...Gender Roles in The Big Lebowski Throughout history, masculinity has been defined through men who are not just strong physically, but mentally as well. Traditionally, men have been expected to settle down, have a family and provide for their family through an honest, hard-working profession. Although much different from men, women are expected to live up to traditional expectations as well. This would include getting married, having children, devoting most of their time to raising their children in addition to cooking, cleaning, etc. In the film The Big Lebowski, gender roles cannot be assumed. Throughout the film, Maude displays power over The Dude. This is particularly evident in two scenes. When The Dude meets Maude in her home for the first time, and when Maude tricks The Dude into having sex with her so she can conceive a child she is exerting her will over him. While Maude exhibits a dominant form of feminism throughout the film, it is The Dude’s lack of masculinity that allows Maude to control him. Both Maude and The Dude defy the traditional standards applied to men and women. There are numerous points of analysis one can use to make claims about a film. This includes much of the dialogue between Maude and The Dude in the scenes previously addressed as well as other elements of the film that may go unseen unless viewed analytically. The Big Lebowski is a film that implicitly presents Maude using her dominant form of feminism in order to control The Dude...
Words: 1440 - Pages: 6
...male gaze, and it is precisely this appropriation of patriarchal construction that offers pleasure to women spectators” (Cooper). The movie Thelma & Lousie caused so much controversy that she wanted to inform us on the topic, and explain how, “a conceptual framework for explicating these subversive gazes within film narratives” (Cooper)....
Words: 907 - Pages: 4
...Film Theory and Approaches to Criticism, or, What did that movie mean? by Christopher P. Jacobs Movies are entertainment. Movies are documents of their time and place. Movies are artistic forms of self-expression. Movies we see at theatres, on television, or home video are typically narrative films. They tell stories about characters going through experiences. But what are they really about? What is the content of a film? DIGGING DEEPER: FOUR LEVELS OF MEANING Recounting the plot of a movie, telling what happens, is the simplest way to explain it to someone else. But this is neither a film review nor a film analysis. It’s merely a synopsis that anyone else who sees or has seen the movie will likely agree with. This level of content may be called the referential content, since it refers directly to things that happen in the plot and possibly to some aspects of the story that are merely implied by the plot. In John Boorman’s Deliverance (1972), four men from the city go on a weekend canoe trip that unexpectedly becomes a life or death struggle for survival of man against man and man against nature. Some characters survive, others don’t. Most films can be analyzed more thoroughly to reveal deeper levels of meaning. A review (perhaps 400-1200 words) typically includes personal impressions and evaluations of a movie’s content and techniques. A good review may be subjective, yet still touch superficially on topics that might be explored in more detail in a longer...
Words: 3055 - Pages: 13
...Women On Screen In China Film, as a unique art form, has come to China nearly centuries. In 1920s, female images just can be seen as the tools in silent movies, which own not only very vague character, but also lack of adequate connotation of the times, not to mention women’s awareness of self-consciousness. However, after the establishment of People's Republic of China, government vigorously promotes that the "men and women are alike". Also with the influence of western feminist movement, the status of women began to turn upside down. Women are demanding equal status with men, and these demands also reflected in the films. Until now, women as a sign of beauty, some are gentle and virtuous, some are sweetie and pleasant, and some are full of unique personality but still attractive enough. In such a representation, it is hard to notice, even their own aesthetic values are deeply affected by the male views. Not so much a woman as a sign of beauty, as it is a sign to attract male attention. In many generations of Chinese directors, only one of the few is female director. In the Male-dominated film industry, obviously, female characters are created by them, reflecting men’s centralism’s view of women. This paper applies feminist film theory, by analyzing the feminine images in a famous Chinese director—Jiang Wen’s films, to reveal the hidden gender inequality as well as the phenomenon of “male gaze”. Through the criticism and introspection of these hidden and potential...
