American Dreams, American Movies

A course in selected American films that create as well as reflect American identity from the beginnings of Hollywood moviemaking in the Studio System through the beginnings of Indie spirit. Nine to twelve best-loved movies, such as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Casablanca, Rear Window, Singin' in the Rain, and Dr. Strangelove by directors like Frank Capra, John Ford, Alfred Hitchcock, and Stanley Kubrick. The course pays attention to American cultural history, the development of the movie industry, the idea of the director as auteur, narrative form in film, and some fundamentals of film analysis. Assignments are both written and creative experiments in filmmaking, as suits class interests.