Assignments
Film and Psychosis:
The Relations among Spectators, Actors, Writers
English 263 (07942-4): Introduction to Film
Spring 2002, M: 8:30 - 11:18 AM, W 8:30-10:18, Denney Hall 250
Film and Screenplay Availability
I'm providing this list so that you can review a film at your
leisure for the final paper or rent it for a first viewing in the case of
an emergency absence from class. Most of these films are not readily available
at Blockbuster, so I advise you to attend class regularly.
Film |
Availability |
Screenplay |
| Barton Fink |
CML, OSU-JOU |
CML, Drew's Script-o-Rama |
| Being John Malkovich |
CML, OSU-JOU |
CML, OSU-RES, Drew's
Script-o-Rama |
| Croupier |
Hollywood Video |
|
| eXistenZ |
CML |
|
| Mulholland Drive |
CML |
Script
of the Pilot (not the movie) |
| Opera (NOT Phantom of the Opera) |
Clintonville Video, North Campus Video |
|
| Persona |
CML, OSU-JOU, OSU-MIC |
OSU-RES |
| Sunset Boulevard |
CML, OSU-JOU |
CML, OSU-RES |
| Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? |
CML, OSU-JOU |
|
- CML: Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML
website)
- OSU-JOU: Journalism Library, Permanent Reserves and/or Media
Study (OSU Libraries website)
- OSU-MIC: Main Library available for check out
- OSU-RES: Journalism Library, Reserved under Blazer, English
263
- Drew's Script-o-Rama:
unofficial transcripts of the films mostly composed by viewers, but sometimes
posted by the filmmakers themselves
Study Questions
Before each film, you are expected to read the required chapter(s) from the
Philips text, which introduce a particular element of film. On the day of the
film, I will provide study questions 1) to start your thinking about the film's
subject matter and 2) to encourage you to apply the elements of film to the
movie at hand. After each film, we'll use the study questions to open our conversation
and move from formal analysis of technique to thematic consideration of the
film.
-
Opera (Dario Argento, 1987, 107m)
- preliminary questions
- Why do we go to plays and movies?
- What does the work of art do for and to the viewer?
- What is the relationship between spectators and actors, the audience
and plays or films?
- element of film
- Describe the mise en scène of the opening sequence of
the raven's eye through the first few minutes of the film.
- How does the mise en scène (setting, subjects, composition)
situate the primary conflicts of the film?
- thematic analysis
- What motivates the killer to murder, and why does he kill in the manner
he does?
- What does this say about the nature of spectatorship?
- What separates our viewing reactions from the killer's?
-
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (Robert Aldrich,
1962, 132m)
- preliminary questions
- What does an actor desire from life and existence?
- What does the acting do for and to the actor?
- What is the relationship between actors and the rest of society, including
family and loved ones?
- element of film
- How does cinematography, for example lighting and camera effects, contribute
to the character distinctions between the two sisters?
- What tone does the lighting set for the film? How is the lighting of
the upstairs (Blanche's domain) different from the downstairs (Jane's
domain)?
- How do camera angles emphasize the physical and power imbalance of the
two sisters?
- thematic analysis
- Describe the parents' role in the tragedy. Are they responsible or culpable?
How does each parent treat each child?
- How are the sisters circumstances different? In what, perhaps underlying
psychological ways are the sisters essentially the same? How are we to
feel about Blanche's treatment of Jane and Jane's treatment of Blanche?
Do the two equal out?
- Is Blanche's confession about the car accident real or a ruse? Who is
more delusional at the end of the film, Jane or Blanche?
-
Barton Fink (Joel Coen, 1991, 117m)
- preliminary questions
- What does a writer want out of life and existence?
- What does writing do for and to the writer?
- What is writer's block and what triggers it?
- element of film
- How does the film's editing, for example shots transitions, distinguish
between outer reality and inner dream world?
- Compare and contrast the sounds from the different worlds of the film:
How does the dialogue (formal sense and time) change from the theatre
to the studio to Charlie's world? How do the sound effects clue us to
the change from reality to the life of the mind?
- What does the music reveal about Barton's charater? What does the general
lack of music express?
- thematic analysis
- Compare and contrast the three motivations and versions of writing as
evoked by Barton Fink, Bill Mayhew, and Jack Lipnick.
- Who is Charlie? What does he represent? Describe his relationship with
Barton.
