History of Cinema
Code: 100079 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities | OT | 3 |
| Humanities | OT | 4 |
Contact
- Name:
- Maria Rosa Gutierrez Herranz
- Email:
- mariarosa.gutierrez@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
No prerequisites are required
Objectives and Contextualisation
- Knowing the main film schools and authors of the history of cinema
- Understanding the cinematographic context in which these movements are developed
Competences
- Humanities
- Analysing the regulations about cultural and natural heritage.
- Critically analysing today's culture and its historical conditions.
- Designing, producing, disseminating and commercializing a cultural product.
- Producing innovative and competitive proposals in research and professional activity.
- Properly using the resources and methodologies of the study of contemporary culture.
Learning Outcomes
- Analysing the legal framework of copyrights in cinematography.
- Applying the knowledge about aesthetic ideas and art theory to the analysis of the cinematographic imagery.
- Contrasting the various legal frameworks of the artistic heritage.
- Designing programmes of museography or management of the artistic heritage.
- Distinguishing the techniques and elaboration process of an artistic object from the avant-garde and the latest artistic trends.
- Identifying the artistic imagery, placing it into its cultural context.
- Preparing a proposal for an exhibition from a provided material.
- Reconstructing the artistic outlook of the contemporary world.
- Relating the artistic creations from various periods with other cultural phenomena.
Content
I. Early cinema
1. Origins of cinema: historical context
2. Pre-cinematic devices: inventions and mythical imaginary
3. Pioneers of cinema: science, entertainment and industry
4. Cinematographic genres: the cinema between high and low culture
5. Primitive Mode of Representation (M.R.P.) vs. classic cinema (M.R.I.)
II. American classic cinema
1. Hollywood: birth and evolution
2. Cinema as an industry: Studio System and Star System
3. The grammar of classic cinema
4. Film genre codes: main authors
III. Avant-garde film
1. French impressionism
2. German Expressionism, Kammerspielfilm and New Objectivity
3. Soviet montage films and kino-glaz
4. Cinema and artistic avant-gardes
IV. European realisms
1. French poetic realism
2. Italian neorealism
V. New European cinema and American alternatives
1. Nouvelle Vague
2. Cinema Nuovo
3. Free Cinema
4. Neue Deutscher Film
5. Other European cinematographies
6. New Hollywood and American Independent Cinema
7. Experimental film and underground
VI. Peripheral cinematographies
1. Latin America
2. Asia
3. Africa
VII. Overview of contemporary cinema
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL CLASSES | 24 | 0.96 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| VIEWING AND COMMENTARY OF FILMS | 58 | 2.32 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| READINGS AND PERSONAL WORK | 25 | 1 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
| STUDY OF THE CONTENTS | 25 | 1 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
- Theoretical and practical classes directed by the professor
- Viewing and commentiary of films
- Study, readings and personal work
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXAM OF THE CONTENTS I | 35% | 1.5 | 0.06 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
| EXAMEN OF THE CONTENTS II | 35% | 1.5 | 0.06 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
| ORAL PRESENTATION ABOUT A FILMMAKER | 20% | 1 | 0.04 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
| VIEWING AND COMMENTARY OF FILMS | 10% | 14 | 0.56 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 |
- Exam of the contents I (35%)
- Exam of the contents II (35%)
- Oral presentation about a contemporary filmmaker (20%)
- Viewing and commentary of films (10%)
Observations:
- Single assessment: essay about a filmmaker (30%), exam of the contets I (35%) and II (35%). The same assessment method for recovery as continuous assement will be used.
- Review: on carrying out each evaluation activity, lecturers will inform students (on Moodle) of the procedures to be followed for reviewing all grades awarded, and the date on which such a review will take place.
- Recovery: to participate in recovery, students must have previously been evaluated in a set of activities whose weight equals a minimum of 2/3 of the total grade (continuous assessment) or the whole activities (single assessment). The activity of viewing and commentary of films and the oral presentation about a filmmaker will not be recoverable. The maximum grade at the recovery will be 5.
- Not assessed/Not submitted: students will obtain a “Not assessed/Not submitted” course grade unless they have submitted more than 30% of the assessment items.
- The schedule of assessment tests cannot be modified (except in justified exceptional cases). Erasmus students requesting to advance an exam must submit a written document from their home university to the professor justifying their request.
- Plagiarism: in the event of a student committing any irregularity that may lead to a significant variation in the grade awarded to an assessment activity, the student will be given a zero for thisactivity, regardless of any disciplinary process that may take place. In the event of several irregularities in assessment activities of the same subject, the student will be given a zero as the final grade for this subject.
- AI: this subject entirely prohibits the use of AI technologies in all of its activities. Any submitted work that contains content generated using AI will be considered academic dishonesty; the corresponding grade will be awarded a zero, without the possibility of reassessment. In cases of greater infringement, more serious action may be taken.
Bibliography
Film History
AA.VV., Historia General del Cine (12 vols.), Cátedra, Madrid, 1995-1998
Gubern, Romà, Historia del cine (2 vols.), Lumen, Barcelona, 1971
Sánchez Vidal, Agustín, Historia del cine, Historia 16, Madrid, 1997
Early Cinema
Burch, Noël, El tragaluz del infinito, Cátedra, Madrid, 1995
American Classic Cinema
Altman, Rick, Los géneros cinematográficos, Paidos, Barcelona, 2000
Bordwell, David; Staiger, Janet; Thompson, Kristin, El cine clásico de Hollywood, Paidos, Barcelona, 1997
Gomery, Douglas., Hollywood: el sistema de estudios, Verdoux, Madrid, 1991
European Realisms
Quintana, Àngel, Fábulas de lo visible, El Acantilado, Barcelona, 2003
New European Film
Torreiro, Casimiro; Riambau, Esteve; Monterde, José Enrique, Los “Nuevos Cines” europeos (1955-1970), Lerna, Barcelona, 1987
Avant-garde, Underground and Experimental Film
Sánchez-Biosca, Vicente, Cine y vanguardias artísticas, Paidos, Barcelona, 2004
Tejeda, Carlos, Arte en fotogramas. Cine realizado por artistas, Cátedra, Madrid, 2008
Peripheral Cinematographies
Elena, Alberto, Los cines periféricos: África, Oriente Medio, India, Paidos, Barcelona, 1999
Contemporary Cinema
Quintana, Àngel, Después del cine. Imagen y realidad en la era diglital, El Acantilado, Barcelona, 2011
Software
- Moodle
- Teams
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 1 | Catalan/Spanish | second semester | morning-mixed |
| (TE) Theory | 1 | Spanish | second semester | morning-mixed |