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Over the course of the semester, you will have to view at least two of these movies and write a one-page paper on each. Additional information about the essay assignments may be found in the section on Essays. I have included descriptions of all the films for your benefit. (All descriptions are derived from VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever 2001: The Complete Guide to Movies on Videocasette, DVD, and Laserdisc.)
The
Madness of King George (Monday, February 18,
7PM, Wyatt 101)
Poor King George is a monarch with problems—his 30 years of royal authority are being usurped by Parliament, his American colonies have been lost, and in 1788, he's begun to periodically lose his mind. So what do you do when a ruler becomes irrational? The royal physicians are baffled, his loving Queen Charlotte is in despair, but the noxious Prince of Wales can barely contain his glee at finally having a chance at the throne. A last resort is offered by Dr. Willis, a former clergyman with some unusual and sadistic ideas about treating the mentally ill (even if they do have royal blood). Screen note explains that King George suffered from the metabolic disorder known as porphyria.
Released in 1994. Starring: Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren, Ian Holm, Rupert Everett, Amanda Donohoe, Rupert Graves, Julian Wadham, John Wood, Julian Rhind-Tutt.
Angels
and Insects (Monday, March 25, 7PM, Wyatt 101)
Very strange Victorian-era romantic drama is definitely an acquired taste. The mysteries of nature are nothing compared to the mysteries of human life as naturalist William Adamson comes to discover when he takes up a position at the home of amateur insect collector, Sir Harald Alabaster. He falls in love and quickly marries blondly beautiful Eugenia, whose outward propriety hides a sensual nature and some decadent family secrets. Based on A. S. Byatt's novella "Morpho Eugenia." Take particular note of the costumes, which mimic the exoticness of insects.
Released in 1996. Starring: Mark Rylance, Patsy Kensit, Kristin Scott Thomas, Jeremy Kemp, Douglas Henshall, Chris Larkin, Anettee Badland, Anna Massey, Saskia Wickham.
How
Green Was My Valley (Wednesday, April 3, 6PM, Wyatt
101)
Compelling story of the trials and tribulations of a Welsh mining family, from the youthful perspective of the youngest child. Spans 50-years, from the turn of the century, when coal mining was a difficult but fair-paying way of life, and ends, after unionization, strikes, deaths, and child abuse, with the demise of a town and its culture. Considered by many to be director John Ford's finest work. When World War II prevented shooting on location, producer Daryl Zanuck built a fascimile Welsh valley in California. Based on the novel by Richard Llewellyn.
Released in 1941. Starring: Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O'Hara, Donald Crisp, Anna Lee, Roddy McDowell, John Loder, Sara Allgood, Barry Fitzgerald, Patric Knowles, Rhys Williams, Arthur Shields, Ann E. Todd, Mae Marsh.
Hope
and Glory (Monday, April 22, 6PM, Wyatt 101)
Director John Boorman turns his memories of World War II London into a complex and sensitive film. Father volunteers, and mother must deal with the awakening sexuality of her teenage daughter, keep her son in line, balance the ration books, and try to make it to the bomb shelter in the middle of the night. Seen through the boy's eyes, war creates a playground of shrapnel to collect and wild imaginings come true.
Released in 1987. Starring: Sebastian Rice-Edwards, Geraldine Muir, Sarah Miles, Sammi Davis, David Hayman, Derrick O'Connor, Susan Wooldridge, Jean-Marc Barr, Ian Bannen, Jill Baker, Charley Boorman, Annie Leon, Katrine Boorman, Gerald James, Amelda Brown, Colin Higgins.
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Copyrighted
by Hugh Dubrulle, 2002
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