The Return of American Film Classics by Kiran Gahir
After two years, the popular class of American Film Classics, taught by Mr. Jeff Walker, has returned to Saugatuck High School’s curriculum. This class currently consists of twenty students, ranging from sophomores to seniors. There are a total of twelve iconic films that will be watched in this class, which are: Rear Window, Big Fish, The Cider House Rules, Schindler’s List, Minority Report, Dead Poets Society, No Country For Old Men, Pleasantville, Shutter Island, The Shawshank Redemption, The Game, and Forrest Gump.
In this class, students will be learning several aspects of film and how to identify them during their analysis of each film. The directors of these films each have their own style, using different characteristics in order to portray their film in a way unique to them, which is also called ‘authorship’. Some of these characteristics include different camera techniques, themes, musical scores, and genres.
The majority of the films that will be played in this class have two major genres: suspense/thriller and inspirational. The thriller genre typically includes characteristics like plot twists, tension, and aspects of psychology. The inspirational genre would include factors such as uplifting themes to possibly change your perspective on life. These two genres greatly contrast each other, which is why they were chosen for this class, so that students would have a diverse mix of themes and feelings while watching the films.
These classic films have definitely stirred up excitement from the students in this class. One of them is Maya Veldt, a senior who stated, “I’m especially excited for this class because we get to see different genres and really dig into why the directors made the choices they did and how it affects the movie as a whole. The movie I am most looking forward to is Shutter Island, because I think it will be an interesting example of the thriller genre.”
The variety of filmography and their directors allow room for each student’s favorite styles of film. However, this will also allow students to branch out and experience several movie styles they may have never seen before. This class is an exciting and special opportunity for students to learn about film!
In this class, students will be learning several aspects of film and how to identify them during their analysis of each film. The directors of these films each have their own style, using different characteristics in order to portray their film in a way unique to them, which is also called ‘authorship’. Some of these characteristics include different camera techniques, themes, musical scores, and genres.
The majority of the films that will be played in this class have two major genres: suspense/thriller and inspirational. The thriller genre typically includes characteristics like plot twists, tension, and aspects of psychology. The inspirational genre would include factors such as uplifting themes to possibly change your perspective on life. These two genres greatly contrast each other, which is why they were chosen for this class, so that students would have a diverse mix of themes and feelings while watching the films.
These classic films have definitely stirred up excitement from the students in this class. One of them is Maya Veldt, a senior who stated, “I’m especially excited for this class because we get to see different genres and really dig into why the directors made the choices they did and how it affects the movie as a whole. The movie I am most looking forward to is Shutter Island, because I think it will be an interesting example of the thriller genre.”
The variety of filmography and their directors allow room for each student’s favorite styles of film. However, this will also allow students to branch out and experience several movie styles they may have never seen before. This class is an exciting and special opportunity for students to learn about film!