Spring 2019 / ITAL 340: Italian Through Film
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Spring 2019 / ITAL 340: Italian through Film Department of Modern and Classical Languages George Mason University Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:00 to 4:15pm, Aquia Hall 347 Prof. K. Olson, [email protected] Office: Aquia Hall 309 Office Hours: Mondays, 4:30pm to 5:30pm, and by appointment Prerequisites: ITAL 202/250; appropriate placement score; or permission of instructor. Course Description and Objectives: This course develops linguistic proficiency and historical and cultural awareness through the study of selected films from 1945 to 1972. The course is divided into a series of pre-viewing, viewing, and post-viewing activities for each film that consist of a discussion of cultural and historical backgrounds, vocabulary in context, and a grammar review. Students will be responsible for viewing the films in their entirety outside of class while guided by these assignments. Class discussion, together with regular writing assignments and presentations, are designed to foster advanced reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills, incorporating advanced-level language study in a content- based approach. At the end of this course, students are expected to communicate at the ACTFL proficiency levels for reading, speaking, listening and writing between Advanced Low and Advanced Mid-levels. Required Materials Borra, Antonello and Cristina Pausini. Italian through Film: The Classics. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2007. ISBN: 0300109520 Required Films (Purchase of these films is optional. See below for online film availability via GMU library. Films also located on course reserve in the Johnson Center.) Films are listed in alphabetical order with their current distributor and Amazon listing. 1. La commare secca (The Grim Reaper). Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci, 1962. Perf. Francesco Ruiu, Giancarlo De Rosa, Vincenzo Ciccora. Criterion, 2010. DVD. https://www.amazon.com/Commare-Secca-Criterion- Collection/dp/B0006Z2NB8/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1542999906&sr=1-1 2. Divorzio all’italiana (Divorce, Italian Style). Dir. Pietro Germi, 1961. Perf. Marcello Mastroianni, Stefania Sandrelli. Criterion, 2005. DVD. https://www.amazon.com/Divorce-Italian-Style-Criterion- Collection/dp/B0007M222A/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1542999983&sr=1- 1&keywords=divorce+italian+style 3. Una giornata particolare (A Special Day). Dir. Ettore Scola, 1977. Perf. Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni. Criterion, 2015. – Amazon prime / Not on Kanopy https://www.amazon.com/Special-Day-Sophia- Loren/dp/B011SDC2DK/ref=sr_1_cc_2?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1543002433&sr=1-2- 2 catcorr&keywords=special+day+scola 4. Ladri di biciclette (Bicycle Thieves). Dir. Vittorio De Sica, 1948. Perf. Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola. Criterion, 2007. DVD. https://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Criterion-Collection-Lamberto- Maggiorani/dp/B000KRNGO0/ref=sr_1_3?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1543000141&sr=1- 3&keywords=bicycle+thieves 5. Mimì metallurgico ferito nell’onore (The Seduction of Mimi). Dir. Lina Wertmüller, 1972. Perf. Giancarlo Giannini, Agostina Belli, and Mariangela Melato. Kino Lorber, 2012. https://www.amazon.com/Seduction-Mimi-Kino-Classics-Blu- ray/dp/B007IHH4FC/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1543000231&sr=1- 2&keywords=mimi+metallurgico+ferito+nell%27onore 6. La notte (The Night). Dir. Michelangelo Antonioni, 1961. Perf. Jeanne Moreau, Marcello Mastroianni and Monica Vitti. Criterion Collection, 2013. DVD. https://www.amazon.com/Notte-Criterion-Collection-Marcello- Mastroianni/dp/B00DZP1BUU/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1543000576&sr=1- 2&keywords=notte+antonioni 7. Il posto (The Job; The Sound of Trumpets). Dir. Ermanno Olmi, 1961. Perf. Sandro Panseri and Loredana Detto. Criterion Collection, 2010. DVD. https://www.amazon.com/Posto-Criterion-Collection-Sandro- Panseri/dp/B000093NR1/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1543000637&sr=1- 1&keywords=posto+olmi 8. Riso amaro (Bitter Rice). Dir. Giuseppe De Santis. Perf. Vittorio Gassman, Silvana Mangano. Criterion Collection, 2016. DVD. – Amazon prime / Not on Kanopy https://www.amazon.com/Bitter-Rice-Criterion-Collection-Blu- ray/dp/B016R7C3A4/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1543000726&sr=1- 2&keywords=bitter+rice 9. Roma, città aperta (Rome, Open City). Dir. Roberto Rossellini, 1945. Perf. Aldo Fabrizi, Anna Magnani. Criterion, 2010. DVD. