This is an archived course. A more recent version may be available at ocw.mit.edu.

 

The Film Experience

Still shot of Fred Ott sneezing.

Fred Ott in mid-sneeze. This still comes from the 1894 motion picture Kinetoscopic Record of a Sneeze: the first copyrighted film in history and the primitive origin from which all of modern film began. (Image courtesy of Wikipedia.)

Instructor(s)

MIT Course Number

21L.011

As Taught In

Fall 2007

Level

Undergraduate

Course Features

Course Description

This course is an introduction to narrative film, emphasizing the unique properties of the movie house and the motion picture camera, the historical evolution of the film medium, and the intrinsic artistic qualities of individual films. The primary focus is on American cinema, but secondary attention is paid to works drawn from other great national traditions, such as France, Italy, and Japan. The syllabus includes such directors as Griffith, Keaton, Chaplin, Renoir, Ford, Hitchcock, Altman, De Sica, and Fellini.


Archived Versions