The study of films as categorized either by industry-identified genres (westerns, horror films, musicals, film noir, etc.) or broader interpretive modes (melodrama, realism, fantasy, etc.).

During the 1960s in New York City, a group of filmmakers attempted to create an alternative American cinema, entirely independent from the Hollywood studios and their financing structures. Filmmakers like Lionel Rogosin, John Cassavettes, Shirley Clarke, and others began collaborating in an effort to not only fund but also to distribute their own films. Writers and curators such as Amos Vogel, Jonas Mekas, Pauline Kael, and others heralded these films as something quite distinct not only from Hollywood but also from the European New Waves that had inspired this New American Cinema. Focusing primarily on the works of Cassavetes and Clarke, this course will examine the successes and failure of this American “art cinema” as well its relation to – and resistance to – genre. We will also consider how the New American Cinema set the stage for contemporary “indie” films.

Repeat Rules