FS 305—Alfred Hitchcock
Fall 2013
Instructor: Jeff Bersett
office hours: M/Th 11:00-12:30
phone: 7259 / office: TC 412
email: [email protected]
Photo credits: http://lechatmasque.wordpress.com/2011/02/09/retrospective-hitchcock-lumiere-notorious-enchaines-ingrid-bergman-carygrant/,http://www.dennisreedjr.com/blog/alfred-hitchcocks-enormous-balls/,http://popcultureperversion.com/2012/07/04/hitchcocks-psycho-theprequel-tv-series/
“The cinema—especially the Hollywood cinema—is a commercial medium. Hitchcock’s films are—
usually—popular: indeed, some of his best films (Rear Window, Psycho) are among his most popular.
From this arises a widespread assumption that however “clever,” “technically brilliant,” “amusing,”
“gripping,” etc., they may be, they can’t be taken seriously as we take, say, the films of Bergman or
Antonioni seriously. They must be, if not absolutely bad, at least fatally flawed from a serious
standpoint.”
—Robin Wood
This course will confront the assumption described by Wood in the introduction to his study of Alfred
Hitchcock’s films. We will analyze a selection of the director’s films and related topics in an effort to
trace the evolution of both the filmmaker and his work. Film viewings will be supplemented by reading
the work of noted critics (primarily Wood and Sterritt, though there will be cameo appearances by others)
and class discussion. Students will be required to construct analyses of films—descriptive, comparative,
and theoretical—on a regular basis. There will be a mid-term exam in which students will be asked to
respond to prevailing critical views on Hitchcock, and a final paper in which students will do an in-depth
analysis of the Hitchcock film of their choice.
COURSE OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT
At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to:
-demonstrate an ability to define and apply the critical and technical language associated with
film studies, as well as other important analytical tools, such as classic narrative form and nonnarrative forms, mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing, sound, and modes of screen reality.
-demonstrate their critical thinking and analytical skills appropriate to the discipline of film
studies.
-demonstrate their ability to employ research skills, including the use of appropriate print and
electronic sources in the discipline.
-demonstrate their public presentation and listening skills.
-demonstrate their ability to articulate, through close reading and writing, their own worldviews.
They will be able to explain and respond thoughtfully to the social, ideological, and esthetic
values implied in film texts through their close readings and reflections.
These outcomes will be assessed, as appropriate, through class activities and assignments that include
discussion, presentations, written assignments (in the form of both reflection papers and research
projects, quizzes, and a mid-term exam). Please see the course requirements below for more detailed
information.
FS 305— 2
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Students will be required to do the following:
1) Attend every class period. Constant discussion is required in the development of critical
thinking, and therefore any student who misses more than 3 class periods will be deducted one
full grade for each absence beyond the third—from A to B, B to C, etc.
2) Come to class prepared. The discussion mentioned above cannot occur if students have not
viewed the films and done the reading. Readings will be monitored through quizzes and
discussion.
3) Participate actively in discussion. Nonparticipation will be considered cause for significant
grade reduction, no matter how good a student’s written work may be.
4) Give several presentations—two during the course and one during the final period.
5) Write two analytical papers during the semester, plus one final paper.
6) Take a mid-term exam.
7) Maintain an open mind. Cinema is a complex art form, and (most of the time) a complex
business. We always need to examine films in their contexts (ie, a period when gender roles were
not defined as they are today), and as artistic artifacts (so that we may see what achievement they
represent). There may be some material that some students might find objectionable in
some way—there is no intention on the part of the instructor to offend; the goal is to
develop a greater understanding of what is out there, and in order to do so we may have to
suffer through some uncomfortable moments. In addition to respecting the medium and its
artists, the students will need to respect each other, maintaining an open environment for
meaningful intellectual dialogue.
READING AND QUIZZES
The instructor will monitor your reading through the use of several different types of quizzes. ALWAYS
DO THE READING! If you come to class unprepared, it will be painfully obvious, and your grade will
suffer.
PAPERS AND PRESENTATIONS
You will be required to write several papers and give several short presentations during the semester, and
then do a longer paper and presentation at the end of the course. In these activities, you will apply
theoretical material learned in this and other courses (ie, Giannetti’s principles of understanding movies,
or current Hitchcock criticism) to specific Hitchcock films. For example, you will demonstrate how
narrative functions in The 39 Steps, or how Wood’s take on North by Northwest is bogus. The instructor
will provide ample guidance on these matters—for starters, there are descriptions of these assignments at
the end of the syllabus. Look there!
REQUIRED TEXTS
David Sterritt. The Films of Alfred Hitchcock. Cambridge University Press, 1993.
François Truffaut. Hitchcock. Simon and Schuster, 1985.
Robin Wood. Hitchcock’s Films Revisited (Revised Edition). Columbia University Press, 2002.
Louis Giannetti. Understanding Movies (any edition). Prentice Hall.
