OLLI101702 - China Noir

Course Description

China Noir

Instructor: Louis Friedler

Day of Week: Wednesday

Dates: Oct. 8 – Nov. 5

Time: 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

Location: Online via Zoom

This course will examine “China Noir” films. As The New York Times describes, “The pleasures of the noir genre derive from its blending of form and content — from how light, shadows, place and plot all combine into an ambiguous world where the lines between good and evil, reality and dreams, all start to blur.” The Smithsonian Museum’s China Noir Festival adds that these films explore “how filmmakers in China and Hong Kong have adapted and transformed the genre to reflect society’s ambitions and anxieties.” The four films selected for discussion have not been shown in previous classes and are subject to availability. A fifth session may be added to view a special film. Participants are encouraged to watch the films before class but are still welcome if they cannot. All films will be subtitled and available online at minimal cost.

Maximum: 50

Instructor Bio: Louis Friedler earned a BA from Colby College and a PhD in mathematics from the University of Alberta in Canada. He served as a college professor and research mathematician for 42 years and is now professor emeritus at Arcadia University. He has taught Chinese film at Arcadia, and both Chinese and Israeli film at OLLI. He has visited China several times.

Notes

Why when I’m registering do I join the Wait List?
Several of our courses are in high demand. In order to accommodate our members who are not tech-savvy and have trouble registering online, we created a registration system in which there is no advantage to registering early, no disadvantage to registering later.

When registering for this class you join the Wait List. Don’t be alarmed. This does not mean the course is full. After the registration period is over, we run a lottery on the courses, and it randomly determines who is admitted to each course and who is not. You typically will receive notification regarding which courses you are admitted to, about one week after the initial enrollment period ends

Online courses are conducted via Zoom.

You don’t need a Zoom account, but we recommend installing the Zoom app. Refer to our Zoom Essentials guide for setup tips and a sample course link email. Zoom links are sent to registered participants the week before the semester starts and again on the day of each class.

We suggest creating a dedicated email folder for easy access. Your link is unique and stays the same all semester. If you can’t find it, check your Junk/ Spam folder or email us at olli@temple.edu. Please don’t share or use another person’s link, as attendance is tracked.