Philosophy of Film
PHIL 350-01 (CRN#22169) | TR 10-11:50 PM | Craig-Lee 253 | Spring 2015
Course Syllabus
Instructor: Dr. Aaron Smuts | asmuts@ric.edu
| office hours: 219 Alger Hall, 12:30-1:30 T & b.a.
Description
When people hear “philosophy of film,” they likely imagine
something that would be better called philosophy in (or through) film.
On this model, one picks a handful of philosophical films and then discusses
whatever philosophical issues happen to be relevant. You can teach a
serviceable introduction to philosophy in this manner, but not an upper-level
course on the philosophy of film. Hence, in this class we won't be doing much
philosophy in film; instead, we will focus on a set of philosophical problems having
to do with the nature of film and our experiences of it.
We will
address questions such as: What is film?
Can movies be art? Should films
be cinematic? What distinguishes narrative fiction films from
documentaries? Do films have
narrators? How do films move us? Do audiences identify with characters? Why do
people watch melodrama and horror if such movies depress and disgust
audiences? Do films have authors whose
artistic intentions matter? Can films
“do philosophy”? In other words, is
“philosophy in film” possible?
Students
will gain a clear understanding of the major problems in the philosophy of film
and several central issues in the philosophy of art. Focusing on these problems is the most
effective way to sharpen the critical vocabulary used in film theory and
criticism.
Note: We will
not be watching feature length movies in class. That would be a waste of your
time and money. See the section title "Movies" below.
Texts
There are only two required books:
- Noël
Carroll and Jinhee Choi (Eds.). Philosophy
of Film and Motion Pictures: An Anthology (Blackwell, 2006). ISBN:
1405120274 [PFMP]
- Noël
Carroll. The Philosophy of Motion
Pictures (Blackwell, 2008). ISBN: 1405120258 [PMP]
I will post numerous
additional readings on Blackboard.
[BB]
If you can get a cheap used copy, buy:
- Noël
Carroll. The Philosophy of Horror:
Or, Paradoxes of the Heart (Routledge, 1990). ISBN: 0415902169 [PH]
- Rudolf
Arnheim. Film as Art. (U Cal.
Press, 2006). [FA]
If you can get used copies, I recommend a few other collections
on the philosophy of film:
- Noël
Carroll and David Bordwell (Eds.). Post-Theory:
Reconstructing Film Studies (Wisconsin, 1996)
- Noël
Carroll. Theorizing the Moving Image (Wisconsin, 1996).
- Thomas
Wartenberg and Angela Curran (Eds.). The
Philosophy of Film: Introductory Texts and Readings (Blackwell, 2005).
- Richard
Allen and Murray Smith (Eds.). Film
Theory and Philosophy (Oxford, 1997).
For a fantastic critical take on a benighted tradition of
film theory, I highly recommend:
- Noël
Carroll. Mystifying Movies: Fads and Fallacies in Contemporary Film Theory.
(Columbia, 1991).
For an excellent introduction to general issues in the
philosophy of art, I recommend:
- Stephen
Davies. The Philosophy of Art.
(Blackwell, 2006).
For an extremely helpful introduction to the artform, you
should buy:
- David
Bordwell and Kristin Thompson. Film
Art: An Introduction. (McGraw-Hill, 2009).
Movies
For every class, I recommend a movie
to help anchor our discussion. Since Netflix killed nearly every video store in
the country and our library has an abysmal film collection, I cannot make these
required viewing. And given the high percentage of commuter students with job,
screenings are nearly impossible to schedule. But you should try to watch at
least half of the recommended movies. Although I will show short films and
clips in class, we will not be spending valuable class time watching movies.
That's a waste of your time and money. Ideally, you should try to watch each
movie before class on the day it is assigned.
Many of the movies can be watched on Netflix, HuluPlus, Amazon Prime,
and parts can be found on Youtube in degraded form. Do your best. I will also
post mp4s of most of the movies on Blackboard.
