Action and Moving Image

How is action constituted on the screen? And how does the medium affect and inform our experience and understanding of action? We will discuss the formation and transformation of various moving image practices, styles, genres, and cultures in terms of new technologies and techniques as well as new modes of distribution and reception. The moving image practices that we will discuss in this course include, but are not limited to, those surrounding the production and reception of popular and classical action genres such as Hollywood Western, gangster film, Chinese martial arts cinema, Japanese chambara or samurai film, and contemporary Hollywood blockbusters.