Abstract This paper examines how popular film represents not only the feelings and beliefs of the writers and directors, but also of the socio-historical state of the times and conditions of society. It shows how religion is an inherent part of popular film, whether implicit or explicit. It uses the films "My Beautiful Laundrette", "American History X" and "Do The Right Thing" to illustrate the social anxieties of their political surroundings. It also looks at how although the three films are based in different periods of time, they share many similarities, through characters relation to Biblical figures and the storylines use of religious rituals.
From the Paper "In American History X there are many Biblical figures represented within the neo-nazi gang. Cameron Alexander, the older father figure, for the troubled youth is a God figure, as well he is the only character who uses the word of the Lord to tell these teens that the acts of violence which they are participating in, is approved by God. Cameron has his voice to the people through Derek who is a Jesus figure, he commits and act and sacrifices himself to provide hope for his disciples. His former best friend Seth, is a Judas figure, because he betrays Derek, and tells Cameron that he does not believe in him anymore, and how to find him to kill him. Stacey, Derek's girlfriend, has qualities of Mary Magdalene, in Luke's representation of her as a repentant prostitute, bathing in Jesus? feet."
Abstract This paper examines how classically male vampires in horror films are portrayed in a sympathetic light as tortured men who are suffering from a compulsion rather than having homicidal tendencies. It looks at how the female vampires of the 1970?s, however, are depicted in a completely different manner. They are young, beautiful, and unrepentant; their goal is not only to satisfy their cravings, but also to corrupt and consume the souls of their victims. It analyzes how filmmakers of this era depict these strong, sensual women as sexual deviants through a review of such films as "The Vampire Lovers" (1970), "Lust for a Vampire" (1971), and "A Filha de Dracula" (1972).
From the Paper "By the 1970?s, monsters in horror films changed a great deal, especially in the case of female monsters. The stereotypical masculine lesbian expected by audiences was replaced by the heterosexual male fantasy of the hyper-feminine woman (Cook 45). In female vampire films, young, nubile women strut about, often without their clothes, purely for the benefit of the heterosexual male audience. They are portrayed as carefree and unrepentant; the curse that burdens the male vampire is conspicuously absent from these films. "Hedonism above compulsion" (Silver 112) is accentuated as the primary source of motivation for their deviant behavior. The female vampire's victims, similar to those of the male vampire, are young and na?ve, yet there is a romantic aspect that is not present in male vampire films. The female vampire derives as much pleasure from the seduction of her victim as she does from drawing blood."
Tags: death, dracula, lesbian, monsters, female, fantasy
Abstract This paper discusses how Kenneth Branagh's interpretation of the character, Iago, from Shakespeare's "Othello" differs from Shakespeare's original intention. The paper contrasts Branagh's portrayal of Iago as one who is fierce, dead serious and even brooding, with Shakespeare's Iago as one who is less serious and more intent on enjoying the hunt of Othello. The paper also discusses the movie version's emphasis on providing a motive for Iago's vengeance, while Shakespeare actually provides very little explanation of Iago's motivation.
From the Paper "Kenneth Branagh's interpretation of Iago lends a very different feel to the text than one might get simply by reading it. His portrayal of Iago is typically dead serious. There seems to be no smirk, no joy, in his undoing of Othello, rather he seems almost sulky, almost duty bound. Even if, in the action of the movie, he momentarily assumes a smile, in soliloquy that smile is immediately swept away to a sullen grimace. This frowning Iago is an unusual interpretation of Shakespeare's most notorious villain. From the text, one might assume that Iago enjoys the chase, enjoys the hunt of Othello, but the movie depicts it very much as a fierce competition. Part of this can be seen in the chessboard theme that runs throughout the movie?Iago's attempt to undo Othello is not some freewheeling intellectual exercise, but a disciplined competition."
Tags: villain, downfall, shakespearian, jealous, promotion, chess, theme, venetian, society
Abstract This paper describes how, while working within the most innovative period in Soviet cinema, before the coming of sound, Dziga Vertov created the film "Man with a Movie Camera", a tribute to the newly formed Communist State, urban environments and technological advancement. It analyzes how in order to create a variety of themes, including those comparing the bourgeois and working classes, man and machinery and the nature of film itself, Vertov uses editing to relate a series of seemingly unrelated shots. It looks at how these shots are comprised of five types of images: industrial construction, traffic, machinery, recreation and citizen-workers. It also shows how he constructs meaning through editing in the film to form an argument in favour of the newly formed soviet state by juxtaposing disjunctive images, but also linking the images through composition.
