Discusses how an assessment of "Le Livre de Marie" and "Je Vous Salue, Marie" risks reproducing the feminine/masculine dynamic by posing the films as male and female versions of the Marian myth. Acknowledges that evidence for this dichotomy exists, but both directors succeed in activating the Marian myth in ways that do not…

Argues that James Blue's complex documentaries had a limited effect on television viewers, but the films were a success nonetheless. States that it is vital to think of the complex documentary in terms of process, holding it accountable neither to the demands of the media's market economy nor to the stakes of political infighting. (PA)

Finds "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" functions as a "surprisingly accurate cultural translation" of de Troyes's "Perceval" text. Suggests that using such films helps students open a door upon film studies and discursive studies that will serve them well as they adapt to their own historical moment. (PA)

Analyzes similarities and differences between Henry Fonda's character Colonel Thursday in John Ford's "Fort Apache" and the historical figure of General George Armstrong Custer. States that historical parallels between Thursday's military defeat and Custer's are, for the most part, fairly obvious. (PA)

Suggests American screenwriters experiment with the lighting, colors, perspectives, angles, and positioning of images in works of art to generate narrative. Argues that American screenwriters, unlike European counterparts, unnecessarily adhere to the concept that characterization is essential to generate narrative. (KEH)

Examines similarities and differences between writing short, live-action narrative films and writing feature films. Examines market influence, budget, structure, and story factors. Describes useful procedures for inclusion in a scriptwriting class. (KEH)

Explores the significance of Robert Altman's film "Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson." States that this film examines the western as a national myth and as a commercial entertainment form. Discusses questions about the moral authority of the hero and the consequences for Native Americans of western…

This syllabus, based on a genre approach to experimental works, focuses on exploring film both as a personal expression and as a medium, rather than as mass entertainment. (PD)

Reviews the selection of screenwriting texts as well as other material available to the screenwriter teacher and screenwriter. Focuses on writing materials for film and prime time television only. (KEH)

Analyzes "The Italian" (1915), an early "immigrant" film, examining its problematic relation to questions of working-class and middle-class audience composition. Shows how this film reveals that the creation of narratives suitable for diverse audiences requires continuous readjustment of an adequate mode of address. (MM)

Argues that a study of adaptation affects the view of Douglas Sirk as a creator of social critique. Proposes interventions into adaptation studies and critical response to Sirk by attending to multiple activations of "All That Heaven Allows." Demonstrates the importance of the archaeology of film studies criticism to an understanding of…

Explains the concepts of spectator positioning, supplement (as defined by Jacques Derrida), and plenitude in relation to the study of woman's films, in general, and the film "Committed" (1984), in particular. Considers how the film's indirect mode of public address disturbs conventional gender alignments and the distinction between…

Muses on the reasons for a "director's cut" of the 1969 Soviet film "The Color of Pomegranates," produced after the official version had initially been heavily reedited. Offers historical background on the film. States that it places unusual demands on its audiences, especially because of its density of texture and its…

Discusses the value to film studies of a 1971 publication, "The World Viewed," a serious study of film which was not well received by the field and whose usefulness is still almost unknown. Finds that the author, Stanley Cavell, endeavors to find words of a common language and that his writings exemplify the importance of intuition and…

Argues that a postmodern theory of identity (i.e., the subject as coherent, integrated, discoverable self is a fiction of modernity) links Martin Scorsese's major films. Examines "Taxi Driver,""Raging Bull," and "King of Comedy." Concludes that these films articulate a major cultural shift and chronicle a…