Course Info: HACU-0259
| Course | HACU-0259 Melodrama and Film Noir |
| Long Title | Film Genre Seminar: Melodrama and Film Noir |
| Term | 2019F |
| Note(s) |
Textbook information |
| Meeting Info | Franklin Patterson HallüFranklin Patterson Hall 102üELH on T,THüM from 1:00-2:20ü7:00-9:00 |
| Faculty | Lise Sanders |
| Capacity | 25 |
| Available | 8 |
| Waitlist | 0 |
| Distribution(s) | |
| Cumulative Skill(s) | Independent Work Writing and Research |
| Additional Info | In this course, students can generally expect to spend 8 to 10 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time. |
| Description | This course examined classical Hollywood cinema of the 1930s-1950s, focusing on the parallel genres of melodrama and film noir. These genres shared a production context (the Hollywood studio system at its height), an emphasis on gender (for melodrama in the form of the "weepie" or woman's film, and for film noir in its depiction of hard-boiled masculinity and the femme fatale), and an engagement with the pressing social and political issues of the era. In this course, we asked why these genres flourished during this period, how they resonated with contemporary audiences, and whether they transformed over time. Films screened included All About Eve, All That Heaven Allows, Kiss Me Deadly, Laura, The Maltese Falcon, and Mildred Pierce, accompanied by readings in film history, theory, and criticism. Several short essays and a longer research project were required. |