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American Film History II, Spring 2009

How do movies reflect and influence American life? How has Hollywood shaped Americans’ image of the world, and the world’s view of Americans? What are the alternatives to Hollywood’s stories? What is the future of film in a digital age?

In attempting to answer these questions, this class will trace the history of American movies from 1967 to the present. Along the way, we’ll look at the semiotics, aesthetics, economics, and politics of Hollywood movies and their independent alternatives.

Readings

The course-pack for this class is sold by Bestway Copy Center, 18 Decatur Street SE (on the first floor of One Park Place South).

Additional readings will be distributed via the class listserv. All students will be automatically signed up to the listserv. I will regularly forward news, reviews, and other useful material to the list. You’re encouraged to forward other interesting information, post your reactions to recent movies, respond to other postings, or continue any other ongoing discussions from class. Simply reply to a posting, or send a new message to amfilm@tedfriedman.com. Most of the readings sent through email are recommended but not required. However, occasionally required readings will be distributed via email. In these cases, the email message will have the heading “REQUIRED” in the subject line.

Screenings

You are responsible for viewing the assigned film before class each week. Screenings will be held in the in Arts & Humanities 406 on Monday afternoons.

Class Schedule

I. American Film Today

1/7 Introduction

1/14 Hollywood: The Dark Knight, 2007
The Onion AV Club, “Crosstalk: The Year in Film 2008”:
http://www.avclub.com/content/feature/crosstalk_the_year_in_film_2008
The Village Voice/LA Weekly Ninth Annual Film Poll:
http://www.villagevoice.com/2008-12-31/film/the-ninth-annual-film-poll/
Edward J. Epstein in Slate:
“Gross Misunderstanding”: http://www.slate.com/id/2118819/
“The Midas Formula”: http://www.slate.com/id/2119701/
“Hollywood’s Profits, Demystified”: http://www.slate.com/id/2124078/
Malcolm Gladwell, “The Formula”:
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/061016fa_fact6
David Bordwell, “Intensified Continuity: Visual Style in Contemporary
American Film,” Film Quarterly 55.3 (Spring 2002): 16-28.

1/21 The YouTube Generation: Tarnation, 2003
Emily Nussbuam, “Say Everything”:
http://nymag.com/news/features/27341/
Christopher Anderson, “The Long Tail”:
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.10/tail.html
Danah Boyd and Nicole Ellison, “Social Network Sites: Definition, History and
Scholarship”: http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol13/issue1/boyd.ellison.html

II. The Rise of New Hollywood

1/28 Bonnie and Clyde, 1968
Robert Ray, “Frontier Metaphors and News Waves” and “Left and Right Cycles,” A Certain Tendency in the Hollywood Cinema, 1930-1980 (Princeton UP, 1985), 247-325.

2/4 McCabe and Mrs. Miller, 1971
Richard Slotkin, “The Significance of the Frontier Myth in American History,” Gunfighter Nation: The Myth of the Frontier in Twentieth-Century America (University of Oklahoma Press, 1998), 1-26.
Robert Self, “Introduction” and “Real and Mythic West,” Robert Altman’s McCabe and Mrs. Miller (University of Kansas Press, 2007), 1-45.

2/11 Jaws, 1975
Janice Hocker Rushing and Thomas S. Frentz, “The Hunter Myth” and “Jaws: Faces of the Shadow,” Projecting the Shadow: The Cyborg Hero in American Film (University of Chicago Press, 1995), 52-99.
Thomas Schatz, “The New Hollywood,” in Jim Collins, Hilary Radner, and Ava Preacher Collins, eds., Film Theory Goes to the Movies (Routledge, 1993), 8-36.

III. The 1980s

2/18 Stranger Than Paradise, 1984
Emanuel Levy, “The New American Independent Cinema,” Cinema of Outsiders (NYU Press, 1999), 13-51

2/25 Robocop, 1987
Susan Jeffords, excerpts from Hard Bodies (Rutgers University Press, 1994): 24-63, 104-39.

3/4 Spring Break - no class

3/11 Do the Right Thing, 1989
Nelson George, excerpts from Blackface: Reflections on African-Americans and the Movies (Perennial, 1995).
Take-home midterm due

IV. The 1990s

3/18 Thelma and Louise, 1991
Susan Faludi, “Fatal and Fetal Visions: The Backlash in the Movies,” Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women (Anchor, 1992), 112-139.
Sharon Willis, “Hardware and Hardbodies, What Do Women Want?: A Reading of Thelma and Louise,” in Jim Collins, Hilary Radner, and Ava Preacher Collins, eds., Film Theory Goes to the Movies (Routledge, 1993), 120-127.

