Two things are certain about this film: it's brilliant and it's racist. How you reconcile that conflict is up to you. If you remember no other scene, remember "Homecoming." (See Walch's Notecards for Josef von Sternberg's assessment of Griffith.)

See if you remember a very early example of superb mise-en-scene filmmaking. And remember: the dog flies!!

The bridge blows up and the train collapses into the river for the most expensive one-shot action sequence of the period. All the stunts are real, and Keaton does them all.

Another masterpiece from Buster Keaton, this film explodes with visual dexterity. Eminently watchable, "Sherlock Jr." was added to Cinema Studies for the academic year 2007-08 at the suggestion of Adam Payne ('07)

Collision editing. So much movement, and yet the camera itself almost never moves. "The Odessa Staircase" sequence is one of cinema's most glorious moments.

There are few finer directors than King Vidor ("The Crowd," "Stella Dallas," "The Fountainhead"), and this may well be his masterwork. Yes, that convoy of two-hundred army trucks is real. There's no CGI about them. And if there's a more touching moment in film than Melisande's farewell to her soldier boy going to the front, I don't know what it is. (See Course Materials, "King Vidor and Silent Music.")

An example of linkage editing, and yet when you put it side by side with "Battleship Potemkin," the differences appear at first subtle, almost indistinguishable. Attempting to discern those differences will sharpen your sense of film.

A film absolutely central to the study of film. The director, F.W. Murnau, also gave us "Nosferatu." This film is utterly original: overlays of images, breathtaking dissolves, an elegant and original story.

Another brilliant silent movie from master director King Vidor. Image after image in this unsentimental yet heart-breaking film stays with the viewer. Billy Wilder's "The Apartment" pays eloquent visual homage to Vidor's film by quoting the very image depicted here. (See "The Apartment" on Tedline.) "The Crowd" is a must-see.

One of film's masters, Dreyer demonstrates great power in this remarkable film. Of particular note are his close-ups. You might have fun comparing Dreyer's close-ups with Leone's close-ups.

How magical is the number three, especially in the telling of a good joke! And when the dog gets the laugh, all's right with the world.

Bunuel said that his film was "an incitement to murder." I promise you this: you'll never forget the image of an eyeball being sliced by a razor, just as a cloud slices the moon.

We don't always have time to see this movie, but I recommend it for home viewing. It's central to film history. It's directed by a master (Josef von Sternberg). And it has two astonishing performances, one by Marlene Dietrich and the other by Emil Jannings. The latter may be one of the greatest performances in all of film history. Seriously. (See Walch's Notecards for delicious bits and pieces of director von Sternberg's writings.)

Not only is it fun, but director Whale's use of the techniques of the German Expressionists proves an exemplary introduction to that all-important film movement, [German] Expressionism.

Compare this version with Peter Jackson's. Which, in your opinion, is better? Which tells the story better? Which moves you more?

Director Rouben Mamoulian's instructions to Garbo at the end: "Think of nothing. Absolutely nothing." This, then, becomes, if not the best, certainly the most famous example of what I choose to call The Neutral Mask. What are some other examples? Can you find some on your own?

The thumpa-thumpa-thumpa of the industrial world opens this film. You might compare it with the relentless drumbeats of war in "The Big Parade."

Two things about this film are true: it's brilliant, and in its celebration of The Nazi Way, it's terrifying. It brings to mind "The Birth of A Nation."

"No, Kurt, I did not say postponed." This memorable line uttered as only Maria Ouspenskaya can give utterance. William Wyler is the director.

King Vidor again, jerking tears as only he can. (See Course Materials, "King Vidor and Silent Music.")

Considered one of the greatest films of all time, Jean Renoir's satire of a group of French aristocrats on a hunting weekend is both witty and historically insightful. The sweeping camera movement is extremely impressive; we roll from room to room in single shots, through doors as if we are characters ourselves. The movie was banned during occupied France. It has been beautifully resurrected by Janus Films on DVD. (Drew Foster '08) This film and Robert Altman's minor masterpiece "Gosford Park" have a lot in common. Looking at these two films side by side tells you a great deal about how to make a movie. [Walch]

This most successful of all films should definitely be viewed in its entirety -- by you, at home. We looked at it for the way the composer, Max Steiner, weaves his musical motifs. Oh, don't ever forget: the horse dies.

