Term 5
SPAN 325: Hispanic Cinema
Course Description
The Hispanic and Luso- Brazilian Cinematic Lens- A Memorable Gaze to Human Odyssey: This course will examine the multiple ways that Hispanic and Brazilian filmmakers have seen Hispanic world, its people, religious beliefs and cultures for more than a century. This course provides the student with a range of perspectives on cultural developments in Spain, Brazil, Latin America and the Caribbean from the colonial to the modern period, using critical and literary texts as well as films. Open to every one. Taught in English.
Homework
Journals Pt. 1, Journal Pt. 2
Course Reflective Narrative
Completing my MLO 3 requirements, Hispanic Cinema provided a highly visually stimulating experience that enhanced my understanding of not only numerous cultures, but the surroundings and circumstances that historically have created these cultures. Hardships, violence, corruption, attraction and travel are just a few of the topics that were brought up through the variety of films provided in this course.
As seen in my journals, the movies observed in this course are as follows: El Perro Andaluz, That Obscure Object of Desire, Man Facing Southeast, The Official Story, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, All About My Mother, The Headless Woman, Terra em Transe, Black Orpheus, City of God, The Central Station, Hour of the Star, Guantanamera, Strawberry and Chocolate, Bitter Sugar, Havana, the Art of Making Ruins, Between Pancho Villa and a Naked Woman, The Forgotten Ones, and The Secret of Romelia.
Out of these movies my 3 favorites were City of God, The Official Story, and Man Facing Southeast. Although I spent a year in South America, I was unable to visit Brazil. My biggest reason was that I didn't want to do a quick touristic visit knowing how vast the landscapes of Brazil are. I would prefer to spend an extended amount of time wandering through its unique streets; City of God displayed the history and violence of these streets in a graphic, yet stimulating way. The part that was most hard for me to grasp was that the youth in the Favelas really have no chance with such a strong gang presence in the towns. Its a vicious circle that gets passed down to the youth. Both The Official Story and Man Facing Southeast deal with "los desaparecidos", or the disappeared, during the Dirty War in Argentina. What I like about The Official Story is the conflict between the parents of an adopted child that had her family taken by the government, and how it illuminates the national tragedy that was occurring at the time. The same situation is brought up in Man Facing Southeast, but instead they create a man who says he's an alien from outer space lost in this new world. This represents the many people who feel this way in Argentina due to their disconnection with their family, and the truth that lays in their history.
Course Description
The Hispanic and Luso- Brazilian Cinematic Lens- A Memorable Gaze to Human Odyssey: This course will examine the multiple ways that Hispanic and Brazilian filmmakers have seen Hispanic world, its people, religious beliefs and cultures for more than a century. This course provides the student with a range of perspectives on cultural developments in Spain, Brazil, Latin America and the Caribbean from the colonial to the modern period, using critical and literary texts as well as films. Open to every one. Taught in English.
Homework
Journals Pt. 1, Journal Pt. 2
Course Reflective Narrative
Completing my MLO 3 requirements, Hispanic Cinema provided a highly visually stimulating experience that enhanced my understanding of not only numerous cultures, but the surroundings and circumstances that historically have created these cultures. Hardships, violence, corruption, attraction and travel are just a few of the topics that were brought up through the variety of films provided in this course.
As seen in my journals, the movies observed in this course are as follows: El Perro Andaluz, That Obscure Object of Desire, Man Facing Southeast, The Official Story, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, All About My Mother, The Headless Woman, Terra em Transe, Black Orpheus, City of God, The Central Station, Hour of the Star, Guantanamera, Strawberry and Chocolate, Bitter Sugar, Havana, the Art of Making Ruins, Between Pancho Villa and a Naked Woman, The Forgotten Ones, and The Secret of Romelia.
Out of these movies my 3 favorites were City of God, The Official Story, and Man Facing Southeast. Although I spent a year in South America, I was unable to visit Brazil. My biggest reason was that I didn't want to do a quick touristic visit knowing how vast the landscapes of Brazil are. I would prefer to spend an extended amount of time wandering through its unique streets; City of God displayed the history and violence of these streets in a graphic, yet stimulating way. The part that was most hard for me to grasp was that the youth in the Favelas really have no chance with such a strong gang presence in the towns. Its a vicious circle that gets passed down to the youth. Both The Official Story and Man Facing Southeast deal with "los desaparecidos", or the disappeared, during the Dirty War in Argentina. What I like about The Official Story is the conflict between the parents of an adopted child that had her family taken by the government, and how it illuminates the national tragedy that was occurring at the time. The same situation is brought up in Man Facing Southeast, but instead they create a man who says he's an alien from outer space lost in this new world. This represents the many people who feel this way in Argentina due to their disconnection with their family, and the truth that lays in their history.