| Course title | History of Czech Cinema 2 |
|---|---|
| Course code | KDU/DČF2 |
| Organizational form of instruction | Lecture |
| Level of course | Bachelor |
| Year of study | 2 |
| Semester | Winter and summer |
| Number of ECTS credits | 4 |
| Language of instruction | Czech |
| Status of course | Compulsory, Compulsory-optional |
| Form of instruction | Face-to-face |
| Work placements | This is not an internship |
| Recommended optional programme components | None |
| Lecturer(s) |
|---|
|
| Course content |
|
The cycle of lectures will be focused on post-war Czech cinematography. It presents especially nationalization of the Czech film, vindication processes, early post-war production and gradual decay of cinematography thanks to the political situation after 1948. It also reflects artistic success of cinematography at the late 50´s and the development of the Czechoslovak New Wave of the 60´s. It stresses the changes of political situation and their influence on the institutional base of cinematography as well as the gradual emancipation of artistic ambitions of the film from the requirements of the censorship. The lectures will be also focused on the comparison of film and other kinds of art and on the placement of the Czechoslovak cinematography into the Central European and worldwide context. - Vindication and nationalization - People´s-democtratic state and its cinematography - Interventions of the state - Problematic movies around 1948 and their further existence - Fight for the form of the socialistic cinematography after 1948 - Decadent genres of 50s - First festival of the Czechoslovak cinematography as the culmination of the conflict between art and ideology - Beginning of the New Wave - Czechoslovak cinematography of 60s
|
| Learning activities and teaching methods |
| Monologic Lecture(Interpretation, Training) |
| Learning outcomes |
|
This lecture series focuses on the development of Czech (or Czechoslovak) cinema from 1945 to 1970 from the postwar revival of the film industry, through the ideologically shaped period of the 1950s, the gradual cultural liberalization and the emergence of the auteur generation of the 1960s, to the turning point associated with 1968 and the onset of normalization. The course combines aesthetic analysis of film works with reflection on political, institutional, and social contexts. Emphasis is placed on understanding the functioning of nationalized cinema, the changing role of the filmmaker, the relationship between film and the public, and the interpretive frameworks of Czech film historiography. Course Objectives The objectives of the course are: - to provide a systematic overview of Czech cinema from 1945 to 1970, - to understand the relationship between film, ideology, and cultural policy, - to develop the ability to analyze film works in their historical context, - to prepare students directly for their final state examinations (both B.A. and M.A.). Thematic Structure of Lectures 1. Postwar Reconstruction and the Nationalization of Cinema 2. Film as an Instrument of Ideology: Socialist Realism 3. Production and Dramaturgical Mechanisms of the 1950s 4. Auteur Strategies, Compromise, and Internal Resistance 5. The cultural thaw at the turn of the 1950s and 1960s 6. The Czechoslovak New Wave: Aesthetics and Generations 7. The Year 1968 and Its Reflections in Film 8. The Normalization Break as the End of an Era 9. A Summary of the Period 1945-1970 from the Perspective of Film History
Students will gain detail insight into the key chapters of national cinematography after 1945. |
| Prerequisites |
|
No prerequisites. It is recommended to pass lecture History of Czech Film I.
|
| Assessment methods and criteria |
|
Mark
Requirements for Course Completion and Exam Format Required List of Films to Watch A prerequisite for completing the course is watching and being familiar with a representative list of 20 Czechoslovak films from the period 1945-1970. The list is designed to directly assist students in preparing for their state final exams. The exam takes the form of a 50-minute open-book written test consisting of 8 questions. The structure of the questions is designed to correspond as closely as possible to the format of state final exam questions, thereby facilitating direct and systematic preparation for the state final exams (both B.A. and M.A.). - One of the questions may assess knowledge of the recommended reading and the student's ability to apply it to a specific film or historical issue. - One question is always analytical and focuses on the analysis of a specific film from the student's list of titles viewed. |
| Recommended literature |
|
| Study plans that include the course |
| Faculty | Study plan (Version) | Category of Branch/Specialization | Recommended semester | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Science of Arts (2026) | Category: Theory and history of arts | 2 | Recommended year of study:2, Recommended semester: Summer |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Film Studies (2024) | Category: Theory and history of arts | 2 | Recommended year of study:2, Recommended semester: Summer |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Film Studies (2024) | Category: Theory and history of arts | 2 | Recommended year of study:2, Recommended semester: Summer |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Film Studies (2019) | Category: Theory and history of arts | 2 | Recommended year of study:2, Recommended semester: Summer |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Film Studies (2026) | Category: Theory and history of arts | 2 | Recommended year of study:2, Recommended semester: Summer |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Film Studies (2019_2024) | Category: Theory and history of arts | 2 | Recommended year of study:2, Recommended semester: - |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Science of Arts (2024) | Category: Theory and history of arts | 2 | Recommended year of study:2, Recommended semester: Summer |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Film Studies (2019) | Category: Theory and history of arts | 2 | Recommended year of study:2, Recommended semester: Summer |
| Faculty: Faculty of Arts | Study plan (Version): Science of Arts (2019) | Category: Theory and history of arts | 2 | Recommended year of study:2, Recommended semester: Summer |