Syllabus and Schedule Spring 2001 (10942)
Instructor: James Shokoff. Office: Fenton 264. Hours: Wed. 1:30-5:30 & Th. 10-11.
Phone: 716 673 3858. E-mail: James.Shokoff@fredonia.edu.
Class meetings: Tuesday and Thursday, 2-3:20, Fenton 174, and Tues., 6-8 p.m., Fenton 105.
Text: Cook, David A., A History of Narrative Film, 3rd ed., W. W. Norton, 1996.
Reserve readings: Mast, Gerald, Marshall Cohen and Leo Braudy, eds. Film Theory and Criticism, 4th ed.
Please note that this book is on reserve for EN 280 01. The book is out of print. You might find it helpful to
photocopy the assigned articles for your personal use.
Course Description: Tuesday afternoon meetings will be given to discussing prominent movements and events in the history of narrative film. Each student will be called upon to report on one aspect of this survey. Films will be screened on Tuesday evenings and discussed on Thursday afternoons.
This course offers an historical approach to understanding the foundations of narrative film. It satisfies part of the
GCP IIB requirement for non-English majors and may be used to fulfill part of the requirements for the minor in
film.
Requirements:
A. Each student will be assigned a film to study in depth. The study will progress in stages, described below,
toward the completion of a study guide for the assigned film. Guides that meet basic standards (denoted by a grade
of B or higher) will be posted as links to the Fredonia Film Page on the Internet. Among the standards that must
be met are clear writing, accuracy, clear organization, thoroughness of research, and inclusion of all required parts
of the project. We will spend class time discussing the details of this project. These are the parts of the project or
study guide:
1. Basic information about the film, including title (including alternate titles), director, years made and
released, country (or countries) of origin, basic form (silent/sound, black-and-white/tinted, color), running time
(including alternate versions), cast list, crew list (restricted to important members), and producer. This
information is readily available in many books and on the Internet at <http://www.imdb.com>. This information,
in list form like that on the Internet Movie Database site, must be turned in no later than Thursday, February 15.
(This part will be graded S or U).
2. An originally written synopsis or plot summary of the film, about 600 words long, based upon your
viewing of the film. Do not rely on synopses in guide books or on the Internet; these are notoriously flawed and
inaccurate. This synopsis must be turned in no later than Thursday, February 22.
3. Summaries of three reviews of or commentaries on the film, written at the time of the film's release or
within a few years thereafter. These summaries should be about 250-300 words each and must include the details
of publication author, (title of review, title of periodical, date, volume number, page numbers). They are due no
later than Thursday, March 8.
4. Background information about the film, ending with a selective bibliography of at least six items
(excluding Cook and Mast), at least four of which must be other than internet sources. The content of this section
will vary considerably from film to film. You must be selective about what you believe is most important in trying
to understand the film. This section might include short biographies of the leading filmmakers or actors, trivia
about the film, legendary or funny stories about the film and its making, comments about sources of the film
(novels, plays, historical events, etc.), problems in making the film, problems in the film's release or reception by
audiences, problems with censorship or studio interference, the historical or social setting of the story or of the
film's making or both, and so forth. This part of your project should be about 1000 words long. The bibliography
should follow standard MLA format. This part of the project is due no later than Thursday, April 5.
5. An original critical analysis of the film, about 1000 words long. You should focus on a specific
problem in interpretation and discuss it, coming to a judgment that serves as a resolution (if not solution) to the
problem. You should not try to "cover" the entire film. For example, you might discuss the development and
change (and the reasons for it) of one important character in the film; you might try to explain why a character or a
situation is funny; you might explain why the film (or a character or sequence in it) reflect critically on the
behavior of people or of the demands or expectations of a society. You must write a prospectus for your analysis
(about 150 words) and have it approved no later than Thursday. March 29. The critical analysis must be bundled
with the other four parts of the project and turned in no later than Thursday, April 26.
You must turn in the complete project both in hard copy and on a floppy disk with the project saved as a
single file (not five files) in Microsoft Word or Word Perfect and as a rich text file. If you need help with this part
of the problem, please make an appointment to come to my office and let me help you work it out on my computer.
Each section, except the last, will be graded as it is first turned in on the specified date. Revisions may be made
before the complete project is turned in. Each section will then be re-evaluated as a part of the whole.
