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Introduction to the World Film History and Theory I
Study Course Description
Course Description Statuss:Approved
Course Description Version:7.00
Study Course Accepted:02.02.2024 12:25:21
| Study Course Information | |||||||||
| Course Code: | KSK_099 | LQF level: | Level 6 | ||||||
| Credit Points: | 2.00 | ECTS: | 3.00 | ||||||
| Branch of Science: | Communication Sciences | Target Audience: | Communication Science | ||||||
| Study Course Supervisor | |||||||||
| Course Supervisor: | Dita Rietuma | ||||||||
| Study Course Implementer | |||||||||
| Structural Unit: | Faculty of Social Sciences | ||||||||
| The Head of Structural Unit: | |||||||||
| Contacts: | Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szf rsu[pnkts]lv | ||||||||
| Study Course Planning | |||||||||
| Full-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 6 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 12 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 4 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 8 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 20 | ||||||||
| Part-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 5 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 10 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 3 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 6 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 16 | ||||||||
| Study course description | |||||||||
| Preliminary Knowledge: | Not necessary. | ||||||||
| Objective: | To familiarise students with foundations and main directions of world cinematic art history and theory to ensure extension of the general humanistic outlook of students, as well as to familiarise with basic principles, functions and most important stylistic directions of language, as well as domineering theoretical concepts of the means of mass communication – cinema. The knowledge obtained during the course will deepen understanding of the modern history of communication and media, as well as its importance in the context of the development of European and world culture. Within the scope of the course students will learn stages of development of the world cinematic art (1895–1950), most important turning-points – the emergence of films, film as an art and industry, creation of film audiences, development of film language and narrative, film realism and its alternatives. Students will be familiarised with the most excellent examples of cinematic art – short films by Lumière brothers and G. Méliès, the feature-length movie “Intolerance” by D.W. Griffith, “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” by R. Wiene, “Nosferatu” by F.W. Murnau, “Casablanca” by M.Curtiz, works of S.Eisenstein and O.Welles, which characterise the development of film history, as well as will get understanding about the development of film language and its effects on the modern audio-visual communication space. | ||||||||
| Topic Layout (Full-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | Introduction. Basic film concepts, basic elements of film language. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 2 | Emergence of film, development of film language: Lumière brothers, Georges Méliès, Edwin S. Porter. Creation and development directions of national film schools (1889–1915). | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 3 | Importance of D.W. Griffith in the development of film language and US film. "The Birth of a Nation" (1915), "Intolerance" (1916). Birth of film as mass media. System of studios in the United States. Introduction of sound. Upsurge of new genres – musical film, gangster film at the turn of 1920s–1930s. Film as a mirror of public mood and history – the Great Depression. Censorship. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 4 | Cinematography in the United States in 1930s–1940s. United States – full member of the classical Hollywood style, diversity of genres (westerns, melodramas, comedies). The brightest authors, actors. “Casablanca" (1942) as an embodiment of principles of the classical Hollywood style. | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 5 | Modernism ideas in films. Cinema of Europe of 1920s. German expressionism: Friedrich Murnau, Robert Wiene, Fritz Lang. The dawn of surrealism (Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí). | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 6 | Modernism ideas in films. Editing theories of Russian modernists. (Sergei Eisenstein, Lev Kuleshov, Dziga Vertov, etc.) | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 7 | Echo of modernism ideas in Hollywood practice. Viewing and analysis of fragments from "Citizen Kane" (1941) by Orson Welles. Film pioneering and importance in the world film history. | Classes | 2.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 8 | Form searches within the classical Hollywood style. Film noire as a call-out to the classical Hollywood style (1940s–1950s). | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 9 | Form searches within the classical Hollywood style. Visual stylistics of film noire, diversity of message strategies (e.g., in works of Billy Wilder). Echo of film noire in film experiences of the 20th century. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Topic Layout (Part-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | Introduction. Basic film concepts, basic elements of film language. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 2 | Emergence of film, development of film language: Lumière brothers, Georges Méliès, Edwin S. Porter. Creation and development directions of national film schools (1889–1915). | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 3 | Importance of D.W. Griffith in the development of film language and US film. "The Birth of a Nation" (1915), "Intolerance" (1916). Birth of film as mass media. System of studios in the United States. Introduction of sound. Upsurge of new genres – musical film, gangster film at the turn of 1920s–1930s. Film as a mirror of public mood and history – the Great Depression. Censorship. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 4 | Cinematography in the United States in 1930s–1940s. United States – full member of the classical Hollywood style, diversity of genres (westerns, melodramas, comedies). The brightest authors, actors. “Casablanca" (1942) as an embodiment of principles of the classical Hollywood style. | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 5 | Modernism ideas in films. Cinema of Europe of 1920s. German expressionism: Friedrich Murnau, Robert Wiene, Fritz Lang. The dawn of surrealism (Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dalí). | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 7 | Echo of modernism ideas in Hollywood practice. Viewing and analysis of fragments from "Citizen Kane" (1941) by Orson Welles. Film pioneering and importance in the world film history. | Classes | 2.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 8 | Form searches within the classical Hollywood style. Film noire as a call-out to the classical Hollywood style (1940s–1950s). | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Assessment | |||||||||
| Unaided Work: | To approbate the knowledge learned during lectures and seminars in the independent analysis and presentation of a film. In order to evaluate the quality of the study course as a whole, the student must fill out the study course evaluation questionnaire on the Student Portal. | ||||||||
| Assessment Criteria: | • Participation in lectures. • Participation and activity in seminars. • Seminar diploma paper – film presentation and analysis (four A4 pages). To analyse a film made in the historical period reviewed during the course (see the list of recommended films in informative sources), as well as to present own work. Conduct the thematical, stylistic and genre analysis of the film, characterise the importance of the film in the world film context. Scope – at least four A4 pages (without the title page). | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Full-Time): | Exam (Written) | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Part-Time): | Exam (Written) | ||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | |||||||||
| Knowledge: | As a result of mastering the course students: • Recognise and understand main stages of development and stylistic directions of cinematic art (until 1940s–1950s). • Analyse the interaction between cinematic art and development of society. • Name and characterise the most important directions of cinematic art, as well as theoretical analysis approaches. • Understand the principles of formation of film language and its use in different periods of time and in traditions of different national schools. | ||||||||
| Skills: | As a result of mastering the course students: • Recognise different cinematic art schools. • Evaluate the impact of cinematic art on modern mass media. • Analyse film authors and examples of cinematic art. • Interpret the impact of cinematic art on public communication. • Use cinematic art message approaches in multimedia communication. | ||||||||
| Competencies: | As a result of mastering the course students: • Evaluate audio-visual works in films, which developed in different periods of time. • Able to recognise different uses of film language. • Able to orient in classical principles of film language, as well as in alternative use of modernism principles. • Understand the main development stages of cinematic art and domineering stylistic principles. • Able to see the link between modern audio-visual culture and important stages of development of cinematic art and theoretical and practical achievements in different periods of time. | ||||||||
| Bibliography | |||||||||
| No. | Reference | ||||||||
| Required Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | The Oxford History of World Cinema. The Definitive History of Cinema Worldwide, Oxford University Press, 1996 | ||||||||
| 2 | Bordwell, David, Thompson, Kristin. Film Art. An Introduction. International Edition, McGraw-Hill, Inc, 1993 | ||||||||
| 3 | Sklar, Robert. Film. An International History of the Medium, Thames and Hudson, 1993 | ||||||||
| 4 | An Introduction to Film Studies. Edited by Jill Nelmes, Routledge, 1996 | ||||||||
| 5 | Теплиц, Ежи. История киноискусства, Москва: Прогресс, 1968. | ||||||||
| 6 | Садуль, Жорж. Всемирная история кино, Москва: Искусство, 1958 — 1982. | ||||||||
| 7 | Bordvels, Deivids, Tompsone, Kristīne. Kinomāksla. Ievads. Nacionālais kino centrs, Rīga, 2018 | ||||||||
| Other Information Sources | |||||||||
| 1 | Filmas: | ||||||||
| 2 | Voyage dans la lune, Georges Melies, 1902 | ||||||||
| 3 | The Birth of a Nation, 1915 | ||||||||
| 4 | Intolerance, D.W. Griffit, 1916 | ||||||||
| 5 | Das Kabinet der doktor Kaligari, Robert Wiene, 1922 | ||||||||
| 6 | The Kid, Charles Chaplin, 1921 | ||||||||
| 7 | Nosferatu, Robert F. Murnaw, 1922 | ||||||||
| 8 | Metropolis, Fritz Lang, 1926 | ||||||||
| 9 | Bronenosec Potjemkin, Sergejs Eizenšteins, 1926 | ||||||||
| 10 | The Jazz Singer, Alan Crosland,1927 | ||||||||
| 11 | The Grand Hotel, Edmund Goulding, 1932 | ||||||||
| 12 | Un Chien Andalou, Luis Bunuel, Salvador Dali, 1929 | ||||||||
| 13 | The Blue Angel, Joseph von Sternberg, 1930 | ||||||||
| 14 | The Public Enemy, William A.Wellman, 1931 | ||||||||
| 15 | Frankenstein, James Wales, 1931 | ||||||||
| 16 | Zero for Conducti, Jean Vigo, 1933 | ||||||||
| 17 | It Happened One Night, Frank Capra, 1934 | ||||||||
| 18 | L’Atalante, Jean Vigo, 1939 | ||||||||
| 19 | Top Hat, Mark Sandrich, 1935 | ||||||||
| 20 | The 39 Steps, Alfred Hitchcock, 1935 | ||||||||
| 21 | Modern Times, Charlie Chaplin, 1936 | ||||||||
| 22 | 21 Bringing up Baby, George Cukor, 1938 | ||||||||
| 23 | Roaring twenties, Raoul Walsh,1939 | ||||||||
| 24 | Gone With the Wind, Victor Fleming, 1939 | ||||||||
| 25 | Wizard of Oz, Victor Fleming, 1939 | ||||||||
| 26 | Ninotchka, Ernst Lubitsch, 1939 | ||||||||
| 27 | The Great Dictator, Charlie Chaplin, 1940 | ||||||||
| 28 | Citizen Kane, Orson Welles, 1941 | ||||||||
| 29 | Casablanca, Michael Curtiz, 1941 | ||||||||
| 30 | The Maltese Falcon, Juhn Huston, 1941 | ||||||||
| 31 | The Double Indemnity, Billy Willder, 1944 | ||||||||
