...the term “auteur” has been questioned by some commentators as failing to acknowledge the complexity of the filmmaking process. With reference to one of the directors studied so far on the module, discuss the degree to which analysing his films through an auteurist perspective can help or hinder understanding. You should take into account the ways in which your chosen director uses the resources of cinema as a medium as well as the question of personal vision. Film director Pedro Almodóvar was symbol of Spain’s newfound freedom in the post-Franco democracy and has since developed into the dominant figure of contemporary Spanish cinema. Paul Smith (2000: 5) describes him as “the one true auteur to emerge in the 1980’s”, while many commentators see him as a “consummate and undisputed auteur” (Jordan and Allinson, 2005: 77). However, attempting to conclusively define Almodóvar as an “auteur” is challenging as the concept has been consistently defined and redefined since its inception. Vernon and Morris (1995: 13) state, “Models of auteurism at work today bear scant resemblance to the term’s original meaning”. Through an auteurist perspective, we must consider how both Almodóvar and his films conform to aspects of both the original ‘theory’, such as personal vision and ‘signatures’, and subsequent developments of the concept focusing on areas of collaboration and commercialisation. Our conclusions can then be used to determine whether Almodóvar’s status, as an auteur or not, helps...
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...Hitchcock had been described as one of the first 'auteurs' through the stylistic techniques recurring throughout his work, creating a sort of synergy in the films he has produced which today, have been recognised as 'Hitchcockian'. An auteur is usually someone who can be recognised by their films due to a certain kind of theme they take and employ throughout their work. Key elements of the 'Hitchcockian" genre appearing in Rear window include voyeurism, suspense, female roles, and use of theatrical elements. What makes these techniques "Hitchcockian" is that he uses them most consistently throughout his films. Examples of the techniques employed in rear window can also be clearly seen in his other films, for example vertigo can be made comparable to rear window. Psycho and rope also embed "Hitchcockian" themes into them. To enable us to understand what is "Hitchcockian" about rear window and the elements employed, we must consider comparisons to the other works of Hitchcock. Rear window has been described as one of Hitchcock's "Rear window is arguably one of Hitchcock's most "theatrical films"" a common Hitchcockian aspect presenting itself in Rear window is the use of theatrical as well as cinematic qualities. Rear window uses only one main setting, that being the view of neighbours houses through Jeff's back window, which has...
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...La scène de la douche dans Psychose d’Alfred Hitchcock La scène de la douche que je présente aujourd’hui est extraite du film « Psychose » ou « Psycho » en version originale et est considérée comme l’une des plus célèbres séquences du cinéma. Ce film, réalisé par Alfred Hitchcock en 1960, est certainement le film d’horreur qui a le plus influencé l’histoire du cinéma. En effet, le dénouement était aussi inattendu qu’effrayant. Alfred Hitchcock était un réalisateur anglais qui s’est installé aux Etats-Unis en 1940. Il fut le seul à croire en l’adaptation au cinéma du livre de Robert Bloch et pour cela il prit des risques : il choisit des acteurs inconnus à l’époque (Janet Leigh et Anthony Perkins), il tourna en noir et blanc (alors que le premier film en couleur datait de 1922), avec un petit budget, il fit disparaitre l’héroïne dès le premier tiers du film, mais surtout il osa tourner un film violent avec un meurtre sanglant. Le film, qui dure 1h49, commence sur une scène entre deux amants dans une chambre. La femme, Marion est en sous-vêtements, ce qui présentait encore un risque à l’époque car les règles de censure étaient très strictes. Marion n’est pas heureuse, elle souhaiterait vivre son amour au grand jour, si seulement ils avaient de l’argent… Puis Marion, qui est secrétaire, se voit confier la tâche d’aller déposer une grosse somme d’argent à la banque pour son patron. Elle rentre chez elle, fait ses valises, et quitte la ville en voiture avec l’argent. Après deux...
