Erasmus:Surrealism and Eastern and Central European Cinema (Richard Capes) - A600012
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Rozvrh Nástěnka
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Surrealism and Eastern and Central European Cinema 2013 Instructor: Richard Capes Email: ceno_bite@yahoo.com Description What is the relationship between surrealism and cinema? How has this relationship changed since the surrealist movement first emerged in the early 1920s? And what makes a particular film or film maker surrealist? These are some of the key questions explored in Surrealism and Eastern and Central European Cinema, a course that aims to chart the history of surrealist film making, with a focus on surrealist films produced in Eastern and central Europe from the mid-1960s to the present day. Students will develop an in-depth understanding of key concepts related to surrealism, which they will use to analyse and evaluate a variety of surrealist films, such as Juraj Herz's The Cremator (1969), Andrei Tarkovsky's The Mirror (1975), Jan Švankmajer's Alice (1988), and Béla Tarr's Werckmeister Harmonies (2000). In addition, they will also examine the influence of central and Eastern European surrealist films on filmmakers from outside the region, such as David Lynch (Blue Velvet [1986]) and the Quay brothers (Institute Benjumenta [1995]). Course Goals to enable students to evaluate the formal, aesthetic and philosophical aims of surrealist filmmakers to enable students to use key concepts from surrealism to analyse film texts to explore the development of surrealist filmmaking in central and Eastern Europe to examine the influence of central and Eastern European surrealist films on film makers from outside the region Primary Reading 'What is Surrealism?' by André Breton 'First Surrealist Manifesto' by André Breton 'Second Surrealist Manifesto' by André Breton 'Alice's Adventure in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll Secondary Reading 'The Unsilvered Screen: Surrealism on Film' by Graeme Harper 'Surrealism and Cinema' by Michael Richardson 'Dada and Surrealist Film' by Rudolf E Kuenzli 'Dada and Surrealism: A Very Short Introduction' by David Hopkins 'Manifestoes of Surrealism' by André Breton 'Surrealism: The Road to the Absolute' by Balakian 'The Czechoslovak New Wave' by Peter Hames 'The Cinema of Jan Svankmajer: Dark Alchemy', edited by Peter Hames 'The Interpretation of Dreams' by Sigmund Freud Classroom Procedures I expect my students to: attend all of the seminars and screenings participate in all seminar discussions arrive on time for both film screenings and seminars have their mobile phones turned off during film screenings and seminars Assignments and Grading Policy Participation 10 % Presentation (15 minutes in length) 40 % Final Paper (2,500 - 3,000 words in length) 50 % Attendance Regular and punctual class attendance is mandatory for all students. Absence of 180 minutes is allowed. Weekly Schedule Week 1 What is Surrealism? An Introduction. This seminar will focus on the meaning, orgin, ideas, and aims of surrealism. Students will be encouraged to study several of Breton's surrealist manifestoes, explore the differences between Dada and surrealism, recognise the importance of Freud's theories regarding the unconscious on the surrealist movement's ideas, and analyse two surrealist film classics, both of which were made close to the start of the movement's development: Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali's Un Chien Andalou (1929, FR) and Jean Vigo's Zero for Conduct (1933, FR). Films: Un Chien Andalou (1929, Luis Bunuel & Salvador Dali, 21 minutes) Zero for Conduct (1933, Jean Vigo, 41 minutes) Required readings: 'First Surrealist Manifesto' by André Breton 'Second Surrealist Manifesto' by André Breton 'What is Surrealism?' by André Breton Week 1 Surrealism and Feminism: 'Valerie and Her Week of Wonders' (1970, CZ) This seminar will focus on Jaromil Jireš's Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970). Students will be asked to analyse and evaluate the film and discuss many of the same questions they discussed when they studied Daisies. They will also be asked to discuss whether the film is a successful adapation of the book it is based on, as well as consider the historical circumstances that enabled films such as Valerie and Daisies to be made. Films: Jaromil Jireš's Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970) Neil Jordan's The Company of Wolves (1984) - may show excerpts from Required readings: Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1932) by Vítězslav Nezval Essay on the pornographic