Category: Media Studies

Abstract Expressionism: Bird’s Eye View by Rolph Scarlett

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Painted in 1947, the work in question is a fine example of abstract expressionism. The work could be read and interpreted in more than one way. But the most obvious reference following from the title is that of a cityscape, with its attendant congestion, uniformity and chaos. 

Being an example of expressionist art, the mood is the foremost aesthetic component in the work. The painter uses a couple of devices to illustrate his intentions. It also invokes a somber mood, consistent with the condition of human alienation common to city-dweller. This darkened mood is expressed through an apt choice of colors. In particular, the use of red, black and dark blue serves to show how urban lifestyles leave individuals feeling secluded. The juxtaposition of dark and light hues gives the illusion of cramped spaces – both in geographic terms and as a metaphor for the state of mind of a city-dweller.

We can also see in the painting how a cityscape is illustrated . . . Read More

Dreamgirls (Musical): Synopsis, Characters

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The main theme of the musical is about the rollercoaster nature of showbiz, especially that of pop music. Based on the 1960’s and 70’s rise of this genre, the musical attempts to capture all the drama and encumbrance that celebrity brings. It tries to capture the paradox of how high fame can create high-stakes for those involved. In this heady atmosphere, ego clashes, fluctuations of fortunes and changing trends take a toll on the players involved. As a result there is manifestation of greed, egoism, mistrust, jealousy and insecurity aplenty. Yet, there are also expressions of such admirable human traits as grit, determination, resoluteness and worthy ambition.

One of the main points of conflict in the musical is the one between Marty and Curtis as they both claim patronage of Dreamettes. The two men who played a key role in the rising stardom of the all-female pop band act possessively toward their protégés. They both believe that they have earned some unarticulated . . . Read More

Circles in a Circle by Wassily Kandinsky

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The work of art chosen for this essay is Circles in a Circle by Wassily Kandinsky. This oil on canvas painting was first exhibited in 1923. It has dimensions of 38 x 37 inches approximately, excluding the frame. The work is a fine specimen of Modern Art. As the explanatory note accompanying the exhibit says, the artist, by way of using rulers, compasses and optically perfect circles, opens up a new sensibility to the art form. Similar to fellow American artist Manierre Dawson, Kandinsky’s style and substance was “based on coordinates and curves suggested by parabolas, hyperbolas and circles so familiar to engineering students.” (Petroski 29) Although Kandinsky was never formally trained as an engineer, he seemed to have possessed an intuitive grasp of the subject. Far from being an one-off experimentation in the subject, the themes of geometry and precision are recurrent in his whole corpus of works. Starting from the 1920s, Kandinsky developed a unique style, . . . Read More

Mirror (Movie) – Story – Analysis

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Story: 

A jumbled series of dramatised scenes, dream sequences and newsreel excerpts reveal the memories and present-day experiences of unseen protagonist-narrator Alexei. The traumas of Alexei’s rural childhood and experiences of war are mirrored in his urban adult life. His estranged relations with his ex-wife, Natalia, and son, Ignat, reflect the abandonment he suffered from his own father. A myriad of motifs echo across generations melding dream with reality and the personal with the political. Transcending autobiography, elements drawn from Tarkovsky’s own experiences (and those of his mother and father, who both feature in the film) are implicated within the wider traumatic socio-historical experiences of Soviet Russia from 1930 to 1970. 

Analysis: 

What is this film about? It is about a Man. No, not the particular man whose voice we hear. It’s a film about you, your father, your . . . Read More

Zemlya / Earth (1930 Movie) – Summary – Analysis

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Summary: 

The film begins with the final moments of grandfather Semyon Opanas beneath a pear tree. Locals, including Arkhyp Bilokin, contemplate the process of collectivisation and declare their resistance to it, while elsewhere Semyon’s grandson Vasyl and his friends meet to discuss collectivisation. That night a dark figure attacks and kills Vasyl. At the cemetery, Bilokin’s son Khoma arrives to declare that he was the one who killed Vasyl, but the villagers pay him no attention. One declares that Vasyl’s glory will fly around the world like a new communist airplane. The film ends with a downpour of rain over fruit and vegetables. 

