Abstract This paper discusses how "Thelma and Louise" strayed from the typical "road movie" formula in terms of casting, theme and storyline. It shows how the film not only helped to redefine gender stereotypes but also paved the way for other women, as well as gays, people of color and other traditionally underrepresented groups, to become "road movie heroes" as well.
From the Paper "The conventional road movie twosome, which is usually comprised of either two young males or a male and female with a romantic connection, has permeated the genre since its inception. Thelma and Louise broke that tradition by not only using two female protagonists, but by portraying men in a consistently negative light; essentially as either "rapists", "bullies" or "boy toys"."
Tags: action, adventure, film, gender, roles, theme, gay, color
Abstract This paper looks at the book, "Girl, Interrupted," which is the autobiographical account of Susanna Kaysen's life just after her graduation from high school in the late 1960s. The movie, is an adaptation of the book. The author reviews both works, which deal with a woman with borderline personality disorder, one of the most common, and misdiagnosed types of mental illness facing women.
From the paper:
"Another anecdote from the book that meets the DSM-IV criteria for diagnosis of borderline personality disorder is Susanna's dissociative episode. One day while simply sitting in a chair in the common room at the hospital, Susanna had the random notion that she had no bones in her hand. Susanna instantly, and for no apparent reason, became completely convinced that there were no bones in her hand. She was thus immensely disturbed and resolved to bite down on her hand until it bled in an attempt to get all the way down to the bone. Susanna felt as though she must see her bones to know that they are there and she refused to take anyone's word for it. This psychotic episode seems as though it may also be tied to a feeling of emptiness."
A comparison between Homer's epic novel the 'Odyssey' and the adapted screenplay version of the epic film,"O Brother Where Art Thou?", directed and produced by Joel and Ethan Coen .
Abstract The following paper draws parallels between Homer's "Odyssey" and the Coen Brother's "O Brother Where Art Thou?". In the year 2000, the inventive and provocative filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen reworked the Odyssey in a liberal way, changing scenes, settings and characters. The writer compares the original epic and the original screenplay and discusses dozens of small but meaningful comparisons. For instance, Odysseus and his men descend into Hades where they encounter several ghosts from Odysseus's past; in the film the boys meet a fellow inmate who they thought was dead. Odysseus from the original epic and Ulysses from the film (played by George Clooney) both have to prove to their wives that they are true: Ulysses must bring Penny the ring to redeem himself. In the Odyssey, Book 23, Penelope declares that ?there are tokens with which we two alone are acquainted,? (Butler trans.). Although it was written millennia ago in ancient Greece, the parables of the Odyssey remain extant for a reason: Its themes are universal and accessible and adaptable for all time. The Coen brothers' movie "O Brother Where Art Thou?" exemplifies Homer's timelessness, as well as their own versatility.
From the Paper "Homer's Odyssey is more than an epic tale of a man ?who wandered far and wide,? across the sea; it is an archetypal journey with universal and enduring import. It is not difficult to find parallels between Odysseus's adventures and modern ones, for ultimately the Odyssey transcends its details. Homer erected a narrative structure that lends itself to adaptation and reconstruction. Most notable to modern reinterpretations of Homer's Odyssey is James Joyce's Ulysses, which focuses on and develops the relationship between father (Odysseus/Leopold Bloom) and son (Telemachus/Stephen Dedalus). In the year 2000, the inventive and provocative filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen reworked the Odyssey in an equally liberal way, changing scenes, settings, and characters. But whereas Joyce's version of the Odyssey is microcosmic, its journey more psychological than physical, the Coen brothers? O Brother Where Art Thou? rambles through a decidedly physical and farcical tale. At first glance the film resembles Homer's epic little: only certain elements are obvious like George Clooney's character's name (Ulysses) and the three sirens by the river. A deeper investigation of the film and the original text reveals numerous, if more subtle, references."
Abstract The movie, "A Beautiful Mind", tells the story of Nobel Prize winner John Nash's struggle with schizophrenia. It follows his journey from the point where he is not even aware he has schizophrenia to the point where Nash and his wife find a way to manage his condition. The paper shows that the movie provides a lot of information and insight into the psychological condition of schizophrenia, including information on the symptoms, the treatment and cures, the life for the individual, and for the individual's family. The paper also explains that the movie is effective at demonstrating various concepts related to schizophrenia and provides a fascinating insight into the disease of schizophrenia.
From the Paper "This leads to the other important point made from the film, which is that an individual can suffer from schizophrenia and still operate effectively. Nash's life is seen as he returns to the college to teach and continues completing his mathematics work, while still seeing the delusions. This life is clearly far from normal. But for Nash, it also seems the best option. At the end of the movie, it is shown that he has gained the respect of his co-workers. This suggests that with patience and understanding from others, individuals with schizophrenia can live effective lives, while managing their schizophrenia."
