Friday, February 26

We continued our discussion of the Beyond Doubt documentary, hearing from several students about what they found significant in it, and re-viewing several parts of Shadow in response.

Thursday, February 25

Students took notes on Beyond Doubt, a documentary about the making of Shadow of a Doubt, and we began to discuss what they found of interest or significance in the film.

Students turned in those notes at the end of class.

Wednesday, February 24

We returned to the concept of motifs, in music and in film, listening to the beginning of Prokoviev's Peter and the Wolf for illustration of the former, then made a list of certain visual motifs in Shadow of a Doubt, includings shadows themselves, smoke (those two intersecting crucially in the scene of Uncle Charle's arrival), and stairs -- the three S's.

Tuesday, February 23

Students turned in their Academy Award-related assignments, and we looked at who some students had singled out as leading film composers through the years (e.g., Alfred Newman and John Williams), then learned a little about Dmitri Tiomkin, pal of Sergei Prokoviev, and composer of the score for Shadow of a Doubt and 127 other films.

We returned then to the music in Shadow's library scene and from there to a discussion of musical motifs more broadly, and to the use of motifs more generally in art, architecture, literature and film.

Monday, February 22

We began to examine Shadow of a Doubt, starting with "The Merry Widow Waltz," its significance within the film, and the transformations Dmitri Tiomkin puts it through to accompany the film.

Students identified short scenes or images which stuck with them from the film, and we looked at one of those, the library scene, with an eye (ear) for both the music and the use of the camera and of lighting.

HW due Tuesday:
Academy Awards assignment. See Friday, February 12, and the Documents and Links pages.

Friday, February 12

Students took an open-packet quiz over "Classic American Cinema: Style."

HW due Tuesday, February 23:
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences assignment (see Documents page and Links page).
Apropos of the upcoming Academy Awards event, students are to research and briefly describe some of the different "arts and sciences" which the awards recognize. What are the jobdescriptions for each category? Who are some of the most famous practicioners of each art and what movies did they work on?


Thursday, February 11
Mr. P was absent.
Students finished watching Shadow of a Doubt.

Wednesday, February 10

We watched more of Shadow of a Doubt, up through the library scene.

HW due Friday:
Read "Classical Hollwood Cinema" packet in preparation for a quiz.