reserved for hifsa no one else reply final
wzh
directions_final.docxDIRECTIONS: The FINAL EXAMINATION is worth 100 points, max. (Each question is worth 50 points, max.). Make sure that each essay has an introduction, with a clear and relevant thesis sentence; a few well-developed body paragraphs (each one developing one aspect of the essay's central idea); and a concluding paragraph. Underline each essay's thesis sentence. Provide, explain, and cite relevant evidence in the development of your response. [For Question 1, include media player timings.] Submit the exam through the designated dropbox as a Word document (.doc or.docx). Required method of documentation: MLA 2016.
ANSWER TWO (2) QUESTIONS: Choose your questions from the following. Make sure that you accurately number your essays. Suggested length of each essay: 500-600 words (min.).
(1) SOUND THEORY
Consider the following:
"All films share a fundamental anatomy created largely by the specific and defining ways in which the camera is employed. While sound may also be incorporated into a movie and while the various sound tracks (spoken word, music, and effects) may significantly enhance the film, sound is not an essential property of a movie. In fact, for many years (1895-1929), films were silent with, at most, a piano in the movie theater providing the only source of sound” (Source: Cahir, Linda Costanzo. Literature into Film: Theories and Practical Approaches, McFarland, 2006, pp. 44-45).
Our class discussions about the history of sound in cinema, certainly, contradict Cahir’s claim that “sound is not an essential property of a movie." On Tuesday, Mar. 7 and on Thursday, Mar. 9, we viewed and analyzed the use of sound in two video clips [Kitty and her daughter, from Applause (1929); and the opening sequence of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)]. Select one sequence (from Applause or from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde). Write an essay in which you analyze why and how sound is “an essential property” of the sequence. Here are the links to the film clips:
For Applause, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpAY25Awafo
For Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbpQQuOU68w
(2) FILM NOIR AND NIGHTMARE ALLEY (1947)
(3) MADELINE/JUDY IN ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S VERTIGO (1958)
Regarding Vertigo, consider the following: "In Vertigo, subjective camera predominates. Apart from one flashback from Judy’s point of view, the narrative is woven around what Scottie…sees or fails to see. The audience follows the growth of his erotic obsession and subsequent despair from precisely his point of view. Scottie's voyeurism is blatant: he falls in love with a woman he follows and spies on without speaking to. (Source: Tredell, Nicolas. Cinemas of the Mind: A Critical History of FilmTheory, Totem Books, 2002, p. 163.)
[We watched Vertigo over three class periods (Thursday, Mar. 30; Tuesday, Apr. 4; and Thursday, Apr. 6). (On April 6, we discussed the film in class.) ] Writing from the point of view of Madeline/Judy, write an essay in which you discuss the gender dynamics of the film. Provide evidence from the film in your response to this question.
(4) SALLY POTTER’S THRILLER (1979) AS A FEMINIST DECONSTRUCTION OF THE "HOLLYWOOD" THRILLER
In class, on Tuesday, April 11, we watched Thriller, Sally Potter’s avant-garde “detective” film. Write an essay in which you discuss why and how Thriller subverts, or undermines, the conventions of the detective thriller in order to present a feminist message. Note: If you missed the screening, do not attempt to write about the film!
(5) DAVID BORDWELL’S “INTENSIFIED CONTINUITY” AND CINEMA OF THE POST-STUDIO PERIOD.
On Thursday, Apr. 6, you were asked to read David Bordwell’s “Intensified Continuity: Visual Style in Contemporary American Film.” In his article, Bordwell claims: “Still, there have been some significant stylistic changes over the last 40 years. The crucial technical devices aren't brand new -- many go back to the silent cinema--but recently they've become very salient, and they've been blended into a fairly distinct style. Far from rejecting traditional continuity in the name of fragmentation and incoherence, the new style amounts to an intensification of established techniques. Intensified continuity is traditional continuity amped up, raised to a higher pitch of emphasis. It is the dominant style of American mass-audience films today” (p. 16).
Using Bordwell’s article as your critical frame of reference, write an essay in which you comment on “the dominant style of American mass-audience films today.” Please provide examples from current, or recent, American cinema in your response to this question.
(6) REPRESENTATION OF ASIAN-AMERICAN CHARACTERS IN CINEMA; AND WAYNE WANG’S CHAN IS MISSING(1982)
In class, on Tuesday, Apr. 18 and on Thursday, Apr. 20, we watched Chan is Missing. According to Diane Mark, a film critic, Chan is Missing “can easily be considered a breakthrough film.” Write and essay in which you discuss why and how Chan is Missing is a “breakthrough film.”
(7) RIDLEY SCOTT’S BLADE RUNNER (1982; 1992; 2007)
We watched Blade Runner on Tuesday, Apr. 25 and on Thursday, Apr. 27. At the end of the screening, you were asked: Is Rick Deckard a “replicant”? Write an essay in which you offer evidence from the film to support or to contradict the claim that Deckard is, indeed, a replicant.
