FILM 446: Narrative Film (Special Topic)

French Cinema in a Post-National Age:

Histoires d'amour

Winter 2009

Instructor: Peter Baxter

Week by Week | Assignments and Grading | WebCT

Sources and Resources | Academic Guidelines | Contact the Prof

Welcome to FILM 446, in which we explore contemporary cinema in France.

France is a nation facing vigorous challenges to long-proclaimed values and apparent social cohesion. In what ways does contemporary French cinema participate in the dynamic process of defining what the nation is, what it should be, how it can evolve? Some would argue that a 'post-national' society is emerging, where alternative beliefs will rival dominant social norms, and where other centres of power will undermine the authority of the Republic. Pervasive changes are occuring in the cinema as well as in the nation. How will the transformation of the cinema from a mechanical/chemical technology to a digital process, from a form of theatrical exhibition before a live audience to a downloadable, portable, individual experience, change the ways in which 'post-national' society sees and thinks about the representation of collective identity?

Nowhere is French cinema more distinctively itself tha in its portrayal of human sexuality and of the range of emotions that are driven by desire. This course is intended to explore some films through which French cinema over the past ten years or so has offered audiences a variety of perspectives on romantic love--its pleasures and pains--in a time of change and uncertain values.

These are some of the questions that will arise in FILM 446 as we try to understand the ways in which ideas of social order are mediated by the images that cinema projects, and to foresee the direction in which those ideas and images are headed.

Use the menu above to orient yourself and access information about the various components of the course. Look in Week by Week to see which topics you are going to cover, which films you will see, and so on. Assignments contains detailed descriptions of the projects that you will submit for a major portion of your grade. The section Sources and Resources contains links to a number of sites that will help you broaden your understanding of France and its cinema. Go to Academic Guidelines for an explanation of policy on academic issues. Finally, you can go to WebCT to access some communication tools that will become useful as you begin work on your assignments, and to follow your grades during the term.

I hope you will enjoy FILM 216, and I hope that your enjoyment will lead to a deepened understanding of the place of film in modern culture. Directions for getting in touch with me can be found at Contact the Prof if you have any questions about the course or problems with the website.