Anotace
Charles University, Faculty of Arts
East and Central European Studies
Fall 2016
Surrealism and Eastern and Central European Cinema
CUFA F 365
Instructor: Richard Capes
Email: ceno_bite@yahoo.com
Office Hours: by appointment
Class Days/Time: Seminar 1: Mondays 17:30-19:00, Film Screening: Mondays 19:00-20:45, Seminar 2: Wednesdays : 17:30-19:15
Classroom: 326
Please note that this syllabus is subject to change. All changes to the syllabus will be announced in class.
Course Description
What is the relationship between surrealism and cinema? How has this relationship changed since the surrealist movement first emerged in the early 1920s? And what makes a particular film or film maker surrealist? These are some of the key questions explored in Surrealism and Eastern and Central European Cinema, a course that aims to chart the history of surrealist filmmaking, with a focus on surrealist films produced in Eastern and central Europe from the mid-1960s to the present day. Students will develop an in-depth understanding of key concepts related to surrealism, which they will use to analyse and evaluate a variety of surrealist films, such as Juraj Herz's The Cremator (1969), Jan Švankmajer's Alice (1988), and Béla Tarr's Werckmeister Harmonies (2000). In addition, they will also examine the influence of central and Eastern European surrealist films on filmmakers from outside the region, such as David Lynch (Blue Velvet [1986]) and the Quay brothers (Institute Benjumenta [1995]).
The course consists of two seminars a week (one of 90-minutes; the other, of 105-minutes) and a film screening (film times vary).
Course Goals
to enable students to evaluate the political/philosophical/aesthetic aims of surrealist filmmakers
to enable students to use key concepts from surrealism to analyse film texts
to explore the development of surrealist filmmaking in central and Eastern Europe
to examine the influence of central and Eastern European surrealist films on film makers from outside the region
Required Reading
'First Surrealist Manifesto' by André Breton
'Alice's Adventure in Wonderland' and 'Alice Through the Looking Glass' by Lewis Carroll
'The Story of the Eye' by Georges Bataille
'Philosophy in the Boudoir' by The Marquis de Sade (also known as 'Philosophy in the Bedroom')
'Valerie and Her Week of Wonders' by Vítězslav Nezval
'The Death of Ivan Ilych' by Leo Tolstoy
Secondary Reading
'The Age of Gold: Surrealist Cinema' by Robert Short
'Dada & Surrealism' by Robert Short
'The Shadow and Its Shadow: Surrealist Writings on the Cinema' by Paul Hammond (ed.)
'What is Surrealism?' by André Breton
'Second Surrealist Manifesto' by André Breton
'The Unsilvered Screen: Surrealism on Film' by Graeme Harper
'Surrealism and Cinema' by Michael Richardson
'Dada and Surrealist Film' by Rudolf E Kuenzli
'Dada and Surrealism: A Very Short Introduction' by David Hopkins
'Manifestoes of Surrealism' by André Breton
'The Czechoslovak New Wave' by Peter Hames
'The Cinema of Jan Svankmajer: Dark Alchemy', edited by Peter Hames
'Czech and Slovak Cinema: Theme and Tradition' by Peter Hames
'The Interpretation of Dreams' by Sigmund Freud
Classroom Procedures
I expect my students to:
attend all of the seminars and screenings
participate in all seminar discussions
arrive on time for both film screenings and seminars
have their mobile phones turned off during film screenings and seminars
complete all of the required reading for the course
read all of the emails I send them in full
complete all tasks that I assign them
Assignments and Grading Policy
Grades based on letters A through F will be given. ECES does not provide courses with pass/fail grades.
Participation*: 20 %
Presentation (15-20 minutes in length): 35 %
Final Paper (2,500 – 3,000 words in length): 45 %
* = A record of student participation will be made every seminar. Those students who regularly fail to play an active role in class discussions will receive 0% for participation.
Important Note: Students who fail to complete +any+ of the required reading for the course will receive a final grade of no higher than a 'C'.
Attendance
Regular and punctual class attendance is mandatory for all students. Absence of 180 minutes is allowed. Three or more absences (90 minutes each) lower the grade automatically (A to A-, A to B+ in case of 4 absences etc.). Students must attend at least 70 % of the course. If a student attends less than 70 % of the class meetings, he or she will receive the final grade 'F' on their transcript.