- How does the film, the story, end? Where is Barton, and what, if anything,
has he learned?
-
Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze, 1999, 112m)
- preliminary questions
- Why are some people so fascinated by celebrities and stars, even to
the point of either confusing their character roles and with their real
selves or obsessively stalking them?
- What is the difference between fate and free will?
- What is the difference between acting and being?
- element of film
- How does the medium of film itself serve as intertext and inspirational
source for Being John Malkovich?
- In general, what purpose does the inclusion of other works of art (art,
books, music, plays, films, etc) fulfill? In particular, what is the function
of the play and the documentary within this film?
- What specific films or genres might this film be paying homage to or
parodying?
- thematic analysis
- How do Craig's claustrophobic environments and his chosen profession
motivate Craig's choices? How do they foretell his fate, i.e., how he
"chooses" to "overcome" his core conflicts?
- What does the film suggest about the possibility of achieving authentic
intimacy (platonic as well as sexual) with another person?
- Does this film, especially considering its tragic ending, have an ethical
message, that is, a moral of how to live one's life in relation to others and to oneself? If so, what might it be?
-
Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950, 110m)
- preliminary questions
- This film serves as the base text for one of the questions on the midterm
exam; as we will not be discussing it in class, view it closely.
- element of film
- Note the film's formal elements (mise en scène, characterization,
cinematography, editing, sound, and sources) in order to apply them to
a reading of the film on the midterm exam
- thematic analysis
- Describe the character arcs of the two main characters. What, if anything,
have they learned about themselves, their core conflicts?
- What is the topic of the film? What is the general theme of the film?
What specific argument does the film make regarding the two main characters'
psyches and the way they live their lives?
-
eXistenZ (David Cronenberg, 1999, 97m)
- preliminary questions
- Why do people plays games, more particularly role-playing and video
games?
- What is the appeal of virtual reality?
- How do role playing games and virtual reality challenge the demarcations
of spectatorship, acting, and writing we've been discussing this quarter?
- elements of film
- What genre would this film be classified under, and how does it abide
by and critique/react against that genre's conventions?
- What is the narrative structure of this film? Does it have a typical
beginning, middle, and end? How does it explode these concepts?
- How do the various plotlines—the different levels of reality—become
entangled? Can they be disentangled?
- thematic analysis
- What is real, and how do the characters—or better yet, we the viewers—know
what's real? What does the film say about the relationship between reality
and virtual reality, between reality and filmic reality?
- What does the film say about the nature of life and death agency in
the virtual universe?
- Why are the game pods fleshy? Why are the guns made of bone? What does
the film say about the mind/body dichotomy?
-
Croupier (Mike Hodges, 1999, 91m)
- preliminary questions
- What is the appeal of gambling? Why do people become addicted?
- Why do we like confidence artist and heist movies?
- From where do writers' cull their material?
- thematic analysis
- What does the film say about obsession? Why won't Jack gamble? What
is the difference between being a croupier and being a gambler? How does
his obsession with watching people gamble affect his perception of reality?
- What does the film say about the relationship between sons and fathers?
How might Jack's father have affected Jack's choice of professions? how
Jack views reality and lives his life?
- How are Jack's two professions, writer and croupier, similar? What does
the film say about the relationship between writing and gambling? between
writing and ruses? between writing and real life?
-
Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch, 2001, 147m)
- preliminary questions
- What is a dream? What do dreams do for us? to us?
- What is the Hollywood dream? What happens when dreams collide with reality?
- Why do people commit suicide? Why do people murder? What goes through
the minds of the dying?
- thematic analysis
- Analyze the main characters. Why does Betty help Rita? How is Rita a
foil to Betty? Who is Camilla and what is her relationship with Rita?
Who is Diane and what is her relationship with Betty?
- Why does the movie's conclusion, a limousine ride up Mulholland Dr.,
loop back to its beginning. What's the same? What's changed?
- What does the blue box represent? Where do the women go—what happens
to them—when they open it?
-
Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1966, 81m)
- preliminary questions
- What is the difference between acting and real action? between malinguering
and true psychological illness?
- What is the difference between being and seeming, between authenticity
and appearance?
- Why do people burn out? What shuts them down inside? Conversely, what
rejuvenates them and fills them again with a sense of life?
- thematic analysis
- How does the film's two main characters compare with those in Mulholland
Dr. Further, how does Persona compare thematically with Mulholland
Dr.?
