Not Just Neorealism: Italian Cinema, Its History and Politics
RL&L 245
Fall 2023
| Section:
01
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| Crosslisting:
FILM 302, WLIT 248 |
This introductory course on Italian cinema, taught in English, investigates major silent and sound films and contextualizes them, their production, and the subjects they treat within a historical, cultural, and political framework. We will trace the intersection among politics, ideology, and Italian cinema, from its Golden Age of silents through fascism and neorealism (as well as its contested legacy), from a consideration of the "exquisite" examples of the auteur directors like Fellini and Sorrentino to the ways these and other directors enter into dialogue with genre cinema (the giallo, spaghetti westerns, melodrama, etc.), and beyond. Featured filmmakers will be drawn from this list: Pastrone, Rossellini, De Sica, Fellini, Bertolucci, Antonioni, Wertmuller, Cavani, Pasolini, the Taviani Brothers, Leone, Sorrentino, Rohrwacher, Nicchiarelli, Crialese, and others. Additional material includes readings in film theory and criticism, Italian history, literary sources, screenplays, and interviews. For interested students with advanced competency in Italian, there will be a .50 credit (CLAC) discussion section, ITAL245/CGST245, at a time to be determined but very likely after our second class of the week. Italian and Romance Studies Majors, please see additional comments below. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA RLAN |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (ITST) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: 90% or above |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
: Gianni Amelio, Lamerica; Michelangelo Antonioni, Blow-up; Dario Argento, Deep Red; Bernardo Bertolucci, The Conformist; Vittorio De Sica, Bicycle Thieves; Federico Fellini, La dolce vita, Amarcord; Matteo Garrone, Gomorra; Pietro Germi, Divorce, Italian Style; Sergio Leone, Once Upon a Time in the West; Roberto Rossellini, Rome, Open City; Paolo Sorrentino, The Great Beauty; Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, The Night of the Shooting Stars.
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Examinations and Assignments:
: Midterm Exam, Final Exam, Group Presentations, daily discussion questions prepared and submitted, at least one creative assignment. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
: For ITST Majors: when taken with the .50 credit CLAC, may count for one required course in Italian for the Major. If taken without the CLAC, may be considered as the English Language course available for Major credit. For students hoping to go to Bologna, the more appropriate course for you this semester is ITAL 223, which will function as the course for Fall 2023 at the 221+ level that is designed with you in mind. |
| Instructor(s): Nerenberg,Ellen Times: ..T.R.. 02:50PM-04:10PM; Location: FISK101; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 25 | | SR major: 4 | JR major: 4 | | |
| Seats Available: 10 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 4 | JR non-major: 5 | SO: 5 | FR: 3 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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