French Film ciné-club (Autumn)

What is the course about?

André Bazin’s ciné-club was set up by him not simply as an opportunity for the screening and discussion of films, but as a tool for education. Bazin was as much a passionate advocate for the transformatory effects of community learning as he was for the significance of cinema and the ciné-club represented an opportunity for him to promote both. In following Bazin, the French Film Ciné-Club shares these same goals. This is a film studies course that foregrounds the importance and the value of the collective film viewing experience, but which also is concerned to ensure that the films screened are curated, introduced and discussed with the rigour associated with the study of film at City Lit.

Films screened will come from the list below and might include:

Le Quai des Brumes/Port of Shadows (Marcel Carné 1938 France, 91 mins)
Le Crime de Monsieur Lange/The Crime of Monsieur Lange (Jean Renoir 1936 France, 80 mins)
Le Corbeau/The Raven (Henri-Georges Clouzot 1943 France, 92 mins)
La Bataille du rail/The Battle of the Rails (René Clement 1945 France, 85 mins)
Hiroshima mon amour/Hiroshima, my Love (Alain Resnais 1958 France, 90 mins)
La Chinoise (Jean-Luc Godard 1967 France, 99 mins)
Je, tu, il, elle/I, You, She, He (Chantal Akerman 1974 France, 86 mins)
Le Thé au harem d’Archimède/Tea in the Harem (Mehdi Charef 1985 France, 110 mins)
À ma soeur!/Fat Girl (Catherine Breillat 2001 France, 81 mins)
La Haine/Hate (Matthieu Kassovitz 1995 France, 96 mins)
Coûte que coûte/At all Costs (Claire Simon 1995 France, 95 mins)
Trouble Every Day (Claire Denis 2001 France, 101 mins)
Dans ma peau/In my Skin (Marina de Van 2002 France, 93 mins)
Bande de filles/Girlhood (Céline Sciamma 2014 France, 113 mins)

Please note that films screened are subject to availability and may change.

What will we cover?

• The history of film as expressed through individual, indicative films
• The historical development of film form
• The development of cinematic self-expression through the articulation of a distinct visual style
• Film spectatorship, understood in both personal, historical and theoretical terms.

What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...

• Subject a film to detailed critical analysis
• Demonstrate familiarity with the key technical terms necessary for critical film analysis
• Have a broad awareness of important moments in film history as expressed through individual indicative films
• Be familiar with a range of theoretical perspectives in film studies
• Feel confident in discussing films in a group setting.

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

The course is suitable for all levels and you do not require any particular skills - just an enthusiasm for film and discussing film. The course will provide an introduction to aspects of the film subject area, in part through the collective viewing of films, but it will also be useful for those wishing to build on existing film knowledge.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

An introduction by the tutor, the screening of entire films, and large group discussions after the films have been shown. It might also be a good idea to see what you can find out about a given film in advance of the class but this is not essential.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

You will require a pen and paper (or laptop/device) but the tutor will provide all other materials such as handouts.

When I've finished, what course can I do next?

Look also for other Film Studies courses under History Culture and Writing/Film Studies at www.citylit.ac.uk.