FAVz015 Stanley Kubrick

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2018
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Peter Krämer (lecturer), doc. Mgr. Pavel Skopal, Ph.D. (deputy)
Mgr. Martin Kos (seminar tutor)
Mgr. Veronika Jančová (assistant)
Mgr. Kateřina Šardická (assistant)
Guaranteed by
doc. Mgr. Pavel Skopal, Ph.D.
Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: doc. Mgr. Pavel Skopal, Ph.D.
Timetable
Thu 19. 4. 17:30–20:45 U34, Thu 26. 4. 17:30–20:45 U34, Thu 3. 5. 17:30–20:45 U34, Thu 10. 5. 17:30–20:45 U34, Thu 17. 5. 17:30–20:45 U34
  • Timetable of Seminar Groups:
FAVz015/OS01: Fri 20. 4. 8:20–13:15 Scala, Wed 25. 4. 8:20–13:15 U34, Fri 27. 4. 8:20–13:15 Scala, Thu 10. 5. 8:20–13:15 Scala, Fri 18. 5. 8:20–13:15 Scala
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 80 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 1/80, only registered: 0/80, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/80
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 12 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
Born in 1928 in New York, Stanley Kubrick is widely regarded as one of the most important filmmakers of the second half of the 20th century. Usually described as an obsessive maverick who asserted control over all aspects of film production, Kubrick stamped his mark on a range of genres, including Science Fiction (2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968), horror (The Shining, 1980) and the Vietnam movie (Full Metal Jacket, 1987). Following an early career as a photographer for Look magazine, from the beginning of the 1950s to the late 1990s Kubrick made several short documentaries and thirteen feature films. Apart from the first two, all of his features were (co-)financed and distributed by the major Hollywood studios and based on literary sources, and they received a lot of critical acclaim. Starting with the historical epic Spartacus (1960), Kubrick also became one of the most commercially successful American filmmakers. Interestingly, from the early 1960s onwards, all of his films were made in the UK, where Kubrick moved with his family during this decade. This course combines lectures with screenings of almost all of Kubrick’s shorts and features, the screenings being followed by plenary discussions. Drawing on a wide range of materials from the Stanley Kubrick Archive at the University of the Arts London, the lectures, as well as the journal essays and book chapters to be read for each session, examine how Kubrick made his films and the wider film industrial context in which he made them; their main themes and stylistic characteristics; and their marketing, commercial performance and reception. Please note that the Thursday sessions do not simply consist of film screenings, but combine screenings with introductory talks and plenary discussions. Also note that this course will be assessed through an English language exam (details about this to be circulated later). The main textbook is Tatjana Ljujic, Peter Krämer and Richard Daniels (eds), Stanley Kubrick: New Perspectives, London: Black Dog, 2015.
Learning outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to: - be familiar with the Kubrick´s movies and with the production system of the 1960s - critically evaluate the oeuvre of Stanley Kubrick - have an understanding of the context of the reception of Kubrick´s movies
Syllabus
  • Week 1 Reading: - Tatjana Ljujic, Peter Krämer and Richard Daniels, “Introduction”, in Ljujic, Krämer and Daniels, Stanley Kubrick, pp. 13-9, 358 - Philippe D. Mather, “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: The Influence of Look Magazine on Stanley Kubrick’s Career as a Filmmaker”, in Ljujic, Krämer and Daniels (eds), Stanley Kubrick, pp. 22-47, 358-60
  • Thursday, 19 April, 17.30-20.45, U34: 17.40 Screenings with introduction and discussion: Day of the Fight (1951, 16min), Flying Padre (1951, 9 min)
  • 18.20 Lecture: Stanley Kubrick’s Early Career up to 1953, with excerpts from The Seafarers (1953, 30 min)
  • 19.20 Screening with discussion: Fear and Desire (1953, 65 min)
  • 20.45 The End
  • Friday, 20 April, 8.20-13.15, Scala:
  • 08.20 Screening with introduction and discussion: Killer’s Kiss (1955, 67 min)
  • 10.00 Coffee break
