The majority of students taking this course will be American.
Students are required to take a minimum amount contact hours of French a week in order to take a course in English.
Instructor: Michel Bondurand
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course will explore four original aspects of contemporary French cinema: auteurism (theory of the filmmaker as an author), feminist cinema, postcolonial cinema, the French comedy.
Students will learn how to read a filmic text with accurate analysis tools and will discover current social and political issues of French society through one of its favorite mediums: film.
Since its invention by the Lumière brothers, Cinema has always been regarded in France as a major artistic expression. Intellectual, sophisticated and stylish, contemporary French cinema can also be simple, sensual and… fun!
COURSE PROGRAM:
A: POSTMODERN 'AUTEURS'
-Jacques AUDIARD : sensuality and film noir.
"The Beat That My Heart Skipped" (2006)
-Bruno DUMONT: spiritual cinema.
"Flanders" (2006)
-Arnaud DESPLECHIN: living with the dead.
"Kings and Queen" (2004)
B: FEMINIST CINEMA
-Catherine BREILLAT: the art of being controversial.
"Fat Girl" (2001)
-Pascale FERRAN: on the verge of the forests.
"Lady Chatterley" (2006)
-Claire DENIS: Postcolonial masculinity
"Beau travail" (2001)
C: COMEDY
-Francis VEBER: theatrical tradition of 'le boulevard'
"Dinner Game" (1998)
-Agnès JAOUI: the French bitter smile
"The Taste of Others" (2000)
-Danny BOON: the greatest success in box office history
"Bienvenue chez les Chtis" (2007)
D: POST-COLONIAL CINEMA
-Matthieu KASSOVITZ: burning and looting.
"Hate" (1995)
-Yamina BENGUIGUI: coloring French History
"Inch'Allah Dimanche" (2002)
-Abdellatif KECHICHE: beyond the cliché.
"Games of Love and Chance" (2004)
COURSE STRUCTURE:
Each class will be structured as follows:
• Student oral presentation about the director
• Hand outs with guiding questions before each screening
• Complete screening of the film
• Review questions in groups
• Group discussion
• Details and new clips from films not screened in class
TEXTS:
All the documents will be handed out in class.
You are expected to read every document handed out.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Oral presentation: each student will be assigned to a group that will give a 10 minutes presentation on the biography and films of one of the assigned directors.
Quizzes: A short quiz with immediate grading will occur at the beginning of each class.
Final paper: This is a 4-5 page typewritten paper that should compare the two films in one of the sections (A to D) by emphasizing a comparable theme or a similar stylistic element. The paper should include both academic analysis and personal insights on the subject.
GRADING:
Students will be graded on the significance and seriousness of their efforts in every aspect of the class. Students must complete all assignments and are required to participate in all class discussions. Attendance is paramount and punctuality for class is highly important.
Attendance/ Participation in discussions: 30%
Oral presentation: 20%
Quizzes: 20%
Final Paper: 30%
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