This course will look at major works of sound-era American Cinema in the context of the history of the film industry and the larger society. The course will focus on the changes that follow major transitions in the industry: the production code of 1934; the consent decree of 1948; the end of the production code in 1968. We will look at the work of major directors, such as Hawks, Hitchcock, Coppola, and Polanski, major genres, such as screwball comedy, women's pictures, and Westerns, and major styles, such as film noir. Requirements are likely to include, in addition to readings and film viewing, three papers and a final exam.