Words: 2391 - Pages: 10
...For my Final paper in this class, I have decided to do a comparative analysis between the movies Higher Learning and Smoke Signals. I will briefly summarize each movie in a few paragraphs and then I will discuss the similarities and differences between the themes in each movie before I discuss overall comparisons between characters, filming techniques used, and racial stereotypes. "Higher Learning" takes place at the fictitious Columbus University, where the producer makes use of a Christopher Columbus statue to suggest a racist atmosphere. Still, he does this effectively during harsh, well-observed opening scenes that capture different attitudes of white and black students on campus. A white students' pep rally is given a frightening intensity. A young white woman clutches her purse tightly when she finds herself in an elevator with a black student. The two groups' different musical tastes present an amusing contrast and a great use of sound design which is described in our textbook American On Film by Benshoff and Griffin. Mr. Singleton creates a lively air of expectation as his half-dozen main characters settle into their dorm rooms and the battle lines are drawn. John Singleton's film, Higher Learning, about the racial and sexual prejudices that color life on a college campus turns out to be an involuntary example of the same small-mindedness it deplores. Everyone here, from beer drinking white fraternity boys to rap-loving, marijuana smoking black students harassed by...
Words: 1619 - Pages: 7
...essays failed to include film as a possible medium to portray history. Even if a film were an accurate depiction of past events, it would not be recognized by any historian to be legitimate. However, nowadays almost all major journals publish reviews, analysis, and essays on film and is recognized as valid. Mel Gibson’s 1999 film Braveheart is a clear example of why historians never accepted film. Although it won 5 Oscars, the film has been classified as one of the worst medieval movies (by historical accuracy). From the introductory opening scenes, to the end credits, the film fails miserably to represent the life and times of William Wallace and makes up stories to better fit a Hollywood audience. In this essay, I will examine the historical facts of the 13th century war between Scotland and England, and the way it was portrayed in Braveheart. Directed and starred by Mel Gibson, Braveheart was seen as a huge success. The film was about a man named William Wallace. Wallace was a commoner and landowner in 13th century Scotland. He led the Scottish rebellion against the English to get back the freedom and sovereignty Scotland deserved. He was knighted and titled “Guardian” of Scotland after a victory in the battle of Sterling Bridge. After losing the Battle of Falkirk, Wallace’s rebellion plummeted and he was later captured and executed for high treason by King Edward I. These are the very few facts the film actually illustrated correctly. The rest of the film was either fantasy, skewed...
Words: 1349 - Pages: 6
...Final Film Critique: Crash (2004) Jay Dennis ENG 225 Introduction to Film Instructor: Cicely Young April 13, 2014 Final Film Critique Draft: Crash (2004) There are many different critical elements and artistic aspects to examine when analyzing and critiquing any film. In 2004 Paul Haggis wrote and directed the award winning drama Crash about various intertwining experiences involving racial relations and the socioeconomic status levels of the diverse cast of characters. This film addresses how humans being deal with real life circumstances and addresses how racial stereotypes and prejudices impact our society by causing a separation of customs, ignoring human and civil rights, and demonstrating how racism can cause moral, cultural and economical suffering. This detailed essay will address the cinematic elements employed throughout the movie, and provide a critical analysis on the various components and techniques used to create this compelling and powerful film. Crash is a movie that involves several different stories and plots that all manage to somehow connect the characters to each other in a series of events that take place during two days in California. America’s ever-growing melting pot is distinctly represented in the film as the audience is introduced to a black LAPD detective, two black mischievous car thieves, a white district attorney and his prejudice wife, a white racist beat cop and his neophyte partner, a black Hollywood director and his wife, an...
Words: 2178 - Pages: 9
...Southern Illinois University Carbondale OpenSIUC Research Papers Graduate School 8-2014 Nollywood: A Case Study of the Rising Nigerian Film Industry- Content & Production Elizabeth T. Giwa Southern Illinois University Carbondale, toyin.e.giwa@gmail.com Follow this and additional works at: http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/gs_rp Recommended Citation Giwa, Elizabeth T., "Nollywood: A Case Study of the Rising Nigerian Film Industry- Content & Production" (2014). Research Papers. Paper 518. http://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/gs_rp/518 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at OpenSIUC. It has been accepted for inclusion in Research Papers by an authorized administrator of OpenSIUC. For more information, please contact opensiuc@lib.siu.edu. NOLLYWOOD: A CASE STUDY OF THE RISING NIGERIAN FILM INDUSTRYCONTENT & PRODUCTION by Toyin Elizabeth Giwa B.S., Southern Illinois University, 2010 A Research Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Science Department of Mass Communication and Media Arts in the Graduate School Southern Illinois University Carbondale August 2014 Copyright by ELIZABETH TOYIN GIWA, 2014 All Rights Reserved REASEARCH PAPER APPROVAL NOLLYWOOD: A CASE STUDY OF THE RISING NIGERIAN FILM INDUSTRY CONTENT & PRODUCTION By Elizabeth Toyin Giwa A Research Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in the field of Professional Media and Media Management...
