Abstract This paper examines how the career of BruceLee (1940-73) is one of the most interesting cases of cultural influence in the history of film. It explains how he revitalized action films in Hong Kong and how, for the first time, Asian films were seen by large audiences in the United States. It looks at how BruceLee found success in the Hong Kong film scene, when he failed to gain appeal in America, yet in the end he became a hit in his own right.
From the Paper "The Hong Kong film industry blossomed in the 1920s and, after the Peoples Republic of China nationalized the Shanghai film industry, the British Protectorate of Hong Kong became the principal source of Chinese-language films as the four Shaw brothers established "the largest studio complex ever built in Asia" and began turning out popular fare at an incredible rate (Dannen 31). In 1970 one of the Shaws' producers, Raymond Chow, formed the Golden Harvest production company and set about the task of carving out his own niche. Shaw was a martial arts fan and when he had the good fortune to sign Bruce Lee his company was made."
Abstract The paper examines "Enter the Dragon" that reflects BruceLee's innovation in fighting style and racial points of view in the filmmaking process. This film does provide some poor racial stereotypes of Asian actors, but certainly the alliance between Clouse and Lee helped to forge a greater respect for martial fighting and Asian cultural values in general. The paper points out that Lee accomplished this film not only to expand the frontiers of martial arts, but also make the world realize that they are part of a universal family.
From the Paper "The aim of this film study will be to examine the role of race issues in the action genre of martial arts cinema. By studying the way that race is portrayed in the film: "Enter the Dragon" (1973), one can realize the Asian stereotypes that are exhibited through Robert Clouse's directorship. However, Bruce Lee helped to transform the Asian martial film into a more international phenomenon, bringing forth a greater multicultural race integration on top of this burgeoning Asian sub-genre. In essence, Bruce Lee in "Enter the Dragon" offers a difficult, yet intriguing perspective on race relations between the east and the west in Asian martial arts film. The action genre has been a stable and enduring part of modern cinema."
Abstract "The career of BruceLee (1940-73) is one of the most interesting cases of cultural influence in the history of film. Lee's career as an actor in Hong Kong martial arts films--which he pursued after finding only minor success in American films--was one of the most successful ever.
From the Paper "The career of Bruce Lee (1940-73) is one of the most interesting cases of cultural influence in the history of film. Lee's career as an actor in Hong Kong martial arts films--which he pursued after finding only minor success in American films--was one of the most successful ever. He revitalized action films in Hong Kong and, for the first time, Asian films were seen by large audiences in the United States. In part, Lee's appeal to Western audiences was simply based on the kinetic power of the wild, vigorous films that placed a premium on action and did not concern themselves to a great extent with the story, acting, and technical values that made Hollywood a major center of film production. Another factor in the appeal of the films was their simple exoticism. They were unlike anything American audiences had seen and offered a truly 'foreign' experience in many..."
Abstract The films by director Spike Lee are not trivial, mindless films that require suspension of disbelief. His films provide the viewer with an insightful social commentary on contemporary race relations. This paper is an analysis of Spike Lee's directorial style. Lee's directorial style, stylistic tendencies, stories, and work as a whole are explored in this paper by comparing his films "Do the Right Thing" and "Malcolm X".
Abstract This paper examines how director Spike Lee uses the city of New York as a theme in his movies as well as
a foundation for the visual structure of his movies. The paper examines Lees' films, "25th Hour" and "Do the Right Thing", and suggest that the New York serves as a "background character."
From the Paper "In his films, "25th Hour" and "Do the Right Thing", Spike Lee uses New York both as a theme and a foundation for the visual structure of the film. In both cases, Lee relies on the cosmopolitan mosaic of New York to dramatize a series of inter-connected characters much the way he seems to view New York as a place of interconnected characters. In the film, "25th Hour", Spike Lee uses New York as both background and character. Perhaps one could argue the city serves..."
Abstract This paper explores the relationship between Rosa Lee and her daughter, Patty as described in Leon Dash's ""Rosa Lee: a Mother and Her Family in Urban America." Like her mother, Patty is a heroin user as well as a prostitute. The paper traces the reasons for these choices that Patty made and how her relationship with her mother shaped her path. The paper additionally cites research articles which support the belief that the dynamics of family life may significantly contribute to addictive behavior. The reviewer concurs with author Dash by stating the only treatment that will lead to any success with Patty will involve both the use of medication--methadone, most likely--and the establishment of relationships with individuals who do not partake in the use of heroin and do not tolerate its use in her.
