Course Code: BFMP 4502
Academic Year: 2024-2025
What sort of art is film? Is it best understood as another species of narrative such as novels and plays? What is the photographic image in terms of its maker and in relation to the world that it (seems to) represent? And what is the potential impact and cultural significance of this, the most popular of the arts? Such questions about art, its impact on audiences, and its role in the culture or society at large (its function) have been asked throughout the history of what has come to be known as "film theory." In the course, students examine the most influential works of film theory in relation to film history, in view of gaining an appreciation for theory's creative influence on film production, and its ability to illuminate the meaning and value of film. Some of the topics that will be explored include: the historical birth of film and theoretical reflections on its difference from other arts; Soviet montage and Marxist/dialectical philosophy; Hollywood production and the theory of film as a mere mechanical product of a "culture industry;" the French New Wave and auteur theory; accounts of film as a language and language theory; theories of the psychological (gendered and sexualized) pleasures of viewing; film, colonialism, and post-colonial theory. These topics will be examined through readings, discussions, and essays, as well as through the viewing of relevant film examples.