124184 VK BEd 08b.3: VK Cultural Studies for Language Teachers (2019W)

In this class, we will explore how British film directors have incorporated (references to) art history in (biographical) feature films. This exploration will be preceded by a discussion of terms and definitions needed in order to talk about fine arts and film, especially in the context of the EFL classroom. In addition, students will craft a personal response to various directors’ approaches to capturing fine arts in film. Films scrutinised will include Ken Russell’s Dante’s Inferno (1967), Peter Watkins’s Edvard Munch (1974), Derek Jarman’s Caravaggio (1986), Peter Greenaway’s The Cook, the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover (1989), Christopher Hampton’s Carrington (1995), Peter Webber’s Girl with a Pearl Earring (2004), Mike Leigh’s Mr Turner (2014) as well as Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman’s Loving Vincent (2017). Our readings will include several canonical art historians such as Svetlana Alpers and Hans Belting as well as theorists such as Laura Mulvey and Linda Hutcheon.