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Film: "Why Bodhidharma has Left for the East", 2009.
Analyzes a 1989 movie "Why Bodhidharma has Left for the East: A Zen Fable" ("Dharmaga tongjoguro kan kkadalgun"), written and directed by Yong-Kyun Bae.
785 words (approx. 3.1 pages), 1 source, MLA, £ 17.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that "Why Bodhidharma has Left for the East: A Zen Fable", written and directed by Yong-Kyun Bae, is a very profound artistic description of both inner beliefs and individual approaches to enlightenment and, externally, of the relationships formed between individuals. The author describes the ways this internal vs. external framework is playing throughout the movie by emphasizing different perspectives, which underscore some of the essential characteristics of the three characters, especially the Zen master Hyegok. The "Ten Bulls" pictures of the Zen tradition, which reflect the steps in the path to enlightenment, the paper relates, are a good fit with the stages each of the characters in the movie achieve.
From the Paper
"On the other hand, Hae Jin has accidentally killed a bird at some point. While this may seem as a reasonably unimportant fact, in the Buddhist mythology, because of the constant reincarnation process, killing a bird may mean killing a human soul who has reincarnated in the bird. It is small, real elements like this that keep the characters' human consciousness alert and unable to yet make the final step towards enlightenment with a final departing from the real world. "
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Film: "Solaris", 2009.
Reviews the 2002 film "Solaris", especially the issues it presents about ineffability of the God force, life and the ultimate fate of the human soul.
1,375 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 0 sources, £ 28.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the plot of the film, "Solaris", and how it attempts to answer the question of life after death in the affirmative: life, or at least love, does survive physical death. The paper specifically discusses the ineffability of the God force, symbolized by the planet Solaris, as well as how life, love and death are concomitantly viewed in terms of this theme. The paper concludes that "Solaris" appears to elevate love to the level formerly occupied by religious faith and that it offers humanity a new type of religion; a religion based upon love. Love is the ultimate ineffable force; it is the source of life, but also the source of death when intruded upon by rage, fear and pain, for which there is no forgiveness.
From the Paper
"Chris chooses to remain on the doomed station rather than face further life without Rheya on earth. He has no way of knowing what the outcome will be and most likely believes that he will simply die. His "redemption" is therefore not based upon faith, but rather upon the love emotion. Emotion in this case takes the place of faith in redemptive force. Furthermore, his "afterlife" entails life with his love rather than a religious god force. As such, Chris's love comes to symbolize the deepest force of contemporary humanity."
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"Siddhartha", 2009.
A comparison of Herman Hesse's "Siddhartha" novel and the movie based on the novel, directed by Conrad Rooks.
765 words (approx. 3.1 pages), 2 sources, APA, £ 17.95
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Abstract
The paper asserts that though the movie, 'Siddhartha', remains relatively faithful to the novel in terms of rough narrative, the film lacks the technical precision and excellence that Hesse demonstrated in the novel. The paper attempts to show Hesse's ability to convey great philosophical and spiritual concepts and expand on the characters and their internal dilemmas in words that speak volumes for the motivations of each character. The paper contends that the book therefore far surpasses the film in terms of artistic merit and literary execution.
From the Paper
"Published in 1922, Herman Hesse's Siddhartha became one of the classic texts of the 1970s counterculture fascination with Eastern philosophy, Buddhism in particular. Even today the book has a strong cult following, though the fervor afforded its admittedly shallow mysticism has dimmed somewhat. In 1972, at the height of the book's popularity and fifty years after the book's release, the text was adapted into a film by Conrad Rooks. Though the movie remains relatively faithful to the novel in terms of rough narrative, the film lacks the technical precision and excellence that Hesse demonstrated in the novel. Without this literary gravitas, the film ultimately falls flat when contrasted to the book."
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Immigration in "El Norte", 2009.
An analysis of the failed American dream of immigrant migration in Gregory Nava's film "El Norte".
