Abstract The paper describes the two extremes of mankind seen in the film, ?Full Metal Jacket,? in which Matthew Modine plays Private Joker, a soldier confused by the duality of man. It discusses how Joker is paired up with Private Gomer Pile in the film to show the contrast of success and failure. The paper shows how, throughout the movie, Kubrick plays with the idea of pairs to let us know that some things only appear as two opposites when they are in fact similar in many ways. It describes how Joker's confusion is a key theme in the movie, the contradiction of love and hate in wartime.
From the Paper "Kubrick uses a confusion between good and evil to portray the notion of two sides of mankind. During a line up at boot camp the drill instructor asks Private Joker, "Private Joker, do you believe in the virgin Mary"? Joker answers no, and is smacked across the face. The drill sergeant proceeds to ask him the same question over again, and Joker again answers no, and explains that he is an atheist. Joker tells the sergeant that if he reverses his retort then he will be subject to more extensive abuse. The sergeant admires Joker's loyalty and grants him a promotion."
From the Paper " William Shakespeare's Henry V and Kenneth Branagh's movie version from 1989 are certainly similar works, because they derive from the same text, yet by looking at the basic play and the movie's mise en scene it is possible to see that Branagh has used the Bard's words to serve his own images in bringing out a contemporary message.
Branagh's film version is not the celebratory work that Laurence Olivier's 1944 British motion picture was: Olivier directed and starred in this movie as the English and the Allies were close to victory against the Germans. Branagh is true to his generation and their anti-war sentiments that were created during the Vietnam War of the 1960s. Therefore, the recent movie version shows the real price of war--the violence and bloodshed.
Places the characters and world of Pulp Fiction into Nietzschian terms. The thesis is that while these characters may not reflect the attitudes and ideas of Nietzsche, their world of amorality (as opposed to immorality) does.
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 2 sources, 1994, $ 47.95
From the Paper "The film Pulp Fiction (1994), directed and written by Quentin Tarantino, presents a series of characters from the Los Angeles underworld. They are minor criminals battling one another for territory, for supremacy in the drug trade, and for a certain sense of honor based on an unwritten code that seems to support all their activities. This code can be very important to them even when they are unable to articulate why, for it gives them a structure within which their violent world can make some sense to them. This is also a world of kitsch, of pop icons, of commercials, of fast foods, of brand names, and so on, but it is a world that these individuals have imbued with a certain philosophy. One of the hit men has indeed started developing a more full-fledged philosophy based on his reading of a passage in.."
From the Paper "Martin Scorsese's film GoodFellas is an examination of the criminal lifestyle in America, and director Scorsese uses the techniques of film to good advantage in shaping the story to keep every element fresh, to build an overall impression of the activities of organized crime, and to shape a different film experience in a genre that has been addressed many times with varying results by other filmmakers in the past. Critic John Simon states of the film,
GoodFellas, with a script by [Nicholas] Pileggi and Scorsese, is a testimonial to the banality of evil as compelling as Eichmann's story and far closer to home (Simon 63).
The film uses the story of this one particular criminal to comment on the whole criminal enterprise and in a larger sense to..."
From the Paper "The character of Hamlet in the play of the same name by William Shakespeare has long been a difficult one for critics to assess because he is seen as passive rather than active for most of the play. Early in the play he is charged with the task of avenging his father, a task given him by his father's ghost, and yet for most of the play he does nothing about it. He is highly reflective but inactive until the very end of the play when he does his duty, destroys the man who killed his father, and is himself destroyed. Critics have pondered the question of why he waits so long. In his film version from 1948, Laurence Olivier answers this question in a spoken prologue, stating that this is the tragedy of a man who could not make up his mind. There is no prologue in the Franco Zeffirelli version from 1991, with Mel Gibson in the title role, and it is less clear why Hamlet..."
This paper compares the approaches to Nazi genocide in the emotional film Spielberg's "Schindler's List" and the historical book Michael Marrus' "The Holocaust In History".
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 2 sources, 1994, $ 31.95
From the Paper "The Holocaust has been addressed in books, articles, films, novels, stories, and poems hundreds and thousands of times over the last half century, and now and again a particular work comes along that brings the entire issue into the open once more and introduces a new generation to the horrors of World War II and to the evil that human begins can do to one another. Such a work is "Schindler's List", a film that has proven to be very popular and that has engendered controversy on a number of fronts. There are, of course, arguments over whether the film is accurate or whether it evokes the truth of the Holocaust to a sufficient degree. There has also been controversy brought about by the thoughtless actions of some young people who laughed when they saw the film, leading to a variety of dissections of the current generation and its ability to understand the suffering of others."
