Hyde School English Department
Film and Literature
2010-2011 Academic Year
Film and Literature
Westhaver 009
Mr. Osar
dosar@hyde.edu
860-963-4754
Course Description
In the Film and Literature elective, students will explore visual media from a literary perspective,
paying particular attention to narrative structure, style, and theme. The course will serve as an
introduction to the critical analysis of film through the viewing of multiple genres, as well as the reading
of original source material and analytical essays.
Basic Expectations
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Being on time is an essential habit to develop for the purposes of this course. We
have many hours of film to watch and limited time for discussion and writing!
Tardiness is unacceptable.
Being prepared by bringing binders, texts, and writing implements to class each day.
Getting ready to learn by removing hats, coats and beginning the “Do Now” activity
upon arrival to class.
Maintaining a proper learning environment by keeping gum, food, beverages
(except water), and i-pods outside of the classroom.
Respecting peers, the teacher, and course materials by keeping discourse civil and
refraining from drawing or writing inappropriate images and remarks on books and
binders.
Be engaged, curious, and have fun! We are watching many great films spanning the
last hundred years – staying engaged will make you appreciate the nuanced details
of these cinematic gems all the more.
Course Objectives
Throughout the year, we primarily hope to:
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Establish a foundation of knowledge about the great cinema of the 20th and 21st
centuries.
Build functional vocabularies of film terms.
Develop skills to actively engage in the oral and written analysis of film.
Compare films to their original source material, whether they are short stories,
novels, or screenplays.
Consider the directorial choices filmmakers make and the impact of those choices on
the film itself.
Essential Questions
Throughout the year, we will continually address the following questions:
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What is the essence of film as an art form? To entertain? To inform? To inspire?
What can film accomplish that other art forms, such as literature, sculpture,
painting, photography, and drama, cannot?
Why is it important to be familiar with film?
What impact has film had on you?
What impact has film had on culture and politics? What impact have culture and
politics had on film?
What is the role of the viewer in establishing a film’s meaning?
Binder Organization
Your film class binder will be an essential resource throughout the year. It is expected
that you will keep all course materials from the year in your binder in an orderly fashion. Due
to the nature of the course, it will be important to revisit notes, handouts, and journal entries
as we progress through new films. Your binder should have dividers labeled as such:
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Class notes
Homework and Journal Entries
Tests and Quizzes
Documents and Handouts
Essays and Research Work
Your binder will be checked during each unit for organization and content. This will factor into
your trimester grade!
Note Taking
It is an expectation of this course that students will take notes on out-of-class reading
assignments. Active reading and note taking may be done in the margins of your text, but on
occasion, you will be asked to write journal entries as part of your assignment. Students are
also expected to take notes during all class discussions.
Assessment
Your grade for this course will be decided by the following breakdown:
 Achievement Grade
o 20 % Participation
 Based on the quantity and quality of contributions to class discussion.
o 20 % Homework
 Based on the average grade on reading, journaling, and other short
homework assignments.
o 20 % Essays and Major Assignments
 Based on the average grade on the major assignment given for each
unit. These will include creative writing pieces, short essays, and
longer research-based papers.
o 20 % Quizzes and Tests
 Based on the average grade on assessments such as vocabulary
quizzes, unit tests, and in-class essays.
o 20 % Final Exam
 Based on the grade received on the final assessment given at the end
of each trimester.
 Effort Grade
o 20 % Participation
 Based on willingness to contribute to class discussion, ask questions,
seek extra help, etc.
o 20 % Binder Checks
 Based on binder checks done during each unit.
o 20 % Homework
 Based on the consistent effort displayed on homework assignments.
o 20 % Self Assessment
 Based on your own assessment of effort.
o 20% Peer Assessment
 Based on your peers’ assessment of effort.
Make up Work
Completing assignments by the due date is mandatory! Failure to complete assignments
on time will result in docked credit. In case of an absence, FLC, or other scheduling conflict, you
must speak with me ahead of time! This is your responsibility to handle appropriately so you
can stay current with course work.