B. Four unannounced quizzes will be given on Tuesdays to check your understanding of the reading assignments
in Cook. If you miss a quiz and at that time have three cuts or fewer in the afternoon sessions, you will be given a
make-up quiz. If you miss a quiz and have four or more absences, you will not be able to make-up the quiz
C. Oral reports: Each student will be required on a specified Tuesday afternoon to give a background report on
an assigned topic. This report should be about 10-12 minutes long and should supplement information on the
topic that is given in Cook, our basic text. At the start of the class in which you give your report, turn in a typed
statement of your report, no longer than one page. Include the main points or pieces of information you intend to
convey and a list of at least four works (other than Cook or Mast) cited in preparing your report. At least two of
these sources must be found outside the Internet. Follow standard MLA format for citing works.
D. Attendance: Attendance is required. Anyone missing more than three afternoon meetings or more than two
Tuesday evening screenings will be required to take a final examination on Wednesday, May 9, 1:30-3:30. There
are no exceptions to this rule and no excused absences. For all others, the final examination will be optional.
E. Listserv: A listserv will be established for the course and will be used to make adjustments in this syllabus and schedule if they are needed. It should also serve as a discussion place for questions, problems, and observations that occur to you or me during the semester. You may also use the listserv to send the class brief reviews of films you have seen.
To join the listserv, send an e-mail to <listserv@listserv.fredonia.edu>. Leave the subject line blank. In the body of the message write: <JOIN EN38001 YOURFIRSTNAME YOURLASTNAME>.
To send a message to the listserv after you have joined, address it to <EN38001@listserv.fredonia.edu>.
Always give a one or two word subject in the subject box.
What weight do grades carry? Basic Information in the project will be judged simply S or U. A U grade will
prevent the guide's being put on the Internet. The Synopsis will weigh 10% of the Project grade, the Summaries of
Reviews will weigh 20%, the Background Information will weigh 20%, and the Critical Essay will weigh 50%.
Overall, the project or study guide will make up 80% of your grade for the course. The quizzes will cummulatively
be worth 10% of your grade for the course. The oral report and class participation will also carry 10% of the weight.
Those required to take a final examination will find that the Project is worth 50% or the course grade and the Final
Examination is worth 30%. Those taking the Final examination as an option may specify at the start of the
Examination the ratio of weight they want applied to the Project and to the Final Examination: 70% to the Project
and 10% to the Final Examination, or 60-20, or 50-30.
Guidelines: On all written work you must follow the Guidelines for Papers and Examinations that will be posted on
the link to this course found on my Internet Home Page <http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/shokoff/>.
For the final submission of the project/study guide, however, you must submit all pages single-spaced. You must
also read and should take to heart the statement on Plagiarism posted as a link to my Home Page.
Schedule: All reading references are to Cook, except as noted. If changes are needed, they will be made in class
and on the listserv. You are responsible for all changes. Note that some Tuesday night films might exceed our two-hour boundaries by a few minutes. Some class time will also be given to discussing progress and problems in your
projects.
1/18 Introduction to the course.
1/23 Origins and beginnings of film. Read Chapter 1. In Mast, Kracauer, pp. 9-20. Films: Shorts by Edison, Lumiere, Melies, Porter, and Griffith [approximately 120 minutes].
1/25 Each Thursday class will be a discussion of the Tuesday evening film(s).
1/30 D. W. Griffith. Reports: 1. Thomas Ince 2. Mack Sennett. Read Chapter 3 and pp. 196-200. In Mast,
Eisenstein, 395-402. Film: D.W. Griffith, Intolerance (1916) [running time: 120 minute-version]
2/6 German Expressionism. Reports: 1. F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu 2. G.W. Pabst, Chapter 4. In Mast,
Kracauer, pp. 21-33. Films: Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1926) [124 minutes]. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari,
(1919) directed by Robert Weine [60 minutes] will be shown in two parts on Tuesday and Thursday
afternoons.
2/13 Soviet Formalism and Montage. Reports: 1. Lev Kuleshov and Dziga Vertov 2.The Parufamet Agreement.
Chapter 5. In Mast, Eisenstein, pp. 127-154. Films: Sergei Eisenstein, Battleship Potemkin (1926) [60
minutes and V.I. Pudovkin, The Mother (1926) [60 minutes]. Thursday, Feb. 15: the basic information
about of the film on which your project is based is due today.