1,579 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 1 source, MLA, £ 32.95
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Abstract
The paper attempts to show how "El Norte" (1983), directed by Gregory Nava, illustrates the futility of migration to America by reflecting upon the difficulties endured by all immigrant, illegal workers. The paper focuses on the narrative style and the intense personalization that conveys how immigrants must struggle to survive in a cruel land that alternately denies their existence, persecutes them for being undocumented, yet relies upon their labor.
From the Paper
"A synecdoche is a kind of metaphor in either film or literature where the part of something stands in for a larger whole. This literary and cinematic form of metaphor is deployed through the innovative triptych narrative technique, point of view, and the characterization of "El Norte" (1983), directed by Gregory Nava. The film focuses on a single family. The brother and sister of the family stand in for all of the triumphs and tribulations of all Guatemalan immigrants migrating to America in search of opportunities. The example of one, indigenous family is used to represent a larger sociological phenomenon, that of immigration from Latin American to North America in general, and the lies of the American Dream for recent migrants."
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"Roman Holiday", 2009.
A review of the fantasy film "Roman Holiday" directed by William Wyler.
1,482 words (approx. 5.9 pages), 0 sources, £ 30.95
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Abstract
The paper utilizes the film technique of mise en scene to analyze the film, "Roman Holiday, given that the fantastic, fairytale aesthetic qualities and tone of the film are more important than the evolution of the rather transparent plot. The paper focuses on the film's many fairytale 'world upside down' scenes of the princess' reverse, physical transformation into a more ordinary, modern person. The paper thus highlights how each scene revolves around a power dynamic that is generated by identity confusion and reinforces the fairytale motif.
From the Paper
"Roman Holiday" is a fantasy film, a kind of Cinderella-story in reverse. It tells the story of a princess, played by Audrey Hepburn, who must pretend to be a commoner, and pursue common rather than aristocratic pleasures, to find her true self. She rides on a Vespa motor scooter, eats an ice cream cone, and sees tourist sites with an ordinary man, who just happens to be a journalist. She gains a new sense of personal authority and autonomy that makes her more mature and able to fulfill her official duties. To pull off the difficult feat of creating a fantasy romantic film where the romantic protagonists never have any real hope of 'being together,' the film is set in Rome, but a never-never land of Rome with a carnival atmosphere where a princess can easily get lost (except from the watchful eyes of the international press and paparazzi)."
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"The Truman Show", 2009.
This paper looks at the film "The Truman Show" directed by Peter Weir and focuses on the issue of reality.
1,456 words (approx. 5.8 pages), 0 sources, MLA, £ 30.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer introduces, discusses and analyzes the film "The Truman Show" directed by Peter Weir. Specifically, the writer discusses how the film raises the issue of appearances differing from reality, and how that affects the skeptic and the true believer in all of us. The writer maintains that Truman Burbank is a true innocent in this film, trusting those around him and his own perceptions to be the truth. However, they are not. The writer notes that Truman is actually the victim of an elaborate hoax, and has been his entire life. The writer discusses that the film makes the viewer think about reality, and how one perceives reality, and it raises questions about beliefs, skepticism and trust.
From the Paper
"Reality is at the core of this film, and it illustrates that what is entirely real for one person can be another person's fantasy. The film makes the viewer question how they see reality, but also, the core theme is what is reality, really? Truman's life is entirely real to him, and until he begins to question his surroundings and some of the things that are happening, he is totally happy and secure in that reality. Underlying this theme is the question, what would we do if we were in the same situation as Truman? Would we be able to deal with it as effectively as he does? In essence, when he realizes that something is not right in his perfect world, his response is not really to flee, but to discover, and there is a big difference between the two. He wants to find out the truth, but also find out what lies beyond the massive soundstage that has been his home for his entire life. The audience has to feel that if the same thing happened to them, would they react in the same way"
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"The Emperor's Club", 2009.
An analysis of the theme of leadership and ethics in Michael Hoffman's film "The Emperor's Club".