Words: 11483 - Pages: 46
...consists of approximately 3 pages of analysis of Gladiator. Print Word PDF This section contains 804 words (approx. 3 pages at 300 words per page) Gladiator: The Movie Summary: "What we do in life echoes in eternity." A famous tag line of the movie that Maximus (Russell Crowe) said to his men before they merge in the battlefield. Maximus is a powerful Roman general, loved by the people and the aging Emperor, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). A very highly intense action sequence directed by Ridley Scott. A film that won multiple awards including, best costume design, visual, pictures and sound effects. The "Gladiator." "What we do in life echoes in eternity." A famous tag line of the movie that Maximus (Russell Crowe) said to his men before they merge in the battlefield. Maximus is a powerful Roman general, loved by the people and the aging Emperor, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris). Before his death, the Emperor chooses Maximus to be his inheritor over his own son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), and a power struggle leaves Maximus and his family condemned to death. The powerful general is unable to save his family, and his loss of will allows him to get captured and put into the savage games until he dies. The only desire that fuels him now is the chance to rise to the top so that he will be able to look into the eyes of the man who will feel his revenge. A very highly intense action sequence directed by Ridley Scott. A film that won multiple awards including, best...
Words: 944 - Pages: 4
...Final Film Critique: O Brother, Where Art Thou? Robert L. Forbes ENG 225 Film: From Watching to Seeing. Instructor Ebony Gibson April 29, 2013 Final Film Critique: O Brother, Where Art Thou? Everyone likes to laugh, and this film is no stranger to the call. O Brother, Where Art Thou is indeed a comical action/adventure and musical romp Directed by Joel Coen and Produced by Ethan Coen. The Cast consist of many favorites in film such as George Clooney, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson. The film O Brother, according to well-known film critic Roger Ebert (2000), “is based on Homer’s The Odyssey” (p.1), this is an epic Greek poem around 700 B.C. Although the setting is much different, the Homeric journey of three would be prisoners of the late 1930s are similar to The Odyssey and its theme of perseverance. The movie O Brother, Where Art Thou however has a comical twist accompanied by great Gospel/Bluegrass music, and scenes that play into an allegorical concept including references to repentance and salvation during the depression of that era. The storyline in this movie the collaborating efforts of the Coen brothers and cinematographer Roger Deakins bring together...
Words: 2397 - Pages: 10
...his family. Unfortunately, the king, Marcus Aurelius asked that he should be crowned king of Rome instead of his corrupt son Commodus. Maximus is caught in a power struggle, which leave him and his family condemned to death. This critical analysis of the motion picture “Gladiator,” will analyze the key elements of film, which embody the storytelling, acting, cinematography, editing, sound, style and directing, societal impact, genre, film criticism and analysis. The story of Maximus, once the most powerful, and respected, general, in Rome, reduced to a slave who fights for an opportunity to exact his vengeance for the brutal death of his family is written with three basic elements. It has character, desire, and conflict. The narrative structure of the film is organized in six stages. These stages are developed by the turning points in the plot. The stages are the initial setup, new situation, progress, complications and higher stakes, final push, and aftermath. In opening scene of “Gladiator,” the initial setup reveals the day and life of Maximus; it identifies him as powerful and likable. Evidence of this is seen in the first scene in Germania at the beginning of the battle against the barbarian tribes. Maximus walks by his men who are going to fight for their lives...
