For Prof.MacQueen Only

This assignment requires research on the context in which the film was produced—if this is social or historical context, your sources might be primarily non-film sources like historical or sociological sources; if you are interested in the film in the context of its genre or a particular film movement, your sources will come primarily from film studies. Models for this type of essay can be found in the textbook essay “Form, Style, and Ideology” and the second sample student paper on Blackboard. You need to write about a film we are not watching in its entirety in class; I have given you a recommended list of films or you may select something of your own choosing.

You should have a minimum of four scholarly sources (books or scholarly journal articles), in addition to any primary sources (popular reviews, director interviews, etc.) you consult. All references must be cited consistently in a format of your choice (MLA, APA, or Chicago style).

An “A” paper will have a thoughtful, original thesis that draws on your sources but lets your own ideas remain at the forefront; while it will keep the social context-theme connection primary, it will also show an awareness of how film form shapes theme. Rubric:

Attribute	Consistent/ Excellent	Mostly/ Good	Inconsistent/ Marginal	Missing/ Inadequate
Unifying thesis that shows original thought about film’s social context and draws evidence together
Specific narrative and film analysis, not plot summary
Sources well-integrated into author’s argument
Logical organization and clear transitions
Proper citation format
Grammar, spelling, proofreading, and clarity

Length: 6-7 pages

Formatting Guidelines: (same as Sequence Analysis paper)

Papers should be/ have:

· proofread for grammatical and spelling mistakes (papers with more than a few errors will be penalized)

· double-spaced throughout (with no extra spaces between paragraphs)

· 12 point black Times New Roman font

· one-inch margins on all sides

· page numbers

· a first page heading that includes your name, date, course title, and a title for your paper

· film titles in italics

List of Films to Consider

Below is a recommended list of films that lend themselves to analysis of social context and are stylistically interesting. I encourage you to get out of your “comfort zone” by considering foreign films and American films before 1990—however, if you have a good idea for a recent American film, make a case for it in your proposal.

The databases and websites below are often helpful as “pre-research” to read about films before watching them, but they do NOT count as scholarly sources.

· Internet Movie Database http://www.imdb.com/

· British Film Institute international movie database http://www.bfi.org.uk/filmtvinfo/ftvdb/

· American Film Institute catalog http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/

· Turner Classic Movie Database http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/index.jsp

· Wikipedia

Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927)

· social context: Germany of the 1920s, class conflict, science fiction

The Crowd (King Vidor, 1928)

· social context: America of the 1920s, city life

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (Mervyn LeRoy, 1932)

· social context: prison conditions in the 1930s, social problem film

Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin, 1936)

· social context: America of the 1930s, city life, urbanization, comedy

Grand Illusion (Jean Renoir, 1937)

· social context: World War I, Europe

His Girl Friday (Howard Hawks, 1940)

· social context: feminism, 1930s gender relations, screwball comedy

Rome, Open City (1945)

· social context: World War II, Italian resistance movement

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

· social context: American family life/ values, World War II

High Noon (Fred Zinnemann, 1952)

· social context: Western, America of the 1950s, McCarthyism

Blackboard Jungle (Richard Brooks, 1955)

· social context: America of the 1950s, teenage rebellion, rock music

Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn, 1967)

· social context: America of the 1960s, youth rebellion, feminism, road movies

The Graduate (Mike Nichols, 1967)

· social context: America of the 1960s, generational conflict/ youth rebellion

In the Heat of the Night (Norman Jewison, 1967)

· social context: America of the 1960s, race relations, police dramas

Memories of Underdevelopment (Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, 1968)

· social context: Cuban revolution, experimental narrative

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1974)

· immigrants in Germany, racial prejudice

The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)

· social context: America of the 1970s, technology, surveillance

The Stepford Wives (Bryan Forbes, 1975)

· social context: feminist movement, suburbia, satire

Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett, 1977)

· social context: African American film, urban life, Los Angeles, neo-realism

Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)

· social context: Vietnam War, psychological impact of war

Man of Iron (Andrzej Wajda, 1981)

· social context: Poland of 1970s and 1980s, unions & workers’ rights

Repentance (Monanieba) (Tengiz Abuladze, 1984)

· social context: former Soviet republic of Georgia, satire of dictatorship

Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)

· social context: African American cinema, Brooklyn neighborhood life, race relations

No Man’s Land (Danis Tanovic, 2001)

· social context: Bosnian war, global media, war satire

Beijing Bicycle (Wang Xiaoshuai, 2001)

· social context: Chinese urban life, class differences, children

City of God (Fernando Meirelles, 2002)

· social context: Brazilian slums, street children, drug trade

Take Care of My Cat (Jae-eun Jeong, 2004)

· social context: South Korea and globalization, teenage girls, modern city

Moolaadé (Ousmane Sembene, 2004)

· social context: African village, female circumcision, tradition vs. modernization

Class (Entre les Murs) (Laurent Cantet, 2009)

· social context: contemporary France, immigrants, teaching, teenagers

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