Essays on Film Page 5

Analysis The film Elephant, by Gus Van Sant is often compared to the events of the Columbine Massacre, however not directed connected, Van Sant has admitted it to be the topic behind it. Watching this as though it was a depiction of the event, I did not feel that it acted as a recount. I…

Abstract Since the 1970s, the soundtrack in Hollywood has come of age as a complex and sophisticated site of cinematic art. Greater combinations of sounds expressing a wider spectrum of tones, textures and volumes can be heard at the movies more than ever before, while behind the scenes, the number of personnel producing them has…

Which would be worse, to live as a monster? Or to die as a good man? (Shutter Island) Shutter Island takes place in and around Ashecliffe Hospital in 1954. Ashecliffe is an institution for the criminally insane. The film opens on a ferry transporting U.S Federal Marshal Teddy Daniels played by Leonardo DiCaprio and his new partner…

When a symbol is displayed people react to it harmonizing to how they have seen that symbol earlier. This is explained with Saussure ‘s ‘theory of the mark ‘ where the sign/ symbol has a depicted significance that is conveyed and carried with it. Through the usage of Signifier and Signified people invariably ( without…

There are many aspects to compare and contrast after reading and then viewing the play written by Shakespeare, Othello. The book adds a lot more details than the actual film because films only have a certain amount of time to explain everything going on. With that being said, this essay will briefly compare and contrast…

The Vietnam War is widely regarded as the biggest failure in American foreign policy, as its loss of support was witnessed by the American public through nightly television broadcasts. This war, which lasted longer than any other in American history, created a greater division among Americans than any event since the Civil War. After suffering…

            The concept of mise-en-scene is a French term which literally means “put in the scene.” It is originally a theater term but when applied to film, it covers a broader meaning, and refers to everything used to complete a scene or a shot. It is basically concerned with composition, for example, framing, movement of…

This chapter examines the influence of Jean Baudrillard’s and Fredric Jameson’s perspectives on the postmodern within the realm of film studies. Both theorists have had a significant impact on film theory and history, and their most influential contributions are discussed in the first two sections. The first section delves into Baudrillard’s texts Simulations and America,…

Laura as Film NoirIntroductionDuring the war years of the 1940s, there emerged a film genre in American cinema that film critics recognized and termed film noir. The term film noir literally means “black film” in French, although the adjective noir also denotes dark emotions, including gloom and sadness, both of which are also appropriate in…

In 1961, West Side Story, a filmed version of the hit Broadway musical that was inspired by William Shakespeares “Romeo and Juliet,” was released to viewers, who just could not resist the energy and excitement of the movie. Thirty-eight years later, viewers, like myself, still cannot resist it. I had never seen the film, which…