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If you had to teach Film 101: An Intro to Film..... (1 Viewer)

Dome Vongvises

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I just got done with film class, and the thing turned out to be more of an English class than anything. Teacher was one of the coolest people I've had in awhile (read, I've had some nasty professors and this teacher was a breath of fresh air), but damn was he a hard grader.
Anyway, if you had to teach an introductory film course, what films would you pick to teach? Please the category, the film, and the reason why you picked the film.
A Lesson in Editing:
The Passion of Joan of Arc
- I've only seen two silent films in my entire life, and this is one of them. The "inquisition" scenes were extremely well-done, and the reaction shots between the judges and Joan of Arc excellently captured the emotional energy.
A Lesson in Cinematography:
Lawrence of Arabia
- You'll quickly learn why David Lean fell in love with the desert as you watch this classic. An important lesson of using a complex character and setting him against a gorgeous, desert backdrop.
2001: A Space Odyssey
- I've seen this movie only once (I still haven't given it a second chance.....yet), so I'll be brief. I was so severely disappointed with this movie that I can say I hate it. But even then, I have to give props to the cinematographer. Beautiful compositions, especially the "ballet" of the spaceship (still boring though).
A Lesson in Mise-En-Scene:
Singin' in the Rain
- What better way to teach about acting, costume, and setting than this backstage musical. Funny thing, this movie would also be a lesson in sound, too.
A Lesson in Sound:
Star Wars
- This movie is often overlooked for its pioneering efforts in the use of sound. This film is a lesson in how "offscreen" space is enhanced and expanded.
A Lesson in Genre Conventions and Iconography
Rio Bravo
- A sheriff, an ole mine prospector, and an evil ranch hand lend themselves to an old Western classic. Now where's that tumbleweed that's supposed to roll by.....
List away people :D
 

george kaplan

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This is a cool topic, but I'm leaving on vacation today and don't have time to respond in detail right now. But I know I'd include The Apartment, Rear Window and The Godfather at the very least.
 

SteveGon

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A Lesson in Offbeat Scoring
The Third Man
A Lesson in Pandering to the Masses
Armageddon
A Lesson in What Happens When You Drop Acid While Writing a Screenplay
Santa Sangre
A Lesson in How to Justify Nude Scenes
La Belle Noiseuse
 

Chris_Anders

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Here we go:

A lesson in Mise-en-scene

Do the Right Thing: Spike Lee's movie is filled.

A lesson in Cinematography:

The Quiet Man: This John Wayne Flick about an American Boxer in Ireland is just plain beautiful.

A lesson in Editing:

Exotica: Atom Egoyan's terrifically well put together movie is a prime example of edited storytelling

A lesson in sound editing:

Castaway: Purely for the fact that there is not much speaking and the sounds of nature have to tell the story. The idea of less is more would apply here. Still a new movie so not very much thought has been put into thinking about it.

A lesson in everything:

Citizen Kane: The best movie ever made. Period. There are so many ground breaking techniques here that the whole movie practically scene by scene could be taught a whole semester alone.

There you have it. All IMO.
 

Chris_Anders

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Almost forgot,

A lesson in utter crap and what you get when a Scientologist makes a movie:

Battlefield Earth: Sets new standards for "bad." Right up there with "Plan 9 From Outer Space" and any Bruckenhiemer and Bay film.
 

paul o'donnell

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Editing and adapting real life events:
JFK
Orig Screenplay:
Gotta be Chinatown really :)
and for everything else there's:
Citizen Kane
Well done to Chris there for the mention of the Quiet Man, masterful cinematography.
And I'm a film student and it is hyper boring IMO :frowning:
 

MichaelPe

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Feb 22, 1999
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The first film I would show to a class is:
Seven Samurai
I also agree with these suggestions:
Lawrence Of Arabia, Citizen Kane
 

DanaA

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Well, haven't really haven't had time to think too much, but I'd use "Psycho" for camera angle, "It Happened One Night" for pacing, "Pink Panther" and "James Bond" for opening titles and use of a theme song, and "Memento" for editing. Oh, and what was that other Orson Welles movie, oh yes, "Touch of Evil" for use of shadow.

Now, why don't we go into what we would choose to use in class for examples of "How not to do it."
 

