Cinema Auteurs

Catalog description

This course focuses on the films of a selected director or group of directors through the critical concept of the cinematic auteur. Students will discuss and analyze numerous films that represent a filmmaker's body of work, as well as explore what it means for a film director to be considered the "author" of a film. The course provides students with an understanding of how "auteur criticism" developed and functions within cinema studies and cinema history while also offering an in-depth exploration of the stylistic and thematic specificity of a notable director (or directors). The course may focus on the director(s) within frameworks ranging from biographical background and their creative influence on film and culture to the social, professional, or political contexts that help define the director's works. Course may be repeated for credit with focus on a different director.