ENGL 3035 - The Films of John Huston

Institution:

University of Cincinnati-Main Campus

Subject:

Description:

During a long career as Hollywood screenwriter and director, John Huston (1906-1987) established a reputation as a careful adapter of literary texts into films, including movies of such classic works as Melville's MOBY-DICK, McCullers' REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE, O'Connor's WISE BLOOD, Lowry's UNDER THE VOLCANO, B. Traven's THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE, and James Joyce's "The Dead," as well as films based on popular works such as C.S. Forester's THE AFRICAN QUEEN and Rudyard Kipling's "The Man Who Would Be King." These and other films by Huston provoke a number of questions central to this course: Given the differences between film and print media, is it possible to "faithfully" adapt a story or a novel into a movie? How much of his own interpretation of an originating work may a screenwriter/director impose on source material? Is the film to be judged on its own merits or only according to how accurately it represents the source text? To these large critical questions might be added some others, such as whether Huston's films reveal unifying concerns and characteristics despite the widely differing sources. We will watch and discuss selected films in class. Minimum of four 5-7 page papers, comprehensive final.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.uc.edu

Phone Number:

(513) 556-6000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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