Fall 2004

E 322 • Italian Cinema

Course Description

The course will consist of a broad and varied sampling of classic Italian films from WWII to the present. We will consider the works that typify major directors and major trends through five decades of filmmaking. I will trace a certain stylistic and thematic development from neorealism to postmodernism, pointing out both the continuity of the tradition and exceptions to it, in an attempt to define the art of Italian film. In the process, we will become more aware how we, as viewers, respond to films in socially and culturally determined ways. Classes will include visual analysis of films using video clips and slides. Students will be required to attend weekly screenings of the films on Mondays and sometimes Wednesdays. The films will be in Italian with English subtitles. There will be 14 in all, and though the schedule is tentative, it will include works of Rosselini, De Sica, Fellini, Antonioni, Visconti, Scola, Wertmuller, Pasolini, Bertolucci, and Tornatore.

Grading Policy

4 four page papers 70%
Final exam 10%
Pop quizzes and class participation 20%

Texts

Course-packet

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