American Cult Cinema 4219-SD0046
Breaking down to thematic blocs, each of which is going to be dedicated to one movie and one director, this course will analyze American cult cinema and outline the role of B-Z class movies for the development of American culture and its aesthetic identity. As such, it will offer an insight into various areas of American fringe culture to show the mechanisms behind the formation of American taste, American representation, American cinema and off culture. It will try to explain what “off” means in relation to the mainstream in the American context, explaining the inspirations behind American cult cinema and their related phenomena. Among directors discussed in the course, there will be Jack Arnold, Russ Meyer, John Waters, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Lloyd Kaufman and others. The discussion will also tap into theoretical developments around the cinematic tradition, its related genres, and its role in the formation of postmodern aesthetics. Genres examined in that course will include gore, camp, pulp, peplum, spaghetti western (and other).
Type of course
Learning outcomes
Upon the completion of the course, students:
• have a basic knowledge of the tradition of American Cult Cinema (ACC)
• are aware of the cultural influences of ACC and its historical conditioning.
• has a systematic knowledge of notion, trend and terms related to ACC as well as its criticism.
• can use critical terms related to ACC.
• can use critical theory to analyze ACC.
• is aware of the cultural importance of ACC.
• is open to new ideas about culture and its practices.
Assessment criteria
written assignment (critical essay)
Bibliography
The Routledge Companion to Cult Cinema, E. Mathijs and J. Sexton (2019)
Cult Cinema: Introduction, E. Mathijs and J. Sexton (2012)
Cult Films: Taboo and Transgression, A. Havis (2008)
Cult Cinema as a Guide to Life: Fandom, Adaptation, and Identity, I. Q. Hunter (2016)
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: