APRIL 17

Films:
To Sleep With Anger (Burnett 1990) DVD 4381
When It Rains (Burnett 1995) DVD 2629
excerpt:
Los Angeles Plays Itself (Andersen 2004) DVD 2020 – DISC TWO 49:56 to end

Reading (to be done by April 23):
Ntongela Masilela - “The Los Angeles School of Black Filmmakers” in course reader

Assignment for the week. Graduates, please email essay to me at elkrugamigos@earthlink.net; undergraduates, please bring a printed copy to class:
Compare two performances from films screened this semester. We’ve had everything from the star turns of Henry Fonda and John Wayne in Fort Apache to the non-actors of Bicycle Thieves and Yeelen to Bresson’s “models” in A Man Escaped to Barbara Loden in Wanda and Gena Rowlands in Opening Night. Tonight’s film had a mix of styles, with Danny Glover turning in a charismatic star performance and the rest of the cast playing in a quieter, more naturalistic style. I don't care which two performances you study, but I’d like to see you discuss them in terms of their emotional effect, their ability to engage the viewer and lead you to identification with the character, and their level of theatricality – does the actor fall seamlessly into the role or do you notice the acting as acting, and does that effect how you feel the performance?