Film Viewing List

• F1: See either one pre-1950 feature film directed by Charlie Chaplin (such as CITY LIGHTS, MODERN TIMES, THE GOLD RUSH) or one pre-1950 feature film directed by Buster Keaton (such as THE GENERAL). Do not see A WOMAN OF PARIS (which was directed by Chaplin but in which he doesn’t appear), and do not see CHAPLIN (a biopic which is very interesting but neither directed by nor starring Chaplin himself) or THE BUSTER KEATON STORY (which Keaton didn't direct or appear in, and which is almost completely inaccurate). You're better off watching these films on the largest possible screen and at the highest possible resolution. If you have access to Netflix, you can rent Chaplin's City Lights, Modern Times, or The Circus, and either rent or stream Chaplin's The Gold Rush or Keaton's The General, The Navigator, or Seven Chances. If you don't have Netflix, you might want to consider signing up for a free two-week trial membership and then paying for one month, which will get you through the rest of our semester. You can sign up here. Otherwise, you can find links to Keaton downloads and streams here, but be sure you watch a feature-length film, not a short, and be prepared for iffy screen resolution.

• F2: See one pre-1955 film made in a language other than English, and be sure to see a subtitled film, not a dubbed film. If you speak a language other than English yourself, you should not see a film made in that language; the idea here is for you to view a film which will be to you a foreign film. If you’d like to see another silent film, you might like to look for NOSFERATU, THE LAST LAUGH, METROPOLIS or THE BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN. If you like action films, you might want to try Akira Kurosawa’s THE SEVEN SAMURAI. If you enjoy comedies, look for Jacques Tati’s MONSIEUR HULOT’S HOLIDAY or MON ONCLE. You’re not limited to these choices — these are just suggestions. For the purposes of this assignment, you may if you'd like to see François Truffaut’s DAY FOR NIGHT, even though it was made in the 1970s.

• F3: See SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN. You may have seen this one before. See it again!

• F4: See a pre-1960 feature film you haven't seen before by a great director. If you'd like to see an American film, consider seeing something directed by Frank Capra, George Cukor, John Ford, George Stevens, Preston Sturgess, Billy Wilder, William Wyler. If you'd like to try another foreign film, consider Ingmar Bergman (Swedish), Luis Bunuel (Spanish), Claude Chabrol (French), Federico Fellini (Italian), Akira Kurosawa (Japanese), Lina Wertmuller (German). These are suggestions, but not a comprehensive list of possibilities. For a much more extensive list, you might want to look here. (Note that many directors were active both before and after 1960. Make sure you see a pre-1960 film, make sure it's a film you haven't seen before, and make sure it's a feature. Don't, for example, see Bunuel's UN CHIEN ANDALOU, which is a short, not a feature.)

• F5: See Orson Welles’ CITIZEN KANE. As with SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, you may have already seen this one. As with SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, see it again!

Return to ARTH 334 Handouts.