Film Analysis

MHIS-205 Fall 2019 Final Paper Assignment

For the final term paper, perform a focused (1600 - 1800 words), insightful, and well- constructed formal analysis of one film from the assigned list. A workshop of your paper’s thesis (central argument) will take place in seminars on November 15th and a peer-review workshop of a finished first draft will take place in seminars on December 6th. Final paper due on December 11th. You need to focus your analysis using one of two strategies: STRATEGY 1: One way to focus the paper is to select one formal element that is clearly important to the film and instrumental in building the film’s meaning(s). For example, maybe you noticed a particular use of a lighting pattern that recurs throughout the film, or a particular editing approach, or a pattern in cinematographic framing, etc. Ask yourself: what is the role and function of this formal element? How does it develop and convey a theme that’s relevant to the film? It’s up to you to select the right focus and scope that will not be too narrow (leaving you with repetitive points or not much to say) or too broad (not enough space to support yourself with close examples). Your paper’s introduction will introduce your focus, note the formal element that is important to the film, and provide a concise argument about its function within the film. The remainder of the paper will smoothly take the reader on a tour of specific, well-described and analyzed examples of how that element functions throughout the film. The paper’s structure will depend on your focus and how you wish to present your analysis.

STRATEGY 2: The second way to focus the paper is to select one interesting scene and analyze how several formal elements (at least three) all work together to build the meaning of that specific scene. Perhaps there is a particularly important pivotal scene for the film, or a scene that effectively encapsulates the film’s themes. Your paper’s introduction will introduce the scene and provide a very brief note on its specific role in the film’s central themes. Your introduction will outline a concise argument about which kinds of formal elements are most important to that scene, and how they work together to reveal something about the underlying meaning(s) of the scene. The remainder of the paper will smoothly unpack specific, well-described, and analyzed examples of at least three formal elements that work together in that scene. The paper’s structure will depend on what kind of focus and analysis you wish to support.

GENERAL NOTES: Always keep plot summary to a bare minimum, noting only what’s important to the focus of your paper. Try to ensure that each selected example and paragraph contributes something new to the analysis. In the conclusion, never just restate the main arguments of your paper. A strong conclusion might underline why it’s interesting to consider the film from the angle that the paper selected, or it might offer closing thoughts on how the pattern you noticed relates to the rest of the film, or it might conclude by posing some questions about the film in light of the observations of the paper.

FILM CHOICES: Do not rely on unauthorized online versions of any of these films, because the quality of image and sound is substantially different, which will affect the accuracy of your analysis.

Farewell My Concubine (1993), dir. Chen Kaige [China] “A 52-year relationship between two male childhood apprentices in the Peking Opera, one a specialist in female roles with a lifelong attraction to his heterosexual partner, who in turn marries a beauty from a brothel.” Available at ECUAD through Criterion-on-Demand.

The Piano (1993), dir. Jane Campion [New Zealand/Australia/France] “A mute woman along with her young daughter and her prized piano, are sent to 1850s New Zealand for an arranged marriage to a wealthy landowner.” Available on DVD at ECUAD.

Color of Paradise (1999), dir. Majid Majidi [Iran] Young Mohammed leaves his school for blind children to visit his home for summer vacation. His love for the world and people around him is returned by all but his struggling father. Available on DVD at ECUAD.

Frida (2002), dir. Julie Taymor [USA/Mexico/Canada] A biographical interpretation of the life of painter and poet Frida Kahlo. Available on DVD at ECUAD.

Sita Sings the Blues (2008), dir. Nina Paley [USA] The animated film blends an autobiographical account with a creative retelling of the Ramayana poem. Available online under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.

Pariah (2011), dir. Dee Rees [USA] “Young woman Alike struggles to juggle multiple roles and express her sexuality while avoiding rejection from her friends and family.” Available at ECUAD through Criterion-on-Demand.

Fill the Void (2012), dir. Rama Burshtein [Israel] “After a young Hasidic woman dies in childbirth, her 18-year-old sister is asked to cancel her upcoming marriage to a promising young suitor and marry her widowed brother-in-law.” Available on DVD at ECUAD.

Leviathan (2011), dirs. Lucien Castaing-Taylor and Véréna Paravel [France] “A thrilling, immersive documentary that takes viewers deep inside the dangerous world of commercial fishing in the North Atlantic.” Available on DVD at ECUAD.

The Four Faces of the Moon (2016), dir. Amanda Strong [Michif Indigenous / Canada] “[A]n animated short told in four chapters, exploring the reclamation of language and Nationhood and peeling back the layers of Canada's colonial history.” Available for free streaming on Vimeo.

Have a Nice Day (2017), dir. Liu Jian [China] This dark crime comedy follows Xiao Zhang, a young driver working for a gang, who steals money from his boss to fund a trip to South Korea for his girlfriend to save her failed plastic surgery. Available on DVD at ECUAD.

The Rider (2018), dir. Chloé Zhao [USA] “After suffering a near fatal head injury, a young cowboy undertakes a search for new identity and what it means to be a man in the American heartland.” Available for streaming on Google Play and currently on-order for ECUAD library.