An investigation of the art of French cinema, this course focuses on the themes of love, war, and love and war in 13 French films from the 1930's to the present. How do we think about film? How do we talk about film? We will study film theory and basic cinematic techniques, as well as the historical, social, and cultural contexts of films of the poetic realism, nouvelle vague, and more contemporary mouvements, by directors Renoir, Clément, Carné, Resnais, Malle, Truffauat, Godard, Rohmer, Keislowski, and others. Films include: La grande illusion, Les jeux interdits, Les enfants du paradis, Hiroshima mon amour, Jules et Jim, Les parapluies de Cherbourg, Pierrot le fou, Lacombe Lucien, Les roseaux sauvages, Trois couleurs: Bleu; De rouille d'os, and Amour. Course work includes weekly film viewing, weekly reaction paper, one 5 page paper, one 8 – 10 page final paper, 2 oral exposés, class participation