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Early American Film History, 2008.
An overview of the history of the American film industry from the late 1890s to the 1920s.
1,848 words (approx. 7.4 pages), 7 sources, MLA, $ 59.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses how American cinema from 1896 and thereafter really has its roots in Thomas Edison's early inventions relating to film projectors. The paper then takes a look at the development of early film and cinematography throughout the 1880s and 1890s, starting from the invention of the kinetophonograph. It also tracks the history of films beginning with the first motion picture called "Monkeyshines", filmed in 1891, through the building of the first film studio and movie theaters. In addition, the paper discusses how, by the 1920s, American film and cinematography seemed to mature as an industry and how the technology had advanced to such a degree that producers and directors could shift their attention from the technology to the actual making of a film and directing of the storylines.
From the Paper
"The development of cinema into an art form in its early years is inextricably related to the development and advances associated with the film technology itself. Eventually the dominance of the East coast film companies which had advanced various film projection technologies in tandem with film production such as Edison's own Edison Company and the American Mutoscope Company among others, gave way to film production companies which began to concentrate solely on film production rather than on the technology development as well as film production. This shift in focus from the film projector itself to actual film production began in earnest in the US with the work of Edwin Porter who is known as the father of the story film (Bordwell 57)."
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Film: "The Queen", 2008.
Analyzes the film "The Queen", directed by Stephen Frears.
2,665 words (approx. 10.7 pages), 1 source, APA, $ 80.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that the film "The Queen" is an intimate and often shocking portrayal of the Royal Family as it faces the great crisis of the death of Princess Diana. The author believes that film is very much like a Shakespearean play, especially "Hamlet". The paper relates that the entire focus of this film is the conflict between what Diana represented and what the monarchy actually is. The author concludes that, even though the Queen is depicted in the most human and ordinary way, the final emphasis is on her determination and personal power to meet the almost impossible challenge of modernizing the monarchy.
From the Paper
"The second part of the film takes place two months after the funeral of Diana. Referring to the monarchy, the Queen asks Blair if he believes the affection that people feel for this institution will be diminished because of Diana's death and the Royal Family's behavior during that time. Blair replies that he does not feel that people's attitudes will be negative. It is clear during this private conservation with Blair that the Queen intends to be in control. She wants information but not in the form of advice."
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The Alamo and America's Image of Itself, 2008.
A comparison of the events that occurred at the Alamo with their portrayal in the movies named, "The Alamo" that were subsequently made.
761 words (approx. 3.0 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 27.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses America's image of itself over the siege and slaughter at the Alamo, as portrayed in the movies named, "The Alamo." The paper compares the historical accounts of the events that occurred at the Alamo with the way that these events were portrayed in the movies. It also looks at the role that Davy Crockett played in the defense.
From the Paper
"Finally, there is a lesson that America should learn from the Alamo. Desperate courage can carry men to feats far beyond what could reasonably be expected of them. This is not a trait exclusive to Americans. The defenders at the Alamo were hopelessly outnumbered, but fought with the savagery of men committed to their struggle. Although the Mexican army prevailed, the losses ran to some 1,600 men dead, including many of the finest soldiers. Although able to recruit some replacements during the campaign, the Mexican army was losing men, materials, and morale even as it managed its victories as it marched towards San Jacinto. In 2007 in Iraq, the United States faces a group of men fighting for their land, against a vastly technologically superior force of invaders. With their technology and firepower, the Americans can win every battle. Should we, like Santa Anna, feel entirely confident of final victory?"
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"An Inconvenient Truth", 2008.
This paper discusses the documentary film "An Inconvenient Truth," presented by Al Gore.
2,030 words (approx. 8.1 pages), 1 source, APA, $ 64.95
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Abstract
The paper is of the opinion that "An Inconvenient Truth" is an excellent film, primarily because it manages to get its message across. The paper relates the main message of the movie, that global warming is real, that humans play a significant role and if we continue to neglect what is happening, the future could bring catastrophe on a global scale. The paper discusses how and why global warming has become a political issue.
From the Paper
"The film chosen for the analysis is "An Inconvenient Truth". This is a documentary film made in 2006, directed by Davis Guggenheim and presented by Al Gore, the former Vice-President of USA and a US presidential Candidate. The film deals about global warming and climate change and it presents and explains to the public a crisis that impacts and will impact us all. This film, although not a Canadian production, was chosen for several reasons. First climate change and global warming is a global issue, affecting all people on Earth, regardless of their nationality, religion or social status. It is also a Canadian issue because Canada is a part of this global community but it also a Canadian issue because of very specific environment in the north of this country."
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Film Genres and Subjects, 2008.
A discussion of popular film genres, as well as common and uncommon film subjects.
