Difference between revisions of "JCM312/French Modernism: Jean-Luc Godard & Bertolt Brecht (Discussion)"
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#*'''Groups 3 and 4''': make the case for ''Breathless'' as a counter-cinema and/or Brechtian film. | #*'''Groups 3 and 4''': make the case for ''Breathless'' as a counter-cinema and/or Brechtian film. | ||
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| − | * | + | *[http://www.tcf.ua.edu/Classes/Jbutler/T577/BrechtIllustrations.htm Godard illustrations] |
| + | *[http://www.tcf.ua.edu/Classes/Jbutler/T340/Breathless/index.htm ''Breathless'' illustrations] | ||
| + | *''Wind from the East'' online — [http://www.ubu.com/film/dziga_vertov.html UbuWeb], [http://www.tcf.ua.edu/EO/DV/WindFromTheEast500x375.php TCF] | ||
[[Category:TCF340 Discussion]] | [[Category:TCF340 Discussion]] | ||
Revision as of 15:39, 4 November 2008
The Modern Theatre is the Epic Theatre
- What does Brecht mean by the term "culinary opera"?
- He suggests that "dramatic theater" is culinary. Some film critics suggest that Hollywood classicism is also culinary. Do you agree? Explain.
- Consider the key aspects of "epic theater" that are boldfaced below. Do you think Breathless fits any of these aspects? Why or why not?
| DRAMATIC THEATRE | EPIC THEATRE |
| plot | narrative |
| implicates the spectator in a stage situation | G3: turns the spectator into an observer, but |
| wears down his capacity for action | G4: arouses his capacity for action |
| provides him with sensations | forces him to take decisions |
| experience | picture of the world |
| the spectator is involved in something | he is made to face something |
| suggestion | argument |
| instinctive feelings are preserved | G1: [instinctive feelings are] brought to the point of recognition |
| the spectator is in the thick of it, shares the experience | the spectator stands outside, studies |
| the human being is taken for granted | the human being is the object of the inquiry |
| he is unalterable | he is alterable and able to alter |
| eyes on the finish | eyes on the course |
| one scene makes another | each scene for itself |
| growth | montage |
| linear development [of plot] | G2: in curves |
| evolutionary determinism | jumps |
| man as fixed point | man as a process |
| thought determines being | social being determines thought |
| feeling | reason |
Counter Cinema
- What is Wollen's "counter cinema"? What is it counter to?
- Apply the following aspects of counter cinema to Breathless. Do they fit?
- Cite specific scenes, shots, dialog, etc. that support your answer.
- Group 2: In your own words, explain the "narrative intransitivity" aspect of counter cinema.
- Group 3: In your own words, explain the "estrangement" aspect of counter cinema.
- Group 4: In your own words, explain the "foregrounding" aspect of counter cinema.
- Group 1: In your own words, explain the "aperture" aspect of countercinema.
- Groups 1 and 2: make the case for Breathless as a classical film.
- Groups 3 and 4: make the case for Breathless as a counter-cinema and/or Brechtian film.
- Cite specific scenes, shots, dialog, etc. that support your answer.
- What aspects of Wollen's list match Brecht's list?
Bibliography
- Brecht, Bertolt. "The Modern Theatre is the Epic Theatre." In Brecht on Theatre, pp. 33-42. Edited and translated by John Willett. New York: Hill and Wang, 1964.
- MacCabe, Colin. Godard: Images, Sounds, Politics. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University, 1980.
- Wollen, Peter. "Godard and Counter Cinema: VENT D'EST." In Readings and Writings: Semiotic Counter-Strategies. London: Verso, 1982.
External links
- Godard illustrations
- Breathless illustrations
- Wind from the East online — UbuWeb, TCF
