Think cinematically about both films and their female characters. Using cinematic evidence, write two paragraphs about how females are portrayed in each film. You will look at the films through a feminist lens. Additionally, write one paragraph on how the main female character's strength is portrayed cinematically.
For anyone interested, there is a good film guide to Persepolis here.
Due: Friday, June 8.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Monday, May 14, 2012
White Heat
In at least 3 hearty paragraphs, discuss White Heat, as well as the characteristics of the gangster genre and its role as an art form. In your discussion, bring in another gangster film you've seen on your own (The Godfather, Goodfellas, etc.). Your discussion should be in relation to the Warshow article I handed out on Wednesday and the idea of the gangster as an individual. I want to see at least 2 quotes from the article in your discussion. Don't forget, your film textbook has a great section on gangster genre.
Due: Monday May 21.
Due: Monday May 21.
Friday, April 27, 2012
Bonnie and Clyde
Think about the following two excerpts from the Kael article. Choose one and explain if you agree or disagree with the quote and why. Choose a scene from the film to back up your statements and discuss the quote and the scene cinematically. Be sure to use the cinematic vocabulary you have learned thus far. Also, choose one scene and in one paragraph discuss any influence you see from any scene in The 400 Blows.
Quote #1:
"[It's]because the young French directors discovered the poetry of crime in American life (from our movies) and showed the Americans how to put it on the screen in a new, "existential" way. Melodramas and gangster movies and comedies were always more our speed than 'prestigious,' 'distinguished' pictures; the French directors who grew up on American pictures found poetry in our fast action, laconic speech, plain gestures. And because they understood that you don't express your love of life by denying the comedy or the horror of it, they brought out the poetry in our tawdry subjects. Now Arthur Penn, working with a script heavily influenced--one might almost say inspired--by Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player, unfortunately imitates Truffaut's artistry instead of going back to its tough American sources. The French may tenderize their American material, but we shouldn't. That turns into another way of making 'prestigious,' 'distinguished' pictures."
Quote #2
"Suddenly, in the last few years, our view of the world has gone beyond 'good taste.' Tasteful suggestions of violence would at this point be a more grotesque form of comedy than Bonnie and Clyde attempts. Bonnie and Clyde needs violence; violence is its meaning. When, during a comically botched-up getaway, a man is shot in the face, the image is obviously based on one of the most famous sequences in Eisenstein's Potemkin, and the startled face is used the same way it was in Potemkin--to convey in an instant how someone who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, the irrelevant 'innocent' bystander, can get it full in the face. And at that instant the meaning of Clyde Barrow's character changes; he's still a clown, but we've become the butt of the joke.
Quote #1:
"[It's]because the young French directors discovered the poetry of crime in American life (from our movies) and showed the Americans how to put it on the screen in a new, "existential" way. Melodramas and gangster movies and comedies were always more our speed than 'prestigious,' 'distinguished' pictures; the French directors who grew up on American pictures found poetry in our fast action, laconic speech, plain gestures. And because they understood that you don't express your love of life by denying the comedy or the horror of it, they brought out the poetry in our tawdry subjects. Now Arthur Penn, working with a script heavily influenced--one might almost say inspired--by Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Player, unfortunately imitates Truffaut's artistry instead of going back to its tough American sources. The French may tenderize their American material, but we shouldn't. That turns into another way of making 'prestigious,' 'distinguished' pictures."
Quote #2
"Suddenly, in the last few years, our view of the world has gone beyond 'good taste.' Tasteful suggestions of violence would at this point be a more grotesque form of comedy than Bonnie and Clyde attempts. Bonnie and Clyde needs violence; violence is its meaning. When, during a comically botched-up getaway, a man is shot in the face, the image is obviously based on one of the most famous sequences in Eisenstein's Potemkin, and the startled face is used the same way it was in Potemkin--to convey in an instant how someone who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, the irrelevant 'innocent' bystander, can get it full in the face. And at that instant the meaning of Clyde Barrow's character changes; he's still a clown, but we've become the butt of the joke.
Monday, April 23, 2012
The 400 Blows
I hope you all have read the Marilyn Fabe essay I gave you. If you haven't yet, go away from your computer right now and take 15 minutes to read the essay.
