FILM 198 Hollywood in the 1980s

This course will focus on the film history of the 1980s; a cinematically eclectic decade in which both blockbusters and smaller personal films had exposure on movie screens, such as 'Batman' (1989) and 'Blue Velvet' (1986). The course will also discuss the implications on cinema and celebrity of a former actor, Ronald Reagan, becoming the president of the United States.

Credits

3

Hours Weekly

3 hours weekly

Course Objectives

  1. 1. Develop a general knowledge of the films, directors, and actors of the 1980s.
  2. 2. Compare and contrast films from the 1980s.
  3. 3. Analyze and discuss thematic connections between Hollywood movies from the 1980s and
    American culture as a whole during that decade.
  4. 4. Identify predominant themes, stories, character types, and devices commonly used in movies
    from this period.
  5. 5. Analyze and discuss the styles of the most important and influential directors of the 1980s.
  6. 6. Compare and contrast the depiction of the ways demographic groups change on screen in ways
    reflecting larger societal changes.
  7. 7. Analyze and discuss the use of films set in the 1980s to make political statements about events
    current at the time of production.

Course Objectives

  1. 1. Develop a general knowledge of the films, directors, and actors of the 1980s.
  2. 2. Compare and contrast films from the 1980s.
  3. 3. Analyze and discuss thematic connections between Hollywood movies from the 1980s and
    American culture as a whole during that decade.
  4. 4. Identify predominant themes, stories, character types, and devices commonly used in movies
    from this period.
  5. 5. Analyze and discuss the styles of the most important and influential directors of the 1980s.
  6. 6. Compare and contrast the depiction of the ways demographic groups change on screen in ways
    reflecting larger societal changes.
  7. 7. Analyze and discuss the use of films set in the 1980s to make political statements about events
    current at the time of production.