Course Details
950: Silly, Smart, and Subversive—How Screwball Comedies Changes Hollywood
July 7-11
11:45 AM -
1:15 PM
In-Person
Screwball comedies are a genre that arose during the Depression and were permeated by sex, love and democratic ideals. Unlike other genres, women were on an equal, often superior footing to men. The roots of screwball go back to ancient Greek (Aristophanes) and Roman authors as well as to Shakespeare and Moliere. The best of them are hilarious and occasionally thought provoking. We will show two of the greatest of these movies: My Man Godfrey and The Thin Man. We will explore the environment in which they were made including the Hays Code, the Studio System as well as the stars, the writers, the directors and studios who gave them life. The only requirement to get the most out of this course is to bring your popcorn, watch the films, and learn how they all came together. This study group has a high class size capacity.
Class Type: Lecture and Discussion
Class Format: In-Person
Hours of Reading: No reading
Study Group Leader(s):
Steven NewbornSteve Newborn recently retired from his law firm where he served as Global Head of the Antitrust Group. He has taught legal topics at University of Oxford, University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Chicago. He has been an avid student of film for over 50 years, especially of those made in Hollywood’s Golden Age.