FLM 225 - The Western Film

Course unit(s): 1
Meets GAR: Meets general academic requirement HU.
This course will examine the Western as the American film genre par excellence. Numerous theoretical approaches will be used to study the rise and fall of the Western’s popularity, its role in shaping popular myths about the United States, and its representation of masculine identity. By going chronologically from early classical to more contemporary films, students will learn how ideology and socio-historical conditions lead to the making of certain films at certain times. In addition to looking at the classical Western, the course will analyze how the so-called spaghetti Western and political events such as the Vietnam War have transformed the genre. Students will learn how to read and discuss films by analyzing the various cinematic codes (lighting, editing, camera angles, sets, music, the three gazes, etc.), the significance of the star system, and theories of spectatorship and scopophilia.
Attendance at weekly screenings is required.