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...Film Analysis: Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock The scene in the film Rear Window was about the community and the protagonist named L.B. Jefferies. The scene started with the window. Then came the cat walking in the alley. From that moment, the audience can see the whole set of the neighborhood early in the morning and L.B. Jefferies sleeping when he was sweaty. Next, the viewer can see the old fashioned thermometer, the composer shaving his beard, the couple sleeping outside their balcony, the dancing woman in a pink undergarment, the dog’s leash tied to the lamppost, and the woman with a pet bird. Then back to the L.B. Jefferies. At that moment, the viewer can see him taking a nap in his pajamas, in a wheelchair, his leg in a cast with his name on it, his broken camera, his black and white pictures, and a magazine of a woman. Overall, Alfred Hitchcock filmed this scene to deliver the audience the idea of what the neighborhood looks like, who are the people in the neighborhood, and what they do in their everyday life. Not only about the neighborhood but also the protagonist. He also wants to show what kind of a person L.B. Jefferies is and why is the protagonist of the story. In general, Alfred Hitchcock delivered his beautiful art of mise-en-scene and cinematography to convey this scene. In terms of mise-en-scene, the most noticeable elements observed in the scene were the production design and acting. For the production design, the 1950’s feel of the movie was effective...
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...Introduction This essay seeks to analyse the use of mise-en-scene in one of the early scenes in the film American Beauty, directed by Sam Mendes. Mise-en-scene, a French term translated as "putting into the scene", refers to properties of a cinematic image that exists independently of camera position, camera movement, and editing. The story centres on Lester, played by Kevin Spacey, a father who is experiencing a mid-life crisis. Despite employing a traditional Hollywood plot structure that focuses on a problem and a protagonist’s quest in resolving the issue, the film is special. The problem in the film is special as it is Lester’s entire state of life – his unhappiness and dissatisfaction of the way things are in his life. The film’s theme centres on the definition of happiness, more specifically in the context of the American Dream. The characters of the American Beauty seem to have confused material well-being with happiness. The plot is pushed by the main protagonist, Lester, in trying to find meaning and happiness in his life that was before dictated by the American expectation. We will be looking at the second scene of the film, which begins when Lester enters Brad’s office to discuss his performance at work. Brad is the company efficiency expert who was recently hired. The scene will be discussed separately based on two different locations. The essay will examine the use of settings, costume and make up, staging, lighting and lastly the use of space and time for each...
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...j'ai choisi de parler d'un film que j'ai regardé dans le class il y deux semaines. La film était appelle ‘Au Revoir les enfants’ et il a lieu aux en France au cours de la guerre. Il s'agit d'une école pour les garçons qui est se cache peuple juif, comme jean bonnet et son frère. Finalement, la peuple juif sont trouvé et et fait prisonnier par les Allemands. Je pense que il y a deux personnages principaux qui sont tous les deux comme important comme l'un l'autre. Une est jean bonnet et la autre est Julien Quentin. Premièrement, julien est a élève dans l’école aussi est son frère qui est appelle Francois, Julien est plus de un besoin de sa mère que Francois mais obtient dans la troubler quand meme. Jean est un nouvel élève à l'école et est aussi une des personnes juives dans la clandestinité. Il est très intelligent en plus il est bon en maths et est étonnant au piano. je crois l'acteur interprete très bien le role de jean bonnet. Selon moi, l'histoire est vraiment émotionnel par consequent c'était trés émouvante, cependant, le film démarre lentement et s'éternise un peu trop long... cela vous rend pressé d'arriver à la fin pour découvrir le sort du personnage jean bonnet. je n'ai pas aimé ce film autant que 'les choristes', autre d’un film j’ai regarde dans le classe, parce que C'était moins passionnant que 'les choristes'. En conclusion, je apprécié le film et je recommend ça si vous aimez l'histoire parce que tu vas trouver ça interessant mais malheureusement je ne veux pas...
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...Auteur Theory: Translated from the French, auteur simply means "author". There have been varied perceptions regarding this theory, its importance and effectiveness. Auteur theory is essentially “a method of evaluating films based on the director’s involvement and input”. The concept of ‘Auteur’ was first introduced by François Truffaut in 1954 in A Certain Tendency in French Cinema.(1) In this work he claimed that film is a great medium for expressing the personal ideas of the director. He suggested that this meant that the director should therefore be regarded as an auteur. According to him, there are three forms in which a director may be regarded as an Auteur. He agreed with André Basin’s idea that the film must be the direct expression of the director’s vision. The second aspect was that the director must be skilled with the camera. He believed the director is to camera as the writer is to pen. Lastly he believed for a director to be considered as an Auteur, he must leave behind a distinctive signature (based on Alexander Astruc’s idea), visually or as an idea in the film. (2) Years later, this concept was reintroduced by Andrew Sarris in 1962, in a publication titled “Notes on Auteur theory” (3). Accordingly, for a director to be considered as an auteur, the director must be well versed with the technical aspects of the film. The director must have a distinct style or a signature that distinguishes his films from the others. The movies must have a theme, an inner meaning...
