FRS 002Y — Sec. 001 — (2 unit) — CRN 55925 — T 2:10 – 4:00pm — 175A Phys/Geo
Humphrey Bogart – The Greatest Actor of All Time??

Instructor: Kenneth Verosub, Department of Geology, College of Letters and Science

Description: In 1998, the American Film Institute released its list of the 100 Greatest American Movies. Humphrey Bogart starred in four of the films listed in the top thirty (Casablanca, The African Queen, Maltese Falcon and Treasure of the Sierra Madre). Does this make him the "greatest actor of all time," as claimed on his official website. In this seminar, we will view these (and other) Bogart films and will try to determine what was so special about them. Was it Bogart's acting ability, his personality and his charisma, or was it his directors, his co-stars (such as Lauren Bacall, Katherine Hepburn, and Ingrid Bergmann) and the scripts themselves? Once we think we understand what made these movies great, we will seek to determine if the same criteria apply to movies made in our time. To do that we will look at recent films that we think might be considered as classics, fifty years from now. Ultimately, we will seek to answer the question of whether "greatness" in films is a universal, unchanging attribute or simply a reflection of the moods and manners of the times. The primary goal for student learning will be to demonstrate that films, which students have probably only considered as a means of entertainment, can be the subject of serious discourse and analysis. A secondary goal will be for students to discover how films both influence and are influenced by the times in which they are made. Both of these goals will help awaken in first-year students an understanding of the possibilities inherent in looking critically and analytically at the world around them.

Format: The class will be taught as an informal discussion. At times the instructor will lead the discussion; at other times, the students will lead or will make more formal presentations. Viewing of films will take place, for the most part, outside of class. Class time will be spent discussing short clips that will be shown in class. Students will be expected to view at least one full-length film before each meeting of the class and to prepare for a discussion about it. They will also be expected to illustrate the points they make in class by showing short clips from the film. For this reason, access to a DVD player is useful, but not required. Grading: Half of the grade will be based on the extent and quality of participation in the class discussions. The other half of the grade will be based on the quality of an oral audio-visual group presentation that students will be required to make at the end of the seminar.

About the Instructor: Ken Verosub is a professor in the Geology Department and the former director of the Davis Honors Challenge. In his research he uses the magnetic properties of sediments and soils as tracers of paleoclimate and other environmental processes. He has been a fan of Humphrey Bogart ever since he saw Casablanca for the first time at the Cinema Guild on the campus of the University of Michigan, forty years ago.