Course Content

Regarding Subject Matter

While I will be fairly conservative with the films I choose, we will see some films containing graphic violence, profanity, and possible nudity.  We will view films and film clips rated from G to R. The course will introduce students to a range of cultures, a range of world experiences and views, and a range of film methodology.  The Colorado State Standards (and Common Core Standards) invite teachers to address texts of an increasingly complex nature throughout the year, and some of the richest film content may have an R rating. We will not view any content gratuitously, and each film or clip will contribute to a lesson or point connected to the course and instruction and will be treated with appropriate maturity.  There are too many different lessons and potential films to list them specifically, and as this is my first time teaching this course I am not settled on each film nor certain which path each unit will take. I will not force a student to watch a film if there is justified concern about content, but some lessons may not be duplicated with alternative texts.

Potential Films for the Course

We will not be viewing all or even parts of all of these films, but they are representative of some of the texts I am considering for use with various lessons; we may view others not listed.  They appear in no order of consequence.

Citizen Kane     

The Seven Samurai

12 Angry Men     

Edward Scissorhands

Cool Hand Luke     

The Searchers 

The Artist             

The Magnificent Seven

Beasts of the Southern Wild     

To Sir, with Love

Stand By Me     

Hugo

Memento             

Schindler’s List

Assorted Hitchcock films     

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Assorted silent films                             

The Sting

Saving Private Ryan     

Baby Driver

The Godfather     

12 Monkeys

Apocalypse Now     

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Platoon     

2001: A Space Odyssey

Killing of a Sacred Deer     

Excalibur

Cinema Paradiso     

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

Jurassic Park     

The Breakfast Club

Star Wars (the original three)     

Waking Ned Devine

Casablanca     

Silence of the Lambs 

Lawrence of Arabia     

On the Waterfront

American Graffiti   

 A Streetcar Named Desire 

Life is Beautiful     

Crash

La La Land     

The King’s Speech