The idea of auteurship is one that is surrounded by the domineering presence of the white male, with little exception: a simple Google search of “film auteurs” produces thousands of results of websites listing off the likes of Paul Thomas Anderson, Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, and David Lynch. However, one early female filmmaker—who, like too many other important women of the past, has been mostly buried by history—stands above the rest. Often viewed in the same regard as male contemporaries such as D. W. Griffith, Lois Weber used her platform as a universally acclaimed creator (at the time) to make socially conscious films that advocated the underprivileged. Although her works are heavily influenced by her belief in Christian charity, they never seem to steer into the dreaded “preachy” territory that so many other religiously motivated films fall victim to. …show more content…
and Hop, The Devil’s Brew, respectively). Despite these decidedly solemn moral topics, Weber possessed a deft talent for tempering her serious mission with the understanding that entertainment is necessary to convey that point. For example, aside from exposing “the blot” on society caused by underpaying educators and clergy members, The Blot also has a sense of humor—shown mostly through snarky title cards— as well as scenes of suspense (such as Mrs. Griggs attempting to steal a chicken from her neighbors’
With Film Analysis comes the analyzation of films and movies that depict narrative structure, cultural context, the evaluation of discourse, and many other approaches. The film, “Friday” (1995), is a comedy and drama that displays the relationship between two childhood friends growing up in an impoverished neighborhood. These two friends became affiliated with a neighborhoods drug dealer, and were startled and clueless as to how they were going to come up with the money they owed him by the end of the night! The characterization, setting, and conflicts are the three main elements, in which are portrayed can indicate the analyzation of contributing a larger meaning of this particular film.
Based off Charles Webb’s 1963 novel by the same name, The Graduate is an American romantic comedy/drama released in the United States on December 21, 1967 starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross, and William Daniels. The film was directed by Mike Nichols, produced by Lawrence Turman and the screenplay written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham. The film was produced by Lawrence Turman/Mike Nichols productions starting in March of 1967. Mike Nichols has also directed other well known films such as Catch-22 (1970), Working Girl (1988), and more recently Closer (2004). The film was distributed by AVCO Embassy Pictures nationally and United Artists internationally. AVCO Embassy Pictures studio, founded by Joseph E. Levine, the films executive producer, also claims production/distribution for other hit films such as Godzilla, King of Monsters! (1956), The Fog (1980), and Prom Night (1980). The movie was well received due to its $104 million dollar box office opening tab. The score was produced by Dave Grusin and the songs written by Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel.
Working out conflicts face to face can and cannot make a difference in resolving the problem.“These face-to-face interactions build trust, understanding, and a real sense of a shared mission, and this has made all the difference in the world.” This direct quote from Forbes.com explains how this specific way can improve how the world communicates to each other. Many people will disagree with the previous statement, but it is just one of the basic elements of the social system. Admittedly, not everyone believes in face to face interaction. People can choose whichever side they want to, but people can solve their problems by talking to somebody.
Film- Precious Knowledge Precious Knowledge is a documentary that takes place in Tucson, Arizona and focuses on how the Unified School district wants to completely ban the Mexican American Studies Program. In the film there were many scenes with examples of rhetorical appeal. I believe that the way the film was set up since the beginning had an impactful and direct emotional appeal on the audience. For instance, in the first scenes of the film we have the opportunity to get to know the main characters in a more intimate level.
North By Northwest is a thriller,mystery and crime film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, that was released in 1959 during the midst of the Cold War era. He depicts the United States Government and their use of spies during the time. When reading about the covert operations used by the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War it is astonishing how little the general public knew about the affairs of the government.The film centres on the character of Roger Thornhill, an advertising executive who finds himself mistaken as a United States spy - George Kaplan. Reference to cold war as Edger Hoover said communist were inflicting in corrupting ‘’various spheres of American lives’’.Ultimately, this resulted in a incredible paranoia and
Higher Learning - Film Analysis Exposition: The Establishing Shot of the film is a full screen American Flag, the camera zooms out and points down, revealing a large crowd of people in a rally, being very patriotic. As the camera zooms off the flag we come across a statue of Columbus- indicating it to be Columbus University. The speaker on the stage gives us another indication of the setting by Shouting'Columbus University'. They are in front of a stage with Band music playing and chants rising out.
