Film History

An introduction to the history of film as an art form, this course is designed to give you a familiarity with the most historically significant films, movements and directors. The course will begin with film appreciation, looking at the different elements that make up film aesthetics—shot composition, lens choice, color, camera movement, editing, sound mixing and musical score. It will then present a chronological history of major films and traditions from the 1890s to the 2000s. We will look at films from around the world, including (but not limited to) Hollywood, France, Japan, Germany, Russia, Spain, India, Sweden, Italy, Mexico, Czechoslovakia, China and Poland. Students will be required to see two films a week outside of class.