  • 10.30 Screening with discussion: The Killing (1956, 84 min)
  • 12.15 Lecture: A Closer Look at the Making, Marketing and Reception of Killer’s Kiss and The Killing
  • 13.15 The End
  • Week 2 Reading: - Peter Krämer, “’Complete total final annihilating artistic control’: Stanley Kubrick and Post-War Hollywood”, in Ljujic, Krämer and Daniels, Stanley Kubrick, pp. 49-61, 358-60 - Nathan Abrams, “An Alternative New York Jewish Intellectual: Stanley Kubrick’s Cultural Critique”, in Ljujic, Krämer and Daniels, Stanley Kubrick, pp. 63-79, 360-1
  • Additional reading for those who are particularly interested in Paths of Glory and Spartacus: - Richard Daniels, “Selling the War Film: Syd Stogel and the Paths of Glory Press Files”, in Ljujic, Krämer and Daniels, Stanley Kubrick, pp. 81-97, 361-2 - Fiona Radford, “Having His Cake and Eating It Too: Stanley Kubrick and Spartacus”, in Ljujic, Krämer and Daniels, Stanley Kubrick, pp. 99-116, 362-4
  • Wednesday, 25 April, 8.20-13.15, U34 08.20 Lecture: Stanley Kubrick and the Internationalisation of Post-War American Cinema
  • 09.45 Coffee break
  • 10.15 Screening with discussion: Paths of Glory (1957, 87 min)
  • 12.15 Screening with introduction: Excerpts from Spartacus (1960)
  • 13.15 The End
  • Thursday, 26 April, 17.30-20.45, U34 17.30 Screening with introduction and discussion: Lolita (1962, 153 min)
  • 20.45 The End
  • Friday, 27 April, 8.20-13.15, Scala 08.20 Screening with discussion: Dr. Strangelove (1964, 94 min)
  • 10.15 Screening with introduction, intermission and discussion: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, Part 1: 90 min, Intermission: 15 min, Part 2: 55 min)
  • 13.15 The End
  • Week 3: Reading: - Peter Krämer, “’Dear Mr. Kubrick’: Audience Responses to 2001: A Space Odyssey in the Late 1960s”, Participations: Journal of Audience and Reception Studies, vol. 6, no. 2 (November 2009), http://www.participations.org/Volume%206/Issue%202/kramernew.pdf (freely accessible online) - Peter Krämer, “’What’s it going to be, eh?’: Stanley Kubrick’s Adaptation of Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange”, in Ljujic, Krämer and Daniels, Stanley Kubrick, pp. 219-235, 369-70
  • Thursday, 3 May, 17.30-20.45, U34 17.30 17.30 Screening with introduction and discussion: A Clockwork Orange (1971, 136 min)
  • 20.45 The End
  • Week 4: Reading: - Tatjana Ljujic, “Painterly Immediacy in Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon”, in Ljujic, Krämer and Daniels, Stanley Kubrick, pp. 237-59, 371-2 - Catriona McAvoy, “Creating The Shining: Looking Beyond the Myths”, in Ljujic, Krämer and Daniels, Stanley Kubrick, pp. 281-307, 372-3
  • Thursday, 10 May, 8.20-13.15, Scala 08.20 Screening with introduction and discussion: Barry Lyndon (1975, 185 min) 13.15 The End
  • Thursday, 10 May, 17.30-20.45, U34 17.30 17.30 Screening with introduction and discussion: The Shining (1980, 119 or 145 min) 20.45 The End
  • Week 5 Reading: - Peter Krämer, “Stanley Kubrick: Known and Unknown“, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, vol. 37, no. 3 (September 2017), pp. 373-95 (accessible on the webpage for this course) Thursday, 17 May, 17.30-20.45, U34 17.30 Lecture/film excerpts/discussion: Kubrick’s Style 18.30 Screening with discussion: Full Metal Jacket (1987, 116 min) 20.45 The End
  • Friday, 18 May, 8.20-13.15 08.20 Screening with introduction and discussion: Eyes Wide Shut (1999, 159 min) 11.30 Coffee break 11.45 Discussion: Researching Stanley Kubrick 13.15 The End
Literature
  • James Naremore, On Kubrick, London: BFI, 2007
Teaching methods
Lectures. Please note that the Thursday sessions do not simply consist of film screenings, but combine screenings with introductory talks and plenary discussions.
Assessment methods
This course will be assessed through an English language exam.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
Information on completion of the course: Full time students: 100% presence at the lectures is required. Distance students: three absences are tolerated.
The course can also be completed outside the examination period.
The course is taught only once.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2009, Spring 2013.
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