Fluent Essays

You will    write a  movie review on the    film    of y  our    choice relevant to   the    topics and    time period of   the  course (pre-colonization to   1877).Ann X. Ample History 201 Online – Summer 2014 TITLE: REVIEW – Your Film Title Here (Italicize, underline, or quotes) A. ABSTRACT: 1. What is the basic plot? 2. What are the major influences in the plot (these are possibilities)? a. Neo-colonialism b. Ethnic Nationalism/Social Darwinism c. Capitalism & materialism d. Manifest Destiny e. Ethnic & gender Self-determination f. Mal-distribution of wealth B. MEDIA: 1. What type of film is being presented? a. Action b. Comedy c. Documentary d. Docu-Drama e. Drama f. Pop Culture 2. What was the story filmed in? a. Black and white (usually a statement film) b. Color c. Both (black and white often used to authenticate the storyline) 3. Did music have an important role? a. Was it used passively in the background or as an integral part of the scene? b. Was it classical, jazz, hip-hop, country, r&b, rap, r&r, latin, middle- eastern? 4. Were there special effects or unusual camera angles? a. Explosions, gunfire, other sound effects b. Computer generated graphics c. Panoramic views d. Close-ups e. Use of light - natural/artificial, shadows 5. What type of dialogue occurred? a. Academic/Scientific jargon b. Contemporary/Slang c. Obscene/Scatalogical d. Foreign accent/Foreign language e. Subtitles f. Elizabethan g. Southern drawl/Brooklynese 6. What type of actors were used? a. Well-known stars b. Unknowns c. Did the story need a recognized actor to make up for a lack in the subject? d. Was the story-line strong enough to be accurately portrayed by anyone? e. Was the bottom-line the amount of money that the director hoped to make by using stars in his cast? C. CONTENT: 1. Discuss three pivotal scenes and their significance. 2. What are the major issues in these scenes? a. Political b. Economic c. Technological d. Social/cultural D. BIAS: 1. Has the director made similar films like this one? 2. Did he present a story slanted along inclusion, exclusion, or omission of these topics? a. Ethnicity b. Gender c. Class d. Religion e. Politics 3. Was there conflict among the characters based on the previous question, and was the conflict intensified, resolved, or left open for interpretation? E. EFFECTIVENESS: 1. How did you feel about the movie? 2. Why did you feel this way? F. HISTORICAL CONTEXT / FACTUAL BACKGROUND: 1. Why was this film possible and profitable? 2. Is the film based on historic events? 3. Source of historical confirmation? 4. Does the film present any concepts and values from the past that are a part of today’s culture; why or why not? ONDavid Vasquez History 119 Movie Review #2 12/04/2005 Grapes of Wrath By John Steinbeck Directed By John Ford ASTRACT: The novel Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck was made into a controversial movie in 1936 directed by John Ford. Under the direction of director John Ford, the Grapes of Wrath told the story of a particular family that was one of many migrants from Okalahoma that was affected by the Great Depression and dust storms that corroded the land they lived on. The economic and natural disasters that families had experience forced many families to pick up and leave the farms they had worked and lived on for years. The Goad family was one of these families that after decades of living and working the only land they now had to leave; in fact, they were forced because although they lived on the land, they were actually only sharecroppers. Share croppers such as the Goad family, were forced to leave all they had and knew on the account that the superintendents, under orders of banks and political elites, drove poor working class people off lands for economic and political reasons. Thomas Goad, the eldest son of the Goad family, returns to his family during this time and after serving four years in prison. When he arrives, he finds them absent from the family home, and the home is in shambles. Along the way, Thomas meets a preacher who follows him to his old house and there they find hiding a neighbor who explains the situation. The neighbor tells Thomas that his family is at his uncle’s farm and is Commented [JU1]: NOTE: Title must be italicized or underlined. expecting to leave to California with the rest of his family. Thomas find this hard to believe due to the long history his family has had with the farm. However, he learns of the forced evacuations and the “dusters,” winds that turned the once “Garden of Eden” land into desert. The reason is however, unclear why families are forced to evacuate since blame on the whole issue goes from superintendent, companies, banks, and eventually to the mysterious unknown men back East. Thomas is very disturbed and grows angry, and once he finds his family he joins them through their struggles of leaving all they know for the unknown California where they hope they will find work and prosperity once again. Inspired by a pamphlet that promises such, the Goad family soon is on the way, with Thomas, and experiences the hard realities of prejudices, discriminations, poverty, and false hopes that comes from the migration. Through out this plot, the viewer can witness all aspects of social, political, and ethnic determination the Goad family had to face. In addition, the severity of how social class was used to pit people against each other in the name of progress and capitalist gain. MEDIA: The Grapes of Wrath was made in 1940 and is entirely black and white. Steinbeck became aware of the political sit