INTRODUCTION TO THE COURSE
Week 1. Week of 8/17. The Invention of Cinema
Wednesday 8/19
IN Class
- Introduction to History of World Cinema
- Syllabus details
- Practical questions?
Wednesday night film
- Watch Week 1 Films
Friday 8/21
Preparation
- Make sure you have a class notebook for notes on reading, films, lecture, discussion
- Read Kristin Thompson and David Bordwell, Film History: An Introduction (2025 edition) (available on Inclusive Access)
- Part One, “Early Cinema,” Introduction
- Chap. 1, “The Invention and Early Years of Cinema”
- Introduction
- “The Invention of the Cinema”
- “Early Filmmaking and Exhibition”
- There is a lot here. Don’t get bogged down in the details. But take some notes on important examples that strike you. I’ll ask you about these in class
Interesting links
- Slices of Time: Eadweard Muybridge’s Cinematic Legacy – at San Francisco Museum of Art – online at YouTube
- Mark Cousins, Story of Film, “Birth of Cinema” – from 11:06 – here on Kanopy
Week 2. Week of 8/24. Rise of the Movies
Mon 8/24
Preparation
- Read Film History, Chap. 2, “The International Expansion of the Cinema,” just the introduction, to get a picture of the years from 1905-1912
- Read Film History, Chap. 3, “National Cinemas, Hollywood Classicism, and World War I”
- Introduction
- “The American Takeover of the Market”
- “The Rise of National Cinemas” (skim)
- “The Classical Hollywood Cinema”
IN Class
- The Movies Come to Town
- National Cinemas
Wed 8/26
Preparation
- Read Film History, Part Two, “The Late Silent Era,” introduction
- Read Film History, Chap. 5, “Germany in the 1920s”
- Introduction
- “Genres and Styles of German Postwar Cinema”
- “Major Changes in the Mid to Late 1920s” (skim)
- “The End of the Expressionist Movement” (skim)
- “New Objectivity”
- “Export and Classical Style” (skim)
Wed night film
- Watch The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – here on Kanopy
- Dir. Robert Wiene
- 1922, Germany
- 77 mins.
Fri 8/28
Week 3. Week of 8/31
Mon 8/31
Wed 9/2
Fri 9/4
Week 4. Week of 9/7
Mon 9/7