Good and Evil in World Cinema

The relation between good and evil is among the most essential topoi in the history of storytelling, often distilled into an opposition between protagonist and antagonist. As readers, listeners, or spectators, we can be drawn (sometimes against our will) to identify with and root for the protagonist, who is presented as good, while simultaneously pitting our hopes against the antagonist, who is taken to be evil. Without this affective investment sourcing from the tension between good and evil, stories would, perhaps, be boring. Focusing on the presentation of good and evil in film, we will consider not only how various shades of good and evil stand in relation to one another, but also how the relation between them is framed, directed, and sometimes complicated in the form of its presentation. While the opposition may itself be simple to grasp, the best films treating this topic do not make it easy for viewers. One the one hand, film brings together image, sound, and narrative in a concerted appeal to our emotions, making identification with the protagonist almost unavoidable. On the other hand, precisely through its multimediality, film also subtly undermines its own presentation of good and evil. Ultimately, the best films (a range of which we will watch and discuss in this course) bring out the best in us: our ability to ask whether things really are so simple. Are we, as spectators, innocent? Is film itself?

Satisfies General Education Requirements:

• Group-Satisfying: Arts and Letters
• Multicultural Courses: International Cultures (IC)