CTCS 409
CTCS 409
FILM CENSORSHIP
FALL 2011
Tuesdays 9:00 a.m. to 12:50 p.m.
Room SCA108
Dr. Rick Jewell
The Hugh M. Hefner Professor of American Film
Dr. Drew Casper
The Alma and Alfred Hitchcock Professor of American Film
The professors wish to thank Hugh M. Hefner for his generous support of this course and of the School of Cinematic Arts
Course Description:
A historical survey of film censorship from the beginnings to the present, with an emphasis on selected topics.
Teaching Assistants: Stephanie Hoover, Ken Provencher
Required Textbooks:
CASPER, Drew. The Hollywood Film, 1963-1976: Years of Revolution and Reaction.
Malden, MA and London: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011.
CASPER, Drew. Postwar Hollywood: 1946-1962. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2007.
GOLDBERG, Bernard. Bias: A CBS Insider Exposes How the Media Distort the News. Washington, D.C.: Regency Press, 2002.
JEWELL, Richard B. The Golden Age of Cinema: Hollywood, 1929-1945. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2007.
SYKES, Charles J. A Nation of Victims: The Decay of the American Character. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1992.
*The Casper and Jewell texts are available in the Reference section of the Cinema library. The Goldberg and Sykes texts are on reserve at Leavey library.
Course Requirements:
***These requirements apply to both undergraduate and graduate students***
- Midterm Exam 25% of final grade October 4
- Final Exam 25% of final grade December 8
- Term Paper 50% of final grade November 15
Prompt and Regular Attendance at all Lectures & Screenings
Term Papers:
Both undergraduate and graduate students will devise their own paper topic. Please contact Dr. Jewell or Dr. Casper or one of the TAs if you need guidance.
Term papers should be 12-15 pages, double-spaced, and should be well-researched beyond the materials of the course. The term paper will be due in class on November 15th and will comprise 50% of your final grade.
Missing the midterm: (excusable only with a doctor’s certification of illness or a
death in the family) will result in a 3-hour+ comprehensive final exam.
Missing the Final Exam, Incompletes: The only acceptable excuses for
missing an exam or taking an incomplete in the course are personal illness or a family emergency (such as a death). Students must inform the professor or t.a. before the exam and present verifiable evidence in order for a make-up to be scheduled. Students who wish to take incompletes must also present documentation of the problem to the instructor or t.a.
Penalties for Late Papers:
- 1 day to 7 days late: One full letter grade deducted
- 8 days to 14 days late: Two full letter grades deducted
- 15 days to 21 days late: Three full letter grades deducted
- over 22 days late: Automatic F for the assignment
Paper assignments are to be turned in by the end of the screenings on the days they are due. Do not turn in papers to the Critical Studies office. Do not email your paper. Excessive lateness does not excuse you from completing an assignment, and failure to complete any assignment will result in an “F” for the course.
Note on Outside Research: Any outside research or knowledge
incorporated into paper assignments must be cited using a standard academic format (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.) and must be accompanied by a bibliography. Failure to provide proper citations for any outside materials may result in an “F” for the assignment and possibly be investigated for plagiarism. Any research completed to fulfill an “outside research” requirement for a class assignment must come from legitimate academic sources. If you are unclear about what constitutes an academic source, consult your TA. WIKIPEDIA AND OTHER USER- GENERATED WEB CONTENT ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE ACADEMIC SOURCES.
Turn-It-In: All paper assignments for CTCS 409 must be electronically uploaded to Blackboard’s Turn-It-In system before a hard copy is submitted to class. Turn-It-In will scan your paper against the web and other student papers to ensure there is no plagiarism. Papers will be considered late until both an online and hard copy version of your paper is submitted to your TA.
Academic integrity: USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless an instructor allows otherwise, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. SCampus contains a Student Conduct Code in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions for violating this code are located in Appendix A, both can be found at 1100-behavior-violating-university-standards-and-appropriate-sanctions/. Should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty, students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for review. The review process can be found at: .
