ENGL 368(S) Documentary Fictions

What particular claims and commitments (aesthetic, social, and historical) does film elicit when it presents itself as a record of the real? "Documentary Fictions" is an inquiry into the status of a cinema whose objects are both found and constructed. Using readings in film theory, photography, and cultural studies, we will consider films ranging in style from the transparent "realism" of Nanook of the North to such self-conscious constructions as The Thin Blue Line. Theoretical approaches will be drawn from work by Freud, Metz, and Vertov. Filmmakers will probably include the Maysle Brothers, Luis Bunuel, Maya Deren, Shirley Clarke, Stan Brakhage, Georges Franju, and Frederick Wiseman, along with some consideration of recent trends in television news, "factual recreations," and new digital media. Requirements: a regular journal, one short paper, and a 15-20 page paper. Major Seminar. Open only to English majors and to qualified non-majors. Permission of English Department chair required; see information above. Enrollment limited to 15. (Criticism)

Hour:  ROSENHEIM