Words: 3046 - Pages: 13
...think it's what keeps us apart. That leaves several abstract questions that the film Crash illustrates. What are the origins of personal prejudice? Do individual experiences fuel standing stereotypes? Is it easier to perpetuate existing stereotypes because "things will never change?" Can people battle internal struggles within their own ethnic group? What prohibits us from overcoming these prejudices? The writers of the Crash managed to extend my viewing experience beyond the 90 minute film, thus forcing me to analyze my own prejudices and racial stereotypes towards others. I always thought that racism occurred as a result of a person's upbringing. If your parents were racist, there is a good chance that you will be a racist too. At first glance, Matt Dillon's character exhibits characteristics typical of this theory. Dillon exhibited a close bond with his father and later, we discover the roots of his racism. I naively assumed that Dillon was absorbing external cues from his father regarding his attitudes towards black people. It turns out that his father was not racist towards black people. It was Dillon who, in combination with his father's negative experiences and his own as a member of the LAPD, formed his own perceptions towards blacks. Another example of this occurred at the beginning of the film when the Persian family was attempting to purchase a gun. The clerk at the gun shop made a few blatantly racist comments about the perceptions of the customers. There were several...
Words: 1124 - Pages: 5
...to Stop it? “Privilege is driving a smooth road and not even knowing it” – Ampersand. Ampersand is saying how privilege in general is taking over and people don’t even know it. So how do you define the word ‘privilege’? According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, privilege is described as, “a right or benefit that is given to some people and not to others.” That being said, white privilege occurs when people of Caucasian or white decent receive more rights or benefits than another racial group such as African Americans. In Steven Spielberg’s 2012 film, Lincoln, white privilege can not be surpassed without the support of a higher leader, such as Lincoln and his colleagues. Thus being said, there are two specific scenes in the movie where racial problems occur leading to the idea of white privilege and how it prevails. Lincoln has always supported the abolition of slavery and we can see that in the first few minutes of the Lincoln film. However, at the beginning, there is an incident that exemplifies how Lincoln treated the African Americans he is fighting for and how white people treat the blacks. The movie starts out with a battle scene and right after we see Lincoln under a canopy talking to two black soldiers, Ira Clark and Harold Green. Green says to Lincoln, “Us 2nd Kansas boys, whenever we fight now we-…” and Clark jumps into the conversation and says, “Another three dollars subtracted from our pay for our uniforms…” This comes as a surprise to Green because Clark is complaining...
Words: 1002 - Pages: 5
...Film i Engelsk Bilag 1a FILM ANALYSIS – an introduction (Source: http://www.filmeducation.org) – bearbejdet af Mi og LK, Favrskov Gymnasium Reading a film is just like reading a book, except that instead of looking at a written page we are looking at the cinema screen. Reading a film works in exactly the same way as a written text, or a picture, except that the tools that are used to create meaning are different. We call these tools film language. The opening sequence From the moment we first start watching a film, we begin to get involved. The first few minutes of a film (the opening sequence) are very important to us as they give us lots of clues about the film: 1) what will the film be about (conflicts/themes); 2) who are the most important characters (hero, villain, love interest); 3); what is the setting of the film (time and place); 4) the genre; and finally, 5) what sort of film language characterizes the film? We look at all these elements and begin to put them into context. Based on their environment, how they look, what they say and what we see them do, we make assumptions about the characters, their roles in the film and their relationship to each other. We also recognize so-called genre markers (things we associate with one particular genre) which tell us if we are watching a Western or a Sc-Fi film and, thus, form specific expectations about what is going to happen during the rest of the film. At the same time, we listen to the sounds and the music...
Words: 2283 - Pages: 10
...MATE: ROMANTIC IDEALS IN POPULAR FILMS AND THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH YOUNG PEOPLE‘S BELIEFS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS BY VERONICA HEFNER DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Speech Communication in the Graduate College of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2011 Urbana, Illinois Doctoral Committee: Professor Barbara J. Wilson, Chair Associate Professor John P. Caughlin Associate Professor Kristen Harrison Associate Professor Travis L. Dixon ABSTRACT Romantic comedy films have been popular since motion pictures first entered the media world. Scholars have speculated why these movies remain appealing to viewers and have argued for several reasons. These movies might foster hope about real-life romance (Galician, 2004), or demonstrate that that there are no limits to how love may manifest itself (Harvey, 1998). Despite this speculation, few studies have systematically investigated the content of these movies or the effects they may have on viewers. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate that potential. In particular, I conducted two studies that explored the nature of romantic ideals in romantic comedy films and their influence on viewer endorsement of romantic beliefs. The first study was a content analysis of the themes or romantic ideals embedded in romantic comedies. The second study was a survey designed to explore whether exposure to such films encourages the learning of romantic...
Words: 17212 - Pages: 69
