The 12DP Film Analysis Write Up – 20 points each
Consider the whole film. Consider basic aspects like plot, character, theme, setting, and others cinematography, script, dialogue, acting, costumes, etc.
· Watch the film, take notes, analyze your reactions. (looking over your notes, see if you can see any trends, themes, metaphors, symbols, etc.).
· Make note of technical aspects (camera, editing, lighting, color, sounds, direction, etc.) and the film’s character development.
· In the case of certain films, perhaps discuss the film and its importance to its own time. Consider how the very actors in the film have formed perceptions over time.
· Task: 750 – 1000 word write-up about discussing many of the above features. But pick two or three that are really critical and argue why they drive the film and what is the intended effect of the above mentioned. A five paragraph format is fine. Criterion A and B (Content/Organization, 15pts) and C (Style, 5pts) will be assessed.
Who Writes About How Many Films?
· IB Diploma Candidates: Pick One Film
· Honors Candidates: Pick Two Films
· Non-Honors Testers: Three Films
· Non-Testers: All films
Films to Be Studied (To be viewed in this order):
· Rear Window (Essay Due 5/12)
· Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (Essay Due 5/19)
· Some Like It Hot (Essay Due 5/26)
· Duck Soup
· Say Anything (Duck Soup OR Say Anything Essay Due 6/2), YOU CAN’T DO BOTH)
All essays are due on their respective dates to turnitin.com. No exceptions.
The Psychological Thriller: Rear Window
Psychological thriller is a fictional thriller story that emphasizes the psychology of its characters and their unstable emotional status. The psychological thriller is a sub-genre of the larger thriller category. It’s similar to gothic/southern gothic and hard-boiled detective fiction in the sense of sometimes having a quickly decaying perception of reality (for both the characters and the audience). There is often a lack of moral clarity, plenty of general ambiguity, and complex and tortured relationships between obsessive, overly innocent, and/or sometimes pathological characters. Psychological thrillers often incorporate elements of mystery, drama and outright horror—particularly psychological horror
Describe the way Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window may apply the qualities of the Psychological Thriller.
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Film Analysis: Some Like It Hot (Farce)
In theater and film a farce is a comedy which aims at entertaining the audience by means of humor unlikely, extravagant, and improbable situations.
The Farce also relies on:
· disguise and mistaken identity
· verbal humor, word-play, innuendo (suggestion)
· a fast-paced plot
· an ending which often involves an elaborate chase scene.
Farces are often incomprehensible and confusing plot-wise (because of the large number of plot twists and random events that often occur), but viewers are encouraged not to try to follow the plot in order to avoid becoming confused and overwhelmed.
Farce is also characterized by:
· physical humor or “slapstick”
· the use of deliberate absurdity or nonsense
· broadly stylized performances.
When you are writing your Film Analysis consider the elements of the farce mentioned above and discuss how they are applied to Some Like It Hot.
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Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The Western genre sometimes portrays the 19th century ideal of the Frontier and Manifest Destiny. Western heroes are frequently depicted as conquerors of the wilderness and subordinators of nature in the name of civilization. Some earlier westerns detail the taking by force the lands of the original inhabitants of the frontier. The Western depicts a society organized around chivalrous codes of honor and personal justice (such as a grudge or vigilantism) rather than ideas organized around the law or other established institutions. Perhaps the most common depiction of the Western is a story that centers on the life of a wanderer: typically a cowboy, sheriff or a gunfighter.
In your writing consider how Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid is or is not typical of the classic Western genre.
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Duck – The Political Satire
A satire is literature, theater, film, etc. that is intended to be critical of or attempt outright to shame society’s flaws and follies. It is usually heavily sarcastic, witty and ironic. It also can come to the defense of the underdog or those who do not have a voice. Early examples would include Jonathan Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” and Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Contemporary examples would include The Simpsons and The Colbert Report. For this essay explain in what way and to what effect Modern Times embodies the social satire.
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Say Anything Analysis (Coming of Age Story)
Well, say anything. Create your own criteria and develop a topic of your own choice.