This module sees cinema as an inherently interconnected and global art form, and charts its development between diverse cultures from the early years of silent cinema to the present. It traces influences between film movements from different cultural contexts and across space and time to show that cinema is, and in a sense always was, a transnational, intercultural phenomenon.
The module will proceed chronologically, beginning with silent cinema, before charting a course through national cinema, commercial and arthouse movements, as well as lesser known cinematic revolutions of the twentieth century. We will conclude with a consideration of how the globalization and digitization of film and media industries are challenging traditional production, distribution and reception patterns in the present day.
As well as covering a number of key film movements and moments from around the world the module invites students to explore innovative forms of filmmaking. Film viewing and discussion will be supplemented by analysis of carefully selected film theory and criticism that is relevant to the topic under discussion.
These topics may vary depending on developments in academic research or the interests of the class, but throughout, the focus remains on drawing connections between mainstream film trends and their more radical counterparts throughout the world.
In each session, students will pay attention to three interconnected elements in their study of an assigned film or films for that week:
1. The movement, genre, style, theory or technology associated with the film;
2. Interdisciplinary context: the social and political framework in which it emerged, including how various audiences received the film;
3. Close reading techniques: understanding the conjunction of aesthetics and film form with the meaning and interpretation of the film.