CMC 395 H1X - Topic: Cinema & Modernism

Credit(s): 4
This course will explore the broad relationship between cinema (a medium created in the late 19th century) and the Modernist cultural movement-one that reached its apex precisely as the art of film came of age. First, we’ll attempt a theoretical and historical overview of the term Modernism and confront the controversy of whether or not the cinema is inherently Modernist (either because of its ontological nature or its chronological positioning). Next, we’ll consider issues foregrounded in discussions of Modernism including primitivism, modernization, politics and propaganda, nationalism, commodification, etc. Under each topic, we’ll study an important film that relates to the subject as well as works from other arts and media: literature, painting, decorative arts, advertising, etc. FIL elective. (Offered Spring 2020)