What makes a movie a great movie? The actors? Storyline? Directors? Cinematography? What makes a movie a timeless masterpiece? This class will explore, research, and analyze the most acclaimed classic movies of all time in American film history.
Studying film from five distinctive elements of a film:
Ø Director – importance in the film industry / influence on other directors / other films / brief biography
Ø Main characters – brief descriptions; Actors – history, brief biography / fimography / importance in the history of film-making
Ø Historical / Cultural significance of film / impact on public (scandal? / reflection of the events of the time / etc.)
Ø Film’s artistic importance - Effect on future movies / Groundbreaking effects / other important contributors to the making of the film (music / cinematography / etc.) / Awards nominations / wins
Ø Screenplay - Summary of story / writers and their previous and subsequent works / why did they choose this story to tell / where was it filmed? / any other important features of story? Is it an original screenplay or was it adapted from a book?