This paper compares the film director Kenneth Branagh's and book author Mary Shelley's depictions of "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" and "Frankenstein" respectively: Characters, relationships, plot, focus, images, pacing and style
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 6 sources, 1995, $ 47.95
From the Paper "The recent motion picture version of Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein hews closely to the plot of the novel while failing to capture its essential purpose. The full title of the movie is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, but the possessive does not mean that this version can be considered mary Shelley's vision. Janet Maslin of the New York Times notes this when she writes that the film will not strike anyone as chiefly Mary Shelley's invention. Its principal architect is Kenneth Branagh. . . [who] takes on the godlike, idealistic young scientist's role while also directing this "Frankenstein" as an overheated romantic fable .
An examination of the book and the film shows where the attitudes ... "
From the Paper "Oliver Stone is a filmmaker who makes use of history as a springboard for political and social commentary, and he often includes history in the form of newsreel footage as well as in terms of references and historical characters who are part of the story. He makes use of fragmentary editing as well to create a sense of reality, placing the viewer at the event and in the historical era. He also has a strong sense of sentimentality that is not always recognized and that derives from the way in which he connects past and present, often in an ironic fashion to show how the promise of one era has been tainted by the reality of another. He begins the process of drawing the viewer into the connections he is making between past and present from the first frame, and the opening sequences in his films prepare the viewer for what is to come, sometimes with foreshadowing as well as with ..."
Abstract This paper discusses the life and times of Walt Disney from his financial beginnings in a business on the brink of collapse in Kansas City and his move to Hollywood to the launch the Disney Brothers Studio with money scraped together. It outlines the development of his company over the years through the different cartoons produced and examines how Walt learnt to manage each functional piece of the business and to develop organizational capabilities as well as achieve strategic and financial objectives to turn his studio into an international powerhouse through his cartoons.
From the Paper "Throughout his career, Walt continually had to meet financial and strategic objectives, and despite setbacks, he always managed to meet them, even if it meant going over budget, for which he was famous. In "Snow White," he felt Snow White looked too pale, and so thousands of frames were repainted with pink cheeks. In "Pinocchio," he felt something was missing, so Jiminy Cricket was added after the film's completion, at extensive cost. However, these details helped make the films the hits they were, and added to Disney's coffers in the end."
Abstract This paper discusses how American culture has defined the Native American throughout our history which finally translates to a stereotypical representation in film/mascots. This essay discusses aspects from as far back as Colombus' letters, to 20th century movies.
From the Paper "The true image of Native Americans has been an issue of much debate concerning their inaccurate portrayal in film, literature, and even representatives of schools and sporting teams as mascots. The depiction in such forms of what a Native American is relies heavily on the much-loaded mental imagery of the Indian in the minds of our modern society. This imagery is based upon the Hollywood representation of the Native Americans, and the lack of knowledge, and true respect, of the Native American within our culture. Hollywood's characterization of the Indian peoples has narrowed our culture's thought on the idea of the Indian to a popular image. This image in itself was perpetuated previous to Hollywood's version of the Indian, and only continued in our popular culture by western films. This popular image is of the stereotypical Indian; face painted, feathered, aggressive, dancing and hollering, and living in teepees. It has been the struggle of modern Native American groups to seek acceptance of the Indian, with mutual respect of their traditions and images, and to put an end to such poor representations."
Abstract This paper reviews Martin Scorcese's film "Taxi Driver", the story of Travis Bickle, a taxi driver with no particular plot but more of a documentary of Bickle's life. It discusses Scorcese's tendencies to make films about the United States that are hard, rough-edged, unglamorous and violent and how "Taxi Driver" is no exception. It examines how America is portrayed as a completely messed-up society and how Scorsese shows that there is something fundamentally wrong with sex, politics and drugs all combined to produce an America that is falling to pieces.
From the Paper "The film is basically Bickle's view of New York City as he sees it. The New York he sees is one of slime, grime, seediness and filth: Travis only sees the cruel and sadistic underworld of the city. This is the main representation of America in the film and this is the reason that the film attracted such stark criticism from middle-American conservatives and moralists. The America which Scorsese portrays within Taxi Driver is a weird perversion of the America Dream. America is portrayed as seedy and decaying, not the country where opportunity is for all: the only people who are seen as prospering in the film are those engaged in illegal activities."
