Meets the following requirements: HS   

This is a two-period mixed-media class; each meeting will address a work of fiction and view the film made from it. Discussions will focus on the aesthetic decisions made in converting pure language into the cinematic mix of visuals, music,and dialogue. We will see how writers, adapters, and directors deal with the challenges of their different media: setting, characterization, handling of time, pacing, additions and deletions from the original, voiceovers, and casting. How is the distinctive flavor of a literary style expressed in cinematography? How does a film handle the complexity of narrative viewpoint? What are the demands of a literary audience versus a film audience? How do you keep the integrity of literature amidst the pressures of Hollywood? We will limit ourselves mainly to great adaptations of great literature but a few failures will be instructive. We will start with The Brad Pitt Iliad, "Troy;" students may wish to review Homer before the class.  Other examples film/fiction pairings we may examine include: Nabokov's "Lolita" with its 2 film versions; Shelley's "Frankenstein" with Boris Karloff's "Frankenstein" and Andy Warhol's "Young Frankenstein; Woolf's "Mrs. Dalloway" with "The Hours" by Michael Cunningham.  Although students may write critical papers comparing film and fiction, they will also be encouraged to write adaptations of short fiction or novel scenes to screenplay format. The class will allow space for both original screenplay readings and video adaptations.  This class is an opportunity for students to adapt one's favorite writing -- including their own -- for the silver screen.

Level:  Intermediate.  *HS*  $30 Lab Fee