Film lit class assignment advice

Jolene@foodiemom.com

November 15, 2007 by Jolene@foodiemom.com

0 votes

Okay, so my 16-year-old son has a film lit class that he loves. His assignment for a final paper is to choose three movies that have something in common (same topic, director, style, etc.), two of which he hasn't seen before, and write a paper analyzing their similarities/differences.

He really wants to include Across the Universe, because he loves the Beatles (he's been enjoying the recent Zits storyline in the comics). He suggested comparing that to Help and a Hard Day's Night, but I said Across the Universe wasn't about the Beatles -- it just used the music to tell a story. So I suggested Tommy. But are Across the Universe and Tommy really the same sort of movie? And what would be a third one? He thought of Moulin Rouge, but he's seen it, so that one's out. Maybe Chicago?

Any suggestions?

Forum: Movies

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film lit, Across the Universe, Beatles

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11 comments

joe.shearer
joe.shearer, November 15, 2007
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I like the idea of comparing it to "Help" and "A Hard Day's Night." I'll admit to having seen none of them (though Hard Day's is on my list!), but if they all employ Beatles music you can talk about how they used the music to advance the story, or maybe even compare/contrast the societal aspects of their music-at a time when the music was out and the Beatles were at their peak, and a time when their music has become iconic years later.

Here's another thought: doing a comparison of a movie that's currently out in theaters might be cumbersome, because you can't rewatch as new ideas pop in your head. He might consider doing three movies that are available on DVD.

I'd recommend as alternative topics dialect/dialog in Coen Bros films (I'd be sure to include Fargo and O Brother, Where Art Thou). That especially is fresh in my mind having just seen No Country For Old Men, which is VERY good with the dialog.

Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Lloyd, November 15, 2007
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I don't see a problem with including "Across the Universe." The movie was inspired by the music of the Beatles, so to me it's a Beatles movie.

Of course, I'm the guy who got away with writing his term paper for a John Milton class comparing "Paradise Lost" with the graphic novel "The Watchmen."

Maybe have your son sound off the idea to his teacher before he commits.

joe.shearer
joe.shearer, November 15, 2007
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Awesome. I was lucky enough that my freshman comp class had popular culture as the theme. My big paper of the semester was on Star Trek: The Next Generation as a metaphor for America. I also wrote a paper on "Everybody Loves Raymond" and some other stuff.

And people wonder how I got into doing movie reviews.

Jolene@foodiemom.com
Jolene@foodiemom.com, November 15, 2007
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"Of course, I'm the guy who got away with writing his term paper for a John Milton class comparing "Paradise Lost" with the graphic novel "The Watchmen.'"

I don't often have the opportunity to work in a reference to Milton (not that I've read much -- I'm such a fraud) so I have to pass along one of my favorite quotes: "And malt does more than Milton can to justify God's ways to man."

John Hawn
John Hawn, November 15, 2007
0 votes

OK, Jolene, why don't you try something? Say food as metaphor in film. Compare and contrast "Like Water for Chocolate," "Babette's Feast" and "Chocolat."

Jolene@foodiemom.com
Jolene@foodiemom.com, November 15, 2007
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Why didn't I get cool assignments like that when I was in school?

Christopher Lloyd
Christopher Lloyd, November 15, 2007
0 votes

If you're going to do foodie movies, you gotta include "Ratatouille."

joe.shearer
joe.shearer, November 15, 2007
0 votes

Kubrick would be another good director to mine for ideas, especially a film like "Full Metal Jacket" that is almost like two short films with common characters. He could analyze the "Kubrick stare" in three Kubrick films, because they do it in all of them.

Or if you want to go (a little) more contemporary, PT Anderson has an eclectic resume (Hard Eight, Magnolia, Boogie Nights, Punch-Drunk Love). His films have a lot of quirks and odd similarities, but are different thematically. That would be fun to explore.

dummied
dummied, November 15, 2007
0 votes

Well, Joe, Boogie Nights might be out ... the kid's 16 ...

As for music directing a movie, I'd go with "Across the Universe", "Moulin Rouge" and "I'm Not There" (once it comes out). As far as I can tell, "I'm Not There" is more about Dylan as defined by his musical personas than it is about Dylan's actual life.

You could also do modern Shakespeare adpatations, like Richard III, Romeo + Juliet and Scotland, Pa. and compare the various different approaches to updating the Bard in a contemporary-ish setting.

Dawn
Dawn, November 15, 2007
0 votes

When I saw Across the Universe my memory was immediately transported back in time to Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Peter Frampton, Bee Gees), 1979 I think, which uses about two dozen Beatles songs (many in Across the Universe) to tell a story. I immediately came home and ordered the DVD...just because!

joe.shearer
joe.shearer, November 15, 2007
0 votes

Oops. Never mind on that one.

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