Undergraduate Course: Film Criticism and Analysis (CLLC10002)
Course Outline
| School | School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Common Courses (School of Lit, Lang and Cult) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | Film Criticism and Analysis will introduce students to the interpretation of film through a consideration of the ways in which film style influences the meaning of any individual film. The course will also consider the history and development of film criticism and will present various theoretical and philosophical approaches to the study of film.
This course is open to year 4 Honours students in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures who are interested in film (except DELC joint degree students). No prior film study is necessary but if you love cinema and are keen on engaging seriously with its study, then Film Criticism and Analysis will give you the opportunity to learn to think and write about film in more depth.
The course will survey a broad range of film genres including contemporary popular film as well as art house cinema. At least 50% of films screened will be in English while any non-English language films will be subtitled. Delivery will be in English.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | Students MUST NOT also be taking
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Other requirements | Entry to honours in a degree owned by the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures.
Division of European Languages & Cultures: this course is not open to students on joint degrees, only single honours. |
| Additional Costs | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. - To understand the development of film criticism and analysis
2. - To be conversant with the major approaches to film criticism and theory
3. - To analyse individual films using particular theoretical approaches
4. - To understand film as an aesthetic art form
5. - To write critically about film in an academic tone |
Assessment Information
2500 word essay (40%)
2 hour examination (60%)
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Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
The course offers an introduction to the practice and theory of film criticism and analysis. |
| Syllabus |
Indicative Sessions and Example Films (subject to change)
Film Form and Meaning: Mise-en-scène and Cinematography, Sound and Editing
- Morvern Callar (Lynne Ramsay, UK, 2002)
- Berberian Sound Studio (Peter Strickland, 2012)
Genre
- The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik, USA, 2007)
- The Cabin the Woods (Drew Goddard, 2012)
Narrative and Narration
- Swimming Pool (François Ozon, France/UK, 2003)
Evaluation and Interpretation
- Spring Breakers (Harmony Korine, USA, 2012)
- Antichrist (Lars von Trier, Denmark, 2009)
Semiotics
- The Angels¿ Share (Ken Loach, 2012)
Psychoanalysis and Psychology
- A Dangerous Method (David Cronenberg, UK, 2011)
Film Aesthetics
- The Great Beauty (La Grande Bellezza, Paolo Sorrentino, Italy, 2013)
Feminism and Film
- The Headless Woman (La mujer sin cabeza, Lucrecia Martel, Argentina, 2008)
Cinema and Politics
- District 9 (Neill Blomkamp. South Africa, 2009)
Cognitivist film theory
- Wuthering Heights (Andrea Arnold, UK, 2011)
Film-Philosophy
- The Skin I Live In (Pedro Almodóvar, Spain, 2011)
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| Transferable skills |
Critical thinking, Time organisation, Cultural awareness, Aesthetic sensibility |
| Reading list |
Bordwell, David (1989) Making Meaning: Inference and Rhetoric in the Interpretation of Cinema. Harvard: Harvard University Press.
Branigan, Edward (1992) Narrative Comprehension and Film. London: Routledge.
Braudy, Leo and Marshall Cohen (eds.) (2004) Film Theory and Criticism: Introductory Readings. 6th edt. Oxford University Press: Oxford.
Elsaesser, Thomas and Warren Buckland (2002) Studying Contemporary American Film: A Guide to Movie Analysis. Hodder Arnold: London.
Etherington-Wright Christine and Ruth Doughty (2011) Understanding Film Theory. Houndmills: Palgrave McMillan.
Gibbs, John (2002) Mise-en-Scène: Film Style and Interpretation. London and New York: Wallflower.
Hayward, Susan (2000) Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts. Routledge: London & New York.
Miller, Toby and Robert Stam (eds.) (1999) A Companion to Film Theory. Blackwell: Malden, Mass. and Oxford.
Nichols, Bill (ed.) (1976) Movies and Methods: An Anthology, Volume I. University of California Press: Berkeley, Los Angeles and London.
Orpen, Valerie (2003) Film Editing: The Art of the Expressive. London and New York: Wallflower.
Nichols, Bill (ed.) (1985) Movies and Methods: An Anthology, Volume II. University of California Press: Berkeley, Los Angeles and London.
Rushton, Richard and Gary Bettinson (2010) What is Film Theory? An Introduction to Contemporary Debates. New York: McGraw Hill and Open University Press.
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| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Lectures will be followed by a film screening and relevant reading and the film will be discussed in a subsequent seminar. |
| Keywords | Film Theory; Film-Philosophy; Criticism; Analysis; Cinema; Interpretation; Style; Aesthetics |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr David Sorfa
Tel:
Email: David.Sorfa@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Jacqueline Barnhart
Tel: (0131 6)50 4026
Email: Jackie.Barnhart@ed.ac.uk |
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