The Wizard of Oz Essays Examples

Wizard of Oz-Fairy Tale the 1939 Film

Wizard of Oz-Fairy Tale

The 1939 film The Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland is the fantastical tale of a young girl that gets swept into an alternate, magical dimension and must battle an evil witch in order to get back home. The Wizard of Oz features many fairy tale elements including an unspecified time and place, the battle between good and evil, magic, archetypes, extreme conditions, a transformation, and, of course, a happy ending.

While The Wizard of Oz is initially set in Kansas, an unexpected tornado transports Dorothy, the story's heroine, to Oz. The different settings are differentiated through the use of color; while life in Kansas is shot in black and white, Oz is shown in Technicolor. Furthermore, the location of Oz is unknown as is the time. Upon her arrival in Munchkinland in Oz, Dorothy is immediately cast as a heroine after the house in which…… [Read More]

Character With a Mental Illness From the Movie the Wizard of Oz 1939

Borderline Personality Disorder in Oz

Dorothy, the heroine of The Wizard of Oz is oftentimes viewed as an innocent victim manipulated by those around her. However, that view ignores the very real role that Dorothy played in bringing about the negative events in the movie. From allowing her dog, Toto, to run free and bite a neighbor, to running away from her aunt and uncle when they tell her that she will have to give up Toto since he has bitten someone, she engages in behavior that is both irresponsible and impulsive. Impulsive behavior and irrational behavior are only two of the character traits of borderline personality disorder that Dorothy appears to have, bringing into question whether she is an appropriate heroine.

Some of the most common symptoms of borderline personality disorder include: intense emotions and mood swings; harmful, impulsive behaviors; relationship problems; low self-worth; a fear of being abandoned;…… [Read More]

Thorough Analysis of the Wizard of Oz From Formal Perspective

eleased in February of 1939, The Wizard of Oz has become one of the most iconic and enduring motion pictures ever produced. The Wizard of Oz was based on a novel of the same name, but the film has far surpassed its namesake novel by L. Frank Baum in terms of popularity and critical acclaim. The film is a relatively rare example of a situation in which the adaptation to screen brought the original novel to a new level. Adaptation credits are shared by Noel Langley, Florence yerson, and Edgar Allen Woolf. The Wizard of Oz is a bildungsroman that follows the classic hero's journey structure.

Victor Fleming receives all of the official directorial accolades, but there were actually four additional uncredited directors on the film including George Cukor, Mervyn Leoy, Norman Tuarog, and King Vidor, who directed most of the Kansas scenes ("The Wizard of Oz: Full Cast and…… [Read More]

Wonderful Wizard of Oz CEC-Differentiated

Even though Dorothy wished that there were other kids her aged that lived close by to play with, she was lucky to have a small dog named Toto. Toto was a small, black furry dog that followed Dorothy home one day. She loved Toto and he was her best friend. She and Toto were playing in front of the house and she noticed Uncle Henry sitting on the front porch looking up at the sky. When she looked up, she noticed that the sky was not blue anymore. It had turned gray like it does when it is about to rain. All of a sudden, it got very windy. Uncle Henry yelled that a cyclone was coming and that he was going to put the farm animals in the barn. Aunt Em yelled for Dorothy to run and hide in the cyclone cellar.

All of the heavy winds scared Toto…… [Read More]

fantasy genre film wizard of oz

Genre theory offers a useful means of classifying films according to their tropes and conventions. Although films constructed purposely to fit into a specific genre can be criticized for being overly commercial, genre theory does reveal how American audiences do react favorably towards familiar themes, actors, directorial styles, plots, and imagery (“Movie Genres”). Moreover, genres reveal the power of archetypes in storytelling. Even when a film does not fit neatly within one and only one genre, or when a film straddles many genres at once, the plot and characterization may still reveal familiar themes. Fantasy can be considered a universal genre in that all cultures have a collective body of myths and storytelling about superhuman or otherworldly creatures. Therefore, fantasy films are about much more than escapism. Fantasy is a genre that offers filmmakers and audiences alike a great degree of flexibility in terms of symbols and motifs. Audiences are…… [Read More]

Oz and the Secret Garden

Oz & the Secret Garden

Childhood, in its most natural state of being, is distinguished by a state of mind, which is full of hope, love, and a belief that life holds infinite possibilities for fun, adventure, and happiness just waiting to be discovered. Unfortunately, as childhood progresses, the mechanisms of the adult world increasingly intrude to a point where rationality and the limitations of human nature are finally accepted as the only living reality. Acceptance brings with it resignation over the less-than-ideal circumstances of life, bringing in its wake conflict, defeat, unhappiness, stagnation, and unfulfilled human potential. Perhaps this is the reason why children respond spontaneously and intuitively to the genre of children's literature that is characterized by a basic pattern of journey, conflict, return, and reward (Attebery, p. 91). Indeed, according to Bruno Bettelheim, the promise of conflict resolution and happy endings often leads to children being drawn…… [Read More]

City and the Country Oz and Trading Places

OZ and Transition

The izard of Oz provides Americans with a text that helps them make the transition from the country to the city and sets the stage for the commodified American popular culture of the 20th century. This paper will show how, thanks to its pristine (Emerald) beauty and adventurous episodes, Oz makes "the city" much more appealing than the muted, old-fashioned of America. It will also explain why Dorothy returns to Kansas (someone has to take back home the message of how amazing "the city" is).

