Introduction

One of the most significant developments of our time is the rapidly shrinking distance among cultures and institutions of our world. We are sometimes startled to discover the place of Hollywood films in the lives of people whom we had thought of as culturally remote from ourselves. At the same time, film industries have emerged in many other countries, offering us fresh and sometimes surprising perspectives on life in other cultures. It is these movie industries outside of the United States that will be our focus in this course.

We will develop a working vocabulary of film terminology and moviemaking technique, and underline the connection between analyzing and writing about our experiences of film and a richer, more sophisticated enjoyment of it. Ultimately, we will use the insights and perspectives of world filmmakers to enrich our understanding of some of the key institutions and social dynamics that increasingly link the peoples of our world.