FILM 201: Film Studies

FILM 201
Section S24N01
(January 8, 2024 – April 15, 2024)
Professor Paul Watkins
Email: Paul.Watkins@viu.ca
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 2-3 pm or by appointment
Class: 200, room 203, 5:30-9 pm

“Every text participates in one or several genres, there is no genreless text; there is always a genre or genres.”
–Jacques Derrida, “The Law of Genre”

FILM 201 builds on FILM 101 to help deepen your understanding of film as an art form and a medium of cultural communication. This section looks at film genres (including Musicals, Slapstick Comedy, Westerns, Film Noir, Gangster, Horror, and Science Fiction, as well as other genres and hybrid genre films). We will also expand on the study of narrative techniques in selected films as we work to understand how film form and genre work together to create meaning. We will watch classics like The Wizard of Oz (1939), as well as modern films such as Parasite (2019) and Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022).The course will include film screenings, film reviews, a short film project, and a research essay. I look forward to an exciting semester with you!

Trigger Warning: Some of the content and discussion in this course will necessarily engage with filmic representations of violence and other mature themes. Please read up on each film.

Course Learning Materials

Required Text:

An Introduction to Film Genres by Friedman, Desser, Kozloff, Nochimson, and Prince (print or eBook)

Free Introductory Film Texts:

Yale Film Analysis Guide: http://filmanalysis.yctl.org
Film Reference Guide: https://collegefilmandmediastudies.com
Walter Murch, “Womb Tone/ Dense Clarity”: https://transom.org/2005/walter-murch/

Evaluation:

Participation 5%
Film Reflections (x2) 30%
Annotated Bibliography 10%
Film Project 20%
Research Essay 35%

See the course outline on VIULearn for a detailed breakdown of assignments.

Proposed Schedule

This schedule is subject to change. Please complete the readings before class. You only need to write TWO reflections from the seven options below. Audio Cine, Criterion on Demand, and Kanopy are free databases you can access via the VIU library.

PART 1: SLAPSTICK AND THE BIG 6

Jan 11, Week 1: Intro 2.0 to Film Studies

Lecture: Intro to the course and film genres; See Principles of Film Form (video essay)
Screening: Chris Marker, La Jetée (1962| 28 min) [Kanopy]
La Jetée: Analysis
La Jetée: The Film That Thinks It’s a Movie
Critical Commons: The opening of Persona

Jan 18, Week 2: The Musical

Reading: “The Musical” (200-241)
Screening: Victor Fleming, The Wizard of Oz (1939 | 101 min) [Criterion on Demand]
Recommended Home Viewing: Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, Singin’ in the Rain (1952 | 103 min) [Criterion on Demand]
Discussion of Reflection Papers

What THE WIZARD OF OZ can teach adults about film analysis

Jan 25, Week 3: Slapstick Comedy

Reading: “Slapstick Comedy” (32-79)
Screening: Greta Gerwig, Barbie (2023 | 114 min) [CraveTV or rent]
Recommended Home Viewing: Charlie Chaplin, The Gold Rush (1925 | 95 min) [Kanopy]
Reflection Option on The Wizard of Oz or Singin’ in the Rain due on VIULearn by 11:59 pm
On the smallpox remarks in the film

Feb 1, Week 4: The Western

Reading: “The Western” (242-277)
Screening: John Ford, The Searchers (1956 | 119 min) [Criterion on Demand]
Recommended Home Viewing 1: John Ford, My Darling Clementine (1946 |97 min) [Criterion]
Recommended Home Viewing 2: Zacharias Kunuk and Natar Ungalaaq, Searchers (2016 | 94 min) [Rent]
Reflection Option on Barbie or The Gold Rush due on VIULearn by 11:59 pm
Roger Ebert on The Searchers

Feb 8, Week 5: Film Noir

Reading: “Film Noir” (484-519)
Screening: Robert Aldrich, Kiss Me Deadly (1955 | 106 min) [Audio Cine]
Recommended Home Viewing 1: Billy Wilder, Double Indemnity (1944 |107 min) [Audio Cine]
Recommended Home Viewing 2: David Lynch, Blue Velvet (1986 | 120 min) [Audio Cine] *WARNING for Blue Velvet—sexual violence
Discussion of Film Projects and groups
Reflection Option on The Searchers, My Darling Clementine, or Searchers due by 11:59 pm

Kiss Me Deadly: The Blade Runner Before Blade Runner?

