French Road Movies
Often associated with the wide open spaces of the United States, the road movie has been recast in many other cultural and geographical contexts over the last few decades. In this course we will study how French filmmakers have adapted the genre to their own purposes. After examining the main properties of the genre, we will explore significant variations affecting the representation of space, border crossing, and the relation between individual and community in French-speaking road movies from the 1960’s to the present. We will discuss films that narrate quests of discovery, returns to origins, and economic migrations. This will allow us to gain more perspective on the changing social landscape of contemporary France and its shifting conceptions of identity. (FREN 0220-0230 or by waiver). 3 hrs. lect./disc., 2 hrs. screening.