TEXTBOOKS

• Manchel, Frank FILM STUDY: AN ANALYTICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY VOL. I
• Rosa and Eschholz THE WRITER'S BRIEF HANDBOOK THIRD EDITION

ON RESERVE

• Manchel, Frank FILM STUDY: AN ANALYTICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY VOL. II, III, & IV
• Manchel, Frank ‘Cultural Confusion: A Look Back at Delmar Daves’ BROKEN ARROW’
• Braudy and Cohen THEORY AND CRITICISM: INTRODUCTORY READINGS, FIFTH EDITION
• Bywater & Sobchach Chapter 3: "The Autuerist Approach: Analysis of Filmmakers and their Films"; Chapter 5: "The Social Science Approach: Films as Social...."
• Mast, Gerald THEORY AND CRITICISM: INTRODUCTORY READINGS, THIRD EDITION
• Schatz, Thomas "Show Me the Money: In Search of Hits, The Industry May Go Broke"

GRADES:

The following is how your grade will be determined in the course:

• One Presentation (15 %)
• Two announced quizzes on readings, screenings, and lectures (20 %)
• Term Paper (in three parts) (25%)
• Class Participation (10%)
• Final (Cumulative Examination) (30%)

NO ONE CAN PASS THE COURSE THAT HAS NOT COMPLETED ALL THE COURSE REQUIREMENTS.

Each student is required to make one classroom presentation (accompanied by a six-page paper). The first page of the paper will consist of three quotations from

criticism consulted for the presentation. The second page will consist of the complete cast and technical credits of the film. The next three pages will consist of a brief essay explaining what you believe to be the crucial perspective that you want the class to consider in evaluating the film. This essay should include comments on the content and form of the film. The last page will consist of a bibliography used in preparing the paper. Packets may be printed in University Print Shop.

The paper and your presentation NEED TO BE DISCUSSED WITH ME ONE WEEK PRIOR TO THE PRESENTATION. One copy must be given to me the DAY BEFORE THE PRESENTATION.

The paper needs to be typed, double-spaced, and proofread before being submitted for a grade. ALL WRITTEN WORK MUST DEMONSTRATE BASIC SKILLS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE TO RECEIVE A PASSING GRADE. Since there are many different style manuals, the one used for this course will be THE WRITER'S BRIEF HANDBOOK, Third Edition. Please consult THE CAT'S TALE for the rules on documentation and plagiarism. You should consult with me about the topic for your individual paper.

Your paper will be developed in three stages. First, you will present a thesis statement and annotated bibliography (to be explained in class) on a topic relevant to film criticism. The thesis statement should be a paragraph, indicating what you intend to prove and how to you intend to do it. For more details, see THE WRITER'S BRIEF HANDBOOK, Third Edition. The annotated bibliography should consist of two articles (or chapters from a book) that suggest useful approaches to the topic. Second, you will hand in TWO COPIES of a rough draft, one for me and one for another member of the class. Third, you will turn in TWO COPIES OF a finished paper (a minimum of twenty pages and a maximum of twenty-five pages) that incorporates the corrections from the reviews of the rough draft. The dates for the three submissions are listed in the course outline above. No handwritten or uncorrected papers will be accepted.

Quizzes will be an hour in length. They will cover all assigned reading to date, plus material on screenings, presentations, and discussions. The quizzes will not be cumulative.

The final examination WILL BE CUMULATIVE and cover everything discussed, read, and seen in the course. It will consist of short answers, matching, and identification questions, plus one essay.

1. Students are expected to attend and be prepared for all regularly scheduled classes.

2. Students are expected to arrive on time and stay in class until the class period ends. If a student knows in advance that he or she will need to leave early, he or she should notify me before the class period begins.

3. Students are expected to treat faculty and fellow students with respect. For example, students must not disrupt class by leaving and reentering during class, must not distract class by making noise, and must be attentive to comments being made by me and by peers.

4. Assignments must be submitted in person and on time.

5. Makeup exams or paper extensions will not be given save for documented illness or similar appropriate reasons and must be requested in advance. Non-submission of an exam or paper will be recorded as a zero, not merely an F.

6. I reserve the right to quiz you whenever the lack of class discussion reveals lack of reading.

7. This syllabus is subject to change as announced in class. You are responsible for any such changes whether or not you are in class on the days they are announced.

*Abridged from School of Business Classroom Protocol and Professor Mark Stoler’s syllabi.

SAMPLE ANNOTATION

Ehrenstein, David. "David Lean." American Film 15.6 (1990): 20-7.

David Ehrenstein interviews David Lean in depth about his career in film and why he is such a success.
While much of the article deals with Lean's life in general, we get a peek into the mind of one of the
greatest directors of all time for techniques he used to make his films a hit. He discusses his important
relationships with his cameramen, how to make an impact on the audience with visual tricks, and how he
plays with long shots and close-ups to get a certain reaction from his audience. This interview with Lean
reveals a very modest, yet confident, film director.

Lean says in this interview that one of his favorite techniques using the camera is playing with the focal
length of the lenses. He begins with a fairly wide angle, with everything very much in focus, and then he
gradually ups the focal length so that he'll end on a close-up of somebody in which everything is a blur
except the eyes of the face (24). He uses this to control what the audience sees. In order to make an impact
with color, Lean will make the scene preceding the colorful scene dull and grey so that the color will then
jump out at you. Lean uses this technique in Dr. Zhivago. Also, when he is shooting on location he makes
an effort to keep the performers in the foreground except when he wants the scenery to take over. This
also leaves a powerful impact. Tricks of the trade from a man who seems to make a powerful impact with
whatever he does.

I enjoyed this article mostly because it was David Lean talking about himself rather than other people
talking about him. He sounds like a simple man and makes his accomplishments in film appear to be trivial.
This definitely reveals a modest side to Lean, yet we sense his confidence in producing great work.

Professor Manchel's office and office hours: 301 Old Mill 656-4039