Baum's Oz shows that everyman can become a king if he pursues his own desires: thus, the Scarecrow is awarded leadership over the Emerald City, the Tinman leadership over inkie County, and the Cowardly Lion kingship over the forest. Each character, of course, rises to meet his own personal challenge -- but, nonetheless, these are clear examples of how the American Dream…… [Read More]

Tom Sawyer Chapter Exegesis Scene

Fighting fair, Tom still shines despite his aggression, particularly in light of Alfred's cowardly stone throwing when Tom's back is turned.

Analysis

This first chapter in Tom's adventures is of cleverly constructed form; sharing all key elements needed to know in order to follow the story, identify with the protagonist, despise the multiple antagonists, and fondly recognize the doddering aunt as a 'straight man' to Tom's antics. The reader is immediately engaged in the story because Twain's style opens with dialog - known as a 'hook' in publishing parlance. The reader is instantly curious; why is this person named Tom being so vocally pursued? Who is doing the shouting? Why is this Tom character not responding?

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is a snapshot of reality with which all readers can identify; it is not necessary to live in the backwaters of Mississippi to recognize sincere affection and security, sneaky…… [Read More]

My Mortality and the Meaning of My Life

life is an issue that has been plaguing thoughtful people since the first Cro-magnons evolved into modern homo sapiens with the power to think rationally and creatively, and most importantly, self-consciously. Aside from humorous attempts to explain the meaning of life such as Monty Python's movie The Meaning of Life, the question is a serious one. It cuts to the core of every human life, causing the individual to question his or her purpose and mode of living. Many people look to religious guidance as a means of discovering meaning in life, and religion remains the most effective way of providing people with a roadmap. Even if the absolute meaning of life is not revealed, we can at least learn to accept that God has a plan and that plan is inherently meaningful. Philosophers, however, have debated the efficacy of religion's ability to provide life with meaning. Existentialism is the…… [Read More]

Dramatic Elements of the Plot of Wicked

Dramatic Elements of the Plot of "icked"

Few stories have been as popular as that of "The onderful izard of Oz" which was written by L. Frank Baum (published in 1900), and was then turned into one of the most popular movies of all time in 1939. The plot of this particular story has gone through several incarnations, from "The iz" to various popular songs, and most recently it was reimagined in a series of books written by Gregory Maguire. The first of these was called "icked: The Life and Times of the icked itch of the est" which imagined what the true story of the characters in the book and movie could have been. Maguire's book was turned into a very successful play titled "icked" which was first produced in 2003 (de Giere). This essay deals with the plot elements of the play "icked," its universal meaning, and the…… [Read More]

Children's Literature

Children's Lit

Montano urges a rigorous critical examination of children's literature for racism, linguicism, sexism, and bias. The importance of critical examination is to empower teachers, students, and parents to recognize the root causes of bias, prejudice, and stereotype. The function is not simply to point out obvious instances of racism, linguicism, sexism, and other biases. Moreover, it is not enough to include literature written from multicultural perspectives in classroom syllabi. As Gonzalez & Montano (2008) point out, it is important to recognize bias in all its forms: "The mere inclusion of multicultural literature is not enough to disrupt privilege or injustice. Nor is it enough to ask teachers to deconstruct stereotypes in texts and images if teachers are unaware of the subtle biases that exist therein," (p. 77). Montano calls the process of analysis critical literacy.

The process by which critical literacy can be attained varies but Montano provides…… [Read More]

Wicked The Life and Times

She even has an affair with Fiyero, a prince from another region of Oz.

Finally, after many more adventures, Elphaba embraces sorcery, largely after her sister Nessarose, becomes the Wicked Witch of the East, and she finds a book of magic at her late lover's castle. After her sister is killed by Dorothy's house, Elphaba's descent into sorcery is complete. She kills the evil Madame Morrible, which she was unable to do before. However, there is always a question whether she is truly evil or not. She says late in the book, "The real disaster of this inquiry is that it is the nature of evil to be secret'" (Maguire 372). Ultimately, she chases Dorothy and her group because she fears the treasured ruby slippers of her sister will end up in the evil Wizard's hands. She thinks, "If the shoes fell into the hands of the Wizard, he would…… [Read More]

Classic Movie

classic films, and what makes them classic. Specifically, it will contain a discussion of what makes a film "classic" and use a specific film that I believe is classic, with good quality reasons for the answer.

