Abstract This paper examines John Ford's Western "My Darling Clementine" (1946) and how in particular the lighting adds to the gritty and harsh nature of the landscape, the town and the characters. It looks at how Ford and his cinematographer actually use lighting and other elements to create a film that falls between the myth and the reality. The lighting suggests a harsh and realistic West, while the isolation of Wyatt Earp in scene after scene sets him apart as a laconic and yet powerful figure.
From the Paper "The opening sequences show the use of filters to bring out the sky and the clouds over Monument Valley as the Earps bring their cattle across the valley floor. The lighting through most of this opening sequence evokes the documentary which uses only natural sunlight as a source, adding to the realism of the scene and contributing to the grittiness and harsh look of the landscape. This is not a Western that prettifies the West and its denizens. Instead, Ford approaches the West here as a hard place to live and as a place peopled by hard people. Those who seem to "belong" to this landscape will be contrasted with Clementine, who clearly does not belong, especially in the eyes of Wyatt Earp. "
Abstract The purpose of this paper is to introduce, discuss, and analyze the short story "The Darling" by Anton Chekhov. Specifically, the paper discusses the characters' point of view and the theme of the work. The paper examines how the story illustrates women's roles in Victorian society, and uses characterization, theme, and point of view to illustrate the confining lives of women and their families. The paper further examines the character of Olga, a sad, even pathetic character who only lives for the men in her life. The writer concludes that Olga's wasted life is a lesson to anyone who allows another to become the center of his or her world and interests.
Outline:
1. Introduction
a. Thesis
2. Background on Chekhov
a. Writing history and life
3. Characters
a. Olga
b. Husbands
4. Themes of the story
a. Women in society
b. Loss and Death
c. A Mother's Love
5. Conclusion
From the Paper "Olga (also called Olenka), is the main character of this story and the "darling" referred to in the title. She is an intriguing character full of weaknesses and faults, and yet Chekhov manages to make her sympathetic to the reader somehow. One critic of the story writes, "Tolstoy [...] believed that Chekhov had meant to denigrate his Olga, the buxom, warm-hearted 'darling' who has no opinions except those which she borrows from the current man in her life and who, without some male to worship, withers and grows sluttish, but that he could not help bathing her in sympathy" (Calder 251). Olga is sympathetic for a number of reasons. First, she genuinely seems grieved when she loses her first two husbands."
Abstract In this article, the writer analyzes the classic film "My Darling Clementine". The writer discusses the way in whcih the elements of style are used in the film to elucidate its central themes. The writer looks at the themes of the settlers' civilization of the West, the character of the lone cowboy or fugitive who doesn't fit into the developing social community, and the violent clash between the Clantons and the Earps that exemplify these disparities.
From the Paper "In the first scene each of the Earp brothers on the cattle drive is introduced by a low-angle medium shot profiled on horseback against the sky. Somehow the short take, the brief isolation of each one, exposes a premonition of mortality, which is heightened by the ominous arrival of Old Man Clanton and his son Ike hunched over on their buckboard, in a medium shot seen from the back. They, their rig, and their horses are dark figures in the gathering dusk of the hills as Wyatt Earp rides up from the daylight plain to speak to them in low-angled closeup."
Abstract This paper summarizes the 1946 film "My Darling Clementine" by John Ford. The paper reviews the western film which follows the adventures and personal struggles of drifter Wyatt Earp in his journey into civilization. In particular, the author highlights Earp's personal struggle to avenge his younger brother's death and explains how this becomes a metaphor for the imposition of law and Christian morality upon the American West. The paper also explains how the film depicts an equivocal stand between civilization and chaos.
From the Paper "Doc's coughing grows noticeably worse as he talks with Clementine. The noise of the bar fades back, and Doc and the viewer can only focus on Clementine, who shames him with her purity, a purity that is even more intense because of the soft-focused glowing lighting that makes her face seem even more angelic and pale. They engage in a long dialogue in the saloon, the presence of Clementine in such a place seeming increasingly incongruous as the scene wears on. Clementine can only think that Doc has left her because he is sick, and is afraid of burdening her, but Doc's sickness is a metaphor for the sickness of his soul, not just that of his body, although he knows his physical enjoyment has destroyed his body."
Abstract This paper examines the different way that Tolstoy and Welty analyzed Chekhov's story. It shows how Tolstoy finds that Chekhov wrote the story with his mind but not with his heart, which comes to assume that he knew how Chekhov felt when writing this story. Welty herself explains the story as if she were fishing, seeking deeper and deeper for meaning and for what the author intended.