- With it's self-reflexivity, what does the film say about the nature
of film itself? What truths can film present us?
- What does the film say about the relationship between acting and psychosis?
How does acting put the psyche in question?
-
The Usual Suspects (Bryan Singer, 1995, 106m)
- preliminary questions
- This film serves as the base text for one of the questions on the midterm
exam; as we will not be discussing it in class, view it closely.
- thematic analysis
- Who is Verbal Kint? Who is Keyser Soze? What does the film say about
the nature of writing and reality?
Strategies for Viewing, Analyzing, and Writing about Film
Viewing Films
- Don't view movies passively! Movies need not be an escape from thinking
to be pleasurable; an escape into thinking about how the film works
and what it means is intellectually and emotionally satisfying. Question what
you see and how it's affecting you.
- Pay close attention to the formal elements such as mise en scène,
cinematography, dialogue, sound, among others (see below). Look for repeated
images, sounds, or dialogue—what is repeated tends to be significant and
meaningful.
- Although you should pay attention to the formal elements, don't engage the
film as pure form, pure spectacle. Instead, contemplate the inner conflicts
that the outward form conveys. In other words, think about the content, the
theme, just as much as the form, i.e., the message just as much as the medium.
- If you want to know a movie inside and out, you must view it more than once
for there's too much information (visual, aural, thematic) to completely process
the first time around.
Analyzing the Elements of Films
mise en scène: the
staging of the film
- setting
- How does the time period in which the film occurs affect the main characters
and structure their conflicts? the place? the social environment, the culture
and its conditions and assumptions? the objects around the main characters?
the atmosphere and mood?
- How does the setting's sense of realism, nonrealism, or indefiniteness
affect the overall meaning of the piece? How does setting construct and
build character? How does it organize the film, i.e., make it cohere or
not?
- subject (see also characterization)
- What do we learn about the character from her outward appearance?
- How does the type of actor playing the character a star, method actor,
character actor, or nonprofessional affect the meaning of the film?
- composition
- How do the formal and visual compositions of shots affect the meaning
of the scene? Why is a particular shot symmetrical (balanced) or assymetrical
(unbalanced)?
- How are the foreground and background elements related? Why does a shot
focus on the foreground rather than the background, or vice versa? What
is the significance of a shot switching focus between figure and ground?
- How are the actors situated within a frame? Are they among many objects,
or empty/negative space?
characterization
- What do we learn about the character's and her core conflicts?
- from her outward appearance?
- from her inner thoughts, if given through narration or suggested through
body language?
- from what she says?
- from what she does?
- from the accord or discrepency among her thoughts, words, and deeds?
- from others' interaction with and reaction to her?
- from others' discussion of her when she's around and when she's not
around?
- from the narrator's comments about her, if applicable?
- Does the character change, grow, learn?
- Is the character round (fully developed, three-dimensional) or flat
(stereotypical, conventional)?
Is the character dynamic (does the character change, develop, grow) or
static (does the characer remain the same, unchanged)?
- What is the arc or throughline of the dynamic character's development?
What is her core conflict?
In what ways does she resolve or transcend her core conflicts by the text's
end?
In what ways does she simply escape them or repress them?
In what ways does she truly engage and work through her conflicts?
cinematography: film stock, lighting, and the
camera
- film stock: how does the graininess and color of the film stock create
a tone that enhancings the meaning of the film?
- gauge: the width of the film (16mm, 35mm, 70mm); larger width means
better picture quality because the image is not as blown up on the screen
- speed: slow film stock requires more light and is in general grainier
than fast speed film which requires less light
- color: do the film's or scene's primary colors tend to be saturated
(full and intense) vs desaturated (bland and wash-out)? are the colors
warm (vibrant, alive, passionate) or cool (stagnant, dead, sterile)?
- lighting: how does the lighting reveal and create character?
- Is the light hard (severe and specular, making the characters appear
unflattering or overly dramatic) or soft (reflective and diffused, making
the characters appear most flattering and "normal")
- Is the light key (coming from a single specular source), fill (soft
light filling out the areas that the key light missed), back (coming from
behind the characters)? Is it a combination of all three, i.e., three-point
lighting?
- Is the lighting high-key (flooded with light) or low-key (only lightly
illuminated)?
- Do the shadows reveal as much as they conceal?
- the camera: how does the choice of camera lens, focus, angle, and distance
from the subject affect how we read the subject and the scene?