1,150 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 2 sources, MLA, $ 39.95
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Abstract
This paper describes some common film genres and subjects. It also discusses some generally untreated subjects, such as Native Americans. In addition, the paper provides a list and overview of the top Oscar winners of all-time. It concludes that the subjects, which filmmakers choose and audiences most enjoy, are those that are larger than life.
From the Paper
"These are only five broad genres of film. We could add to these several additional genres and many sub-genres, which are more narrowly focused on specific subjects or people. Westerns, for example, were very popular during the 1940's and 50's. They focused on the cowboy and portrayed Native Americans in a generally unfavorable way. While some later films, such as Dances With Wolves (1990) with Kevin Costner treated Native Americans more favorably. This would be one example of a subject long missing from American film. In this regard Mel Gibson's recent Apocalypto about Meso-Americans is a relatively untouched topic as well about Native Americans."
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"Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter . . . and Spring", 2008.
A review of "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter . . . and Spring", a Korean film by directro Ki-duk Kim.
1,490 words (approx. 6.0 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 49.95
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Abstract
This paper takes a look at Ki-duk Kim's film "Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter . . . and Spring". The paper holds that the film teaches the viewer a great deal about Buddhist philosophy, through everything from the scenery to the characters, including animals. The paper argues that the director is not always subtle about his Buddhist message. However, it concludes that he does seem to present a view of Buddhist philosophy that allows the viewers to draw their own conclusions.
Outline:
Summary
The Meaning of the Film
What the Film has Taught Me
Conclusion
From the Paper
"Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter . . . and Spring opens during the springtime at a floating temple on a lake set somewhere in Korea. This part of the movie features a small boy who is studying with the elderly monk who inhabits the temple. Although he is preparing to become a monk later in life, Ki-duk Kim shows the boy committing acts of cruelty against animals. The monk attempts to teach the boy respect for the natural world around them by assigning him a punishment for tying rocks to the animals. The monk's warning that the boy will carry a stone in his heart forever if he kills an animal, along with the punishment, sets a theme for the boy's mental state over the course of the movie. Animals, too, play a part throughout the film beginning with the animals being tormented and continuing through to the monk using the cat's tail to paint the characters of the sutra."
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The Enduring Popularity of Ernest Shackleton, 2008.
An examination of why interest in Ernest Shackleton increased dramatically in about 1995, focusing on the 2001 film "The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition."
1,361 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 16 sources, MLA, $ 45.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the enduring popularity of Ernest Shackleton who was involved in a legendary Antarctic expedition. It particularly focuses on why interest in Ernest Shackleton increased dramatically in about 1995 and lasted until 2003. It discusses the expedition and looks at the film "The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition," that The Burke Museum of Natural History at the University of Washington showed in 2001.
From the Paper
"With the release of the new information, there followed a wide range of materials dealing with Shackleton. These included two biographies suitable for elementary students (Marcovitz; reviewed by Ching; Calvert, reviewed by McLoughlin), and two others suitable for middle school students (Plimpton, reviewed by Cohen; reviewed by Jones; Johnson, reviewed by Engberg, and reviewed by Gawron). At the same time, there has been a remarkable general revival of interest in all things from these expeditions. Captain Scott's snow goggles were recently sold at auction for more than L20,000, and a biscuit recovered from that expedition went for a remarkable L4,000 (Smith 50)."
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HBO's"Oz" and the Immutability of Heterosexuality, 2008.
An analysis of Joe Wlodarz' article 'Maximum Insecurity: Genre Trouble and Closet Erotics In and Out of HBO's "Oz"' in "Camera Obscura 58".
2,010 words (approx. 8.0 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 63.95
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Abstract
This paper relates that Joe Wlodarz, in his article, 'Maximum Insecurity: Genre Trouble and Closet Erotics In and Out of HBO's "Oz"', analyzes the interplay between genre and sexuality in the HBO television program, "Oz". The author explains that, in an attempt at a Foucauldian reading of the series, Wlodarz succeeds and fails in making a point about the notion of seeing sexual acts as an epistemological guarantee of identity. The paper also points out that, ultimately, Wlodarz falls prey to some of the same assumptions he is arguing against. The author underscores that, by queering the genre of prison drama by describing it as soap opera, he also queers the very identities he is trying to examine based upon the 'queer' acts that they are performing. The paper argues that seeing these acts as 'queer' is an instance of submitting to the same epistemological fallacy that Wlodarz seems to be working so hard to undermine.
From the Paper
"Wlodarz writes that even in the 'love story' scenario between two of the main characters in "Oz", there are no loving sex scenes, no space between these men where sex is used as a resolution, or a place of comfort. Wlodarz argues that this is an indicator that "the series refuses to contain sexuality, to limit sexual identity, or to suggest that romantic and / or sexual relations are anything less than dangerous and destabilizing." I would argue, instead, that this portrayal of the sexual activity between men who call themselves straight and who only have sex with women when they have the option shows that they are indeed straight, despite the biological sex of the bodies of their partners."
