ZUR 393n: The American West and the Western Film Spring 2016 / Masaryková Universita Class meets Thursdays (each odd Thursday in Studio 527; each even Thursday in AVC) from 15:15-16:45 Lecturer: Jean P. Retzinger E-mail: 444822@mail.muni.cz Office: FSS 5.51 Office Hours: Thursdays 16:45 – 17:30 This course follows a roughly historical approach to the Western as a distinctive film genre, exploring its roots in relationship to the frontier myth in American culture and tracing its development within the US and abroad. The class will examine the defining characteristics of the genre and key themes worked out in Westerns, from early films to more recent “revisionist” US Westerns. We will also investigate what happens to the Western when it is produced outside of the US in nations that don't share a similar history of frontier expansion fostered by an ideology of “manifest destiny.” Non-U.S. films will include Leone´s “spaghetti Westerns” of Italy, the Indian ("Bollywood") “curry western” Sholay (1975), and Lipský´s Western parody Limonádový Joe (1964) from the Czech Republic. Assigned readings will all be availble as .PDFs on the course website. The syllabus contains a complete list of course readings. Students will be expected to come to class each week having already completed the readings assigned for that week and prepared to particpate in class discussions. Students will also be required to view some films on their own in advance of class meetings. Writing assignments for the course include FIVE 1-2 page Reading Response papers during the semester. These response papers may be used to discuss and analyze either a key concept/argument from an assigned reading or a specific film scene. Please see separate assignment prompt detailing the expectations for the response papers. The response papers are due are the start of class on those dates followed by an asterisk (*) on the syllabus. Additionally there will be an in-class final exam on Thursday, May 19th. Final grades for the course will be calculated as follows: FIVE Reading Response papers @ 10 percent each 50 In-class Final Exam (Thursday, May 19) 30 Attendance and Participation 20 CLASS SCHEDULE AND ASSIGNED READINGS DATE TOPIC and Readings 25 February Intro to the course 3 March The Frontier Myth Frederick Jackson Turner, The Frontier in America, Chs. I and IX. Link: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/22994/22994-h/22994-h.htm Film scenes: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance 10 March* Genre Toby Reed & R.J. Thompson, "The Six-gun Simulacrum: New Metaphors for an Old Genre" Film scenes: Red River, The Westerner, Unforgiven 17 March Gender / Masculinity (Western Heroes) William Indick, "The Civilized and the Savage" in The Psychology of the Western Recommended Reading: Douglas Brode, "Don't Fence Me In: Rugged Individualism and Open Range" in Dream West: Politics and Religion in Cowboy Movies Film scenes: The Searchers, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 24 March* Gender / Femininity Pam Cook, "Women and the Western" in Kitses and Rickman Blake Lucas, "Saloon Girls and Ranchers´ Daughters" in Kitses and Rickman Recommended Reading: Jane Tompkins, "Women and the Language of Men" from West of Everything Film scenes: High Noon, Red River, 3:10 to Yuma 31 March @ Landscape Jane Tompkins, "Landscape" Recommended Reading: Thomas Klein, "Where the Wild West Can Be Staged" in Klein et al. Film scenes: Stagecoach, True Grit 7 April @ Cowboys & Indians / Cattle & Horses Tompkins, "Horses" and "Cattle" Film scenes: Red River, Shane, Dances with Wolves 14 April* Revisionist US Westerns I Janet Thumim, "'Maybe He´s Tough...': Masculinity and In/competence in Unforgiven" in Kitses and Rickman Film: Unforgiven 21 April Revisionist US Westerns II Jim Kitses, "All That Brokeback Allows" Simon Dickson, "Industrial Change and Historical Revision in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" Film: Brokeback Mountain or No Country for Old Men or The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford 28 April* The Western Abroad I / The Spaghetti Westerns of Sergio Leone William McClain, "Western Go Home! Sergio Leone and the 'Death of the Western' in American Film Criticism" Recommended Reading: Edward Buscombe, "Is the Western about American History?" in Klein et al. Film: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 5 May The Western Abroad II / Australia & Asia David Desser, "Kurosawa's Eastern 'Western": Sanjuro and the Influence of Shane" Film: Sholay 12 May* The Western Abroad III / Parody Matthew Turner, "Cowboys and Comedy" Film: Limonadovy Joe 19 May In-Class FINAL EXAM @ Note: Class will end early on both of these dates.