We rarely get the chance to watch this film, but Orson Welles claimed it influenced "Citizen Kane" more than any other film. He says he watched it God knows how many times to get a sense of how to make a film. German Expressionism is at play here as well. Here's a thought: watch "Stagecoach" to see if Welles's claim makes any sense.

When you have a great performer such as Charles Laughton, you need no dialogue, and you don't even need music. It's not a silent film, but it's silent-film acting at its very best.

The dog transmogrifies.

It's been said over and over and over again. I have nothing new to add, but you might. Go for it.

There's so much that's wonderful that I hate to single out Leo's getting bitch-slapped, but I have to. Yeah, yeah, there's the mirror thing, and the mise-en-scene thing, and the deep-focus thing, but nothing, I repeat nothing, comes close to the sheer beauty of the bitch slap.

I have nothing to add. And, yes, there is a dog.

It's the year of "Citizen Kane" and "The Little Foxes" and cinematographer Gregg Toland. But it's also the year of cinematographer James Wong Howe and this splendid film, directed by Sam Wood. Ronald Reagan, a better actor than he was given credit for, gives a first-rate performance. The cast includes the brilliant Claude Rains (remember him in "Casablanca") in a fiercely complex role. This is an elegant, masterful film. We study a part of it to look at many of the facets of cinematic language.

"The sleeve. The sleeve."

Made without permission from James M. Cain, author of the novel "The Postman Always Rings Twice." Remade twice in USA as "The Postman Always Rings Twice" in 1946 (John Garfield, Lana Turner) and 1981 (Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange).

Two Charlies, and thereby hangs a tale. And don't forget the camera as voyeur.

A masterpiece of film noir. Barbara Stanwyck's performance defines excellence. The dialogue sparkles; here are two examples: "Margie -- I bet she drinks from the bottle." “I killed him for money – and for a woman. And I didn’t get the money, and I didn’t get the woman.” That last line pretty much sums up film noir.

The camera tries to have a peek at the grief in the garden, but it decides not to go there. Unfortunately the radio keeps playing.

The same scene told from two entirely different points of view. Bazin might refer to the first telling as Objective and to the second as Subjective. The role of the annoying Dolly Messiter is central to an understanding of the two narrative approaches.

Along with De Sica's "Shoeshine," this film helped begin Italian Neo-Realism. It features a passionate performance by Anna Magnani. Many critics consider her the best film actress of all time. Tedline might just agree, but where then would Barbara Stanwyck rank if that were true?

David Lean did two Dickens movies. "Great Expectations" is the first and "Oliver Twist" the second. They are both remarkable movies. Question: Do you recognize the actor in this still? The character's name is Herbert Pocket.

Many critics, perhaps most, consider this Hitchcock's best film. It certainly sustains a quiet suspense and it has certainly one visual moment that will remain with you for a lifetime, viz. the camera descending from the heights to find the key in Ingrid's palm.

I'm hooked. Okay, it's a cheap joke, but there's nothing cheap about the film. It's a masterpiece. The great William Wyler at the peak of his powers.

Do you know where the title comes from? Do you know the two other versions of Cain's novel? It's trivia time. Have fun.

The Hollywood Style at its very, very best: seamless editing, glamorous stars, exceedingly long takes, and a good story told well.

A centerpiece, perhaps the centerpiece, of the course. And everytime I view it all I can say is that "I want some more." You may not agree, but you'll probably agree that it's a very, very good film.

This film is on my Top Ten List. It's on every other Top Ten List as well. It's only recently that the film has become known as "The Bicycle Thieves," which is the correct translation of the Italian title, "Ladri di biciclette." Did you know that de Sica credits Vidor's "The Crowd" as the inspiration for this film. There's an idea for a paper: a look at those two films side by side. Now there's a topic!!