Presentation Policy: Missing the presentation will result in an F (when applicable). If the student wants to switch the date, he/she must find someone to do it and both students must confirm the change in e-mails to the professor at least 10 days in advance. If the student is sick and has a medical note, then the professor must agree with the student on how the work will be made up for.
Final Test or Paper Policy: Completing the final test or paper is required. Failure to submit the final test or paper according to the deadline will result in a letter grade F for the entire course.
For further details, please see the Attendance Policy at the ECES website under “Academic Policies and Procedures”: http://eces.ff.cuni.cz/.
Student Responsibility and Code of Conduct
Standards of study and conduct in the ECES Program are set and maintained. You are subject to the general standards and requirements of Charles University in regard to attendance, examinations, and conduct, as well as to specific requirements of the program. The student is expected to assume the initiative in completing all requirements at the time specified.
It is the responsibility of the student to be informed concerning all regulations and procedures required. In no case will a regulation be waived or an exception granted because a student pleads ignorance of the regulation or asserts that he/she was not informed by an advisor or other authority.
Charles University expects all students to adhere to the highest standards of ethics and academic integrity. Students certify that all work (whether an examination, research paper, research project, form of creative expression, or any other academic undertaking) submitted for evaluation, presentation, or publication meets these standards.
All forms of academic fraud are strictly prohibited. An automatic grade of F will result for the entire course if a student is found guilty of academic misconduct. These include, but are not limited to:
• Plagiarism
• Cheating
• Falsification
• Violation of professional ethics
• Misrepresentation or research data
Weekly Schedule
Week 1
What is Surrealism?: An Introduction.
This week's seminars will focus on the meaning, origin, ideas, and aims of surrealism. Students will be encouraged to study André Breton's first surrealist manifesto, explore the differences between Dada and surrealism, recognise the importance of Freud's theories regarding the unconscious on the surrealist movement's ideas, and analyse two surrealist film classics, both of which were made close to the start of the movement's development: Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali's Un Chien Andalou (1929, FR) and Jean Vigo's Zero for Conduct (1933, FR). They will also compare and contrast the former film with Max Ernst's film Desire (1947, US), and explore the surreal elements of some of Ernst's most important paintings and collages.
Films:
Un Chien Andalou (1929, Luis Buñuel & Salvador Dali, 21 minutes)
Europe After the Rain: Dada & Surrealism (1978, Mick Gold, 90-minutes)
Zero for Conduct (1933, Jean Vigo, 41 minutes)
Desire (1947, Max Ernst, 10-minutes)
Darkness Light Darkness (1989, Jan Švankmajer, 6-minutes)
Required readings:
- 'First Surrealist Manifesto' by André Breton, provided by course tutor
- 'What is Surrealism?' handout, provided by the course tutor
Week 2
More Buñuel: 'Belle De Jour' (1967) + The Marquis de Sade
In this week's seminars, we will return to the work of the surrealist film maker Luis Buñuel, focusing on his classic surrealist film Belle de Jour. Students will consider what makes this film a surrealist film, and whether or not this is the best 'genre' of film to situate it within. They will also be asked to compare and contrast the film with the other films they seen on the course so far in order to illuminate its similarities and differences. Moreover, students will explore what the film tells us about sex, love, and desire, as well as the importance of the writings of the Marquis de Sade to Buñuel and other notable surrealists, such as Jan Švankmajer. They will also examine the inter-textual presence of Lewis Carroll's Alice books in Belle de Jour.
Films:
Luis Buñuel's Belle de Jour (1967)
Luis Buñuel's L'âge d'or (1930) – may show excerpts from
Jan Švankmajer's Conspirators of Pleasure (1996) – may show excerpts from
Required readings:
- Marquis de Sade's Philosophy in the Bedroom (1795), available online in full (for free and in English) here
- Selected interviews, articles and essays, provided by the course tutor
Week 3
Surrealism and Feminism 1: 'Daisies' (1966) + The Prague Spring & Surrealism: 'The Cremator' (1969)
This week's first seminar will focus on Věra Chytilová's Daisies (1966). Students will be asked to analyse and evaluate the film and, in doing so, consider some of the following questions: (1) What makes the film a surrealist film? (2) What are the similarities and differences between the film and other surrealist films, past and present? (3) Is the film a feminist film? (4) How successful is the film at being both feminist and surrealist? (5) How does consideration of the film as surreal