COMM 251 Film History I 1895-1960

The course is a comprehensive survey of the medium, its genres and forms. While exploring the Hollywood studio system, European art cinema, documentary and propaganda, and avant-garde/experimental cinema, we will also focus on technological changes (the advent of sound, color, and the age of television). Readings include essays and book excerpts introducing the films covered in the course and their methodologies, including the close analysis of particular movies, studies of national industries, and auterist approaches.