1,399 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 0 sources, £ 29.95
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Abstract
The paper analyzes how Michael Hoffman's film, "The Emperor's Club" allows viewers to understand universal truths about leadership and ethics through the coming of age of a class full of boys under the leadership of their brilliant professor. The paper examines the leadership characteristics of Mr. Hundert and Sedgewick Bell and shows how Hundert's ability to embrace ethics and Sedgewick's unethical behavior allow Hundert to emerge as a strong leader making an impact on history, while Sedgewick is characterized as a power-hungry leader whose legacy is limited.
From the Paper
"When viewing Michael Hoffman's The Emperor's Club, students of leadership and ethics are stunned with the implications of this film about high school students and their history teacher. During the last few scenes of the movie, character Sedgewick Bell, who is about to be revealed as unethical and immoral, remarks about the importance of things that happen "when you're fifteen," suggesting that most do not see adolescent events as significant, but implying that he was deeply scarred by his cheating during his boarding school's Julius Cesar competition when he was a teenager. While Sedgewick's second attempt to win the competition through cheating--this time during adulthood and by utilizing a graduate student and an ear piece--suggests that his immoral and unethical mistake was not as important to him as he had alluded, his words still hold truth."
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Cinema Studies, 2009.
A review of L. Braudy and M. Cohen's text "Film Theory and Criticism" and J. Monaco's text "How to Read a Film".
1,728 words (approx. 6.9 pages), 2 sources, APA, £ 34.95
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Abstract
The paper first examines Monaco's "How to Read a Film", which offers a wide angle lens through which to consider the possible value in reading film. The paper focuses on Monaco's attention to technological and cultural changes impacting film and asserts that the author is largely successful in his aims. The paper then reviews Braudy and Cohen's "Film Theory and Criticism", which is a standard and effective primer on the evolution of technical approaches, theoretical understanding, and artistic pursuit across the first decade of film's evolution. The paper points out the distinctive value in the text for its ethno-inclusiveness, but posits that the approach taken is characteristically dry and over-burdened by film jargon.
From the Paper
"James Monaco's seminal cinema studies text, How To Read Film, is currently in its third edition. The 2000 release provides a perspective on the study and criticism of film that is broad, sweeping and rather lofty in its aim to draw connections between this medium and patterns or cycles in culture. The author is largely successful in this, though at times the text's discourse does stray to sociological tangents which tend to cause something of a mild irritation in the read driven exclusively for a more direct introduction to film. However, to demand this may be somewhat to overlook the purpose of the Monaco text, which is to offer a wide angle lens (pun intended) through which to consider the value possible in 'reading film.' It seems that Monaco's purpose, suggestible in his lengthy meditation on classical epistemology as per the traditions of the Greeks and Romans, is to provide something of a similarly academic framework for film as those which existed for understanding categories such as literature and still visual expression."
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Free Will and Individuality in Film, 2009.
An examination of the portrayal of free will and individuality in the films, "The Matrix" and "Fight Club."
1,898 words (approx. 7.6 pages), 5 sources, APA, £ 38.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses how for both the Wachowski Brothers in their 1999 sci-fi thriller, "The Matrix" and for David Fincher in the 1999 post-modern deconstructionist film "Fight Club," the commercial industrialization of modern life is portrayed as a hulking monolithic force that has created a generation and class of other-directed individuals. The paper specifically looks at how the films portray a complex picture of the human experience in a modern and materialist society.
From the Paper
"At its core, the film is a clear-cut remark upon the distracting impulses of our buying power, which we may see as the force by which so many are other-directed. The Narrator of the film is a figure who, at the chronological start of the novel, is very much a victim of the conditioning of the consumer society. Encouraged to pursue the static markers of social progress such as the completion of subsequent levels of his education, the acquisition of a job and the maintenance of a materially suitable apartment, the character is driven by impulses that do not come from within but are instead imposed upon him by the standards and expectations of the culture. He is very much the classically other-directed modern urban dweller warned of by Riesman. So much so do these become his only motives that the character can no longer seem to recognize any other reality than that created by his maintenance of a soul-crushing job and his buying habits."
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The Haunting of Ethnic Writers, 2009.