Coursework
There will be two different forms
of coursework: (best 20 out of 27) daily quizzes and three take-home examinations. I will give a short quiz at the beginning of
each class that will require one or two sentence answers. The quizzes are closed-book, but
open-note. The bulk of your grade comes
from the take-home exams. All assignments must be completed to pass the course.
Quizzes (10%) + first exam (30%) + late-term exam (30%) +
final exam (30%).
I encourage students who are
doing well to write a term paper in place of the final exam. If you chose this option,
please let me know before Spring break. I'll help you refine your topic and
develop an outline. You must give me an abstract and a rough outline one month
before the final exam period. I will not accept a term paper otherwise.
Attendance Policy
Although I record every class
meeting, attendance is required. If you miss 6 or more classes, you will
receive a 0 for your quiz grade. If
you miss 12 or more classes, you will receive an F for the course. (There
are no excused or unexcused absences. But please talk to me if something major
comes up that dramatically effect your attendance.)
Laptop Policy
Laptop use is prohibited. The same
goes for tablet computers and smart phones. Consider this rehab for Facebook
addiction. You should print the articles posted on Blackboard and bring them to
class.
Academic Honesty
Plagiarism—claiming someone
else’s ideas or written work as your own—will not be tolerated. The tests are
not collaborative. All sources must be cited. Anyone caught cheating will be
given a failing grade in the course. I am also required to report you to the
Vice President of Academic Affairs. But
I would report you even if it was optional. Plagiarism is a serious offense.
Class Schedule (tentative)
* The
readings for each class are nested under the date. You should do the readings before class. There will be a short quiz every class.
Topic I. What is Film?
- T: C1 (1/20): Introduction, Overview, and
Definitions
- Movies
- "La Jetée"
(Marker, 1962) [clip shown in class]
- Readings
- Further Reading
- Noël Carroll,
“Prospects for Film Theory: A Personal Assessment” [BB]
- Thomas Wartenberg, “Philosophy of Film”
(Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy)
- Carroll, PMP Ch.0, "Introduction:
From Film Theory to the Philosophy of the Moving Image" [PMP]
- R: C2 (1/22): A Definition
- Movies
- "One Second in
Montreal" (Snow, 1969)
- "24 Hour
Psycho" (Gordon, 1993) [clip shown in class]
- "So is
This" (Snow, 1982) [clip shown in class]
- "Rotating Snakes"
(Kitaoka, 2003)
- "Wizard People,
Dear Reader" (Neely, 2004) [clip shown in class]
- Readings
- Noël Carroll,
"Defining the Moving Image" [PFMP]
- Further Reading
- Robert Yanal,
"Defining the Moving Image: A Response to Noel Carroll" [BB]
- Noël Carroll, “Monsters
and the Moving Image” [BB]
- Noël
Carroll, PMP Ch. 3, "What is Cinema? [PMP]
- Justin
Remeselnik, Static Filmography (2012) [BB]
- Thomas Wartenberg,
"Carroll On the Moving Image" [BB]
- Currie, "Film,
Reality, and Illusion" [BB]
- Kania,
"The Illusion of Realism in Film" [BB]
Topic II. Is Film Art?
