Essays and Research Papers on Film & Television

A 6 page discussion of the 1996 movie, "A Long Kiss Goodnight". Scripted by Shane Black, directed by Renny Harlin, and starring Genna Davis and Samuel L. Jackson this movie is a fast-paced action thriller with little societal value. Outlines the plot and discusses the cinematographic technique. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 5 page discussion of the events depicted in this 1979 movie to real-life worker welfare. Describes the deplorable conditions faced by factory workers during this period and introduces the topic of unionization. Notes that unionization gave the masses a single, powerful voice which could not be ignored by factory owners and managers. ...

A 3 page paper which compares the novel and the film in terms of the stature of the sidekick (Sancho Panza vs. Ned Logan and the Schofield Kid), the stature of the adversary (Enchanter and Samson Carrasco vs. Little Bill Daggett and W.W. Beauchamp, and the stature of the leading lady (Lady Dulcinea vs. Delilah). ...

6 pages in length. When assessing the impact that film has had upon the women's movement, it is not difficult to name at least a dozen examples off the top of one's head; indeed, the power of women is the primary focus of myriad films. Two in particular – Truman Capote's "Breakfast at ...

A 6 page review of these classic movies. Outlines the plot and points our both commonalties and contrasts between the lead female characters in each. Concludes that while each is desperately trying to control their own societal circumstance, it is really that circumstance which is controlling them. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 5 page paper looks at these two coming of age films made in different eras. Similarities and differences are noted. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 5 page paper which discusses the parallels the film "Manchurian Candidate" and Aeschylus' "Libation Bearers" of the fifth century. Bibliography lists 2 additional sources.

This 6 page paper looks at the role and perception of the gangster in 1920's and 1930's America. The reality and the fictional perspectives of gangsters through the different media served as a tool to test and challenge society, this is discussed concerned they way that it was viewed at the time and how it ...

This 5 page report discusses the 1995 movie, “Higher Learning,” director John Singleton’s third movie, that offers a look into the lives and minds of a group of young people from different countries, races, and social background. They find themselves in integrated circumstances as all enroll in Columbus University. Students who are already dealing with the expectations of high ...

5 pages in length. The comparative nature of love and power between the book and movie versions of Michael Ondaatje's The English Patient are similar in some respects yet as far apart as can be on others, primarily due to the individual visionary essence that separates the writer and director. Truly, such a thematic ...

A 7 page research paper that looks at colonialism, imperialism, race and gender through the medium of how it is depicted in foreign film. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

An 8 page research paper that analyzes David Cronenger's The Fly (1986). T he writer argues that from the time of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, horror has been one of the ways that the human psyche has dealt with rapid technological change. In the horror genre, we see the "worst case" scenario of where ...

This 7 page paper argues that the television series, the X-Files, provides viable social commentary within a number of genres, specifically science fiction, thrillers and adventure. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines how the workers’ rights contained in the Wagner Act of 1935 are illustrated through the unfolding of the film’s plot, and explores how the workers’ felt mistreated, and what they about it. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 5 page report discusses one of the most popular television shows of the past several decades and starring one of America’s favorite comedians, “The Cosby Show.” Jhally and Lewis believe there is a certain undercurrent of what could be referred to as “enlightened racism” that runs through the show. The meaning of “enlightened racism” is composed from a newly ...

(5pp) Is it that life imitates art, or art that imitates life? It is a puzzle that has tweaked historians for a long time. There are instances where some clear cut parallels can be drawn. One of these is the connection and influence that can be made between German expressionism and the ...

An 11 page paper which explores how Gus Van Sant incorporated parts of Welles' interpretation of five Shakespeare plays into his contemporary urban film. Bibliography lists 8 sources.

A seven page paper which analyses the soap opera Eastenders, looking at the way in which it conveys social and cultural messages through the development of character and plot. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A seven page paper which looks at the ways in which contemporary American films reflect or satirise modern American culture, including tutorial notes to assist the student in using the paper as the basis for a longer dissertation. Bibliography lists 9 sources.

A 4 page paper which examines a couple of scenes from the movie “Citizen Kane.” The scenes examined are very descriptive and hard hitting, illustrating in a few simple frames, who Charles Kane was and the changes he went through. The two scenes introduce us to a young Kane who is just starting out on ...

A five page paper which considers what distinguishes independent film producers from those working in the mainstream industry, in terms of artistic integrity, financial constraints, marketing and distribution processes and the relationship between director and audience. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

5 pages in length. The Hawksian woman differed much more significantly from Hollywood's representation of women in the studio era when compared with the more modern action heroines of the 1980s and 1990's. Given the fact that Howard Hawks movies portrayed women in a strong and independent light, the Hawksian woman came to ...

(4 pp). The dominance of American motion pictures in the international market dates back to late 1800s when American producers began exporting their products. The historical roots of the current prominence of the USA in the international market for films (and, subsequently, television programs) have received increasing attention from historians in recent ...

(5 pp). Bernard Malamud's (1914-1986) first novel, The Natural, an allegory about the rise and fall of a baseball player, was published in 1952. According to Rothstein (1986), it is different from most of his work in that there are no Jewish characters. After the book was made into a movie starring Robert Redford ...

A five page paper which looks at the New Wave in French cinema in the 1950s and 1960s, and considers the social and cultural factors which led the directors of the Nouvelle Vague to break away from traditional form and structure in their work. Bibliography lists 5 sources.