Abstract One of the most important themes concerning oppression in the movie "The Matrix" is the theme of consciousness. In the movie's most dramatic plot twist, it turns out that Neo, the movie's protagonist, has not been living inside the real world, but a computer-programmed simulation of one. He has been held in this state so that artificially intelligent machines may harness his body heat for energy. The paper shows that by freeing himself from the matrix, however, Neo had to make a choice to free himself, to become his own person. The paper compares the oppressed Neo to the writings of Paulo Freire ("Pedagogy of the Oppressed"). It also shows how ideas on ideology by Jean Baudrillard ("The Vital Illusion") are reflected in the film. It also looks at how ideas from Buddhism and Gnosticism reflect in the film's theme of spirituality and touches on the theme of community.
From the Paper Indeed, in the movie, The Matrix, Morpheus even asks Neo what it is that he believes to be real, pointing out that, although things inside the matrix feel real, they are not. This is not in any fashion dissimilar to Buddhist statements that "All that we are is the result of what we have thought: it is founded on our thoughts, it is made up of our thoughts" (Ford). Thus, The Matrix produces a form of spirituality heavily influenced by Buddhism."
Abstract This paper looks at and compares Shakespeare's play, A Midsummer Night's Dream, with Michael Hoffman's 1999 film adaptation. Looking at how specific differences such as language and scenes differ from interpretations, and how if there is any suggestive influence that enables us to better understand the original play.
Abstract This essay will examine both Carrol's book and Scott Kalvert's movie and compare and contrast the two. What will be demonstrated is that, although the movie is well-made in that it tells Carrol's story, the power of the diary in the novel as an expressive tool and framing device, which gives testimony to the best and darkest of youthful experiences, is lost in the movie and this lessens the impact and immediacy of Carrol's experiences. Moreover, the movie in turn makes its depictions too broadly and morally; this is a change from the subtle narrative strategy of Carroll, whose power of characterization is the ambiguity of human interaction.
Abstract An analysis of a classic situation of the family dinner, which is at the heart of the movie "Soul Food". The paper offers a perceptive look at how food can unite a family.
Abstract This paper examines the Orson Welles' film, "Citizen Kane". It focuses on the opening scene featuring a 'News on the March' newsreel outlining the life of Charles Foster Kane. It relates this montage to the film as a whole both thematically and cinematically.
Abstract This paper examines the role of romantic relationships and love in Michael Ondaatje's "The English Patient". Love is cast as a motivational force within this work and drives the characters to evolve in terms of their personalities. Both the film and the novel are addressed in this paper.
Abstract This three-page undergraduate paper discusses in what ways the movie "The Last of the Mohicans" is an accurate and inaccurate depiction of colonial America.
Abstract This three-page undergraduate paper offers a comparison between the life and actions of Jesus Christ compared to what is given or shown in the film "Jesus of Montreal" concerning the life and actions of Daniel Coloumbe.
An exploration of the filmmaker's use of mise-en-scene and iconography to represent space, i.e. Las Vegas in the films "Ocean's 11", "Casino" and "Leaving Las Vegas".
Abstract This paper discusses how as Hollywood's entertainment counterpart, Las Vegas has been screened as a mecca for romance, crime, action and adventure. It shows how with its consumer expenditure and capital gain, its seductive neon lights, together with its surrounding vast desert, make it an ideal space for filmmakers to explore a diverse range of character types and narratives. It analyses how although all set in three different periods of time, the films "Ocean's 11", "Casino" and "Leaving Las Vegas" depict very different images of Las Vegas. It discusses how each film does this through the director's use of mise-en-scene and iconography and the values it holds and their use of time both outside of the film to create a period of time and within the film to correspond to the film's narrative.
From the Paper "Scorsese depicts a Vegas at a time when organized crime played a pivotal role in the ownership and running of the casinos. Behind the sexy showgirls, the enticing neon lights, the shining slot machines and the lucky blackjack tables, lives an underworld of greed, vengeance and power which he explores in his 1995 film Casino. In 1983, Ace Rothstein played by Robert De Niro is blown into a sky of flames and is dropped into the flashing neon lights of 1970's Las Vegas. The opening credits are supplied over a close up of the dots which combine to create a neon sign; very similar to the opening credits of Milestone's 1960's classic Ocean's 11, reminding us that these signs will take us into the glittering world of Vegas, where ?anything goes;? a world in which before Casino, has only ever been depicted through the eyes of the visitor."
Tags: nevada, urbanism, scorsese, hollywood, gambling, city
A look at the movie, "Platoon", and the book, "The Things They Carried" by Tim O' Brien, about the Vietnam War and how they present a different approach to traditional views of the war.
Abstract This paper explains how Oliver Stone (director of "Platoon") and Tim O?Brien (author of "The Things They Carried") approach the Vietnam War in a different light. Rather than focusing on the political and social aspects, it shows how they highlight the role of the common soldier. They take the focus away from the bigger picture and give it to those who had to carry out the deeds of the politicians and generals. It explains that their stories focus around the personalities and experiences of the thousands of soldiers who fought in the jungle and continued to fight the war even after returning home.
