Summary: Federico Fellini’s 8 ½ portrays a key juncture in the life of the fictional film director, Guido Anselmi (as played by Marcello Mastroianni). Guido is successful with audiences and well regarded by the critics, but he is having problems with his ideas for his latest work, a strange piece that seems to combine autobiographical…
Category: Media Studies
4 Months 3 Weeks and 2 Days: Summary & Analysis
Summary: Mungiu’s second feature film follows the story of Otilia Mihartescu (Anamaria Marinca) and Gabriela ‘Gabita’ Dragut (Laura Vasiliu), two university friends in an unnamed Romanian town. The film is set in 1987, at the end of the oppressive Ceausescu regime. When Gabita becomes pregnant, the two girls arrange a meeting with Mr Bebe (Vlad…
Romanticism and Realism in the Arts
The Romantic and Realist eras were sharply differentiated in terms of style and content of art. Yet, they are united in being born as reactions to styles precedent to theirs. Romanticism, for example was born as a reaction to the rational-scientific emphasis of the Age of the Enlightenment. Where Romantic art differed from scientific disposition…
Character Portrait: Jake Sully (Avatar)
Jake Sully is one of the lead characters in the film. Suffering from complete paralysis of the limbs, he chances upon the opportunity to be the hybrid Avatar in place of his deceased twin brother. He is thereby able to make use of his functioning mental capability with the genetically engineered body of Na’vi individual….
Avatar (2009) and FernGully:The Last Rainforest (1992)
Avatar has hogged the limelight on the back of its grand international success and record revenues. While the film deserves appreciation on these counts, it is not a pioneer in promoting the environment conservation theme. That recognition will have to go to the underrated classic FernGully, which set a benchmark for feature-length animation. The achievement…
Oldboy by Park Chan Wook: An Analysis
The film contains all the ingredients of a conventional suspense-thriller. But what makes it outstanding is its exploration of complex human relations which were formed under exacting circumstances. The set-piece elements of crime and intrigue easily get the audience hooked. But for the discerning viewer, there is also much to be appreciated in the unfolding…
A Comparison between Human Sex by LaLaLa Human Steps & Smoke by Mats Ek
Human Sex by LaLaLa Human Steps is a wonderfully choreographed and precisely executed dance performance. The piece is a celebration of love with all the interdependencies between the lovers. It brims with optimism and energy, colorfully portraying the physicality of love and ecstasy. The two dancers largely conform to gender stereotypes, whereby, the male dancer…
Avatar: Story telling in the tradition of the legend
Avatar is a multi-faceted film with rich scope for interpretation and analysis. It could also be fitted into various story-telling traditions like oral, folk tale, legend, etc. While the plot development and cinematic exposition lend themselves to association with any story-telling format, it is most easily related to the traditions of legend. The rest of…
Shutter Island (2009): Relevance to Nursing
The film Shutter Islands holds value for students of psychology, psychiatry and nursing for its portrayal of complex mental illness. The film should be evaluated separately on two counts – first, its entertainment value and second, its relevance to the medical profession. Obviously, the parameters used for the respective evaluations are different. In my view,…
Elements of Film Thinking: Touch of Evil (1958)
Despite the film not being Welles’ best work, one could see his trademark style throughout. At the same time Welles’ forte is his experimentation and spontaneous innovation. As a result, the film retains Welles’ fingerprints without adopting previously tried techniques. This is true of both the narrative and cinematographic styles. This essay will argue that…