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"Sex and the City", 2006.
This paper reviews and examines the success of the sexually explicit comedy series "Sex and the City."
1,369 words (approx. 5.5 pages), 5 sources, MLA, $ 45.95
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Abstract
This paper explores the vital components involved in the phenomenal success of HBO's comedy series "Sex and the City" which was loosely based on "New York Observer" columnist Candace Bushnell's personal life.The series' target audience was gender specific to women of varying ages as the four women in the series also varied in ages. This paper discusses the manner in which "Sex and the City" (SATC) utilized various types of humor that nearly always hit their target. The four main characters were written for easy viewer identification. Carrie Bradshaw the main character, was the most balanced of the quartet. Miranda was the workaholic lawyer, Charlotte dreamed of the classic American family while Samantha was the most outlandish with her refreshingly blatant attitudes towards men and sex. Many of the ideas for the show came from writers Julie Rottenberg and Elisa Zuritsky's own experiences living in Manhattan. This paper also discusses the inclusion of the essential fifth character in the series, the small island of Manhattan, which Rottenberg and Zuritsky drew their inspiration from for their plots and comedy. This paper also discusses the style of writing involved which accounted for the success of the series as well as the impact the comedy had on society, which was not always perceived as positive.
From the Paper
"This professor's commentary was on the third season of SATC when the foursome had run into many pitfalls in their relationships, such as Carrie having cheated on Aidan with Mr. Big, who was ending his marriage, and Carrie encountered her feelings for Aidan and Mr. Big and her betrayal. The third season revealed how the characters were growing and the depth of their relationships without hurting the series' lively approach. Aside from the show's glitz and frivolity, SATC poses basic human questions that many women can relate to and the characters were highly relatable so much so that many women asked one another, "Who are you more like?" From the same side of the road, there were other groups who were offended by the show's starkness about sex."
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"High Noon", 2006.
Examines the ideology presented in this film, directed by Fred Zinnemann.
964 words (approx. 3.9 pages), 0 sources, $ 34.95
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Abstract
The paper shows that the implied ideology of the overall production of the film "High Noon" is the dilemma faced by outgoing town marshal (Gary Cooper's Academy Award portrayal of Will Kane) over which path to choose, fight or flight. The paper shows why the paper is considered one of the best 100 movies of the past century, due mostly to its ideological messages and values.
From the Paper
"It's at this point the true ideologies of the individuals making up the population of Hadleyville come to the fore. The town splits into two basic factions. Those who will leave before the hell breaks out, and those who shall stay in the vain hope of profiting from the town's return to lawlessness. Will Kane struggles with his promise to his new bride to leave Hadleyville and not look back - a position Amy steadfastly clings to even up to the point of leaving Kane if he fails in his efforts to keep his word to her."
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Hitchcock, Fellini and Godard, 2006.
Shows why Alfred Hitchcock, Jean-Luc Godard, and Federico Fellini should be considered true 'auteurs'.
3,136 words (approx. 12.5 pages), 10 sources, MLA, $ 91.95
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Abstract
The word "auteur" has slipped from common usage when describing an artist of film. Perhaps, and there are critics that would rebut it, only Woody Allen is left as someone who is involved in every creative process of film making. The paper argues that while surely there were auteurs in the early days (D.W. Griffith , Charlie Chaplin, Mack Sennett and Cecil B. deMille), there are three pinnacles in recent times (i.e., since the 1950s) that truly deserve the name that was coined for them: Alfred Hitchcock, Jean-Luc Godard, and Federico Fellini. The paper shows how each provided audiences world-wide with a style that was uniquely theirs; some masterpieces and others just good entertainment. Each worked in a different country (countries, in Hitchcock's case, but mostly, his successes were in America), each brought a particular genre to the film, and it is as different auteurs that their work is examined and evaluated.
From the Paper
"La Strada, which was undoubtedly his first international success, Fellini considers "his most juvenile, lyrical, most confessional film." It was also one film which made Anthony Quinn a star- getting rid of his villain roles in American films, and providing him with a powerful image that changed his entire career. While it is often difficult for a writer-director, an auteur, to explain precisely what motivates the film, in the case of La Strada, Fellini said that "Jesus must be sought outside the church....Christ appears to men under different manifestations, even in the guise of a circus performer. Today we are finished with the Christ myth and await a new one." "
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"Warrior Marks", 2006.
An overview of the book, "Warrior Marks: Female Genital Mutilation and the Sexual Blinding of Women" by Alice Walker and Parmar Pratibha.