From the Paper "As previously mentioned, both the book and the movie tend to avoid the political and social contexts of the war, and instead focus on the individuals fighting it"their personalities and their lives before and after Vietnam. O"Brien begins his book emphasizing this same theme. He first introduces us to the things the soldiers carried. We (the audience) learn that Jimmy Cross caries letters from his girlfriend back home to help him remember what is waiting for him after the war (O"Brien 1). We learn that Dave Jenson, who is obsessed with hygiene, carries an extra toothbrush, dental floss, and large bars of soap (O"Brien 3). O?Brien also touches on the mandatory gear (i.e. guns, explosives, poncho, rations, ect.), but his focus is on the items that give the characters personality."
Abstract This paper examines the way that Chaplin was treated by U.S. officials and the American public as a result of his political views, focusing on his work in 'City Lights", "Modern Times", and "The Great Dictator".
From the Paper "Chaplin was an essential element in the life of the early 20th-century cinema. The earliest films shown in the United States (where so many of all early films were shown) were meant to be seen and laughed at by audiences made up of immigrants speaking a dozen different languages and with as many different cultural traditions of what was funny and what was sacrosanct. Chaplin at least initially created a comfortable place for himself in this world by using the universal language of slapstick to communicate with his audiences. As Chaplin (as well as other early comic actors in the then-new medium of film) used it, slapstick provided a common visual vocabulary of humor for these immigrant American audiences. It reminded them of their common humanity and in doing so both gave them something to laugh at and reminded them that, after all, they were not so very different from each other. Politics serves to divide different groups of people from each other, and this was not the intent of the early silent movies. The content of these early films was essentially apolitical, meant to appeal to as wide an audience as possible and meant more as an exploration of the medium of film than anything else."
Tags: modern, times, great, dictator, city, lights
Abstract Compares and contrasts two films: the 1989 "When Harry Met Sally," and the 1998 "Shakespeare in Love." Discusses the legal institution of marriage in both centuries and describes 16th century marriage as a social, political, and economic institution.
From the Paper "The purpose of this paper is to compare and contrast 16th and 20th Century ideas about love and marriage as portrayed in the 1989 film AWhen Harry Met Sally@ and the 1998 film AShakespeare in Love.@
In both the 16th and 20th Centuries, marriage is only ..."
Abstract This paper examines how the movie, "Sweet Home Alabama", showcases examples of many important theories of human communication. It looks at how the movie's plot itself allows for a great deal of miscommunication and misunderstanding ,and it is often these conflicts that allow us to view communication theories. It also discusses how many examples of theories of human communication come in scenes where there is little conflict, such as when the characters are going about their daily business, illustrating that communication occurs in a wide variety of instances. Overall, it shows how "Sweet Home Alabama" provides examples of communication theories as diverse as expectancy theory, constructivism, symbolic interactionism, and the coordinated management of meaning.
From the Paper "Formal theories of communication can provide a great deal of help in understanding moments of miscommunication within the movie. For example, the theory of constructivism is helpful in understanding Melanie's perception of the world. At the core of constructivism is the idea that we construct our understanding of our world from reflecting on our own experiences. Certainly, Melanie's actions and beliefs show constructionism at work within Sweet Home Alabama. As Melanie reflects on her relationship with her ex-husband, she builds her own understanding of the world."
Abstract This paper discusses the concept of the hero in literature throughout time. The writer looks at the subject from a number of angles including: What makes a hero; the hero's sense of justice; Codes of conduct; and Patriarchal roles. Specifically the paper looks at two ancient texts "The Odyssey" and "The Epic of Gilgamesh" as well as Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction" as examples of such heroes.
From the Paper "People have placed their ideas in and explained their culture through literature since the first recorded literary work. As societal beliefs have changed, literature has reflected these beliefs in the stories they tell. Despite the differences, many literary elements have remained virtually unchanged. The hero, for example, has been a major part in texts throughout history. Great early western texts such as The Epic of Gilgamesh (1200 BCE) and the Odyssey (800 BCE) were based entirely around the hero. And even today, films such as Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction, hailed as one of the greatest works of modern-day cinema, involves the hero in a more modernized role. Though the hero (or heroes) is not as easily seen as in other works of the past, the defining elements are there. The hero can be explained as a phenomenon in literature because similarities can be seen in writings from every historical period."
Abstract The paper examines how sex and scopophilia have played a major role in making the horror genre successful, incorporating also the elements of montage and sound. The primary film discussed in the paper is "Silence of the Lambs", but "Psycho" and "The Birds" are used as well.
From the Paper "With sex as an added element the suspense is increased. If one scene is of a sexual nature it takes our minds off the horror, therefore when the horror comes back we are surprised, therefore increasing the suspense and horror of the film. This is not the only example of the combination. There are many others that we may refer to demonstrate this point. The film Silence of the Lambs proves that scopophilia of women blends with the elements of the horror genre, while making sure to hold the traditional elements strong throughout the movie."
