The Film Experience

Photo of Buster Keaton crouched on the cowcatcher of a steam locomotive.

Buster Keaton in The General (1926). (Public domain image.)

Instructor(s)

MIT Course Number

21L.011

As Taught In

Fall 2013

Level

Undergraduate

Cite This Course

Course Description

Course Features

Course Description

This course concentrates on close analysis and criticism of a wide range of films, from the early silent period, classic Hollywood genres including musicals, thrillers and westerns, and European and Japanese art cinema. It explores the work of Griffith, Chaplin, Keaton, Capra, Hawks, Hitchcock, Altman, Renoir, DeSica, and Kurosawa. Through comparative reading of films from different eras and countries, students develop the skills to turn their in-depth analyses into interpretations and explore theoretical issues related to spectatorship.

Other Versions

Related Content

David Thorburn. 21L.011 The Film Experience. Fall 2013. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu. License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA.


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