OK. Now, take a look at this quote from Truffaut in a 1966 interview:
"Before I met Rossellini, I wanted to make films of course, but it seemed impossible. A dream. He made it all seem easy. He has a powerful gift for simplification. He told me, it isn't hard to write a screenplay, you only have to look at the reality around you...The 400 Blows owes a great deal to Rossellini...[H]e showed me that things must be close to life."
Think about this quote and respond to it, using at least one scene from The 400 Blows. Feel free to include evidence from Rome Open City to back up any statements you make regarding Rossellini's filmmaking style. Write at least 3 meaty paragraphs (be sure to write cinematically) and use at least one quote from the Marilyn Fabe essay. Also, tell me your favorite scene and why (cinematically).
Due Wednesday, May 2.
The Awful Truth
Think about the film's mise-en-scene. Choose a scene in the film and discuss the mise-en-scene (costumes, set, properties, etc.) and its relation to the scene and the film as a whole. Use at least 2 hearty paragraphs for your discussion.
Also, please post your favorite line from the film.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Bicycle Thieves Assignment
I want you to analyze a scene from Bicycle Thieves. Please use the Internet sparingly--don't get caught up in what you read online about the film. The IB (and I) want to hear what you have to say!
Remember, this assignment is MORE practice for the Presentation assessment next year. Choose a 5-minute scene in Bicycle Thieves to analyze.
After you have your 5-minute scene chosen, analyze it completely. Remember that you need to mention WHY you chose the scene and this scene's relation to the film as a whole. In addition, pay close attention to: mise-en-scene, lighting, camera angles, shot types, etc. Here is a list of items to pay attention to when you are writing your 750 words (at least) and when you do your oral presentation:
How well do I understand how meaning is constructed through the use of film language in this extract?
How well do I understand the extract's relationship to the film as a whole?
How well do I understand the influences of the film's genre?
How well can I place the film and this extract in a broader socio-cultural context?
How insightful is my analysis of the director's intention?
How coherent, incisive, insightful, and detailed is my evaluative interpretation of this scene?
Here is a list of "vocal" you can use:
narrative
direction
cinematography
mise-en-scene
framing
lighting (which is often, but not always, considered part of mise-en-scene)
camera movement
editing
sound (diegetic and non-diegetic)
Be sure your essay is AT LEAST 750 words. Let your ideas flow. Don't keep counting words and they will come. As you start talking about what you see and hear in the film you won't want to stop!
Please see me/email me with questions if needed.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DISCUSS IMPLICIT MEANING AS YOU ANALYZE THE SCENE AND USE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES!!!
This is due Wednesday, April 4. Feel free to email me your completed essay.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Rome Open City assignment
I want you to analyze a scene from Rome Open City. Please use the Internet sparingly--don't get caught up in what you read online about the film. The IB (and I) want to hear what you have to say!
Remember, this assignment is MORE practice for the Presentation assessment next year. Choose a 5-minute scene in Rome Open City to analyze.
After you have your 5-minute scene chosen, analyze it completely. Remember that you need to mention WHY you chose the scene and this scene's relation to the film as a whole. In addition, pay close attention to: mise-en-scene, lighting, camera angles, shot types, etc. Here is a list of items to pay attention to when you are writing your 750 words (at least) and when you do your oral presentation:
How well do I understand how meaning is constructed through the use of film language in this extract?
How well do I understand the extract's relationship to the film as a whole?
How well do I understand the influences of the film's genre?
How well can I place the film and this extract in a broader socio-cultural context?
How insightful is my analysis of the director's intention?
How coherent, incisive, insightful, and detailed is my evaluative interpretation of this scene?
Here is a list of "vocal" you can use:
narrative
direction
cinematography
mise-en-scene
framing
lighting (which is often, but not always, considered part of mise-en-scene)
camera movement
editing
sound (diegetic and non-diegetic)
Be sure your essay is AT LEAST 750 words. Let your ideas flow. Don't keep counting words and they will come. As you start talking about what you see and hear in the film you won't want to stop!
Please see me/email me with questions if needed.
PLEASE REMEMBER TO DISCUSS IMPLICIT MEANING AS YOU ANALYZE THE SCENE AND USE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES!!!
This is due Wednesday, March 28. Feel free to email me your completed essay.
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