ENG 225 Community College of Philadelphia American Dream in Rocky Film Discussion

Overview

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, read Chapters 9 and 10 from your course textbook

Throughout this course, you have written essays and participated in discussion forums in an effort to analyze various elements of film, using different theoretical lenses. This Final Film Analysis is your opportunity to combine those elements into a comprehensive analysis of one movie.

Please choose a film from this list of approved choices. List of the movies are listed below.

Courtroom drama

AFI defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in which a system of justice plays a critical role in the film's narrative.

Film	Year
To Kill a Mockingbird	1962
12 Angry Men	1957
Kramer vs. Kramer	1979
The Verdict	1982
A Few Good Men	1992
Witness for the Prosecution	1957
Anatomy of a Murder	1959
In Cold Blood	1967
A Cry in the Dark (Evil Angels)	1988
Judgment at Nuremberg	1961

Epic

AFI defines "epic" as a genre of large-scale films set in a cinematic interpretation of the past.

Film	Year
Lawrence of Arabia	1962
Ben-Hur	1959
Schindler's List	1993
Gone with the Wind	1939
Spartacus	1960
Titanic	1997
All Quiet on the Western Front	1930
Saving Private Ryan	1998
Reds	1981
The Ten Commandments	1956

Fantasy

AFI defines "fantasy" as a genre in which live-action characters inhabit imagined settings and/or experience situations that transcend the rules of the natural world.

Film	Year
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring	2001
It's a Wonderful Life	1946
King Kong	1933
Miracle on 34th Street	1947
Field of Dreams	1989
Harvey	1950
Groundhog Day	1993
The Thief of Bagdad	1924
Big	1988

Gangster

AFI defines the "Gangster film" as a genre that centers on organized crime or maverick criminals in a modern setting.

Film	Year
The Godfather	1972
Goodfellas	1990
The Godfather Part II	1974
White Heat	1949
Bonnie and Clyde	1967
Scarface	1932
Pulp Fiction	1994
The Public Enemy	1931
Little Caesar	1931
Scarface	1983

Mystery

AFI defines "mystery" as a genre that revolves around the solution of a crime.

Film	Year
Vertigo	1958
Chinatown	1974
Rear Window	1954
Laura	1944
The Third Man	1949
The Maltese Falcon	1941
North by Northwest	1959
Blue Velvet	1986
Dial M for Murder	1954
The Usual Suspects	1995

Romantic comedy

AFI defines "romantic comedy" as a genre in which the development of a romance leads to comic situations.

Film	Year
City Lights	1931
Annie Hall	1977
It Happened One Night	1934
Roman Holiday	1953
The Philadelphia Story	1940
When Harry Met Sally...	1989
Adam's Rib	1949
Moonstruck	1987
Harold and Maude	1971
Sleepless in Seattle	1993

Science fiction

AFI defines "science fiction" as a genre that marries a scientific or technological premise with imaginative speculation.

Film	Year
2001: A Space Odyssey	1968
Star Wars	1977
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial	1982
A Clockwork Orange	1971
The Day the Earth Stood Still	1951
Blade Runner	1982
Alien	1979
Terminator 2: Judgment Day	1991
Invasion of the Body Snatchers	1956
Back to the Future	1985

Sports

AFI defines "sports" as a genre of films with protagonists who play athletics or other games of competition.

Film	Year
Raging Bull	1980
Rocky	1976
The Pride of the Yankees	1942
Hoosiers	1986
Bull Durham	1988
The Hustler	1961
Caddyshack	1980
Breaking Away	1979
National Velvet	1944
Jerry Maguire	1996

Western

AFI defines "western" as a genre of films set in the American West that embodies the spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the new frontier.

Film	Year
The Searchers	1956
High Noon	1952
Shane	1953
Unforgiven	1992
Red River	1948
The Wild Bunch	1969
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid	1969
McCabe & Mrs. Miller	1971
Stagecoach	1939
Cat Ballou	1965

Note: You should watch your chosen film twice—once to ensure that you have grasped the storytelling and once to take more specific notes on aspects of the film you wish to discuss.

In your paper,

• Identify your selected film, including writer, director, year of release, and genre.
• Briefly summarize the film in which you apply your knowledge of the difference between the film’s story and its plot.
• Describe one of the broad theories you have learned about in class (auteur theory, genre theory, formalist theory) and analyze your selected film through that lens.
• Evaluate the use of three specific techniques and design elements employed in the film as they contribute to the overarching narrative and theme of the film. This can include elements of mise-en-scène (e.g., lighting, sound, composition of frame, costuming, etc.) and editing (e.g., cuts and transitions, shots used, angles, etc.).
• Describe the connection between this film and society (i.e., politically or culturally, positive or negative) and draw conclusions about its impact.

The Final Film Analysis paper

• Must be five to six double-spaced pages (1500 to 1800 words) in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA.
• Must include a separate title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted

• Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
• Must include an introduction and conclusion paragraph. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.

• Must use at least three scholarly sources in addition to the course text.
  • The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types.

• Must document any information used from sources in APA style as outlined