Event: The Power of Black and White: Two-Day Public Seminar
Date: Part 1: Wednesday 1 November and Part 2: Thursay 2 November 2023
Time: 17:00 onwards
Venue: Lecture Centre 119 (LC119) UM Campus Msida
A two-day seminar entitled The Power of Black and White will be delivered by Prof. Stuart Franklin, Affiliate Professor at the University of Malta, on 1 and 2 November. Both sessions will start at 17:00 and will be held at LC119 (Lecture Centre), University of Malta Msida Campus.
A two-day seminar entitled The Power of Black and White will be delivered by Prof. Stuart Franklin, Affiliate Professor at the University of Malta, on 1 and 2 November. Both sessions will start at 17:00 and will be held at LC119 (Lecture Centre), University of Malta Msida Campus.
Abstract
The two lectures will explore the role of B&W in film and photography (using Prof. Franklin鈥檚 new book Traces as a starting point). Seminar one will consist of a brief history of B&W cinema touching on German Expressionism (e.g. Robert Wiene's The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920) and Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927)) and Film Noir, followed by a reflection on historical storytelling as in David Lynch鈥檚 The Elephant Man (1980) and Steven Spielberg鈥檚 Schindler鈥檚 List (1992) and an analogy with the Godzilla films. From there, the discussion will shift to Alfonso Cuar贸n鈥檚 Roma (2018), in which the power of light and geometry in B&W will be highlighted. In the film, B&W focuses on expression and emotion without the confusions of local colour when narrating the journey of the two protagonists who, despite the very different social status they belong to at the start, come together through their personal crises. The same approach is taken, in different contexts, by Vittorio De Sica and Michelangelo Antonioni in The Bicycle Thieves (1948) and 尝鈥橝惫惫别苍迟耻谤补 (1960). Both films rely on striking compositions and the quality of light and expression in Rome and Sicily. The work of the French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson will be discussed, particularly his influential role in creating powerful compositions and geometry in B&W during the 1930s. In the final section (day 2), Prof. Franklin will provide a deeper insight into how he deals with light and composition in his most recent book Traces, the third in a trilogy following Narcissus (2013) and Analogies (2019).
