Lars von Trier
Path 1 Calendar

ornamental line

"If you only gave the people what they wanted, then they'd still be
eating sugar because it's sweet. But it's empty calories" (90).
Lars von Trier, interview w/ Lars Schwander (1983)



for pre-class "points for reflection,"
click on the color bar above each day's readings

keep Vampyr & Melancholia to just one day each, reduce The Five Obstructions to one day (in W22, spent 2nd day in conferences), and ADD Tarkovsky film (1 or 2 days)

Date
Readings: Path I
Topics
Link to Points For Reflection: Dark Matter
T, 1-4

INTRODUCTION
overview of course guidelines
  • course guidelines
  • practice writing sample
Link to Points For Reflection: Frame, Shot, Scene, & Sequence

R, 1-6

Dark Matter / Frame, Shot, Scene, & Sequence
A Rhetoric of Film, chp. 1
Dr. M's intro to Vampyr
Carl Dreyer's Vampyr (1932), 83 min. / Dailymotion / [it'll be blank for 35 sec.; don't worry, it's there!]
  • format: slideshow & discussion (character, plot, visuals)
  • format: slideshow lecture (LvT & Dreyer)
  • writing exercise
Link to Points For Reflection: Malleable Memories
T, 1-11

Malleable Memories
Dr. M's intro to Wild Strawberries
Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries (1957), 91 min. / Kanopy [thru Cal Poly library]
  • format: character development & frame analysis
  • grp exercise: Mad Libs
Link to Points For Reflection: Mis-en-scène
R, 1-13

Mise-en-scène
A Rhetoric of Film, chp. 2
Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries (1957)

  • format: slideshow discussion & writing exercises

Link to Points For Reflection: A Special Kind of Evil
T, 1-18

A Special Kind of Evil / NO CLASS: classes follow M schdl
Dr. M's intro to The Element of Crime
Lars von Trier's The Element of Crime (1984), 104 min. / Criterion Collection Channel [sign up for 14-day free trial]
  • small group exercise (joint response to PORs)
Link to Points For Reflection: The Right Environment
R, 1-20
 The Right Environment
A Rhetoric of Film, chp. 3
Lars von Trier's The Element of Crime (1984)
  • format: joint analysis & short writing exercise
M, 1-24
 FILM SCREENING: Medea
Building 26, room 104 / 7:30-9:30 p.m.
 
Link to Points For Reflection: This Fearful and Necessary Wrong
T, 1-25
 This Fearful and Necessary Wrong
Dr. M's intro to Medea (1988)
Lars von Trier's Medea (1988), 76 min. / Archive.org / script
viewing options: 1) watch film on own at archive.org (no subtitles) w/ script in hand [you might also consider Carl Dreyer's original script]; 2) watch film w/ subtitles at Dr. M's condo in garage on Sun, 1-23 at 3 p.m., 3) watch film w/ subtitles during on-campus screening on Mon, 1-24 at 7:30 p.m. (building 26, room 104)
Euripedes's Medea
  • format: class discussion
Link to Points For Reflection: Greater Sorrow
R, 1-27
 Greater Sorrow
Euripedes's Medea
Lars von Trier's Medea (1988)
  • format: small grp argumentation exercise
Link to Points For Reflection: Fowards or Backwards
T, 2-1

Forwards or Backwards
Dr. M's intro to Europa (1991)
Lars von Trier's Europa (1991), 112 min. / Kanopy
midterm exam study guide in five parts: one, two, three, four, five
  • format: class discussion & short writing exercise
Link to Points For Reflection: Europa
R, 2-3

MIDTERM EXAM
Lars von Trier's Europa (1991)
bring blue book!
abridged/narrowed midterm exam study guide
  • format: essay exam (choose 1 of 3 provided prompts)
Link to Points For Reflection: How Did You Do It?
T, 2-8

How Did You Do It?
Dr. M's intro to Breaking the Waves (1996)
Lars von Trier's Breaking the Waves (1996), 159 min. / Kanopy
  • format: small grp argumentation exercise
Link to Points For Reflection: Sound & Sense
R, 2-10

Sound & Sense
A Rhetoric of Film, chp. 4
Lars von Trier's Breaking the Waves (1996)
  • format: completion of argumentation excrs; writing exercise
Link to Points For Reflection: Inner Sight
T, 2-15

Inner Sight
Dr. M's intro to Dancer in the Dark (2000)
Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark (2000), 140 min. / buy or rent at YouTube or Amazon.com
article #1 (2011) / Lars von Trier / read entire article
article #2 (2017) / Björk / read entire article
article #3 (2011) / Kirsten Dunst / read entire article
rticle #3 / 2017) / Emily Watson / read "Have you ever" thru "seriousness it deserves"
article #4 (2019) / Charlotte Gainsbourg / read "These days" thru "trusted him"
term paper assigned
  • format: discussion of quiz (and LvT issues), assign term paper, biographical lecture on LvT (part one)
Link to Points For Reflection: People and Movements
R, 2-17

People and Movements
Dr. M's intro to Dancer in the Dark (2000)
  • format: lecture on LvT's life; sml grp exercise (debate)
Link to Points For Reflection: Good, Honest Folk
T, 2-22

Good, Honest Folk
Dr. M's intro to Dogville (2003)
Lars von Trier's Dogville (2003), chps. 1-5 / (thru 1 hr, 28 min.) / Amazon.com Prime Video [$2.99 to rent]
warning: today's writing exercise will involve our watching the opening scene from Promising Young Woman, in which a sexual assault is abruptly interrupted
  • format: frame and scene analysis (conceptual review)
Link to Points For Reflection: Rotten From the Inside Out
R, 2-24

Rotten From the Inside Out
Lars von Trier's Dogville (2003), chps. 6-end
  • format: roundtable discussion

Fri., Feb. 25 thru Fri., Mar. 4

 paper outline workshopping conferences: (find a time that works for your group here and email Dr. M to reserve it)  
Link to Points For Reflection: On the Ropes
T, 3-1 On the Ropes
NO VIDEO intro. to The Five Obstructions (2003)
Jørgen Leth’s The Perfect Human (1967), 13 min. / Vimeo
Lars von Trier's The Five Obstructions (2003), 90 min. / Kanopy
  • format:
Link to Points For Reflection: A Person Assault
R, 3-3

A Personal Assault
Lars von Trier's The Five Obstructions (2003)
A Rhetoric of Film, chp. 5

  • format: tableaux vivants and dry erase board pix
 
Link to Points For Reflection: No Need to Greive
T, 3-8 No Need to Grieve
NO VIDEO intro. to Melancholia (2011)
Lars von Trier's Melancholia (2000), 130 min. / Kanopy
  • format: character analysis, dissecting the Overture, and art discussion
Link to Points For Reflection: Hope or No Hope?
R, 3-10 Hope or No Hope?
Lars von Trier's Melancholia (2011)
  • format: review for final exam
M, 3-14
TERM PAPER due at midnight
(send Word file via email)
  
Fri, Day tba
Final Exam
  • sec 01 (class: 9:40-11:00 a.m. TR) / final exam: Thurs., Mar. 17, 10:10 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
  • sec 02 (class: 12:10-1:30 p.m.) / final exam: Thurs., Mar. 17, 1:10-4:00 p.m.
  

 

A fire beside a building on an island that appears to float in the fog. In the background are several cliffs and clouds
Wonderful One Summer Night (2005)
Poul Anker Bech

 


Dr. Paul Marchbanks
pmarchba@calpoly.edu