Three Film Papers
Students will write three film papers, incorporating the readings, film notes, viewing guide and other information, to make an argument about the Latino/a experience and film. Students can use ideas from their film notes, class discussions, and readings to craft an argument about the film. DO NOT SUMMARIZE THE FILMS. For further guidance please see Timothy Corrigan’s A Short Guide To Writing About Film (pp.1-40 in the COURSE READER). Total 600 points.
- Film Review (100points) (2-3 pages) See Corrigan’s description of a film review (pp.9-11) Since you have limited space you should make three main points about the film.
- Critical Essay (200points) (5-6 pages)
OPTION 1: Write an essay on Denise Chavez’s novel, Loving Pedro Infante, focusing on Tere Avila’s relationship with men and Pedro Infante. Please focus on how the author uses the plots of Pedro Infante movies like La Vida No Vale Nada (1954)in order to convey Tere’s feelings and frustration about “the man thing.” What kind of big questions does the book and film raise about the fate of love in the ultimate course of one’s life? Please provide examples and quotes from the book and film.
OPTION 2: Write an essay on Hollywood’s construction of the Latino “Other” as reflected in Desi Arnaz’ character in I Love Lucy episodes (“Lucy Goes to the Hospital” and “Be a Pal”). In what ways did Desi Arnaz share the “burden of representation” for all U.S. Latino and Latin American peoples? Do you agree with Alberto Sandoval-Sanchez that Desi Arnaz resisted the “Latin Other” stereotype in the “Be a Pal” episode? Please provide examples from the television episodes and the reading.
OPTION 3: Write an essay on Robert Young’s Alambrista (1977) using film criticism and analysis on a specific theme in the film. Some of these themes include undocumented immigration, farm workers, religious dimensions, language barriers, Mestizaje, father-son relationships, musical soundtrack, gender and race relations. You need to state your main argument in the first or second page of your essay. Make sure you provide specific examples from the film.
- Critical Essay (300 points) (7-8 pages) This paper will compare and contrast two films. One of the films must be outside of class. This paper needs to make a clear and concise argument about the Latino/a experience and film. The films can be within the same genre, Latino-produced versus non-Latino produced, or two films with a similar location (barrio, border etc..). DUE Thursday, May 4th (Mailbox, Wilson Hall Room 111)