ENGFLM 2475 - The Body In The Cinema

Institution:

University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus

Subject:

English Film

Description:

This course will explore the status of the human body as represented in film, a cultural medium identified with various modes of spectacle. We will begin by a consideration of the body in early precursors to the cinema—for instance Eadweard Muybridge’s photographic “motion studies” or primitive X-ray photography--and work our way up to the contemporary scene (in which digitally created characters (and actors) complicate the corporeal universe). In our engagement of the topic, many class sessions will consider how the body is figured in various film genres (e.g. the musical [in which the body is graceful and choreographed], the melodrama [in which the bodily expresion transcends dialogue], the horror film [in which the abject body perversely transforms], the martial arts film [in which the body is a violent weapon], the romance [in which the beautiful body must attract], the sports film [in which the athletic body shows strength and endurance], the war film [in which the body suffers], the science fiction film [in which the body is a cyborg], the crime film [in which the body leaves clues], and/or the pornographic film [in which the body sexually stimulates the viewer]). Beyond genre, our discussions will also consider such broad theoretical topics as: the gendered body, the aging body, the racial body, the “national” body, and the manner in which film style “transforms” the body (e.g. fragmentation through close-up). Readings on the topic will be drawn not only from Film Studies (e.g. Linda Williams, Lisa Cartwright, Peter Lehman, Steven Shaviro) but from broader Cultural Studies (e.g. Thomas Laquer, Susan Bordo, Elaine Scarry or Helena Michie). Requirements will include a seminar paper and class presentation.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.pitt.edu

Phone Number:

(412) 624-4141

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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