Courses > 2019 Spring

Electives

CIMS 081 - FILM MUSIC POST 1950 ITALY

MUSC 081 | ITAL 081
401 | SEM | Jamuna Samuel | TR 1:30-3pm | LERN 101

Based on the premise that sound is an integral part of form and meaning in film, this course explores cinematic sound-worlds through the lens of specific composer/director collaborations in post-1950 Italy. Our focus is on scores and soundtracks but taking into account the interaction of diegetic and non-diegetic music with larger soundscapes. Composers Nino Rota and Ennio Morricone serve as case studies in the context of partnerships with directors Fellini, Visconti, Leone, Pontecorvo, Pasolini, and Coppola. Course highlights include several excerpts from the Fellini/Rota collaboration, including The White Sheik, I vitelloni, The Road, Nights of Cabiria, La dolce vita, 8 1/2, Juliet of the Spirits, Satyricon, The Clowns, Roma, Amarcord, Casanova, and Orchestra Rehearsal; Rota’s writing for Visconti will be examined in Senso, The Leopard, and Rocco and His Brothers, along with his transatlantic collaboration for The Godfather. Morricone’s work for various directors will be discussed in connection with The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, The Battle of Algiers, and Teorema, as well with American films such as Malick’s Days of Heaven and, more recently, Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight. Weekly screenings required. Knowledge of music and Italian helpful but not required. Translations and listening guides will be provided.