Keep in mind that PLAGIARISM (WHETHER DONE INTENTIONALLY OR NOT) WILL BE REPORTED, WILL MOST LIKELY RESULT IN FAILURE OF THE COURSE, AND COULD LEAD TO DISMISSAL FROM THE UNIVERSITY. If you have any questions about academic integrity, plagiarism, or if you have any questions or doubts about how to properly cite a source, see your Teaching Assistant, drop by the Writing Center (Taper Hall 310) or consult the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards Guide -
forms/tig.pdf.
Course Exam, Project and Paper Retention Policy: It is the responsibility of all students in Critical Studies courses to retrieve all papers, projects, assignments and/or exams within one academic year of completion of a course. These records may be essential in resolving grade disputes and incompletes as well as assist in verifying that course requirements have been met. The Critical Studies Division will dispose of all records from the previous academic year in May of the current academic year. No exceptions. Please be in contact with your TAs about collecting these documents while you are taking the course.
Disability Services: Any student requesting academic accommodations based on
a disability is required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP. Please be sure the letter is delivered to the TA by the third week of classes, and remember that it is your responsibility to make sure appropriate accommodations are made BEFORE the day of an exam. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30am - 5:00pm, Monday through Friday, phone number
(213)740-0776.
English-as-a-Second-Language Students: ESL students are afforded special exam accommodations (extended time for test-taking), but these accommodations must be arranged in advance of the midterm. Please notify one of the TAs by the third week of classes if you qualify for and require such accommodations, and be sure to ask the T.A. BEFORE the day of the midterm and final to learn the place and time of the ESL exam.
Dr. Jewell’s Office Hours:
SCA 303 (sign up for an appointment at the desk in Critical Studies)
10:30am-12:15pm, Mondays
9:00am-10:00am, Wednesdays
jewell@usc.edu
Dr. Casper’s Office Hours:
SCA 325 (sign up for an appointment at the desk in Critical Studies)
1:00pm-1:45pm, Tuesdays
12:00pm-1:45pm, Wednesdays
dcasper@cinema.usc.edu
TA Office Hours:
TBA
CTCS 409 SYLLABUS FOR FALL 2011
August 23
Historical Overview I (The Silent Period: Beginnings to 1929 and Classic Hollywood: 1927-1945)
Trouble in Paradise (Paramount, 1932)
• Director: Ernst Lubitsch
• Screenwriters: Laszlo Aladar, Samson Raphaelson, Grover Jones (based on a play by Laszlo Aladar)
• Producer: Ernst Lubitsch
• Director of Photography: Victor Milner
• Art Director: Hans Dreier (uncredited)
• With Miriam Hopkins, Kay Francis, Herbert Marshall
Read: Jewell, Introduction and Chapter 1
August 30
Historical Overview II (Classic Hollywood continued)
The Mortal Storm (MGM, 1940)
• Director: Frank Borzage
• Screenwriters: Claudine West, Andersen Ellis, George Froeschel (based on a book by Phyllis Bottome)
• Producer: Frank Borzage
• Director of Photography: William Daniels
• Editor: Elmo Veron
• Art Director: Cedric Gibbons
• With Margaret Sullivan, James Stewart, Robert Stack
Read: Jewell, Chapter 2
September 6
Historical Overview III (Classic Hollywood continued)
The Palm Beach Story (Paramount, 1942)
• Director: Preston Sturges
• Screenwriter: Preston Sturges
• Producers: Paul Jones, Buddy G. DeSylva (uncredited)
• Director of Photography: Victor Milner
• Art Directors: Hans Dreier, Ernst Fegté
• Music: Victor Young
• With Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea
Read: Jewell, Chapter 4
September 13
Historical Overview IV (Postwar Hollywood: 1946-1962)
Pinky (Twentieth Century Fox, 1949)
• Director: Elia Kazan
• Screenwriters: Philip Dunne, Dudley Nichols (based on a novel by Cid Ricketts Sumner)
• Producer: Darryl F. Zanuck
• Director of Photography: Joe McDonald
• Editor: Harmon Jones
• Art Directors: J. Russell Spencer, Lyle Wheeler
• Music: Alfred Newman