3/25 The Big Lebowski, 1998
Erica Rowell, “The Big Lebowski: A Bowling Ball,” The Brothers Grim: The Films of Ethan and Joel Coen (Scarecrow Press, 2007), 207-242.
Andy Greene, “The Decade of the Dude”:
http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/08/27/decade-of-the-dude-how-the-big-lebowski-became-a-cult-sensation/

4/1 Boys Don’t Cry, 1999
Harry Benshoff and Sean Griffin, “Sexuality and American Film,” America on Film (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009): 303-355.

V. The 2000s

4/8 Mulholland Drive, 2001
David Foster Wallace, “David Lynch Keeps His Head,” A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again (Back Bay Books, 1998), 146-212.
Bill Wyman, Max Garrone and Andy Klein, “Everything You Were Afraid to Ask About Mulholland Drive”: http://archive.salon.com/ent/movies/feature/2001/10/23/mulholland_drive_analysis/

4/15 September 11, 2002
Jon Powers, excerpts from Sore Winners: American Idols, Patriotic Shoppers, and Other Strange Species in George Bush’s America (Anchor, 2005).
Toby Miller, Nitin Govil, John McMurria, Richard Maxwell and Ting Wang, “Introduction,” Global Hollywood 2 (BFI Publishing, 2005), 1-49.

4/22 Class choice
Readings TBD

Take-home final due 4/29

Screening Schedule

All screenings are Mondays 1:30-3:20 in 406 Arts & Humanities

1/5 No screening (rent The Dark Knight)
1/12 Tarnation
1/19 No screening - MLK Day
1/26 Bonnie and Clyde
2/2 McCabe and Mrs. Miller
2/9 Rocky
2/16 The Terminator
2/23 Stranger Than Paradise
3/2 No screening - Spring Break
3/9 Do the Right Thing
3/16 Thelma and Louise
3/23 The Big Lebowski
3/30 Boys Don’t Cry
4/6 Mulholland Drive
4/13 September 11
4/20 Class choice TBD
4/27 No screening

Assignments

The class assignments add up to total of 100 possible points. Your final grade for the class is determined by adding up your grades for each assignment, adjusting for attendance, then applying the final number to the following scale:

A+ 100-98 B+ 89-88 C+ 79-78 D 69-65
A 97-93 B 87-83 C 77-70 F 64-0
A- 92-90 B- 82-80

Presentation - 10 Points
You will give a 15-20 minute presentation on an American filmmaker. See the attached handouts for more details.

Take-Home Midterm - 45 points
The take-home midterm will require you to relate concepts from the readings and lectures to the films screened in the first half of the semester. Due in class March 11.

Take-Home Final - 45 points
The take-home final will be structured just like the midterm, covering the second half of the semester. Due April 29.

Attendance Adjustment
As Woody Allen put it, “80 percent of success is showing up.” It’s less than that in this formula, but the bottom line is that you can’t contribute to the class if you’re not there. You’re allowed one unexcused absence for the semester. After that, each unexcused absence subtracts one point from your grade total. Excused absences include medical and family emergencies. You will be expected to schedule any employment responsibilities around this class, or accept the consequences of missed classes for your grade. If you do need to miss a class, please contact me ahead of time, and make arrangements to catch up on missed material.

Policies

Re-Writes and Makeup Tests
Opportunities for revision and improvement will be available for the midterm, the presentation, and the research paper prospectus. In addition, I will look at optional drafts of the research paper submitted on or before April 22.

Late and Unsubmitted Papers
Late papers will be marked off by ½ point for every day overdue unless an extension is agreed upon before the due date. Any unsubmitted papers will receive a 0. Likewise, any unanswered exam questions will receive a 0. So, if you answer only 2 out of 3 required exam questions, you will get a 0 on the third question.

Academic Honesty
The university’s policy on academic honesty is published in On Campus: The Undergraduate Co-Curricular Affairs Handbook, available online at http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwcam. The policy prohibits plagiarism, cheating on examinations, unauthorized collaboration, falsification, and multiple submissions. Violation of the policy will result in failing the class, in addition to disciplinary sanctions.

The Internet makes it easy to plagiarize, but also easy to track down plagiarism. Bottom line: Don’t plagiarize. It’s wrong, and it’s not worth it. There’s always a better way. Cite all your sources, put all direct quotations in quotation marks, and clearly note when you are paraphrasing other authors’ work.

Incompletes
Incompletes may be given only in special hardship cases. Incompletes will not be used merely for extending the time for completion of course requirements.

Changes to the Syllabus
This syllabus provides a general plan for the course. Deviations may be necessary.

Course Evaluation
Your constructive assessment of this course plays an indispensable role in shaping education at Georgia State University.  Upon completing the course, please take the time to fill out the online course evaluation.

