Expressionism: Second Paper Topics Fritz Lang: Metropolis and M The second paper topic will involve your

viewing an arranged screening (or renting the VHS/DVD) of either the film Metropolis or M, both directed by the German director Fritz Lang. As you go over which of the following topics you would like to write about, please keep the following in mind:
If you cannot make the campus screenings, keep in mind that home viewing copies of these movies ARE NOT easy to find! I will keep copies of each film on reserve in the library, but there will surely be a run on them as the due date gets closer. These films generally arent available at the corner Blockbuster Videoyou may have to go to an independent rental store like SRO Video or Video Mania to find a copy. That said, you should keep in mind that if you wait until the night before the paper is due to check out/rent a film for this paper, chances are good that it will be gone. Plan ahead! Your paper must be written in the following format: Typed or computer printed, doublespaced, with no larger than one-inch margins and 12-point fonts. Illustrations are allowed, but they will be subtracted from your total page count. (In other words, papers where the author has tried to use computer-magic to, say, spread five sentences across three pages are unacceptable.) All sources will be correctly cited according to the Chicago Manual of Style, a cribsheet of which will be handed out to you in class and linked to our website. PLEASE NOTE: Those who fail to correctly cite their sources according to the Chicago style will automatically have 10 points docked off the top of their paper grade. This is a research paper, and I will expect you to cite at least five published sources that you consulted in putting the paper together. To help you in your research, I have set on reserve some general books and Xeroxes on Expressionist cinema and Germanys Weimar Republic to get you started. There is also useful information available in more contemporary sources, such as the Web and both films DVD commentary. However, to do justice to the paper topics, you will need to conduct additional research not only with our librarys collection and resources, but ideally perusing the resources at larger libraries such as UMKC, KU, or the KC Public Libraries. (Links to all these resources are available on our website.) Again, all papers will be expected cite any information used extensively from ones research, including websites and audio/visual sources, according to the Chicago style. This said, I will remind everyone that those caught using large portions of any published research that do not properly cite the source will receive an automatic zero on the assignment and be reported to the College for plagiarism. Dont forget to describe!! (Sure, I have already seen the films/artworks youll be talking about; but write about them with the passion and well-observed detail that you would use explaining it to someone who has never seen them. I guarantee that this will help you in your discussion of the questions!) Also, please remember that (like book titles) the titles of artworks, films, and exhibitions must either be underlined or italicized in your essay. As always, please dont hesitate to contact me with any questions or problems that you are having in your research or writing. (In fact, rough drafts are not just welcome, but happily recommended. You should e-mail the drafts to me as Word document attachments at least three days before the due date, which I can then correct and e-mail back to you. Remember: turning in a final paper that is based on changes made to a corrected rough draft practically guarantees you a good grade!) Papers will be turned in at the end of class on Wednesday, November 28th, and no late papers will be accepted.

EXPRESSIONIST CINEMA: FRITZ LANG Since the early 20th century, film has not only been used by visual artists as a new medium, but also reflected cultural issues in the same way that works in more conventional media have. Fritz Lang is often held up as exemplary of German Expressionist filmmakers who infused their films with the obsessions, debates, and politics of the era in which they were made. Watch both Metropolis and M paying particular attention to each work as a reflection of the Weimar Republic. Topic A: Metropolis and Modernity In a typical manner for much German Expressionist artwork, Langs Metropolis is an ambivalent statement on the growth and development of industry and industrial urban centers in the early twentieth century. While the work is technically science fiction, it is also laden with meaning concerning the periods debates on whether the modern industrial world was leading humanity toward utopia or dystopia. After screening the film and researching its history and various interpretations, write a 6-10 page paper that addresses the following: A brief biography of the films director and an overview of the films plot. Briefly discuss how Fritz Langs image of the modern city reflects a similar interest in urban life so prevalent in the periods artwork. Discuss how the films narrative and symbolism reflect the ideas/interests of Langs contemporaries in the gallery world. (In other words, how does the world that Metropolis presents resemble the subjects, philosophies, and/or obsessions of periods second generation German Expressionists.) Discuss whether you feel that Langs presentation of the super-modern metropolis of the film is utopian or dystopian at its core, and why. (If you wish, feel free to explore further issues/ideas surrounding the film, its influences, and even how you feel it may have affected cinema since it was first shown.)

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Topic B: M: Murderer Among Us Made just two years before the Nazi partys overthrow of the German government, M is simultaneously a celebration and critique of the Weimar Republic. It also seems to address the blind conformity accompanying Adolf Hitlers spectacular rise to power at the very moment that the film was made. After screening the film and researching its history and various interpretations, write a 6-10 page paper that addresses the following: A brief biography of the films director and an overview of the films plot. Briefly discuss how Fritz Langs image of Germany in M reflects an interest in (and even genuine affection for) modern urban sub-cultures so prevalent in the periods artwork. Discuss how the films narrative and symbolism reflect the ideas/interests of Langs contemporaries in the gallery world. (In other words, how does the world that M presents resemble the subjects, philosophies, and/or obsessions of second generation German Expressionist artists of the time.) Discuss also how the film reflects an underlying fear/warning of the groupthink that accompanied the rise of fascist politics in Europe at the time. (As well as how both fascist and mob behavior could appear in what might seem like the unlikeliest of places.). (If you wish, feel free to explore further issues/ideas surrounding the film, its influences, and even how you feel it may have affected cinema since it was first shown.)

Papers will be turned in and discussed in class on Wednesday, November 28th