Return to World Cinema syllabus
8 October 2006
English 212, Section 3: World Cinema
Fall 2006
Extra-Credit Assignment
Successful completion of this assignment can raise your total semester score by 36 points, the equivalent of one full letter grade. Failure to meet the requirements below will result in 0 points awarded, you will not lose any points you have earned on other assignments.
SUBJECT:
Your assignment is to view and analyze a film from a country other than the United States and other than those that are on the class schedule. You may choose
§ Another film by a director whose work we have seen (Rossellini, Kurowsawa, Miyazaki, Godard, etc.)
§ Another film by a director from a movement we have discussed (Italian Neorealists such as De Sica or Visconti; Japanese directors such as Mizoguchi or Kurosawa; French New Wave directors such as Truffaut, Chabrol, etc., and so on)
§ A film from a group or movement we have mentioned but not covered in class (Japanese New Wave—Oshima, Imamura, etc.); French “Left Bank” filmmakers (Resnais, Varda, etc.); other European modernists (Antonioni, Fellini, Bresson, etc.); Dogme95 (von Trier, etc.); and so on
§ A representative film of another nationality or film movement that we have not been able to discuss (German New Cinema—Fassbinder, Herzog, Wenders; other eastern European directors such as Andrej Wajda, Istvan Szabo, and so on)
§ English-language films are permitted as long as they are from the British Isles, Australia, Canada, or another country other than the U.S.
You may choose any of the films on the Recommended Films list, but there is still a very large range of possibilities. If you are in doubt, ask me.
FORMAT:
Length:
About 5 pages (1,250 words, give or take)
Content:
1. An opening paragraph that briefly names the film and filmmaker, tells when and where the film was made, and briefly explains the particular significance or importance or relevance of this film that your paper will demonstrate.
2. A brief summary of the events in the film (no more than one page or 250 words)
3. An analysis of the film’s narrative. Some questions you might consider include:
4. Who are the main characters? What is the historical and geographical setting in which they are placed?
§ What kinds of things do we learn about these characters? What goals do they have, if any? What kinds of conflicts between them (or other kinds of conflicts) emerge through the narrative?
§ How do the different events in the film connect in terms of cause-and-effect (or do they)? How are the events connected in time? Does the film use flashforwards or flashbacks?
§ Does it omit information that might explain the characters or events? Does it include information that does not seem directly connected to the characters or events?
5. An analysis of particular stylistic features that are noteworthy and how they connect to the characters and narrative and/or suggest particular themes, motifs meanings. Some things you might consider are:
§ Particular props, settings, images, actions, or uses of sound or music that mark out sharp similarities or comparisons with other scenes in the film (for comparison, think of such things as the religious settings and images in Open City, the modern vs. ancient weapons of Yojimbo, the environmental themes of Sprited Away, the references to classical and popular culture in Band of Outsiders, or the images that begin and end Persona)
§ Particular uses of camerawork (moving or still, close-up or distant, uses of different angles, the use of color, etc.)
§ Whether the film favors long takes or makes heavy use of editing of individual shots
§ Particular uses of music and/or other sounds, including dialogue and narration
6. Your conclusion should discuss the overall significance of the film as revealed through the details you have discussed. What is the film expressing or trying to say? If the “meaning” is obscure, why is that?
7. Finally, indicate how—if at all—this film fits within the context of the director’s other works and/or a particular film movement.
If you want to discuss any of these aspects or anything else about the film, please feel free to come by during office hours, set up an appointment, or converse with me via email: donald.larsson@mnsu.edu
Referring to Sources:
The paper should not dwell on the film’s popularity or lack of it. If you refer to the Wexman textbook, you should cite specific pages in parentheses, like this: (Wexman, 45-46). If you consult any other outside source for information, exact words, or ideas—whether it is a book, an article, a website, or a feature on the DVD—you must give it full credit. Failure to cite outside sources or to give credit for facts, words or ideas that are not yours is plagiarism and will automatically result in no credit for this assignment.
If you use outside references, you may use APA, MLA, or any other standard reference style. For guidelines on references, check the following websites (or ask me!):
http://www.liu.edu/CWIS/CWP/library/workshop/citmla.htm
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/557/01/
SCORING: All criteria met = 36 points
Most criteria met = 27 points (may lack introduction, conclusion, etc.)
Some criteria met = 18 points (discusses the film’s narrative but does not deal with stylistic aspects, for example)
A few criteria met = 9 points (offers plot summary but little analysis, for example)
Most criteria not met or contains plagiarized material (no credit given for words, facts or ideas) = 0 points