Will K

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A lesson in Editing: Exotica: Atom Egoyan's terrifically well put together movie is a prime example of edited storytelling
Thank you! I'm glad someone else appreciates this one. A heartbreaking masterpiece and one of my favorite films of all time.
If I had to pick one for Film 101, I would go for Psycho, my personal favorite film and a perfect subject for the technique of moviemaking. The discussion possibilities are boundless.
 

Patrick McCart

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No real order...here's what I'd show to teach about film:

Sherlock Jr. (silent comedy)

Napoleon (editing, silent epic)

Lawrence of Arabia (everything)

Fantasia (animation)

Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs (animation, voice acting)

Citizen Kane (everything)

Help! (musical comedy)

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (comedy)

Vertigo (everything)

Arsenic and Old Lace (comic timing, acting)

Hollywood (The documentary)

The Csbinet of Dr. Caligari

Modern Times

City Lights

Ben-Hur (silent and 1959 versions)
 

Scott Weinberg

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Well, if it's MY class and I wouldn't have any stodgy administrators telling what to teach...here's what I'd go with:
Brazil
Young Frankenstein
Fight Club
Raising Arizona
The Godfather
Dark City
Natural Born Killers
The Blues Brothers
Annie Hall
Halloween
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Extra Credit: Starship Troopers
Call it "Modern American Film Studies that will foster a LOVE for Cinema 101".
 

JasenP

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After re-watching The Limey for the umpteenth time this weekend, it would make a wonderful example of how to use unconvential editing to tell a story.
Also, The Year of Living Dangerously, Suspiria, and Risky Business are varied ways the director uses color.
Let us not forget Eisenstein's Potemkin for the famous montage sequence.
Films to discuss in general:
The Exterminating Angel
Europa, Europa
Man Bites Dog
The Blood of a Poet
Un Chien Andalou
Vertigo
The 400 Blows
Mean Streets
The Seventh Seal
Billy Madison (just checking to see if you were still reading ;) )
I feel like I'm in film school again! Does that mean I can defer payment of my student loans again? :D
 

Joe D

Supporting Actor
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May 21, 1999
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This was a lot harder to do than I thought.

Well, a semester has 15 weeks (for me, which includes finals week) so I'll pick 15 films for each week.

1st Week - Screenplay

Chinatown would be my pick, probably the best written film ever.

2rd Week - Screenplay Continued

Being John Malcovich. Most movies run out of ideas half way through, but this film was as inventive in the end as it was in the beginning.

3rd Week - Acting in one role

Patton is an obvious choice, George C. Scott gives what I consider to be the perfect acting job.

4th Week - Acting by the entire Cast

Lawrence of Arabia would be my choice, this film has an incredible cast, while many would choose this as Cinematography, I think that each actor in this film gives a knockout performance that supports the film.

5h Week - Visual Look

Brazil is my choice, From the claustrophobic offices to the dream sequences, Brazil has a visual look primarily from sets.

6th Week - Visual Look continued

Dark City. Excellent sets along with an incredible lighting job and camera angles.

7th Week - Visual Look Continued

Blade Runner, Director's Cut. Creating mood by the visuals. This is a classic

8th Week - Visual Effects

Starship Troopers. Out of any film, I think that the CGI in the film blends with the live action the best. The Bugs have character.

9th Week - Sound

Star Wars. From Darth Vaders breaths, to the blaster sound, and the greatest sound ever, the Lightsaber, this movie has it all in the sound department.

10th Week - Music To Enhance a Role

A Clockwork Orange, Alex and his Beethoven obsession are a great. What a way to enhance a character.

11th Week - Music to Create Mood

Manhunter, while it's not appearing on any critics lists for anything, I think that this film has excellent music that works great to get into the mind of Will Graham.

11th Week - Music to Create Suspense

Psycho. I think that this film doesn't need explanation for this choice, this film wouldn't have been the same without the score from B.H.

12th Week - Editing

JFK. This film I couldn't even imagine editing. There is so much going on, and Oliver Stone and crew(including Ridley Scott's editor these days, Pietro Scalia) do a wonderful job of getting the viewer into Jim Garrisons head.

13th Week - Cinematography

Apocalypse Now, I watched this movie again the other weekend, and I was just stunned at how great the film looked.

14th Week - Character

Raging Bull, this movie has character. Jake La Motta is an asshole, and the film doesn't shy away from it.

15th Week - Directing

Citizen Kane. Enough Said.
 

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