- T: C3 (1/27): Silent Film Art
- Movies
- Readings
- Rudolph Arnheim, Film as Art, "Film and
Reality" (pp.8-34) [FA]
- Rudolph Arnheim, Film as Art, "The Complete
Film" (pp.151-161) [FA]
- Rudolph Arnheim, Film as Art, (p.57) [FA]
- Further Reading
- Noel Carroll, Ch.1 of Philosophical Problems of Classical
Film Theory [BB]
- Rudolph Arnheim, Film as Art, "The Talking
Film" (pp.199-230) [FA]
- R: C4
(1/29): The Case Against Film Art
- Movies
- "Summer"
["Le rayon vert"] (Rohmer, 1986)
- "Reservoir
Dogs" (Tarantino, 1992)
- "Blow
Up" (Antonioni, 1966) [clips in class]
- Readings
- Roger
Scruton, "Photography and Representation" [PFMP]
- Noël
Carroll, PMP Ch. 1, "Film as Art" [PMP]
- Further
Reading
- Dominic
McIver Lopes, "The Aesthetics of Photographic Transparency" [PFMP]
- William
King, "Scruton and Reasons for Looking at Photographs" [BB]
- Nigel
Warburton, "Individual Style in Photographic Art" [BB]
- T:
C5 (2/3): The Case for Film Art
- Movies
- “The
Blade” (Tsui Hark, 1995)
- "Touch
of Zen" (Hu, 1971) [clips shown in class]
- Readings
- Berys
Gaut, "Cinematic Art" [BB]
- Further
Reading
- Alexander
Sesonske, "Aesthetics of Film, or A Funny Thing Happened on the
Way to the Movies" [BB]
Topic III. Should Films be Cinematic?
- R: C6 (2/5): Bazin
- Movies
- "Touch of
Evil" (Welles, 1948)
- "The
Rules of the Game" (Renoir, 1939) [clips shown in class]
- "Prince
of Darkness" (Carpenter, 1987) [clips shown in class]
- Readings
- Andre Bazin, "The
Ontology of the Photographic Image" [BB]
- Andre Bazin, "The
Evolution of the Language of Cinema" [BB]
- Andre Bazin, "The
Myth of Total Cinema" [BB]
- Andre Bazin, "The
Virtues and Limitations of Montage" [BB]
- Further Reading
- Andre Bazin, "Cinema
and Exploration" [BB]
- T: C7 (2/10): Medium Specificity
- Movies
- "Touch of
Evil" (Welles, 1948)
- "The
Rules of the Game" (Renoir, 1939) [clips shown in class]
- "Prince
of Darkness" (Carpenter, 1987) [clips shown in class]
- Readings
- Noël Carroll,
"Medium Specificity Arguments and the Self-Consciously Invented
Arts: Film, Video, and Photography" [BB]
- Further Reading
- Noël
Carroll, PMP Ch. 2, "Medium Specificity" [PMP]
- R: C8 (2/12): Cinematicity
- Movies
- "My Dinner with
Andre" (Malle, 1981)
- Readings
- Berys Gaut, pp. 282-295
from A Philosophy of Cinematic
Art [BB]
- Aaron Smuts,
"Cinematic" [BB]
- Further Reading
- Murray Smith, "My
Dinner with Noël: or, Can We Forget the Medium?" [BB]
Topic IV. Do Films Have Authors?
- T: C9 (2/17): Auteur Theory
- Movies
- "Vertigo"
(Hitchcock, 1958)
- Readings
- Andrew Sarris,
"Notes on the Auteur Theory" [BB]
- Pauline Kael,
"Circles and Squares" [BB]
- Andrew Sarris,
"The Auteur Theory Revisited" [BB]
- Further Reading
- David Bordwell, "Octave's Hop"
- Andrew Sarris, "Toward a Theory of Film
History" [BB]
- Stephen Heath,
"Against Authorship" [BB]
- R: C10 (2/19): Joint Authorship
- Movies
- "The Shop Around
the Corner" (Lubitsch, 1940)
- "Duck Soup"
(McCarey, 1933) [clips shown in class]
- Readings
- Paisley Livingston,
"Cinematic Authorship" [PFMP]
- Further Reading
- V. F. Perkins, Film as Film, ch.8
"Direction and Authorship" [BB]
- Noel Carroll,
"Art, Intention, and Conversation" [BB]
- T: C11 (2/24): Collective Authorship
- Movies
- "The Long
Goodbye" (Altman, 1973)
- Readings
·
Gaut, "Cinematic Authorship" PCA ch.3
[BB]
- Further Reading
- Gaut, "Film
Authorship and Collaboration" [BB]
- Thomas Schatz, excerpt
from The Genius of the System
[BB]
- Paul Sellors,
"Collective Authorship in Film" [BB]
Topic V.