828 words (approx. 3.3 pages), 0 sources, $ 29.95
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Abstract
"Warrior Marks" by Alice Walker and Pratibha Parmar chronicles the making of their documentary film about the arcane practice of female genital mutilation. The paper examines what drove Walker to make the documentary and write this book about a topic she feels so strongly about. It explores why and how the book was written and how successful it is in conveying its very powerful anti-mutilation message.
From the Paper
"The journey is then narrarated by the other author, Pratibha Parmar. Her story is similar to Walker's. She responds enthusiastically to Walker's proposal to do the film. She ponders the possibility of creating an unbiased film that is not misrepresented as cultural imperialism. Her concern was that she would be regarded in the same way as so many other filmmakers who focused on African culture. She decides that her reluctance to interfere with this culture would leave millions of African children at risk of genital mutilation."
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Film: "Frankenstein" (1931), 2005.
This paper examines the societal aspects of the classic Frankenstein story as presented in the 1931 film production of "Frankenstein", directed by James Whale.
925 words (approx. 3.7 pages), 0 sources, $ 32.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that, in the 1931 film production of "Frankenstein", directed by James Whale, religion is a prevailing theme; as the movie begins, a narrator introduces the theme of creation relating that Dr. Frankenstein wants to create a man after his own image. The author points out that the movie portrays a society with a rigid set of behavior, values and roles, such as when evil lurks, women cringe and hide but men conquer over evil. The paper states that the film settings in which the various scenes take place are very clear as to which are good and which are bad, such as the laboratory is portrayed as a dark, ominous place but the wedding of Dr. Frankenstein and Elizabeth is set in a sunny location.
From the Paper
"The servants knew their place, provide food and refreshment to the upper classes, the common class to follow the instructions of those above them, and the upper class to provide the wisdom, bravery, and leadership to confront evil. Occupations played a role in class formation. The farmer and laborer comprised the commoners. Those in government, perceived as the leaders and having the best interest of society in mind, are the upper class. Those occupations involving the medical sciences were elevated, but feared and created suspicion, based on the ignorance of the commoner and the religious values, which were threatened by the doctor's attempts at "playing" God."
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The Czech New Wave Movement, 2006.
This paper examines the Czech film industry as well as the emergence of the "Czech New Wave Movement," aptly named as it represented a break from the dominant film styles that preceded it.
1,494 words (approx. 6.0 pages), 7 sources, APA, $ 49.95
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Abstract
This paper analyzes the history and political impact of the Czech film industry while focusing on the emergence of the Czech new wave movement, so called because it represented a break from the dominant film styles that preceded it. This paper details the differences and similarities between Czech new wave films and other films from the same region which yielded much insight into the characteristics and virtues of this particular movement. In order to better understand the Czech new way movement, this paper contains a brief yet concise account of the Czech film industry in the first half of the 20th century as it is related to Czech history as well as samplings from the social, political and economic realms. This paper also details the characteristics of the Czech new wave movement as well as relevant information regarding how the movement contrasted with what came before it.
From the Paper
"Under pressure from Hitler, Czechoslovakia collapsed in 1939 and was divided into a number of separate regions with different ultimate fates. The film studios that had been built in Czechoslovakia were taken over by the German film industry, which used them mainly to produce artful yet propagandistic films to garner Nazi support throughout the 1940s. This continued until 1944, when the area was liberated by Soviet troops. A new Republic of Czechoslovakia was formed, but it was not artistically fruitful. In 1947, a communistic government was established after a coup in Czechoslovakia."
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Novels into Film, 2006.
A look at how novels are adapted to films and the changes that are made.
3,828 words (approx. 15.3 pages), 9 sources, MLA, $ 105.95
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Abstract
In this paper the author looks at how novels are adapted into films and the changes that are made to give a more graphic understanding of the novel. The author focuses on how the novel and the film are two very different mediums, the novel mainly linguistic and the film mainly visual. The paper shows how each medium also hails from different origins, caters to different audiences and undergoes different modes of production and forms of censorship. He specifically looks at how the camera has the ability to move and this mobility enables it to achieve visual effects that may not be projected to the reader of a novel and applies this notion to sexual scenes that appear or do not appear in films and how they are translated from novels. In conclusion, the author states that each medium has its own properties, for better and worse usage and intelligent film viewing and criticism, like intelligent reading, needs to understand and respect both the limitations these create and also the triumphs they invite.