CLASSIC FILS

The term "classic film" often evokes thoughts of an old film, often shown and enjoyed by audiences throughout many decades. The film could be a musical, such as "The Wizard of Oz," or a drama, such as "Apocalypse Now." Both films (and scores of others) have been called classics, and are often shown on network and cable channels. What makes these films classic?

Some might say it is the acting that makes a film a classic. In "The Wizard of Oz," for example, each actor, from Judy Garland as Dorothy, to argaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch is perfectly cast, and creates their role with great talent and charm. They set the…… [Read More]

Comparative Study Between Homer's Odyssey and the Coen Brothers O Brother Where Art Thou

O rother, Where Art Thou?

Homer in Hollywood: The Coen rothers' O rother, Where Art Thou?

Could a Hollywood filmmaker adapt Homer's Odyssey for the screen in the same way that James Joyce did for the Modernist novel? The idea of a high-art film adaptation of the Odyssey is actually at the center of the plot of Jean-Luc Godard's 1963 film Contempt, and the Alberto Moravia novel on which Godard's film is based. In Contempt, Prokosch, a rich American dilettante film producer played by Jack Palance, hires Fritz Lang to film a version of Homer's Odyssey, then hires a screenwriter to write it and promptly ruins his marriage to rigitte ardot. Fritz Lang gamely plays himself -- joining the ranks of fellow "arty" German-born directors who had earlier deigned to act before the camera (like Erich von Stroheim in Wilder's Sunset oulevard, playing a former director not unlike himself, or…… [Read More]

Fall What Does the Fall

Tarsem is able to tell his story through different acting styles and by changing the tone of the film quite suddenly.

hile the two stories in the film are disparate though they involve similar elements, the stories come to meet when they both tend to go into a darker vein. The audience learns how Roy was hurt and we watch as Roy tries to manipulate Alexandria. hile this is happening, there is also a move toward the darker side when the adventurers meet some pretty dark challenges. There is a great shift in the movie overall, going from fantastic and quirky to almost scary.

hat "The Fall" mainly tells us about stories is that while there are certainly rules to storytelling, once one has a grasp on creating a story through character and plot, one can easily break rules of storytelling (Lamb 2), which is what Tarsem has done. The…… [Read More]

Film History

movie industry in America has been controlled by some of the monolithic companies which not only provided a place for making the movies, but also made the movies themselves and then distributed it throughout the entire country. These are movie companies and their entire image revolved around the number of participants of their films. People who wanted to see the movies being made had to go to the studios in order to see them. They made movies in a profitable manner for the sake of the studios, but placed the entire industry under their control and dominated over it. The discussion here is about some of those famous studios inclusive of that of names like Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Culver, RKO, Paramount Studios, Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios, Universal Studios, Raleigh Studio, Hollywood Center Studio, Sunset Gower Studio, Ren-Mar Studios, Charlie Chaplin Studios and now, Manhattan Beach Studio.…… [Read More]

Angela's Ashes Novel

ANGELA'S ASHES

The Container: I have two ideas about the container. One would be a book, that is hollowed out to hold the items. Frank McCourt always loved books, and it is what made him the man he is now, a writer, a teacher, and a legend. The other would be some kind of container that held alcohol. McCourt always had a sense of humor, even about the most awful things that happened in his life. I think he would see the humor (even if it is black) in a time capsule left in a bottle or a can of booze, because he was not above laughing at himself.

Item 1: Timeline http://www.angelasashes.com/chronicles/timeline-nonflash.html

Printout of the web page (above), that shows the timeline.

Angela's Ashes" takes place from 1930 through 1940 in Limerick, Ireland. The novel follows the lives of Frank McCourt and his brothers. They are very poor, and…… [Read More]

dreams the unconscious mind and defense mechanisms

Psychodynamic and Psychoanalytic theory suggest that early stages of human development have a significant impact on our relationships and our ego throughout the life span. According to Freudian theories, manifested behavior is based on latent problems of the past. The therapeutic process of psychoanalysis is designed to help the client become aware of past problems or latent desires that have been suppressed during the process of psychological development. Key themes that emerge in the literature on psychoanalytic theory include the role of the unconscious mind in shaping self-concept and behavior, dreams as the language of the unconscious mind, and the development of ego defense mechanisms as psychological coping mechanisms.

Dream analysis is one of the hallmarks of Freudian theory and central to psychoanalysis. In this article, Hebbrecht (2013) presents several case studies from clinical practice to illustrate some of the ways dream recollection can be stimulated during therapy, and how…… [Read More]

Neverending Story Wolfgang Petersen's 1984

However, critics complain that although the creatures created are fascinating as will be discussed later, the merging of special effects with the film itself is far from seamless. "Alas much of the effects work is considerably underset by thick matte lines - uncharacteristically poor work from Brian Johnson" (Scheib). Those thick matte lines are very visible at times during the film, particularly during the flying sequences when Flagor flies the young warrior on his journeys to save the besieged Fantasia.

