Week 8

Everything speaks. –James Joyce Good day to you all. I hope you had a nice weekend.  A Film Review requires the reviewer put across a clear sense of the story being told or dramatized.  The reviewer summarizes  the action  that drives the story forward, and the conflict at the heart of the plot events; the characters whose circumstances and actions we follow throughout;  the setting elements generally and as highlighted by specific scenes; and the play of ideas the film puts in motion.     A review is unified by the reviewer's opinion of the film's merit, including high notes and low notes, the best and the worst, the strengths and the weaknesses.  The introductory paragraph introduces the film by title and director, and year of release.   For example:  Adventureland (2009), written and directed by Greg Mottola, is a lyrical, funny romantic comedy set among a group of eighteen to twentyish suburban kids who work the summer at a down-scale local amusement park, and make their best of the opportunity it allows them to get to know each other, and have some fun. The names of important characters should be introduced, and, if desired, the name of the particular actor playing the role.  A brief summary of the kind of characters and the action they are caught up in in the film is appropriate.  In a short essay, your focus may be limited to one or two characters, with mere mention of others.  The thesis or central idea of the review/essay should be hinted at if not stated outright in the opening lines.  The body paragraphs should illustrate by means of description of key scenes or events, and the ideas and emotions the film encourages one to take from these scenes and events. The conclusion should underscore the reviewer's central idea in a fresh way.  Often this emphasis is created by focusing on the climax and conclusion of the film; however, you may focus on a particular or key image of character, setting, or action to make your thesis clear and convincing. Say you find a film beautiful and romantic in its depiction of the saving nature of love; your conclusion would provide reference to some aspect of the the film's actions, characters, or images overall, to convey the impression you felt most strongly. The film I have brought is called Silas Marner (1985), a BBC adaptation of one of the most popular novels of  George Eliot, a 19th century English woman who assumed a male nom de plume so that she would not be judged an inferior simply because she was a woman, in a day when the work of female writers was not taken seriously.  It is the story of a man brought to his senses in a series of remarkable occurrences involving catastrophic loss and redemptive love.  Ben Kingsley plays the title role, that of Silas Marner, a reclusive linen weaver.  It was filmed on location in a part of England called the Cotswold. The other film choice is a 60-minute adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Black Cat," with, according to the jacket notes, some admixture of biographical material drawn from what is known of the life of Edgar Allan Poe, an American writer of the 19th century famous for his tales of horror and mystery.  Introduce the film by its title, The Black Cat (2006), and identify the director as Stuart Gordon. Essay #8:  The objective of this essay is to describe in summary a film story and to express your understanding of one or more of its themes, and the roles that characters of note play.  Setting and particular scene depiction may be one means of conveying the impressions the film makes.  Introduce the film by title and release date.  Underline your thesis idea.  Write a minimum of 350 words.  Those not in class can substitute a film of choice for the assignment.