Overview
This is a short analytical exercise (not to be confused with a research paper). You will make a clear and concise claim, such as women are portrayed pejoratively in the film(s), and substantiate that claim by using specific examples from the film(s). Description of a film is NOT analysis -– as has been thoroughly discussed in class. However, when establishing your claim, be sure to use specific examples from the relevant film(s). If outside sources have been consulted they should be listed on a separate page at the end. Any outside source incorporated into the paper should be followed (in parentheses) by the author’s name, page number, e.g., (Shull, p. 15). Do not employ “quotitus” -– a situation where a substantial part of the paper is made up of quotes from the film and/or outside sources. This Prof is definitely not impressed by parroting the class discussions/lectures. Also, avoid excessive use of “I”. Do not assume godlike powers by telling the reader what a particular character was thinking; the attitudes of historical individuals/a society at a given time. Inter-textual references, where appropriate, can be quite useful in an analysis paper -– such as referring to how a particular action in another film you have seen tends to substantiate your claim. The paper will contain a title page (a title at the top; also the number of the question answered), with your name at the bottom right. The paper will be four minimum to five maximum pages in length -– one inch margins; double-spaced; 12 point font; no extra spaces between paragraphs. Grammar and spelling matter! A note: All titles should be either italicized or underlined -– upon initial use in the paper, in parentheses after the title, will be the studio (such as Paramount) and the date of release.
CHOOSE ONE (selected references to the required readings highly recommended)
Is there a language of cinema? Apply this to an analysis of the roles of women as portrayed in either one or two films viewed/discussed in class. For instance, Orlando(1992)
2. Examine the use of time and/or space in one or two films seen in class.
Examine the use of color in Snowpiercer (2013) or Oppenheimer (2023).
Compare the title character in Oppenheimer with Wilford in Snowpiercer, and/or those films’ endings.
In a political and/or psychological context, compare and contrast power relationships as portrayed in one or two films seen in class. Such as between the 2009 and 2011 versions ofThe Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
Are fictional narrative films a valid source of historical representation and interpretation? Compare and contrast 1917 (2019) and All Quiet on the Western Front(2022). Or, Full Metal Jacket (1987) and 9th Companny (2005).
Pick one or two scenes from a film and do a close reading and/or deconstruction. For instance, you could focus on how the shell-shocked Cillian Murphy soldier on the civilian rescue boat is cinematically developed in Dunkirk (2017