Abstract This paper introduces and discusses the concept of violence in society, and its causes. Specifically, it discusses the contribution of violence on television and in the movies to violence in society, and the ways families can create a safe, violence free environment for their children.
From the Paper "Violence in American society has taken a dramatic increase in recent years. Acts of "road rage," "air rage," and "sports rage" are much more common today than they were even ten years ago. Worse, these violent and aggressive acts often take the lives of others, simply over an act of rage or anger that could have been avoided. Why is America such a violent and angry society? Many researchers believe that some of the responsibility for the problem lies with the television and motion picture industries, whose license to create increasingly violent content no longer seems to be questioned. Does violence on television and in the movies really cause more violence in society? If so, what can individuals and society do about it? Many have attempted to answer these questions, but the problem clearly still exists."
Tags: media, rage, crime, television, cinema, anger, aggression, terror
Discusses director Julie Taymor's 1999 film "Titus" in relation to Shakespeare's first tragedy. Includes issues of violence, director's visual style & imagery.
1,125 words (approx. 4.5 pages), 2 sources, 2001, $ 39.95
From the Paper " Any production of Shakespeare's first tragedy, Titus Andronicus, has to take a position regarding the play's seriousness and Julie Taymor's 1999 film version, Titus, establishes her intentions immediately. She will not only take it seriously she will look to the text for universal lessons about violence. The film's opening sequence also makes clear, however, that she will not offer a literal-minded production but will work freely in visual terms, and in supplementing the text as she sees fit, in order to produce the meanings she hopes to draw from the play. It is easy, however, to forget all about her serious intentions as one sits back and enjoys the nearly irresistible brilliance of the spectacle that Taymor creates. Yet, even though the viewer can be pleased by the sheer fun that is involved in the costumes, the music, the acting, and the.."
From the Paper "This research examines the depiction of ethnic groups, stereotypes, and racial bigotry in the film West Side Story, with a view toward identifying the degree to which it was an accurate mirror of 1950s America. The research will set forth the context in which the film appeared and then discuss its depiction of racial types, comparing that depiction with the actual conditions of racial bias, bigotry, stereotyping, discrimination, and tensions between ethnic groups extant in the U.S. in 1961, the year of the film's release.
When West Side Story opened in motion picture theatres in the autumn of 1961, the New York Times critic Bosley Crowther hailed it as a cinema masterpiece that used "the freer and less restricted medium of the mobile photograph" on the big screen to give "range and natural aspect" to the story's juvenile-gang-war theme..."
From the Paper "One of the most potent film genres in terms of subsequent influence was the so-called film noir, so-called because no one making a film noir at the time of its creation and ascendance ever used the term or even assumed that they were working in a genre or style that might deserve a name of its own. The term was applied long after by French critics who noticed a stylistic shift in American films in the 1940s, and as Thomas Schatz notes, this style dominated films in the late 1940s and early 1950s.
It came to identify both the narrative-cinematic style of those films and also the historical period during which they were produced (Schatz 112).
The style would have an influence long after that historical period ended. Indeed, it continues to have an influence today, though the underlying social dynamic that produced it in the ..."
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 Analysis of Ridley Scott's 1982 film. Ways in which the film explores how technology redefines what it means to be human. Film's message about the meaning and worth of human beings. Line between robots, replicants and human beings. Significance of Deckard's role. Conflict between Deckard and the replicants he hunts.
From the Paper "The film Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott, explores the way technology redefines what it means to be human. The film, among other subjects, is about the struggle between humans and replicants, or machines which resemble humans so closely that humans cannot tell if they are human or machine. At a deeper level, the film examines what it means to be human, and, especially, what it means to be human in a world which advanced technology controls so much of human life. The argument here will be that, as pictured in the replicant/human puzzle in Blade Runner, technology can definitely affect the way human beings see themselves and one another. After all, if one cannot tell if another human being is really human or a chine, or cannot tell if he himself is really human or a machine, then technology has indeed completely redefined what it means to be human. At the ..."