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...An auteur is defined by google as a filmmaker whose personal influence and artistic control over a movie are so great that the filmmaker is regarded as the author of the movie. All great auteurs have their own signature style that they use in the making of their fil. Whether it’s the action that happens on screen, major underlying themes, or how they do work off-screen that the audience will never see. Unless of course they have a wife who makes a documentary about the making of a movie, focused on the director. This was the case for director, Francis Ford Coppola and one of his great films- Apocalypse Now. He is an auteur if there ever was one. How he does his work is different than anyone else and it has worked for him. Having award winning...
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...Writing essays in French 1 1.1 Introduction Presenting the theme Origins of the problem Il y a quelques jours... - A few days ago... Depuis un certain temps... - For some time now... On parle beaucoup en ce moment de... - There is a lot of talk at the moment about... On entend souvent dire que... - It is often said that... Les récents événements de X ont mis en évidence Y - The recent events of X have highlighted Y Un problème dont il est souvent question est celui de... - A problem that often arises is that of... Tout le monde s’accorde à penser que... - Everyone agrees that... Il est généralement admis que... - It is generally agreed that... Il est bien connu que... - It is well known that... Nous vivons dans un monde où... - We live in a world where... De nos jours... - Nowadays... The question that arises Il convient donc d’examiner... We should therefore examine... La question est donc de savoir... The question therefore is... Quand se décidera-t-on à faire... When will it be decided to... Quelles vont être les conséquences de ... - What will the consequences be of ... Est-ce vraiment la solution à... - Is this really the solution to... Est-il vrai que... - Is it true that... Peut-on accepter que... - Is it acceptable for... Il est généralement admis que la télévision peut avoir une mauvaise influence sur les adolescents. […] Il convient donc d’examiner les relations entre la délinquance juvénile et la violence sur nos écrans. It is generally agreed that television...
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...Academic essay on Annie Proulx's "Job Story" Choices are something we all make. Not necessarily important choices, but there will always be a time to make them. It's not always good choices, but they have to be made. There will always be consequences, whether it's bad or good. Throughout the story, Leeland Lee has to make a lot of choices. Where to live, where to work and when to work. All the different choices he made, put him in the position he is now. Leeland Lee is an awkward-looking young boy. His face is heavily boned, which he has gotten from his mom, his neck is quite thick and he has red-gold hair. His eyes are as pouchy as a middle-aged alcoholic. His nose is broad and lays close to his face. Lori Bovee is Leeland Lee's wife. She has an undistinguished oval face, and hair of medium length. Leeland Lee is the protagonist of the story, because he is the main character. I would say Leeland is a flat and static character as he is an endless optimist. He doesn't give up when it comes to finding a new job, and despite his wife dying he still gets a job at Unique Eats. The reason he is a static character is because he doesn't change at all. After getting several different jobs he doesn't change anything, after his mom and wife dies he doesn't change one single thing except the fact he isn't listening to the radio anymore, but since that have been an important factor of the story all along, it can also show a lot about how he has changed. The story starts November...
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...Essay on “Job History” written by Annie Proulx In the short story “Job History” written by Annie Proulx, we follow Leeland Lee from the time of his birth, until he is about fifty years old. In the short story we follow Leeland through his harsh life, with ups and downs, in the form of thoughts, feelings, incidents, etc. Leeland is born in a ranch in Wyoming, and lives there with his wife Lori. Leeland does not look particularly good, in fact he is a very unattractive man; (page 91, line 12)“Leeland’s face shows heavy bones from his mother’s side. His neck is thick and his red-gold hair plastered down in bangs. Even as a child his eyes are as pouchy as those of a middle-age alcoholic, the brows rod-straight above wandering out-of-line eyes. His nose lies broad and close to his face, his mouth seems to have been cut with a single chisel blow into easy flesh” And in the top of that, we see how Leeland through his life, tries to find a successful career, but fails consistently. He moves various times from place to place, too seek occupation and good business. But it is hard when you’re a high school dropout, without a career. Leeland have to changes his job constantly, because of his lack of luck, and since he can’t get along white his bosses. He is never able to stay at one job or place for long, which lead to problems in the family. He has a hard time supporting his wife, and their children financially. Throughout the story the author, Annie Proulx manages...