From the Paper " In many cases, and certainly in Patty's case, the dynamics of family life contribute most significantly to the subject's addictive behavior: "Even though its values are largely shaped by the surrounding subculture, the family plays an integral role in shaping the attitudes of its members toward drug abuse," (Schlaadt 12). Typically, family settings within which drug abuse is common or accepted facilitate the spread of that practice to other family members. This was clearly the case in Patty's introduction to heroin. Patty was first exposed to the drug by watching her brother and his girlfriend while hiding in his closet: "After Ronnie pushed the liquid into his vein, she watcher her brother's worried frown change into a look of pleasure. . . . Ronnie refused to inject her that day. But, Patty told me, 'I knew then, "Well, I'm gonna try that one day,"'" (Dash 186). One of the major problems with being introduced to such a serious drug at a young age is that the pain and suffering associated with growing-up in a drug abusing household does not simply end with childhood: "If these children survive, it follows them, particularly if they are girls, into their own adulthood. For example, many of these girls will, themselves, resort to substance abuse in adulthood," (Pagliaro 94). Depression is another major result of such a childhood. This effect can manifest itself in further drug use, or even in attempted suicide. "
Tags: Leon, Dash, Rosa, Lee, poverty, drug, addiction
Abstract This paper analyses and summarizes the poem "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allen Poe which was written in memory of his wife. It depicts the poetic devices used to make the reader realize the loss and love felt by the poet for his beloved.
From the Paper " The untimely death of actor Brandon Lee would have been a major story under any circumstances--the death of an actor by accidental shooting during the filming of a movie is both rare and shocking and so would attract a good deal of attention. However, the death of Brandon Lee at the age of 28 created more of a stir than might otherwise have been the case because of his family history, with the sudden death of his father, Bruce Lee, when the latter had achieved international stardom at the age of 32, and because of the nature of the film he was shooting, a film about a hero who returns from the dead. The story was thus played up as if there were a curse on the Lee family and as if aspects of the movie being made had come to life, with the movie also being made out to have been unlucky from the beginning.
Brandon Lee was eight years old when his father died, and he.."
Abstract This paper describes the exhibit on 1950s comedian Lenny Bruce. The paper also gives background information about Lenny Bruce and explains why Bruce's form of comedy was so shocking for its time.
From the Paper "Long before there was John Stewart and Comedy Central, long before David Letterman gritted his gap-toothed smile on CBS, Lenny Bruce held comedic sway as the nation's satirist of record. But unlike John Stewart, or even edgier comedians like Chris Rock and Margaret Cho, Lenny Bruce during his heyday was considered a transgressing presence upon the American comedic stage, rather than a popular mainstay of talk shows and popular entertainment. Today, comedians of strong words and even stronger personalities are common. But before Bruce, much of American comedy was decidedly non-abrasive. Even the Marx Brother's cutting humor was more intended in silliness, than to have a explicit cultural or social bite to it."
Abstract This paper explains that Bruce in her book, "The Death of Right and Wrong", appears to have very few reservations as she analyzes the reasons why and how American culture is being corrupted in the name of tolerance and open-mindedness. The author points out that Bruce, who is a lesbian, maintains that it is the gay, feminist, black elite groups that are taking the American culture over the edge and are methodically corrupting the society by trying to make themselves more equal than others. The paper states that the author maintains a weird concept in that she states the main problem with the Leftist elite is that they believe people who accept should also embrace or else they are not being genuinely tolerant.
From the Paper "Bruce writes in detail about NOW, the organization she was once proud to be associated with. She explains that despite the claims made by NOW about doing thing about issues, the truth is that such organizations are mainly political in nature and all they care about is making big hue and cry. Not much is ever done by such organizations about important issues. Bruce in particular talks about Andrea Yates case in which this woman killed her five children and blamed postpartum depression for this. NOW was most vocal on the case saying that such problems should be highlighted and that there wasn?t much being done about it."
Abstract This music study analyzes the theme of freedom in the song "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen. The writer notes that the lyrical content of "Born to Run" often describes the American dream of freedom and liberation from traditional societal values, which involves breaking ties with family and location through the bond of youthful romance. The writer discusses that the driving instrumentation of the song also reflects this type of freedom in the notation and chord progressions used by the artist to accent this theme in his lyrics. In essence, the writer maintains that the song "Born to Run" by Bruce Springsteen reflects the American dream of freedom within its lyrical and musical content.
