Essays should
be four to five pages in length.The primary purpose of this paper is
to develop a persuasive thesis about the material at stake. I do not
expect you to carry out major research for your topic. What I would like
to see, however, is some closer reading of a selected scene or two in
order to illustrate your argument. Please do not hesitate to talk to
me about your topic so as to discuss it in further detail. Below are
some suggestions. Feel free to modify any of these, or develop your own
topic, but please discuss possible modifications with me in person before
you start writing. Due date is October 9. Double-spaced; no electronic
submissions.
- In
contrast to classical Hollywood productions, art films want to be
actively read, not passively consumed. In his article “The Art
Cinema as a Mode of Film Practice,” David Bordwell identifies key
differences between classical narrative cinema and art cinema. Using
his article as your theoretical base and one of Antonioni’s films
we have seen in class as your example, describe how the film structures
its narrative and characterizes its protagonists as opposed
to a typical Hollywood film. Make use of specific scenes in the
film to illustrate your points.
- As David
Bordwell emphasizes in his article “The Art Cinema as
a Mode of Film Practice,” it is essential to read an art film as
the “the work of an expressive individual, ” e.g. as a creation
of an auteur (588). Pick 2-3 important scenes from La notte, L’eclisse,
or L’avventura” to analyze how “the
authorial code” manifests itself. In what way do we see the director’s
direct participation in the film?
- In his
article “The Long Take,” Brian Henderson suggests
that the “true cultivation and expression of the image as such – as
opposed to the relation between the images, which is the central expressive
category of montage – requires the duration of the long take (a
single piece of unedited film, which may or may not constitute an entire
sentence.” (315) Analyze Antonioni’s use of this filmic technique
as seen in La Notte or L’eclisse.
- Tom Gunning’s article “Narrative Discourse and the Narrator
System” broadens the discussion about film by borrowing terminology
from literature studies. Using his article as your theoretical base,
describe the mechanisms of narration in Blow Up, focusing specifically
on the pro-filmic elements.
- Discuss
the representation of female protagonists in at least two films of
Antonioni. To what extent can we understand Antonioni’s foregrounding
of female characters as a (proto)feminist effort?
- Discuss
instances of humor, playfulness, and laughter in at least two films
of Antonioni.
- Antonioni
seems to have full control over each and every aspect of the cinematic
image; nothing regarding what we see and hear in his films is left
to chance. At the same time, however, Antonioni tends to show us
characters who are “out of control.” Most of his protagonists
are unable to navigate their own lives and define reliable frames
of reference. Is this a contradiction?
- Compare
and contrast different characters in Antonioni’s films we can
read as directorial stand-ins. What do they tell us about Antonioni’s
self-understanding as a filmmaker?
- Discuss
the role of architectural settings in at least three films of Antonioni.
- Discuss
the role of material objects in at least three films of Antonioni.
- Is there
any film among the ones we saw by Antonioni whose ending could be
considered a happy one?
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