Friday, February 27

We continued our discussion of Shadow of a Doubt, focusing on what we learned from watching the Beyond Doubt documentary, and re-viewing and analyzing certain scenes, especially the scene in the library.

Thursday, February 26

We watched Beyond Doubt, a documentary about the making of Shadow of a Doubt, then discussed what we had gleaned from it.

Wednesday, February 25

We continued our analysis of motifs in Shadow of a Doubt, looking at and discussing examples in the three categories we established Tuesday: shadows, smoke and stairs.

We also digressed briefly to consider of two different (but complementary) ways of looking at film.

Tuesday, February 24

Mr. Potratz lectured on what is meant by "motifs" in architecture and design, in music, in literature and in filmn after which we discussed both musical and visual motifs in Shadow of a Doubt, watching the opening scene of the film yet one more time, and connecting details of shadows, smoke, and stairs with instances elsewhere in the film.

Monday, February 23

Students turned in the HW assignment. Due to the dismally low number of assignments submitted, Mr. Potratz kindly consented to give papers turned in today a small amount of extra credit and to accept papers tomorrow at full credit. This one-time dispensation does not imply a change in policy. Late work will still not be accepted without prior arrangement.

Mr. Potratz and the students who did submit work shared with the delinquents some tips about how to find the needed information for the assignment.

Following that, we watched the final brief scene of Shadow of a Doubt and discussed it and what it adds to (or subtracts from) the film's presentation of evil in the world.

For tomorrow: motifs of Shadows, Smoke, and Stairs in the film.

Friday, February 13

We (almost) finished watching Shadow of a Doubt.

HW due Monday, February 23 (the day we return from break):
As per the assignment sheet passed out today, students are to investigate selected categories for which Academy Awards will be given on Sunday the 22nd. For each category they are to (1) explain what the "job description" is -- that is what creative role the person nominated performs in the making of a motion picture, and (2) to list at two of the most famous practicioners of each "art" or "science" over the history of film, and to list at least one film that person worked on (for example: Director: Alfred Hitchcock, Shadow of a Doubt, Psycho; Orson Welles, Citizen Kane, Touch of Evil.)

Typed, double-spaced, in your own words (not copied and pasted).

Suggested resources:
www.imdb.com -- Glossary. On home page, scroll to bottom and select index, then in index select Glossary and look up terms (categories, job descriptions) alphabetically.

www.filmsite.org -- Glossary. At bottom of page select Site Map, then scroll way down till you find gossary & go to it.

www.filmreference.com -- Enclopedia has informative longer entries on some of the categories.

For famous practitioners, try going to www.oscars.com and looking up past recipients of the various awards.

Raw googling is of course another possibility.

Thursday, February 12

First we reviewed what we knew about the various characters from watching the beginning of Shadow of a Doubt; then we watched another half hour of it.