Movie Review: My Voyage To Italy — Martin Scorsese on Italian Neo-Realism: On Rossellini & De Sica
Yes you can choose any of the films shown on the class schedule
Class Schedule
Week 1: Post-War film genres
My Voyage To Italy — Martin Scorsese on Italian Neo-Realism: On Rossellini & De Sica
Week 2:
Carol Reed, The Third Man (1949) (Feb. 5)
Readings:
Bridgette Timmermann, ÒThe Third Man: Vienna in The Footsteps of a Film ClassicÓ (2002) in D2L
Week 3:
Vittorio De Sica, Bicycle Thieves (1948) (Feb. 12)
Readings:
Simona Monticelli, ÒItalian Post-War Cinema and Neo-Realism” in D2L
Stephen Prince, ÒCinema and Society: the New Wave PhenomenaÓ in D2L
Gerald Mast, ÒNeo-Realism and New WavesÓ in D2L
ÒThe Objectives of Italian RealismÓ in D2L
Week 4:
Federico Fellini, I Vitelloni (1953) (Feb. 19)
ÒInterview with FelliniÓ in D2L
Week 5: First in class exam worth 30%. (Feb. 26)
week 7: Hollywood Realism
Elia Kazan, On the Waterfront (1954) (March 5)
Week 8: Noir and Suspense Genres
Billy Wilder, Double Indemnity (1944) (March 12)
A brief Analysis of Double Indemnity from Wikipedia
Week 9:
Orson Welles, A Touch of Evil (1958) (March 19)
Week 10:
Alfred Hitchcock, The Birds (1963) (March 26)
Clip from The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema, featuring Slavoj Zizek
Week 11:
Second in Class exam (April 2)
Week 12: The New Wave French Traditions
Jean-Luc Godard, Breathless (1959) ( April 9)
Francois Truffaut, The 400 Blows (1959) (April 16)
Essays due
Notes on Research Essay
Length: 8-10 pages. Worth 35%.
Good film essays, as you will discover, are not easy to write. This assignment is designed to develop your research and writing skills and in the process discover something about film criticism, the society and the film industry that produced such works. I have listed on Desire2Learn some of the best sites for you to research this topic. Make use of them.
This essay is meant for you to get into the habit of critical reading and researching: a) the film, b) the social context, and c) the production side of the films we will be watching in class. I require that your critical essay be accompanied with an annotated bibliography where you can make some discriminating comments about the sources you used to write your essay.
WARNING!
When you write your paper make sure that you develop a thesis that integrates the various sections of the paper. Your introduction is important: it should make your central argument clear, and indicate how you are going about substantiating it. Organization, structure and writing are important. I strongly encourage you to go to the Writing Centre and soon. Don’t wait until the day before the paper is due because you will not get an appointment.
Assignment Format
Your assignment must adhere to the following specifications:
• ? ? Your name: Top-right of every page, in the header.
• ? ? Length: 8-10 double-spaced pages.
• ? ? Font: 12 point Times New Roman.
• ? ? Margins: 1 inch all around.
• ? ? Pages: Numbered and stapled (not paper clipped) together.
Annotated Bibliography
Knowing how to do research effectively is a key skill for university students. Research involves finding resources and distinguishing their usefulness once they are found. Students are expected to use the appropriate databases available through the library website. If you have any questions please ask the Research Librarian in the Hans W. Klohn Commons.
You Annotated Bibliography will be evaluated on:
• ? ? Appropriateness of choices
• ? ? Breadth of research
• ? ? Adherence to APA or Chicago format
WARNING!
Lifting sections of a film essay from the net and passing it off as your own is called plagiarism and undergraduates are usually very bad at it. I can usually spot a plagiarized paper. It has a very obvious cut and paste quality. I browse the web and read a lot of articles, so please cite all of your web sources.
Grade Breakdown of Film Essay
Introduction: In addition to introducing your paper’s topic, write a clear and specific thesis statement or adopt a position. The word thesis comes from a Greek word meaning proposition or a position to be proved. Make an argument, which the rest of your paper should explicate. If you want to know more about writing a thesis statement look in the Useful Resources folder on Desire2Learn. This section is worth 10% and must be at least one page in length.
Annotated Bibliography: An annotated bibliography, like the phrase indicates, is an organized bibliography with annotations. A bibliography is a list of all the sources you used to complete your paper. Annotations are short notes following each source, describing the content of your source and why it was useful to your paper. For more information about writing an annotated bibliography with examples from previous classes, please see the document. This section is worth 20%.