Fall 1997
Office: AC 138
Tel. 455-2003/2109
Fax. 455-1025
Email: fischett@umbc.edu
Office Hours: M 1:15-1:45
M,W 3:30-4:15
or by appointment
In this course, we shall study films by women directors from different countries: Austria, Australia, Canada, China, the former Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Martinique, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United States. All are feature films, and with the exception of one, were made in the last three decades. During the first part of the course, we shall examine the films by veteran women directors Dorothy Arzner, Agnes Varda, Vera Chytilova, Marta Meszaros, and Lina Wertmuller. During the second part, we shall study acclaimed feature films by younger directors. During the third and last part of the course, we shall read the more difficult films of the feminist independent cinema. Many of the films won major awards, and most are recognized as landmarks in feminist film making. We shall analyze the films for their form and content and in historical context. All films are in the original language and are sub-titled, making for a somewhat intense screening experience.
While women have always been involved in film making, they have mostly done so as actresses, editors, hairdressers, costumers, and as assistants of all sorts. It was only in the context of the recent women's movement that women began to direct full-length feature films. At the same time, there was a growing body of feminist film theory, which deconstructed the images of women in conventional films, and which suggested ways for a more appropriate representation of the female experience. Some theorists, in particular those influenced by psychoanalysis, suggested a "feminine way of writing", which, they argued, resembled the language of dreams. This was considered more spontaneous and more truthful than conventional speech. "Ecriture féminine", as this concept was called, was thought to be inherently poetic and not limited to expressions by women. Indeed, it was argued, some of the greatest male artists employ this kind of "writing" in their works.
In the eighties, another discourse emerged, generally labeled as "post-feminist". This discourse is less concerned with the "feminine experience", considering such terminology "essentialist". Instead, the focus has been on the construction of gender in a specific cultural context. Therefore, the most recent shift has occurred toward "gender studies".
We shall take these theoretical considerations into account as we study the films by women directors.
Our textbook is Women Directors by Barbara Koenig Quart, New York: Praeger, 1988. An optional text is The Women's Companion to International Film, by Annette Kuhn and Susanna Radstone, London, Virago, 1990. Both titles should be on overnight reserve in the Library.
In addition, a number of titles have been put on reserve:
Mulvey, Laura. Visual and Other Pleasures
Penley, Constance. Feminism and Film Theory
Knight, Julia. Women and the New German Cinema
Kuhn, Annette. Women's Pictures
Brunsdon, Charlotte. Films for Women
The Sexual Subject. A Screen Reader in Sexuality
If you are new to film analysis, please consult How to Read a Film by James Monaco, on overnight reserve in the Library. Also, you are encouraged to screen the film, Basic Film Terms, which is available from AV Services, AC IV, Tel. 455-2461. In addition, you may wish to consult Frank Beaver's Dictionary of Film Terms, in the Library's Reference Section. Handouts entitled, "Basic Film Terms," and "Guidelines to Critical Film Analysis," are distributed in class.
On reserve in the Library and in the Media Center are a number of films for closer readings. The list is attached.
The format of the seminar is as follows:
1. Seminar participants are to pre-screen the film assigned for each session and to do the assigned readings.
2. We shall discuss the film and the readings with examples from the texts.
3. Seminar participants are to select one of the films on reserve as a topic of the take-home midterm, and another as a topic for the take-home final exam.
4. Each seminar participant is expected to select one film for a presentation to the entire seminar. This presentation should not exceed 30 minutes. The presentation should include:
a. A background on the film maker and on the culture in which is was made
b. An analysis of the film, with film clips
c. A set of questions to be asked of the seminar.
