119 Film I

 Gr 9 - 12 | 3 Credits | Semester-Long | 5x per Cycle

This course explores the history of cinema by returning to the genesis of the silent days of the first three decades of the 20th century, through the Hollywood Studio Star System in the 30’s and 40’s, to the prominence of the director of the 50’s and 60’s. After viewing classic films such as Citizen Kane, Casablanca, The Searchers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Singin’ in the Rain, Rear Window, North by Northwest, Psycho, and Dr. Strangelove, we will discuss how the director makes meaning with his camera as well as examining the acting, screenwriting, music, and other important components of film making. Significant genres to be analyzed are comedies, dramas, suspense/mysteries, musicals, and westerns--some in glorious color and many in luminous black and white. Short response papers as well as longer essays will be required in a class that emphasizes critical thinking in both discussion and writing contexts. This course does not fulfill graduation requirements in English.