Friday, January 30

Students turned in late papers and extra-credit worksheets and we watched the ending of O Brother, Where Art Thou?, then said auf Wiedersehen.

Students should come back next week to return any unreturned films and to check on any questions regarding grades.

Wednesday, January 28

We discussed yesterday's handout concerning Invasion of the Body Snatchers, and specifically the question what sort of conformity this anti-conformity movie is warning us against.

Afterwards, we watched the firest twenty minutes of O Brother, Where Art Thou?

HW due Thursday: Second outside-viewing essay.

Tuesday, January 27

Students took the final exam.

Mr. Potratz distributed a handout presenting different perspectives on the politics of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, after which we decided on O Brother, Where Art Thou? as the final film of the class.

HW due Wednesday: Read today's handout
HW due Thursday: Second outside viewing paper

Monday, January 26

We watched the last half hour of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, then discussed whether it is about Communism or anti-Communism (i.e., are the pod people Communists or McCarthyites?).

Final exam tomorrow
(See Friday's entry.)

Friday, January 23

Mr. Potratz announced that the final examination will be on Tuesday (January 27), that it will consist of four or five clips from films (some of which we have seen), each played twice, which students will be required to analyze in terms of specific filmic elements. Those elements will be the same (camera, lighting, etc.) as those analyzed in the second outside viewing essay (due Thursday, January 29), and preparation for the exam should include careful rereading of the Classic Hollywood Style packet.

We watched twenty-five more minutes of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Thursday, January 22

We examined the ending of Murder, My Sweet and its contrast with Farewell, My Lovely, the Raymond Chandler novel on which it was based. This happy Hollywood ending takes the film (even further) away from the noir underworld.

We then looked briefly at a more serious imposition of the forces of light on Hollywood movies, namely the Hollywood Blacklist, and watched six minutes of a documentary about that chapter in film (and U.S.) history.

Finally, we began watching Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Students were asked to ponder while watching the film what the real-world relevance of this film was in the 1950's and what it is today.

Wednesday, January 21

We finished watching Murder, My Sweet, then discussed it and the larger phenomenon of film noir.

Students turned in the notes they took while watching the film.