Feb 15, Week 6: Gangster

Reading: “The Gangster Movie” (406-445)
Screening: Francis Ford Coppola, The Godfather (1972 |171 min) [Criterion on Demand]
Recommended Home Viewing: Sergio Leone, Once Upon a Time in America (1984 | 228 min)[Criterion on Demand]
Reflection Option on Kiss Me Deadly, Double Indemnity, or Blue Velvet due by 11:59 pm

Feb 22, Week 7: No Class, Reading Week

Feb 29 Week 8: Horror

Reading “The Horror Film” (368-405) and see “The Social Problem Film” (446-483)
Screening: Jordan Peele, Get Out (2017 | 104 min) [Audio Cine]
Recommended Home Viewing: Stanley Kubrick, The Shining (1980 |144 min) [Criterion]
Reflection Option on The Godfather or Once Upon a Time in America due by 11:59 pm

BFI on Kubrick
How The Shining’s Camera Creates Constant Unease
References to The Shining and other films in Get Out
Twin Peaks / Shining Mashup
What is Mise en Scene — How Directors Like Kubrick Master the Elements of Visual Storytelling

March 7, Week 9: Science Fiction

Reading: “Science Fiction” (324-367)
Screening: Ridley Scott, Blade Runner (1982 | 114 min) [Criterion on Demand]
Recommended Home Viewing: Ridley Scott, Alien (1979 | 124 min) [Criterion on Demand]
Reflection Option on Get Out or The Shining due on VIULearn by 11:59 pm

A short analysis of Blade Runner by Steven Benedict:

Life After Empathy: On Philip K. Dick and Blade Runner 2049
Scientists vote Blade Runner best sci-fi film of all time
Anna Smith, Is Blade Runner 2049 Sexist?…

PART II: HYBRID GENRE FILMS

March 14, Week 10: Horror-Western

Reading: Abdi and Calafell, “Queer utopias and a (Feminist) Iranian Vampire” (VIULearn)
Screening: Ana Lily Amirpour, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014 | 101 min) [Kanopy]
Final Reflection Option on Blade Runner or Alien due on VIULearn by 11:59 pm

https://youtube.com/watch?v=4wlm97DiUq8%3Fversion%3D3%26rel%3D1%26showsearch%3D0%26showinfo%3D1%26iv_load_policy%3D1%26fs%3D1%26hl%3Den%26autohide%3D2%26wmode%3Dtransparent

Review of A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night and another review, here.
Behind the Scenes of A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night
Gawker interview with Ana Lily Amirpour
Blog post, Cinematography and Voyeurism

March 21, Week 11: Romantic-Comedy-Sci-Fi

Reading: “Romantic Comedy” (120-159)
Screening: Michel Gondry, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004 | 108 min) [Rent]
Film Script due on VIULearn by 11:59 pm

March 28, Week 12: Thriller-Comedy

Reading: “The Thriller” (520-560)
Screening: Bong Joon-ho, Parasite (2019 | 132 min) [Criterion on Demand]
Annotated Bibliography is due on VIULearn by 11:59 pm

Reading: Interview with Bong Joon-ho and “Parasite: Notes from the Underground”
Films that Inspired Parasite
Bong Joon-ho’s favourite films

April 4, Week 13: Every Genre Everywhere all at Once

Reading: “Flying Saucers Are Real…” (VIULearn)
Screening: Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, Everything Everywhere all at Once (2022 | 140 mins) [Criterion on Demand]
Film Projects Due

April 11, Week 14: Student Film Screenings