Martha Nochimson, Film Critic and Writer / Covering David Lynch, Soap Opera, The Sopranos, David Chase, and Film Writing

World On Film

Syllabus D

Sample Syllabi For Use With World On Film: An Introduction

SYLLABUS D: Postnational Cinema

An exploration of the works of five postnational auteurs, and the tensions between national culture and world culture in their films. A solid introduction to the study of postnational film.

For a 15-week course:

WEEK I
INTRODUCTION TO POSTNATIONAL CINEMA
READING:
Review national cinema: "Introduction to Part I," pp. 2-22.
Show clips from Cleo From 5 to 7 (Dir. Agnes Varda, 1962)
READING:
"Introduction to Part II, Introduction to Part II: They Do It Their Way," pp. 280-91.
Show clips from An Andalusian Dog (Dirs. Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali, 1929); Match Point (Dir. Woody Allen, 2005);and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Dir. Alfonso Cuarón, 2004)

LUIS BUÑUEL

WEEK II
 
READING:
Chapter 7, Spain: "Luis Buñuel, Playing with Ideas," pp. 292-309.
Show clips from Age of Gold aka L'âge d'or (1930); Viridiana (1961); Diary of a Chambermaid aka Le journal d'une femme de chambre (1962)
SCREENING:
The Milky Way aka La voie lactée (1969)
WEEK III
 
READING:
Supplementary selection from Luis Buñuel, My Last Sigh (trans. Abigail Israel, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2003).
Show clips from Belle de Jour aka Beauty of the Day (1967); That Obscure Object of Desire aka Cet obscur object du désir (1977)
SCREENING:
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie aka Le charme discret de la bourgeoisie (1972)

INGMAR BERGMAN

WEEK IV
 
READING:
Chapter 8, Sweden: "Ingmar Bergman, Being and Nothingness," pp. 310-30.
Show clips from Smiles of a Summer Night aka Sommarnattens leende (1955) and Wild Strawberries aka Smultronstallet (1957)
SCREENING:
The Seventh Seal aka Det junde inseglet (1957)
WEEK V
 
READING:
Supplementary selections from Ingmar Bergman, Images, My life in Film (trans. Marianne Ruuth, New York: Arcade Publishing, 1995).
Show clips from Through a Glass Darkly aka Sasom i en spegel (1961); The Silence (1963)
SCREENING:
Persona (1966)
WEEK VI
 
SCREENINGS:

Show clips from Cries and Whispers aka Visknigar och rop (1972); Scenes from a Marriage aka Scener ur ett aktenskap (1973)
SCREENING:
Fanny and Alexander aka Fanny och Alexander (1982)

WONG KAR-WAI

WEEK VII
 
READING:
Chapter 9, Hong Kong: "Wong Kar-wai, Now You See It ...," pp. 331-53.
Show clips from Days of Being Wild aka A Fei zheng chuan (1990)
SCREENING:
Chungking Express aka Chung hing sam lam (1994)
WEEK VIII
 
READING:
Supplementary Selections from Abbas Ackbar, Hong Kong and the Politics of Disappearance (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1997).
Show clips from Fallen Angels aka Duo luo tian shi (1995); Happy Together aka Chung gwong gwa sit (1997)
SCREENING:
In the Mood For Love aka Fa yeung nin wa (2000)
WEEK IX
Show clips from 2046 (2004); My Blueberry Nights (2007)
SCREENING:
Ashes of Time Redux aka Dug che sai duk (2008)

OUSMANE SEMBÈNE

WEEK X
 
READING:
Chapter 10, Senegal: "Ousmane Sembène, Postcolonial Pioneer," pp. 354-77.
Show clips from La Noire de... aka Black Girl (1966); Mandabi aka The Money Order (1968)
SCREENING:
Xala aka Impotence (1975)
WEEK XI
 
READING:
Supplemental selections from Francoise Pfaff, The Cinema of Ousmane Sembène, A Pioneer of African Film (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1984).
Show clips from Ceddo aka The Outsiders (1977); Camp de Thiaroye (1987); Faat Kine (2000)
SCREENING:
Moolaade (2004)

JIA ZHANGKE

WEEK XII
 
READING:
Chapter 11, Mainland China: "Jia Xhangke, Freedom and the Sixth Generation, pp. 378-401.
Show clips from Platform aka Zhantai (2000)
SCREENING:

Show clips from Unknown Pleasures aka Ren xiao yao (2002)
WEEK XIII
 
READING:
Supplementary Selections from Jia Zhangke's Hometown Trilogy (London: British Film Institute, 2009)
SCREENING:
The World aka Shijie (2004)
WEEK XIV
Show clips: from Useless aka Wu yong (2007); 24 City aka Er shi si cheng ji (2008)
SCREENING:
Still Life aka Sanxia haoren (2006)

SUMMARY

WEEK XV
Sum up main points and turn toward the next step: contemporary diaspora cinema. For example, the films of Deepa Mehta, Claire Dennis, Atom Egoyan, Abbas Kiarostami, and Youssef Chahine. Show selected clips.

Syllabus A: A Survey of (Inter)national Film Cultures

Syllabus B: Compass Points Of International Film: France, Italy, Japan, And India

Syllabus C: World Cinema And Propaganda

Syllabus D: Postnational Cinema

Syllabus E: The Construction of Femininities In World Film: What is the Spectrum of International Images of Women?


Download All Syllabi (PDF)