The next factors is my gender, age, ethnicity, and social class. As a female evaluating a movie I am more likely to showcase emotion to situation than a male. My age has an impact on everything because my generation has technology at our fingertips. Lastly, for me ethnicity and social class is one in the same. It helped me evaluate the movie because I was able to relate to the main character and form a mental
The movie I chose to do my movie analysis on was Sin Nombre. I chose this movie because it stood out to me the most, mainly because of the title in Spanish. I used four concepts while analyzing this epic movie. First I applied the power elite theory to see who had the power in this power city and how they used their power. Then I used the social conflict theory to see what caused the people to get into the gangs and how the gangs acted to the people. The socialization theory is shown in the sense that the gang makes people believe that they are a part of a family when they join. The last concept I used was deviance because of all the violence that happened in the movie.
The United States has long been a country that has accepted that change is a necessity for prosperity and growth. However, each change within the nation's history was hard fought against those who resisted such change either through racism, bigotry, and blatant discrimination. African American cinema is enshrouded in history that depicts these themes of racism, struggle, and deprivation. Yet, this same cinema also shows scenes of hope, artistic spirit, intellectual greatness, and joy. Black actresses, actors, directors, producers, and writers have been fighting for recognition and respect since the great Paul Robeson. The civil rights movement of the 1950's and 60's was fueled by black cinema through films like A Raisin in the Sun.
Analyse how the use of film features shaped your response to one or more themes in the film.
Stereotypes in our society are not uncommon. We come across them every day without realizing it. It is in our human nature to create expectations of the people around us, which could be based upon their ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender or other factors. Stereotypes help us categorize a vast group of people that we may not know anything about, to think that they are smaller and less intimidating. I believe that the blame for these cookie-cutter patterns can lead directly back to the media in every sense of the word. Media is all around us, and affects our opinions and ability to think for ourselves. Whether it’s the latest box office hit or the headlining news, we are getting assumptions from every point of view, which makes it
The 1987 film documentary Ethnic Notions directed by Marlon Riggs, identifies the evolution of African American cultural depictions through ethnic stereotypes and caricatures in American culture. I feel Ethnic Notions exposes the roots of false generalization from the beginning and presents a series of classifications for racial depictions that still are noticeable in today's society. These racial depictions identified with in this film begin in the mid 1800's and continue thought to the 1960's. I now after viewing Ethnic notions agree that there are generalizations and depictions that are exaggerated in American popular culture and entertainment.
In today’s world, men and women are perceived equally by the society. In the past, authority and control define men while women are given the characteristic of helplessness. Men are able to get hold of high positions while women usually are subservient to them. In movies, we would usually see women portray roles that are degrading due to the stereotypical notions they associate with this gender group. Moulin Rouge, a movie set during the 1900s narrates the story of a courtesan woman, Satine, as she undergoes hardships to earn money, experiences love but unfortunately, due to her irrational choices, faces tragic consequences at the end. Satine is a symbol of how women are being treated by the society during the era before post-feminism,
In contemporary film women's roles in films have varied quiet considerably between genres, geographical placement, and between
Asian Americans only make up a small percent of the American population. Even more significant is that this percentage live mostly on the west and east coasts of mainland United States and Hawaii; leaving the rest of the American population to most likely get their exposures to Asians through television and movies. However the exposure they have receive throughout the history of cinematography has been hardly flattering. Throughout the course of history Asians in film have been portrayed as evil or the "yellow peril" as described by others. If Asians are not being classified as evil in this picture then they are most likely the comic relief, with their lack of coordination or grasp of the English
Asian American actors and actresses are portrayed in Hollywood movies as always being the silent and yielding foreign victims to social injustice and prejudice. Whether or not these depictions are true, they are nonetheless stereotypes that Hollywood producers have come up with. According to the US Census in the year 2000, Asian Americans make up 4.2% of the entire American population, and knowing that most Asian Americans live on the west and east coast of the United States, many Americans living in central parts of this country have not really been exposed to any Asian Americans. Because of this fact, it is highly probable that most Americans get their exposure to the Asian American lifestyle only through television and movies. Even if
There are three major standards through which I decide whether or not I will watch a film: reputation, and genre. Reputation is inclusive of friends and ratings of the film. Usually my friends and I have similar tastes and we are aroused or repulsed by the same films. Reputation is a strong and stable standard for deciding which film to go to, because with such a large population of movie watchers, major biases don't affect the reputation and ratings are fair and accurate. Also, people are inclined to give high ratings to movies that touch them or really make them think regardless
Film is one of the most influential means of communication and a powerful medium of
American Beauty, a film that was written by Allan Ball and directed by Sam Mendes in 1999 is a unique piece that demonstrates many sociological themes throughout the development of the plot. The characters strive to portray themselves as the All American Family. They live in a nice house, drive nice cars and seem perfectly normal to the general public, but the audience is allowed to view the deep set issues that plague the main characters; Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey), Carolyn Burnham (Annette Bening), Jane Burnham (Thora Birch), and Jane's best friend Angela Hayes (Mena Suvari). As the plot develops there are many obvious parallels relating the lives of the characters to Merton's Strain
Many people say that old people fear change as they have grown so accustomed to their old ways, however, in Clint Eastwood’s meaningful and captivating drama Gran Torino, it is exemplified that anyone is capable of change. Gran Torino shares a story about tolerance and cultural differences, but also one about hope, self-sacrifice, and unlikely relationships. In the film, an abundance of cultural diversity is met with much resistance, stereotype, and prejudice by the movies’ main character, Walt Kowalski. Walt’s world is changing; his wife has died, his Detroit neighbourhood is deteriorating, his relationship with his two sons is distant, and his Korean War memories continue to affect his ability to fully enjoy life. Through an unlikely bond with the Hmong family next door, Walt finally receives redemption by coming face-to-face with the same destructive prejudices consuming neighbourhood teenage gang members that have consumed him. Through the devices of characterisation, symbolism, and dialogue the viewers will witness Walt emerge as a more compassionate individual who becomes more accepting of other cultures and ethnic backgrounds around him.
Since the 1940’s, movies have predominately portrayed women as sex symbols. Beginning in the 1940’s and continuing though the 1980’s, women did not have major roles in movies. When they did have a leading role the women was either pretreated as unintelligent and beautiful, or as conniving and beautiful: But she was always beautiful. Before the 1990’s, men alone, wrote and directed all the movies, and the movies were written for men. In comparison, movies of the 90’s are not only written and directed by women, but leading roles are also held by older and unattractive women. In this paper I will show the variations and growth of women’s roles in movies from the 1940’s though the 1990’s.
In society, women are often perceived as the weaker sex, both physically and mentally. In modern times women have leveled the playing field between men and women, and feminism is a highly discussed topic, but for years, women faced discrimination and prejudice both in life and in the workplace, due to their sex. This way of thinking flooded into the world of film. In their works, the authors of each of the various sources address the limitations and liberations of women both on and off the screen in nineteenth century Film and Cinema. Not every source is completely filled with information related to the research topic, but they do cover and analyze many of the same points from different perspectives. Prominent points addressed in each