The purpose of this course is to provide an introduction to the history and scope of French cinema all the way to the present time through the analysis of key works of the French film canon. Particular attention will be paid to successive period styles (“le réalisme poétique”, “la qualité française”, “la nouvelle vague”, “le film de banlieue”, etc.) as well as various genres (war, drama, comedy, crime, etc.) and the notion of auteurism. A variety of critical lenses will be used (psychoanalysis, socio-historical and cultural context, politics, esthetics, gender…) to better understand the specificities and complexities of these films. This course will help you enhance your analytical skills through the in-depth study of key scenes. You will learn to identify the formal techniques specific to the film medium and inscribe their relevance within both a historical and theoretical context.

The lecture is conducted in English; students seeking French credit should register for the FREN 230-401 lecture and FREN 230-402 recitation; the latter is conducted in French. The CIMS lecture (CIMS 245-401) and recitation (CIMS 245-403) are taught in English.