Analysis: 

Earth shares several characteristics with many of the most influential Soviet films of its era. It follows the Communist Party line by depicting a proletarian collective as a united and heroic force against bourgeois self-interest, while its formalist . . . Read More

The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum – Summary – Analysis

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Summary: 

In late nineteenth-century Tokyo, young kabuki actor Kikunosuke meets Otoku, his baby brother’s wet nurse. Otoku candidly tells him how bad his acting is; her honesty impresses him, and love and trust develops between the two. Kikunosuke’s adoptive father and mentor, the great Kikugoro V, however, does not approve of their relationship, let alone their marriage, and disowns him. Kikunosuke starts afresh in the Osaka kabuki world. One year later, Otoku joins him. Four years pass. Kikunosuke now plays in travelling troupes and, even if his acting itself has improved, the couple struggle to survive and often quarrel. She confides in Fuku, Kikunosuke’s friend and fellow kabuki actor of privilege. Fuku and the impresario Morita promise Otoku to give Kikunosuke a chance in exchange for her leaving him. Kikunosuke makes a spectacular comeback performance and is received by his family in Tokyo, and Otoku disappears. Several months later, . . . Read More

Eat Drink Man Woman: Summary & Analysis

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Summary: 

Mr Chu (Lung) is a retired hotel chef in Taipei, Taiwan, who still shares the family home with his three adult daughters. Jia-jen (Yang), the oldest, is a Christian chemistry teacher who falls in love with the new school coach, Ming-dao Chou (Lu). The next daughter, Jia-chien (Wu), whose relationship with her father is the main focus of the film, is a successful executive at an expanding airline company who moves on from her modern, nostrings sex relationship with Raymond (Chan) when the suave Li Kai (Chao) arrives at her office. The youngest, 20-year-old Jia-ning (Wang), gets pregnant by her best friend’s ex-boyfriend. Chu himself keeps secret his developing relationship with their neighbour Jin-rong (Chang) while preparing school-meals for her young daughter, Shan-Shan (Tang). Chu’s oldest friend and colleague Old Wen (Wang) dies suddenly. Jia-jen and Jia-ning marry their lovers while Chu and Jia-chien, his favourite daughter, are . . . Read More

Yeelen (Movie) – Summary – Analysis

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Summary: 

A young man, Nianankoro, embarks on a journey across ancient Mali to fulfil his destiny and challenge his tyrannical father Soma, a member of the Komo society which holds the secrets of a divine cosmic force. Nianankoro’s power matures with the help of the Peul and Dogon peoples, and after acquiring the sacred Wing of Kore, he engages in an epic battle with his father for the fate of the entire country. 

Analysis: 

Yeelen stands as one of the most acclaimed African films of the twentieth century, largely due to its striking portrayal of the peoples and pre-colonial culture of Mali.1 This status inevitably raises questions about how to judge the film in relation to the pervasive representation of Africa as ‘a paradigm of difference’, the ultimate ‘Other’ of Western modernity.2 Does the film’s vibrant portrayal of precolonial myth and culture make it an African film par . . . Read More

Y tu mama tambien – Story – Analysis

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Story: 

The film’s young male protagonists, Tenoch and Julio are just leaving high school and embarking on their adult life; they spend their time getting drunk, taking drugs, having sex and “whacking off”.Whenthey meet an attractive older woman, Luisa, at a family wedding they flirt with her and invite her to come on atripto the beach with them. Luisa, in her late twenties, is married to Tenoch’s cousin Juno and, although she doesn’t take the invitation seriously at first, when she discovers that her husband has been unfaithful she takes the boys up on their offer. The trio travel through the Mexican countryside en route to the mythical Heaven’s Mouth. 

Analysis:

On the surface Y tu mamá también is a stylish road movie. Whilst the film borrows from the Hollywood genre, it does not employ a classical Hollywood style. Y tu mamá también has a distinctly documentary feel, employing long . . . Read More

A Touch of Zen: Summary & Analysis

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Summary:

 An artist, Ku, lives with his mother near an abandoned fort, reputed to be haunted. One night, investigating strange noises, he meets the beautiful Yang who is living there, and finds himself caught up in her struggle to survive attacks by agents of an imperial noble who murdered her family. 

Analysis: 

The Chinese wuxia (martial chivalry) genre is familiar to Western audiences largely through Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon (2000) with its characteristic code-bound warriors, their mastery with weapons and ability to scale walls or trees via great leaps. In Mainland China, the Communist Party banned the genre for romanticising feudalism and anti-authoritarianism, forcing it underground until the end of the last century. Meanwhile in nationalist Taiwan and colonialist Hong Kong, wuxia thrived where the subtext of the underdog’s fight for traditional values against oppressive . . . Read More