It's not easy to explain in words what makes old Hollywood musicals so great, but one viewing of this film will explain it better than any number of words. It's smart and funny, sweet and whimsical. And the enthusiasm of Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds make this movie a joy to behold. (Adam Payne '07)

One of my top five favorite films. It's a great love story, and like all great love stories, it is very sad. Based on Theodore Dreiser's "An American Tragedy" and directed by George Stevens, this film has stayed wildly popular. I never have a chance to show it in class, but I reserved a page in the notebook, and if there is ever time, I'll not only show it but talk about it for days and days. For the record, Josef von Sternberg filmed this same story as "An American Tragedy" in the early 30's and Sergei Eisenstein wrote a truly brilliant screenplay of this story; sadly, his version never got filmed. The script survives and to compare Eisenstein's version to Von Sternberg's and Stevens's is to understand how film can work in many, many different ways.

There is no better example of the camera-as-voyeur than this film, and there is no more beautiful actress than Grace Kelly in this film (with the possible exception of Elizabeth Taylor in "A Place in the Sun").

Frames within frames within frames is the choice of the DP. And the homecoming of Angel Obregon is a splendid example of the power of silence in film.

Visual Subtext: How much we find out about the brother and sister-in-law's past just by looking.

Splendid over-the-top melodrama with an American Montage which features the wind blowing the years away.

If you have read Sidney Lumet's "Making Movies," you know how carefully he worked his camera and his space in this film, shot almost exclusively within the tight confines of a jury room. This is a must-see movie.

The struggle between the colonel and the camp commander is powerful, ironic story-telling: Lean at the peak of his powers.

The distance of the camera from the action gives everything a new perspective: men like little animals.

Hitchcock and heights become literal here, but think back and forward to all the other heights he reaches.

The best blooper in movie history, and then there's the crop-duster scene (pictured here), and that's certainly no blooper.

"Nobody's perfect." That's the line that ends this film, and getting to that line makes for one of the funniest -- if not THE funniest -- films ever made. Billy Wilder (with more than a bit of Lubitsch) at his best ... (Jared Newman, '07)

Ask Walch for out-of-print Black Cat Press "The 400 Blows." Read Bazin in detail, CINSTUDS 37.

This film has an influence almost beyond its power, which is considerable. Not only do films like "Bonnie and Clyde" reference it specifically, but the so-called Decade Under the Influence (1967-1979) in Hollywood owes a great deal to the Godard style.

Visual Subtext: the food tells the story.

Saul Bass, who did the title credits, is also credited as a consultant on the film, largely for his story-boarding of the famous shower scene.

This film has had an enormous effect on moviemaking ever since it was released. Even Sam Mendes ("American Beauty") has listed Billy Wilder's film as a main influenece. This satire is a hilarious and heart-wrenching look at doing what you can to get ahead: in the board room and the bedroom! (Drew Foster '08)

A masterpiece by the master David Lean. Nothing more need be said.

Neutral Mask. Atticus on the porch.

One of the few films to successfully translate thoughts and ideas onto film. Director Frederico Fellini truly makes you see with your ears and hear with your eyes. He understands the caprices of the mind and the vagrancies of the eye. (Jamey Gallagher '08)

The more I watch this film, the more I realize its influence on "Y Tu Mama Tambien": the objective narrative voice, the objective camera, the filmic nature of it all.

If we don't have time to watch it in class, then you're an idiot not to see it on your own. If it weren't so terrifying it would be funny. If it weren't so funny, it would be terrifying.

Lean visualizes the process of the poet in some remarkable ways. This movie is decidedly not the schlock it was thought to be when it first came out.

I have nothing to add. We've deconstructed it enough, and yet, each time you return to the film you'll note that director Penn is a genius. Sure, he owes a lot to the French New Wave, but I doubt either Truffaut or Godard could have done half so well as Penn.

Think of the ending. Then think of the ending of "Midnight Cowboy." There's some irony there.