Abstract The paper examines how the film reflects a sense of the history of the U.S. in the first four decades of the 20th Century. It looks at the American values embodied in the title character, Charles Foster Kane. The paper also discusses the synthesis of techniques used in the film, including German expressionism and spatial relations, which contributed to the film's originality.
From the Paper "This is an ambitious film. Its subject is not just the life of one man but the development of American society, politics, business, and journalism over the course of the century from around 1890 to 1940. The film is highly successful at both its main endeavors--making the wealthy and powerful Kane into a human figure standing as a sort of American tragedy, and giving a sense of how American history flowed through the media as the latter became more important in this century. For Kane, owning a newspaper starts as something he thinks would be fun and becomes a means to attain and consolidate power. He tries politics himself but is driven away when his own peccadilloes are about to be revealed, then he uses the paper to make and break others in politics as in other realms of business and social life."
Abstract This paper reviews Oliver Stone's 1987 movie "Wall Street" about Gordon Gekko, the financial wheeler-dealer giant who represents the mood of the times, when financial hustlers made fortunes ruthlessly buying and selling company stocks and controlling markets, often by unscrupulous means. In particular it examines the ethical principles that are violated as related to business. It analyzes how greed is presented as part of American business and how Buddy (Gekkos protegee) reacts and deals with the issues of ethics and how his view of greed and ethics evolves and changes throughout the film.
From the Paper "Lured into the lair by Gekko's enthusiasm and "take no prisoners" attitude, Bud is seduced by success, where money buys power and power buys the magical kingdom of one's creation, the elite of the elite. He wants a kingdom of his own, and Gekko is his ticket. When Gekko approaches him to spy on a financial peer, Bud counters, but.."I could lose my license. If the SEC found out, I could go to jail. It's inside information, isn't it" (Stone 1987)? Gekko reminds him of the inside tip Bud had given him about the airline company his father works for and explains that it is information he wants from Bud, nothing else. Unless Bud is willing to go the distance to get it for him, then Gekko has no use for him. Bud hesitates, but not for long. He reasons that this is justified, a means to an end, the end being information to gain the edge."
Tags: gekko, capitalism, stocks, markets, business
Abstract This paper discusses Kenneth Branagh's 1994 movie "Frankenstein" which is based on Mary Shelley's novel of the same name. The paper shows that Branagh's film is one of many movie adaptations of Shelley's Frankenstein and generally remains true to the book. The paper looks at the differences between the two, including the changes made to certain characters and the fact that the monster's narrative is not incorporated into the movie.
From the Paper "Although there are significant deviations in plot between the film and the novel, the mood, tone and setting of Kenneth Branagh's film version of Frankenstein are similar to Mary Shelley's novel. Both are melancholy stories about the dark side of human nature. The Creature is not pure evil, but rather is like an abandoned child who rebels against his parents and society. Both the film and the novel reveal problems with people ?playing God.? Victor Frankenstein is overly ambitious and obsessed, and he is also in denial. He refuses to take responsibility for the Creature that he gave birth to. As a result, the Creature wreaks havoc on the community and kills people, including his creator. Both versions of Frankenstein have themes of responsibility, playing God, and loneliness. Neither Kenneth Branagh nor Mary Shelley make value judgments on their characters, but instead show the consequences of their actions. The film and the novel are Gothic horror stories that are more about human nature than about the supernatural."
Abstract The paper discusses how in director Orson Welles cinematic masterpiece "Citizen Kane", the character of Charles Foster Kane (Welles) experiences many traumatic events that are linked to an obsession with his mother. It looks at how out of all these events, Kane's marriage to Susan Alexander, played by Dorothy Comingore, is the most disturbing, for it reflects some very dark motives on the part of Kane, the "spoiled rich kid" who inherited a fortune via the Comstock Lode. It shows how Kane's marriage to Susan, who was forced to live in a world that revolved around Kane and his obsessive behavior, collapses and makes her a free woman. It evaluates how Kane used Susan as a scapegoat in order to heal the wound left by his abandonment as a child, and through Susan's abandonment of Kane, his self-image and his massive ego are destroyed.
