Overview
You will need to rent the movie for this module. Thelma and Louise is available as a DVD from Netflix, and can be instantly streamed at Amazon, YouTube Movies, and other online media vendors. Reading: Prince, pp. 241 - 270 Viewing: No Country for Old Tropes: On Genre Subversion in the Western (6:07) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3j-OHoYgT8 Thelma and Louise (Scott, 1990) Directions: Before watching Thelma and Louise, read the textbook discussion of several genres to understand how genres depend upon particular rules or expectations known as "conventions." These conventions may govern the types of characters that appear in a genre, the settings where a genre's action usually occurs, the plot that usually appears in a genre, the images that usually appear in a genre (anything from props to predictable scenes), the type of music that is usually heard in a genre, and the themes that run under the surface of the story. Notice that the western operates like other genres; it, too, has specific conventions. When you see these conventions, you know you're watching a "western." Next, watch No Country for Old Tropes. Take notes on important points about how the conventions of the western have changed over time. Then watch Thelma and Louise, taking note of its overall story and plot, its character types, its setting, the kind of music that is heard throughout the film, and its recurring images. Think about the themes (main ideas) that run throughout the film. Then address the following question in a discussion of no fewer than 250 words: How does Thelma and Louise revise and update the conventions of the Hollywood western?