Film Analysis

by | May 7, 2019 | Film studies

  1. Read the chapter on film analysis.2. Rent and view one of the films from the list below. You should view the film at least twice. Take notes as you go and pause and replay scenes that you don’t understand or that you find particularly interesting.3. Write a paper which answers the questions below. a. For minimum credit answer all the questions below. Be sure to number your answers.b. More complete answers will receive higher scores.4. Papers must be type written and double-spaced. No papers will be accepted by e-mail. Length: 4 — 7 pages.Review Questions:1. What is the true subject or theme of the film, and what kind of statement, if any, does the film make about the subject? Which elements and which scenes contribute most to addressing the theme of the film?2. How do all of the separate elements of the film relate to and contribute to the theme, central purpose, or total effect?Film Elements:a. Narrative — The manner in which the story is told. What is the plot structure? Is it chronological or non-linear? Are there flashbacks or other narrative devices and why are they used? b. Acting — the qualities of the performances. Is the acting realistic or is it mannered? Are the characters dynamic (do they change as the film progresses)? How?c. Cinematography — The qualities of the photography and lighting. Identify specific scenes and camera shots that you thought were particularly interesting.d. Editing — The pace and tempo, the use of transitions and the organization of the narrative. Identify any editing technique you thought was particularly interestinge. Art Direction and Design —Locations, sets, effects, props, costumes and make-up.3. What scenes in the film show the director’s style and how do they show it?4. What were your personal reactions to the film? What are your personalreasons for liking or disliking the film?Film List: Films By Howard Hawks: Scarface (1932), Barbary Coast (1935), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Only Angels Have Wings (1939), The Big Sleep (1946), Red River (1948)Films Noir. The Maltese Falcon (1941), Scarlet Street (1945), D.O.A. (1949), Ace in the Hole (1951), The Big Heat (1953)Comedies: Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928), Sons of the Dessert (1933), The Thin Man (1934), Holiday (1938), All About Eve (1950), Adventure Films: Captain Blood (1935), Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), Beau Geste (1939), The Flame and the Arrow (1950)

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Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

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