From the Paper "Tolstoy says that when Chekhov was writing this story, he had in mind a vague image of a new woman and of her equality with man. He says that Chekhov wanted to show what a woman should be by showing what she "ought not to be" (Tolstoy 1557). One problem with Tolstoy's criticism of Chekhov is that he really just disagrees with Chekhov about the role of women, but he makes it seem that Chekhov was not thinking with his heart or he would have come to a different conclusion. He shows what Chekhov said, and then he shows his own bias by stating what the truth is, that the ambitions of a woman must be different from those of a man because a woman's work is very different from the work of a man. Tolstoy says that Chekhov was laboring under the influence of an absurd idea offered by the "fashionable woman movement" of the time, the idea that women can aspire to the same roles as men."
Abstract This paper discusses the gender roles of women in the films "Red River" and "My Darling Clementine". The paper describes the ways in which the films show some strengths that woman are capable of, but directors Ford and Hawks never really present these women in a serious manner. The paper suggests that the patriarchal domination of the male roles in these films always seem to make laughing stock out of women, as the few women with any kind of power are diminished.
From the Paper "Film Studies: Understanding the Patriarchal Domination of Women in the Western Genre In this film study, the role of women within a patriarchal pioneering society is portrayed within the films My Darling Clementine (1946) and Red River (1948). By evaluating the historical background of the old west through cinema, women are often portrayed as submissive to the gun slinging and often more aggressive male roles in these films. By analyzing the way that the women characters are filmed in these westerns, one can realize how misogynistic the overall plot and character construction is presented through their actions and behaviors. In essence, the patriarchal construct of diminishing the power of women is evident within these two films. The role of many westerns in the 1940s reflect the growing family values that America chose to adopt in Hollywood after World War II."
Compares films' depictions of West, values, gunfighting, 19th Cent. town life, directors' messages & styles. My Darling Clementine ( John Ford ) & High Noon ( Fred Zinnemann )
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 2 sources, 1996, $ 47.95
From the Paper John Ford's My Darling Clementine (1946) includes historical characters and historical events, while Fred Zinnemann's High Noon (1952) is more a generic Western with an interesting slant on the history of the time in which the film was made. At heart, both films are about a clash between good and evil that ends with a gunfight in the street, with the forces of law against the representatives of disorder. While this may be a timeless battle repeated endlessly in films--not only Westerns, but certainly in the Western genre time and time again--how this battle is treated in the two films shows a very different view of the social order, of the role of the hero, and of the meaning of the battle itself. Ford takes a much more traditional view of his hero, Wyatt Earp, and he treats that character in the heroic mold even though the historical character and his brothers were not as admirable as..."
This essay discusses the image of women in Anton Chekhov's "The Darling"; Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour"; Sandra Cisneros' "Woman Hollering Creek: and other short stories" and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper."
Abstract This paper shows how character development in short fiction is very important in order to establish an understandable plot. Many authors in the 19th century, as well as those in the early 20th century, used their writings to communicate the treatment of women in their societies. The paper examines how women's fight to be considered equal to men is expressed in many of the fore mentioned stories.
From the Paper "In many works of short fiction the focus in a story relates to a relationship of some kind. The portrayal in many such works show women being powerless, abused and oppressed by men which can be seen through the authors descriptions of the female character. A women's role in the family was to be submissive. Society had rules that barred women from being involved in political actions. The idea for women's rights became very evident after many women became involved in trying to end slavery. Women's suffrage can be considered one of the most important rights for women. When women received the right to vote it helped declare their independence from male domination."
Abstract Impact of youth culture & rebellious attitudes on a number of British films of the Sixties. New techniques, pop music & themes of discontent, anti-authority, new sexual permissiveness. Films analyzed include "Darling," "Alfie," Georgy Girl," "Blow-Up," "Billy Liar," & Director Richard Lester's first Beatle film "A Hard's Day Night" and other movies.
From the Paper "The rise of youth-oriented culture in Britain was reflected in, and perpetuated by, films of the 1960s. The rebelliousness of Sixties youth developed from the anger over questions of class, poverty, and opportunity that characterized the "angry-young-man" school of film, but took on a fresh pop-culture sheen when it was joined to the rejection of social mores (especially regarding the new sexual freedom) and the celebration of youth embodied in the music and fashion of this era of revived prosperity. Film directors developed flashy new techniques that became, in themselves, an important part of the 'swinging' Sixties look and sound. Films such as Billy Liar (John Schlesinger, 1963) made the connection between the stifling weight of tradition and the youthful longing for freedom. This was reflected more lightheartedly in stylistically innovative..."