- lens: wide-angle lens emphasize distance, normal lens approximate normal
eyesight, and telephoto lens emphasize closeness
- focus: deep focus keeps all subjects in the frame in focus while shallow
focus only keeps one subject plane in focus
- distance: at one end of the spectrum, extreme long shots reveal characters
in their overall environments from a distance, while at the other, close-ups
and extreme close-up force the viewer to intrude into the subject's space,
creating a feeling of disorientation or discomfort (other shots in the
range include the long shot, medium shot, and medium close-up)
- perspective: the angle from which the camera captures the shot. Most
shots are eye-level in order that the viewer feel s/he is unselfconsciously
gazing upon a scene. Bird's eye view disorient the viewer by making them
see the frame from a completely foreign perspective. Low angles suggest
power over the subject while high angles imply the subject's power over
the scene. Dutch angles (angles that are askew) emphasize the chaotic
feelings of the scene and subject, and point-of-view shots create a one-to-one
identification between the viewer's gaze and the subject's.
- movement: Camera movements such as gradual pans, fast swish pans, crane
shots, and Steadicam give different feels for the action (contrast the
frenetic, jerky camera movements of MTV with the urgent yet graceful Steadicam
movements of ER).
editing
- the grammar of editing
- shot: uninterrupted film, the building blocks of scenes and sequences;
like a word is to sentences, paragraphs
- scene: a section of film that gives the impression of continuous action,
time, and place; like a sentence is to a paragraph
- sequence: a group of related consecutive scene unified most often by 1)
plot and/or 2) formal and symbolic imagery
- transition: the segway between shots
- cut: end of first shot attached to beginning of the second shot
- match or form cut: shape or movement of a subject in the beginning of
the second shot is similar to the subject in the first shot
- jump cut: second shot discontinuous with first shot
- fade-out, fade in: first shot fades out completely and then the
second shot fades in
- lap dissolve or dissolve: first shot fades out as the second
shot fades in
- wipe: the first shot is pushed off the scene by the second shot
- editing for continuity: films are generally edited so that shots flow
seemlessly into scenes and scenes flow seemlessly into shots in order that
the viewer not be distracted or confused; however, some films may use discontinuous
editing to emphasize a point or theme; if they do so, you must ask why they
chose a discontinuous or disorienting edit for a scene or sequence
- eyeline matches:
in the first shot a subject looks at something offscreen and in the next sceen
shows what the subject is looking at from approximately the subject's point
of view
- shot similarity: the same lighting and camera work between shots can give
a feeling of seemlessness
- shot/reverse shot: a shot from over the shoulder of subject one and showing
the face of subject two transitions to a shot over the shoulder of subject
two and showing the face of subject one
- image on image and image after image: like match cuts within the
same shot, combining images consitutes a visual and often thematic connection
- superimposition: during dissolve, the image from shot two is blended with
the image of shot one
- expressive juxtapositions: typically via jump cuts, the image from shot
two doesn't logically continue from the image of shot one in order to express
a point
- action and reaction: the action occurs in shot one, and the characters
react to the action in shot two
- parallel editing, or cross-cutting: the film shifts back and forth between
two or more subjects plotlines in order to effect the general continuity
between the shots
- pace and time: the rhythm and duration of the film
- slow cutting vs fast cutting: slow cutting (consecutive shots of long
duration) slows down the film's scenes while fast cutting (consecutive shots
of brief duration) speeds it up as in, for instance, the different overall
pacing of tragedy vs comedy, or of Dances with Wolves vs Naked
Gun
- film time vs real time: in order to cut to the quick of the point of the
story, film editing usually speeds up the duration of events in real time;
however, at times editing will choose to slow down time in order to emphasize
or dwell on a point (for example, the slow motion of the final at bat in
a tied baseball game)
- montage: a sequence of images used to convey character transition and
scenic change
sound
- vocals: dialogue obviously expresses the characters' ideas, but the
way the dialogue is presented can also express the film's themes; for instance,
quick, ejaculatory, overlapping dialogue in a newsroom can set the stage for
an intense drama while slow and deliberate conversation can set the scene
for a love story
- sound effects: give a sense of location and fill out a scene when
the ambient sound wasn't picked up on set or simply didn't sound right; as
with all of the formal elements of film, sound effects may be used to emphasize
a point
- music: music not only creates mood and atmosphere (suspenseful violins
in horror films) but also reveals character and emotion (Kronos Quartet's
intense score for Requiem for a Dream), sometimes via juxtaposition