This could be seen as a valid criticism of the special effects. However, it could also be seen as a way for the special effects team to underscore the intention of the film. The intention is to create a world drawn out of people's imaginations. The imagination is a place of dreams, not perfection. It is a place of vivid images and creation, but not necessarily ones that are so…… [Read More]

Pleasantville the 1998 Film Pleasantville Written and

Pleasantville

The 1998 film, "Pleasantville," written and directed by Gary Ross, is an insightful commentary of society, both past and present. hile many today are clamoring about the moral decay of family and society at large, and often compare today with the "Father Knows Best" world of the past, "Pleasantville" offers a glimpse into what the world would be like if it really was a sitcom from the 1950's. And what it ultimately shows is that today's society, with warts and all, has profound value and power, and rather than falling into a pit of moral decay, the world is actually in a state of continuous forward state of progress.

By designing the homogenous, black and white world, Ross is able to present the deception of 1950's family values and then color it with reality and truth. The black and white sitcom also allows him to present the danger of…… [Read More]

Full Metal Jacket

Metal Jacket" Analysis

How does the director use the elements of the film, such as music, photography, sets dialogue, etc., to give the story a sense of realism? Give example to explain. "Gunny" on the History Channel's "Mail Call" was a former drill sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps; his language is fairly reflective of that used by the drill sergeant in Kubrick's production, only Gunny's language is cleaned up for public consumption. Kubrick, though, makes it clear that notwithstanding General Patton's reprimand for slapping a combat-fatigued Army soldier, the U.S. Marines would curse you and beat the hell out of you if you did not shape up to their standards. The language, brutality and downright cruelty shown by the drill sergeants in this movie were all highly effective in communicating a sense of in-your-face realism about what was taking place; further, the military base sets used for the training…… [Read More]

Globalization U S Imperialism

globalization and imperialism and argues that globalization is actually nothing more than imperialism under a new guise. The writer uses several sources to illustrate the definition of imperialism and then holds it against globalization to prove they are one and the same under different names. There were nine sources used to complete this paper.

Globalization = U.S. Imperialism

As mankind continues with the process of globalization, many world leaders point to it as an indication of peace on earth. Proudly discussing the coming together of nations, cultures, ideas and technology, the leaders of the world relay to their constituents that globalization is a positive step toward worldwide cohesiveness. Those who live in the nations, taking part in the process, look at technological advances, the ability to widen their market bases and other things and wholeheartedly agree with what they are being told. While there are many aspects of globalization that…… [Read More]

Analyzing and Treating Alcoholism

Treating Alcoholism presents therapists with multi-dimensional issues -- multicultural understanding and contextual setting of the client (profession, family, history, work conditions and exposure to extraordinary conditions, in the case of those serving in the military), dominates these settings within which psychotherapists are required to work. Lack of adequate and healthy outlet for feelings; absence of recreation, often lead to excessive, and harmful drinking. Yet, each case is an independent experience requiring the therapist to be flexible, yet focused on creating value at all times. As such, a therapist's work with each client may be termed aptly as a 'discovery'.

A psychologist deals with interpersonal exchanges using a worldview (i.e., group of attitudes) that aids in shaping their opinion of other people. Their worldview is partly governed by cultural experiences. In fact, multicultural and cross-cultural literature constantly highlight the following facts (Duncan, 2010):

1) Man is a multicultural being (Duncan, 2010);…… [Read More]

Imax Case Study Imax's General

d.). This de-institutionalization of the company will help bring the IMAX experience to new movie goers. To further broaden their appeal, IMAX has diversified their movies as well.

IMAX's second part of their business strategy centers on bringing more Hollywood movies to their large format screens. Whether it be remastering previously released films or simultaneously new films, IMAX has worked hard to expand their audience from those who typically enjoyed the unique IMAX documentary films that started the company. Costs of conversions of existing films has reduced significantly, at $22,5000 to convert a standard two-dimensional film and $45,000 to convert a 3-D film ("IMAX: Larger," n.d.). These 3-D films are also a part of the company's current business strategy.

Technological development to improve movie goers' experience as well as differentiate their product from other traditional theaters is a primary focus of IMAX's business strategy. The company has committed both financial…… [Read More]

Bullshit by Harry G Frankfurt

But bullshit is still negative, a sloppy disregard for the truth, and self-indulgent -- the bullshitter is trying to get away with something, to put something over on his audience about his character. The bullshitter is trying to conceal his or her real intentions and enterprise -- one reason why politicians are often said to be bullshitters, given that even when they might be speaking intelligently about healthcare, their real intention is likely to get reelected, not to change the world. Truth is of little interest to the bullshitter. This is the danger of bullshit -- unlike a lie which can be proven factually false, it is almost impossible to prove that someone's intentions are entirely self-serving and corrupt. That is why bullshit seems to be so rife today: "where people are frequently impelled -- whether by their own propensities or by the demands of others -- to speak extensively…… [Read More]

