Comparative Literature 391W - Dream,Hist&Identity/PolishFilm

This course is an introduction to classics of Polish cinema. We will watch films by Poland's best-known film directors to explore their poetic, thematic and philosophical concerns. Among directors whose works we will view are Roman Polanski, Andrzej Wajda, Jerzy Stuhr, Barbara Sass, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzysztof Zanussi, Agnieszka Holland, Dorota Kedzierzawska and Lech Majewski. Using Freud's theory of dreams, Lacan's notition of "the gaze" and Aristotle's theory of tragedy, we will examine the dream-like structure of cinematic image to shed light on how history and identity are visually represented by Polish filmmakers. In our class discussion throughout the course, we will attempt to identify those qualities that give Polish cinematography its distinctiveness.