BJ272 English Film Discussion (formerly American Film Classics)

Course Description

Discover and discuss masterpieces of American and British cinema in this class for intermediate and advanced English speakers. You’ll watch a film at home on streaming, or borrow the DVD from your local library, before a lively and engaging discussion in class. You’ll be assigned one scene to watch at least three times! Every month you’ll view a film from an influential director so you’ll come to know the stylistic hallmarks of favorite genres and filmmakers.

If you love the movies, this course is an enjoyable way to increase vocabulary, get comfortable with idiomatic expressions, improve your conversational skills, and deepen your understanding of American culture and cinema.

The winter term will explore classic films by three European immigrants who made their directing careers in the United States. Here’s the tentative list:

The Apartment (1960) by Billy Wilder with Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine

Casablanca (1942) by Michael Curtiz with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman

The Shop Around the Corner (1940) by Ernst Lubitsch with Margaret Sullivan and James Stewart

Note: A Zoom link will be provided the day before the course begins. Be sure to check your email for it.

Instructor

Ellen Feldman grew up in Philadelphia and currently lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She holds a Ph.D. in cinema studies from New York University and has taught film studies at the State University of New York, Geneseo campus, and Brooklyn College.