Wednesday, Septenber 30

We continued our analysis of the library scene in Shadow of a Doubt as a model of a single-scene analysis of the kind required for the assigned essay. We then looked at and began to analyze a scene from Night of the Hunter.

HW due Monday, October 5:
First paragraph of the single-scene analysis, introducing the film and explaining why you chose the specific scene and how it fits into the film as a whole.

Monday, September 28

Students received assignment sheets for the first outside viewing paper, which is due October 9, and checked out DVD's and VHS tapes of the films which they will write about. The essay is to be a detailed, in-depth analysis of a single scene in the film, examining such elements as mise en scene, pictorial composition, lighting, camera angles and movement, film editing, and sound.

After that we began to examine the library scene in Shadow of a Doubt as a model of how to analyze a single scene as students will do in their essays.

HW due Friday, October 9:
Outside viewing essay (single scene analysis). There will be at least one intermediate deadline before Oct. 9

Friday, September 25

We finished Beyond Doubt and students turned in their notes, after which we talked very briefly about what students had found noteworthy.

Thursday, September 24

We continued our examination of motifs in Shadow of a Doubt, especially images of stairs and shadows. Near the end of the period we began watching Beyond a Doubt, a (rather uneven) documentary about the making of Hitchcock's film. Students took notes, which they will hand in Friday when we finish watching the documentary.

Wednesday, September 23

We continued our examination of leading visual motifs in Shadow of a Doubt, most notably stairs (which we connected with the broader matter of low and high camera angles and their role in expressing the film's power struggles), smoke, and of course shadows.

Tuesday, September 22

Mr. P. introduced the concept of "motifs" in art & architecture, in music, in literature -- and in film. Afterwards students identified leading visual motifs in Shadow of a Doubt, such as Uncle Charlie's cigar and smoke more generally, shadows (of course), pairs or doubling, and stairs. We looked again at several key examples, especially the image of smoke and shadow as the train pulls in to Santa Rosa. Mr. P read a passage from Francois Truffaut's interview with Alfred Hitchcock in which they discuss that scene.

Monday, September 21

We watched the final twenty minutes of Shadow of a Doubt, then discussed its themes, especially the loss of innocence, centering on the character of young Charlie. We also discussed how that theme was relevant to the larger world situation in 1943.


Friday, September 18

After a brief review of the film so far we watched more of Shadow of a Doubt till the end of the period.