Film research essay

The Classic Film Research Essay Guidelines
• Classic Films are often distinguished or unique works of cinema that have transcended time and trends with indefinable quality. They contain a timeless message for the audience!
• Classic films are often universal favorites that hold up after repeated rescreening.
• In other words, classics are renowned films of first rank, reference points in film mythology or films that have become a part of American cultural folklore.
I. Essay Topic: Classic Film
1. Select a classic film to view from the list below. If you cannot find your film online or at your local library, search the web or go to the SPC library. Do not ‘pirate’ a movie from the internet.
2. After viewing and researching your film, develop a tentative thesis and submit it to the Research Essay Thesis Forum for peer review by two of your classmates and then your professor.
3. The focus of the thesis will be what you believe to be the film maker’s message, the theme or the LESSON LEARNED you have taken away from the classic film you have selected and viewed. It will be a three-part thesis which covers the following areas for support of your focus: Characterization, Setting and Theme/LESSON Learned.
4. Once your thesis is peer reviewed by your classmates and approved by your professor, compose a six (6) paragraph, minimum 1,200 word, Research Essay with a minimum 1,200 word Rough Draft which will first be submitted to the Rough Draft Drop Box.
5. Include three to five scholarly research sources within your essay as well as a Works Cited section using correctly formatted MLA documentation.
6. PLEASE NOTE: At least two sources must come from the SPC Library Online Database. All sources must be credible scholarly sources.
7. Review the Research Essay Rubric as your guide for organizing, drafting, revising and editing this essay.
II. Essay Guidelines for Each of the Six Paragraphs
1. 1st Paragraph: The Introductory Paragraph – Provide a Hook, Bridge, and Thesis for the film.
2. Remember, this will be a three-part thesis where you state the central focus of the essay and then preview the three areas you will be discussing: Characterization, Setting and Theme.
3. 2nd Paragraph: Body Paragraph, Decade Summary – Provide a brief overview of the popular culture of the decade in which your film was released, with an emphasis on how your film may have been influenced by the events of that decade.
4. 3rd Paragraph: Body Paragraph, Characters/Characterization – Discuss the characterization(s) of one or two of the central characters in the film. How did the director portray these key character roles? Provide specific examples/scenes from the film as you develop this portion of the essay.
5. 4th Paragraph: Body Paragraph, Setting: Discuss the film’s setting. How did this setting enhance the film maker’s message? Was it believable? Provide specific examples/scenes from the film as you develop this portion of the essay.
6. 5th Paragraph: Theme/LESSON LEARNED: What was the message about life/the theme or the LESSON LEARNED conveyed within this Classic Film? How did the filmmaker convey this message to his audience?
7. 6th Paragraph: Conclusion: This is your opportunity to sum up what you have learned and to make your recommendation regarding this film!
8. Use transition words in the essay.
9. The entire essay must be written in 3rd person only (a viewer, an audience, one, an individual, etc.).
No 1st person (me, I, my), 2nd person (you, your, you’re), or 3rd person (we, us, our) is allowed.

III. Classic Film List: Select one as the basis for your Essay –All movie trailers can be found online for these films.
1930s: Gone with the Wind; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; All Quiet on the Western Front
1940s: The Maltese Falcon; The Grapes of Wrath; Casablanca
1950s: The Day the Earth Stood Still; Rebel Without a Cause; A Streetcar Named Desire
1960s: Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner; The Graduate; In the Heat of the Night; Lawrence of Arabia
1970s: Sounder; Apocalypse Now; American Graffiti; Jaws
1980s: Blade Runner; The Color Purple; Torch Song Trilogy; Amadeus; Driving Miss Daisy
1990s: Smoke Signals; Schindler’s List, Romeo + Juliet; Shawshank Redemption

Total Possible Points = 100
The film I chose is The Color Purple
THE ESSAY NEEDS A NEW THESIS AND NEEDS TO BE COMPLETELY REVAMPED WHERE IT WILL NOT POP UP ON TURN IT-IN
ALSO THE ESSAY NEEDS A NEW TITLE!!!