From the Paper "The song "Born to Run" has become a classic of American rock 'n' roll music and has become a staple song in the career of Bruce Springsteen. In the title song from the 1974 album Born to Run, Springsteen offered a large scale approach to the rock 'n' roll format by the expansive nature of his lyrical content. The message of many rock 'n' roll songs before this album did not reflect the deepening sense of personal freedom that many Americans desired after the turmoil of the 1960s. Springsteen sought to emulate Bob Dylan's lyrical and anthemic approach to songwriting, but did it on a much larger scale. Although Dylan had certainly depicted the tragedy of the 1960s in his lyrics, Springsteen defined the romantic and interpersonal aspects of freedom and the American Dream in Born to Run."
Abstract This anthropological study analyzes how Bruce Springsteen has become more than a rock 'n' roll musician in his cultural influence on American youth culture. The writer notes that not only has Springsteen been a major musical influence in the rock 'n' roll genre, he reflects the social dreams and desires of American youth culture through a variety of class distinctions and lifestyles. In essence, the writer notes that Bruce Springsteen sings of different class backgrounds. Further, the writer maintains that Springsteen defines a rebellious and individualistic identity in youth culture through his lyrics and musical understanding of American social norms.
From the Paper "The type of feeling that calls for redemption of the poor people in the world can also be seen in his music on a domestic note. This forms the main corpus of lyrics and music that respond to the deeper troubles that youth sought within the often depressing and economically down turned post-Nixon era of American culture. Bruce Springsteen, although not above singing songs of the more carefree traditional songs of Little Richard, is more apt to be singing about the quest for freedom from authority for young people. After all, Bruce Springsteen had come from a middle class background, and he had known the suffering of being without money or of having a place to live. For instance, in "Born to Run", Springsteen uses a lyrical example of the desperation of youth culture, as the confines of social norms drives the young people to reach beyond barriers through escaping cultural isolationism."
Abstract This paper is creative fiction full of passion, love, romance, heartache, and a depression-filled void within a female writer as she tries to find her way as a struggling writer. The author describes honest-to-God happiness that only springs from being feverishly in love with someone you never expected to meet; regardless, though, they were suffocating. The author concludes that if nothing else, Bruce reminds her that it's the scenery we need to notice; all the rest will fall into place on its own accord.
From the Paper "I couldn"t wait to put this bumpkin on paper. I write. It's what I do, who I am. I"m an elitist in that sense. A Writer. Hallelujah praise the sheer genius of this girl, Lord Jesus Christ, she writes. It goes without saying that when I meet a person my inclination is to guess, most often correctly, what their story may be. So I, of course, had Bruce figured out completely the first night I saw him sitting across the table from me at Road's Bar on Hason Street."
Abstract In the late 1950s and early 1960s auteurism came to dominate film criticism. This theory can be defined as, ?a critical approach to film that emphasizes the essential role of the director as the author of the work,? with every aesthetic choice reflecting his or her personality. Many different approaches to more closely defining how to study, classify, and measure the value of auteurs were created. One of the most influential of these articles was Andrew Sarris? ?Notes On Auteur Theory in 1962?, which defined directors in terms of their ability to create films with technical competence, a style that reflected his or her distinct personality, and interior meaning. This study focuses on Bruce McDonald, a Canadian director. An analysis of his films in this paper shows his validity as an auteur according to Sarris? theory and at the same time shows the problems of studying directors as individual artists working within the constraints of cinema.
From the Paper "After ?Notes On Auteur Theory in 1962? was published several arguments against Sarris? theory arose, and these can be applied to Bruce McDonald's auteurism as well. Beginning in the late 1940s Hollywood journalists debated the importance of diverse collaborators on a filmmaking team. According to some critics auteurism underestimated the importance of the collaborative nature of filmmaking. Sarris? theory certainly finds that the director is the centre of film production, and as such is the auteur, but this does not take into consideration the role of other important "auteurs". These could include the screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. In McDonald's case his career is founded upon some key collaborations. On four of his seven feature films, the script was written at least in part by Don McKellar, another prominent Canadian actor, director, and writer."
Abstract This paper will discuss the career of Bruce Springsteen and his rise to becoming more than a rock n' roll star in his musical style. By explaining his lyrics, and critical evaluations of the performer we can see how is a voice for the people and a socially influential musician.
