Wit
A made-for-television movie, Wit addresses issues related to terminal illness, death, and dying. Emma Thompson plays Vivian Bearing, a professor of literature enraptured with erudite poetry like that of John Donne. When she is diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Bearing's life changes dramatically. At first, Bearing goes the traditional route of succumbing to paternalistic medicine's approach to treatment. She obeys her doctor's orders, goes through chemotherapy, and generally struggles with the idea that she has an illness. A precocious woman, Bearing flashes back to a series of events in her life that place her personality and value system into perspective. Ultimately, Bearing comes to terms with the core essence of life as she goes through the stages of dying. She realizes that caring and compassion trump personal, intellectual, and career achievements.
The people who do and do not visit her in the hospital teach her...
Film Noir Among the various styles of producing films, it has been observed the noir style is one that has come to be recognized for its uniqueness in characterization, camera work and striking dialogue. Film Noir of the 1940s and 50s were quite well-known for their feminine characters that were the protagonists, the femme fatale. This was most common with the French, later accepted in the United States. There might have
Scotland PA: Shakespeare ReimaginedBilly Morrissette�s 2001 Scotland PA is a dark comedy adaptation of Shakespeare�s Tragedy of Macbeth. The film is set in small town USA in the 1970s; instead of a castle, the main stage is a diner; instead of a warrior as in the original, Joe �Mac� McBeth is an employee of the diner�s owner. Instead of an heir to the throne, McDuff is a detective working the
Of note, Out of the Past was released in Europe and Great Britain as Build My Gallows High. It seems that both films could have been subtitled with this alternative note, particularly when we focus upon the editing -- each piece is but a plank in the construction of the gallows and when the camera has had enough of these nefarious people they are then cast aside as they do
Physical Comedy on Film Sophisticated, Funny and Physical: The Romances of Astaire and Rogers Physical comedy brings to mind Moe, Larry and Curly bopping each other over the head. Or it might suggest Lucille Ball stuffing chocolates into her mouth, her blouse or anyplace except on the conveyor belt in the neat little rows the candy-making supervisor intended. (Or better, her boozy bout with VitaMeataVegamin, the Peppy Picker-Upper.) A thousand reruns of
Jason Posner (Jonathan M. Woodward) who was once her student. Now the power is the intern's, and he has the choice to use his power compassionately; or in the same way as Vivian used hers when she refused to forgive the young student's need to be late with an assignment. It brings the viewer to the thought: Does the professor (healer/physician) want to be known as the brilliant one,
The names of the characters in Spy Kids, such as Floop, give a Willy Wonka-espionage-in-fun verbal as well as visual tone to the film, and the thumb-shaped henchmen of Floop seem like a tribute to the Wonka oompah-loompas. For students of Rodriquez, Spy Kids may not be the director's most significant film, but it is an argument that the director, even when making a mainstream Hollywood genre film, has a
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now