Jack Nicholson bursts onto the screen in this iconic film, which for Tedline's money does not wear all that well with age.

Think of the ending. Then think of the ending of "The Graduate." There's some irony there.

Viddy it well, oh my brothers.

This film is consistently under-appreciated by the critical community. It's a major work. And it is decidedly one of Hollywood's best answers to the French New Wave. (See Walch's Notecards for additional information about this film and its director, Peter Bogdanovich.)

We don't watch it in class under the assumption that you've either seen it or will see it. If neither is true, then you should drop the class.

A nearly perfect film in every way -- script, direction, cinematography, music, acting -- "Chinatown" raises film noir to new heights -- and in color to boot. What delights Tedline about this film is that viewer and protagonist become one: subjective film reality at its most exquisitely personal and poignant. (Tedline thanks Julia Wick '07 for discovering that this film was curiously missing from our list. Now it's not.)

"The Godfather II" is arguably equal to or even slightly better than Part I. In any case, I believe it to be one of the best films of all time. Every aspect of this film is irresistible. I don't believe that Part I can be praised apart from Part II. (Patrick Hibler '08)

As in "American Beauty," there is a fearful symmetry to this film, but Kubrick's intelligence and patience make this film mesmerizing and hypnotic while "American Beauty" is often suffocating: just one teacher's opinion.

A daring and energetic film that bursts with the angry and confrontational words of screenwriter Paddy Chayesfsky. Sidney Lumet's film about desire, censorship, and mass media left stirred-up audiences around the world yelling out Peter Finch's famous line: "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" (Drew Foster '08)

Written by Paul Schrader, directed by Martin Scorsese, with cinematography by the inimitable Michael Chapman, this film breaks many of the barriers of visual language. (It might also keep you awake nights. The ending is terrifying.)

(1977-1983) These movies shaped entire childhoods. They have had a profound effect on our society and on filmmaking in general (for both good and ill). [Alex Smith '07]

A fully-fledged anti-war film, "The Deer Hunter" examines the crippling effects of war on soldiers in the field and when they return home -- and the crippling effects on the homefront itself. Be prepared for the intensity and, at times, the poetic nature of "The Deer Hunter." (Eddie Osher'07)

The last film of the so-called Decade Under the Influence, described in deliciously lurid detail in Biskind's "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls." De Niro's performance is astonishing. Scorsese's direction is flawless. Michael Chapman's cinematography is nothing short of brilliant. See this film!!

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

On my Top Ten List for sure.

Warren Beatty is almost solely responsible for this brilliant, idiosyncratic film being made. The most compelling touch is the use of eyewitnesses to provide the film a documentary feel. One piece of casting is wonderfully surprising: Jack Nicholson as playwright Eugene O'Neill. Beatty is splendid as liberal writer Jack Reed and Diane Keaton is every bit as wonderful as his contentious partner in love and journalism. It's a long film, the last to have an intermission to Tedline's knowledge. Give it a chance. It's a (highly biased) glimpse at a piece of history (the Bolshevik Revolution) and it's magnificently entertaining: a big, glorious, romantic, quirky, sloppy, brave story. It's a huge Hollywood film with the feel of an independent.

We watched one scene: Dr. Aziz (Victor Banerjee)looks up at the moon, but we see a moon reflected in a pool. Dr. Aziz and Mrs. Moore (the extraordinary Peggy Ashcroft) talk in a mosque. Mrs. Moore looks at the "beautiful and terrible" Ganges River. Lean layers the ambiguities and the tensions beautifully.

A masterpiece -- and an underappreciated masterpiece at that. Leone plays with time and memory and with images of America in a manner appropriately described by many as operatic.

"Ran" is a late masterpiece from the extraordinary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. I wish we had time to study him. We don't, but you owe it to yourself to see his work. For a lovely anecdote about one of the shots in "Ran," see the first paragraph of Lumet's "Making Movies." The story of "Ran" is taken from Shakespeare's "King Lear."

