Central European Cinemas within the Context of the World Cinema

Display Schedule

Code Completion Credits Range Language Instruction Semester
311CEW exam 3 3 hours (45 min) of instruction per week, 48 to 63 hours of self-study English winter

Subject guarantor

Jitka HEJTMANOVÁ

Name of lecturer(s)

Nicholas David HUDAC

Contents

This course is a newly designed advanced section for CDM and other advanced students.

Central Europe has long been known as an artistic and intellectual island within the greater European sphere. Although ravaged by war, foreign occupation, and totalitarian governments for much of the last few centuries, Central Europe has managed to survive and often thrive as centers of culture and artistic experimentation. This course will focus on films from several influential areas in Central Europe with the goal of examining how this region’s history has impacted its culture by looking at avant-garde cinema and its influence on popular genre cinema. In addition to focusing on film theory, we will also be discussing cultural history and media theory, learning approaches to “reading” films not only as movies, but also as multi-faceted cultural artifacts. To this end, our readings will contain primary source materials on cinema history, historical research, film theory, and literature intended to broaden our understanding of the various cultures, visual and otherwise which inform cinema creation in this part of Europe.

While this syllabus gives a fairly accurate portrayal of the material we will cover, additional material may be assigned (and assigned material may be dropped or altered) at any time as the semester progresses, in order to better suit the needs and interests of the class.

Learning outcomes

Throughout the semester, this course will teach students how to approach the cultural and historical elements which are the backbone of every film, while also applying film and cultural theory to a variety of visual media. Students will also gain a deeper appreciation of cultural history and how it relates to their own creative processes, with the aim of giving students tools useful in all aspects of the filmmaking process. Students will also learn how to present their ideas and analysis in a clear, concise, and above all, effective manner.

Students will also learn about contemporary research methodologies, citation styles, academic best practices, and other related research fields necessary to prepare them for their greenlighting and to complete their MA thesis.

Prerequisites and other requirements

Open only to degree students.

Literature

Screening:

Vsevolod Pudovkin — Mother, 1926

Sergei Eisenstein — Battleship Potemkin, 1925, October

Robert Weine - Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, 1920

Fritz Lang - M, 1931, Metropolis, 1927Martin Frič - Hej Rup!, 1936, Jánošík 1935,

Vladislav Vančura - Marjika nevernica

Ivan Pyryev - Cossacks of the Kuban, 1950

Martin Ťapak - My Native Land, 1954

Jerzy Kawalerowicz - Cellulose, 1953

Elo Havetta - Celebration in the Botanical Garden, 1969

Dušan Hának - Pictures of the Old World, 1972

Juraj Jakubisko - Birds, Orphans, and Fools, 1969

Věra Chytilová Daisies, 1966

Jan Švankmajer —assorted short films (1964-1970)

Ester Krumbáchová - Murder of Engineer Devil, 1969

Jan Němec - A Report on the Party and the Guests, 1966

Pavel Juráček - Josef Kilián, 1963

Dušan Makavejev— W.R. : Mysteries of the Organism, 1972

Aleksandar Petrović — I Even Met Happy Gypsies 1967

Zelimir Zilnik — Early Works, 1968.

Andrzej Munk - Eroica, 1958

Andzrej Wajda — Ashes and Diamonds, 1958

Krysztof Kieslowski — Decalogue I, 1988

Karel Plicka - The Earth Sings, 1933

Walter Rutmann - Berlin, Symphony of a Great City, 1925

Dziga Vertov — Man With a Movie Camera, 1929

Tarr Bela - Werckmeister Harmonies, 2000, Sátántangó, 1994 (excerpts only)

Andrej Tarkovsky— Solaris, 1972

Martin Šulik — The Garden, 1993

Tomáš Vorel — Smoke, 1990

Werner Herzog — Aguire : The Wrath of God, 1972

Rainer Werner Fassbinder — Berlin Alexanderplatz, 1980

Wim Wenders - Wings of Desire 1987

Reading:

V.I. Lenin - “The Lenin Decree”, Sergei Eisenstein “The Method of Making Workers’ Films”

Siegfried Kracauer - “From Caligari to Hitler” Chapter 5

Andre Breton, “The Surrealist Manifesto”

Karel Teige “The Poetist Manifesto”, Jan Mukařovský, „A Note on the Aesthetics of Film “

Zdena Skupinová, „Sedmikrásky / Daisies“

Jana Dudková, “On Celebration in the Botanical Garden”

Petre Petrov, „The Industry of Truing: Socialist Realism, Reality, Realization“

Nina Power, “Blood And Sugar: The Films of Dušan Makavejev”

Bohdan Kosinski, Krysztof Kieslowski, et al. “Documentary Filmmakers Make Their Case”

Dziga Vertov “WE: Variant of a Manifesto"

Jerry White, “BRAKHAGE'S TARKOVSKY AND TARKOVSKY'S BRAKHAGE: Collectivity, Subjectivity, and the Dream of Cinema”

Václav Havel, Power of the Powerless

Jan Švankmajer - “The Decalogue”

Katarína Myšíková, „The Real Story: Indexing Strategy of Slovak Social Drama Films“

Thomas Elsaesser — “Fassbinder Representing Germany”

Oberhausen Manifesto I & II.

Evaluation methods and criteria

This course will be graded according to 5 areas— class attendance, class participation, written homework assignments, a 5-7 page midterm paper, and an in class final exam. The breakdown is here:

Class Attendance— 15%

Class Participation — 15%

Midterm Paper — 20%

Written assignments - 30%

Final Exam — 20%

Students must hand in all work and attend all meetings with me to get a final grade.

Note

Instructor: Mgr. Nick Hudáč, Ph.D.

Office: Nám. Jana palacha 2, Katedra filmových studií, Filozofická Fakulta UK 406

Office hours: Friday 14:00-15:00 and online by appointment

Further information

Course may be repeated

This course is an elective for all AMU students

Schedule for winter semester 2022/2023:

06:00–08:0008:00–10:0010:00–12:0012:00–14:0014:00–16:0016:00–18:0018:00–20:0020:00–22:0022:00–24:00
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
room 307
Room No. 6
(Lažanský palác)
HUDAC N.
09:00–11:25
(lecture parallel1)
Fri
Date Day Time Tutor Location Notes No. of paralel
Thu 09:00–11:25 Nicholas David HUDAC Room No. 6
Lažanský palác		 lecture parallel1

Schedule for summer semester 2022/2023:

The schedule has not yet been prepared

The subject is a part of the following study plans