and irony (think of the way the William Tell Overture is used ironically
with Little Alex's character in A Clockwork Orange)
- silence: the sound of silence can also be used to emphasize a filmic
point, most often resolution or death as with the extreme long shot
- sound as transition: sound (dialogue, music, effects, silence) may
also be used as editing features in order to augment or punctuate transitions
between shots (musically, this is called a bridge) or as a narrative feature
as an expository or advancement of the plot as in narration
narrative
- narrative: As narrative is a series of unified events, then it is the task
of the viewer to analyze those events to determine their unity and meaning
- structure: As structure is the selection and order of events, then it is
the task of the viewer to analyze those narrative decisions in order to determine
how they work together to create meaning
the basic fictional structure includes
- one or more characters trying to achieve particular goals
- but meeting certain obstacles conflicts (the most fundamental conflicts
are human vs nature, human vs other humans, and human vs self),
- with a basic plotline of
- beginning, in which the exposition of major characters, their goals, and
the unstable situation that sets the story in motion takes place,
- middle in which the main characters meet a series of obstacles to their
goals and often relating to their inner conflicts,
- and an ending in which the characters face consequences of their actions,
often resolving their conflicts
- time
- present: shows events happening in the present, the most common way filmmakers
unfold their narratives because it's least confusing to the audience (it's
the way we experience time)
- flashforward: shows a future event, within the filmic reality of the film
or in a character's intuitive mind, in order to emphasize a plot point, character
trait, or theme
- flashback: shows a past event, within the filmic reality of the film or
in a character's memory, in order to emphasize a plot point, character trait,
or theme
- plot vs fabula: because the events of the narrative may not be presented
chronologically, it's wise to differentiate plot (the selection and arrangement
of the story's events) and fabula (the viewer's mental reconstruction in chronological
order of all the events in a nonchronological plot)
Writing about Film
- Summarize, Analyze, Criticize: Argue the film's main theme or set
of interrelated themes as you interpret them through critical thought and
sound analysis. Make sure your interpretation, however particular and local
in the text, correlates with and suggests the overarching meaning of the film.
- Appreciate and Interrogate: Get into the film's psyche, it's world
view, and present it's themes on life and the world of ideas. However, don't
simply accept the film's message at face value; pose questions.
- Close Viewing and Quoting: Go through the most significant scenes
of the film frame by frame, line by line, but only insofar as it helps to
prove your point.
- Applying the Elements: Know how to formally analyze a film, but always
use formal critique as a means to the end of thematic investigation. Don't
analyze the elements of poetry in and of themselves; show how they function
to create meaning. For instance, formally analyze the elements of a film's mise en scène in order to determine its core conflicts.
- Practice: Write questions and interpretations—take notes—as you
view. Keep a viewing journal in which you articulate the themes of the films
you view. For class, send web-based discussion responses that
summarize the main themes of the film and pose issue questions for class discussion.
- Essay Exams: To write an effective essay exam, first anticipate what
questions you'll be asked as you read and review your notes and the films.
Practice composing your response beforehand, for instance by preparing and
memorizing an outline of each film's main scenes and thematic points. When
writing the actual exam, note that instructors don't expect in-class essays
to be polished; however, they do want you to hit the primary themes of the
material as they relate to the essay questions. Show what you know and how
you think: present as many critical and analytical ideas as possible in the
time allowed.
Listserv Response
The goal of the listserv response is to practice actively watching movies and
interpret them thematically. Although I'm only requiring that you turn in one,
I suggest that you write these kinds of response for yourself after every movie
we see in this class for doing so will greatly help you study for the
quizzes and exams. Click here for the sign-up
sheet.
1. Primary Questions
Your listserv response, of approximately 500 words and due in class after we
watch the film and on the listserv later that day, should 1) give a brief summary
of the basic scenes, 2) analyze the film thematically, 3) broach an issue for
class discussion. Think of the following basic questions to get you started
on the listserv.
- Scene Summary: Where is the story set?
Thematic Analysis: How does the setting contribute to the meaning of
the film?
- Scene Summary: Who are the main characters?
Thematic Analysis: What are the main characters primary charecteristics,
what are their issues?
- Scene Summary: What external conflicts motivate the action of the
story?
