The Classical Hollywood Style

Past Show Times:
3:00 AM on Jan 23, 2013

In a classical Hollywood film, the story is primary. Filmmakers rely on style - structure, narrative, and visual elements - to effectively tell their story. Martin Scorsese and Sydney Pollack are among the premiere directors who discuss how classical Hollywood style, evolving and yet enduring over time, informs their work.

Film Language

Past Show Times:
3:00 AM on Feb 6, 2013

Teaches students the formal and technical vocabulary of the cinema - essential terms that help them to see the way films are constructed. What is a tracking shot? How are shots edited together? What is a zoom? What does the 180 degree axis mean, and how is it used? These are some of the terms illustrated in this innovative program.

Writing and Thinking About Film

Upcoming Show Times:
3:30 AM on Mar 6, 2013

Past Show Times:
3:30 AM on Feb 6, 2013

Provides a close formal and cultural analysis of a classical film sequence - a detailed, hands-on demonstration of practical film criticism. Here, students are offered a range of interpretive possibilities, a critical how-to guide for those new to film critique

The Star

Upcoming Show Times:
3:00 AM on Feb 13, 2013

Greta Garbo, Cary Grant, Dustin Hoffman - these among many others are names are synonymous with Hollywood. Early on, Hollywood saw that recognizable talent could minimize the financial risks of film production. Critics, film scholars, and studio publicists view the stars from many angles, as marketing tools, cultural icons, and products of the industry.

The Western

Upcoming Show Times:
3:00 AM on Feb 20, 2013

The Western is the American myth that has been transplanted by other cultures and reinterpreted time and again, but never dies. With clips and critical commentary on westerns from John Ford's 'Stagecoach' through the work of Arthur Penn, Sam Peckinpah, and Clint Eastwood, the program traces the aesthetic evolution of the genre as well as its sociological importance.

Romantic Comedy

Upcoming Show Times:
3:00 AM on Feb 27, 2013

Breezy and silly to witty and intelligent, romantic comedies have been with us since the 1930s. But the surface humor has often just barely masked issues of gender and sexuality. This program looks back on screwball comedies including 'It Happened One Night' and 'His Girl Friday' and analyzes recent interpretations of genre by directors, including James Brooks and Nora Ephron, that reveals the underlying social and psychological messages.

Faculty Lecture: Keaton / Review

Upcoming Show Times:
3:00 AM on Mar 6, 2013

This telecourse is presented by the University of Utah. For more, go to www.uen.org/tv

The Combat Film

Upcoming Show Times:
3:00 AM on Mar 13, 2013
3:00 AM on Mar 20, 2013

Beginning with World War II combat films - produced under directives from the federal government - this program examines the role of the combat film in filling a social and political need. Critics and directors describe the evolution of these films, the rise of the Vietnam film, and the influence of the newsreel documentaries and TV news on the genre.

Film Noir

Upcoming Show Times:
3:00 AM on Mar 27, 2013

These cynical and pessimistic films from the 1930s and '40s touched a nerve in Americans. Historians link the genre's overriding paranoia to Cold War-related angst over the nuclear threat and the Hollywood blacklist. In addition, a cinematographer demonstrates the creation of noir lighting, which gave films their peculiar look and emphasized the themes of corruption and urban decay.

Film in the Television Age

Upcoming Show Times:
3:00 AM on Apr 3, 2013

Television first arrived in American homes just as the Hollywood studio system was collapsing. As the new medium took hold, so did a new era of motion picture entertainment. Top directors, actors, and film scholars trace the influence of each medium on the other, from the live and fresh dramas of the Golden Age of Television and the growth of Hollywood spectacles, to the megalithic entertainment industry of today.

The Film School Generation

Upcoming Show Times:
3:00 AM on Apr 10, 2013

Maverick filmmakers of the 1960s and '70s, including Brian DePalma, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg, capitalized on new technology and borrowed from classical Hollywood and French New Wave as they reinvented the American film. The financial and cultural forces that contributed to their success and commercial clout are explored.

The Edge of Hollywood

Upcoming Show Times:
3:00 AM on Apr 17, 2013

While many of the old rules are still in force, independent filmmakers today often add their dissenting voices to the forum. This program looks at some alternative visions from new talents including Spike Lee, Joel and Ethan Coen, Jim Jarmusch, and Quentin Tarrantino. With limited budgets, they are challenging the stylistic status quo of the Hollywood film.

Not Currently In Use

Upcoming Show Times:
3:00 AM on Apr 24, 2013
3:30 AM on Apr 24, 2013

A telecouirse presented by the University of Utah. For more information, go to www.uen.org/tv.