Extra Help
I live on campus and am always available to give extra help if you schedule ahead. My
office is located in Westhaver (009). It is essential in creating a working student-teacher
partnership that you find me when you have a question, concern, or feel overwhelmed by the
work. We have an ambitious syllabus and I anticipate each one of you will need help at some
juncture or another. When this happens, seek me out! I cannot stress this enough!
Sequence of Topics
 Fall Term: Introduction to Film
o Unit One: “Silent Film”
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This unit will serve to introduce students to the birth of film, focusing
on the images and graphics originally used to express ideas to an
audience.
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Major Film s
 Un Chien Andalou
 Metropolis
Film Clips
 Birth of a Nation
 The College
 Up
 Psycho
Texts
 “A Rape of the Eye”
 “Integrating Race into the
Narrator System”
 “Between Modernity and
Magic”
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Luis Bunuel
Fritz Lang
D.W. Griffith
Buster Keaton
Pete Docter
Alfred Hitchcock
Tom Conley
Daniel Bernardi
R.L. Rutsky
Major Assignment: Locate a short film clip without dialogue to share
with the class.
o Unit Two: Comedies
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In this unit, students will examine how comedy has evolved over the
years. Subgenres such as screwball, farce, and satire will explored as
students examine the cinematic strategies used to elicit laughs.
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Major Film
 Being There
Film Clips
 Bananas
 This is Spinal Tap
 Monty Python and
The Holy Grail
 Duck Soup
 The Producers
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Hal Ashby
Woody Allen
Rob Reiner
Terry Gilliam
Leo McCarey
Mel Brooks
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 Bringing Up Baby
 Dumb and Dumber
Texts
 “Film Genres: Comedies”
Howard Hawks
Peter Farrelly
Bernard F. Dick
Major assignment: write a brief criticism of one of your favorite
comedies. What strategies does the film employ to produce the
desired effect on its audience?
o Unit Three: The Western
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In this unit, students will develop a working definition of the western
genre, focusing on the idea of the lone protagonist and the ways in
which his character is developed, as well as the conflict between
wilderness and civilization. The impact of the western on other film
types, such as the anti-western and space-western will also be
discussed.
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Major Films
 High Noon
 Unforgiven
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Film Clips
 The Good, The Bad, and
The Ugly
 The Searchers
 Star Wars
 Into the Wild
Texts
 “Film Genres: Westerns”
 Excerpt: Into the Wild
Fred Zinnemann
Clint Eastwood
Sergio Leone
John Ford
George Lucas
Sean Penn
Bernard F. Dick
Jon Krakauer
Major assignment: Write a character study of one of the characters
from High Noon or Unforgiven. What defines his or her character?
What visual and audio clues help the audience to understand who he
or she is? Does he or she fit the definition of a hero?
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Winter Term: Narrative Style
o Unit One: Narrative Perspective and Suspense
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In this unit, students will explore narrative perspective and its effect
on meaning and experience in film. Narrative strategies such as voiceover, use of multiple narrators, “voice-of-god” techniques, and
epistolary voices will be examined.
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Major Films
 Citizen Kane
Film Clips
 Look Who’s Talking
 American Beauty
 Double Indemnity
 The Naked City
 About Schmidt
 The Accused
 Murder on the Orient Express
Texts
 Practical Criticism:
Interpreting Citizen Kane
 A Rose for Emily
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Orson Welles
Amy Heckerling
Sam Mendes
Billy Wilder
Julie Dassin
Alexander Payne
William Dieterle
Sidney Lumet
Bernard F. Dick
William Faulkner
Major Assignment
 Write a suspenseful short story from the perspective of multiple
narrators.
o Unit Two: Film Noir and Crime Films
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In this unit, students will study the film noir genre, paying particular
attention to the use of lighting and space (or lack thereof) to create
feelings of suspense and paranoia.
