Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey Monomyth |
| In this part of the class we will study the basics of "monomyth" via some of the great Hollywood films. Then we will study two films from the United States before the country entered into World War II. We will end this part of the course studying three films from Europe that came out between the wars. |
THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939) Directed by Victor Fleming |
| In order to understand how "monomyth" was used in Hollywood in popular movies, we will watch and study the film The Wizard of Oz (1939), directed by Victor Fleming. There will be a quiz on this film, which will also cover your understanding of "monomyth" on November 21, 2014. |
AMERICAN ISOLATION |
CASABLANCA (1942) Directed by Michael Curtiz |
| Answer the following questions about the film Casablanca. The questions can be found on this PDF file. In order to answer these questions, you must visit my website: Vincent's CASABLANCA HomePage. Print the above pdf file, and answer all the questions contained therein. This assignment is due in Cinema class on November 25, 2014. |
| Watch and study Casablanca. There will be a quiz on this film on November 25, 2014 |
CITIZEN KANE (1941) Directed by Orson Welles |
| Orson Welles was a child prodigy, actor, theater director, and radio personality. After scaring half the country with his CBS radio broadcast of "The War of the Worlds," he was invited to Hollywood by the RKO Radio Studios. The result was Citizen Kane, what many critics around the world consider to be the greatest film made in America. |
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As you study Citizen Kane, make sure that you become familiar with the following people involved behind the scenes in the production of the film: Orson Welles (director, producer, screenwriter, actor) Gregg Toland, A.S.C. (cinematographer) Herman J. Mankiewicz (screenwriter), Robert Wise (editor), Bernard Herrmann (composer). Read and study pages 327-331 of your History of Narrative Cinema textbook. These pages discuss the production of Citizen Kane. There will be a quiz on this reading on December 1, 2014. Notes may be used. Watch and study the film Citizen Kane. Also make sure that you have read pages 332-342 in your History of Narrative Cinema textbook. On December 2, 2014 there will be a quiz on Citizen Kane and the content of the above reading. No textbook, or notes of any kind will be allowed during the quiz.
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EUROPE BETWEEN THE WARS |
M (1931) Directed by Fritz Lang |
| Watch and study M - 1931. There will be a quiz on this film on December 9, 2014. |
THE BLUE ANGEL (1930) Directed by Josef von Sternberg |
| Watch and study Das Blaue Engel (The Blue Angel) - 1930. There will be a quiz on this film on December 12, 2014. |
THE RULES OF THE GAME (1939) Directed by Jean Renoir |
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Watch and study La Règle du jeu (The Rules of the Game) a film written and directed by Jean Renoir. There will be an exam on this film on Tuesday, December 18, 2014. In order to better understand and appreciate this film, read and study some of the criticism that has been written about this work. Here are two links that will, no doubt, help you in achieving this: A review of the film by Roger Ebert. The Film Sufi - Devoted to the Discussion of Film Expression |