• With Jeanne Crain, Ethel Barrymore
Read: Casper/Postwar Hollywood, Parts I, II, IV, V section 18
September 20
Historical Overview V (Reactionary/Revolutionary Hollywood: 1963-1976)
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Warner Bros., 1966)
• Director: Mike Nichols
• Screenwriter: Ernest Lehman (based on the play by Edward Albee)
• Producer: Ernest Lehman
• Director of Photography: Haskell Wexler
• Editor: Sam O’Steen
• Production Designer: Richard Sylbert
• Music: Alex North
• With Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal, Sandy Dennis
Read: Casper/The Hollywood Film, 1963-1976, Parts I, II, V, VI section 14
September 27
Historical Overview VII (Postmodern Hollywood: 1977-present)
Showgirls (Carolco Pictures / United Artists, 1995)
• Director: Paul Verhoeven
• Screenwriter: Joe Eszterhas
• Producers: Charles Evans, Alan Marshall
• Director of Photography: Jost Vacano
• Editors: Mark Goldblatt, Mark Helfrich
• Art Director: William F. O’Brien
• Music: David A. Stewart
• With Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon
Read: Casper/Postwar Hollywood, Part IV
October 4
MIDTERM EXAM -- NO SCREENING
October 11
International Censorship I
A Clockwork Orange (Warner Bros., 1971)
• Director: Stanley Kubrick
• Screenwriter: Stanley Kubrick (based on a novel by Anthony Burgess)
• Producer: Stanley Kubrick
• Director of Photography: John Alcott
• Editor: Bill Butler
• Production Designer: John Barry
• With Malcolm McDowell
October 18
International Censorship II
To Live (ERA International / Shanghai Film Studios, 1994)
• Director: Yimou Zhang
• Screenwriters: Wei Lu, Hua Yu (based on a novel by Hua Yu)
• Producers: Fu-Sheng Chiu, Funhong Kow, Christophe Tseng
• Director of Photography: Yue Lü
• Editor: Yuan Du
• Art Director: Juiping Cao
• Music: Jiping Zhou
• With Yue Ge, Li Gong
October 25
Violence
Elephant (HBO Films / Fine Line Features, 2003)
• Director: Gus Van Sant
• Screenwriter: Gus Van Sant
• Producer: Dany Wolf
• Director of Photography: Harris Savides
• Editor: Gus Van Sant
• Art Director: Benjamin Hayden
• With Alex Frost, Eric Duelen
November 1
Television Censorship
Screening To Be Announced
November 8
Pornography: From Smokers to Cybersex
Fellini: Satyricon (United Artists, 1969)
• Director: Federico Fellini
• Screenwriters: Federico Fellini, Bernardino Zapponi, Brunello Rondi (based on the book by Petronius)
• Producer: Alberto Grimaldi
• Director of Photography: Giuseppe Rotunno
• Editor: Ruggero Mastroianni
• Art Directors: Giorgio Giovannini, Luigi Scaccianoce
• With Martin Potter, Hiram Keller, Max Born
Read: Sykes, pp. 1-62.
November 15
***Term papers Due***
The P.C. (“Politically Correct”) Debate and Backlash
Team America: World Police (Paramount, 2004)
• Director: Trey Parker
• Screenwriters: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Pam Brady
• Producers: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Scott Rudin
• Director of Photography: Bill Pope
• Editor: Thomas M. Vogt
• Supervising Art Director: Ramsey Avery
• Music: Harry Gregson-Williams
• With Trey Parker, Matt Stone (voices)
Read: Sykes, pp. 63-121.
Goldberg, pp. 1-96.
November 22
The Culture Wars
The Blind Side (Alcon Entertainment / Warner Bros., 2009)
• Director: John Lee Hancock
• Screenwriter: John Lee Hancock (based on a book by Michael Lewis)
• Producers: Broderick Johnson, Andrew A. Kosove, Gil Netter
• Director of Photography: Alar Kivilo
• Editor: Mark Livolsi
• Art Director: Thomas Minton
• Music: Carter Burwell
• With Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron
Read: Sykes, pp. 122-end.
Goldberg, pp. 97-231.
November 29
Q & A with Mr. Hugh Hefner
Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist, and Rebel (Phase 4 Films, 2009)
• Director: Brigitte Berman
• Producers: Brigitte Berman, Peter Raymont, Victor Solnicki
• Director of Photography: John Westheuser
• Editors: Brigitte Berman, Richard Vandentillaart
• Music: James Mark Stewart
Final Exam
Thursday, December 8, 11am-1pm
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