Second Movie at Home

Due to snow, the Sundance film festival, and my forgetfulness, the due date for the second movie to watch at home has been changed to Tuesday, February 12.

So, by February 12 at midnight, you need to do the following:

1) Watch a movie made in the same country as the first movie you watched. If you want, you can rewatch the same movie.

2) Comment below after you've watched the movie. Your post needs to include the following information:

• Your name.
• The name of the film.
• What country it was made in.
• The answers to the following questions:
• How did the interview you did with someone from your country of choice help you appreciate / understand this film better?
• What are the most important things you learned about your country of choice by watching both films and doing the interview? How might this knowledge help you in your life now or later in life?
• Does this class matter? Why?

Make sure to avoid too much plot summary in your response. Your response should be at least 3-4 paragraphs long.

Le Samouraï

I love the description of this film on the back of The Criterian Collection DVD: "In a career-defining performance, Alain Delon plays a contract killer with samurai instincts. A razor-sharp cocktail of 1940's American gangster cinema and 1960s French pop-culture—with a liberal dose of Japanese lone-warrior mythology—maverick director Jean-Pierre Melville's masterpiece Le Samouraï defines cool."

Be sure to answer the following questions or respond to something someone else said:

- How is this film typical of the French New Wave? Of film noir? Provide very specific examples.

- What do you make of the ending. Why did Jef do what he did? What was going on in his head?

- Overall, what did you like and dislike about the film? Why?

The Red Balloon (1956)

Lots of kids bring home stray dogs or cats but how many can say to their mother, "Mom, a balloon followed me home. Can I keep it?" But that is indeed the premise of Albert Lamorisse's critically acclaimed short, "The Red Balloon".

I personally am blown away by how affectively this film employs show, don't tell and uses set-up's and pay-off's and stakes to create drama around what, one would think, would be a rather undramatic subject. I am also very impressed with the film's use of color.

While commenting on this little treasure, think about the following:

- How did the film help you relate to people from France more?

- How did what we learned about France in class help you appreciate this film more?

- In what ways can this be considered a French New Wave film? Explain (thoroughly).

Or maybe you'd like to do some cultural research. I would really like to know why the balloons in the film are so large. Is that a French thing, a 1950's thing, or just a stylistic choice for the movie?

French Culture

Here you can write down what you learned about French culture when you did research in class about it.

The specific research culture question you should be answering is the one that was assigned to you in class.

Suncance / The Artist / After Life

For this blog post, you can write about The Artist or about After Life or about films you watched at the Sundance film festival. You need to write about one of them. If you post about more than one, you get extra credit.

Answer two of the following questions about whichever movie you choose:

- What is the theme of the film? Provide three examples?

- What film elements (cinematography, editing, music, acting, writing, etc.) did you notice were used in the film? How was this filmic element used to communicate meaning/theme in the movie?

- How did the film help you better understand other cultures?

- Or, for After Life, what memory would you choose? Why?

Film Essay Outline

Click here to link to a copy of the Film Essay Outline Guide.

Midterm Essay Rubric

Click here to link to the rubric for the midterm essay. Enjoy!