Elia Kazan's Films and Archives
FILM 366
Fall 2024
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01
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Elia Kazan was one of the most successful and influential cross-platform artists of the 20th century. In the world of theatre, he rose to success with the famed Group Theatre, he co-founded the Actor's Studio, and he directed the first runs of landmark works by Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams. Upon moving to cinema, he directed major films such as Gentleman's Agreement, A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, East of Eden, and A Face in the Crowd. This course serves as an exploration of Kazan's directorial style in the medium of cinema--how he discovers, defines, and experiments with the form as he goes--and his lasting impact on American filmmaking. Kazan made movies about difficult protagonists and could himself be described as such, earning notoriety for his friendly testimony to the House Un-American Activities Committee as well as his many extramarital dalliances. But his work was also personal and frank, emerging from his own struggles as a Greek immigrant trying to find a place in an American culture defined as much by its hostility as its opportunity. Kazan's films involve audiences in irreconcilable conflicts built around misfits and outcasts, propelled by pain and desire, trying to assert their individuality in the face of social forces. They consider contradictory questions like: When can love be destructive? When can anger be communicative? How can a synthetic art form capture authenticity and truth? This course is designed to combine both analytical and research-based approaches to understanding Kazan and his work. Screenings will encompass selections from Kazan's career as well as the work of influences, acolytes, and other filmmakers whose movies illuminate the distinctiveness of Kazan's approach. Additionally, students will be tasked with performing archival research with the primary documents in the Elia Kazan Collection at Wesleyan University's Reid Cinema Archives. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA FILM |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: FILM304 & FILM307 |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (FILM-MN)(FILM) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
, Richard Schickel,
ELIA KAZAN: A BIOGRAPHY
Other optional readings
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Examinations and Assignments:
,1-2 papers
1 research presentation
2-3 sort response exercises
class participation |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
,Please submit a POI request by april 12 and email Prof. Longenecker with a short "cover letter" - i.e. a few paragraphs explaining your interest in this course. |
| Instructor(s): Longenecker,Marc Times: .M.W... 01:20PM-04:40PM; Location: CFS100; |
Permission of Instructor Required
Enrollment capacity: 35 | Permission of instructor approval will be granted by the instructor during pre-registration through the Electronic Portfolio. Click "Add to My Courses" and "To request a POI electronically, click here" to submit your request. |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 1 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 1 |
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