Deaf Marlee Matlin Is One

Sign language has become a politically charged issue in the deaf community: a means to create a cohesive social group. For the same reason that cochlear implants are viewed as controversial, speaking is occasionally viewed as selling out. atlin's move did not deter her, however. With moral support from Whoopie Goldberg, atlin maintained her identity as a proud member of the deaf community while still being willing to express herself in whatever way she pleased.

atlin is married to a police officer and has four children. She still works as an actor and views herself not as a deaf person who happens to be an actor but the reverse: as an actor who happens to be deaf (Putz 2005). Her level of comfort with the mainstream hearing society is far from threatening to the cohesiveness of the deaf community. atlin can also be a role model for any aspiring actor…… [Read More]

James and the Giant Peach

The film is also more delicate in spirit and gentle, as befits a pure fantasy rather than a fantastic satire. Instead of rolling and careening about crushing evil people like the aunts and destroying things in its wake like James' former house, the cinematic peach is soon taken aloft by beautiful seagulls on gossamer webs. The film, although satirical like the book in its exposure of grown-up's bad behavior and the triumph of children, contains such moments to soften some of the blows of its humor.

Another important element of the film not contained in the book is the way that James' parents have died. In the book, this is told in an off-hand, funny, and cruel manner -- they are devoured by a rhinoceros who has escaped from the London zoo. In the film, the viewers actually see James' life before he has to move in with his aunts,…… [Read More]

Stanley Kubrick the Madness of

Strangelove, put him over the top" (p. 61). The learning curve was clearly sharp for Kubrick, and he took what he had learned in these earlier efforts and put this to good use during a period in American history when everyone was already ready to "duck and cover": "The film's icy, documentary-style aspect served not only to give the movie its realistic edge that juxtaposed nicely with its broad satire, the style introduced the essential Kubrick setting" (Sharrett, 1999, p. 61).

According to Mcdouglas (2003), Dr. Strangelove, 2001: A Space Odyssey, and a Clockwork Orange were all later listed by the American Film Institute as being among the top one hundred American films of cinema's first century. In addition, "Each of these films provoked heated debate and each was a box-office success" (Mcdouglas, 2003, p. 2). The popular response to Kubrick's movie, 2001, in particular, was the result of an…… [Read More]

Art Costume and Scenery

Art, Costume, And Scenery of Major Feature Films of the 1980s

Kiss of the Spider oman. Hector Babenco, 1988.

Adapting The Kiss of the Spider oman to the cinema presented a unique challenge to filmmakers. The story is set in a jail cell, and largely takes the form of dialogue between two prisoners: Molina, a homosexual window dresser, and his cellmate, a fiery radical named Valentin. To pass the time, Molina tells his cellmate stories. The dank, dark cell where the two men wear relatively minimalistic clothing is a stark contrast with the beautiful, melodramatic films that Molina narrates. Occasionally, some brightness will intrude into the jail, such as when Molina cooks for Valentin or when he puts a scarf around his head. Molina may make an attempt at drag, but it is relatively minor given the tools at his disposal. "Hurt wears a kind of improvised drag, mostly involving…… [Read More]

Hayao Miyazaki Studio Ghibli Anime

Figure 3. Cover art for Miyazaki's Nausicaa DVD set

Source: http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_t68ar0SFX54/SrvMLVUJMyI/AAAAAAAADy4 / Ol1Z06z6YdE/s400/Nausicaa.jpg

The economic success of Nausicaa convinced its producers that the market for their type of work was viable, resulting in the explosion of the global manga and anime markets (Schilling, 1997). Launching Studio Ghibli as a framework in which to produce his theatrical follow-up to Nausicaa, Miyazaki's worked on Tenku no Shiro Laputa, another fantasy adventure story concerning a search for the lost flying island of Laputa. According to Schilling, "As in Nausicaa, a spunky princess was the heroine and the story contained a respect-nature-or-die subtext, but the action element was more central, the plotting less labyrinthine" (1997, p. 139). This release failed to achieve the financial success that Nausicaa enjoyed, though (Schilling, 1997). In 1988, Miyazaki wrote and directed a new movie, Tonarl no Totoro ("My Neighbor Totoro") in which he applied a different approach that…… [Read More]

Simile -- a Common Device in Poetry

Simile -- A common device in poetry is the use of comparisons, often comparing something unusual or uncommon with something that is more familiar to the reader or audience. One kind of comparison is the simile, which uses the words like or as and compares two things that are dissimilar in order to bring about a fresh view and new meaning.

An example of a simile that does this is found in Margaret Atwood's "You fit into me," in which she describes the fit of two lovers to each other as "like a hook into an eye." The reader imagines a hook and eye on the band of a skirt or the back of a bra, but then Atwood changes the significance of the simile by becoming more specific. She adds the explanation "A fish hook ... An open eye." The extended simile creates a very painful image of being…… [Read More]

Simulacrum What Is Neither Real nor a

Simulacrum: hat is neither real nor a copy?

