urgent!!! I need your help...I need to write a critical paper for my intro to movies class.?

Question

I need to pick a director and and write about his films. i have never done one before. please explain. i researched on how to do one but i did not get enough infomation. Please help me. my paper is due in two weeks. so i still have time to write a good critical paper. Thank you.

Answer 1

This is quite a vague paper topic. Having written a lot of critical papers about film, I've never encountered a topic this broad. What level is this? High school or college?

It may do you good to ask your teacher to narrow the topic, if you really want to write a solid critical paper. The problem is that there are various types of film criticism.

The most common and popular for a long time was the auteur theory. It came to prominence during the late 50s, early 60s during the French "New Wave" movement and was penned by critics such as Bazin and Truffaut in France and later Andrew Sarris in the U.S. (his The American Cinema: Directors and Directions is pretty much required reading in any film program). Basically the auteur theory is based on the idea that a director's films (all of them) reflect the personal vision of the director. Of course this seems legitimate and perfectly logical. However, it does cause a problem with some, as it forces the critic to determine intent. Also, it seems limiting to credit a film with a sole author as the medium is such a collaborative effort (cinematographers, writers, producers, editors, etc.)

This disagreement brought about other forms of film criticism. New Criticism looks only at the work and removes the author (director) and looks only at the work. Outside influence and director's personal life is not an issue. Basically every kind of literary criticism has been applied to film (psychoanalytic, structuralist, feminist, etc.).

From the sound of your assignment, it seems that you're most likely supposed to do an auteur study. The key is to pick a director whose films share clear similarities and/or themes. For this reason, it's usually best to pick a director with a substantial body of work (although the new school of young "auteur" directors - Tarantino, P. T. Anderson, Wes Anderson, etc. - are doable as they tend to make the same movie three times).

The best thing to do is to pick a very specific point to write about. The more specific, the better. For a first paper, I would stick to a "classic" director: Hitchcock, John Ford, Billy Wilder, etc. If you were to take Hitchcock for instance, you can write a paper about the role of women in his films (i.e. that he makes them victims, thus reflecting a sadistic element). Then choose specific films that can flesh out the idea. How did the female characters change/evolve through his career and what does this suggest about Hitchcock (the auteur). Pick a film from the beginning, middle, and end of his career and examine them.

There are numerous books with collections of essays on Hitchcock that might be worth looking at (Robin Wood's is a standard). You can easily see how they track themes throughout his films. Even if you choose a different director, it will be helpful to understand what typical film criticism looks like.

Lastly, go nuts. Have fun. Just remember start large and narrow down. The more specific the thesis, the stronger the paper will be.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Here's a site that's all about directors- their role, their methods, their responsibilities.
http://www.moviestaff.com/directors.htm
After reading that, I'd look through a listing for famous directors. Personally, and especially with Halloween coming up, I do one on Tim Burton. (Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, Legend of Sleepy Hollow,etc) He's a Disney throwaway because he "couldn't draw cute little foxes" and such. You could act like you prefer the cuteness of Disney over Burton's dark characters or whatever. (idea)
Here's a webpage about him http://www.hollywoodfirm.com/movie_directors/tim_burton.htm
Last but not least- here's a page about critical essays that may help define and point you in the right direction-
http://www.stedwards.edu/newc/green/essays.htm

Answer 3

It's basic, kinda simple...Pick your director...i.e. Stephen King....Ron Howard...Speilberg...Research on google...write about where,when How director got started and a bit about each of his or her accomplishments...and where they are today... Like Ron Howard started as a kid on The Andy Griffith Show as a child actor...as he got older American Graffitti ...Classics...when he got interested in production....Also might want to check out Fred Savage from the Wonder Years...Just getting started in producing...this seams like a fun paper to write...Hope this helped...Good Luck with your paper...

Answer 4

how about woody allen?great director, great movies
use this link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woody_Allen