowledge of the relationships between selected films and their social, cultural and historical contexts
• Advanced ability to interpret and critically analyse films
• Independence and confidence in formulating ideas and presenting a critical position, both in oral and written communication
• Consistent application of standard academic research practices regarding quotations, references and bibliography
• Initiative and pleasurable engagement in research, viewing, reading and writing
• Intellectual versatility and independence

Pre-requisites

Restrictions

Equivalent Courses

For further information see School of Humanities.