Film Evaluation
- R: C12 (2/26): The Pluralistic Category Approach
- Movies
- "Carmen
Jones" (Preminger, 1954)
- "Cremaster 3"
(Barney, 2002) [clips shown in class]
- Readings
- Carroll, PMP Ch.7,
"Evaluation" [BB]
- Further Reading
- Daniel Kaufman,
"Normative Criticism and the Objective Value of Artworks"
[BB]
Topic VI.
What is a Documentary Film?
- T: C13 (3/3): Trace Theory
- Movies
- "Hoop Dreams"
(James, 1994)
- "Queen of
Versailles" (Greenfield, 2012) [clips shown in class]
- Readings
- Gregory Currie,
"Visible Traces" [PFMP]
- Further Reading
- Andre Bazin, “The
Virtues and Limitations of Montage” [BB]
- Andre Bazin, “Cinema
and Exploration” [BB]
- R: C14 (3/5): Assertion Theory
- Movies
- "Sans Soleil"
(Marker, 1983)
- "Buck"
(Meehl, 2011) [clips shown in class]
- Readings
- Noël Carroll,
"Fiction, Non-Fiction, and the Film of Presumptive Assertion"
[PFMP]
- Further Reading
- Noël Carroll,
"Photographic Traces and Documentary Films" [BB]
- Gregory Currie,
"Preserving Traces" [BB]
- Paul Arthur, "Essay
Film" [BB]
- Carl Plantinga,
"What a Documentary Is, After All" [BB]
- Week 8 ***SPRING BREAK 3/9-1/16***
Topic VII.
Must Films Have Narrators?
- T C15 (3/17): The Case for Film Narrators
- Movies
- "Double Indemnity"
(Wilder, 1944)
- "Sunset
Boulevard" (Wilder, 1950) [clips shown in class]
- Readings
- George Wilson, "Le
Grand Imagier Steps Out" [PFMP]
- Further
- Seymour Chatman,
"The Cinematic Narrator" [BB]
- David Bordwell,
“Principles of Film Narration” [BB]
- Jerrold Levinson,
"Film Music and Narrative Agency" [BB]
- R C16 (3/19): Unreliable Narratives
- Movies
- "The Tenant"
(Polanski, 1976)
- "Fight Club"
(Fincher, 1999) [clips shown in class]
- Readings
- Gregory Currie, "Unreliability
Reconfigured" [PFMP]
- T C17 (3/24): The Case Against Film Narrators
- Movies
- "Jerry
McGuire" (Crowe, 1996)
- Readings
- Andrew Kania, "Against
the Ubiquity of Fictional Narrators" [BB]
Topic VIII. Film and Emotion
- R C18 (3/26) The
Paradox of Fiction
- Movies
- "Point
Blank" (Boorman, 1967)
- Readings
- Colin Radford,
"How Can We Be Moved by the Fate of Anna Karenina?" [BB]
- Further Reading
- Berys Gaut, selection
from Art, Emotion, and Ethics [BB]
- T: C19 (3/31): Film and Emotion
- Movies
- "Don’t Look
Now" (Roeg, 1973)
- Readings
- Further Reading
- Kendall Walton,
“Fearing Fictions” [PFMP]
- Noël Carroll, The Philosophy of Horror, pp.
59-88. [BB]
- Alex Neill,
"Empathy and (Film) Fiction" [BB]
- Deborah Knight,
"In Fictional Shoes: Mental Simulation and Fiction" [PFMP]
Topic IX. Do Audiences Identify With Characters?
- R: C20 (4/2): Against Identification
- Movies
- "The Thing"
(Carpenter, 1982)
- Readings
- Noël Carroll, The Philosophy of Horror, pp.
