This course examines in parallel cinema history and global geo-political history during the post-war period (1945-1990s). How does a portable camera travel to document the "hot" realities of the "Cold" War? How does the thinking power of montage reconstruct histories of destruction into collective memories in sound, color, and image? Through close analysis of short and feature-length films produced by French filmmakers, students will dissect the art of filmmaking into philosophical penmanship, as reflected in the notion of "caméra-stylo". Materials include documentaries, essay-films, and fictional films from Alain Resnais, Chris Marker, Agnès Varda, Jean-Luc Godard, William Klein, Marcel Ophüls, Jean-Pierre Melville, and Louis Malle. These filmmakers reflect on the histories of the Second World War, colonialism, and the Cold War, as well as on countries that represented political and cultural alternatives during the time of reconstruction. This course is taught entirely in French. Written assignments, class discussions, and most readings will also be in French. While any student who has completed FREN 215 (with a minimum grade of B) or has placed out of FREN 215 through the placement test may sign up for this course, it is an advanced course intended for students who have already taken two courses in French beyond FREN 215 or already have studied abroad in a French-speaking country. Students who are not admitted to the course through pre-registration are strongly encouraged to submit an enrollment request and attend the first class. This course will count as one course toward the French studies major and minor, the Romance Studies major, the COL major. It also fulfills the language requirement for the ARHA major and GEM (Global Engagement Minor). |