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"American History X", 2008.
This paper discusses the issue of racism that is present in the film "American History X".
1,665 words (approx. 6.7 pages), 8 sources, MLA, $ 54.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer maintains that while 'American History X' tries to be a movie about ultimately overcoming racism, it fails in this task.
The writer looks at the unstated contrast between the white characters and the black characters in the film and discusses that throughout this movie, the various groups interact in ways that reflect confrontation and eventually violence rather than cooperation. The writer also discusses that the implicit message in this film is that whites have made huge sacrifices on issues of civil rights. The writer notes that according to the film, the whites are the ones who have gone through the transformation, so they are now the ones suffering from discrimination.
From the Paper
"Throughout this movie, the various groups interact in ways that reflect confrontation and eventually violence rather than cooperation. In one of the critical scene, a flashback, three black youths try to break into Derek's car. Alerted by little brother Danny, Derek rushes out to his car and shoots two of the three youths. This is his murder scene, and he clearly enjoys the power of life and death over the black youths."
"This movie tries to be a story about the dangers of white supremacy, but in many ways it is almost literally the opposite of that. It contains many white supremacist messages and a great deal of problematic imagery and material. While the filmmakers may not have intended that it be read in this way, they may have inadvertently perpetuated many of the very stereotypes that they claim to have wanted to challenge. This is often a problem of insidious rather than overt racism."
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Mass-Produced Art, 2008.
An examination of the essay "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" by Walter Benjamin.
2,326 words (approx. 9.3 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 71.95
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Abstract
The paper explores Walter Benjamin's, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" and looks at how digital cinema may be interpreted as a classic instance of technology democratizing the creative and artistic process. The paper discusses how the camera in general is a tool that can become exploited by those with political objectives in mind. Finally, the paper looks at the redemptive aspects of modern mass-produced art. The paper shows how the age of mass-produced and mass-replicated art offers much that is promising and redemptive, but also presents some genuine challenges.
From the Paper
"Benjamin begins by writing that works of art, at least in principle, have always been reproducible. To wit, man-made creations could always be replicated by man - such as students in an art studio creating copies for the honing of their craft. In the age of mechanization, however, the mechanical mass-reproduction of art meant that an item could be replicated at an astonishing speed - indeed, with a speed that previous generations would have found bewildering (Benjamin, 2). Suffice it to say, digital cinema intersects with Benjamin's observation to the extent that this commonplace piece of contemporary technology now makes it easier than ever before for someone to capture an object - be it a painting or any other form of art - and to distribute said image to whomever and wherever they wish (via electronic transmission, of course)."
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"Frankenstein", 2008.
A review of the film "Frankenstein" (1931), directed by James Whale.
1,108 words (approx. 4.4 pages), 3 sources, MLA, $ 38.95
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Abstract
The paper examines the way the film "Frankenstein" treats human relationships. The paper presents the thesis that four key relationships, all involving Dr. Frankenstein, form the central structure of the plot's development and create a multi-faceted, balanced picture of functional as well as destructive relationships. This includes Dr. Frankenstein's relationship with the Monster, with his assistant, Fritz, with his fiancee, Elizabeth and with his old professor, Dr. Waldman.
From the Paper
"Frankenstein is a 1931 film released by Universal Studios and directed by well-known genre director James Whale, who also directed its sequel. It is loosely based upon the original 19th century novel by Mary Shelley and also a later play by Peggy Webling, with the script composed by at least five separate screenwriters ("Frankenstein.") Over the years since its release it has become the most well known of many Frankenstein adaptations and its portrayal of the Monster made Boris Karloff famous as well as establishing the iconic appearance of the Monster for many sequels and pastiches over the years."
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Film: "The Notebook", 2008.
This paper analyzes Erik Erikson's life stage theory by using the 2004 film "The Notebook", as a test of the validity of this theory.
1,380 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 3 sources, APA, $ 46.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that Erik Erikson's life-long model states that the individual does not reach his or her ultimate integration of personality and the final target of maturity and wisdom until the final life stage. The author then argues that this model is lacking in applicability within the modern culture as presented in the 2004 film "The Notebook". The paper states that the film depicts the lives of a couple at two stages in their relationship. The author relates that one stage of their adult life, shown through flashbacks, is when they are younger adults building their relationship, their courtship and the setbacks they faced before finally getting married and that their final stage, in present time, is now their relationship living in an old-age care facility. The paper contends that the two main characters in this film, even at the end of their lives, have remained at Erikson's life stage of young adulthood and will never complete all of the stages in Erikson's model.
From the Paper
"It is possible that Noah is engaged upon a journey that would be similar to Erikson's model of the late adulthood stage, but the film certainly does not present us with any such knowledge about him. Instead, he focuses completely on Allie, lives in an old-age care facility when he does not need to and ignores his children's pleas for his return home. The fact that they say that they miss him, and that he is absent from his children and grandchildren, seems to matter less to him than being with Allie, even though she no longer recognizes him."
