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Christopher Caes

Assistant Professor

Christopher Caes completed his Ph.D. in Polish Studies with a Designated Emphasis in Film Studies from the University of California, Berkeley in 2004. His areas of interest and expertise include 19th and 20th century Polish literature and culture, Polish intellectual history, Polish cinema, and Central and East European literary and cultural theory.

His current research focuses on conceptions of selfhood and agency in the literature and cinema of Polish Stalinism and the post-Stalinist "Thaw".

Fall 2009 Courses

ENG 4135/EUS 3100/PLT 3520:
Movements in Post-World War II Polish Cinema

Course Syllabus

This course will introduce and explore three separate movements or schools of filmmaking in Polish post-World War II cinema - the "Polish School" of 1955-1965, the "Cinema of Moral Concern" of 1976-1981, and the "New Naïveté," of 1999-present. Each of these currents adopted a loosely conceived, historically specific aesthetic and ideological platform, which it then sought to put into practice artistically in order to have a therapeutic and a didactic effect on the culture and society of its time.

The "Polish School," which was characterized by a blend of Italian neorealist and Polish Romantic or absurdist/existentialist styles, sought to represent and work through the national trauma of World War II in a context in which political censorship prevented the direct address of such issues. It includes the early work of world-renowned director Andrzej Wajda, as well as works by prominent filmmakers such as Andrzej Munk, Jerzy Kawalerowicz, and Wojciech Has.

The "Cinema of Moral Concern," which drew on and combined the techniques of West European "cinemas of truth" with those of the New Hollywood, was in the forefront of the cultural ferment of the late 70s, which was devoted to the establishment of an underground civil society outside the institutions of the communist state and led up to founding of the trade union Solidarity. It includes early work by internationally recognized filmmakers Krzysztof Kieslowski, Krzysztof Zanussi, and Agnieszka Holland.

Finally, the "New Naïveté," which draws on a broad variety of Hollywood and international styles, seeks to transform the legacy of Solidarity's anti-communist "revolution of the spirit" into contemporary forms of cultural capital in order to lay the foundations for "capitalism with a human face." Among filmmakers active in this movement are Krzysztof Krauze, Robert Glinski, and Piotr Trzaskalski. Screening approximately one film a week, we will view at least five works from each movement, examining and discussing their individual formal and aesthetic principles and ideological investments, their relation to their respective movement as a whole, and their impact on the culture of their day.

POL 1130: Beginning Polish 1

Course Syllabus

Learning a new language can be lots of fun and I hope you will approach the course in this spirit. Introduction to Polish Language and Culture is an introductory language course with a strong cultural component. The goal of the class is to work toward active language usage through guided and improvisational conversation, oral drills, listening exercises, and reading and writing assignments. An introduction to the everyday culture and traditions of Poland is incorporated into the classroom through the language materials, culture presentations, films, and music.

Other Courses

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Contact

Christopher Caes
University of Florida
3326B Turlington Hall
P.O. Box 117342
Gainesville, FL 32611

(352) 392-8902 x204
caes@ufl.edu

Curriculum vitae