CINEMATOGRAPHIC PHILOLOGY

The course is part of the “Related or Additional Studies” programmes included in the curriculum dedicated to contemporary arts for the Master’s degree programme in “History of Arts and Conservation of Artistic Heritage”. Its aim is to offer a critical-theoretical study of conservation, management and enhancement of the cinematographic heritage and the most frequently encountered audio-visual repertoires. The objectives of the course are: to teach students how to problematize their relationship with the objects they study or consume in every day’s life, such as films and audio-visual products, taking a philological approach towards learning and becoming aware of the theoretical debate that has developed in the literature of this field; to enable students to reflect upon the paradigms and cultural constructs informing concepts such as “conservation, “restoration”, “authenticity”, “cultural asset”.

1. Knowledge and comprehension: Ability to understand and analyse critical and theoretical texts dealing with cinema.
2. Ability to apply the acquired knowledge and comprehension: ability of writing a critical essay or compose a power point presentation using materials found in course textbooks
3. Judgement skills : Ability to build personal interpretations based upon knowledge of the course related critical-theoretical literature; A critical approach to the aesthetic, cultural and historical judgement of audio-visual artworks
4. Communication skills: Ability to participate in group discussions around the subjects of the course; Ability to convey the specific nature of the theoretical and historical debate revolving around the course topics using an appropriate vocabulary, during the exam as well as during lectures; Ability to interact with fellow students and with lecturers in a critical and collaborative way, both in the classroom as well as through virtual electronic platforms.
5. Learning skills: Ability to take notes and share them in a collaborative manner; Ability to consult reference texts and the bibliography they contain in a critical manner.

It is advisable that students have attended courses in film theory or art theory (visual, performing arts or literature) either during their BA or MA.

Reality/fiction. Philological and analytical paths along the fault line between true and false. The course consists in watching and commenting on a number of films (from "Blow Up" to "Zelig"; from "Une partie de campagne" to "Redacted", from "F for Fake" to "Close Up" and others) that have reflected on the biunique relationship between reality and fiction, authentic and fake, truth and lie. It is precisely along the thin border that separates and yet unites these opposites that one can trace one of the potential types of “philological” relations to a film text. In this sense, the films analysed during the lectures will enable students to study the fiction dynamics acting in a narrative, the strategies of contamination between different verbal codes, the forms of spectators’ participation or estrangement, or the ways a story told by means of pictures can establish a (never quite peaceful) relationship to the phenomenal world. In light of this, the concepts of “conservation”, “restoration”, “authenticity”, “original”, “copy” will be problematized and explained looking at the practices of negotiation between moving images and their consumers.

Textbooks:
- Rogir Odin, "Della Finzione", Milano, Vita&Pensiero, 2004
- François Jost, "Realtà/Finzione. L’impero del falso", Milano, Il Castoro Cinema, 2003

Students not attending the lectures must choose one of the following volumes, in addition to the above-mentioned textbooks:
- Jacques Aumont, "Les limites de la fiction : considérations actuelles sur l'état du cinema", Bayard, Montrouge 2014.
- Daniele Dottorini (a cura di), "Per un cinema del reale. Forme e pratiche del cinema documentario contemporaneo", Forum Editrice, Udine 2013.
- Luca Malavasi, "Realismo e tecnologia. Caratteri del cinema contemporaneo", Kaplan, Torino 2013
- Andrea Rabbito, "L'onda mediale : le nuove immagini nell'epoca della società visuale", Mimesis, Milano/Udine 2015.
- Valentina Re, Alessandro Cinquegrani, "L’innesto. Realtà e finzioni da Matrix a 1Q84", Mimesis, Milano/Udine 2014.
- Kendall L. Walton, "Mimesi come far finta : sui fondamenti delle arti rappresentazionali", Mimesis, Milano/Udine 2011.

Students who are not attending their lectures are required to write and hand in a paper not later than one week before the chosen exam date. The subject of the paper should be previously discussed and agreed with the professor. See also: Modes of learning assessment.

In addition to the ones mentioned above, further readings will be suggested during the lectures.

Filmography
In order to pass the exam both students attending lectures and non-attending students are required to know at least six of the following films:

"Une partie de campagne" by Jean Renoir
"Hiroshima mon amour" by Alain Resnais
"Blow up" by Michelangelo Antonioni
"Zelig" by Woody Allen
"F for Fake" by Orson Welles
"Close up" by Abbas Kiarostami
"Matrix" by Lana e Andy Wachowski
"Redacted" by Brian De Palma

The method of assessment for the course consists of an oral exam. However, before the oral exam, students are required to submit a written a report on paper and/or an electronic device. Students that have attended lectures are expected to choose a contemporary film that reflects on the borders between true/false, fiction/reality. The film has to be agreed with the lecturer and will be the subject of aa thematic and formal analysis. Students may choose whether to present their analysis in class during the course sessions which, on the occasion, will take the form of a workshop, or to write a paper (maximum 12.000 signs, excluding footnotes and bibliography) to be submitted to the lecturer not later than one week before the exam date. Students not attending their lectures are required to write the paper after having agreed their essay topic with the lecturer either by email or during office hours. The analytical film study (presented in front of the class or as written paper) will be one of the subjects discussed during the oral exam. The knowledge of the two textbooks (three for non- attending students) and of the six films chosen among those indicated in the filmography will also be examined during the oral exam.

Lectures consist of workshops and require an active student participation to the discussions regarding both the subjects analysed in the course books, the film sequences, and regarding illustrative passages from the recommended filmography. If possible, occasional “lectures” on theoretical problems and methods of cinematographic philology involving professors from other universities will be organised and feeding into the course schedule.

Italian

written and oral