Movie Analysis

I. The Dimensions of Time and Place

Name of film:

Date it was originally made:

Decade or era that the story takes place:

For this movie, write down what should go at each point of the triangle: Conflict, Rising Action, Climax, Falling Action, and Resolution:

II. Brief description of the film’s main plot (2-3 sentences, in your own words):

III. Filmmaker’s Engagement with the Past

Is the film based on a true story?  If yes, which?

Does the film offer a visual illusion of the past?  If yes, discuss in what ways (be more specific than “costumes” or “props” – mention specific examples).

What techniques did the filmmaker use to bring emotion to the past (think in terms of music/sound, acting techniques, lighting, camera work, etc.)? Does the film evoke emotion in a way that a book on the subject could not?

IV. Character and Motivations:

Which character(s) is the outcast or underdog?  What makes them so?

Which is the most important relationship in the film?  Why so?

Name something you would want to learn more about one of the historical characters or places in the film:

V. Reflection

If films present a kind of historical argument, what has the filmmaker here “argued” about outcasts in history? (50 words or so)

[An historical argument may be asserted by the director (i.e., with visuals, sounds, gestures, the way he wants to make you feel), or the writer (i.e., with the words spoken by the actors), or both.  For example, one might say that Au Revoir les Enfants, which was autobiographical to the director, demonstrates that there were “good” guys as well as “bad” guys in occupied France during the Holocaust.]