Authorship and Cinema

In this course we will focus on two of the most important international directors of the past 50 years, Terence Davies (Great Britain) and Abbas Kiarostami (Iran). Though their cinematic styles are in many ways markedly different, there is also a striking similarity: each has as its cornerstone an aesthetic of realism, but this is balanced and even challenged by other features: in Davies, by a modernist stylization, and in Kiarostami, by a postmodernist reflexivity. We will trace the course of each director’s career, exploring the features that designate each as a cinematic author, and we will use each as a point of comparison for the other. Films by Davies will include Distant Voices, Still Lives; The Long Day Closes, The House of Mirth, and A Quiet Passion. Films by Kiarostami will include Close-Up, And Life Goes On, The Wind Will Carry Us, and Certified Copy. Note to students: this course involves substantial streaming of films for assigned viewing. (FMMC 0101, FMMC 0102, or instructor approval)