Essays and Research Papers on Film & Television

This 5 page report discusses the 1969 movie “Medium Cool” that was directed by Haskel Wexler and tells the story of a television news cameraman, played by Robert Forster, recording the events and people of the turbulent Democratic Convention of 1968 in Chicago and the resulting street riot. Wexler masterfully wove in live footage of the events in Chicago with the ...

This 5 page paper contemplates Schlondorff's filmed version of the Arthur Miller classic about a traveling salesman and the relationships he has with his family. Acting and cinematography are discussed. This version stars Dustin Hoffman and there is a notable appearance by John Malkovich. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 7 page paper which discusses the work of Steven Spielberg from different perspectives, thus illustrating how he has become a very powerful director with a very diverse vision. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 5 page paper which examines how the film was more successful at portraying the heroine as a strong female character in her world which is dominated by men. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

5 pages in length. Postwar activities inherently reflect the inevitable process of catch-up and convergence; while this process takes place, scores of people work diligently as a means by which to piece their lives back together. The social, political and economic chaos that ensued in the South after World War II illustrated the ...

5 pages in length. The writer discusses Puig's "Kiss of the Spider Woman" as it relates to Laura Mulvey's "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema." Bibliography lists 5 sources.

5 pages in length. The primary lesson to be learned from the film is that God is not a tangible destination as Sybok depicts it to be, but rather God's existence can only be measure within one's very soul. Shatner's direction in "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" is significantly in tuned with ...

This 5 page report discusses the characters of the two primary characters in the 1995 action-drama movie played by Gene Hackman (Captain Frank Ramsey) and Denzel Washington (First Officer Ron Hunter). In many ways, the conflicts they experienced were every bit as fascinating and powerful as any fears of attack by Russian rebels who had taken over a nuclear missile site ...

6 pages in length. With astute insight and compelling perceptiveness, Michael Medved brings out the hidden – and not so hidden – backlash that popular culture in general and Hollywood in particular have wreaked upon contemporary society. His treatment of this often-controversial subject matter delves deeply into the idiosyncratic components that Hollywood and ...

A 6 page paper which provides technical information on Martin Scorsese’s popular and critically successful 1990 film, and considers what impact, if any, it made on society. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

A 5 page paper which discusses how particular stories, seen in film, focus on social and historical themes. The stories discussed are "Eat Drink Man Woman," "To Live," "Shanghai Triad," and "The Wedding Banquet." Bibliography lists 3 additional sources.

This 15 page report discusses the mythological aspects of the Star Wars movies and suggests two possible scenarios for development in terms of the overall plot of the stories. Recognizing that one of the reasons the movie series has been such a great success is because it follows a literary tradition that has been popular, literally for centuries, the “new” episodes ...

A 7 page paper which compares and contrasts the original 1949 stage production with the 1985 TV-movie within the literary contexts of plot, theme, setting, and character. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 10 page paper which analyzes the television shows "NY Undercover" and NYPD Blue." The paper discusses several episodes of the shows, and also address what makes these shows so popular today. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

This 5 page report discusses Toni Morrison’s 1987 novel, “Beloved,” and the 1998 screen adaptation of the novel starring Oprah Winfrey. The writer expresses a strong preference for the novel and asserts that the film was not a good adaptation of it. One of Toni Morrison’s great talents as a writer is the way she develops her characters throughout the ...

(5 pp) As a human, Charlie Chaplin may have left much to be desired; as a filmmaker, and an actor, he seems quite amazing. This discussion will look at his second full-length film, The Gold Rush, made in 1925. Bibliography lists 6 sources and one visual (poster for movie)

This 12 page report discusses the first two stories that made up the “Godfather” epic and how they serve as an example of the ways in which the style and form of a movie is one of its most determining characteristics. Style and form have a direct impact on how subsequent movies are shaped and then seen by the audience. ...

(7 pp) Few if any art pieces that survive are made in a vacuum. What that means is that somehow something was going on in the country or the culture, which caused the appeal of Bonnie and Clyde? This discussion will look at the historical period of the movie itself, and the historical ...

A 5 page paper comparing one of Raymond Carver's stories to its counterpart in Robert Altman's film of the same name. The film has been hailed as an example of creative genius, but it appears to be little more than a big-screen version of daytime TV. The story discussed is Carver's 'Jerry and Betty and Sam,' in ...

A 5 page paper which compares and contrasts the form and style of the HBO series and the 1972 film. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

This 5 page paper considers the current and the future situation of the way in which television is regulated in the United Kingdom, and how it may change when the Independent Television Commission, the Advertising Standards Authority and the Broadcasting Standards Commission are all absorbed into a super regulatory authority; The Office of Communication. ...

This 7 page paper takes a look at each of the jurors in Twelve Angry Men. Underlying themes are discussed. No additional sources cited.

5 pages in length. The multiple elements that comprise the triangle between and among Jane Tennison, Bill Otley and George Marlow in Lynda La Plante's Prime Suspect 1 clearly address both blatant and underlying issues of sexism, social patriarchy, personal priority and overall acceptance. The level of intolerance surrounding each of these issues ...

This 7 page report discusses director Jane Campion’s 1993 movie “The Piano.” Looking at “The Piano” from those supposed “perspectives” of melodrama, it is important to understand that “The Piano” is a movie in which the constraints of the movie, just as the constraints of society, take on a completely different set of rules and parameters than what would be ...

5 pages in length. Mass media represent different things to different people. For some, the aspect of television means the epitome of rest and relaxation; for others, print media such as magazines and newspapers reflect a combination of entertainment and current events; while still others relate to music as though it were another ...