History 477

Devine

Spring 2013

Movie Review Assignment

This assignment asks you to review and analyze one of the four movies we discussed in class – She Done Him Wrong, Modern Times, 42nd Street, or Duck Soup. You are not simply to provide a plot synopsis. Rather, focus on a particular issue or issues that the movie addresses. You can draw on our class discussion or from the assigned and optional readings. There is no need to go beyond the reading posted on the syllabus.

Among the many issues you might consider:

Cultural Subversion and accommodation:

What stance does a particular movie take toward existing cultural authorities (for example, governmental officials, established institutions, the law, patriots and patriotism, traditional moral guardians)? In what ways, if any, is the film subversive and how so? In what ways, if any, does the film seem to encourage support for the status quo, and, if so, how? What strategies of subversion and/or accommodation does the film depict? What kind of alternative, if any, does the film suggest?

The Possibilities – and Constraints – of Sound

How does a given movie use the new possibilities of sound as part of its comedy (or, in the case of Chaplin’s Modern Times, also resist these possibilities)? What kind of verbal (and visual) comedy is at work? Taking into account that dialogue is also “sound,” how do various characters speak? What use is made of vernacular and slang as well as “highbrow” speech? How does song or spectacle contribute to the comic sense of the film? How in Modern Times is sound used to emphasize the distinction between humans and machines?

Gender and Sexual Politics

What message does a given film convey about women, men, and the relations between the sexes? How are women depicted in relation to traditional gender roles and expectations (for example, in 42^nd Street or She Done Him Wrong)? What kinds of transgressive behavior, if any, do you see the characters engage in? What are the terms of romantic relationships – for example, who seems to have more power, men or women? How is the “bad girl” depicted in 42^nd Street or She Done Him Wrong?

Class Tensions/ Power Relations

How does a particular film present the wealthy, the poor, the workers, the boss, those in power, those lacking (or striving for) power? How do different classes of people get along? How is humor used to spoof or challenge widely accepted class relations? To what class do the “heroes” and “villains” belong?

Finally, keep in mind that these film are comedies. What comic tactics do they employ – slapstick, satire, parody, the carnivalesque, dark or gallows humor? How do they employ comedy to make broader social critiques? Are they effective in their use of comedy?

When is it due?

This assignment is due when we return from break in two weeks – April 16 – though you may email it to me at any time before that date.

How Long?

At least 900 words and NO LONGER than 1100 words. The assignment is intended to give you practice in conveying as many insightful points as you can in a limited amount of space.

Citing?

You should put the name and year of the movie you are reviewing at the top of your review. Otherwise, you do not need to cite the movie in the body of your essay. If you cite any readings, simply cite the author and page # à (Sklar, 46)