From the Paper "The ultimate symbol of Kane's obsessive behavior occurs in the scene where Susan finally confronts her husband in the bedroom, where the famous "snowball" glass orb sits on Susan's dressing bureau. After she tells him that their marriage is over and leaves the bedroom, Kane smashes everything in the room--except the glass "snowball" which reminds him of his childhood in Colorado and his mother. This object encapsulates everything Susan stands for--her loneliness, rejection and the abuse thrown upon her by the insane Charles Foster Kane."
Abstract The movie "Fargo" is analyzed within a cinematic criterion that will include characterization, technical aspects of filming, and scene analysis. By understanding the elements of film making in these categories, the process in which this film was made will be reveale.
Abstract This paper will compare and contrast the movie "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou" and compare the events of the movie with the Homeric epic "The Odyssey", which it is said to be modeled after. By understanding how they made this movie from the ancient Greek fable, we can learn the nature of the direction it takes and how closely it resembles it. It also shows how the modern twist the movie takes can give us an idea of how it is different in this scope.
Abstract This paper examines the movie, "Braveheart", which tells the story of the thirteenth-century Scottish hero, William Wallace, who led his countrymen in a quest to gain freedom from the oppressive rule of King Edward I of England. It looks at how the movie distorts its two central characters and contains many inaccuracies, although it heroically depicts William Wallace and the conflict between England and Scotland. It analyzes how, although the basic plot of the film is historically accurate, it overly simplifies the characters of Wallace and Edward. It also shows how the film's representation of Wallace illustrates the attitudes and beliefs that the Scots have held for him throughout the years. Although William Wallace and King Edward were powerful and pivotal foes in the fight for Scottish Independence, Wallace's many faults are overlooked in the movie in order to depict him as a Hollywood hero. Additionally, Edward is villanized to the extreme, despite his legitimate actions as King.
From the Paper "Despite the oversimplification of his character in Braveheart, King Edward was actually a practical and effective ruler. Although Edward was a strict ruler, he became king at a time when feudalism was breaking down in Europe. A firm hand was needed to maintain stability in England as social structures changed. Additionally, his attempted occupation of Scotland would have also benefited England as a whole. Like many logical rulers of the time, Edward wanted to expand his United Kingdom. Increased land holdings were equated with increased royal superiority and national power. It was the aim of many rulers, not just Edward, to protect themselves and increase their power. Edward was given the opportunity, by the nobles of Scotland, to further this aim and acted accordingly."
Abstract This paper discusses and analyzes the book, "The Hours", by Michael Cunningham, and the film, "The Hours", directed by Stephen Daldry. Specifically, it compares and contrasts the novel to the film adaptation and discusses whether the film succeeds in retaining the integrity of Cunningham's novel. "The Hours" is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel adapted to the screen by writer David Hare.
From the Paper "Michael Cunningham's book follows a day in the lives of three women, while chronicling the last days of writer Virginia Woolf. One of the characters' stories, Clarissa Vaughn's, closely parallels the story of Clarissa Dalloway in Woolf's novel, "Mrs. Dalloway," and throughout the book, Woolf is writing "Mrs. Dalloway" while the other characters live their lives, always somehow in relation to "Mrs. Dalloway." The book is difficult to read in spots, and the language is often stilted and reminiscent of the early 20th century, and relies a bit too heavily on quotes from the original "Mrs. Dalloway." However, even if the book follows the lives of each woman in jumpy scenes, they are still quite specifically notated, which adds to the understanding of the novel, but the film jumps from scene to scene between the women, sometimes leaving the viewer disjointed and confused, especially if they have not read the novel."