Anyone who is even vaguely aware with film usually has a favorite director. Why? What distinguishes one director from another? A director is “the person who determines and realizes on the screen an artistic vision of the screenplay; casts the actors and directs their performances; works closely with production design in creating the look of the film…and in most cases, supervises all postproduction activity, especially editing” (Barsam and Monahan 496). Clearly, the director of a film is lead visionary in how the film is made. But what makes some directors truly memorable and instantly recognizable? Those directors take advantage of all different kinds creative possibilities and signatures to become the true “author” of the film, also known
“Early black cinema is an important part of American culture because it visually brought our stories to life. Without the black independent film movement, there would be very few black films today.” The 1970’s and the 1980’s marked a the entry of a new generation of Afro American directors like Haile Gerima, Charles Burnet, Larry Clark, Pamela Jones, Jamaa Fanaka, Julie Dash, Robert Townsend or Spike Lee. They want to stand out and always required more artistic and financial control. Furthermore the emergence of the Afro-American director can be interpreted as a will to break the glass ceiling. Spike Lee is one of the directors who want to break this glass ceiling. He is unmistakably the major Black filmmaker of the 80 and 90 decades. During
In this assignment I will assess Grace’s role as an ethical counselor based on the film Short Term 12. I will identify three codes from the 2014 American Counseling Association Code of Ethics and three concepts from the text that are relevant to Grace’s role in the film. In the film Sammy had these dolls that he cherished and really kept him happy. I believe they were significant for the siblings that he never had and though he needed these dolls in his life, his therapist thought otherwise.
“… As far as I know, there is no definition of the auteur theory in the English language, that is, by an American or British critic” (Sarris 1962) was the opening line to Andrew Sarris’s famous “Notes on the Auteur Theory in 1962” essay. This essay is what brought the “auteur theory” in to the spotlight in the USA. And to today, this theory is still in hot debate. Trying to figure out whether or not the director is the lone “auteur” of a film is a tough claim to make. In an article for Slate Magazine, Doree Shafrir talks about why a writer cannot be an auteur in “Bored of Directors.” In his film blog, Fredrik Fevang posted an article about misconceptions of auteur theory critics titled “Dan Schneider and James Berardinelli's misconception
It is a rare when filmmakers embodies the magic of cinema and deft the understanding of the dreamscapes of time and space. From the 1930s, a team called the "The Archers" revolutionized British cinema while producing a string of all-time classics. They were unique in offering layered characters and perplexing situations which gives sense and is very relatable to the people's world .Comical, flamboyant and often very controversial; their multiple films mark a remarkable transition from the classic style to the auteur cinema of today.
Throughout this class, various discussions and blogs have been used to analyze the different elements of films such as theme, cinematic techniques and genre. It is time to bring all of these separate elements together in the analysis of one specific film, according to class text, “analyzing levels of meaning below the surface story can greatly enhance enjoyment as well as understanding of a film” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014. p. 10.03). There are several different approaches to film analysis including formalist, auteurist, and generic or any combination thereof. Utilizing a genre theory lens, the 1956 film The Searchers will be analyzed addressing contextual information, story/plot, aesthetic choices, social/personal impact and how these areas come together to develop the film.
Part 1 - In American author's 2009 book, The Help, the primary thesis is the relationship between Black maids and white households in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s. The story is really told from three perspectives, Aibileen and Minny are Black women, both maids, and Skeeter is the nickname of Eugenia Phelan, daughter of a prominent White family. Skeeter has just finished school and hopes to become a writer. In general, the relationship between the Black maids and the White employers is six sided: On one side we have the White employers who have three views: 1) Their personal and private beliefs that can range from extreme scorn and bias to kindness regarding race; 2) Their public persona that must have the "proper" attitude about Blacks and "the help," and 3) Their employer attitude, which is condescending and parental. The Black view also has three segments: 1) Their personal and private beliefs that usually range from understanding not all Whites are the same and an extreme love and empathy for the White children for whom they care; 2) The public persona that is deferential, polite, and stoic to their White bosses; and 3) Their attitude and view among the Black community, which usually separates the "poor and ignorant but rich" White souls from the Black view of family and common sense. All in all, the relationship is contentious, phony, and based on economic advantage.
Analyze This is a hilarious, feel good movie about two men from different backgrounds living completely opposite lifestyles. Through a series of very funny, random and bizarre moments they form a memorable friendship together. The movie came to theatres in 1999, was directed by Harold Ramis and included a cast full of some of Hollywood’s brightest stars. It begins with two gangsters leaving a café, discussing their plans to attend a meeting involving the countries major crime bosses. One gangster goes back in the café to get a toothpick and at the same time the other gangster is killed from a drive-by shooting. The movie’s plot is based upon the surviving gangster seeking out a psychiatrist to help with his emotional
Question 8: Take one contemporary director and analyse in detail, discuss and debate how they can be considered to be an auteur. In your discussion refer to the different ways auteur have been discussed in film studies.