The Films of Alfred Hitchcock (UCSP
398)
Term 2, 2000-2001
This is the first film class to be offered in the Distance Education program
Prerequisite: None
UCSP 398 is an upper-level Humanities credit, applicable to the GER, and an upper-level elective credit.
Seminar materials
Textbook
Wood, Robin. 1989. Hitchcock's Films Revisited. New York: Columbia University Press.
You order this online from
the European Division Textbook Office.
Films (on video, DVD, or what you will):
Four Hitchcock films will be used in the seminar: Notorious
(1946), Strangers on a Train (1951), and Psycho (1960).
In addition, you will analyse a fourth film as part of the assessment of
the seminar (see below, Grading and Assessment). I recommend
the following films as suitable for this part of the seminar (remember,
you're only choosing one - and you can wait until the seminar starts, if
you want, and consult with me before making your choice).
If you're a serious Hitchcock fan, you may want to try, instead,
a comparison of the two versions of the only film he remade: The
Man Who Knew Too Much (1934 and 1956).
There are also the two recent remakes of Hitchcock films: Rear Window (1998; Jeff Becker), and Psycho (1999; Gus Van Sant). Either of these might be interesting to compare with the original (I've not seen either of them, though, so I don't really know). I think the other Psychos (II, III, etc) are a waste of time.
How to obtain the films
The University has been unable to work out a reliable way of getting into film distribution, so we are asking you to acquire your own copies. This is not difficult. Depending on where you are, most major Hitchcock films will be available in libraries and video stores (for rental or purchase). In addition, most avid movie collectors will have a number of Hitchcock films, so ask around - you may be able to borrow them; you may have some of them yourself.
If you have to buy them, here are some suggestions. The Internet has innumerable sites for film acquisition - I've looked up these online distributors where you can order your films. Prices are those advertised on August 15th, VHS format. ( DVD, where available, will usually be more expensive.)
Movies Unlimited http://www.moviesunlimted.com
Notorious
$14.29
Strangers on a Train $17.99
Psycho
$13.49
Critic's Choice http://www.ccvideo.com
Notorious
$10.77
Strangers on a Train $14.95
Psycho
$10.77
Video Limited http://www.myvideostore.com/videoltd
Notorious
$12.73
Strangers on a Train $16.98
Psycho
$12.73
Amazon http:www.amazon.com
Notorious
$13.99
Strangers on a Train $12.99
Psycho
$13.99
CD Now http://www.cdnow.com
Notorious
$11.98
Strangers on a Train $11.96
Psycho
$11.98
Laser's Edge (DVD only) http://www.lasersedge.com
Notorious
$17.44
Strangers on a Train $19.95
Psycho
$25.94
Media Play http://www.mediaplay.com
Notorious
$12.99
Strangers on a Train $16.99
Psycho
$12.99
In some cases, you may even find DVD's even cheaper than cassettes, so it pays to shop around.
Course outline
Alfred Hitchcock is the only director ever to have a film genre named after him. He invented and developed a whole new way of making suspense movies with an unmistakable personal style. To achieve this is difficult for any director, but Hitchcock also managed to do this under the Old Hollywood studio system. He is in a class by himself. Twenty years after his death, he remains one of the most popular - and easily identifiable - directors in the movies; the term 'Hitchcockian' has become a synonym for masterful control of the mechanisms of suspense and a guarantor of audience satisfaction, while the man himself, and his films, have come to embody the possibilities of the cinema (Allen and Gonzales, 1999).
The seminar will examine three of his major films: Notorious (1946), Strangers on a Train (1951), and probably his best-known work, Psycho (1960). I will use these films to illustrate the major themes and concerns that permeate Hitchcock's films, the control he exerts over his audience, and the moral dilemmas in which he places us and invites us to resolve at our peril.
Course objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, you will understand:
1. why Alfred Hitchcock is considered to be
one of the major film auteurs;
2. the major themes and concerns of his work;
3. why some critics are dismissive of his
work;
4. how to approach and analyse a Hitchcock
film.
Grading
Your grade for this seminar will be based on your participation (30%), a final test (30%), and an essay about a Hitchcock film (40%).