From the Paper
"Conceptually, female bonding is a pre-condition for lesbianism in feature films and lesbian audiences seem to find female bonding an acceptable displacement for overt lesbian romance. The spectator works to find lesbian context in a Hollywood cinema shy of lesbian content. As with sexuality in general, efforts to subdue lesbian connotations can stimulate innovations... When female bonding occurs in feature narrative film, its readiness for lesbian appropriation is often acknowledged by internal efforts to forbid such conclusions (Straayer, 350). Female bonding can include the exchange of intimate information, physical closeness, and support for each other in times of need. For the viewer, this female bonding creates an erotic subtext, with lesbian connotations. In movies where female bonding is central to the plot, such as Boys on the Side, Beaches, Steel Magnolias, Fried Green Tomatoes, The Color Purple, and The First Wives Club, women become strong and gain independence through each other (Tasker, p 146). As Evelyn Couch grows closer to Ninny and learns about Ruth and Idgie, she gains independence by losing weight, getting a job, and finding self-worth outside of her marriage."
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Alfred Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps", 2005.
This paper discusses Alfred Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" (1935), an early, relatively unknown film, which marks and separates his films from those of all other directors of the 50s and 60s.
3,500 words (approx. 14.0 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 98.95
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Abstract
This paper explains that Alfred Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" (1935) reveals the themes for which he will soon be famous such as human complacency, disparity between appearance and reality, the salutary effect of a night journey, the difficulty of trust and the fear of confinement. The author points out that the narrative structure; the structural movements of complacency, crisis and recovery; the use of complacent and oblivious characters but not pessimistic character and a well developed model of life, alternating between confinement and release, in terms of physical but not so much in terms of psychological, confinement. The paper relates that the film is truly a Hitchcock film as demonstrated by his use of the Dutch tilt, stairways, extreme high angles and emerging body parts.
From the Paper
"Hannay takes Annabelle to his flat and the two wind up in his kitchen where we will be introduced to the icon of the checkerboard floor, the complacent character type, the beginning of the typical structural movement, and the themes of complacency and of the disparity between appearance and reality. It is here that Annabelle reveals to she is a spy. Refusing to believe her, Hannay plays the role of the complacent character and thinks he knows everything about the world around him. This character type is in every Hitchcock movie and they are all punished for their complacency. These characters have the predictability of the world taken away from them, and they spend the rest of the movie trying to recover. Complacency is not always punished with physical danger."
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The WWII Combat Genre, 2004.
This paper examines Norman Mailer's novel "The Naked and the Dead" in which the author incorporates the symbols, characters and narrative conventions of the WWII combat genre.
2,775 words (approx. 11.1 pages), 2 sources, APA, $ 82.95
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Abstract
This paper details the introduction and perception of the WWII combat genre in both film and literature. The writer of this paper defines genre as an element consisting of a shared set of rules, symbols and story patterns. In Norman Mailer's novel, "The Naked and the Dead," the author engages the symbols, characters and narrative conventions of the combat genre in a complex dialogue, both enmeshing and reinforcing audience expectations. By tracing the minority character of Martinez in "The Naked and the Dead," one can see how Mailer incorporates the genre in a way that reflects both the unique capacities of the novel as a medium separate from that of film. This paper also expands on Mailer's particular view of film as an inadequate representation of the complexities of war and America. The writer of this paper contends that Mailer's novel must be read in the context of the combat film genre, which was well established in the memory of American audiences by 1948 as a frame of reference for understanding and justifying WWII. This paper clearly details the characteristics of Martinez which fits the conventional stereotype evolved from and established within the genre of the World War II combat film. The writer also discusses the significance of various WWII related films that were released in the 1940s including: "Bataan," "GI Joe" and "Home of the Brave."
From the Paper
"The multiracial platoon acts as a symbol of democracy, functioning to distinguish Americans from a racist enemy, the Nazis. At the same time, the visual presence of minorities helps to legitimize 'good' racism (racism against the Japanese) by framing it with images of racial integration. Feigning inclusion of minorities is also a propaganda tactic aiming to harness collective support for the war. In Bataan there are four minorities: a Mexican-American, two Philipinos and a black man. The Philipinos are associated with nature; they are implicitly more primitive and closer to the enemy. The Mexican-American is associated with jazz music and a womanizing past, and the black man is associated with spirituality. All four characters die fairly early on in horrible barbaric deaths. In later movies, some or all of these characteristics may be lumped together into composite minority representatives."