Point of view at its best and all from a little boy.

Never forget common courtesy. Never.

The camera pulls back from the young woman, and as it does so it lets us know that this is the young man's turning point. There is no dialogue, but we see him falling in love.

Jonathan Demme's film is first-rate. Of particular interest are his close-ups which give a special color to point-of-view. Tom Hanks's Oscar-winning performance is pitch perfect. His "aria" to an aria is worth the price of admission.

This film has an almost "fearful symmetry," to borrow William Blake's famous phrase from "The Tyger." Its often heavy-handed ironies are underscored by a distinctive visual music: negative space and relentless balance combine with such force that an almost claustrophobic feeling prevails. The style does not breathe. Mendes's "Road to Perdition" is a perfect case in point. The film has no air in it. There's nothing buoyant about it. It's a coffee-table movie. Lovely to look at, but not especially delightful to hold.

If you ever have the chance, see this movie. Not only is it terrific and not only are the performances (Ian McKellen and Brendon Fraser) first-rate, it's a very useful bit of Hollywood history in the form of its fictionalized account of the end of director James Whale's life.

This film has more energy that any ten recent American films I can think of. Three stories collide -- figuratively and literally. Love indeed is a bitch, just like a bloody dog.

The less said the better. Anthony Lane's review "Sex Mex" in your notebook says it best. One thing to remember: for all the film's intimacy, the camera remains beautifully objective. In this sense Godard (especially "Band of Outsiders") comes to mind. The way in which the narrative voice is handled is also decidedly Godardian. Films simply don't come much better than "Y Tu Mama Tambien."

If you liked "Little Miss Sunshine" (and how could you not), you might find special interest in the remarkable performance by Paul Dano in this deeply troubling and strangely insightful film. Caution: the subject is pedophilia.

"Roxanne" stings big time in this cinematic explosion.

Directed by Fernando Meirelles, this is a true story depicting drug abuse, violence, and a young man's struggle to free himself from the slums of Brazil. An excrutiatingly painful film to watch, "City of God" is a life-altering experience. (Tony Pothoulakis, '08)

Our own Maggie Gyllenhaal, '95, in a performance so strong and so confident it's frightening. Co-starring James Spader this film is at once profoundly shocking and terribly funny. It's not for the narrow-minded and it's strong stuff. Be warned, but don't be shy.

Caution: a number of people die in this film.

The whole trilogy is well worth your time, and here's one of the few movies in which the digital doesn't feel digital.

Gael Garcia Bernal reveals his full range in this film directed by the incomporable Pedro Almodovar. Rumor has it that star and director often clashed during the film. If so, that might just have helped Bernal reach new heights. Tedline strongly recommends any movie directed by Almodovar and almost any movie starring Bernal. These two artists are yet another indication of the vibrancy of Spanish and Mexican film.

Here's another film from south of the border which puts Hollywood to shame, and here's yet another indication that Gael Garcia Bernal (in this film playing the young Che Guevera) is no ordinary actor.

"Crash" won the Oscar. It should not have, but, then, many great films, such as Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain," have lost Oscars. Oscars in the final analysis mean nothing. Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal (H-W, 1998) are splendid in this heartbreaking film.

This film and "Brokeback Mountain" are the two best films of 2005 in contention for an Oscar nomination. The director, a Brazilian, also directed the highly regarded "City of God."

The Tedline cannot wait to have this film as part of the curriculum. It is, quite simply, a masterpiece. Alfonso Cuaron is fast becoming the best director working today, and this film has what a great film must have: that feeling of absolute confidence as it tells its story. There are no false steps. The rhythm is right. Every step of the way feels inevitable. A deeply moving and important film.

Once again Daniel Day Lewis proves how masterful an actor he is. He was rewarded for his outstanding performance by winning the Academy Award for Best Actor. Paul Thomas Andersoon took Upton Sinclair's novel "Oil" and created an exciting film worthy of the eight Oscar nominations that it received. Let us raise our glasses and toast our milkshakes to this outstanding film. (Justin Levine '09)