FILM NOIR
English 309W-61, Spring 2008
Wednesday, 500-9:00pm, College Hall 104
Professor: John Fried
Office: 624 College Hall
e-mail:
phone: 412-396-6428
Office hours: 11:00 am– 12 pm, MW, and by appointment
Course description:
Sin. Lust. Greed. Redemption. City Life. These are just some of themes that characterize film noir, one of the most resilient genres in the history of cinema. And yet film noir--a category of film associated with a wave of films that emerged in the early 1940s--is defined by more than just such themes; it’s also characterized by a particular visual style and narrative structure that reflect the social, political and cinematic context of the period. In this course we will watch a variety of noir filmsin order to consider film noir’s literary roots, its cinematic antecedents, its status as a genre and its enduring appeal. Questions about genre, visual style, narrative form, sexuality, gender and American national identity will inform readings and discussions. Students will be expected to master the language of film analysis.
Required texts:
•Course reader for sale in the English dept.
Course requirements:
•Attendance. Since this class meets only once a week and we watch most of the films in class, attendance is crucial. More than two unexcused absences will result in failure of the class.It doesn’t matter that most of the films are readily available at the video store; part of the pleasure of watching a film is sitting in a “theater” with others. Watching the DVD on your laptop in your room is not the same thing. Attendance, both during discussion/lectures and screenings, counts in your grade.
• Class participation. Another joy of a film class is sitting around, talking/arguing about the film after watching it. This class will be partly run as a discussion and class participation is required. I expect you to come to class on time and prepared to contribute.
• Discussion questions. After every screening you will be required to submit two discussions questions. I’ll discuss what makes a good discussion question. These will often be used to guide discussion in the following class.
• Reading responses. Since this is a relatively large class and we meet only once a week, we won’t have a chance to discuss everything you read. That said, I’d like you to write a 1-2 page response to the readings. (That’s 1-2 pagesTOTALfor all the readings per week.) These should be very informal; you don’t need a thesis or an argument. Just tell me what you got out of it or what struck you as interesting (or not) and explain why. You certainly are free to express your own opinion. It’s always good to consider what you read in the context of the films we’ve seen so far in the course or even films you’ve seen on your own.
• Quizzes. The first few weeks, we will spend some time studying the language of film analysis i.e. how to talk about a film technically. I will probably give at least one quiz on this topic.
• Papers. There will be two papers due in the class: A 3-5 page paper due on February 5 and a 7-10 page final paper due April 15. I’ll go over the details of both papers as we get closer to their due dates. I encourage everyone to set up a meeting with me to discuss your ideas. There is a midterm (2/19) and ascheduled final exam in this course (4/29).
Grading:
Participation/attendance/quizzes/
Discussion questions/responses:25%
Paper 1:15%
Paper 2:20%
Midterm:20%
Final: 20%
Please note:
All written assignments should be turned in on the day that they are due. Grades will be lowered one increment each day the assignment is late. (So if the assignment is due on Wednesday and it is handed in on Thursday, you start with an A-.) All essays should be typed in black ink in a reasonable font and double-spaced. You must complete all work to pass this course.
Course Schedule:
This syllabus is only a general guide. Due dates, screenings and readings may change. You are responsible for keeping up-to-date with any changes. If you must miss a class, be sure to check with me or someone in class to find out what was covered and what is due.
1/8Introduction to course
SCREEN: Double Indemnity (Dir: Billy Wilder, 1944, 106 min.)
1/15READ:•“Mise-en-Scène,” Barsam
•“Crime Certainly Pays on the Screen,” Lloyd Shearer
•“A New Kind of Police Drama: the Criminal Adventure,” Nino Frank
•“Towards A Definition of Film Noir,” Borde and Chaumeton
jmSCREEN: Out of the Past(Dir: Jacques Tourneur, 1947, 97 min.)
1/22READ:•“Cinematography,” Barsam
• “Women in Film Noir,” Janey Place
SCREEN:The Big Sleep (Dir: Howard Hawks, 1946, 114 min.)
1/29READ: •“Editing,” Barsam
• “No Way Out: Existential Motifs in the Film Noir”
• “The Killers,” Ernest Hemingway
SCREEN: The Killers (Dir: Robert Siodmak, 1946, 105 min.)
2/5*****PAPER #1 DUE*****
SCREEN: Gun Crazy (Dir: Joseph H. Lewis, 1949, 86 min.)
2/12READ: •“Gun Crazy,” Gary Johnson
• “Violent Happy: Gun Crazy” Adrian Martin
•Excerpt from “What is this Thing Called Noir?” Silver/Brookover
SCREEN: Sunset Boulevard (Dir: Billy Wilder, 1950, 110 min.)
2/19MIDTERM
2/26READ:•“Notes on Film Noir,” Paul Schraeder
• “Genre and the Problem of Film Noir,” Frank Krutnik
SCREEN: The Big Heat (Dir: Fritz Lang, 1953, 89 min.)
3/4READ: • 2 Reviews: B. Crowther (New York Times) and R. Ebert (Chicago Sun Times)
•Excerpt from “Covert Narrative Strategies to Contain and Punish
Women in The Big Heat and The Big Combo,” Grant Tracey
SCREEN: Kiss Me Deadly (Dir: Robert Aldrich, 1955, 104 min.)
