CINE201-19S1 (C) Semester One 2019

Hollywood and Genre

15 points

Details:
Start Date: Monday, 18 February 2019
End Date: Sunday, 23 June 2019
Withdrawal Dates
Last Day to withdraw from this course:
  • Without financial penalty (full fee refund): Friday, 1 March 2019
  • Without academic penalty (including no fee refund): Friday, 10 May 2019

Description

An historical and critical study of genre in Hollywood film. Students will analyse the evolution and transformation of the conventions of key genres, such as the Science Fiction film, the Musical, Film Noir and Horror.

This course will provide an in-depth study of film genre from within an historical and critical context.  We will look closely at four key film genres and trace their historical trajectory.  In the first term, the class will focus on the definition of genre, as it has been conceptualized by both American and French film critics.  Students will consider the established generic conventions of the American Film Musical and the Horror Film by analyzing the films screened in class.  In the second term, the class will study Film Noir, considering the intersection of genre and auteur criticism, as defined by the Cahiers du CinĂ©ma film critics.  The course ends with the Melodrama, moving from its origins in the Depression era to its contemporary reincarnation.

Learning Outcomes

  • By the end of this course, students will have developed:
  • Specific knowledge of a range of national cinemas, movements, genres and forms
  • Knowledge of the major theoretical debates and discourses in Cinema Studies
  • An ability to confidently use and understand a range of conceptual and theoretical terms of the discipline
  • A growing ability to test and question ideas and interpretations offered in class
  • An ability to produce a detailed, coherent and persuasive argument in the form of an academic essay
  • Increasing confidence in interpretation, analysis and assessment of a range of films
    • University Graduate Attributes

      This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attributes specified below:

      Critically competent in a core academic discipline of their award

      Students know and can critically evaluate and, where applicable, apply this knowledge to topics/issues within their majoring subject.

      Globally aware

      Students will comprehend the influence of global conditions on their discipline and will be competent in engaging with global and multi-cultural contexts.

Prerequisites

30 points of CINE at 100 level, or
any 45 points at 100 level, or
equivalent preparation with the approval of the Programme Coordinator. RP: CINE101 and CINE102

Recommended Preparation

Course Coordinator

Mary Wiles

Assessment

Assessment Due Date Percentage  Description
Essay One 40% 2000 words
Essay Two 40% 2000 words
Learn Assignments 20% Ten 300-word assignments

Textbooks / Resources

Recommended Reading:
Cook, Pam; The cinema book; 3rd ed; BFI, 2007.
Course readings will still be accessible through LEARN.

(Image: Elsa Lanchester in 'Bride of Frankenstein', Universal Pictures, 1935.)

Notes

Film List:

Week One: Horror Genre
Rosemary's Baby (Polanski, 1968)

Week Two: The Supernatural and the Haunted House
Poltergeist (Hooper, 1982)

Week Three: The Supernatural and Mourning
A Ghost Story (Lowery, 2017)

Week Four: The Backstage Musical
The Band Wagon (Minnelli, 1953)

Week Five: Disco and Dance
Saturday Night Fever (Badham, 1977)

Week Six: The Hip-Hop Musical  
Wild Style (Ahearn, 1983)

Week Seven: Pastiche and the Postmodern Musical
La La Land (Chazelle, 2016)  

Week Eight: The Detective and Classic Film Noir  
The Maltese Falcon (Huston, 1941)

Week Nine: The Corrupt Cop and late Noir
Touch of Evil (Welles, 1958)    

Week Ten: Neo-Noir: The Femme Fatale Reconfigured
Chinatown (Polanski, 1974)

Week Eleven: The Maternal Melodrama
Stella Dallas (King Vidor, 1937)

Week Twelve: Rethinking Gender Roles: Contemporary Melodrama
Carol (Haynes, 2015)

Indicative Fees

Domestic fee $761.00

International fee $3,188.00

* All fees are inclusive of NZ GST or any equivalent overseas tax, and do not include any programme level discount or additional course-related expenses.

For further information see Humanities .

All CINE201 Occurrences

  • CINE201-19S1 (C) Semester One 2019