Cinema History I
A 5-6 page minimum Written Critique: you will address the narrative, cinematic form and context of an assigned film, and connect it to the trends and cinematic movements discussed in class. Successful papers will require thorough research beyond the class discussions and multiple times viewing of the selected movie. You cannot use any other titles but the ones proposed in this document, and you cannot compare two movies in your written essay, even if they happen to be both from the indicated list.
WRITTEN ESSAYS:
Write five pages minimum (not including your cover page or the bibliography) on any of the following movies:
Morrocco (Joseph Von Sternberg) – Criterion
City Lights (Charlie Chaplin) – Criterion
Le Million (René Clair) – Criterion
The Passion of Joan of Arc (Carl Theodore Dreyer) – Criterion
The General (Buster Keaton) – Link:
Gone With the Wind (George Cukor) – Link:
(Choose the window #11 from the top. Length: 3:53:15)
Metropolis (Fritz Lang) – Link:
(Choose #5)
The Blue Angel (Joseph Von Sternberg) – Link:
https://archive.org/details/theblueangel1930
Your essay should include material from the class lectures, film screenings and discussions, and your own research of the movie. Be specific in your answers and avoid generalities. Analyze the selected film by addressing the following questions: what is the narrative or plot, what is the central theme of the film, and how is that theme expressed in terms of the characters and the formal elements of the film.
A/ Synopsis, Background and Bibliography (15 Points)
Relate details of the events, actions or characters which are important in the film, and which lead to and support your view of the movie’s theme. Usually it is good to start with the question: Who did what and why?” Also, consider What is the genre of the film? and What is the national tradition of the film? Remember to begin with a research of the movie’s and the director’s backgrounds within the particular cinematic movement and period. Then draft your synopsis, no longer than one page!
B/ Formal elements (15 Points)
Please address the following formal elements in the selected movie:
* Writing
* Dialogue
* Sets (if studio), settings (if location), or both
* Camera (angle, framing, focus, composition, movements)
* Lighting (contrast, high key, low key)
* Editing (cuts, parallel editing, cross-cutting, effects, rhythm, pace)
* Sound (use of sound, creative sound effects)
* Music
* Acting (style of acting, performance, etc.)
* Design, external features, costumes, make-up
Not every one of these formal elements will be equally important in each movie. Comment on what is significant to the movie you are analyzing. Be sure to tell me how the elements function in the movie, what purpose do they serve.
C/ Theme(s) (15 Points)
I will phrase the meaning of “theme” in a number of different ways in order to distinguish it from the narrative: the central argument of the film, the point of the story, the thesis of the movie, a summary of the meaning of the plot, a general statement of the intention of the film, what the movie is about, an interpretation of the narrative. Also address any secondary or tertiary themes that the story development of the film might bring to the attention of the viewer.
Quotations and paraphrasing in your written analysis should be kept to a minimum. You are expected to footnote all references, attach your bibliography and footnotes on a separate page.
Footnotes and bibliography should be in Chicago style (use owl.purdue.edu as reference)
Example of footnote for a book: First name last name, Title of Resource. (City of publication: Publisher, year published), page #.
Example of footnote for an article: First name last name, “Article Title,” in Name of Journal/ Magazine/ Newspaper/ etc. (City of publication: Publisher, year published), page #.
Example of footnote for a film: First name last name, Title of Resource, directed by First name Last name (Release year; City: Studio/Distributor), medium.
If a resource is referenced again, it would look like this: Last name, page #.
Sources should all be listed alphabetically in bibliography at the end of the project.
Your written assignments should be free of spelling and grammatical errors and formatted to the specs indicated below. They should have an exceptional writing style that illustrates your creative approach, use descriptive language and contain unique ideas that will make me want to read your paper.
They should also demonstrate a high level of effort, a deep understanding of the concepts presented in class, and a thoughtful analysis of the movie and the cinematic time period. A succinct film plot or summary (aka. Synopsis, no longer than one page,) is absolutely required for every movie in every assignment. And BTW: summaries are not part of the analysis!
A thorough written analysis should be structured the following way:
1/ A separate cover-page with your name, course number, assignment, title of the movie and the due date.
2/ A one-page minimum research of the movie’s and the director’s background within the particular cinematic movement of the period.
3/ A one-page minimum synopsis of the movie.
4/ A one to two-page minimum presentation of your thoughts and analysis of the movie.
5/ A one to two-page minimum presentation of the major formal and aesthetic elements of the movie.
6/ A one-page minimum introduction and analysis of the theme(s) addressed in the movie.
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