Thematic Analysis: How do the outer conflict relate to underlying,
internal conflicts of the main characters?
- Scene Summary: How is the outer conflict resolved, if at all?
Thematic Analysis: How is the inner conflict resolved, if at all?
2. Sample Answers
Here are sample answers for the film E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (Steven
Spielberg, 1982/2002, 116m).
- Scene Summary: The story is set in the home of a suburban California
development that's still under construction and near a forest.
Thematic Analysis: The juxtaposition of forest and development represents
the difference between the child's fantasy world of possibilities in the forest
and the adult world of society that the child doesn't yet fit into.
- Scene Summary: The story focuses on an stranded alien and a middle
child boy in a single-mother family with two siblings.
Thematic Analysis: The alien is cute and curious, almost petlike. The
boy is left out and out of place in his family and the world.
- Scene Summary: An stranded alien being chased by the government hides
out with a child, but must return home before being caught by the government
or dying from being apart from his people. This outer conflict coincides with
the inner conflict of the boy's need to come to terms with being abandoned
by his father.
Thematic Analysis: A boy who feels out of place in his own family because
he hasn't dealt with being abandoned by his father must integrate himself
back into the family and secure their love.
- Scene Analysis: The alien safely returns home.
Thematic Analysis: The child's successfully mourns the loss of his
father and rejoins his family.
3. Sample Response
Here's the final response that starts with the basic questions, but fills out
the answers with an analysis of the major scenes and plot points. Note that
is concludes with an issue for class discussion.
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982/2002,
116m)
The film opens with a series of juxtapositions: on the one hand, the infinite
possibility of the universe (a shot of the sky) on the other the dreamy, foggy
wilderness of the mind (a shot of the forest); next, the feeling of childhood
wonderment and sentimentality as the aliens are cute and curious like innocent,
timid animals, on the other the feeling of terror as the adults are aggressively
hunt the aliens. Jump to a nice house in the suburbs (significantly, the development
is only half finished and still under construction), but the family inside is
broken—the father has abandoned the family. Elliot, a lonely middle child with
no group of friends of his own (his older brother and friends tease him), is
passive-aggressive and attacks his mother for allowing the split. On an errand
outside, he encounters E.T. in the shed (the father's space) and they play catch.
E.T. is characterized not just as a pet or a friend but also as a surrogate
father—one who Elliot leads into the home with candy and who will eventually
return the favor symbollically. Elliot and E.T. don't simply bond, they share
the same feelings—they become the same person, literally—they share a heartbeat—and
symbollically. E.T. is E(llio)t abbreviated; E.T. is Elliot's double. Elliot
is made whole with E.T.; and together they can do anything, even fly (literally,
the sky's the limit.) When E.T. heals Elliot's "ouch" and animates
the dead flowers, he symbolically begins healing his heart. However, Elliot's
repressed conflict returns: "E.T. phone home" signifies that E.T.
must return home in order to simply live, and so too must Elliot, or he will
die spiritually. By helping E.T. return to his family, Elliot can rejoin his
family. But first, Elliot must learn how to properly mourn. The problem: the
government invades the home and disrupts the process. However, E.T., Elliot's
surrogate father, dies and break the connection they share; Elliot has almost
completed the mourning process. Once E.T. dies, he must be buried properly for
Elliot to mourn successfully; again, the government interferes as they're going
to dissect E.T. like a frog. But E.T. isn't really dead for his family are near
and healing him. Elliot enlists the aide of his brother, who by this time has
bonded with Elliot, and his friends to help smuggle E.T. to the safety of E.T.'s
family. Once there, Elliot and E.T. have a proper goodbye and Elliot learns
that E.T., like his real father, will remain in his mind forever. E.T. is not
just the surrogate father; he is the transitional object who helps Elliot mourn
the loss of his real father and re-finding his place in his family.
Issue: In the first 3/4 of the film, the adults/government are lurking
and surveilling; and when they are finally introduced it's via a terrifying
home invasion. But just moments later, the doctor takes off his mask and becomes
a kind and gentle surrogate father to Elliot, and perhaps also to E.T. The doctor,
or at least the military, soon become the enemy again as Elliot must rescue
E.T. from becoming a lab experiment. How are we to read the film's radical attitude
shifts toward the adult world?