Abstract This paper looks at the images of women that were portrayed in 1950s TV sitcoms and examines to what extent these images give us an insight into popular culture of the time.
From the Paper "The most stereotypical portrayals of gender are spread through communication media, especially television. Often, trends in television give us insight into the shifting meanings of gender in popular culture. For example, television in the fifties portrayed a wonderful world of perfect homes in a perfect America. In this world the mothers never worked, the families were happy, and problems were always solved within a half hour. Women had a clearly defined, fixed role, says Spigel, "The essential function of women was that of caretaker, mother, and sexual partner. The domestic woman needed to save her energy for housekeeping, childrearing, and an active (monogamous) sex life with her husband"
Tags: feminism, gender, role, sexism, society, stereotypes, TV
Abstract This paper takes a look at the differences between the two characters, Walter and Beneth, and their outlook on life.
From the Paper "Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun is a brilliant play about family, money, and power. The characters Walter and Beneatha have conflicting ideas on everything including; who the head of the family is and what it means to be successful, the role of women in society, and assimilation. ?A Raisin in the Sun is about dreams, ironically enough. And how those psychological projections of human life can come into conflict like any other product of that life.? Throughout history, we have been taught that you have to be flexible and compromise-especially in a family situation."
Tags: benetha, characters, compare, contrast, hansbury, in, loraine, raisin, sun, the, walter
Abstract This essay examines historical fiction as seen in the famous Hollywood movie Spartacus. The successes and failures of the film in accurately portraying Roman history and the struggle between Spartacus and the Roman Republic are analyzed. Through a look at real historical sources, we can see that for the most part the film is an entertaining but inaccurate retelling of this historical event and the story of Spartacus? life.
From the Paper "The famous and award-winning film Spartacus was produced by Universal Pictures in 1960 and based on a popular historical novel of the same name by Howard Fast At over one-hundred seventy five minutes, it is a lengthy bit compelling viewing experience. The main characters are played by legendary Hollywood stars Kirk Douglas and Laurence Olivier, although a host of other renowned talents such as Charles Laughton and Tony Curtis also appear."
Abstract This paper begins by providing a brief summary of the storyline of the movie "Wall Street". It then introduces the topic of discussion, which is the controversial issue of insider trading, defined as the purchase or sale of securities on the basis of information that has not been made available to the public. It shows how the movie deals with the issue at hand and how it presents the principles behind the problem.
From the Paper "In Oliver Stone's film Wall Street (1987), Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) is a young Wall Street trader who wants to get ahead and who admires the successful Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas), a man who wheels and deals on a grand scale and who buys and sells companies, claiming to improve their financial position but often simply destroying them for short-term profits. The destruction of companies in itself may be legal if of questionable ethics, but in truth, Gekko succeeds by intimidation and the use of insider information. Bud Fox has such information from his father, an aircraft mechanic and union leader, and he gives the information to Gekko to become part of the latter's organization. He continues using inside information to advance Gekko's fortunes and his own until he gets caught and his conscience begins to catch up to him."
Abstract This paper takes a look at each individual character and their backgrounds in "The Breakfast Club". It examines how they communicate with one another and then finally analyzes their progression from a non-functional group to a working team.
From the Paper "Communication can be expressed in many forms between all sorts and types of people. "The Breakfast Club"(1985, Hughes) is a great movie that displays numberous types of communication between five high school students. All five students are in the library for Saturday detension, all for different reasons, and each student is very different from the next. The five pupils in the library are almost a representative from each clique in the high school. There was the brain Brian Johson, the criminal John Bender, the athlete Andrew Clark, the princess Clare, and the basket case Alicen, they all differ greatly from eachother which creates a unique atmosphere for communication between them. One can see the development of the communication through out the day, as it starts off with non-verbal communication then moves toward to interpersonal then intrapersonal communication and soon progresses into a functional group that understands and accepts one another."
Tags: breakfast, club, communication, group, movie, team
Abstract The average American child watches three to four hours of television daily. This paper looks at violence on television and how it subliminally effects children. The author argues that the amount of time children watch TV, regardless of content, should be moderated, because it keeps children from doing more beneficial activities such as reading and playing with friends.
From the Paper "It's three o?clock in the Smith residence and little Johnny just arrived home from school. He is greeted by his mother, and she asks him how his day was and they talk for a couple minutes, similar to the routine in many households. After they are done talking, Johnny decides that he's going to watch some television. While Johnny's mother is ironing in the other room, little does she know that her son was watching the wild coyote attempting to blow the roadrunner's head off."
Abstract The paper describes how the film shows the insanity of war and the madness that goes along with it. The author shows how "Apocalypse Now" uses narration, sound effects, music, and dialogue to portray its message. The paper focuses on Coppola's use of sound effects to reinforce the films theme of the horror and uncertainty of war.
