FI249-15 Hollywood Cinema: History, Theory, Industry
Introductory description
This core module will build on what students have learned about Hollywood in first year modules (such as Film History and Screen Technologies) by expanding their knowledge about Hollywood as an industry, its history (depending on when it is taught this may extend from the classical period into the post-classical and contemporary period), and theoretical concepts that engage with Hollywood cinema. The module will illustrate important aspects about the Hollywood industrial filmmaking system, including style, genre, and stars. By first focusing on Hollywood as an industry, examining the practices and cultures of film production, the module will then consider its ideological influence by promoting specific American values and traditions through political issues, such as race and ethnicity.
The exact content of the module in any given year will depend on the expertise and research interests of the module convenor. The following is an example.
The module will be divided into four parts:
Part I. Style and System
Part II. Politics
Part III. Ideology
Part IV. New Trends
Module aims
- To provide an appreciation of Hollywood cinema
- The understand the industrial Hollywood system
- To access some of the social and cultural contexts that helped shaped Hollywood cinema
- To examine the ideological influence of Hollywood cinema
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To explore theoretical concepts that employ Hollywood cinema as an example
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
Style and System
Week 1: Classical Hollywood Style
Film: Stagecoach (John Ford, 1939)
Week 2: Genre and Hollywood Studios: Musical
Film: Singin’ in the Rain (Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, 1952)
Week 3: Classical Hollywood Stardom
Film: Mildred Pierce (Michael Curtiz, 1945)
Politics
Week 4: Hollywood and Politics I: The New Deal and World War II
Film: Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942)
Week 5: Hollywood and Politics II: The Blacklist and Cold War
Film: Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel, 1956)
Week 6: Reading Week
Ideology
Week 7: Hollywood and Ideology: Race and Ethnicity
Film: The Defiant Ones (Stanley Kramer, 1958)
Week 8: Hollywood and Ideology II: Antebellum South
Film: Dixie (A. Edward Sutherland, 1943)
IV. New Trends
Week 9: Independent and Exploitation Cinema (B films)
Film: Jailhouse Rock (Richard Thorpe, 1957)
Week 10: Auteurs and a ‘New’ Hollywood
Film: Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the Hollywood filmmaking style
- Identity key industrial contexts of Hollywood
- Consider ideology in relation to Hollywood as an American Industry
- Understand certain political contexts that has informed Hollywood Cinema
Indicative reading list
Reading lists can be found in Talis
Specific reading list for the module
Subject specific skills
This module develops skills of audio-visual literacy, through historical, textual, and ideological analysis of the moving image. It develops the student's understanding of frameworks that have been relevant to the study of Hollywood cinema.
Transferable skills
critical and analytical thinking
independent research skills
teamwork
clarity and effectiveness of communication- written and oral
accurate and persuasive writing
audio-visual literacy
Study time
| Type | Required |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 9 sessions of 1 hour (25%) |
| Seminars | 9 sessions of 1 hour (25%) |
| Other activity | 18 hours (50%) |
| Total | 36 hours |
Private study description
No private study requirements defined for this module.
Other activity description
Screenings each week
Costs
No further costs have been identified for this module.
You must pass all assessment components to pass the module.
Assessment group A1
| Weighting | Study time | Eligible for self-certification | |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment component |
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| Essay | 80% | Yes (extension) | |
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An extended piece of work that will require detailed discussion of one, or a combination, of the theoretical, analytical and historical aspects of, and approaches to, Hollywood Cinema covered during the module. Detailed information will be provided early in the term including the essay questions. |
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Reassessment component is the same |
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Assessment component |
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| Essay Plan and Introduction | 20% | Yes (extension) | |
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Students will submit a plan of their final essay and a draft introduction |
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Reassessment component is the same |
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Feedback on assessment
Written feedback sheets and annotated essays
Pre-requisites
To take this module, you must have passed:
Courses
This module is Core for:
- Year 2 of UFIA-W620 Undergraduate Film Studies
- Year 2 of UFIA-QW25 Undergraduate Film and Literature
- Year 2 of UFRA-R1WA Undergraduate French with Film Studies