From the Paper "The main theme of Vertov's film is a cameraman performing his daily routine in an urban environment, and this meaning is produced through the films ability to show both the cameraman at work and the reaction he receives from the people he films. The entire film is reflexive in the sense that the audience is constantly reminded that film is a constructed environment, designed by the filmmaker. Mixing in shots of the camera, the cameraman, and the editing process maintain the idea that the film is just a part of Vertov's usual routine. The sequence opens with a shot of the cameraman reflected in the camera's lens, continues with a shot of the urban setting in which the events will unfold, and then returns to the filmmaker's "work" of filming traffic."
Abstract This paper examines how the fairy tale, "Beauty and the Beast", has a touch of realism and, how unlike other fairy tales, brings out the prevalent theme that the two characters live together for a period of time before falling in love. It discusses its various themes, such as family, friendship, love, and the famous rose, in contrast to other fairy tales dealing with love, provides a summary of the tale, and evaluates the Disney film in relation to the original tale.
From the Paper "Walt Disney transformed Belle into a heroine for a modern generation, leaving the intended moral of the original story unaltered. Jack Zipes argues that "it would be a great exaggeration to maintain that Disney... totally divested the classical fairy tales of their meaning and invested them with his own" (333). Although the Disney corporation has animated and reworked several classic fairy tales over many years, "chang[ing] our way of viewing fairy tales" (333), I give them great credit for preserving the original morals and themes, while adding new elements and slight twists to add appeal for a twentieth-century viewing audience. I admire Disney's effort in "Beauty and the Beast" especially, for it has always been my favorite fairy tale and Disney animation as I was growing up."
Tags: beaumont, castle, family, friendship, jean, leprince, rose
Abstract This paper reviews and critiques an episode of the television show, "The Sopranos", in which the theme is the relationship between the show's female characters and money. The paper looks at the way women are viewed by the male characters on the show, how the characters view themselves and their behaviors, and how the characters see women in relation to money.
From the Paper "Episode 9 in the third season of the HBO television series "The Sopranos" is entitled ?The Telltale Moozadell.? The term ?moozadell,? which is presumably slang for ?money,? hints at the relationship between women and money in the world of these characters. The characters? views and treatment of the women in relation to money, and even the female characters? actions, behaviors, and views of themselves, are examined through the juxtaposition of scenes and the flow of events. The disparity between the characters? reality within the context of the show and the characters as they observe the world around them, seems obvious only to the viewer, while the characters themselves stick firm to their predilections and beliefs. The message of the story apparently has no effect on them."
Abstract Marriage is an institution that requires the two people tied by the bond to minimize their expectations of their spouses and accept them for who they are. Moreover, success in marriage comes only when both of the parties are willing to allow their spouses to achieve whatever they expect of marriage with the help of each other. Similar are the issues that have been the basis of two films, which form the focus of this paper. This paper, therefore, discusses two films within the context of marriage, namely, "The Mirror has Two Faces", released in 1998, and "The Story of Us", released in 1999.
From the Paper "The Mirror has Two Faces was directed by Barbara Streisand who plays the lead role herself. Running for total time duration of two hours and seven minutes, the film stars Jeff Bridges, Pierce Brosnan, George Segal, Mimi Rogers, Brenda Vaccaro, Elle Macpherson, Austin Pendleton and Lauren Bacall apart from Barbara Streisand. The Mirror Has Two Faces is a story of a man and a woman where the woman develops different expectations from marriage once the couple is married. Hence the varied issues it explores range from "modern myths of beauty and sex" (www.sonypictures.com) and the problems they create in marriage. The film belongs to all of the following genres, such as comedy, drama, romance, self-discovery and marriage. It is interesting to note that the 1997 Golden Globe Award winner Lauren Bacall won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her character in this film. (www.sonypictures.com)"
Abstract This paper provides an insight into horror films, from the classics such as "Psycho" to the psychological thrill of "The Silence of the Lambs". It examines the history of the horror film from the first film directed by Georges Melies in 1896 and its development through the period of silent and black-and-white movies to the technological effects of the 21st century. It also attempts to analyze their attraction for people and how the fear and loathing, as well as the almost guilty enjoyment experienced in a movie theater filled with gore lovers, are human psychological needs.
