EN220/IN250, American Identity, O'Conner

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AS2: Movie critique/Scene Analysis

Choose a movie that has something to do with American Identity. Write an analysis of that movie, focusing upon one or two of the key scenes in the film. Remember that this is not a movie review but rather an analysis of how a key scene in the film under critique helps to illustrate and comment upon the overall topic of American Identity.

A movie scene analysis is an insightful, well-considered examination of a particular scene in a movie that relates to an overall theme or topic under discussion in the class.

The movie scene analysis generally contains a number of distinct sections or parts:

introduction: the introductory paragraph opens the entire essay with some mention of the theme or topic that will be discussed through the chosen film. It mentions the name of the movie under consideration, its original date of release, its director, writer and major stars, and a brief three to six sentence summary of the overall movie plot. The introduction ends with an explanation of the writer's intent to examine a particular thesis or overarching topic in relation to a particular scene in the film.

First body paragraph, scene summary. This paragraph is a detailed summary of a particular scene in the film. It explains what is occurring, who is involved, why something is happening, where it is happening and when. You will need to take detailed notes during the film to summarize this properly, and if possible view the scene a number of times.

Remainder of the body paragraphs, analysis. The following paragraphs all focus on analyzing the scene under consideration, in light of its application to an overall theme or topic. Here, you are being asked to analyze, to break the scene down into its component parts, to explain what it means. You should be able to say more about some aspects of the scenes than is apparent the first time you, or others, look at it. You will have to spend some time thinking about what you have seen and piecing together characteristics that might at first seem unconnected. Some general questions to ask about the scene are:

1. What is the problem or question that motivates the director/writer?
2. From what context is the director/writer writing?
3. What assumptions does the director/writer bring to the scene?
4. What argument is the director/writer putting forth?
5. What contradictions do you find in this scene? Why are they there? How do they affect your understanding of the argument or theme?
6. What evidence does the director/writer use to support his or her assertions? why?
7. How is the scene structured? How does the structure affect your understanding of the director/writer's argument?
8. What cinematic choices (concerning camera angle, lighting, background music, for example) does the director/writer make? How do these choices affect you, as a viewer/reader? In the movie, for example, you might look at the plot, the themes, the characters, the setting, or the dialogue. You might ask how the director/writer's choice of setting relates to the action of the film. You might ask how the images in a film relate to the development of the theme. You do not need to consider all strategies in your own analysis, just enough to make your points.
9. What do you see as the key events in this scene? Why are they important? How do they work with the rest of the scene to convey the director/writer's meaning?
10. What assumptions do you bring to this scene? To what extent has the director/writer considered your needs as a viewer/reader?

You can also look at a scene in terms of the artistic or literary or cinematograph tradition it follows. For example, if you are analyzing a novel, you will want to think about plot, character, themes, mood, tone, etc. In a painting, you should be concerned with line, form, color, lighting, technique. You may have learned a special vocabulary for analyzing film scenes in your course -- apply it in creating your paper.

To focus your scene analysis and to come up with a thesis, you should choose the one or two aspects of the scene that interest you most. What makes this scene different from others of the same genre or on the same subject? What troubles or confuses you? You will need to have a point of view about the scene and support it throughout your essay with evidence from the scene itself.

Conclusion: the concluding paragraph should mention how the scene under consideration ties into the rest of the film overall. Be careful not to oversummarize the rest of the movie plot; that is not your main consideration nor interest in this essay. Finally, reiterate the overall theme or topic being examined, and attempt to note how such a theme is widespread across a number of genres, beyond the movie mentioned here.

Possible Films to Consider (name, director, release)

General:
Bowling for Columbine, Michael Moore, 2002
American History X, Tony Kaye, 1999
American Beauty, Sam Mendez, 1999
To Kill a Mockingbird
A Streetcar Named Desire
Fear and Loathing in Los Vegas,Terry Gilliam, 1998

African-American:
Do the Right Thing, Spike Lee, 1989
The Color Purple
Glory
Mississippi Burning

Native-American:
Smoke Signals, Chris Eyre, 1998
Thunderheart, Michael Apted, 1992
Dances with Wolves
Little Big Man
Wind Walker
I Will Fight No More Forever
Buffalo Soldiers

Asian-American:
Snow Falling on Cedars, Scott Hicks, 1999
Joy Luck Club
Eat a Bowl of Tea

Latino-American:
Lone Star
Stand and Deliver
My Family

Jewish Americans:
Radio Days
The Chosen
Lies My Father Told Me

Class and American Identity:
The Great Gatsby
Grapes of Wrath

Women and American Identity:
Swing Shift, Jonathan Demme, 1984