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?Code of the Street?, 2006.
This paper reviews Elijah Anderson's "Code of the Street," which details the film industry's common practice of glorifying gangs and low income minority communities as well as the news and media's tendency to shine a totally different light on this issue.
1,570 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 1 source, MLA, $ 51.95
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Abstract
This paper explores Elijah Anderson's book "Code of the Street" which details the manner in which popular culture glamorizes gangster life while the news media depicts urban slums as being overrun with violent criminals. In his book Anderson explains that there is in fact an intricate culture to life in poor minority communities. The author contends that this "code," or way of life, encompasses ideas regarding the manner in which families interact among themselves. This "code" is the result of the structural circumstances and cultural adaptations made by the people who live in these violent communities. In the context of Anderson's book, these structural circumstances are the situations individuals become involved in due to their place in society. This paper also discusses the film "Boyz N the Hood" which exemplifies and provides support for Anderson's theories. The film, designed to create awareness about life in violent communities, offers several significant scenes which are analyzed in this paper.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Significant Events in "Boyz N the Hood"
The Film's Events as They Apply to Anderson's Book
Conclusion
From the Paper
"The "code" is the result of the structural circumstances and cultural adaptations made by the people who live in these violent communities. In the context of Anderson's book, structural circumstances are the situations individuals become involved in due to their place in society. An example of a structural circumstance would be the life of a decent single mother. Without the structure of a nuclear family, who become role models in the community the single mother "must work even harder to neutralize the draw of the street, and she does so mainly be being strict and by instilling decent values in her children. Cultural adaptations are the way they alter their behavior in order to survive in particular situations or environments. For example, decent families will often have to "code-switch" which means they may have to behave in a violent or vulgar street manner instead of the decent, respectful manner in which they have been taught in order to survive a situation."
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Kurt Vonnegut's "Mother Night", 2006.
This paper reviews and discusses the film adaption of Kurt Vonnegut's novel "Mother Night," which takes place in Berlin during WWII.
822 words (approx. 3.3 pages), 1 source, APA, $ 29.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the film "Mother Night" directed by Keith Gordon and adapted by Kurt Vonnegut's novel of the same name. The writer of this paper details the film's tragic dimensions as well as the surreal yet inspired moments of dark humor. This paper discusses the plot and characters of the film, including that of actor Nick Nolte who plays American playwright and expatriate Howard Campbell. The writer also ponders the questions raised in the film regarding responsibility and the roles people often play for survival.
From the Paper
"During Campbell's years in Nazi Germany, the colors are very vibrant. The bright, nearly golden cinematography evokes a nostalgic feel--the rose-tinted hues that accompany one's memories of his or her days of youth and glory. However, in the postwar years, the colors are dull and dreary. And the last days of Campbell's life in an Israeli prison are shot in stark black and white. This inventive use of cinematography reveals the tragically ironic fact that the happiest years of Campbell's life were when he broadcasted hate over the airwaves, and the Nazis who revered him exterminated millions of innocent people. In his days of glory, he was treated as a celebrity among many Germans and had the undying love of his beautiful wife Helga."
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Changes in Television Censorship, 2006.
An examination of the changes in television censorship.
953 words (approx. 3.8 pages), 4 sources, MLA, $ 33.95
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Abstract
In this paper the author examines the changes in television censorship that have occurred over the past 50 years. He looks at how censorship has developed in relation to the development of the television itself. He examines that with the technological advancement of television there have also been technological advances in censorship such as the violence chip, more commonly known as the V-chip. The author describes how the V-chip was developed as an aid for parents to screen out certain programs that have been rated for violent content. The author discusses the laws that have been introduced to help television censorship and how they have been accepted by the general public. In conclusion the author reminds us that censorship is not enough and the viewing time of our impressionable youth also needs to be reduced.
From the Paper
"These changes from television's inception are clearly not positive. Both underage smoking and the burden of dealing with the lessons children learn from violence in the media has been placed on parents; it has not been seen as a responsibility of the masses. However, lessons surrounding both topics are played out every day in the classroom, schoolyard, home, and wider community. Moreover, both issues have become public health issues that affect all of us. As such, it may seem plausible that censorship is indeed the answer. However, the true issue is personal responsibility, since consenting adults should have the right to buy legal products and should also have the right to advertising to determine which brand they should buy. Instead of censorship, it is time to work together to reduce the problems created by smoking and violence for our children."
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