English 312-351
Topics in Film Studies: U.S. Cinema, 1980 to the present
Instr: Blasini, Gilberto
Office: CRT 487; 229-4540
e-mail: gblasini@uwm.edu
Office hours: TBA
Course Information: MTWR; 11:00am-1:35pm; CRT 104
Course Description
This course surveys filmic trends and cinematic practices in the U.S. during the last 24 years. Although this period is highly marked by the consolidation of blockbuster films that become, more than anything, media events (Batman, Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark and all their sequels), these years also saw the emergence of many independent filmmakers whose works provided an alternative-in terms of style, narrative, experimentation-to the big-budget products distributed by major studios. We will look at films both by directors who were already established and/or known at the beginning of the 1980s (Martin Scorsese, Brian de Palma, Jon Jost) and by filmmakers who came to the fore during these years (Miguel Arteta, Gregg Araki, Todd Haynes, Gus Van Sant, the Wachowski Brothers). Several lines of exploration will guide our course:
- The redefinition of issues related to gender, sexuality and the family as a common nucleus in the context of contemporary U.S. society.
- The transformation of film genres such as film noir, the musical and the family melodrama.
- Contemporary versions of romance and the heterosexual couple.
- Cinematic self-reflexivity and questions of acting/performance.
The primary texts for this course are the films shown in class every week. There are several key readings that will serve as guidance for our definition and engagement of these films; however, emphasis will be given to the filmic texts.