Take-home midterm exam, type-written, due October 8......20%
Film Report.........................................................................20%
Take-home final exam, type-written, due December 10...... 30%
September 3 Women Directors: Introduction (1-15), and "Classic Hollywood: Arzner and Lupino" (22-29)
Feminism and Film Theory: "Dorothy Arzner: Critical Strategies", by Claire Johnston (36-45), and "Approaching the Work of Dorothy Arzner", by Pam Cook (46-56)
September 10 Women Directors: "Agnes Varda" (136-145)
September 17 Women Directors: "Eastern European Women Directors - Introduction" (191-192), and "Vera Chytilova" (218-231)
September 24 Women Directors: "The Development of a Major Director in Eastern Europe: Marta Meszaros" (192-208)
October 1 Women Directors: "A Recent Predecessor: Lina Wertmulller" (29-33)
Visual and Other Pleasures: "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" (14-26), also in The Sexual Subject (22-34) and in Feminism and Film Theory (57-68)
Visual and Other Pleasures: "Afterthoughts on 'Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema' inspired by King Vidor's Duel in The Sun (1946)" (29-38), also in Feminism and Film Theory (69-79)
October 8 "Women's Cinema as Counter-Cinema" by Claire Johnston (reserve package)
Feminism and Film Theory: "Rereading the Work of Claire Johnson, by Janet Bergstrom (80-88)
October 15 Women Directors: "American Women Directors, Introduction" (37-38) and "Susan Seidelman" (60-68)
October 22 Women Directors: "Notes on Third World Women Directors" (241-242), and "Sugarcane Alley and other Black Women's Cinema" (242-244)
Films for Women: "Black Women and Representation", by Martina Attille and Maureen Blackwood (202-208)
October 29 Women Directors: "Asian Women Directors" (244-246)
Women's Companion to International Film: "China" (76-77)
November 5 Women Directors: "Western European Women Directors, Germany: The Development of a Major Director: Margarethe von Trotta" (93-97), "The Sister Films", "The Issue of Merging Identities" (102-107), and "Marianne and Juliane" (113-120)
Films for Women: "The Political is Personal: Margarethe von Trotta's 'Marianne and Juliane'", by Ellen Seiter (109-116)
November 12 Women Directors: "One of a Kind" (155-159)
Films for Women: "A Question of Silence", by Jeanette Murphy (99-108)
November 19 Women's Pictures: "Passionate detachment" (1982)
November 26 Visual and Other Pleasures: "Film, Feminism and the Avant-Garde" (111-126)
December 10 Women Directors: "The New Lesbian Mainstream" (77-82)
IN ADDITION, anyone wishing to inform herself/himself of some of the writings of French theorists, the following is available on overnight reserve from the library:
New French Feminisms, an Anthology, ed. by Elaine Marks and Isabelle de Courtivron. Note especially the following articles:
"Sorties," by Hélène Cixous, pp. 90-98
"This Sex Which Is Not One," by Luce Irigaray, pp. 99-106
"When the Goods Get Together," by Luce Irigaray, pp. 107-110
"Oscillation Between Power and Denial,", by Julia Kristeva, pp. 165-167
"The Laugh of Medusa," by Hélène Cixous, pp. 245-264
Also of interest might be additional essays in the volume, The Sexual Subject, most notably the essay, "The Other Question: The Stereotype and Colonial Discourse", by Homi K. Bhabha (312-331)
I. The following are the required titles:
DANCE GIRL DANCE (Dorothy Arzner, USA, 1940)
CLEO DE 5 A 7 (Agnes Varda, France, 1961)
DAISIES (Vera Chytilova, Czechoslovakia, 1966)
THE GIRL (Marta Meszaros, Hungary, 1968)
SWEPT AWAY (Lina Wertmuller, Italy, 1974)
MY BRILLIANT CAREER (Gillian Armstrong, Australia, 1979)
SMITHEREENS (Susan Seidelman, USA, 1982)
SUGARCANE ALLEY (Euzhan Palcy, Martinique, 1983)
WOMEN'S STORY (Peng Xiaolian, China, 1988)
MARIANNE AND JULIANE (Margarethe von Trotta, Germany, 1981)
A QUESTION OF SILENCE (Marleen Gorris, The Netherlands, 1981)
AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE (Jane Campion, New Zealong, 1990)
INVISIBLE ADVERSARIES (Valie Export, Austria, 1976)
The allround reduced personality - redupers (Helke Sander, Germany, 1977)
I'VE HEARD THE MERMAIDS SINGING (Patricia Rozema, Canada, 1987)
II. The following are optional titles (for exams and reports):
MY AMERICAN COUSIN (Sandy Wilson, Canada, 1985)
ANTONIA'S LINE (Marleen Gorris, 1995)
LE BONHEUR (Agnes Varda, France, 1965)
THE BRIDE WORE RED (Dorothy Arzner, USA, 1937)
CHRISTOPHER STRONG (Dorothy Arzner, USA, 1933)
DUDES (Penelope Spheeris, USA, 1988)
FEVER (Agnieska Holland, Poland, 1981)
THE GOLD DIGGERS (Sally Potter, UK, 1983)
HIGH TIDE (Gillian Armstrong, Australia, 1987)
HOUR OF THE STAR (Suzana Amaral, Brazil, 1985)
JE, TU, IL, ELLE (Chantal Akerman, France, 1974)
A LONELY WOMAN (Agnieska Holland, Poland, 1981)
MARIA'S DAY (Judit Elek, Hungary, 1985)
NEWS FROM HOME (Chantal Akerman, France, 1976)
THE NIGHT PORTER (Liliana Cavani, Italy, 1974)
ORLANDO (Sally Potter, UK, 1993)
LE PETIT AMOUR (KUNG FU MASTERS) (Agnes Varda, France, 1989)
THE PIANO (Jane Campion, New Zealand, 1993)
RENDEZVOUS D'ANNA (Chantal Akerman, France, 1978)
RIDDANCE (Marta Meszaros, Hungary, 1973)
SEDUCTION: THE CRUEL WOMAN (Monika Treut/Elfi Mikesch, Germany, 1985)
SMOOTH TALK (Joyce Chopra, USA, 1986)
SWEETIE (Jane Campion, Australia, 1989)
THREE MEN AND A CRADLE (Coline Serreau, France, 1985)
TOUTE UNE NUIT (Chantal Akerman, France, 1982)
VARIETY (Bette Gordon, USA, 1983)
WORKING GIRLS (Lizzie Borden, USA, 1986)
September 3 DANCE, GIRL DANCE, by Dorothy Arzner, USA, 1940, b/w, 88 minutes.