Abstract Analysis of director John Ford's 1946 Western film centering on the lighting. How lighting conveys the theme and mood of the movie. Source of light; dramatic effect. Gives detailed examples of varioius lighting techniques used from several key scenes. How Ford and cinematographer Joseph MacDonald employed lighting and other elements to create a film that falls between the myth and reality.
From the Paper "In John Ford's Western My Darling Clementine (1946), the lighting adds to the gritty and harsh nature of the landscape, the town, and the characters. Cinematographer Joseph MacDonald relies heavily on source lighting for dramatic effect. Much of the film is shot with low-key lighting without the use of much fill light for the same purpose. There are also strong signs of the direction of the light, suggesting where the source lies. Day-for-night photography is used for many of the exterior night scenes, giving added dramatic effect and making the night sky appear at times to be on fire.
The film is structured on contrasts, and the low-key lighting similarly creates visual contrasts: The film's theme is the coming of civilization to the West. The western town of Tombstone becomes in Ford's..."
Abstract Discusses Ford's filmic techniques, his organization of images, sound and pacing to create a picture of the Old West and Tombstone, Arizona, and the expressiveness of the three lead actors.
From the Paper "This paper is an analysis of John Ford's classic 1946 film, My Darling Clementine. The story climaxes in the fateful showdown at the O.K. Corral between the vicious Ike Clanton gang and the heroic Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. Ford's organization of ..."
Abstract Focuses on three films: "The Grapes of Wrath", "My Darling Clementine", and "Rio Grande". Discusses the common issue of family, including personal and greater families. Describes the similar use of traditional American music, stark black-and-white images, and sparse dialog.
From the Paper "his paper analyzes John Ford's themes and styles in three of his most distinctive films, The Grapes of Wrath, My Darling Clementine, and Rio Grande. These three all focus on different aspects of one issue that reoccurs throughout his films, the issue of..."
Abstract This paper summarizes the storyline of William Faulkner's novel about a woman's dying wish. The paper discusses the relationships of the characters in the story, the decay of the family, and the symbolism of the burning barn.
From the Paper "As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner explores the dynamics within a family who prepares to fulfill the dying request of the matriarch, Addie. Her request is to be buried in Jefferson, and her surviving family prepares to make the arduous journey from the rural town Yoknawpatapha. The hardships experienced on this journey serves to reveal the decay begun by Addie's act of adultery with a minister. The result of this act is inner familial decay through a lack of love on Addie's part. At her death the decay worsens, and is symbolized by the burning barn."
A discussion to the extent to which the BBC's "Blackadder Comes Forth" and Pat Barker's "The Ghost Road" are typical of texts written about the First World War.
1,194 words (approx. 4.8 pages), 0 sources, 2004, $ 40.95
Abstract This paper considers a wide range of texts written about the First World War, focusing on "Blackadder Comes Forth" written by Richard Curtis and Ben Elton and Pat Barker's "The Ghost Road". It analyses the texts in terms of language form and structure and the way the writers use the genre of their choice to express their thoughts and feelings. The influence of the time of composition and the significance of the gender of the writers is also discussed.
From the Paper "More than in any other previous conflict, the Great War inspired writers of all generations and classes to write about their experiences in a way that was totally new to previous war literature. The new manner in which the First World War was conducted dramatically changed the way war was viewed, which is naturally reflected in the literature written. Before 1914 wars were largely fought abroad, which therefore meant that people wrote about war with a somewhat detached view as they were completely removed from the immediate situation. At this time war was considered, by most, to be a cleansing, almost health giving experience and the literature written, for example Alfred Lord Tennyson's poem "The Charge of the Light Brigade", celebrated Victorian values of devotion to duty, patriotic loyalty and sacrifice."
Abstract This paper examines how both the narratives of "Peter Pan" and "Everyman" revolve around themes of loss and how the losses in both J.M. Barrie's famous children's tale and the medieval morality allegory are both physical and psychological in their nature. It looks at how the "Everyman" of the medieval loses his physical life and sense of emotional and social security in his friends, family, and his worldly goods. In comparison, it shows how, in Barrie's "Peter Pan," the title character experiences, first, the loss of his shadow, which is temporary, and then loses Wendy, the Lost Boys ,and the other Darling children.
From the Paper "Neither of these tales is depressing, however, because along with loss, both heroes gain something back. But while "Everyman," is stripped bare of his old life and illusions, which are replaced with a truer understanding of the divine, Peter's refusal to grow merely results in him recapturing his youth by associating with the next generation of Darling children. Peter refuses to lose his old illusions, refuses to grow up and lose his old life and childhood appearance, and thus refuses to validate the conventional adult journey of life, learning, and life's termination, as reflected in "Everyman.""
