Chabot College
February 1996
Replaced Fall 2010
Course Outline for Theater Arts 11
STAGE TO FILM
Catalog Description:
11 - Stage to Film
3 units
Major plays which subsequently have been made into films. Analysis of each playscript augmented by
a viewing and analysis of the film adaptation. Major areas of concentration vary from semester to
semester. 3 hours.
[Typical contact hours: 52.5]
Expected Outcomes for Students:
Upon completion of the course, the student should:
1. gain a knowledge of the problems inherent in adopting a stage work to film;
2. better appreciate the differences between the two versions through advanced preparation of the
drama before seeing the film and discussion/analysis following the viewing;
3. understand the emphasis placed on the analysis of the original script followed by evaluation of its
success or failure in transfer from one medium to another.
Course Content:
1. Throughout the semester, at least four feature-length films adapted from important dramas will be
shown.
2. During the semester dealing with American dramatists such plays as A Streetcar Named Desire,
A View From the Bridge, Winterset, The Emperor Jones, The Little Foxes, and Who's Afraid of
Virginia Woolf? might be included.
3. During the semester in which Greek tragedy is the topic, the films could include Sophocles'
Oedipus the King and Antigone, Euripides' Electra and The Trojan Women, etc.
Methods of Presentation:
1. Each play selected would be read, analyzed, and discussed in the class sessions preceding the
showing in class.
2. The class meeting following each showing would incorporate discussion leading to further
analysis, stressing script changes, additions, interpretation by the artists involved, and
consideration of the ultimate success or failure of the film version.
Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:
1. Brief quizzes on reading preparation would be given.
2. Short papers/reviews of the films seen would be required.
3. A final term paper concentrating in some depth on a stage-to-film analysis
Textbook(s) Typical:
Paperback texts of plays required.
Special Student Materials:
None
HK:kh Theater Arts 11 Revised: 2/23/96
would be required.