james r. elkins
Spring-2007
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Monday, Jan. 8 || Friday, Jan. 12, 2007
▪ Peruse and familarize yourself with the course website: http://myweb.wvnet.edu/~jelkins/film04/
▪ Robert McKee, Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting 3-28 (1997) [hereinafter, McKee, Story]
On McKee's screenwriting workshop
A CNN Interview
"Master the Art": An
Interview
Interview with Robert McKee
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"Adams Rib" (1949)
▪ For the discussion of "Adams Rib" (1949) [Instructor's Notes]Supplemental Reading:
▪ Tim Bywater & Thomas Sobchack, Introduction to Film Criticism: Major Critical Approaches to Narrative Film xi-xvii, 1-2 (New York: Longman, 1989)[The Bywater & Sobchack is outrageously expensive; consequently, I did not have the law school book store purchase copies as a "recommended" text. A copy of the book is, however, on course reserve in the library.]
▪ James Bonnet, Stealing the Fire From the Gods xiii-xvii, 1-20, 24-48 (1999) [The law school book store should have copies of the Bonnet book which I listed as "recommended." If the book store does not have copies, you can obtain a copy from abebooks.com]
The Importance of the Threat in Great Stories
▪ Will Wright, Sixguns & Society: A Structural Study of the Western 1-15 (1975)[notes from Sixguns & Society]
▪ I did not list Christopher Vogler, The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (2nd ed., 1998) on the "recommended" reading list for the course, but you might want to consider acquiring a copy (again, abebooks.com, is a good source).
In conjunction with Vogler's introduction to the myth of the hero and the hero's journey, see commentary on the "archetype of the hero," prepared before I had occasion to read Vogler's book. On the broader question of myth and its relation to lawyers, see James R. Elkins, "an archaeology of myth." Vogler mentions the "Shadow archetype," see James R. Elkins, "shadow" (brief note and web resources)
Monday, January 15 || Martin Luther King's Birthday || No class Friday, January 19, 2007
▪ Continue discussion of "Adam's Rib" [for the "Adam's Rib" assignment see the Assignments Archives page]
▪ Discussion of first chapters in Robert McKay, Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and thePrinciples of Screenwriting 3-66 (ReganBooks, 1997)
▪ You should, at some point along the way (better early than later), read, James R. Elkins, Reading/Teaching Lawyer Films, 28 Vt. L. Rev. 814 (2004) [on-line text] [this article was based on the 'Lawyers and Film' course; consequently you can expect to find ideas in the article being used in the course]
▪ You should peruse The Internet Movie Database (a resource which means that there is no legitmate reason for misspelling Amanda Bonner's name, or the name of any other lawyer that appears in a course film) and Rotten Tomatoes (the website I mentioned in class which provides links to reviews of films).
▪ Course Background (Study of Popular Culture): Why Should Lawyers Study Popular Culture?
Monday, January 22 || Friday, January 26, 2007
▪ ▪ Film
"Anatomy of a Murder" (1959)
▪ Discussion of "Anatomy of a Murder" (1959) [Instructor's Notes]
[Commentary on the locale for and the making of "Anatomy of a Murder]▪ McKee, Story, pp. 37-99
Supplemental Reading:
▪ Bonnet, Stealing the Fire From the Gods, pp. 49-72
▪ Bywater & Sobchack, Introduction to Film Criticism, pp. 3-23 (chapter titled, "The Journalistic Approach: Film Reviews for the Mass Audience")
▪ Wright, Sixguns & Society, pp. 29-123
Monday, January 29, 2007 || Friday, February 2, 2007
"The Verdict" (1982)
[Web Resources]
▪ McKee, Story, pp. 79-109
Supplementary Reading:
▪ Bonnet, Stealing the Fire From the Gods, pp. 87-100
▪ Vogler, The Writer's Journey, pp. 57-80
▪ Will Wright, Sixguns & Society, pp. 124-153
Monday, February 5. 2007 || Friday, February 9, 2007
"And Justice for All" (1979)
▪ McKee, Story, pp. 135-154, 177-180
Supplementary Readings:
▪ Bonnet, Stealing the Fire From the Gods, pp. 125-149
▪ Vogler, The Writer's Journey, pp. 99-114
▪ Will Wright, Sixguns & Society, pp. 164-184
Monday, February 19, 2007 || Friday, February 23, 2007
▪ McKee, Story, pp. 181-207
▪ ▪ "Class Action" (1991)
▪ The Portrayal of Women in Film After 1970
▪ Desert News review
Supplemental Readings: ▪ Bonnet, Stealing the Fire From the Gods, pp. 154-167▪ Vogler, The Writer's Journey, pp. 117-192
▪ Will Wright, Sixguns & Society, pp. 185-194
Supplemental Reading (about the film): Mark Tushnet, "Class Action: One View of Gender and Law in Popular Culture," in John Denvir (ed.), Legal Reelism: Movies as Legal Texts 244-260 (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1996); "The Civil Justice System" ("Class Action"), in Michael Asimow & Shannon Mader (eds.), Law and Popular Culture: A Course Book 183-201 (New York: Peter Lang, 2004)
On the problem of disclosure of damaging documents, see: Lawrence J. Fox, I'm Just an Associate...at a New York Firm, 69 Fordham L.Rev. 939 (2000)(a fictional story) [on-line text]; "Discovery," an excerpt from Cameron Stracher's Double Billing: A Young Lawyer's Tale of Greed, Sex, Lies, and the Pursuit of a Swivel Chair (New York: Willima Morrow & Co., 1998) [on-line text]
Monday, February 26, 2007 || Friday, March 2, 2007
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"The Castle" (1997)
Monday, March 5, 2007 || Friday, March 9, 2007
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"Music Box" (1989)
Monday, March 12, 2007 || Friday, March 15, 2007
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"The Sweet Hereafter" (1997)
Monday, March 19 || Friday, March 23
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"The Last Wave" (1977)
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Spring Break: March 26/30 . . . No Classes
Monday, April 2
Friday, April 6 (Good Friday||No Class)
Monday, April 9 :: We'll conclude the showing of course films with a short (30 minute offering):
Woody's Allen's "Oedipus Wrecks" one of three short films
in "New York Stories" (1989)
We'll conclude our film discussions with "To Kill a Mockingbird"
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