3/11READ: •“Talk and Trouble: Kiss Me Deadly’s Apocalyptic Discourse,” J.P. Telotte
•“The Kiss Me Mangled Mystery,” Glenn Erikson
SCREEN:The Killing (Dir: Stanley Kubrick, 1956, 85 min.)
3/18NO CLASS
3/25NO CLASS
4/1READ: • excerpt from “From Fear and Desire to Paths of Glory,” Thomas Allen Nelson
SCREEN: Touch of Evil (Dir: Orson Welles, 1958, 95 min.)
4/8READ:• “Kill Me Again: Movement Becomes Genre,” Todd Erikson
•“Writing the New Film Noir,” Sharon Y. Cobb
SCREEN:Chinatown (Dir: Roman Polanski, 1974, 131 min.)
4/15PAPER #2 DUE
SCREEN: TBA
4/22FINAL DISCUSSION
THE BIG LIST OF NOIR
1
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919)
M (1931)
I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang(1932)
Fury (1936)
The Letter (1940)
Rebecca (1940)
Stranger on the Third Floor (1940)
Citizen Kane (1941)
High Sierra (1941)
The Maltese Falcon (1941)
Suspicion (1941)
The Glass Key (1942)
This Gun for Hire (1942)
Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
Laura (1944)
Double Indemnity (1944)
Gaslight (1944)
The Lodger (1944)
The Mask of Dimitrios (1944)
Murder, My Sweet (1944)
Phantom Lady (1944)
The Suspect (1944)
To Have and Have Not (1944)
The Woman in the Window (1944)
Cornered (1945)
Detour (1945)
Fallen Angel (1945)
The House on 92nd Street (1945)
Leave Her to Heaven (1945)
The Lost Weekend (1945)
Mildred Pierce (1945)
Scarlet Street (1945)
Spellbound (1945)
The Big Sleep (1946)
The Blue Dahlia (1946)
Cornered (1946)
The Dark Corner (1946)
Gilda (1946)
The Killers (1946)
Lady inthe Lake (1946)
Notorious (1946)
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946)
The Stranger (1946)
Body and Soul (1947)
Brute Force (1947)
Crossfire (1947)
Dark Passage (1947)
Dead Reckoning (1947)
Kiss of Death (1947)
Nightmare Alley (1947)
Out of the Past (1947)
Ride the Pink Horse (1947)
T-Men (1947)
The Big Clock (1948)
Call Northside 777 (1948)
Cry of the City (1948)
The Dark Past (1948)
Force of Evil (1948)
Key Largo (1948)
The Lady from Shanghai (1948)
The Naked City (1948)
Raw Deal (1948)
Road House (1948)
Ruthless (1948)
Sorry, Wrong Number (1948)
Act of Violence (1949)
Beyond the Forest (1949)
Champion (1949)
Criss Cross (1949)
Gun Crazy (1949)
The Set-Up (1949)
They Live By Night (1949)
The Third Man (1949)
White Heat (1949)
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
D. O. A. (1950)
In a Lonely Place (1950)
Night and the City (1950)
Panic in the Streets (1950)
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)
The Big Carnival (1951)
On Dangerous Ground (1951)
Strangers on a Train (1951)
The Narrow Margin (1952)
Scandal Sheet (1952)
Sudden Fear (1952)
The Big Heat (1953)
Niagara (1953)
Pickup on South Street (1953)
Crime Wave (1954)
The Big Combo (1955)
The Desperate Hours (1955)
Diabolique (Fr.) (1955)
Kiss Me Deadly (1955)
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956)
Crime in the Streets (1956)
The Killing (1956)
While the City Sleeps (1956)
The Wrong Man (1956)
Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
Touch of Evil (1958)
Vertigo (1958)
Odds Against Tomorrow (1959)
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
Point Blank (1967)
St. Valentine's Day Massacre (1967)
Bullitt (1968)
Madigan (1968)
Dirty Harry 'series' (1971-76)
Klute (1971)
The Long Goodbye (1973)
Serpico (1973)
Chinatown (1974)
The Conversation (1974)
Death Wish (1974)
The Parallax View (1974)
Farewell, My Lovely (1975)
Night Moves (1975)
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
The Late Show (1977)
Body Heat (1981)
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1981)
Blade Runner (1982)
Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)
Hammett (1983)
Against All Odds (1984)
Blood Simple (1984)
Blue Velvet (1986)
Black Widow (1987)
House of Games (1987)
D. O. A. (1988)
Kill Me Again (1989)
After Dark, My Sweet (1990)
The Grifters (1990)
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1990)
The Hot Spot (1990)
Wild at Heart (1990)
Dead Again (1991)
A Kiss Before Dying (1991)
Basic Instinct (1992)
Night and the City (1992)
The Public Eye (1992)
Red Rock West (1992)
The Last Seduction (1993)
Devil in a Blue Dress (1995)
Heat (1995)
Se7en (1995)
Strange Days (1995)
The Underneath (1995)
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Bound (1996)
Fargo (1996)
Face/Off (1997)
L.A. Confidential (1997)
The Spanish Prisoner (1997)
Dark City (1998)
Memento (2000)
The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)
Mulholland Dr. (2001)
Femme Fatale (2002)
Sin City (2005)
Brick (2005)
The Black Dahlia (2006)
The Good German (2006)
Hollywoodland (2006)
Lonely Hearts (2006)
Lucky Number Slevin (2006)
1