GRADE BREAKDOWN
Participation and attendance
Reading homework
Papers
Presentations
Mid-Term
Final Project
10%
5%
30% (15% each)
15% (7.5% each)
15%
25% (20% paper, 5% presentation)
FS 305— 3
CELL PHONES
Cell phones are not allowed in my classroom. They must be turned OFF and put away. If I see your cell
phone once class has begun, you will be marked absent for the day, no questions asked.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Westminster College’s policy on academic integrity will be rigorously enforced in this class. Please refer
to the Student Handbook and the College Catalog for details of the policy. If you are not certain as to
what constitutes an infraction against this policy, such as cheating or plagiarism, do not hesitate to
consult the instructor (BEFORE, NOT AFTER, YOU TURN IN ANY WORK ABOUT WHICH YOU
MAY HAVE DOUBTS). The consequences for violation of this policy in this course will be as follows:
If you commit an act of plagiarism or are caught cheating in any way on any assignment (or
commit any other violation of the College policy), you will fail the course and be reported to the
Vice President of Academic Affairs.
ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT
Westminster College actively strives for the full inclusion of all our students. Students with disabilities
who require access solutions for environmental or curricular barriers should contact Faith Craig, Director
of Disability Support Services, located in 209 Thompson-Clark Hall. phone: 724-946-7192 e-mail:
[email protected]
CALENDAR
Date
8/28
8/30
Date
9/2
9/3
9/4
9/6
Week 1—Knife!
In Class
Course Introduction
Screening: Blackmail (1929, 85 m.)
Presentations and discussion
Reading
Wood ix-xliv
Week 2—The Roll Begins. The Double Chase.
In Class
Reading
Presentations and discussion
Wood 249-274
Truffaut 11-20, 63-69
Screening: The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934, 75 m.)—TC 210, 8pm
Screening: The 39 Steps (1935, 86 m.)
Presentations and discussion
Wood 1-51, 275-283
Truffaut 89-94
Date
9/9
9/10
9/11
9/13
Week 3—Paranoid Women
In Class
Presentations and discussion
Screening: The Lady Vanishes (1938, 96 m.)—TC 210, 8pm
Screening: Rebecca (1940, 130 m.)
Presentations and discussion
Date
9/16
9/18
9/20
Week 4—Open Your Eyes
In Class
Presentations and discussion
Screening: Foreign Correspondent (1940, 120 m.)
Presentations and discussion
Reading
Truffaut 94-103
Wood 239-248
Reading
Truffaut 116-125, 127-133
Truffaut 133-139
Week 5—Paranoid Women II (What’s up with Joan Fontaine?), and
The Double Chase II (The Wrong Man)
FS 305— 4
Date
9/23
9/24
9/25
9/27
Date
9/30
10/1
10/2
10/4
Date
10/7
10/9
10/11
Date
10/14
10/15
10/16
10/18
Date
10/21
10/22
10/23
10/25
Date
10/28
10/29
10/30
11/1
In Class
Presentations and discussion
Screening: Suspicion (1941, 99 m.)—TC 210, 8pm
Screening: Saboteur (1942, 109 m.)
Presentations and discussion
Reading
Truffaut 140-143
Week 6—Perversion, and Hello, Dalí!
In Class
Reading
Presentations and discussion
Truffaut 145-151
Paper 1 due
Screening: Shadow of a Doubt (1943, 108 m.)—Mueller Theater, 8pm
Screening: Spellbound (1945, 111 m.)
Presentations and discussion
Wood 288-302
Sterritt 52-64
Week 7—Follow that MacGuffin
In Class
Presentations and discussion
Screening: Notorious (1946, 101 m.)
Presentations and discussion
Reading
Truffaut 151-155, 163-167
Wood 303-355
Week 8—Another Early Psycho, and The Wrong Woman (in 3-D!)
In Class
Reading
Presentations and discussion
Truffaut 167-173
Mid-term exam due
Screening: Strangers on a Train (1951, 101 m.)—Mueller Theater, 8pm
Screening: Dial M for Murder (1954, 105 m.)
Presentations and discussion
Wood 86-99
Truffaut 193-199
Week 9—Peeping Toms and Creeping Cats (or, The Right Woman)
In Class
Reading
Presentations and discussion
Truffaut 209-213
Screening: Rear Window (1954, 112 m.)—TC 210, 8pm
Screening: To Catch a Thief (1955, 106 m.)
Presentations and discussion
Wood 100-107
Truffaut 213-223
Week 10—Love, Death and Fall Foliage
In Class
Reading
Fall Break—no class!
Presentations and discussion
Truffaut 223-226
Screening: The Trouble with Harry (1955, 99 m.)
Presentations and discussion
Truffaut 226-227
FS 305— 5
Date
11/4
11/5
11/6
11/8
Date
11/11
11/13
11/15
Date
11/18
11/19
11/20
11/22
Date
11/25
11/27
11/29
Date
12/2
12/4
12/6
Week 11—Men of All Sorts
In Class
Reading
Presentations and discussion
Screening: The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956, 120 m.)—TC 210, 8pm
Screening: The Wrong Man (1956, 105 m.)