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The Portrayal of Women in "24", 2008.
An analysis of the portrayal of women in roles of leadership, in the television series, "24."
2,149 words (approx. 8.6 pages), 7 sources, MLA, $ 67.95
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Abstract
This paper attempts to analyze how women are portrayed in the television series, "24." It analyzes this series that exemplifies the equality of men and women in their portrayal of roles of authority and leadership. The paper suggests that the series is atypical of real-life settings of typical individuals and therefore portrays women narrowly, but equal in stature to men.
From the Paper
"These events, while atypical of real-life settings of typical individuals, portray women narrowly in the sense that the situations are not only atypical and for all intents and purposes, extraordinary, but also portray them in extreme circumstances, equally atypical of real-life. The reactions of the characters are somewhat restricted in this sense. On the other hand, the genre of this series inherently restricts the amount of variability that can be shown, especially with the time constraints imposed by the structure of the series. The 24 series, while its portrayal of women in a 21st century setting and culture is fairly accurate, particular nuances pertaining to womanhood are left out. In the same light, the series reflects the equal stature of women and men in this present age, particularly with regard to positions of command and authority."
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Midlife Crisis, 2008.
This paper discusses S. Coppola's Film, 'Lost in Translation', and Daniel J. Levinson's ideas on midlife adulthood.
1,900 words (approx. 7.6 pages), 9 sources, MLA, $ 60.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that Sophia Coppola's Oscar-winning film 'Lost in Translation' (2003) features themes of life stages and transitions that have been popular in mainly American psychological theory of the post-World War II decades. The writer then discusses the film as it relates to themes of mid-life adjustment and crisis. The writer also notes that Daniel J. Levinson's orientation towards life expectations was modernist, post-World War II and American, too and looks at midlife difficulties and new orientations according to Daniel J. Levinson.
The writer maintains that stage or transition theories in psychology have been brought into question, beyond matters of differences in men and women. The writer further points out that what is known popularly as a midlife crisis is seen as an event of predictable modernist life expectations that have given way of postmodern alterations.
Outline:
Introduction
Daniel J. Levinson and Adult Development
"Lost in Translation" and Transitions
Concluding Note
From the Paper
"The idea of midlife difficulties and new orientations was certainly popular among sophisticated urbanites of North America or Western Europe by the early 1960s, as in Elliot Jaques article, stressing the necessary production of a 'new' person at midlife through proper processing of where one had been and new realities. As stage theorists of the same day tended to insist, human development meant getting through stage achievements, the adjustment not made successfully, then experiencing unwanted symptoms of decline in despondency, chronic unhappiness, alcoholism or isolation. More recently, there seems a sort of theoretical compromise. For example, Heckhausen's discussion of physiological changes and life events at midlife refers to a set of adjustments that North Americans have now long been expected to encounter, in process models that indicate eventual adjustment and considerable 'resilience', a term seen to replace 1980s and 1990s ideas of human vulnerability. Levinson's generation stressed the midlife crisis as something that might be most difficult, radical and life transforming, many individuals not prepared for its arrival. One now sees a more tentative approach as in Heckhausen's article on expecting an eventual adjustment of some kind that will be managed by the individual, a stronger notion of the person who is aware of what he or she negotiates perhaps without significant emotional suffering or upheaval."
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"Fight Club", 2008.
An analysis of the writing, photography, acting, editing and ideology of the film, "Fight club," directed by David Fincher.
1,421 words (approx. 5.7 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 47.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes the film, "Fight Club," directed by David Fincher. It discusses five key thematic elements of "Fight Club" and how the movie succeeds or fails at each. Specifically, the paper looks at the film's writing, photography, acting, editing and the ideology of the film. The paper provides examples from the film in order to elaborate on these points.
From the Paper
"Just as the writing of the movie is challenging, so is the photography. It is a dark movie, and occurs often at night. As Tyler is a night owl by nature, and he is the one who sets the tone of the film, much of the movie is dark. However, that is not the only reason why the film is dark. It is dark largely because the movie is intended to be subversive. By nature, subversion works to undermine the status quo, and thus operates on the dark edges of society. Therefore, rather than taking place in an IKEA filled apartment, it largely happens in an abandoned house. (The IKEA apartment blew up early on in the film.) This darkness permeates the film. The fight scenes are shot in a dirty and (of course) dark basement of a bar. There is nothing polished about the way that the movie looks. It is rough and dirty, and the photography reflects that. The use of photography to emphasize these things draws the viewers further in to the film. They become sucked in, and are drawn in to the internal world of the narrator and Tyler. This world is full of new things, but it is also a world that is the underbelly of society. Thus, the darkness is compelling."
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