Film History Andy Warhol and the Film/Media Culture of the Sixties COMM 158.01, Spring 2010, Instructor: Dan Leopard Wednesday 6:10 PM to 9:10 PM, Dante 204 Office Hours: 3:00 to 4:00 PM Tues & Thurs or by appointment, Sichel 103D Phone: 925-631-8151 (office) or 310-779-4908 (cell) E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected] Course Blog: www.comm158.org “I never understood why when you died, you didn't just vanish, everything could just keep going on the way it was only you just wouldn't be there. I always thought I'd like my own tombstone to be blank. No epitaph, and no name. Well, actually, I'd like it to say "figment." - Andy Warhol, 1985 Course Description This course examines Andy Warhol as the iconic artist of 1960s film, art, and media culture. We will begin by looking at Warhol’s early art production – Brillo Boxes, Campbell’s Tomato Soup cans, multiple Marilyns and Elvises – and the underground films he made at his studio in NYC, the Factory. Next we’ll move on to his “Hollywood” films that featured New York artists, intellectuals, and bohemians as his stars. Then we’ll conclude with a glance at his work in television, advertising, magazines, and horror films. All of Warhol’s art and filmmaking will be shown in counterpoint to films from the New Hollywood – the maverick filmmakers (Stanley Kubrick, Clint Eastwood, John Schlesinger, Robert Altman, John Waters, etc.) that stormed the Hollywood studio system during the late 1960s and the early 1970s. Note: This course is held in conjunction with the Hearst Art Gallery’s Spring 2010 Warhol exhibition and will include guest speakers, gallery visits, and full-length film screenings. Required Texts 1. Stargazer: The Life, World and Films of Andy Warhol by Stephen Koch (Marion Boyers, 1991) 2. The Dream Life: Movies, Media and the Mythology of the Sixties by J. Hoberman (New Press, 2003) 3. Andy Warhol : A Guide to 706 Items in 2 Hours and 56 Minutes by Eva Meyer-Hermann (NAi, 2007) 4. A Pocket Guide to Writing in History by Mary Lynn Rampolla (Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010) 5. PDF files available on Blackboard and the SMC Library website – (eRes) Recommended Text 1. Movie-Made America: A Cultural History of American Movies by Robert Sklar (Vintage, 1994) COMM 158.01 FILM: ANDY WARHOL 2 Learning Objectives Upon completion of this course students should be able to: • Understand and discuss the key works and ideas of Andy Warhol as an artist and filmmaker using theories of art and culture that have developed within the fields of film and art history, media and cultural studies, and visual culture. • Critique film and media texts by Warhol and other artists and filmmakers using critical, historical, and theoretical frameworks drawn from class readings, discussions, and screenings. • Apply critical, historical, and theoretical frameworks examined throughout the course to film and media texts not covered in class. • Place Warhol’s media production, Underground and Avant-Garde filmmaking, and Hollywood studio and independent film production within the larger social, political, and cultural contexts that informed the historical moment of the 1960s. • Demonstrate an ability to read critically, write clearly, and research and argue effectively as the foundational skills upon which film and media studies depend. • Use electronic and digital media for research, presentation, and production at an intermediate level of proficiency. Course Requirements Class/Screening Attendance and Participation. Students are required to attend all class/screening sessions and to participate in discussions and class activities. Absences due to sickness must be documented in writing. More than two unexcused absences will result in a failing grade for the course. Discussion Questions. Students are expected to complete each reading assignment prior to class time and to formulate one substantive question for presentation during class discussions. Midterm Examination. Students will complete a take-home midterm exam covering course material – lectures, discussions, readings, assignments, and screenings – from the first half of the course. Public Presentation and/or Final Presentation Rehearsal. Students will present their original research papers or projects at a work-in-progress/rehearsal presentation session. Based on performance during these rehearsal sessions some or all of the final papers and projects will be presented during a public screening and paper presentation event. Final Paper or Project. Students will complete a visual or media research project based on an analysis of an art, film, or media object of their choice. The final paper or project must explicitly address issues and ideas covered during the course and engage with either Warhol’s art and media production or explore aspects of 1960s film and media culture which link to Warhol’s output. Grade Breakdown Attendance/Discussion Questions (15%), Midterm Exam (25%), Rehearsal/Final Presentation (30%), Final Paper/Project (30%). COMM 158.01 FILM: ANDY WARHOL 3 Course Logistics Students with Disabilities. Reasonable and appropriate accommodations, that take into account the context of the course and its essential elements, for individuals with qualifying disabilities, are extended through the office of Student Disability Services. Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Student Disability Services Coordinator at (925) 631-4164 to set up a confidential appointment to discuss accommodation guidelines and available services. Additional information regarding the services available may be found at the following address on the Saint Mary’s website: http://www.stmarys-ca.edu/academics/academic-advising-and- achievement/student-disability-services.html Incompletes or Missing Exams. There will be no alternative midterm exam and no late papers will be accepted for any reason except for a documented medical emergency. Incompletes will be determined on a case-by-case basis. All course work – exams, papers, and projects – is due at the beginning of class on the due date. Academic Integrity. Saint Mary’s College expects the highest standards of academic excellence and ethical performance from students. It is particularly important that you are aware of and avoid plagiarism, cheating on exams, submitting a paper to more than one instructor, or submitting a paper authored by anyone other than yourself. Violations of this policy will result in a failing grade and be reported to the Office of Advising. If you have any doubts or questions about these policies, consult the student handbook and/or confer with the professor. Class Schedule Week 1 10 February: Introduction to Warhol and the Sixties Screen: Andy Warhol: A Documentary Film, Ric Burns, 2006 The Alamo, John Wayne, 1960 The Manchurian Candidate, John Frankenheimer, 1962 Read: Benjamin Meyer-Krahmer, “A Biography in 50 Pictures” (Meyer-Hermann) Robert Sklar, Movie-Made America (highly recommended) Week 2 17 February: History, Film History, and the Spectacle of Media Culture Screen: Some Like It Hot, Billy Wilder, 1959 (with Marilyn Monroe) Dr. Strangelove, Stanley Kubrick, 1964 Viva Las Vegas, George Sidney, 1964 (with Elvis Presley) Read: David Bordwell, “Doing Film History” (eRes) J. Hoberman, Dream Life, Introduction + Ch. 1 & 2 Mary Lynn Rampolla, Pocket Guide to Writing in History, Ch. 1-3 Week 3 24 February: Warhol and Pop Art View: Warhol’s Paintings and Silkscreens Screen: Sleep, Andy Warhol, 1963 Scorpio Rising, Kenneth Anger, 1964 Read: Louis Menand, “Top of the Pops” (eRes) Eva Meyer-Hermann, “Cosmos” in Andy Warhol [00:01:00 – 00:45:00] Anna Dezeuze, “The 1960s: A Decade Out-of-Bounds” (eRes) COMM 158.01 FILM: ANDY WARHOL 4 Week 4 3 March: Andy Warhol, Auteur Screen: Prelude: Dog Star Man, Stan Brakhage, 1962 Empire, Andy Warhol, 1964 (first excerpt) Blow Job, Andy Warhol, 1964 Read: Stephen Koch, Stargazer, p. i-78 Week 5 10 March: The Culture of Celebrity Screen: Screen Tests, Andy Warhol, 1964-68 Nashville, Robert Altman, 1975 Read: Eva Meyer-Hermann, “Cosmos” in Andy Warhol [00:46:00 – 01:33:00] J. Hoberman, Dream Life, Ch. 3 Due: TAKE HOME MIDTERM EXAM Week 6 17 March: NO CLASS – SCMS Watch: Chelsea Girls, Andy Warhol, 1966 (on reserve in SMC Library) Read: Stephen Koch, Stargazer, p. 79-150 Eva Meyer-Hermann, “Filmscape” in Andy Warhol [01:34:00 – 02:13:00] Mary Lynn Rampolla, Pocket Guide to Writing in History, Ch. 4 Week 7 24 March: Underground Film and the New Hollywood Screen: My Hustler, Andy Warhol, 1965 Midnight Cowboy, John Schlesinger, 1969 Read: J. Hoberman, Dream Life, Ch. 4 Peter Wollen, “Notes from the Underground” (eRes) Due: HAND-IN MIDTERM EXAM Week 8 31 March: NO CLASS – SPRING BREAK Read: J. Hoberman, Dream Life, Ch. 5 & 6 Mary Lynn Rampolla, Writing in History, Ch. 5-7 (Read closely chapter on plagiarism) Week 9 7 April: Exploding Plastic Inevitable/Art v. Business Hear: David E. James Lecture Read: David E. James, “Andy Warhol: The Artist as Producer” (eRes) and “The Unsecret Life: A Warhol Advertisement” (eRes) Due: FINAL RESEARCH PAPER/PROJECT PROPOSAL Week 10 14 April: Andy Warhol’s Giallo/Grindhouse Cinema View: Hearst Gallery Warhol Exhibition (opens April 11, 2009) Screen: Color Me Blood Red, Herschell Gordon Lewis, 1965 Blood for Dracula, Paul Morrissey, 1974 Read: Joan Hawkins, “Monsters in the Art World” (eRes) Hal Foster, “Death in America” (eRes) Due: FINAL RESEARCH PAPER/PROJECT BIBLIOGRAPHY COMM 158.01 FILM: ANDY WARHOL 5 Week 11 21 April: Paranoid Hollywood/Structural Film Screen: Empire, Andy Warhol, 1964 (second excerpt) Nostalgia,