The simulacrum subverts the common notion of what constitutes a copy vs. An authentic artifact (Camille 31). In the common, classical ordering of priorities, the 'real' is what comes first, followed by the copy. The copy affirms the real, and the worth of the real, rather than negates it. A good example of this can be seen in art forgery. The worth of the real is affirmed by the fact that the copy (whether illegally or legally made) is considered inferior to that of the real, and the copy attempts to slavishly imitate the real. The greatest compliment that can be paid to a copy is that it can be mistaken for the real thing. A picture post card of the Mona Lisa is not synonymous with the famous painting itself.

The simulacrum, however, is a false idea, image, or rendition that…… [Read More]

My Final Film Critique

ob einer's 1987 film The Princess Bride enjoyed only moderate box office revenues, but developed popular underground appeal and has become a cult classic. The enduring respect for einer's quirky romantic comedy is immediately apparent: it is far from formulaic, and does not truly fit in either to the "rom com" designation or that of a fantasy. The Princess Bride also includes a cast filled with luminaries like Peter Falk, Andre the Giant, and Christopher Guest. Its cast and celebrity director therefore enhances the credibility of The Princess Bride. Ultimately, though, the script and the overall tone of the film make The Princess Bride classically compelling. William Goldman's eponymous novel, upon which the film is based, transforms seamlessly into a film that capitalizes on the clever story-within-a-story concept. Peter Falk reads The Princess Bride to his grandson, who is staying home sick from school. At first, the grandson balks at…… [Read More]

Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Independent Films

Flew ver the Cuckoo's Nest"

Independent films have become such a mainstay of American cinema that it is difficult to tell what should be considered independent and what should be considered a major production these days. Small, independent film studios can gain such a following that they are soon producing movies that are seen by millions. f course, this was not always the case because the reason there are indie films is because of the rebellion over the control of the large studios. In the case of the movie "ne Flew ver the Cuckoo's Nest" it was an indie film, but it was seen by a large audience. Like many indie films of that time and this though, it had a flare that could not be seen in major motion pictures. Since major motion picture studios were interested more in the bottom line and worried about turning a profit for…… [Read More]

Curious Case of Filming Dr Jekyll and

Curious Case of Filming Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: 1920 versus 2008

obert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde has evolved into one of the most acclaimed pieces of modern literature. One aspect of this phenomenon is a continual spark of interest with the novel is motion pictures. Various directors through the years have interpreted the book through their own eyes and the following is a depiction of that. One might question Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde's overwhelming success. Theme restaurants, Broadway shows and movies all have indicated a public interest in the classic. This essay will examine how various cinematic microelements contributed to vastly different artistic productions of approximately the same plot a century apart.

The first movie that I decided to use for this examination is the 1920 restored version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, directed by John S. obertson. I thought that obertson's attempt to…… [Read More]

Pan's Labyrinth

Pan's Labyrinth

The movie 'El Laberinto del Fauno' with 'Pan's Labyrinth' as English translation of the title directed by Del Toro revolves round the issue of the reason behind story telling. Although it is fact that in traditional fairy tales the validity and authenticity of magic and wonder is not questioned yet many characters in modern fairy tales fiction as well as movies are shown arguing that magic does not exist. Why it is so that several stories conclude at the end that magic that the character and audiences experience while going through a story either reading it or watching in the form of a film is dismisses like a dream? is it so that some characters insist to privilege truth upon lies in the fiction fairy tale and films is merely setting up the corny argument that some lies tell a greater truth than just facts?

The current essay…… [Read More]

Children's Literature Timeline Literature for Children A

Children's Literature Timeline

LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN: A SELECTIVE TIMELINE

Charles Perrault. Histoires ou Contes du Temps Passe: Les Contes de ma Mere l'Oie. (Tales and Stories of the Past with Morals: Tales of Mother Goose.) France.

Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Kinder- und Haus-marchen. (Children's and Household Tales.) Germany.

Hans Christian Andersen. Eventyr Fortalte For Born (Fairy Tales Told To Children.) First and Second Volumes. Denmark.

Heinrich Hoffmann, Struwwelpeter (Shock-Headed Peter). Germany.

Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Britain.

Louisa May Alcott, Little Women. U.S.A.

Mark Twain. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. U.S.A.

Carlo Collodi. Le Avventure di Pinocchio. (The Adventures of Pinocchio.) Italy.

