BA Film Studies and Portuguese

Since the Lumière brothers’ L’Arrivée du train en gare de La Ciotat in 1895 and Alice Guy-Blaché’s La Fée aux choux in 1896, France has become home to one of the world’s most developed cinema industries. This course takes a historical look at some of the key French films and movements until 1980. The course will consist of a series of lectures and seminars examining a set of core films. It will explore some of the most prominent genres and the two movements that have become emblematic of French cinematic specificity: le réalisme poétique (poetic realism) and la nouvelle vague (the new wave). Some of France’s most renowned filmmakers will be examined through case studies of some of their most influential work. Key themes will be considered, including authorship, national identity, stardom, gender and class. 

• show familiarity with film studies terminology
• demonstrate an understanding of the various periods, styles, themes and genres in French film history to 1980
• show a sophisticated grasp of the thematic preoccupations of cinema in France during a crucial period of accelerated modernisation
• demonstrate a knowledge of the key issues that influence the production of films
• show awareness of the political, social, cultural and economic concerns that surrounded filmmaking in France until 1980  

• demonstrate an ability to undertake individual and group research
• show a capacity to think critically about visual texts and the secondary written material about them
• demonstrate a grasp of complex theoretical and philosophical ideas and concepts
• comment confidently upon the impact of film style on themes, issues and ideas

• demonstrate literacy in analysing visual culture, with specific attention to films
• be assured in giving verbal expression to intellectual responses to film viewing
• express critical ideas coherently in structured essays and group tasks
• engage effectively in group discussions

• structure discussions and essays
• engage in detailed analysis and express that critical analysis clearly
• work effectively both individually and as part of a team
• show confidence in expressing views, opinions and ideas orally in groups

1. Buss, Robin, French Film Noir (London and St Paul: Marion Boyers, 1994).
2. Green, Naomi, The French New Wave: a New Look (London: Wallflower, 2007).
3. Marie, Michel, The New Wave : an Artistic School (Oxford and Malden: Blackwells, 2003)
4. Neupert, Richard (2002) A History of the French New Wave Cinema, Madison, University of Wisconsin Press, 2^nd Edition.
5. Powrie, Phil and Reader, Keith, French Cinema: a Student’s Guide, (London: Arnold, 2002).
6. Powrie, Phil (Ed.), The Cinema of France (London: Wallflower, 2007).
7. Sellier, Geneviève, Masculine Singular: The French New Wave (Durham, NC: Duke University Press).
8. Vincendeau, Ginette, Stars and Stardom in French Cinema, (London: Continuum, 2000). 

Plus weekly screenings of up to 3 hours per week.