Office Hours: 8-9 M, W and 10-11 T, or by appointment
Home: 707 St. Olaf Avenue, 645-5554 - No phone calls after 10:00, please.
Goals of the course:
This is an introductory film course designed to instruct the student in basic film analysis at the
same time that she/he is introduced to Russian and Soviet cinema from the time of the revolution
to the present.
Course requirements:
While attendance will not be taken, exam questions will be chosen from lectures, films and
readings. Students are strongly advised not to miss the lectures or films. Students are also
expected to complete the assigned readings on time and participate in discussions. Class
participation will count for a portion of the final grade. The required texts are the following:
Film Form by Sergei Eisenstein. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
Film Art: an Introduction by David Bordwell and Kristin Thompson. McGraw Hill.
An Illustrated History of the Soviet Cinema by Neya Zorkaya.
Sculpting in Time by Andrei Tarkovsky.
Papers and Examinations:
Each student will be required to write daily journals (3 pages per week) and three papers. One
will be a film review of a movie of your choice (3 page minimum), the second short paper (also a
minimum of 3 pages) will be a sequential analysis of a Russian or Soviet movie. This may or may
not be a film screened during the course. The final film paper is a major film analysis (10 page
minimum) for the course due MONDAY, MAY 4, 1996.
**NO LATE PAPERS WILL BE ACCEPTED**
**YOU WILL RECEIVE A 0 FOR THAT PAPER - NO EXCUSES**
PERCENTAGE BREAKDOWN OF GRADES IS AS FOLLOWS:
15% each for mid-term and final 30%
10% for daily journals 10%
20% for the major (10-page) paper 20%
20% for class discussion 20%
10% each for the two smaller papers (3-page) 20%
TOTAL 100%
| DATE | CLASSROOM | HOMEWORK |
| Mon.
Feb. 9 |
Introduction
Sign/Symbol Battleship Potemkin |
Zorkaya Zorkaya, Chapter 1
and Chapter 2 to p. 54
Bordwell, Part III Chapter 6 Eisenstein, "Through Theater to Cinema" |
| VIEWING | NO VIEWING THIS WEEK | |
| WED.
FEB. 11 |
Battleship Potemkin
Early Russian film |
Pudovkin, "On Editing"
Bordwell, Soviet Montage, pp 456. Zorkaya, pp 63-73 |
| Fri.
Feb.13 |
Discuss readings and continue with Eisenstein, Dovzhenko and early Russian films. Introduce Bed and Sofa | Zorkaya, 75-88.
Eisenstein, "The Unexpected" Bordwell, Part III, Chapter 8 |
| Mon.
Feb. 16 |
Discuss Pudovkin and Kuleshov, Watch segments of Mother and The Extra-Ordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks | Zorkaya, 88-101
Eisenstein, "The Cinematographic Principle and the Ideagram" Bordwell, Part III, Chapter 9 During this week watch Bed and Sofaon reserve |
| VIEWING | ALEXANDER NEVSKY | |
| Wed.
Feb. 18 |
Introduce Alexandr Nevsky and the advent of sound. | Zorkaya, 101-106
Bordwell, Part II, Chapter 3 pp 65-85 |
| Fri.
Feb. 20 |
Introduce Man With a Movie Camera and Kino-pravda. | Eisenstein, "A Dialectic
Approach to Film Form"
Bordwell, Part IV, Documentary, pp. 415-420 Watch Man With a Movie Camera PREPARE FILM REVIEW |
| Mon.
Feb. 23 |
FILM REVIEW DUE
The 1930's and Alexandrov. |
Zorkaya, 107-128, 217-220
Eisenstein, "The Filmic Fourth Dimension" |
| VIEWING | BALLAD OF A SOLDIER | |
| Wed.
Feb. 25 |
Discuss Ballad | Zorkaya, 128-153
Bordwell, 210-226 Eisenstein, "Methods of Montage |
| Fri.
Feb. 27 |
Discuss Ballad and the period from the 40's to the Thaw | Zorkaya, 153-165
Bordwell, 226-263 |
| Mon.
Mar. 2 |
Intro to the "Thaw" and Paradjanov | Zorkaya, 167-181, 217-220
Eisenstein, "Film Language" Tarkovsky, 7-35 |
| VIEWING | SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS | |
| Wed.
Mar. 4 |
Discuss Shadows | Zorkaya, 181-216, 220-232
Bordwell, Part II, Chapter 4 |
| Fri.
Mar. 6 |
Discuss Shadows, begin Tarkovsky | Zorkaya, 248-266
Tarkovsky, 36-81 |
| Mon.
Mar. 9 |
Begin Sequential Analysis
Intro. to Tarkovsky |
Zorkaya, 267-281
Tarkovsky, 82-104 |
| VIEWING | ANDREI RUBLEV | |
| Wed.
Mar. 11 |
Discuss Andrei Rublev | Zorkaya, 281-296
Tarkovsky, 104-134 |
| Fri.
Mar. 13 |
Discuss Andrei Rublev | Zorkaya, 297-302
Tarkovsky, 135-163 |
| Mon.
Mar. 16 |
Intro. to Commissar | Tarkovsky, 164-175
Bordwell, Part II, Chapter 5 Study for MIDTERM!!! |
| VIEWING | COMMISSAR | |
| Wed.
Mar. 18 |
MIDTERM!!!!! | Tarkovsky, 176-201, 231-242 |
| Fri.
Mar. 20 |
Discuss Commissar | Zorkaya, 303-end. |
| Mon.
Mar. 30 |
Discuss Commissar and introduce Stalker or Solaris | Finish up sequential analysis |
| VIEWING | STALKER or SOLARIS | |
| Wed.
April 1 |
Discuss Tarkovsky film and
HAND IN SEQUENTIAL ANALYSIS |
|
| Fri.
April 3 |
Discuss Sokurov and watch
Evening Sacrifice |