Early and Silent Cinema, 1895-1929

Learning Outcomes

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• undertake primary research in a national and local archive effectively in order to pursue a line of historical inquiry.
• apply and test the critical models associated with early film aesthetics.
• Understand the salient historical developments in film history of this period and their significance
• Place local historical archive work within the context of the national and international history of film during this period.
• analyse early and silent film texts based on accurate historical understanding

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• the historical development of the Hollywood film industry in relation to the European film industry between 1895-1928
• the historical development of local film exhibition practices in Britain between 1910-28.
• the main issues and debates that surround the study of film in the period between 1895-1928

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• organise primary research within the framework of a reasoned and coherent argument
• understand and engage with the critical debates concerning early film history and aesthetics

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• verbally present ideas informally to seminar and engage in informed discussion concerning early and silent cinema
• construct a reasoned, well written argument based on research and analysis of texts, critical material and primary research data.
• accurately summarise, primary research material as well as published arguments and reports found in secondary sources
• effectively research a topic or issue in a local or national archive

The subject of Early Cinema is a lively one and is a particular branch of Film Studies that has been a significant force in recent film and media scholarship. No longer the preserve of archivists, this subject has made an impact on cultural studies, social history, studies in aesthetics, reception studies and histories of technology. This module is an exploration of the main issues and debates that surround the study of film in the period between 1895-1928. In the first part of the module the focus is on the early period 1895-1912 and the move from novelty to narrative. The second part is organised around the development of the feature, the changing exhibition practices and the rise of the Hollywood industry from 1912-1920 with a particular focus on the cultural and historical context of exhibition and reception in Britain. The third part of the module utilises case studies of two films to explore the intertwining nature of the aesthetics and politics of the Hollywood silent films of the Twenties.

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods include

• Lecture
• Seminar
• Screenings
• Individual tutorials

Learning activities include

• Essay
• Preparing and delivering presentations
• Research Project
• Individual study

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

David Robinson (1996). From Peep Show to Palace: The Birth of American Film. Columbia University Press.

Lee Grieveson and Peter Kramer (eds) (2004). The Silent Cinema Reader. London: Routledge.

Assessment strategy

Assessments designed to provide informal, on-module feedback

• You are required to comment in seminar each week on an aspect of the reading assignment and the film or films viewed at the screening.
• informal presentation of their research in the final three weeks of the module in seminar.
• advice on essay topics and plans

guidance on oral presentations and feedback on performance

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External