4. Sign Up
Sign up for one slot (and refer back to this page so you don't forget that
you signed up for it). Bring a hard copy of your response to class on the next
class period when we discuss the film, as we'll base some class discussion on
your response. Further, I ask that you post your response to the course listserv, listserv-blazer@lists.acs.ohio-state.edu,
sans attachments, after class so your peers can peruse it at their leisure.
Responses will be penalized two-letter grades for not being handed in at the
beginning of class on the due date; responses will be further penalized four-letter
grades for posts to the course-listserv after 12PM the day after the due date.
As you know in advance when your response is due, it's your responsibility to
set aside time to write it and have internet access with which to post it. I
do not accept excuses like "I sent it to the wrong address," "I
couldn't get internet access," "I forgot," or "My dog ate
my disk." To make sure that your response went through, check the email
address on which you receive the course listserv. Click here for assignment
instructions and a sample response.
| Week 1 |
Opera
Due Wednesday, 4-3 |
Tiffany Boggs
Kimberly Childers
Alexis Doucet
Allison Walker |
| Week 2 |
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
Due Wednesday, 4-10 |
Jennifer Brown
Lisa Hansen
Justin S. Malhotra
Christina Smith
Amanda Treleaven |
| Week 3 |
Barton Fink
Due Wednesday, 4-17 |
Stephany Bagby
Natalie Bucceri
Matthew Jehn
Melissa Landy
Marianne Tinnel
Beth Yost |
| Week 4 |
Being John Malkovich
Due Wednesday, 4-24 |
Jeremy George
Chris Holmes
Trevor James Hawes
Antonio Jara
Krissy Jones
Lisa Radigan |
| Week 5 |
Midterm Exam |
No Listservs |
| Week 6 |
eXistenZ
Due Wednesday, 5-8 |
Jerome Brown
Allison Grupski
Wendy Hoop
Erin Lawson
Jeff Matcha
Leslie Phlipot
Anne Marie Thomas |
| Week 7 |
Croupier
Due Wednesday, 5-15 |
Dave Cooney
Eliot Dow
John Weaver |
| Week 8 |
Mulholland Drive
Due Wednesday, 5-22 |
Nate Hahn
Matt Larson
Eric Kjellander
Dana Mangano
Adam Poe
Cory Vail |
| Week 9 |
Persona
Due Wednesday, 6-3 |
Christina Everhart
Natalie Liptak
Stephanie Rogers
Amy Schneider
Paul Warkentin |
| Week 10 |
The Usual Suspects
Due Friday, 6-7 |
Michelle Dungan
Justin Johnston |
| Finals Week |
Final Exam |
No Listservs |
Final Paper
The films we've been screening in this course take for their explicit focus
the psychological issues surrounding the world of film as film. In these movies
we've met spectators, actors, and writers for whom the real world, harsh and
chaotic, falls away as they, in their various quests and confusions, look to
art—to film—for the peace of mind that only a structured sense of reality
can afford. On the one hand, for these characters, the inward reality of desire
and delusion overwhelms external reality; on the other, for these films, external
reality becomes not only blurred but also put in question by fantastical and
filmic reality. Below is a list of films that fit the focus of this course but
did not make the final cut. For the final paper, compose an essay that rigorously
compares and contrasts the main character and/or theme from a movie shown in
class with a movie from the list below. Obviously, your essay cannot and should
not cover every topic discussed above. Rather it should focus on one or two
core problems. Some general questions you may choose from as you compose your
focused reading of the films are: What are the character's core conflicts regarding
the issues of spectatorship, acting, or writing in each movie? What theme does
each movie make regarding these topics? How does the movie place the nature
of reality (of the mind and/or of the physical world) up for debate? Finally,
make sure that your essay conducts a scrupulous and tight interpretation of
the two films by having a strong thesis/controlling idea, applying keen argumentation,
and analyzing key evidence and formal elements. Avoid simple plot summary. If
you've not taken 110 or 367 recently or written formal papers lately, this handout
on argumentative and analytical papers may refresh your memory.
To limit your choices, I suggest consulting IMDb or AFI Film Institute Catalog for film
summaries. I'm glad to offer feedback on possible pair ups and overall theses,
especially face-to-face after class or during my office hours. If you want to
use a movie not listed here, you must okay it with me, otherwise I will
not accept it. (Films in bold denote movies I've not yet seen but plan to watch
soon; according to what I've read about them, they fit the focus of the class.)