88-96. [BB]
- T: C21 (4/7): In Defense of Identification
- Movies
- "Say
Anything" (Crowe, 1989)
- "Manhunter"
(Mann, 1986)
- Readings
- Berys Gaut,
"Identification and Emotion in Narrative Fiction" [PFMP]
- R: C22 (4/9): Sympathy for the Devil
- Movies
- "Pulp
Fiction" (Tarantino, 1994)
- "The Wire"
(selections)
- Readings
- Murray Smith,
"Gangsters, Cannibals, Aesthetes, or Apparently Perverse
Allegiances" [BB]
- Further Reading
- Murray Smith, chapter 3
from Engaging Characters [BB]
- Noel Carroll,
"Sympathy for Soprano" [BB]
- Murray Smith,
"Imagining from the Inside" [BB]
Topic X. Why Do People Watch Melodramas and Horror
Movies?
- T: C23 (4/14): The Paradox of Horror
- Movies
- "Suspiria" (Argento,
1977)
- Readings
- David Hume, "Of
Tragedy" [BB]
- Noël Carroll, The Philosophy of Horror, Ch. 4
[BB]
- R: C24 (4/16): The Paradox of Painful Art
- Movies
- "Au Hasard
Balthazar" (Bresson, 1966)
- "Scenes From a
Marriage" (Bergman, 1973) [clips shown in class]
- Readings
- Aaron Smuts, "Art
and Negative Affect" [BB]
- Further Reading
- Aaron Smuts, "Why
Do We Listen to Sad Songs?" [BB]
- Susan Feagin, "The
Pleasures of Tragedy" [BB]
Topic XI. Can Film do Philosophy?
- T: C25 (4/21): The
Bold Thesis
- Movies
- "Eternal
Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (Gondry, 2004)
- "Wings of
Desire" (Wenders, 1987)
- Readings
- Paisley Livingston,
"Theses on Cinema as Philosophy" [BB]
- Further Readings
- Bruce Russell,
"The Philosophical Limits of Film" [PFMP]
- Thomas Wartenberg,
"Beyond Mere Illustration" [BB]
- Russell, "Film's
Limits: The Sequel"
- Carroll,
"Philosophy in the Moving Image: Response to Bruce Russell"
- Wartenberg, "What
Else Films Can Do: A Response to Bruce Russell"
- Russell, "Replies
to Carroll and Wartenberg"
- Murray Smith, “Film
Art, Argument, and Ambiguity” [BB]
- R: C26 (4/23): Defending the Bold Thesis
- Movies
- "It's a
Wonderful Life" (Capra, 1946)
- "The Little
People" (Twilight Zone, season 3) [clips shown in class]
- "October"
(Eisenstein, 1928) [clips shown in class]
- Readings
- Aaron Smuts, "Film
as Philosophy: In Defense of a Bold Thesis" [BB]
- Further Reading
- Aaron Smuts, "It’s
a Wonderful Life: Pottersville and the Meaning of Life” [BB]
- Chris Grau, "Love,
Loss, and Identity in Solaris" [BB]
Topic XII. Is Watching Movies Like
Dreaming?
- T: C27 (4/28): Defending
the Bold Thesis
- Movies
- "Spellbound"
(Hitchcock, 1945) [clips shown in class]
- Readings
- Susanne Langer,
"A Note on Film" [PFMP]
- Francis Sparshott,
"Vision and Dream in Cinema" [PFMP]
- Further Reading
- Carroll, (ch.1) from
Mystifying Movies [BB]
- Baudry, "The
Apparatus" [BB]
- R: C28 (4/30):
- Movies
- "Mulholland
Drive" (Lynch, 2001)
- "Waking
Life" (Linklater, 2001)
- Readings
- Colin McGinn, (chs.4
and 5) from The Power of Movies [BB]
- Further Reading
- Colin McGinn, (ch.6)
from Mindsight [BB]
- Eric Schwitzgebel,
"Why did we think we dreamed in black and white? [BB]
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