Course Syllabus

History of European Film

Cléo From 5 to 7 (Agnes Vardá, 1962), Triangle of Sadness (Ruben Östlund, 2022) and Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet, 2023)

                                     

                                                                                                Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927)

 

Semester & Location:	Spring 2024 - DIS Copenhagen
Type & Credits:	Elective Course - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:	Communication, Film Studies, Media Studies
Prerequisite(s):	None
Faculty Member:	Morten Egholm mge@dis.dk
Time & Place:	Tuesdays & Fridays 10:05-11:25 in the DIS Movie Theatre in V23

Instructor: Morten Egholm

Ph. D., Film Studies, University of Copenhagen, 2009. Cand. mag., Scandinavian Studies, Film and Media Theory, University of Copenhagen, 1997. Associate professor in Danish Language, Literature and Culture, University of Groningen, The Netherlands, 2002-2006. Has written several articles in Danish, English and Dutch on film history, Scandinavian film, Danish literature, Danish theatre, and Danish and American TV series. Editor (2010-2015) of and peer reviewer (2015-) for the film journal Kosmorama. With DIS since 2008, since January 2012 as full time faculty.

Course Content

The course offers an introduction to film understanding, film aesthetics, and film history in general as a basis for an analysis of European cinema. Following an introduction to early European film history, the course will concentrate on different currents, trends, and waves like German Expressionism, French Poetic Realism, Italian Neorealism, Masters of Scandinavian Cinema, French New Wave, Czechoslovakian New Wave, The Greek Weird Wave, and Masters of Modernism and Postmodernism. Further, the course will work as an introduction to some of the greatest European auteurs in film history like Carl Th. Dreyer, Victor Sjöström, Fritz Lang, Ingmar Bergman, Agnès Varda, Nicolas Roeg, Andrei Tarkovsky, Yorgos Lanthimos, Paolo Sorrentino, Lars von Trier, Pedro Almodóvar, Justine Triet, and others. The main emphasis will be on seeing and understanding films, and understanding film makers in relation to their historical, literary, and motion picture backgrounds, partly through film examples, partly through reading material. Each class will concentrate on one theme or aspect of film history and will include a related film viewing.

The course does not include practical film making - the approach is analytical, aesthetical, and historical.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, each student will have gained:

• A sound knowledge of the history of European cinema in its relation to cultural and social conditions and general film history
• An understanding of the basic facts and methods of film analysis
• The ability to produce an academic research paper demonstrating a skill to interpret and discuss the history of European film

Method

The course will include lectures, discussions of films and required readings, and film viewings. Each class session will concentrate on one theme or aspect of European cinema and will include a related film viewing. The films are in English or with English subtitles/intertitles.

Classroom Etiquette

The use of distracting devices (smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc.) is strictly prohibited during class. Failure to comply will adversely affect participation grades. Use of laptops for the purpose of note-taking requires prior consultation with the professor. Students should refrain from all other computer activities, as they prove distracting to themselves and fellow students. Mobile phones and other electronic devices should of course be turned off and stored away.

Reading List

David A. Cook: A History of Narrative Film. Fifth Edition, New York & London, 2016

Evaluation

Short Paper	20%
Research Paper	30%
Film Screening Info Tests	15%
Class Participation	35%

Short Paper

Choose two of the films we have watched and discussed in class (including Battleship Potemkin and An Andalusian Dog). Compare them and put both of them in to a film historical context. The paper should be 3 pages long/1000 words, and is due in class on March the 3rd. At least 2 academic sources are required. 

Film Screening Info Tests

It is very important that you view each required film before class. A very short, written test relating to the film’s content will always be given before the screening. The tests can also be found digitally in Handouts under files in Canvas. It's up to you if you want to hand in the hard copy or the digital version. 

Research Paper Proposal

The proposal should give the topic of your paper. Must be handed in on e-mail mge@dis.dk on April the 23rd.

Research Paper

The topics for the research paper are decided by the student and the instructor together, based on the paper proposal. Normally, it would be on (or relate to) subjects and films dealt with in the course. It is of course also possible to write about other topics/films by agreement with the instructor. At least 3 academic resources are required. 

Suggested structure of your paper:

1. Table of contents
2. Introduction:
   • Presentation of the subject to be investigated
   • An overview of the contents
   • A comment on the methodology

3. Analysis: Short description(s), comments, discussions, comparisons
4. Summary and conclusion
5. Notes & Bibliography

The paper should be based on the required reading, the additional reading found in the DIS library and/or the Danish Film Museum Library, the films seen in class and/or films by your own choice.

In the Introduction, the factual material is presented. The main emphasis, though, should be on the analysis - that is: your personal discussion of the material. It is necessary to present the substance of the topic through paraphrasing and quotations (remember, always to footnote/endnote sources of direct quotations), but it is not sufficient only to paraphrase. The analysis of the material - your personal understanding and interpretation - is the important part of the paper. The paper should normally include a relatively detailed analysis of one of the films you have seen within the subject.

Length: Approx. 6 pages, or approx. 1800 words.

The Research Paper is due May the 10th at 11:59 pm. Email it to me on mge@dis.dk.

Port of Shadwos (Marcel Carné, 1938)

Film due as homework for class

Please note that it is mandatory to watch each film before the relevant class. We will be watching 21 films in total length, most of them will be homework, but 6 of them will be shown during class time or field studies. Almost all films can be found under Modules or Files here in Canvas. I strongly encourage you to sometimes take your time to watch the film due in The DIS Movie Theatre on a DVD that can be found on the semester shelf at The Student Hub. Remember to book the movie theatre beforehand. The films we are watching for class are: 

 

	Film:	Year:	Duration:	Access:
	The Abyss	1910	37'	Canvas File in Modules
	The Phantom Carriage	1921	105'	Canvas File in Modules
	Metropolis	1927	147'	Canvas File in Modules
	The Passion of Joan of Arc	1928	82'	Canvas File in Modules
	Port of Shadows	1938	91'	Canvas File in Modules
	The Bicycle Thieves	1948	91'	Canvas File in Modules
	Wild Strawberries	1957	90'	Canvas File in Modules
	Ivan's Childhood	1962	95'	Canvas File in Modules
	Cleo From 5 to 7	1962	90'	Canvas File in Modules
	Closely Watched Trains	1966	91'	Canvas File in Modules
	Don't Look Now!	1973	110'	Canvas File in Modules
	Adoption	1975	83'	Canvas File in Modules
	A Short Film About Killing	1988	82'	Canvas File in Modules
	Underground	1995	165'	Canvas File in Modules
	Amelie	2001	122'	Canvas File in Modules
	Melancholia	2011	130'	Canvas File in Modules
	The Lobster	2015	115'	Canvas File in Modules
	Pain & Glory	2019	109'	Canvas File in Modules
	The Hand of God	2021	131'	On Netflix
	Triangle of Sadness	2022	148'	Canvas Files in Modules
	Anatomy of a Fall	2023	151'	Canvas Link

Academic Regulations  

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on: 

• Course Enrollment and Grading  
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code 

 

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org

The Lobster (Yorgos Lanthimos, 2015)