Looks at the theme of haunting and ghosts in the writings of ethnic authors Toni Morrison, Leslie Marmon Silko and M. Night Shymalan.
3,105 words (approx. 12.4 pages), 3 sources, MLA, £ 57.95
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Abstract
This paper compares the themes of haunting and ghosts in African-American writer Toni Morrison's books "Beloved" and "Sula", native-American writer Leslie Marmon Silko's novel "Ceremony "and Indian screenwriter and film producer M. Night Shyamalan film "The Sixth Sense". The presence of the past, or a haunting, the paper points out, conveys the importance of the past and its inability to be completely forgotten. Next, the paper relates how these ethnic writers establish the theme of haunting and ghosts by using similar characters, who experience similar traumatic events and deal with them in similar ways. Furthermore, the paper concludes that these three ethnic writers employ friction between characters in order to suggest greater social truths.
From the Paper
"Similarly, in Crowe's attempt to deal with the traumatic shooting that changed, and actually ended, his life, the psychologist is torn from the person with whom he has the most important relationship in his life--his wife. Like Nel and Sula in the wake of trauma, the two are unable to continue living a normal existence. In this scenario, however, the rolls are actually reversed. Like Nel, Crowe's wife attempts to live the conventional existence after the shooting, tying to get back into a normal way of living without letting the incident loom over every moment in her life."
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The Films and Life of Alfred Hitchcock, 2009.
An examination of the life of Alfred Hitchock and the style that is evident throughout his films.
1,716 words (approx. 6.9 pages), 2 sources, APA, £ 34.95
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Abstract
This paper discusses the life and films of Alfred Hitchcock who was one of the most fundamental film makers of the twentieth century. It first discusses the unique style and flare that he brought to each one of his films and looks at the themes and methods that he used to do this. The paper then looks at how Alfred Hitchcock's films and his behavior have made many criticize his view of women.
From the Paper
"Hitchcockian films represent a sharp and dynamic style which relied on suspense and anticipation. Many of Alfred Hitchcock's most infamous works never showed any real gore on screen. Instead, he placed his emphasis on the film score and visuals in order to build suspense for the act which was occurring slightly of camera. This was one of the major defining aspects of Hitchcock's suspense thrillers, such as "Psycho." Here, the murder scene takes place off camera, but the audience is left with a clear picture of what happened. Hitchcock designs his scenes so brilliantly that he does not need to use shock and awe tactics in order to grab hold of his audience."
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Alfred Hitchcock and Women, 2009.
This paper looks at Alfred Hitchcock and the pre-feminist woman and provides an examination of the filmmaker's liberal attitude toward women.
1,428 words (approx. 5.7 pages), 2 sources, MLA, £ 29.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer analyzes Hitchcock's portayal of women in his films. The writer first notes that regardless of the fact that Hitchcock portrayed many women as possessors of negative characteristics, feeble, and promiscuous, his portrayal of women, based on their careers and sexuality, is remarkably progressive for the age in which he created films. The writer then notes that, although Hitchcock's two most prominent career women are 'Psycho's' Marion and 'Rear Window's' Lisa Fremont, the two are implied to be relatively successful and certainly capable of greater career challenges. The writer maintains that although many claim that Alfred Hitchcock's films are misogynistic, the same evidence can be used to suggest Hitchcock's progressive trends. The writer concludes that the negative portrayals of Hitchcock's women, therefore, can be implied as society's faults, while the progressive attitude toward women suggests their capabilities.