Outline
The Classics
The Psychological Need
The History of the Horror Film
Conclusion
From the Paper ""Psycho" is seen by many horror fans as the ultimate horror film. Hitchcock plays with the idea of identity and involvement. The viewer is expected to feel drawn into the world of Norman Bates. The suggestion is also that the viewer's identity is not as important as his or her emotional involvement in the plot. The film universalizes the idea of monstrosity in each individual. It mirrors the audience's wickedness and guilt back at the audience by means of the ordinary and unassuming Norman. The implication is that everybody has a dark side. The monster therefore appears to have moved closer and closer with the development of the horror film. And now it is inside. Or now its existence is recognized. The monster is no longer something that looks hideous. Instead he or she is as human-looking as everyone else."
Tags: psych, vampires, dracula, frankenstein, stephen, king
Abstract This paper examines the theme of truth and the lack of truth in Tim O'Brien's fictional story about the Vietnam war. The paper looks at the message, delivered in O'Brien's story, that we should never trust what the government tells us about the war because no one knows for sure what really happened. To further illustrate the truth theme, the paper contrasts O'Brien's approach to truth depiction with the approach of Oliver Stone in "Platoon". While acknowledging that there are similarities in both authors' approach to truth depiction, the paper points out that there are significant differences too.
From the Paper "In most war stories, the main purpose of authors and directors is to represent the truth by building their works on universally known facts. Most of them try to stick with facts to lend more credibility to their fictional work. They would get inspiration from some real events and then mould them creatively to add their own views and ideologies. However in Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried", the author has no such objective in mind. Instead he urges his readers to question the so-called truth that authorities give us. We are repeatedly reminded of the fact that this work is pure fiction that nothing is real and not a single event mentioned in the story ever took place in reality. The words "real" and "really" have been used frequently in the story to convince the readers of the authenticity of the details of every version and they are then quickly called into question little later."
Abstract The essay discusses Nikita Mikhalkov's "Burnt by the Sun" and argues that "the sun of the revolution" of 1917 burnt everyone in some way, either ending or tragically altering their lives. Along with victimhood and persecution, the paper also addresses the motif of Stalin's omnipresence, which permeates the film.
From the Paper "On November 7th, 1917 the Bolshevik Revolution took place in Russia, displacing the provisional government and putting Vladimir Lenin at the helm of the newly formed communist state. The years that followed saw the country torn apart by a brutal civil war that left no village untouched and no family unmarked. Then came the collectivization campaign, dekulakization, purges of the military and the accumulation of the slave work force in the labor camps. Some twenty years after Red soldiers and sailors secured the Winter Palace and the Bolsheviks seized power, millions of Russians were dead, imprisoned or exiled. However everyone, without exception was in some way burnt by the sun of the Revolution. Nikita Mikhalkov's film "Burnt By The Sun" (1994) is a stirring account of one family's tragic downfall in the purges of the 1930s. Mikhalkov, one of Russia's most prolific filmmakers, illustrates that no matter what side of the repressions one ended up, he was interminably a sufferer, whether on behalf of the system or a more direct casualty of it. While the director is careful not to argue for moral equivalence between the characters, there is nonetheless an unmistakable theme of widespread persecution under the cult of Stalin that permeates every aspect of life."
Abstract This paper reviews the novel, "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan, the story of four Chinese women in San Francisco who come together to play mah-jong and invest in stocks. It looks at how the story in the novel is not linear, since it involves memory, recollections, and anecdotes told by the women who meet each week and how one generation speaks to another and is able to do so across the gulf that usually separates the generations. It also discusses how the film version is a fair and expressive representation of the novel that makes changes in narrative flow in order to match the different methods of filmmaking.
From the Paper "The theme of the novel is clearly indicated in the opening passage as the old woman remembers a swan she bought in Shanghai and remembers her arrival in America, which was not as liberating as she had hoped: "And then she had to fill out so many forms she forgot why she had come and what she had left behind" (Tan 17). This was in the past, and now the woman faces her memories and the reality of her daughter and seeks to bring the two into juxtaposition and understanding. Now that she is old, she thinks about her daughter "who grew up speaking only English and swallowing more Coca-Cola than sorrow" (Tan 17)."
Abstract This paper researches the hidden meanings of the different people, places, and objects in the movie, "The Shining". It looks at aspects, such as the blood in the hotel and different objects on the walls, and explains how each one shares and depicts different meanings.
