This course explores the development of cinema before 1928. We will consider international trends in film production with special emphasis on the formation of the American industry. Our goals will be to understand how cinema was conceived of durings its first years, and to examine the forces that led to the development of the Hollywood narrative feature. Films will include works by the Lumiere and Edison companies, Porter, Melies, Sjostrom, Griffith, DeMille, and Hollywood Studios during the 1920s. TBA Readings will include historical accounts by Charles Musser, Eileen Bowser, Thomas Elsaesser, and Tom Gunning.
Attendance is required.
Unless preregistered students attend the first class meeting or communicate directly with the instructor prior to the first class, they will be dropped from the class list. FILM304 OR FILM310 Links to Web Resources For This Course.