From the Paper
"Coupled with the stereotype of sadomasochism is that of naivete. Throughout his films, Hitchcock manages to stun audiences with images of murder levied on naive victims. Brilliantly, this theme of naivete allows audience members to become involved in the drama of the murder, caring intimately and reacting strongly when the naive character or one close to him or her is killed. Although this scenario applies to a variety of characters, such as Strangers on a Train's Guy Haines, it is most brilliantly portrayed in Psycho, as naive Marion thoroughly enjoys her shower, unaware that her murderer lurks just outside the plastic curtain. The shower scene, reproduced so many times in both effigy and parody, allows viewers to glimpse the careless Marion lifting her arms, shutting her eyes, and opening and shutting her mouth in obvious enjoyment and relaxation. The audience can imagine and almost feel the hot water scalding on a blissful and naive Marion until Norman Bates throws open the curtain and thrusts a knife into the unsuspecting young woman. Audiences glimpse the anatomy of a smooth and attractive feminine stomach as Marion feebly attempts to fight her attacker. Finally, the scene ends with Marion's head, in all its feminine glory, drooping awkwardly over the bathtub."
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Star-Crossed Lovers Then and Now, 2009.
This paper provides a comparison of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and Leonard Bernstein's "West Side Story".
1,150 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 5 sources, MLA, £ 24.95
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Abstract
In this article, the writer notes that both William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" and Leonard Bernstein's "West Side Story" take up an old tale, once told by a different author in a different genre, and reconfigure that tale to create a new, artistic vision. The writer maintains that what makes both versions of the 'star crossed lovers' unique is not Shakespeare or Bernstein's storyline, plot or even their characters, but the way these stories are applied or not applied to contemporary situations. The writer discusses that Shakespeare creates a story for all time, while Bernstein creates a story about young people in America who are ostracized from society, have little hope of growing old and find momentary happiness in love rather than a real future. The writer compares the two works and looks at the aspect of music. The writer concludes that it is not the musical aspect of "West Side Story" that makes it stand apart from its original source, but the musical's unapologetic American qualities of theme and characters that makes it of its time, seemingly ripped from the headlines of the past, rather than transcendent of time and place.
From the Paper
"Likewise, Bernstein adopted a previous tale to suit his own purposes, taking what had become Shakespeare's now-classic story of violent, warring lovers who are able to use love as a vehicle of compassion in a cruel and uncaring world. Bernstein did not select a far-off land, as Shakespeare selected Italy to add to the romance of the narrative. Shakespeare's hot-blooded, feuding Italians would have seemed foreign to his original English audience, but Bernstein selects a setting close at hand, that of New York City. Bernstein attempts to show that the sort of compassion evoked by Shakespeare for the young lovers in a never-never land of Italy is relevant to his own viewer's contemporary era and the racial strife of his day. The types of seemingly meaningless violent discord between Italian clans in Shakespeare are parallel to the struggles of Puerto Ricans and Anglos in New York, and ultimately just as empty and brutal in its consequences. Bernstein's evocation of "America," both in the song "America" suggests that the tragedy of Tony and Maria is not simply a sad event of circumstance and mishaps, but also a fundamental betrayal of the American dream of integration and that "everyone free in America.""
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"Movies and Methods", 2009.
A summary and review of the two volumes of "Movies and Methods" by Bill Nichols.
1,998 words (approx. 8.0 pages), 2 sources, APA, £ 40.95
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Abstract
The paper summarizes "Movies and Methods" Volume I and highlights the main benefits it offers as a resource for film teaching. The paper emphasizes that the way the book was created will never go out of style. The paper then summarizes "Movies and Methods: Volume II" and its focus on the awareness of cinema in our culture. The paper notes that because the first volume was so well received, the second volume needed to live up to that, which it successfully does.
From the Paper
"Both teachers and students of film would likely welcome this book, even though it was written in 1976. Some things do not go out of date, and even though much has happened since the 1970s there are a lot of classic works on film that are still very worthy of being studied. Because this is the case, books like this one are a good choice for individuals who are studying film. This anthology offers a comprehensive collection of theoretical work found on film up to the date of publication. There are many articles in the book as well, and this is a very good thing because articles like this are often extremely difficult to find. Quite often, the literature dealing with movies and film is scattered through a lot of different publications. This being the case, it is quite possible to overlook something unintentionally and to therefore miss out on an article that would have value to the reader. By putting them all together in a collection, everyone who needs to read the information will be able to easily locate it, and this is something that Bill Nichols provides very well as editor of the work."
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