2-Film Comparison Topic
Please write your plans for the 2 film comparison paper here.
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November 25th, 2008 at 12:52 pm
Thesis Statement: In the films “The Chosen” and “A Stranger Among Us” the characters lives are influenced and transformed by their exposure to Hasidic culture.
This is too vague for a thesis. What exactly do you want to compare about them? Is it the appeal of this lifestyle to outsiders (Reuven and the detective)? Is it how gender issues, courtship, marriage are handled? Is the presentation of the Hasidic Jews in both films similar, sympathetic, or are there differences? What is the Hasidic community begin contrasted with– e.g. in The Chosen it is contrasted with other non-Hasidic Jews in the late 1940s. What is the contrast in Stranger? How are non-Jews perceived?
November 25th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
All humans wish to be seen as good, In the films “A Walker To Remember and Flywheel” show the differnce between good vs evil. Both main characters wish to be seen as good, but achieve it in an evil light. Through faith these two men make great changes.
I don’t know either of these films. What exactly is your thesis for comparing these films? Is it about the power of faith to transform people to do good? How are the main characters alike? different?
Make sure you look for outside reviews of these films to give you other perspectives.
November 25th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Both Spirited Away and Pan’s Labyrinth deal with young girls dealing with stressful changes in their lives. It is due to these stressful changes, that they embark on adventures of the imagination to come to terms with there problems. Both come from culturally distinct backgrounds, with different spiritual identities. that help them cope. I will be comparing and contrasting these two trips and how each of their respective backgrounds gives them a different perspective on things.
Sounds good.
November 25th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
For my comparison, I am focusing on the films Chocolat and Babette’s Feast. The two films are similar in that both are located within conservative Christian communties in which their lives are strictly guided by their faith. They also have a protagonist that shakes things up in the community for the better, and both protagonists use food as a symbol of change.
Make sure you articulate a clear thesis. for example, “In these films, Shared Food, offered by outsiders who challenge the authorities in a community, is a symbol of spiritual nourishment and needed change. szc
November 25th, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Chocolat and Donnie Darko are the films I will be comparing and contrasting for my final paper. I will use these two films to make my point that films spoon-feed the teachings of Jesus to a secular society in a more subtle way that can perhaps help non-religous types to digest the sacrifice, temptations, and teachings of those characterswithout it being blatantly connected to any one particular religion. The main characters in these films, Vianne and Donnie are both representations of Jesus. I will detail how they compare in the evolution of their character and the finality of their message.
what do you think about that?!
November 27th, 2008 at 11:03 am
change of plans
instead i will be reviewing amelie and chocolate
my thesis is the the movies are both representations of jesus teachings
spoonfed to a secular society
November 29th, 2008 at 10:28 pm
What does it mean to be spiritual? In the movies Spring,Summer,Fall, Winter… and Spring and Groundhog Day show us how ones journey leads to a repetitive cycle which eventually helps us to reconnect ourselves and towards our community.To find out who we really our comes from experiencing our spiritual journey. This spiritual growth is seen in these two movies through ones call, tests/tribulations, mentors/guides, point of no return (death of the old you), and gift (persuing an authentic version of oneself).This journey often becomes a rite of passage, not about which church or religion we belong to, in fact,what we really are searching for in life, like these two main characters (Phil Conners and young/adult monk) in these films, is to be our authentic self (hero’s journey). These two movies tell us how spiritual growth can tell us about today’s society while having a universal resonance. In the end of these two films both characters felt that their journey has brought them an unexpected gift…which I will explain in my paper.
There’s too much going on here, so it’s hard to see what the main point is. If you want to focus on the spiritual journey then try to compare what is similar and what is different about these two characters and their development through the films. In SSFW we see the main character from childhood on growing through different stages. Are these stages the same or different from Phil Connors? Phil Connors is already an adult in the film. What can we conclude about his earlier life from the kind of character he is when we meet him? The endings of the two films are very different, or maybe not. What does that reflect about their journeys? Do you want to use Buddhism to interpret these films or just use a generic sense of spiritual journey. You mention a lot of religious categories, but make sure they really apply. Is there really a “rite of passage” here? What does that mean? Is there a mentor/guide in both films? Don’t assume that the same categories will equally apply to both.
November 30th, 2008 at 2:44 pm
I will be comparing the two portrayals of Jesus Christ in the films The Last Temptation of Christ, and The Passion of the Christ. I will discuss how each portrayal can appeal to different types of people and what would be unappealing about these characters as well. I think both have some very positive traits as well as some things that may turn people off to not only the film but to religion.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:02 am
The Lion King and Whale Rider are films that have many religious references in them. They stress strength, leadership, and faith in ancestral guidance. I will show how both movies come to the same conclusion: that no matter what obstacles they’re faced with, the right leader will come into his or her leadership position in the end and make things right again. I will be contrasting the ways each movie comes to this ending. In Whale Rider, Paikea was not expected to become the leader, and in The Lion King, Simba was.
Is there any sense in which Simba is challenging the traditional succession of leadership? Isn’t he the one who is destined to step inot his father’s footsteps. Does Lion Kind have any implications for the kind of gender issues that are important in Whale Rider? What is the point of showing jungle animals with religious tradition. What is the importance of the Rafiki character?
December 2nd, 2008 at 9:59 am
I think i want to review Fight Club and Harold and Maude. Both deal with a young man who thinks he is destined for a mediocre life. After meeting a specific character that teaches them about detachment, their lives are significantly changed.
possible thesis: The films “Fight Club” and “Harold and Maude,” are demonstrative of Buddhism in the way that they encourage the viewer to become detached from worldly posessions by using a single character that is spreading such a message.
This is an intriguing comparison. The Brad Pitt character and Maude are certainly eccentrics who act as mentors for the main character. However, they are also very different and you should make sure to not only compare how the films are similar but also how they are very different.
December 2nd, 2008 at 11:24 pm
I want to review “The Matrix” and “Equilibrium”. “Equilibrium” deals with a world where mankind is kept under control by suppressing emotion inducing art such as literature and music. Basically the people in Equilibrium are not allowed to feel emotions. I want to compare the two main characters of the film, Neo from the Matrix and John from Equilibrium. Both these characters are seen as Christ figures in their own rights. Here is my working thesis.
These two films portray a world where mankind is enslaved but is set free by a Christ figure that appear different at first but ultimately have a lot in common.
December 3rd, 2008 at 9:06 pm
I would like to talk about Ferngully and the chronicles of narnia. these two films are set around the woods and there are a lot of interesting things about these two films that are interesting to compare and write about.