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Political Cinema
Course code: ELCS6042
Tutor: Dr Marta Niccolai
Level: intermediate
Mode of assessment: 3 hour desk examination
Term: taught in Term 2
The course introduces students to political cinema through the films of two internationally acclaimed film makers: Francesco Rosi, from Italy, and Costa-Gavras, from Greece, who are considered to be the main exponents of “muckraking films that had proven political effect”. Although both directors have made films with overt political themes, they blend aesthetic and engagement in a very different way. The aim of the module will be to explore the films’ narrative as a technique to deal with truth and power relations. In the lectures, students will be introduced to the relevant social and historical events that are linked to the story narrated in the films. In the first term, students will be introduced to film narrative in general and to political films as a genre, and then to two films by Rosi. In the second term there will be an introduction to Costa-Gavras and a critical analysis of two of his films.
This course requires students to attend four extra sessions for the screening of the films. Dates will be posted on moodle as soon as possible.
Primary material
Films
- Francesco Rosi: Salvatore Giuliano (1962)
- Francesco Rosi: Le mani sulla città (Hands Over TheCity, 1963)
- Costa Gavras: Z (1969)
- Costa Gavras: Missing (1982)
Bibliography
- Monaco, James: How to Read a Film. Movies media and beyond. Oxford University Press, (Oxford, New York), 2009.
Additional reading material will be uploaded on Moodle.