A feature which Dorothy Arzner made towards the end of her pioneering Hollywood directing career. Maureen O'Hara plays a music hall dancer who exposes the voyeurism of her audience.
September 10 CLEO FROM 5 TO 7, by Agnes Varda, France, 1961, 90 minutes
Veteran film maker Agnes Varda's second feature, and the one which brought her world acclaim.
September 17 DAISIES (SEDMIKRASKY), by Vera Chytilová, Czechoslovakia, 1966, 76 minutes.
One of the major works of the Czech New Wave and a radical experiment in feminist humor, DAISIES has held cult status ever since. In Czech with English sub-titles.
September 24 THE GIRL (ELTAVOZOTT NAP), by Martá Mészáros, Hungary, 1968, 95 minutes.
The first feature by Hungary's foremost film maker tells of the way a young woman handles the conflicts in her confrontation with her parents. In Hungarian with English subtitles.
October 1 SWEPT AWAY (TRAVOLTI DA UN INSOLITO DESTINO NELL'AZZURO MARE D'AGOSTO), by Lina Wertmuller, Italy, 1974, color, 116 minutes.
Another cult film by a director of cult status, this films is a hilarious parody of gender roles in Italian society. In Italian with English sub-titles.
October 8 MY BRILLIANT CAREER by Gillian Armstrong, Australia, 1979
Highly acclaimed first feature of Australian Gillian Armstrong with Judy Davis in the lead.
October 15 SMITHEREENS, by Susan Seidelman, USA, 1982, color, 94 minutes
The low/low-budget first feature by Susan Seidelman tells the story of a young woman attempting to break into the New York City music scene.
October 22 SUGARCANE ALLEY (RUE CASES NEGRES), by Euzhan Palcy, Martinique, 1983, color, 103 minutes.
An ward-winning feature about a young boy who is smart and fortunate enough to get an education, allowing him to escape from the oppression of white colonial rulers. In French with English sub-titles.
October 29 WOMEN'S STORY (NUREN DE GUSHI), by Peng Xiaolian, People's Republic of China, 1988, 96 minutes.
The film tells, in a gentle and touching way, of the plight of three peasant women in search for a liberating life style in big city China. In Chinese, with English subtitles.
November 5 MARIANNE AND JULIANE (DIE BLEIERNE ZEIT), by Margarethe von Trotta, Federal Republic of Germany, 1981, 109 minutes.
Von Trotta's award winning feature. It tells the story of Christiane Ensslin, of the Baader-Meinhof gang, as seen by her surviving sister.
November 12 A QUESTION OF SILENCE (DE STILTE ROND CHRISTINE M.), by Marleen Gorris, The Netherlands, 1981, color, 97 minutes.
An award-winning feature on the question of violence and repression. In Dutch with English sub-titles.
November 19 AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE, by Jane Campion, New Zealand, 1990, 120 minutes.
In her second feature film, Jane Campion tells the very moving story of New Zealand author Janet Frame. She was the Special Jury Prize at Cannes for this film.
November 26 INVISIBLE ADVERSARIES (UNSICHTBARE GEGNER), by Valie Export, Austria, 1976, color, 100 minutes.
Valie Export's first feature film and a cult classic among feminist independent cinema, this is an account of the observations conducted by a young Viennese woman, Anna, with surprising results. As all of Export's work, this film displays a great deal of subversive humor. In German with English sub-titles.
December 3 The allround reduced personality - redupers (Die allseitig reduzierte Persönlichkeit - redupers) by Helke Sander, Federal Republic of Germany, 1977, 98 minutes
Award winning first feature of German experimental film maker Helke Sander. It tells the story of Edda, a photographer, who, together with a group of friends struggles to realize a photo project. Much of the film focuses on the division of the city of Berlin, and on the women's attempt at overcoming the division between the public and the personal in art.
December 10 I'VE HEARD THE MERMAIDS SINGING, by Patricia Rozema, Canada, 1987, 81 minutes.
Another award-winning first feature, this is the refreshingly humorous tale of Polly Vandersma, played by Sheila McCarthy, in her quest for self-expression.
For more information, contact Renate Fischetti, MLL Department, UMBC, 1000 Hilltop Circle, Baltimore, Maryland 21250, Tel. 410-455-2003, Fax. 410-455-1025, email: fischett@umbc.edu