From the Paper "Apocalypse Now begins by showing a scene with helicopters dropping napalm all over the jungle. The audience is treated to "The End" by Jim Morrison and the Doors. We hear: "This is the end"? mixed with the chopping of helicopters passing overhead. From the very beginning, Coppola lets the audience know that they are in for a journey of madness. The sound and music have a lot to do with the success of this scene (Dirks). It will not be the last time we hear the sound of the helicopters overhead."
Abstract This paper examines the subject of the movie, "The Shawshank Redemption", which illustrates the prison institution, its impact on people and its role in society. It applies the three sociological approaches of functionalism, conflict theory and symbolic interactionism to the movie. The paper illustrates how different sociological perspectives can develop different meanings from the observations of the same events or experience.
From the Paper ""The Shawshank Redemption" is a movie that deals with the institution of prison and its impact on people and its role as part of society. From a larger sociological perspective it can also be seen as a comment on all institutions in society and the difference between what they are created for and what they deliver. To consider the movie from a sociological perspective it is interesting to consider what three different perspectives would see in the movie. The movie will now be analyzed from a functionalist, conflict and symbolic interactionist perspective. Looking at the movie from these three angles will show how different sociological perspectives can find different meanings in the same events."
Tags: prison, functionalist, symbolic, interactionist, movie
Abstract This paper explores the different techniques and worldviews of the silent era's two favorite comedians, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin. Examining three of each of the comedians' films, the paper explains the differing worlds created by Keaton and Chaplin.
From the Paper "Great comedic actors of today owe a great deal to the silent comedians who came before them, most notably Charles Chaplin and Buster Keaton. While the two comics geniuses of the silent era have totally dissimilar styles, both revolutionized humor as it made the transition from vaudeville stage to the projector screen in a cinema. As moviemakers found new ways of showing comedy in the new era of silent films, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin emerged as the comedians of their era and left a lasting impression on cinematic comedy that lives on today. Whether it be Johnny Depp paying homage to Chaplin's The Gold Rush in Benny and Joon or the Keaton-esque physical humor of Jackie Chan, Hollywood remembers the two film greats and consistently "borrows" from their comedic technique in movie after movie. These two very different actors left two very distinguishable styles behind : Keaton relied on the chaos of life and his surroundings to bring comedy, while Chaplin struck an emotional chord by evoking humor from the plight of modern life and misery of dire situations."
Abstract A detailed look into the the use of imagery and symbolism in the film Fight Club. This paper analyzes the depiction of the characters in the film through the use of color schemes and images as well as the different techniques used such as Subliminal messaging, a process by which visual or auditory influences are hidden amongst other images or sounds, such that the conscious mind and self are totally unaware of the information, which it has just absorbed.
From the Paper "In the film Fight Club there are two main characters played by Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. Norton's character is a stressed out insomniac. To deal with this stress, his character tries attending support groups, and getting sleeping pills, unfortunately nothing seems to be working. During his most stressed out moments, there are flashes on the screen, which would not be noticed really in a first screening in a theatre, but easier to notice in DVD or VHS copies of the film. These flashes are not the director or editor's mistakes; they have significant underlying meaning. The flashes are director David Fitchers idea of subliminal messaging. They are images of Brad Pitt before his character Tyler Durden is introduced to the film. The significance of the editing is explained later in the film, when the topic of splicing porn into kids? films is discussed. It is believed that these flashes of Pitt show the significance of when Tyler Durden first starts coming into the mind of Norton."
Abstract This paper examines Joyce Carol Oates's short story, "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been"?, which was written in 1966, and how, twenty years later, it was made into a movie entitled "Smooth Talk", the winner of the 1985 U.S. Film Festival for best dramatic picture. It looks at how Oates extends reality with her character, Arnold Friend, based on the real life of Charles Schmid, who cruised teenage hangouts, picking up girls. It also shows how the producer of "Smooth Talk" also takes detours from the road of reality by further developing the characters of Connie's mother, father, and older sister, June. In particular, it examines how the two endings differ greatly.
From the Paper "While the physical characteristics seem similar, however, the description of Connie's sexual nature differs, playing an important part in the development of the final scenes of both the story and the movie. While the writer of Smooth Talk portrays Connie as a flirt and a tease, she, nevertheless, resists going "all the way" with the boys she cruises with on summer nights. This makes the compelling seduction by Arnold Friend at the screen door that much more chilling as she faces rape and the loss of innocence to someone she hardly knows. In contrast, by implying in her short story that Connie is already sexually active, author Joyce Oates deepens the terror of the screen-door meeting by focusing not on just the sexually persuasive nature of Arnold Friend but also on the demonic trance-like state he uses in order to control his victims."