From the Paper "The fact that the Overlook Hotel is built on an Indian burial ground and it is decorated throughout with many items depicting Indian culture/themes, all contribute to the insane actions performed by Jack during different events displayed in the movie. Since the hotel is built on the Indian burial ground, there is a great deal of evil in the hotel, which makes it hard to keep it away. The only safe ground in the hotel is on top of the Indian printed carpets, which symbolize a pathway of good. The Indian furnishings displayed throughout the hotel present visual reminders of the Indian culture and their way of life that once occupied the grounds before the hotel was built there. The ability to live a good life within the hotel depends on whether you can avoid the evil that is also there. If you were on the bare floors and not upon one of these carpeted pathways for extended periods of time, the evil within the walls of the hotel seems to have the ability to creep into your body where it would then control you. Jack, his wife Wendy and his son Danny take care of the Overlook Hotel for five months. During this time, they encounter horrific and evil things throughout the hotel like Jack's evil and insane acts that he displays toward his own family throughout the movie. Jack eventually turns on his wife and child, which represents the white man's attack on the current provider of life- the mother and future generations of the Indian race in her offspring: the child."
Abstract This paper discusses how the movie, "Fight Club", is bound up in one great paradox and how this sense of paradox is bound up in the very narrative. It looks at how the first two rules of Fight Club are that you must not talk about Fight Club, but the club's very existence and growth depends on the fact that everyone breaks that rule. It examines how nothing is quite as it seems in this movie, and much of the intensity and power of its message is bound up in those uncertainties. It also analyzes how three central paradoxes guide this film: the paradox of production, the paradox of power, and the paradox of patriarchy.
From the Paper "One of the most basic questions posed by Fight Club is as to why men have allowed corporate culture to symbolically castrate them, to rob them of their free will and their internal experiences, and the fullness of their personhood. In essence, why hasn"t there been a revolution" Tyler's answer is fear -- he suggests that only by overcoming fear of the pain and destruction (through facing that fear in the fighting ring), and in fact embracing that aspect of live, one is free to start that revolution. It's an extreme answer, of course, from an extreme individual. However, the question has been asked by many others who are far more academic and calm than Tyler. Early Marxist theory claimed that class oppression should result in widespread class-based revolution."
Abstract This paper discusses how obsessive-compulsive disorder was highly publicized in the movie, "As Good As It Gets". It explains that Jack Nicholson received awards from the National OCD Association for providing such an accurate portrayal of someone with the disorder.
From the Paper "The movie provides an accurate and at times humorous snapshot of what it is like to be afflicted with obsessive Compulsive Disorder. In the movie the viewer witnesses the ways this disorder affects the ability to function in normal society. The protagonist on the surface appears to be a well adjusted well respected writer of best selling novels, however as the viewer sees during the movie he suffers from many compulsions and obsessions that interfere with his ability to function easily. It is the small things that illustrate the pervasive ways the disorder interferes with life. From the fear of germs, which causes him to bring his own silverware to the restaurant to the rigidity causing him to insist on the same table each time he visits the viewer is acutely aware of the turmoil he faces each day. The scene where the protagonist visits the psychologist after missing months of appointments underscores the hallmark issues with the disorder."
Abstract This essay outlines the way in which popular representations of sexuality (i.e., masculinity) must reproduce a specific kind of 'normal' in order to appeal to the masses. It establishes the definitions and 'appearance' of the differing types of masculinity, highlighting the nature of these as social constructs, but also the continual need and perpetuation of such constructs as natural or 'fact'. The essay highlights, through the use of two modern representations, the movie, "The Siege", and the series, "Ally McBeal", the way in which differing masculinities are unconsciously propagated in modern culture. NOTE: Hilarious use of Ally McBeal material, dialogue included in appendix.
From the Paper "The mass media is produced and consumed in a commercial context. To reap the most financial gain it is therefore imperative that the material to be consumed is comprehensible for the intended audience. The more comprehensible and recognisable the material, the higher chances of consumption and subsequently, profit. This often means that representations of masculinity will continually reproduce the established conventions of masculine behaviour and norms (Bignell 1997:196). As a result, hegemonic masculinity, which can be defined as the dominant masculinity performed at any given time, is continually reinforced as dominant and therefore reasserted as normative in society (Cheng 1999:297-301). Subsequently, marginalised masculinities, which are perceived as lacking in relation to the supremacy of hegemonic masculinity, are continually presented as subordinate and therefore remain oppressed (Buchbinder 1994: 33). In the following examination of masculine representations, two dramatisations have been analysed for the extent to which their characters reproduce or challenge conventional masculine behaviour and norms."
