This module will study the ways in which French cinema has approached, and occasionally helped to construct, the history of the twentieth century. We will look at the options available to film-makers faced with the task of recording and representing their own society, including ways in which the construction of such narratives has been questioned, with a view to assessing cinema’s role in the never-ending process of construction of French cultural identity;

The module aims to raise students’ awareness of the ways in which Frenchness has been represented;

The module will introduce them to theories of cinematic representation and to the ways in which these impinge on the world-view of the spectator;

Students will gain awareness of the role which cinema plays in society (French society especially);

Students will gain experience in close analysis of the implications of key texts, through their formal choices as well as their content.

(LO1) Awareness of the changing representation of French history and French society in a popular national medium.

(LO2) Familiarity with key concepts in film theory and ability to handle them with relation to specific texts

(LO3) Ability to express ideas succinctly and to carry out extended independent textual (visual) analysis.

(LO4) Ability to undertake critical analysis of cultural representations and to relate them appropriately to their context.

(S1) Global citizenship - Cultural awareness

(S2) Communication (oral, written and visual) - Media analysis

(S3) Communication (oral, written and visual) - Academic writing (inc. referencing skills)

(S4) Critical thinking and problem solving - Critical analysis

(S5) Information skills - Evaluation

(S6) Research skills - All Information skills

(S7) Critical thinking and problem solving - Problem identification

(S8) Communication (oral, written and visual) - Presentation skills - written

(S9) Global citizenship - Understanding of equality and diversity

(S10) Time and project management - Personal organisation

The majority of teaching will be delivered face-to-face on campus. Online delivery will be used to complement the on-campus delivery and where technology affords a better learning experience.

Lecture:
Key concepts will be introduced though lectures, and seminal articles or other texts which students will be expected to summarize to indicate their understanding. The key questions which underly the study of particular films (changing concepts of history, generic representations, implications of film form for reinforcement or questioning of content etc.) will also be introduced through lectures, but classes on particular films will take a more general form of discussion on topics relating theory to film text. Students will be given topics in advance for preparation, although the module will not involve formal presentations. Assessment will include a long exercise where students will be encouraged to apply the concepts they have learned to a film not formally studied in class.
Notes: This is an estimate of the proportion of class time devoted to lecturing: lectures are used to introduce concepts and to contextualise the films show

Seminar:
is an estimate of course-time devoted to guided discussion, presentations and discussion of presentations, and other interactive activities

Film Screenings

Topics covered during the module may include:

Construction of cinematic narrative I:

Cinematic language and structure;

Introduction to concepts of narration;

(Class screening: short film).

Construction of cinematic narrative II:

Narrative and public;

Reception and reflection of narratives: psychological and sociological readings;

Brief introduction to the Occupation years in France;

(Class screening: three films offering varied takes on the Occupation years: films selected in the past have been L’Armée des ombres (Melville, 1969), Indigènes (Bouchareb, 2006), Hiroshima mon amour (Resnais, 1959));

Comparative discussion of the first three films;

Subjects for preparation: film style, film language and generic approach in the three films and its relation to content;

Contrasting images of the war and its significance;

Contrasting subject positions;

Recounting France, part I;

Screen ings and discussion of two films offering a broadly positive view of of French life in two different post-war periods: past selections have been Et Dieu créa la femme (Vadim, 1956) and Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain (Jeunet, 2001);

Recounting France, part II;

Screening and discussion of two films which offer a critical view of life in France during two different postwar periods. Past selections have been Deux ou trois choses que je sais d’elle (Godard, 1967) and Caché (Haneke, 2005).