EUROPEAN CINEMA & THE BODY (FM2097)

This course examines the intricate relationship existing between cinema and the body. How is cinematographic art able to represent the creative faculties but also the dark sides of the body : its gestures, desires, needs and pulsions (in sexuality and gender identity) ? How can it account for the cognitive, cultural, political and technological revolutions associated with the body throughout European history (such as the Body Politics or the Technological Body) ? Structured around screenings and classroom lectures, the course addresses these questions by introducing the students to elements of film studies and Body Theory as well as locating each of the screened films in their historical and cultural contexts. The aim of the course is for students to develop an informed appreciation of the issues at stake in the variety of cinematographic representations of the body.