1900. L. Frank Baum. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. U.S.A.

1926. A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh. Britain.

1937. J.R.R. Tolkein, The Hobbit. Britain.

1944. Astrid Lindgren, Pippi Langstrump. (Pippi Longstocking.). Sweden.

1952. E.B. White. Charlotte's Web. U.S.A.

1957. Dr. Seuss. The Cat in the Hat. U.S.A.

1963.…… [Read More]

Et the Extra Terrestrial

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

"E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial" has entered the pantheon of American pop culture in such a way that any film critic approaching it has to declare his or her bias up front: it is as hard to be objective about "E.T." As it is about "The izard of Oz" or the original "Toy Story." It seems embarrassing to use the tools of serious film criticism on something like "E.T." simply because most people have an instinctive sense that children are actually fairly tough critics, and that anything that is so universally acclaimed as children's entertainment as Steven Spielberg's 1982 science fiction masterpiece can't really be a serious movie, simply because it happens to be slick and professional. But revisiting "E.T." is also a useful way for anyone with an interest in serious film criticism to watch a film that actually works. "E.T." is actually a remarkably effective film, in…… [Read More]

Colorization Technique and Film

filmmakers have quite a few options. They may choose to place a character in a realistic spaceship; they may choose to shoot their film from dynamic angles which push the limits of filmmaking; they may choose to have a dinosaur wander through the city or they may choose to shoot the movements of micro-bacteria. They may also make the choice as to whether they wish to shoot their film in black and white, in color, or in a combination of the mediums.

Films such as Schindler's List and Pleasantville are excellent examples of films wherein the filmmakers understood that the juxtaposition of color and black and white have an effect on the audience. In Schindler's List, the audience watches a small girl in a bright red jacket flee Nazis during a raid. She draws the eye and as a result has a profound effect on the audience.

In Pleasantville, black…… [Read More]

Transformation to Case Study

Hill People Page

In 1997, when Kirk Watson was running for mayor, Austin was in the drunken throes of enjoying a decade-long spell of unprecedented, economic growth. Unemployment was on the downswing. Corporate relocations and expansions were on the upswing. Venture capitol and new business creation was rising to an all-time high. Office buildings, apartment complexes, new home subdivisions, retail centers, along with all the roads to support them, were sprouting up all over the city. As a consequence, the city populace had become polarized in their feelings about growth and had split into two political camps. There were the developers who welcomed Austin's transition to a large, thriving metropolis much like the mega-cities of Dallas or Houston, and there were the environmentalists who didn't want Austin to be a city at all, but wanted to go back to the hip college town that was the Austin they knew in…… [Read More]

Hedwig and the Angry Inch vs Magnolia

role of individual: the titular "Hedwig" of "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" and the protagonist of "Magnolia"

The individual's sexual orientation and sexual identity and of identification is of supreme importance in "Hedwig and the Angry Inch," as well as in "Magnolia." However, in the latter film, the protagonists' senses of lived selfhood regarding the nature of life and death comes to the forefront, rather than notions of mere gender identification. In the film, of "Hedwig" regarding the "internationally ignored" rock singer from behind the Iron Curtain, the individual is defined almost entirely in terms of his/her sexuality. In "Magnolia," the closeness of different individuals towards their eventual end is what is at issue in terms of their sense of self as individuals.

This fact is evidenced in terms of Hansel/Hedwig's marginal social status as a transvestite and vocationally in terms of his/her manifested, simultaneous roles as a drag queen…… [Read More]

Night at the Museum Battle of the

Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Extra Credit Scavenger Hunt

The 2009 comedy film "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" is set in the famed Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., but in reality many of the scenes were shot inside New York City's American Museum of Natural History (AMNA), where the main character Larry Daley (played by Ben Stiller) actually worked in the first film. This means that much of the artwork and architecture seen on display throughout the film can actually be observed at either the Smithsonian or the AMNA. The following list highlights several of the most interesting examples of artwork, animal skeletons, cultural artifacts and other displays shown in the film that actually exist in either of these two incredible museums.

These are paintings and sculptures that I noticed on display in the background, or in the case…… [Read More]

Technology Tools in Teaching

Learning Games for the Future

The impact of technology on the education system has not been fully explored in many ways. Teachers and students alike are discovering new ways in which technology may be incorporated within the day and find approaches that utilize technology to its greatest advantage. Combining technology with the sense or need for play and games is at the heart of this problem. It is essential for researchers to have a strong grasp of the opportunities that exist. This research topic will specifically examine the role of games and technology as they relate to 2nd grade education modalities and approaches. This essay will review literature discussing this topic and provide some strengths and weaknesses of those arguments and how the research itself was conducted.

Summary of Findings

Shin et al. (2006) used their research efforts to investigate the effects of handheld gaming on student learning within the…… [Read More]

Painkiller Addiction

Oxycodone: A brief history of a potentially addictive drug

Most of us think of opium and opiates in fairly dramatic terms. e think of Dorothy in the izard of Oz, lulled into a stupor after falling asleep in a field of poppies or, worse, the image of a junkie hopelessly captivated by heroin. However, the face of drug addiction is changing. Many people are addicted to supposedly healthy, doctor-prescribed painkillers by their physicians. Drugs like oxycodone have the same chemical composition as opiates like heroin, even though they were scientifically created in laboratories. This paper will provide a brief history of the drug oxycodone and its use and abuses. Although oxycodone has many legitimate applications in pain management, it is not a harmless drug and has the potential to become extremely addictive. This addictive property was not initially noted but after cases of abuse began to surface, concerns began to…… [Read More]