imagination by Bohuslav Brouk, founding member of the Surrealist Group of Czechoslovakia (Essay available in Edition 69 [1931], Twisted Spoon Press, 2004) Week 2 Surrealism and Feminism 2: 'A Real Young Girl' (1976, FR) The focus of this seminar will be on French film maker Catherine Breillat's A Real Young Girl (1976). Students will be asked to compare and contrast the film with both Daisies and Valerie and Her Week of Wonders in order to establish whether or not all three feminist-surrealist films share the same formal, aesthetic and philosophical aims. Students will also be asked to read Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventure in Wonderland , a popular books with surrealists (as we shall see in the next seminar), and discuss how A Real Young Girl uses elements of the book in the development of its story. Films: Catherine Breillat's A Real Young Girl (1976) Required readings: An essay on A Real Young Girl by Lauren Kaminsky: http://www.reverseshot.com/article/real_young_girl Alice's Adventure in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll Week 3 The Cabinet of Jan Švankmajer: 'Alice'(1988, CZ) The focus of this seminar will be on the work of Jan Svankmajer, in particular his feature-length film Alice (1988). Students will be asked to compare and contrast his surrealist films with other surrealist films they have seen, in order to establish their similarities and differences. Moreover, they will be asked to: (1) identify the key themes and distinguishable stylistic features of Svankmajer's work; (2) discuss the similarities and differences between Svankmajer's Alice and Lewis Carroll's; and (3) interpret Svankmajer's Alice within its historical context. Films: Jan Svankmajer's Alice (1988) A selection of Jan Svankmajer's shorts Required readings: Selected interviews with and essays on Svankmajer's films, provided by the course tutor Week 4 The Prague Spring and Surrealism: 'The Cremator' (1969, CZ) In this seminar, students will be asked to analyse and evaluate Juraj Herz's The Cremator (1969) as a surrealist text and also interpret the film within its historical context. Films: Juraj Herz's The Cremator (1969) Jiří Menzel's Larks on A String (1969) - may show excerpts from in the seminar, or screen in full outsdie of the seminar if possible Required readings: The chapters on the film in Peter Hames' The Czechoslovak New Wave Brian Hoyle on The Cremator: http://sensesofcinema.com/2007/cteq/cremator/ Week 5 Back to Bunuel: 'Belle De Jour' (1967, FR) In this seminar, we will return to the work of the surrealist film maker Luis Bunuel, focusing on his classic surrealist film Belle de Jour. Students will consider what makes this film a surrealist film, and whether or not this is the best 'genre' of film to situate it within. They will also be asked to compare and contrast the film with the other films they seen on the course so far in order to illuminate its similarities and differences. Moreover, students will explore what surrealist texts tell us about sex, love, and desire. Films: Luis Bunuel's Belle de Jour (1967) Jan Svankmajer's Conspirators of Pleasure (1996) Week 6 Is Tarkovksy's 'Mirror'(1975, RUS) a Surrealist Film? When the Russian film maker Tarkovsky was once asked during an interview if his 1975 film Mirror could be considered a surrealist film, he replied that it certainly could not. In this seminar students will discuss whether or not Tarkovksy was correct in this assessement of his own work, whether the film is in fact a surrealist text. They will also consider whether or not considering the film as a work of surrealism is the best of way of understanding or interpreting the film, drawing upon the understanding and knowledge of surrealist films that they have acquired so far. Films: Andrei Tarkovsky's Mirror (1975) Required readings: Selected interviews with Tarkovsky, provided by the course tutor Tarkovsky Talks About 'Mirror': http://skywalking.com/tarkovskyold/tmirror.html Week 7 Polish Surrealist Film 1: Goodbye, See You Tomorrow (1960, Janusz Morgenstern, PL) Students will be encouraged to analyse and evaluate the film as a surrealist text, comparing and contrasting it with other surrealist films they've seen, and consider the film within its historical context. Films: Goodbye, See You Tomorrow (1960) Required readings: Selected interviews and essays provided by the course tutor Week 8 Polish Surrealist Film 2 : Mother Joan of the Angels (1961, Jerzy Kawalerowicz, PL) Students will be encouraged to analyse and evaluate the film as a surrealist text, comparing and contrasting it with other surrealist films they've seen, and consider