American Cinema in the 1970s: State of a Nation

Description

In this course, we will explore 1970s American cinema and what it can tell us about that country in that particularly troubled, and interesting, decade of its history. Following an introductory class on the New Hollywood phenomenon, we will focus on different historical and sociohistorical landmarks, as seen through the movies. These will include the Vietnam war, the Watergate scandal, the 1973 oil crisis, the rise of urban violence… A selection of scenes, and script extracts, from the relevant movies, as well as articles from the leading film critics of the era such as Pauline Kael, will provide most of the course material.