Abstract This paper explains how the film shows members of a jury interact and make decisions, which would be true for juries in business cases as well as criminal cases. The film also portrays some of the social forces that affect the way businessmen operate and direct their businesses. One social topic discussed is how many of the jurors are businessmen who show their own prejudices against certain minority groups and poor people, attitudes which would affect how they hired, how they marketed, and how they conducted business at all levels.
From the Paper "The characters are not given names but only numbers, their juror numbers, but they are individualized by their attitudes, their approach to the task at hand, and their prejudices as brought out during their discussions with one another. The film tells of one particular jury deliberating a murder case in which a young man from the slums is accused of stabbing his father to death. Juror Eight is the only one who votes not guilty because he has some reasonable doubts, while the other eleven jurors want to convict and go home. Deliberations continue as the eleven try to convince the one. The fact that the one is holding out forces the jurors to discuss the issues and to analyze the case more deeply than they were inclined to do so in the first place. Ultimately, Eight changes the minds of everyone, even the final holdout, Number Three, and the jury votes "Not Guilty." "
Abstract This paper examines one of the most effective business leadership examples ever created in American cinema, that of Vito Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's film "The Godfather". It analyzes how Corleone's style shows a high regard for both the productivity of his business and the welfare of the people in his employ, a regard that relies on a strong sense of honor and loyalty. It shows through examples how Corleone's organization exhibits many of the characteristics found in some of the most successful corporations in America and how he provides an excellent example of how to lead an efficient, profitable business.
From the Paper "First, we see Brando listening patiently to the recitation from an undertaker in his district who wants revenge against the men who attacked his daughter. Brando does not interrupt the man's story, allowing him to come to the point in his own way and in his own time. At the end, he spells out for the man what he expects from him: friendship, respect for himself and for the organization, loyalty, and honor. He makes clear how important these qualities are for the good of the business, and only then does he tell the man that he will give him what he has asked for, once he has been assured that his own expectations will be met."
Abstract This paper discusses the novel, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" written by Ken Kesey. The central character of Nurse Ratched is portrayed as the melodramatic device in the novel. The paper describes the nurse as the villain in the novel, and claims that she is less a real character than a symbol. It is explained that Kesey himself said that a story needs a villain who is truly evil and not just bad, and he has provided such a villain in this novel. The paper concludes with a brief review of the film made of this book, and the differences between the book and the film.
From the Paper "There are certain aspects of her character and background that are noted in the text. Nurse Ratched is an ex-army nurse, a reason for her dedication to regimentation and routine. Bromden says of her: "A mistake was made somehow in manufacturing, putting those big, womanly breasts on what would of otherwise been a perfect work, and you can see how bitter she is about it" (Kesey 11). McMurphy sees her as a machine at different times, indicating her mechanistic nature and her relationship to the Combine. When she is angry, McMurphy sees her as an eighteen-wheel truck: "She works the hinges in her elbows and fingers, I hear a small squeak. She starts moving, and I get back against the wall, and when she rumbles past she's already as big as a truck, trailing that wicker bag behind her in her exhaust like a semi behind a Jimmy Diesel" (Kesey 87). Big Nurse's desire for order and for a smooth-running operation is itself an example of mechanistic thinking -- the machine always runs properly and on time."
Abstract Robert Z. Leonard's 1940 film "Pride and Prejudice" was an adaptation, by Aldous Huxley and Jane Murfin, of a stage version of Jane Austen's novel. By comparing one scene in the novel and film--Elizabeth Bennet's interview with Lady Catherine de Bourgh at Longbourn-- this paper demonstrates some of the principal differences between the two works. The paper shows that one of the main differences is that the film treats the story largely as a source of comedy.
From the Paper "In the film the story is streamlined to fit most of the novel's major plot points into the two-hour running time. In some instances this does not alter the meanings of the story significantly; in others the changes are more important. The overall tone of the piece is modified into a much lighter, less witty and serious, entertainment with chirping music, quaint, showy costumes from the Victorian period (rather than Austen's Regency era), and over-broad comedy such as the carriage race between Lady Lucas and Mrs. Bennet."
