Buster Keaton in The General (1926). (Public domain image.)
Instructor(s)
Prof. David Thorburn
MIT Course Number
21L.011
As Taught In
Fall 2013
Level
Undergraduate
Course Description
Course Features
- Video lectures
- Captions/transcript
- Lecture notes
- Assignments: written (no examples)
- Instructor insights
Course Description
This course concentrates on close analysis and criticism of a wide range of films, from the early silent period, classic Hollywood genres including musicals, thrillers and westerns, and European and Japanese art cinema. It explores the work of Griffith, Chaplin, Keaton, Capra, Hawks, Hitchcock, Altman, Renoir, DeSica, and Kurosawa. Through comparative reading of films from different eras and countries, students develop the skills to turn their in-depth analyses into interpretations and explore theoretical issues related to spectatorship.
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