ENGLISH 495, SEC 2

SHAKESPEARE GOES TO THE MOVIES:

THE SHAKESPEARE ON FILM WORKSHOP

Bill French, Emeritus Professor

Department of English

434 Stansbury Hall

293-3107 (office)

296-8007 (home)

wfrench2@wvu.edu (email)

Text

Kenneth Rothwell, A History of Shakespeare on Screen, 1999. Paper.

Grades

The workshop requires two papers. The first will be a performance review of one of the films we view. The second paper will require both viewing and research. You will view a film, develop a thesis, do library and internet research, review the film, and write your paper. This paper may be done as part of a group effort, in which research is shared by the group.

The workshop also requires ATTENDANCE. Attendance with no more than one unexcused absence and "A's" or "B's" on the two papers will earn a final grade of "A." Attendance with no more than one unexcused absence and "C's" on the papers will earn a final grade of "B." Attendance with no more than one unexcused absence and unsatisfactory papers will yield a final "C."

Three unexcused absences will lower your grade by one letter. Four or more unexcused absences result in failure of the course. In other words, you may have two unexcused absences without penalty; more than two unexcused absences will affect your grade negatively.

Schedule

The workshop meets ten Tuesday evenings, 7:00 PM - 9:50 PM, on the following dates:

Aug 20

Brief meeting to take role. Attendance is unnecessary if you notify me

otherwise that you plan to attend the course.

Aug 27, #1

Rothwell, Chapter 1

Introduction to the course; Brief Primer on film theory; History of Shakespeare

on Film and Video; "Tickling Commodity"; Shakespeare Derivatives; Tips

on Viewing; Previews; Shakespeare on Silent Film

Sep 3, #2

Sep 10, #3

Sep 17, #4

Oct 1, #5

Oct 22, #6

Oct 29, #7

Nov 5, #8

Nov 12, #9

Nov 19: #10

Students are expected to have covered the assigned reading in Rothwell in preparation for each class meeting.

Each class meeting will begin with a brief lecture on the film (or films) to be viewed.

Then the film will be shown, sometimes with clips from other versions worked in.

The remaining time will be used for discussion. The whole experience will be

informal and relaxed and as pleasurable as possible. The purpose of the course is to

help you to enjoy Shakespeare on film, and therefore Shakespeare in performance as

well as Shakespeare on the page. However, to help you become a more informed

viewer of Shakespeare on film, and therefore of film generally, the course will

demand intellectual effort on your part. You will need to learn some basic concepts

about film production and technique and film history.

I reserve the right to alter the film selections at any time during the course, with at

least a week's notice.

The "performance review" will be at least three pages long, but not more than five

(roughly 1200 to 1500 words). It will involve a minimal amount of research: You

will need to seek out two or three reviews of films and/or critical essays in books and

journals on the subject of Shakespeare on film or film theory or on the play you are

writing about. It will be a brief formal exercise designed to help you become a more

critical, informed viewer.

You may also choose to keep a journal of your viewing experiences: I would welcome

a record of your responses as an index of your interest in and commitment to the

course.

The whole concept of movies is fundamentally Egyptian: Movies are dreams.

Pyramids. Great rivers of sleep. Film is more than 20th century art. It's another part of

the 20th century mind. It's the world seen from inside.