FREN3271: FRENCH CINEMA: 1930s TO 1990s

• French Language 2 (FREN2051) OR an equivalent qualification to the satisfaction of the Chairman/woman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative, and either FREN1041 or FREN2011

• Modern Languages, Combined Honours and all Joint and 'with' programmes: French Language 4 (FREN3041). Other: see Chairman/Chairwoman of the Board of Studies in MLAC or his/her representative

• None.

• To introduce students to film theory and to the techniques of film analysis through the study of a selection of key films from French cinema (1930's to 1990's).
• To enhance student skills in critical analysis, acquired in other modules and years, through their application to another medium (film).

• This module will examine films from the 1930s, the Nouvelle Vague and the modern period. It will focus on introducing students to a range of methods for the analysis of film language. It will present key concepts of film theory relating to such aspects of film as the use of image and sound, editing techniques and narration. Whilst focusing on the close analysis of film language, this course will also raise broader issues relating to film aesthetics and the distinctiveness of film as an art form.
• The module is taught and assessed in French.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• The principal movements in the history of French cinema.
• The salient stylistic features that set these movements apart.
• The specificity of film as a form of expression and as an art form; its aesthetic possibilities and limitations.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Using appropriate concepts and critical methods to analyse film language.
• Being able to carry out a sequence analysis and analyse the use in film of such features as framing, camera movement and soundtrack.
• Analysing the specific use made of these features in the films studied on this course.
• Enhanced ability to articulate critical arguments in French at an advanced level.

Key Skills:

• Extended development of general written and oral communication skills.
• The ability to discuss topical or general issues with a high degree of fluency.
• Extended skills in the acquisition and interpretation of information through close reading and research.
• An extended ability to read complex and multivalent texts with intellectual nuance, and a sensitivity to context and genre.

• The module will be taught intensively either in Term I or in Term II on a 'short-fat 'basis.
• Lectures (twice weekly) will deliver key information about the module.
• A weekly seminar with smaller groups will allow for individual presentations and active discussions.
• The module is taught and assessed in French. Students are expected to have taken one or both of the options taught in French at Levels 1-2, and to be able to take part in discussions in French.

Students will give oral presentations in seminars and will receive oral feedback and on the structure, presentation, and ongoing development of their ideas. They will in this way prepare for summative work.

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