Analyzing Chicana O Art Affects Private and Public Space

Chicana/O Art Affects Private and Public Space

Public arts became the most noticeable form of Chicana/o art, starting from the 60's. Signs from the Heart: California Chicano Murals editors, Eva Cockcroft and Holly Barnet-Sanchez, state that an artwork that is truly "public" offers society a symbolic illustration of its collective beliefs, together with a continued reassertion of its collective self-image. The movement's artistic expressions include posters, murals, street processions, performances, and films (Chicano Art). Modernist art's early tendency was presenting subjective experience, in addition to stressing its value in a way that has never been done before (Butler, 2010 page51). Prominent artists from that era, who had taken over from the latter part of the nineteenth century and had a focus on the part played by symbolism, imagery, the unconscious, and dreams, were always inclined to give preference to individual self-realization. Furthermore, they employed epiphany and intuitive, imaginative ways of…… [Read More]

Katrina for Finding and Framing

Developing a critical eye for the media also demands culling information from multiple sources and not believing everything stated by the media. The media is not an authority; the media consults authority figures to gather sellable data.

For "They Shoot Helicopters, Don't They?"

1. Matt Welch cites general "communication breakdown" and an "information vacuum" as main culprits in the misinformation leaked about Katrina (p. 13). However, Welch places the blame squarely on reporters for not having enough skepticism of the oral sources they acquire information during a natural disaster. Rumors spread readily during a disaster also because of a breakdown in telecommunications infrastructure. What Welch refers to as a:rumor mill" seems to be the source of much of the media's coverage (p. 13).

2. The kinds of rumors and stories spread by reporters and enhanced by sensationalist media coverage suggest that various lenses are used to view reality. One of…… [Read More]

Hero With 1 000 Faces the Classic Hero

Hero with 1,000 Faces

The classic hero seems to teach us the value of humanity, while helping us strive for excellence by understanding the value of the experiences rendered through intuition, emotions, and often feelings that are special to the hero -- often rather than logical reasoning. The paradigm of heroism transcends genre, chronology and has become so common in the human collective consciousness that it is easily recognized and repeated (Campbell).

One very interesting aspect of the human experience is the manner in which certain themes appear again and again over time, in literature, religion, mythology, and culture -- regardless of the geographic location, the economic status, and the time period. Perhaps it is the innate human need to explain and explore the known and unknown, but to have disparate cultures in time and location find ways of explaining certain principles in such similar manner leads one to believe…… [Read More]

Communication and How it Is

He is concerned that as the social sciences increasingly becomes more quantified, they loffer less understanding into the concepts behind symbols. This is especially of concern, since symbols have played such an important role throughout history. Duncan gives examples of symbol misunderstandings such as: confusion of the symbolic and subjective, failure to study symbolic forms, and sociologists' inability to use non-mechanistic models. Even worse, there is no agreement between scholars on how to define the concept of symbol nor explain the ambiguity of symbols. Is this lack of definitive agreement the reason why people perceive reality differently? Does this lead to misunderstandings and a failure to communicate?

Berger and Luckmann. Social construction.

QUESTION: Berger and Luckman state that society is a human product. Can it also be the product of lower animals? Recently, it was shown that chimpanzees actually are capable of culture or the passing of knowledge from one…… [Read More]

Blues Leadbelly Told Alan Lomax It a

BLUES Leadbelly told Alan Lomax, "It a man blues sing blues," statement -- a truth blues -- leads a number things worth thinking exploring. For thing, side Leadbelly's statement true: One blues hear blues understand .

Blues and the American experience

It is a very well-known fact that music is one of the oldest means of expression in human civilization. It represents the way through which some of the deepest feelings and emotions have been expressed along the history of mankind. Whether it is through music and instruments, such as symphonic music, or whether this music includes words and lyrics, all musical creations aim at sending a message about the world their creators lived in, their emotions, and their feelings related to that world, or its surrounding elements.

The Blues has provided music lovers and not only them a comprehensive image of different experiences of the American history particularly because…… [Read More]

Leni Riefenstahl Ethics

Leni Riefenstahl. The writer explores the topic of Riefenstahl and her unethical art. The writer examines the catastrophic consequences and her lack of integrity that lead to horror for millions. There were nine sources used to complete this paper.

Leni Riefenstahl: Her Unethical Art and The Catastrophic Consequences

The reign of Adolf Hitler is one that history will never forget. Under his terrorist reign of terror millions of people died. Those who did not die suffered from the loss of loved ones, loss of privacy and loss of financial stability. It was a time in which the world was introduced to the dangerous side of charismatic politics. While there were many who were fooled in the beginning by Hitler's manipulation tactics they soon learned his true motivations and spent the rest of their lives working to unseat the inhumane dictator. There is one person however, who admired him from the…… [Read More]