THEATRICAL REVOLUTION

Both Antonin Artaud (with his Theater of Cruelty) and Bertolt Brecht (with his Epic Theater) proposed two very deliberate, distinct, yet intertwined forms of theater.  In both cases, an attempt to revolutionize the theater is evident and to create a new expereince in the spectator.  Artaud and Brecht can be seen as influences on Godard's WEEKEND as well as many of the films we will view during the course (especially the work of Gaspar Noe and Michael Haneke).  If you are interested in this idea of theater as revolution or even theater as terrorism (a medium to provoke the sensibilities and classes) an interesting double feature would be David Fincher's FIGHT CLUB (1999) and Bernardo Bertolucci's PARTNER (1968).  Both films evoke the same social criticisms as WEEKEND as well as employ some of the same techniques to distance the audience and provoke the spectator.  Bertolucci, an Italian director, was very interested in the French New Wave and Godard.  PARTNER represents his most Godardian film and can be seen as indicative in the political content, graphic material, and counter-cinematic production of the late 1960s and early 1970s.  FIGHT CLUB represents some of the same critiques of consumer society levied by WEEKEND with a particular focus on a crisis of masculinity that will emerge as the class continues.  PARTNER would most likely not exist without WEEKEND and FIGHT CLUB would not exist without PARTNER.