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019D8BIDW?ref=sr_1_1_acs_kn_imdb_pa_dp&qid=1543000947&sr=1- 1-acs&autoplay=0 10. Il sorpasso (The Easy Life). Dir. Dino Risi, 1962. Perf. Vittorio Gassman, Jean Louis Trintignant, and Catherine Spaak. Criterion Collection, 2014. DVD. https://www.amazon.com/Sorpasso-Vittorio-Gassman/dp/B00I116MZ2/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies- tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1543001215&sr=1-2&keywords=sorpasso 11. Tre fratelli (Three Brothers). Dir. Francesco Rosi, 1981. Perf. Philippe Noiret, Michele Placido, Vittorio Mezzogiorno. – Amazon prime / Not on Kanopy https://www.amazon.com/Three-Brothers-Philippe- Noiret/dp/B06X9R3HGZ/ref=tmm_aiv_swatch_1?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1543001285&sr=1-2 12. I vitelloni (The Young and the Passionate). Dir. Federico Fellini. Perf. Franco Fabrizi, Franco Interlenghi, Alberto Sordi, Leopoldo Trieste. Criterion, 1953. DVD. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NTSRGDY?ref=sr_1_3_acs_kn_imdb_pa_dp&qid=1543001428&sr=1- 3-acs&autoplay=0 3 Supplementary Texts (also see Recommended Bibliography in Italian through Film) Bondanella, Peter and Federico Pacchioni. A History of Italian Cinema. Second edition. Bloomsbury Academic, 2017. Marcus, Millicent. Italian Film in the Light of Neorealism. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1986. (available in paperback) Class Preparation and Participation: You are required to have viewed each film outside of class in preparation for class discussion. All films for this course are available in different ways: 1) on reserve in the Johnson Center; 2) online – for free – through GMU libraries (with Kanopy); 3) on Amazon Prime Video, Vudu or Netflix. In order to access these films for free via GMU libraries, go to the University Libraries homepage, click on “Search,” then “Media Collections,” and then “Video and Images Collection” (http://infowiz.gmu.edu/dbs/subjects/video). Once there, search for “Kanopy.” The location of each film is noted in the Weekly Schedule breakdown below. There are three films (Bitter Rice; A Special Day and Three Brothers) which you will have to purchase on either Amazon, Vudu or Netflix, for a nominal fee (i.e., under $5 each). Because learning a language is a sustained process that requires individual study, exposure to the target language, and involvement in communicative activities, it is essential that students study assigned material outside of class, complete exercises assigned by the instructor, attend class regularly, and participate actively in all classroom activities. Detailed instructions for class preparation for each day of the semester are included on the daily schedule. Students absent on any given day will receive a grade of zero for participation for that day. Oral Presentations: This class requires two oral presentations (taken from “Spunti per la ricerca”) to be completed by students enrolled with degree status. Please consult the schedule for your assigned date of these presentations. Oral presentations must be between two and three minutes in length, and must be submitted to the instructor two days before execution so that you might receive corrections and feedback beforehand. The instructor will provide you with a criteria sheet so that you can familiarize yourself with how you will be assessed. Weekly Homework and Compositions: This class requires short comprehension activities (“Durante e dopo la visione” – Vero o Falso? & Scelta multipla) due on Mondays and brief written compositions, between 100 and 150 words, which are due on Wednesdays (you select a prompt from the “Spunti per la scrittura” at the end of each chapter). Please consult the schedule and Blackboard for the exact assignments and due dates. Compositions can be revised for a higher grade, but this is not obligatory. Compositions must demonstrate comprehension of and engagement with the material as well as gradual improvement over the course of the semester. They must be submitted via Blackboard, and students must keep track of their submissions through the system. 4 Final Exam: This course requires a final exam. This exam includes all material assigned up to the date of the test and they involve listening comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, writing, and culture. The final exam schedule is also available online from the registrar. Please plan ahead as there are no substitute dates for the final exam. Honor Code: All written work, including exams and outside of class assignments, must be done independently. Your instructor will explicitly announce any exceptions to this policy (e.g., in the case of a group project). Please note that you are expected to write all compositions on your own, and you should not have them reviewed or corrected by another student or a more advanced speaker of the language. The use of an online translation site is considered an infraction of the Honor Code. If you work on class materials with a tutor, you should inform your instructor in advance. Students are expected to be familiar with the GMU Honor Code (available online at: http://jiju.gmu.edu/catalog/apolicies/honor.html). Any students who are unsure of any of the policies regarding independent work are responsible for requesting clarification from their instructor. Disability Accommodations: The Office of Disability Services at GMU facilitates