Advance Screening

I think the majority of students in this class have been doing very well. The jump in the level of engagement and ability between papers one and two, plus the continuing accumulation of interesting points of view in the logs has been extremely enjoyable and satisfying---to me, and I hope to you, too. That said, there are students who are still woefully behind, in terms of handing work in and in terms of even understanding what we’ve been doing in class. So this final paper offers something different to each group of students. For those who have truly been students, this paper should be seen as a challenging opportunity to present a polished example of what you’ve gained over the semester. For those who have been occupying seats in the classroom, this paper is a last chance to try to turn something in.

Choosing either Storytelling, Hamlet, Cat People, or Freeway, discuss how the film addresses the status of Truth. Pay particular attention to the relation between specific narrative elements and the film’s subject matter. In other words, how does the film uses the devices of film making (including genre) to raise questions about the nature of Truth?

Some things to consider. Both Storytelling and Hamlet focus on the narrative mediation of reality. Both of these films spend time examining, among other things, the crucial role that communication media play in our apprehension of the world and it’s “truth.” Storytelling juxtaposes the conceptual categories of “fiction” and “nonfiction,” as well as two different media: written and filmed narratives. And nearly every one of the characters represent conflicting and contradictory views or “truths.” Hamlet draws our eye, over and over again, to the dominance of the visual image in contemporary culture, and the privileged status of film as medium for understanding and expressing ourselves.

Cat People and Freeway both use what could be considered trivial or debased art forms (the horror film, melodrama, comic books and the exploitation film) for serious ends: a feminist critique of traditional notions of female sexuality. Cat People can be read as a study of female sexual repression and Freeway rewrites a fear-engendering blame-the-victim children’s tale (Little Red Riding Hood) into an over-the-top ode to female empowerment. In Cat People, Irena’s “truth” (her fears and desires) is dismissed by the other characters, especially the authority figure of the (male) psychoanalyst. In Freeway, Vanessa not only wards off an attack by a serial killer, but also repeated attacks on her honesty and truth telling.

We can talk a bit about this next class since Cat People only runs 71 minutes. We’ll see Freeway the week after that, with an all discussion class the following week to hash out anything else necessary for this paper. All papers must be turned in on the last day of class, when we’ll also be screening one final film yet to be announced.

Length: 6-7 pages, typed, double-spaced, titled and stapled
Due: May 15 (Final day of class)