Using Movies as a Means of Literary Analysis

1. Using Moviesas a Meansof Literary Analysis Presented by Lynn Knowles North Star of Texas Writing Project June 7, 2004 knowleslm@lisd.net

2. Quick Write • What is your favorite movie?

3. Brainstorm & Discuss • Why do we watch movies? • What are the genres of movies? • How do movies compare to books or other entertainment?

4. Writing Exercise • Convince me to see your favorite movie. • Preparation: Discuss teacher as movie viewer – different from student as movie viewer. • Discussion of audience and tone.

5. Best Sentences • Aladdin – While the “magical” aspect of the movie dazzles the children, the deeper concepts hold the adults.

6. Field of Dreams – It is not the magical aspect of the movie that gives us hope, it is the joy of watching people learn to appreciate the simple, often overlooked parts of life.

7. Forrest Gump – Viewers become engulfed in the drama of the movie from the moment it begins to play, and as Forrest tells his story, they feel that they are a part of it, too.

8. Italian Job – It is not the individuals that make their goal possible, but their teamwork and trust that lets them accomplish their task and succeed in getting their gold.

9. Life of David Gale – This becomes a film not about Gale’s current situation, but about the consequences of Gale’s actions and the ultimate purpose of his crime.

10. Lion King – Running away from your problems will only cause them to become greater, and Hakuna Mattata can only help you for so long.

11. Master and Commander – The movie knows what it has to do and does not try to be more than that, a downfall of many other large-scale productions.

12. A Night at the Roxbury – A Night at the Roxbury is filled with fun and adventure that will make you laugh until you wet yourself, cry until you wish you had never watched the stupid movie, and feel suspense that would have even Edgar Allen Poe shaking in his boots.

13. Web Sites of Movie Reviews • www.mrge.com • www.imbde.com • www.movie-reviews.colossus.net • www.filmcritic.com • www.All-Reviews.com • www.CriticsNest.com

14. Movies serve the function of all storytelling, to entertain, inspire and perhaps even teach us to cope with problems. • Delving into the inner workings of great cinema making means becoming immersed in the elements of a good story. - Stuart Voytilla

15. Moviemaking can be considered the contemporary form of mythmaking. • Many of our most memorable movies follow the classic configuration of the Hero’s Journey. - Stuart Voytilla

16. Archetypes • An archetype is a pattern or model that serves as the basis for different – but related – versions of a character, plot, image, or theme.

17. Heroic Pattern • Call • Response • Departure • Conflict • Transformation • Return

18. Hero Archetypes • The Hero • The Young Man from the Provinces • The Initiate

19. Relationship Archetypes • Mentor-Pupil Relationship • Father-Son Conflict • The Star-Crossed Lovers

20. Character Archetypes • Mentor • Threshold Guardian • Hunting Group of Companions • Evil Figure with the Ultimately Good Heart • Scapegoat • Outcast

21. Female Archetypes • Earth Mother • Temptress • Platonic Ideal • Amazon Warrior • Unfaithful Wife • Damsel in Distress

22. Place Archetypes • Threshold • Underworld • Wilderness • Garden • Crossroads

23. Situation Archetypes • Quest • Task • Initiation • Journey • Fall • Death and Rebirth

24. Student Responses

25. A Beautiful Mind • Call = to break codes for military agency • Journey = into unreal world • Transformation = comes through therapy and medication • Fall = descent into schizophrenia

26. Finding Nemo • Mentor-Pupil = Dory to Marlin • Innate Wisdom = Dory • Father-Son Conflict

27. Miss Congeniality • Call = to become undercover agent • Damsels in Distress = beauty contestants • Mentor = Michael Caine’s character

28. Office Space • Initiate = Peter • Hunting Group of Companions = best friends • Outcast = Milton • Devil Figures = bosses • Damsel in Distress = Jennifer Aniston’s character

29. Remember the Titans • Mentor = Coach Boone • Threshold Guardians = picketers outside the school • Journey = early morning run to Civil War battlefield • Wilderness = old school house out of town and near the woods

30. The Ring • Heroic Pattern • Call = death of niece • Response = investigation • Stony Place of Suffering = well made of stone • Stairs = Katie runs up them, symbolizing a dangerous way into the unknown

31. You’ve Got Mail • Maternal Figure = Birdy • Evil Figure with the Ultimately Good Heart = Joe Fox

32. TEKS connections(from English II)

33. The student is expected to • write in a variety of forms with an emphasis on persuasive forms. • write in a voice and a style appropriate to audience and purpose. • organize ideas in writing to ensure coherence, logical progression, and support for ideas

34. The student is expected to • compile information from primary and secondary sources in systematic ways using available technology.

35. The student is expected to • draw upon his/her own background to provide connection with texts.

36. The student is expected to • compare reviews of literature, film, and performance with his/her own responses.

37. The student is expected to • compare and contrast varying aspects of texts such as themes, conflicts, and allusions. • understand literary forms and terms…

38. The student is expected to • evaluate the credibility of information sources, including how the writer’s motivation may affect that credibility.

39. The student is expected to • identify and analyze the effect of artistic elements within literary texts. • evaluate artistic performances.

40. The student is expected to • deconstruct media to get the main idea of the message’s content. • recognize how visual and sound techniques or design convey messages in media.

41. Final Comments

42. Work Cited Voytilla, Stuart (1999). Myth and the movies: discovering the mythic structure of 50 unforgettable films. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Productions.