Presentation Assignments

Research, prepare, and present a 15-20 minute discussion of a contemporary American filmmaker. The presentation should follow this five-part structure:

1. Hand out an info sheet on the director to all the members of the class. A sample info sheet is attached.

2. Present a biographical overview of the director’s career. You don’t need to mention every film the director’s done, just the significant highlights that demonstrate the director’s thematic interests and visual style. (5 minutes)

3. Screen a short video clip selected to exemplify the director’s style. The clip must be less than 5 minutes long. Practice at home to make sure it doesn’t run over; if it does, I’ll have to cut it off. Choose only one continuous scene. If you use a DVD, be prepared with the exact scene number and time mark where your clip starts. You won’t be penalized for any technical difficulties, but points will be taken off if you’re not properly prepared.

4. Present an analysis of the clip. Choose 1-3 film elements, and discuss in detail how each element functions in the clip. Rewind and replay selections from the clip, or pause on still images, to highlight key moments. (Be sure to prepare by noting in advance the time marks for moments you want to highlight.) (5 minutes)

5. Answer questions from the class and lead the class discussion (5-10 minutes).

Alternate presentation: if you choose, you may produce a video presentation on your director in place of the spoken presentation. The video should include the same information, with some room for flexibility. Video equipment and training is available at GSU’s Digital Aquarium in the Student Center.

Signup for director presentations is first come, first served. When you’ve decided on a director, send an email to the class listserv at amfilm@tedfriedman.com.

Director List

Note: This is only a partial list. Feel free to choose any other director who’s made English-language films since World War II, with one exception: directors of films screened for class are off limits, since they’re already covered.

Woody Allen
Robert Altman
Paul Thomas Anderson
Allison Anders
Kenneth Anger
Judd Apatow
Greg Araki
Darren Aronofsky
Hal Ashby
Ralph Bakshi
Paul Bartel
Kathryn Bigelow
Lizzie Borden
Danny Boyle
Stan Brakhage
Albert Brooks
Mel Brooks
Charles Burnett
Tim Burton
James Cameron
Jane Campion
John Cassavetes
Martha Coolidge
Francis Ford Coppalla
Sophia Coppalla
Roger Corman
Alex Cox
Wes Craven
David Cronenberg
Cameron Crowe
Julie Dash
Ossie Davis
Tamra Davis
Guillermo del Toro
Jonathan Demme
Brian DePalma
Tom DiCillo
Atom Egoyan
Bobby and Peter Farrelly
Abel Ferrara
David Fincher
Stephen Frears
William Friedkin
Sam Fuller
Terry Gilliam
Michael Gondry
F. Gary Gray
David Gordon Green
Paul Greengrass
Christopher Guest
Mary Harron
Hal Hartley
Amy Heckerling
Albert and Allen Hughes
Henry Jaglom
Spike Jonze
Neil Jordan
Jon Jost
Harmony Korine
Stanley Kubrick
Neil LaBute
John Lassiter
David Lean
Barry Levinson
Doug Liman
Richard Linklater
Ken Loach
Sidney Lumet
David Lynch
Terrence Malick
Michael Mann
Elaine May
George Miller
Michael Moore
Errol Morris
Mira Nair
Gregory Nava
Mike Nichols
Victor Nunez
Alexander Payne
Sam Peckinpaugh
Arthur Penn
Sidney Poitier
Roman Polanski
Alex Proyas
Sam Raimi
Rob Reiner
Tim Robbins
Robert Rodriguez
George Romero
Eli Roth
Alan Rudolph
David O. Russell
Nancy Savoca
John Sayles
Michael Schultz
Martin Scorcese
Susan Seidelman
M. Night Shyamalan
Bryan Singer
John Singleton
Jack Smith
Kevin Smith
Stephen Sodebergh
Todd Solondz
Penelope Spheeris
Whit Stillman
Quentin Tarantino
Julien Temple
Rose Troche
Melvin Van Peebles
Gus Van Sandt
Lars von Trier
Larry and Andy Wachowski
Wayne Wang
Andy Warhol
Jon Waters
Forest Whitaker
Fredric Wiseman
John Woo
Boaz Yakin
Robert Zemeckis
Rob Zombie
Presentation Info Sheet Template (with example)

Director’s name and date of birth:
Tim Burton, b. 1958

Filmography (as director), with release years:
Sweeney Todd (2007)
Corpse Bride (2005)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Big Fish (2003)
Planet of the Apes (2001)
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Mars Attacks! (1996)
Ed Wood (1994)
Batman Returns (1992)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Batman (1989)
Beetlejuice (1988)
Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)
Frankenweenie (1984)
Vincent (1982)

Source of clip: Edward Scissorhands

Film elements for analysis:
Makeup and Production design: Both elements juxtapose the gothic gloom of Edward’s world with the day-glo, 1950s kitsch of the suburban town below.

Posted by tedf at January 24, 2009 12:17 AM

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