| Twenty Thousand Roads |
Deadly Is the Female examines the extraordinarily diverse and powerful
roles - regarded as the richest, most complex and potent characters available
for women in the history of cinema - portrayed by a remarkable collection
of great actresses in Film Noir.
Film Noir at its best showcased women as the prime motivators in a number
of films. In each film chosen for this course, the story revolves around
either a woman's actions or depicts a woman character of unusual depth,
complexity and humanity.
Women in Film Noir may be the voice of innocent moral virtue, hapless
victims, ruthless sexual predators, cunning survivors, ennobling partners,
brilliant strategists, amoral bimbos, vicious helpmates, compassionate
nurturers or poetic criminal muses. One or two women characters in Noir
may embody all these characteristics at once, and more. Some women in
Noir escape the roles to which society (and cinema) condemn them, some
revel in those roles unknowingly and some live out those roles, for good
or ill, to perfection.
Happy endings? Sorry, wrong class.
In studying their roles, and what these women reveal of human, cinematic
and political imperatives, students will also study the history, style,
philosophy and cinematic techniques of Film Noir.
Featured actresses include Barbara Bel Gedes, Faye Dunaway, Rita Hayworth,
Ida Lupino, Sophie Marceau, Simon Signoret, Gene Tierny, Lana Turner and
Jane Wyman.
Directors to be studied include: Luc Besson, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Anthony
Mann, Max Olphus, Maurice Paliat, Roman Polanski, Otto Preminger, Nicholas
Ray, Robert Siodmak, Charles Vidor and Raoul Walsh.
Readings will include Sexual Persona by Camille Paglia; Notes on Film Noir by Paul Schrader and From Reverence to Rape by Mollie Haskell
Class Schedule &
Screening List:
The first class serves as an introduction and will be followed by a film
screening. Each week thereafter we will discuss the film shown the week
before and the film to be screened that night. There will be a film rental
assignment -- a film to be watched at home - between the 1st and 2cd class
sessions and for the remainder of the class.
THERE WILL BE A SCREENING FOLLOWING THE FIRST CLASS
Films to be screened/
Films to be rented
Sept 2: The Maltese Falcon (1941 - USA) John Huston Double Indemnity (1944-
Wilder)
Sept 9: Gilda (1946 - USA) Charles Vidor Laura (1944 -Preminger)
Sept 16: The Man I Love (1946 - USA) Raoul Walsh Undercurrent (1946 -
Minnelli)
Sept 23:Out of the Past (1947 - USA) Jacque Tourneur Woman In the Window
(1944 - Lang)
Sept 30: Raw Deal (1948 - USA) Anthony Mann Mildred Pierce (1945 -Curtiz)
Oct 7: Caught (1949 - USA) Max Ophuls Scarlet Street (1945- Lang)
Oct 14: Criss Cross (1949 -USA) Robert Siodmak Leave Her To Heaven (1954
- Stahl)
Oct 21: In A Lonely Place (1950) Nicholas Ray Sunset Boulevard (1950 -
Wilder)
Oct 28: On Dangerous Ground (1951) Nicholas Ray Johnny Guitar (1954 -
Ray)
Nov 4: Les Diaboliques (1954 -France) Henri-George Clouzot Pale Flower
(1964 - Shinoda)
Nov 11: Human Desire (1954 - Fritz Lang) Night Moves (1975 - Penn)
Nov 18:Chinatown (1974 -USA) Roman Polanski The Long Good Friday (1985
-Mackenzie)
NOVEMBER 25 NO CLASS - THANKSGIVING BREAK
Dec 2: Police (1985 - France) Maurice Pialat Branded To Kill (1967 - Suzuki)
Dec 9: La Femme Nikita (1990 - France) Luc Besson After Dark, My Sweet
(1990 - Foley)
Dec 16: Nil Pour, nil contre (bien a contraire (2002 - France) Cedric
Klapisch
Assignments:
1) Students will rent one film each week to watch at home or students
will be assigned to see a film playing in theaters.
(For rental delivery try www.Netflix.com)
Ticket stubs or rental receipts must be shown.
2) Students will read Sexual Persona by Camille Paglia; From Reverence
to Rape by Molly Haskell and Notes on Film Noir by Paul Schrader (which
may be found at http://www.mtime.com/my/Noir/blog/1433838/ )
3) Students will write a one-page (250 words) journal entry or short essay
on an assigned topic every week.
Journals Due the 7th and 13th week of class
4) Students will write one 1000-word paper interpreting the film of their
choice in light of the critical readings and class discussion. Final paper
subjects will be discussed with students and if the student prefers, a
topic can be assigned
5) Class participation is an important part of your grade. But each semester,
some students are just not comfortable speaking in class…If you do
not want to speak in class, please email me and let me know. I will then
know not to call upon you and you will have one extra 250-word Journal
entry each week as your make-up assignment for not speaking.
Paper Due the last class session
o Only two absences are permitted. After two absences, students will lose
one full grade.
o Only two absences from film screenings are permitted. After two absences,
student will lose one full grade.
o Final paper: 40% of grade
Journals: 30% of grade
Class participation: 30% of grade
o All cell phones, pagers or any communication devices must be turned
off at the start of class. Anyone using a device in class will receive
an Absent.
David N Meyer's Twenty Thousand Roads: The Ballad of Gram Parsons and His Cosmic American Music was chosen by the Los Angeles Times as one of the Twenty Best NonFiction Books of the Year, by Rolling Stone Magazine as one of the Three Best Books of the Year and by Uncut Magazine as The Music Book of the Year. He also authored A Girl and A Gun: the Complete Guide to Film Noir on Video(Avon Books) and The 100 Best Films To Rent You've Never Heard Of (St. Martins Press). A former writer/producer at HBO, Cinemax & CBS, Mr. Meyer is the film critic and Film Editor for the arts magazine Brooklyn Rail. He created and wrote the Music Video column for Entertainment Weekly. He is a co-author of the underground humor work The Book of the Subgenius.