Typed, double-spaced essays of at least 1500 words long must conform to MLA
format in general and my preferences for formal
paper format in particular. Due Wednesday, May 29 at 8:30 A.M., you
may turn in your paper in one of two ways: 1) hard copy printout or 2) on a
PC-formatted 3.5" disk, Zip-100, or CDRW whose only file is the
paper entitled by your last name, and written in either Microsoft Word for Windows
or Word Perfect for Windows. I suggest using the following templates: Word or Word Perfect. Any diversion from
these specifications will result in an automatic one-day late penalty and the
penalty will continue to accumulate until you turn in the file in the proper,
specified format.
In-Class Films (choose one)
Barton Fink (Joel Coen, 1991, 117m)
Being John Malkovich (Spike Jonze, 1999, 112m)
Croupier (Mike Hodges, 1999, 91m)
eXistenZ (David Cronenberg, 1999, 97m)
Mulholland Dr. (David Lynch, 2001, 147m)
Opera (Dario Argento, 1987, 107m)
Persona (Ingmar Bergman, 1966, 81m)
Sunset Boulevard (Billy Wilder, 1950, 110m)
The Usual Suspects (Bryan Singer, 1995, 106m)
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (Robert Aldrich, 1962, 132m)
Outside Films (choose one)
All about Eve (Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1950, 138m)
American History X (Tony Kaye, 1998, 119m)
American Psycho (Mary Harron, 2000, 101m)
The Belly of an Architect (Peter Greenaway, 1987, 108m)
Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982, 118m)
Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985, 131m)
Celebrity (Woody Allen, 1998, 114m)
Chuck & Buck (Miguel Arteta, 2000, 96m)
Cinema Paradiso (Giuseppi Tornatore, 1988, 123m)
A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971, 137m)
The Conversation (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974, 113m)
Crimes and Misdemeanors (Woody Allen, 1989, 104m)
Dark City (Alex Proyas, 1998, 100m)
Dead Man (Jim Jarmusch, 1996, 120m)
Death in Venice (Lucino Visconti, 1971, 130m)
Deconstructing Harry (Woody Allen, 1997, 96m)
Donnie Darko (Richard Kelly, 2001, 113m)
Eyes Wide Shut (Stanley Kubrick, 1999, 154m)
Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999, 139m)
The Game (David Fincher, 1997, 128m)
Girl, Interrupted (James Mangold, 1999, 127m)
Man Bites Dog (Rémy Belvaux, 1992, 88m)
The Matrix (The Wachowski Brothers, 1999, 136m)
Memento (Christopher Nolan, 2001, 116m)
Misery (Rob Reiner, 1990, 107m)
Open Your Eyes (Alejandro Amenábar, 1997, 117m)
Pi (Darren Aronofsky, 1998, 85m)
The Player (Robert Altman, 1992, 123m)
Pleasantville (Gary Ross, 1998, 123m)
Rear Window (Alfred Hitchcock, 1954, 112m)
Series 7: The Contenders (Daniel Minahan, 2001, 88m)
sex, lies, and videotape (Steven Soderbergh, 1989, 100m)
The Sixth Sense (M. Night Shyamalan, 1999, 107m)
The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 1980, 142m)
Strange Days (Kathryn Bigelow, 1995, 122m)
Tenebre (Dario Argento, 1987, 101m)
The Thirteenth Floor (Josef Rusnak, 1999, 100m)
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (Pedro Almodóvar, 1990, 101m)
Total Recall (Paul Verhoeven, 1990, 109m)
The Truman Show (Peter Weir, 1998, 102m)
Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958, 128m)
Vanilla Sky (Cameron Crowe, 2001, 114m)
Videodrome (David Cronenberg, 1983, 90m)
With a Friend like Harry (Dominik Moll, 2000, 117m)
Completed Final Paper Film Comparisons
Barton Fink
American History X
Dead Man
The Shining
|
eXistenZ
The Game
The Matrix
The Thirteenth Floor
Total Recall |
Being John Malkovich
American Psycho
Donnie Darko
Fight Club
Pleasantville
Rear Window
The Truman Show
Vertigo |
Mulholland Dr.
American Psycho
Donnie Darko
Fight Club
Lost Highway
Memento
The Truman Show
Vanilla Sky |
Croupier
Fight Club
The Truman Show |
Sunset Boulevard
All about Eve
American History X |
Opera
The Piano
|
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
All about Eve
American Psycho |