Essay #1: Analyzing
Scenes from Two Films
Length
and Due Dates
Length:
3-4 pages, formatted according to these
guidelines
First
Draft Due: Friday, January 21; bring three copies to class
Final
Draft Due: Friday, January 28; attach all drafts and reviews
Topics
Select
one of the topics below as the basis for your essay.
1)
Alicia Huberman is two women: one is notorious, the other is an angel.
Uncle Charlie is two men: one is charming, the other is deadly.
Examine how the dual ("double") sides of these principal characters are
revealed at the opening of their respective films. That is, you will
examine Alicia up to the point where she and Devlin arrive in Rio and meet
at the cafe; you will examine Uncle Charlie up to the point where he arrives
in Santa Rosa and is welcomed by a dinner with his sister's family.
2)
One of Hitchcock's favorite themes concerns the relationship between public
selves and private selves. Indeed, his films recurrently offer ironic
commentary on the conflict characters experience between public duty/appearance
and private morality/behavior. Discuss Hitchcock's representation of public/private
distinctions in any two films we have seen this quarter. You will
want to select and discuss one scene from each of the two films in your
answer. You may choose any scenes for your analysis, but the following
are recommended: a) the closing sequence of Notorious; b)
the closing sequence of Shadow of a Doubt; c) the sequence in Rebecca
where Max De Winter confesses to his second wife what happened to his first
wife; d) any scene in The Lady Vanishes which focuses on the two
"proper" British gentleman yearning for a cricket game.
3)
The notion that "the image doesn¹t lie" is a traditional cultural
platitude, but Hitchcock would probably argue that "the image is deceptive."
Indeed, Hitchcock's films often explore a disjointed relationship between
"image" or "appearance" and "truth." Offer a careful analysis (segmentation)
of the home-film viewing sequence in Rebecca as a way of discussing
this Hitchcockian theme. If you wish, you may pursue this theme by
analyzing a scene/sequence of your choice from any of the films we have
seen thus far.
Guidelines
and Expectations
1)
During the first week of class, we discussed the importance of argument
in film analysis. A successful essay will pose a clear, defendable
argument regarding the chosen topic and develop that argument over the
course of the essay. Rather than offering a catalogue of your observations
on the film, the essay will make an argument about the overall significance
of your observations.
2)
Remember that you are writing to an audience who has viewed the films.
Therefore, you do not need to summarize the plot. Instead, you should
incorporate summary, paraphrase, quotation, or description of images into
an analysis. Each reference to the film should support your argument.
3)
When describing a film's plot or stylistic techniques, use the present
tense (for example, "Mrs. Danvers beckons the second Mrs. De Winter to
Rebecca's underwear drawer," or "the camera focuses on Uncle Charlie's
hands as he twists the napkin").
4)
If you want to check the spelling of a character's name, review a plot
summary or, in the case of The Lady Vanishes, watch the film via
the Web, look at the class film resources on the links
page.
Grading
To
view grading criteria for this assignment, click
here. |