E 344L l Citizen Kane and Company: The Essential Films

Instructor: Kornhaber, Donna Areas: V / U Unique #: 35405 Flags: Writing Semester: Spring 2017 Restrictions: n/a Cross-lists: n/a Computer Instruction: No

Time and Location: TTH 2-3:30pm PAR 304

Prerequisites: Nine semester hours of coursework in English or rhetoric and writing.

Description: This course presents a detailed examination of a select body of films that proved to be inflection points in the history of the cinema: pictures that changed the vernacular of filmmaking, that opened up new generic or stylistic directions, or that epitomized the work of a widely influential director. Through this examination, students can expect to obtain a solid grounding in film history and film theory as well as an introduction to the study of film genres and movements. Most of all, students will become versed in the major tactics and techniques of film analysis and in the rigorous study of filmic texts. Works to be considered range from the early sound era to the late twentieth century. You will be required to watch one film per week for this class; films will be screened independently, outside of class time.

Texts:

Author Title Publisher ©/ Ed. David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson Film Art McGraw Hill Any edition

*Please note: Additional required readings will be provided regularly in the form of handouts.

Films:

Director Title Date Fritz Lang M 1931 Charlie Chaplin City Lights 1931 Orson Welles Citizen Kane 1941 Carol Reed The Third Man 1949 Jean Luc Godard Breathless 1960 Francois Truffaut The 400 Blows 1959 Vittorio De Sica Bicycle Thieves 1948 Federico Fellini 8 ½ 1963 Elia Kazan On the Waterfront 1954

John Ford The Searchers 1956

Alfred Hitchcock Notorious 1946

Billy Wilder The Apartment 1960

Wes Anderson The Grand Budapest Hotel 2014

1

Schedule:

Week Day Date Main Topic(s) Assignment/Event 1 T 1/17 Introduction First Day of Class Th 1/19 Overview 2 T 1/24 M, Fritz Lang Th 1/26 M 3 T 1/31 City Lights, Charlie Chaplin Th 2/2 City Lights 4 T 2/7 Citizen Kane, Orson Welles Th 2/9 Citizen Kane 5 T 2/14 The Third Man, Carol Reed Th 2/16 The Third Man 6 T 2/21 Breathless, Jean Luc Godard Essay #1 Due Th 2/23 Breathless 7 T 2/28 The 400 Blows, Francois Truffaut Th 3/2 The 400 Blows 8 T 3/7 Bicycle Thieves, Vittorio De Sica Th 3/9 Bicycle Thieves 9 T 3/14 --- Spring Break Th 3/16 --- Spring Break 10 T 3/21 8 ½, Federico Fellini Th 3/23 8 ½ 11 T 3/28 On the Waterfront, Elia Kazan Essay #2 Due Th 3/30 On the Waterfront 12 T 4/4 The Searchers, John Ford Th 4/6 The Searchers 13 T 4/11 Notorious, Alfred Hitchcock Th 4/13 Notorious 14 T 4/18 The Apartment, Billy Wilder Th 4/20 The Apartment 15 T 4/25 The Grand Budapest Hotel, Wes Anderson Th 4/27 The Grand Budapest Hotel 16 T 5/2 Paper Workshops Th 5/4 Paper Workshops Last Day of Class 17 F 5/12 Final Essay Due

Requirements & Grading:

Participation (15%); two 5-page essays (25% + 25%); one 8-page essay (35%)

Policies:

Documented Disability Statement: The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 471-6259 (voice) or 232-2937 (video phone), or visit http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd.

Honor Code: The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community.

2

Academic Integrity: Any work submitted by a student in this course for academic credit will be the student's own work. For additional information on Academic Integrity, see http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/acadint.php.

Religious Holy Days: By UT Austin policy, you must notify me of a pending absence at least fourteen days prior to the date of observance of a religious holy day. If you must miss a class, an examination, a work assignment, or a project in order to observe a religious holy day, I will give you an opportunity to complete the missed work within a reasonable time after the absence.

Class Attendance Policy: You are expected to attend all scheduled classes and arrive on time. In the event you must miss a class, you can do so on 3 instances without it affecting your final grade. These 3 missed classes do not need to be excused, but please do let me know of your absence as far in advance as possible. Beyond these 3 classes, all absences must be excused. Reasons for excused absences include illness (with doctor’s note), team sports or approved activities, and family emergencies. Any unexcused absences beyond the allowed 3 missed classes will lower your final class grade by 1/3 of a letter. (This does not include Religious Holy Days.)

Late Assignments Policy: Unless arrangements for an extension are made in advance with the instructor, late papers or assignments will be marked down 1/3 of a letter for every calendar day (not every class day) they are late.

Web Site:

A Canvas site will be available for this course.

3