The History of Western Cinema

Course Overview

This course will take students through the evolution and history of western cinema (with the latter part of the programme including more modern cinema). The structure of the course requires students to watch the films allocated to each class in advance. To begin each lesson, there will be a short 'lecture' about the context in which the film was made and how shifts within the industry and popular society, as well as technological advances, enabled these films to be made. Students will be encouraged to consider what these films are able to reveal to a modern viewer about the time in which the film was created. The latter portion of the classes will be largely discussion-based, with some in-depth analysis of scenes from the films. How does the composition of the shot affect the audience? What is the audience being told through the cinematography? There are so many nuances that take place in the cinema, and this course will serve as a springboard to educate students on how to unpick them.