FS 200
Film in Culture 1
This course examines the historical and theoretical contexts of cinema over the first three decades of its existence, from the medium's beginnings in the late 1800s to the cementing of its position as the world’s preeminent mass cultural form in the late 1920s. Moving in roughly chronological order, we will explore the events, causes, and consequences of major phases in international film, including German Expressionism, the French avant-garde, Soviet Montage, and Hollywood’s studio system. In addition to studying films in their historical contexts (i.e., technological, economic, industrial, sociocultural, and aesthetic), we will attend to critical commentary and theoretical debates engendered by the nascent film medium. Weekly course screenings outside of class time are a mandatory component of this course. <br>