Presentations and discussion
Wood 358-370
Truffaut 227-233
Week 12—The Best Movie Ever Made?
In Class
Reading
Presentations and discussion
Sterritt 65-81
Truffaut 235-243
Paper 2 due
Screening: Vertigo (1958, 128 m.)
Presentations and discussion
Wood 108-130, 371-387
Week 13—The Double Chase III (The Right Man), and... The Wrongest Man
In Class
Reading
Presentations and discussion
Sterritt 82-99
Truffaut 243-249
Screening: North by Northwest (1959, 136 m.)—TC 210, 8pm
Screening: Psycho (1960, 109 m.)
Presentations and discussion
Wood 131-141
Truffaut 249-257, 259-266
Week 14—Pre-Birds Bird—It’s Why They’re All Mad at Us
In Class
Reading
Presentations and discussion
Wood 142-151
Sterritt 100-118
Truffaut 266-283
Thanksgiving Break—no class
Thanksgiving Break—no class
Week 15—Birdpocalypse, Birdmageddon
In Class
Reading
Presentations and discussion
Screening: The Birds (1963, 119 m.)
Presentations and discussion
Wood 152-172
Sterritt 119-143
Final Paper due
Truffaut 285-289
FINAL PERIOD:
Friday, December 13—8:00am-10:30am
FS 305— 6
PRESENTATION GUIDELINES
Each student will be required to give a minimum of two presentations during the course of the semester
(not including the final presentation). The two types of presentations to be given are as follows.
1) Analytical presentation. The student will apply some aspect of technical analysis (such as
cinematography, editing, mise-en-scène, sound design, etc.), as described by Giannetti, to the film she or
he is assigned to present. Thus, a student may give a presentation on art direction in The Lady Vanishes,
or ideology as seen in Saboteur or Shadow of a Doubt, or the use of new technologies in later films, to
cite just a few of the vertigo-inducing possibilities. The student will be graded on both her/his
comprehension of the concepts, as well as her/his application of those concepts to the film in question.
2) Reading presentation. The student will present her/his interpretation of reading material assigned for
the course and/or other material written in reference to the film in question. Thus, a student may discuss
Wood’s ideas with regard to a specific film, or compare and contrast his views on Psycho with those of
Sterritt, etc. The student will be graded on both her/his expression of the views of the critics, as well as
her/his application of those views to the film in question.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES
Each student will be required to write two in-semester papers, and these will mimic the presentations.
Thus, one paper will analyze a film from a technical standpoint, while the other will apply ideas from
secondary sources to the analysis of a film. These papers will each be 3-5 pages long. More details on
these assignments will be given in class.
The final paper will be a synthesis of these two assignments. The student will chose an appropriate film
and do a complete analysis of it as an example of Hitchcock’s work, addressing both technical issues and
the views of other critics. This paper will be 5-7 pages long. (NOTE: The final presentation will be a
summary of your findings from this project.)
FS 305— 7
HITCHCOCK FILMOGRAPHY (Features only—does not include shorts or television
shows)
(Titles in boldface are those to be screened in this course.)
0. Number 13 (1922, unfinished)
1. The Pleasure Garden (1925)
2. The Mountain Eagle (1926)
3. The Lodger (1927)
4. The Ring (1927)
5. Downhill (1927)
6. The Farmer’s Wife (1928)
7. Easy Virtue (1928)
8. Champagne (1928)
9. The Manxman (1929)
10. Blackmail (1929)
11. Juno and the Paycock (1929)
12. Murder (1930)
13. The Skin Game (1931)
14. Rich and Strange (1931)
15.Number 17 (1932)
16. Waltzes from Vienna (1934)
17. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934)
18. The 39 Steps (1935)
19. Secret Agent (1936)
20. Sabotage (1936)
21. Young and Innocent (1937)
22. The Lady Vanishes (1938)
23. Jamaica Inn (1939)
24. Rebecca (1940)
25. Foreign Correspondent (1940)
26. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (1941)
27. Suspicion (1941)
28. Saboteur (1942)
29. Shadow of a Doubt (1943)
30. Lifeboat (1944)
31. Spellbound (1945)
32. Notorious (1946)
33. The Paradine Case (1947)
34. Rope (1948)
35. Under Capricorn (1949)
36. Stage Fright (1950)
37. Strangers on a Train (1951)
38. I Confess (1953)
39. Dial M for Murder (1954)
40. Rear Window (1954)
41. To Catch a Thief (1955)
42. The Trouble with Harry (1955)
43. The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
44. The Wrong Man (1956)
45. Vertigo (1958)
46. North by Northwest (1959)
47. Psycho (1960)
48. The Birds (1963)
49. Marnie (1964)
50. Torn Curtain (1966)
51. Topaz (1969)
52. Frenzy (1972)
53. Family Plot (1976)