FEBRUARY 26

Film:

Masculine Feminine (Godard 1965) DVD 1752        

Excerpts:

Breathless (Godard 1959) Blu-Ray 060 (opening to 8:08)

Tout va bien (Godard/Gorin 1972) DVD 1398 (opening to 5:20, 1:08:14 to 1:14:07)

Reading (to be done by March 4):

Gene Youngblood. “Jean-Luc Godard: No Difference Between Life and Cinema”  (in course reader)

Maany Farber. “Jean-Luc Godard”  (in course reader)

Paper topic (paper due March 5. All undergraduate papers to be printed and stapled and brought to class. All graduate papers to be sent via email to elkrugamigos@earthlink.net, attached as a .doc, .docx, .rtf or .odt file):

No new assignment – use this week to turn in all your short papers and catch up on the reading. Please remember that this week is the drop dead date – the first five papers must be turned in by 4 pm.

FEBRUARY 19

Films:

Happiness (Varda 1964) DVD 5230        

Antoine et Colette (Truffuat 1962) DVD 388

Excerpt:

Band of Outsiders (Godard 1965) DVD 623 (45:07 to 51:50)

Reading (to be done by February 25):

François Truffaut. “Evolution of the New Wave: Truffaut in  interview  with Jean-Louis Comolli, Jean Narboni (extracts).”  (in course reader)

Jonathan Rosenbaum. “Sexism in the French New Wave.”

Paper topic (paper due February 26. All undergraduate papers to be printed and stapled and brought to class. All graduate papers to be sent via email to elkrugamigos@earthlink.net, attached as a .doc, .docx, .rtf or .odt file):

Write about whatever you find most striking about Happiness. Aim for specificity: frame your argument through a detailed discussion of one or two short scenes.

FEBRUARY 12

Film:

Rio Bravo (Hawks  1959) Blu-Ray 011        

Excerpt:

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Hawks  1953) DVD 263 (21:20 – 25:00)

 

Reading (to be done by February 18):

Peter Wollen. "The Auteur Theory."  in course reader)

Paper topic (paper due February 19. All undergraduate papers to be printed and stapled and brought to class. All graduate papers to be sent via email to elkrugamigos@earthlink.net, attached as a .doc, .docx, .rtf or .odt file):

Discuss two articles from the PRINTED reader, including today’s piece by Peter Wollen. You can choose the approach you take – you can compare their approaches, if you like, or you can discuss how their visions of the films in question differ from your own. But I expect substantial reference and citation to the pieces you reference.

FEBRUARY 5

Film:

Voyage to Italy (Rossellini  1954) Blu-Ray 265        

Reading (to be done by February 11):

Roberto Rossellini.  "Rossellini's Ten Commandments to his students at the Centro Sperimentale." (in course reader)

Eric Rohmer. "The Land of Miracles."  "(in course reader)

Paper topic (paper due February 12. All undergraduate papers to be printed and stapled and brought to class. All graduate papers to be sent via email to elkrugamigos@earthlink.net, attached as a .doc, .docx, .rtf or .odt file):

There is a long tradition of films that have unlikely and puzzling endings, conclusions that may seem out of place with the rest of the film, that leave us with hanging questions or unsettled feelings. In the case of Voyage to Italy, the ending has always been interpreted in a number of ways, including by Rossellini. 

For this week, I want to sit with your experience of the film for a few days and then write about the ending – how do you feel about the conclusion you just saw? Do you take it at face value or do you see any irony in the scene? Does it seem genuinely happy? I want you to reference details of the shooting and editing, as well as performance in your discussion. Keep in mind its last lines:

"Tell me that you love me." 

"Well, if I do, will you promise not to take advantage of me?"

"Yes, but tell me, I want to hear you say it."

"Alright, I love you."