DLCL Film Series: Rebel With a Cause

This quarter's film series will examine the representation of resistance, rebellion, and revolt in international cinema. Starting with Michael Almereyda's biographical drama Experimenter (2015), we will examine Stanley Milgram's studies on complicity, conformity, and resistance in his famous experiments on following instructions to inflict pain. From there we will move to canonical cinematic representations of acts of resistance like Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's The Lives of Others (2006), Jean-Pierre Melville's Army of Shadows (1969), and Sergei Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin (1925) to discuss why these films have been canonized as some of the most suspenseful and powerful films of all time. Viewing Marcel Carné's Children of Paradise (1945), filmed during the Nazi Occupation of France, and Victor Erice's The Spirit of the Beehive (1973), filmed during the Franco regime in Spain, will allow us to discuss the ways that cinema itself is used as a tool of resistance. And discussing Walter Salles' Motorcycle Diaries (2004), Francisco Vargas' The Violin (2005), and Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds (2009) will allow us to explore the ways that resistance in diverse forms from unexpected actors can lead to movements that may or may not change the world. Discussion will focus on analyzing the structures, actors, and acts of resistance, rebellion, and revolt in international film. In particular we will look at who resists and why; how a rebel's identity and social position affects his or her political engagement; and how different forms of resistance can create movements that evolve from grassroots, across governments, and around the globe. In our study of representations of resistance across different schools and cultures of cinema, film technologies, and cinematic history, we will also address the ways that film creates suspense and intrigue, represents cause and effect, and prompts questions of ethics. Screening Schedule: April 4 Experimenter (2015) Michael Almereyda , April 11 Army of Shadows (1969) Jean-Pierre Melville, April 18 Children of Paradise (1946) Marcel Carné , April 25 Battleship Potemkin (1925) Sergei Eisenstein, May 2 The Lives of Others (2006) Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, May 9 Motorcycle Diaries (2004) Walter Salles, May 16 The Violin (2005) Francisco Vargas, May 23 The Battle of Algiers (1966) Gillo Pontecorvo, June 6 The Spirit of the Beehive (1973) Victor Erice , and June 13 Inglourious Basterds (2009) Quentin Tarantino.