Participation means keeping up with reading and viewing assignments, being ready and able to participate in class discussions, and being prepared to respond thoughtfully to questions and points posted by your colleagues in the class. Participation does not mean having all the right answers: it means formulating intelligent questions based on the course materials, and responding actively and regularly to the discussion points that you and I will post each week. It follows, therefore, that if you are not checking in regularly (at least two or three times a week) and keeping up with what's going on in class, you are not participating.
The essay will be your analysis of a Hitchcock film which we will not discuss (except tangentially) in the seminar itself. You can choose which one you wish to write about - the list above includes those films that I think are the most profitable for you to work on, but it is not an exclusive list, and you can choose a different film (of the 50 available to you) if you wish. We can discuss this once the seminar gets rolling. This assignment will be due about 10 days after the seminar.
Class policies and procedures
I expect all class members to treat attendance as seriously as they would in a conventional class. Much of what we're going to be doing in this class, and much of the material that we will cover, will emerge during classwide discussions, so if you're not there in the classroom, checking in regularly (at least two or three times a week), you're going to be missing out on a lot, and your final grade will reflect this. The more you check in, keep up, and participate, the better you'll do.
Deadlines – for assignments, responses, exams – mean just that. Late and you're dead. However, I do realize that you have lives beyond the University of Maryland, and that difficulties may arise. Illness, job and family responsibilities, TDYs (for military members) and such do occur, and I have no intention of penalizing anyone in such instances. Your responsibility, when you think things are in danger of getting out of hand, is to keep me informed about what is going on, what the problem is, how long it's likely to interfere with your ability to concentrate on the course, and so on. I am certain that an accommodation can be reached which will allow you to continue and, most importantly, to complete the course satisfactorily, but I must know what's going on. And I have to hear about such difficulties before any deadlines are reached, let alone exceeded. So contact me by email, let me know what the problem is, and we can work something out.
Whatever you do, please don't just drop out of sight. Anyone who fails to turn up over an extended period (a couple of weeks, say) without clearing the absence with me first and working out how to keep up with the class in the interim will be urged to withdraw. Since I, and I hope you, don't want this to happen, I repeat: It's up to you to keep in touch with me.
Plagiarism and other diseases
The University has strict rules about academic dishonesty, published in all its Catalogs, and it is your responsibility to inform yourself about these rules and abide by them. Plagiarism, copying, and unauthorized collaboration (on an exam, for example) are absurdly easy to spot, and I will not tolerate any of them. Having said that, please remember that I hope you will collaborate with each other, consult as many other sources as you can, and make as much use of materials beyond your textbook as possible: just give credit where credit is due. If you're unsure of how to cite references, let me know and I'll give you some guidelines.
Course schedule
Week 1
Administrative matters
WT orientation (for those who need it)
Introducing Hitchcock
Lecture notes as posted
Reading: Introduction
(1965)
Plot Formations
Answer the questions in
the Week One Conference
Week 2
Notorious (1946)
Reading: Star and Auteur:
Hitchcock's Films with Bergman
Male Desire, Male Anxiety
Lecture notes as posted
Week 3
Strangers on a Train (1951)
Reading: Strangers
on a Train
The Murderous Gays: Hitchcock's Homophobia
Lecture notes as posted
Week 4
Psycho (1960)
Reading: Psycho
Retrospective (1977)
Lecture notes as posted
Week 5
What is a Hitchcock film?
Lecture notes as posted
Final discussion and wrap-up
Exam
In addition to readings from the textbook, I will be directing you to various websites on film in general and Hitchcock in particular.
Each week, I will post a number of discussion questions, based on what you have been reading and the film(s) you have seen. I will nominate particular members of the class to post their answers to these questions, and others to reply to them, but I hope that everyone will want to post answers and participate in the discussion. These answers and discussions are not graded, except to the extent that they indicate your degree of participation.
Instructor
My name is Peter Bowen. I am a Canadian, and completed my doctorate at the University of Oxford, in England. I worked in film and television production and teaching at the University of London, and was the founding Director of Audio-Visual Services at the University of Warwick, where I was also involved in helping to establish the first British university degree in Film Studies. I have been teaching a variety of film, biology, and communication courses for Maryland since 1984, primarily in Greece, but also in the Middle East and Bosnia. My partner, who is also a DE teacher, and I live in a village near Xania, in western Crete.
Website: http://www.faculty.ed.umuc.edu/~pbowen
E-mail: twoprofs@otenet.gr
Please contact me by email if you have any questions about the seminar.