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...An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal[->0] point of view[->1]. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism[->2], political manifestos[->3], learned arguments[->4], observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition of an essay is vague, overlapping with those of an article[->5] and a short story[->6]. Almost all modern essays are written in prose[->7], but works in verse[->8] have been dubbed essays (e.g. Alexander Pope[->9]'s An Essay on Criticism[->10] and An Essay on Man[->11]). While brevity usually defines an essay, voluminous works like John Locke[->12]'s An Essay Concerning Human Understanding[->13] and Thomas Malthus[->14]'s An Essay on the Principle of Population[->15] are counterexamples. In some countries (e.g., the United States and Canada), essays have become a major part of formal education[->16]. Secondary students are taught structured essay formats to improve their writing skills, and admission essays[->17] are often used by universities[->18] in selecting applicants and, in the humanities and social sciences, as a way of assessing the performance of students during final exams. The concept of an "essay" has been extended to other mediums beyond writing. A film essay is a movie that often incorporates documentary film making styles and which focuses more on the evolution of a theme or an idea. A photographic essay[->19] is an attempt to cover a topic...
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...We all know love. We have all loved in some kind of way. We love our parents, significant others and even our friends. But we can also love other things like animals or material things. But what is the difference between loving and liking? And is it better not to love and feel pain or to love and be hurt in the progress? Jonathan Franzen seeks to answer these questions in his essay “Liking Is for Cowards. Go for What Hurts”. The essay “Liking Is for Cowards. Go for What Hurts” is, as mentioned, written by Jonathan Franzen and published in The New York Times, May 28, 2011. Jonathan Franzen is born in 1959, and he is an acclaimed American novelist and essayist. The essay is based on the commencement speech he delivered at Kenyon College in Ohio, USA. “Our technology has become extremely adept in creating products that correspond to our fantasy ideal of an erotic relationship, in which the beloved object asks for nothing and gives everything, instantly. (…)” As Franzen claims in his essay, many people can feel like they love their technological object. It gives them a satisfaction, which human interaction maybe wouldn’t. Franzen however thinks, that people in general don’t love material things: they like them. There is a major difference between loving and liking – even though it might appear small. “Liking, in general, is commercial culture’s substitute for loving.” Products are made to be likeable, but if that concept in transferred to a person, you would instantly see...
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...Reaction – “Salvation” The nonfiction short essay “Salvation” written by Langston Hughes in 1940, presents a theme on the literal and often manipulated perception of children. Hughes narrates the essay as he recounts his disappointing attempt at salvation. Hughes aunt told him that when she was saved by Jesus she saw a light, and felt something happen within herself. As children will do, Hughes took her story literally and was heartbroken as he sat in front of the church and watched other children “saved” while he was not. He believed that Jesus must not want him because he did not see or feel anything. In the end, Hughes is forced to lie about accepting Jesus and in turn rejects the Christian faith all together. I related to Hughes story on many accounts. I am a mother of three young children who perceive everything in life literally, and as a young girl I was raised in a very religious environment. I could visualize and almost feel Hughes devastation as he sat at the front of the church crushed by the thoughts of God not wanting him. “Still I kept waiting to see Jesus” (Barnet, Cain, & Burto, 2011, pp. 351). One of the churches that my family attended for a short time during my childhood practiced speaking in tongs. I specifically remember feeling just like Hughes during a service when other children were speaking in unnatural languages perceived to be sent from God himself. I could not understand why I was not chosen to talk for God and intern was hurt and...
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...write an essay on drugs for this topic. Drugs are very harmful and keep the capability of dragging an individual towards death and destruction. People all over the world want to eradicate the adverse situation of drug addiction from this world and this is the reason why they are busy in writing essays on drugs. Essays on drugs are of many types such as war on drugs essay, essay on performance enhancing drugs in sports, essay on drug abuse, essay on illegal drugs, essay on drug addiction, essay on drug use, essay on drugs and alcohol and essay on drug testing, etc. The essays on drugs should be initiated by bringing in the information related to the topic of the essay on drug. You should know what drugs are. In an essay on drugs, you will have to write about drugs, their affects and the reasons due to which people use them, you have to include the information about why the drugs are so famous and how harmful are they. A persuasive essay on drugs will be one, which will be according to the topic of the essay on drugs. It should have a full-fledged introduction, which should introduce the topic completely. The introduction should also have a thesis statement that should be the main idea of the essay on drugs. A thesis statement should be based on the essay question to which your essay on drugs is an answer. A thesis statement of an essay on drugs can be one sentence or more than one sentence but it is suggested that it should be only one sentence. Essays on drug abuse or essays on drug...
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