2/20 Hollywood's Comic Emergence. Reports: 1. The rise of the star system 2. Mary Pickford. Chapter 2, pp.
32-47, and Chapter 6, 200-205. Handout: Henri Bergson, excerpts from "Laughter." Film: Charles
Chaplin, The Gold Rush (1925) [80 minutes]. Thursday, Feb. 22: the synopsis of the film on which your
project is based is due today.
2/27 Hollywood in the 20s. Reports: 1. Cecil B deMille 2. Women directors: Lois Webber and Dorothy Arzner.
Chapter 6, 205-225. In Mast, Panofsky, pp. 233-248. Film: Buster Keaton, The General (1926), [80
minutes].
3/6 American Realism. Reports: 1. Greta Garbo 2. Oscar Micheaux. Read Chapter 6, 225-238. In Mast,
McCabe, 79-92, and Barthes, 628-631. Films: Erich von Stroheim, Foolish Wives (1921) [85 minutes] and
parts of Oscar Micheaux, Body and Soul (1925) [approximately 25 minutes]. Thursday, March 8:
summaries of three reviews are due.
3/13 The Dying Art of Silent Film. Reports: 1. Rudolph Valentino 2. King Vidor's The Big Parade. Chapter
2, 47-58. In Mast, Benjamin, 665-681. Films: F.W. Murnau, The Last Laugh (1924) [85 minutes] and
parts of Carl Theodor Dreyer, The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) [approximately 25 minutes].
3/20 Spring break.
3/27 The End of Silent Film; the Advent of Sound Film. Reports: 1. Ernst Lubitsch 2. Warner Brothers and
The Jazz Singer. Chapter 7. In Mast, Belton, 323-331. Films: F.W. Murnau, Sunrise (1927) [110
minutes] and part of Alan Crosland, The Jazz Singer (1927) [about 10 minutes]. Your prospectus for your
critical analysis in the project is due no later than Thursday, March 29.
4/3 Early Sound Films and Color. Reports: 1. Origins of the Academy Awards 2. Rene Clair. In Mast,
Affron, 332-340. Films: Fritz Lang, M (1931) [90 minutes] and parts of Rouben Mamoulian, Becky Sharp
(1935) [about 15 minutes]. Thursday, April 5: background information and bibliography for your project
are due today.
4/10 Warriors and Gangsters. Reports: 1. The Hays Office 2. Howard Hawks's Scarface. Chapter 8. In Mast,
Warshow, 453-466. Film: Lewis Milestone, All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) [120 minutes].
4/17 Horror and Music. Reports: 1. James Whale's Frankenstein 2. Busby Berkeley's 42nd Street and Gold
Diggers of 1933. In Mast, Feuer, 486-497. Films: Charles Chaplin Modern Times (1936) [85 minutes]
and Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali, Un Chien Andalou (1928) [19 minutes].
4/24 Internationalism and Hollywood's Domination. Reports: 1. Irving Thalberg 2. Frank Capra's It
Happened One Night 3. David O. Selznick's production of Gone with the Wind. Film: Joseph von
Sternberg, The Blue Angel (1930) [95 minutes]. The completed project, on paper and on disk, must be
turned in no later than Thursday, April 26.
5/1 The Eve of World War II. Film: Jean Renoir, Rules of the Game (1939) [113 minutes].
Oral Reports Summarized
1/30 1. Thomas Ince 2. Mack Sennett
2/6 1. F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu 2. G.W. Pabst
2/13 1. Lev Kuleshov and Dziga Vertov 2. The Parufamet Agreement
2/20 1. The Rise of the Star System 2. Mary Pickford
2/27 1. Cecil B. DeMille 2. Women Directors: Dorothy Arzner and Lois Webber
3/6 1. Greta Garbo 2. Oscar Micheaux
3/13 1. Rudolph Valentino 2. King Vidor's The Big Parade
3/27 1. Ernst Lubitsch 2. Warner Bros. and The Jazz Singer
4/3 1. Origins of the Academy Awards 2. Rene Clair
4/10 1. The Hays Office 2. Howard Hawks's Scarface
4/17 1. James Whale's Frankenstein 2. Busby Berkeley's 42nd Street and Gold Diggers of 1933
4/20 1. Irving Thalberg 2. Frank Capra's It Happened One Night 3. David O. Selznick's production of Gone with the Wind