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Major Films
 The Third Man
 Chinatown
Film Clips
 The Man Who Wasn’t There
 The Lady from Shanghai
 Body Heat
 Murder, My Sweet
Texts
 Early 1970s Hollywood Cinema
 Film Noir’s Progressive
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Carol Lumet
Roman Polanski
Joel & Ethan Coen
Orson Welles
Lawrence Kasdan
Edward Dmytryk
Steve Neale
John Blaser
Portrayal of Women
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The Purloined Letter
Edgar Allan Poe
Major Assignment
 Write a feminist criticism of the film noir genre. How are
gender roles depicted in these films?
o Unit Three: Setting and Suspense
 In this unit, students will analyze the role setting and mise-en-scene
has on film interpretation. The ways in which films are staged,
framed, and shot will be at the forefront of this unit’s focus.
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Major Films
 Rear Window
 Fargo
Film Clips
 Carrie
 The Crying Game
 MASH
 Road to Perdition
 Touch of Evil
 The Truman Show
Texts
 Rear Window Ethics
Alfred Hitchcock
Joel & Ethan Coen
Brian De Palma
Neil Jordan
Robert Altman
Sam Mendes
Orson Welles
Peter Weir
Elizabeth Cowie
Major Assignment
 For this assignment, you will adapt a favorite book, short
story, play, or poem into a screenplay with a unique setting.
 Spring Term: Adapting for and Creating Awe in Cinema
o Unit One: The War Epic
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In this unit, students will watch two influential war epics and examine
the cinematic techniques used to achieve a sense of war and its
impact. Students will also analyze the way in which the director of
one film adapted a celebrated novel for a different setting and
conflict.
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Major Films
 Seven Samurai
 Apocalypse Now
Film Clips
 Saving Private Ryan
 Paths of Glory
 Braveheart
 Glory
 Schindler’s List
Texts
 Heart of Darkness
 A Search for a National
Community
 An Occurrence at Owl Creek
Bridge
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Akira Kurosawa
Francis Ford Coppola
Steven Spielberg
Stanley Kubrick
Mel Gibson
Edward Zwick
Steven Spielberg
Joseph Conrad
Mitsuhiro Yoshimoto
Ambrose Bierce
Major Assignment
 In an organized essay, analyze Coppola’s adaptation of
Conrad’s novel. Does Coppola stay true to the novel? Why or
why not?
o Unit Two: Time and Plot
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In this unit, students will watch films that utilize time in a variety
different ways, including real time and non-linear narratives.
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Major Films
 Memento
Christopher Nolan
Film Clips
 Time Code
 Nashville
 Notorious
 Pulp Fiction
 Halloween
Mike Figgis
Robert Altman
Alfred Hitchcock
Quentin Tarantino
John Carpenter
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Run, Lola, Run
Eternal Sunshine of the
Spotless Mind
The Godfather, Part II
Tom Tykwer
Michael Gondry
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Francis Ford Coppola
Texts
 Memento Mori
Jonathan Nolan
 High Noon Director Called it
Bruce Dancis
a Parable about Hollywood and
McCarthyism
Major Assignment
 In an essay, compare the use of time in High Noon and in
Memento. Which is more effective in achieving the purpose
for each film?
o Unit Three: Science Fiction
 In this unit, the genre of Science fiction will be the basis of student
studies. The use of special effects and sound will especially be the
focus of this unit.
 Major Films
 2001: A Space Odyssey
Stanley Kubrick
 Blade Runner
Ridley Scott
 Film Clips
 Close Encounters of the
Steven Spielberg
Third Kind
 The Thing
Christian Nyby
 Invasion of the Body Snatchers Don Siegel
 Texts
 I’m Afraid…I can feel it
Robert Kolker
 Major Assignment
 Write an original screenplay in which you create a futuristic or
alien world. You screenplay must also subtly address a major
social or political issue the world is facing or may soon face.