the film within its historical context. They will also be asked to consider, based on the two Polish surrealist films they've seen, whether or not Polish surrealist films are recognisably different from others, such as Czech surrealist films. Films: Mother Joan of the Angels (1961) Selected animated shorts by Walerian Borowczyk Required readings: Selected interviews and essays, provided by the course tutor Week 9 Hungarian Surrealist Film 1: 'Elektra, My Love' (1974, HU) This seminar will focus on Hungarian film maker Miklós Jancsó's Elektra, My Love (1974). Students will consider whether or not this film can be classified as a surrealist film and what classifying the film as a surrealist text illuminates about the film. They will also be encouraged to analyse and evaluate the film as a surrealist text, comparing and contrasting it with other surrealist films they've seen, and consider the film within its historical context. Films: Miklós Jancsó's Elektra, My Love (1974) Required readings: Selected interviews and essays, provided by the course tutor Week 10 Hungarian Surrealist Film 2: 'Werckmeister Harmonies'(2000, HU) This seminar will focus on Hungarian film maker Béla Tarr's Werckmeister Harmonies (2000) . Students will be encouraged to analyse and evaluate the film as a surrealist text, comparing and contrasting it with other surrealist films they've seen, and consider the film within its historical context. They will also be asked to consider, based on the two Hungarian surrealist films they've seen, whether or not Hungarian surrealist films are recognisably different from others, such as Czech and Polish surrealist films. Films: Béla Tarr's Werckmeister Harmonies (2000) Required readings: Selected interviews and essays provided by the course tutor Week 11 Surrealist Films Outside of Central And Eastern Europe: 'Blue Velvet'(1986, US) and 'Institute Benjumenta'(1995, GB) This seminar will look at the work of several film makers influenced by Central and Eastern European surrealist films: David Lynch, from America, and the Quay brothers, from Britain. Students will be asked to trace the influence of the Central and Eastern European films they have studied on these film makers and consider whether their films truly share the formal, aesthetic and philosophical aims of the surrealist films studied during the rest of course (in other words, whether they can, in fact, be said to be surrealist films). They will also be asked to analyse, interpret, and evalute the films, drawing upon the knowledge and understanding they have gained over the course with regards to surrealism and surrealist films. Furthermore, they will be encouraged to consider the legacy of surrealism and whether or not it has the power and influence it once did. Films: David Lynch's Blue Velvet (1986) The Brothers Quays' Institute Benjumenta (1995) Required readings: The second introduction to Robin Wood's book Hitchcock's Films, in which he discusses the conservative politics of Blue Velvet Selected interviews and essays, provided by the course tutor Poslední úprava: Svatoňová Kateřina, prof. PhDr., Ph.D. (07.08.2013)
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Primary Reading 'What is Surrealism?' by André Breton 'First Surrealist Manifesto' by André Breton 'Second Surrealist Manifesto' by André Breton 'Alice's Adventure in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll Secondary Reading 'The Unsilvered Screen: Surrealism on Film' by Graeme Harper 'Surrealism and Cinema' by Michael Richardson 'Dada and Surrealist Film' by Rudolf E Kuenzli 'Dada and Surrealism: A Very Short Introduction' by David Hopkins 'Manifestoes of Surrealism' by André Breton 'Surrealism: The Road to the Absolute' by Balakian 'The Czechoslovak New Wave' by Peter Hames 'The Cinema of Jan Svankmajer: Dark Alchemy', edited by Peter Hames 'The Interpretation of Dreams' by Sigmund Freud Poslední úprava: Svatoňová Kateřina, prof. PhDr., Ph.D. (07.08.2013)
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Classroom Procedures I expect my students to: - attend all of the seminars and screenings - participate in all seminar discussions - arrive on time for both film screenings and seminars - have their mobile phones turned off during film screenings and seminars Assignments and Grading Policy
Participation 10 % Presentation (15 minutes in length) 40 % Final Paper (2,500 - 3,000 words in length) 50 % Attendance Regular and punctual class attendance is mandatory for all students. Absence of 180 minutes is allowed.
Poslední úprava: Svatoňová Kateřina, prof. PhDr., Ph.D. (07.08.2013)
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