The course will combine lecture and discussion with the viewing of film excerpts as well as some complete films (especially, but not exclusively, non-feature length). Intermittent quizzes will focus students’ attention on the facts and ideas they should be retaining from readings and lectures. Discussion about readings and viewings will be integral to the class structure. A research term paper will permit some guided individual instruction and a deeper understanding of a narrowed topic within the subject matter of Canadian film (and require viewing films outside of class). In class meetings students will share brief oral summaries of their research topics.
Any study of film becomes a study of culture as well. This course will be looking for signs of Canadianness in the films that we study, as well as regional differences of films from the disparate parts of Canada. It will also necessarily make some comparisons and contrasts with the dominant industry of Hollywood.
Silent Era
- First films in Canada: scenics and the roles of government and business
- Hollywood’s Canada
- First wave of Canadian feature films and their struggles
Documentary Film
- John Grierson and the National Film Board: a social purpose
- The NFB after Grierson: diversification and theatrical releases
- Television and cinema direct
- Independent documentary, including features
Animation and Experimental Film
- The McLaren years
- Michael Snow and the role of experimental film
Rebirth of Canadian Feature Films
- NFB documentary influence in the ‘60s and ‘70s, in English and French
- The evolution of an independent industry: beyond realism
- Canadian auteurs (French, English, and diversified voices; from Halifax to Bollywood)
- Recurring themes; emerging styles
- “Hollywood North,” government policies, and consequences
The Possibilities and Challenges for Canadian Film Now and in the Future
- The digital age and its inevitable effects on production and distribution
- Vancouver’s role as a film centre
Studios and production houses
Vancouver International Film Festival
Film schools
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to
- Trace the development of Canadian film from its origins at the beginning of the 20th Century, including the special challenges of maintaining a film industry neighbouring and sharing a language with the United States and the reasons for doing so.
- Understand the role that government has played in the development of Canadian film and analyse the pros and cons of that role.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the themes and stylistic characteristics that distinguish the works of French and English-Canadian directors.
- Demonstrate successful research and writing methods applied to a specific topic within the subject matter of Canadian film.
| Quizzes | 25% |
| Midterm Exam | 20% |
| Term Paper | 20% |
| Final Exam | 25% |
| Participation/discussion | 10% |
| TOTAL | 100% |
A list of recommended textbooks and materials is provided on the Instructor’s Course Outline, which is available to students at the beginning of each semester.
The instructor will designate the following text or select an alternate text of a similar type.
- Monk, Katherine. Weird Sex and Snowshoes. Vancouver, B.C.: Raincoast Books, 2001.
Supplementary:
- Beard, William and Jerry White, North of Everything. Edmonton, AB: University of Alberta Press, 2002.