Chapter 10, option 1

The Belton text describes the femme fatale as an irresistibly attractive woman, especially one who leads men into danger. I don't think Belton is wrong. The phrase femme fatale translates to fatal (or deadly) woman in french. She tries to achieve her hidden purpose by using feminine wiles such as beauty, charm, or sexual allure. Typically, she is extremely well-endowed with these qualities. In some situations she uses lying or coercion rather than charm to achieve her purpose. She may also be (or imply to be) a victim, caught in a situation from which she can't escape. Although typically villainous, femmes fatale have also appeared as anti heroines in some stories, and some even repent and become heroines by the end of the tale.

Chapter 9, option 2

Women pose a variety of threats to men in war films. The appearance of women on screen introduces an emotional element that is often realized in terms of the man's essential weakness. In my experience, every time I see a soldier in a platoon talk about a woman or show other men in the platoon a picture of a wife or girlfriend, they are always killed before the end of the film. The psyche of the male soldier must be reshaped to repress the feminine elements in order to transform him into a ruthless, unemotional, fighting machine. In every war film, masculinity is put in crisis. The toughness of the hero becomes an issue crucial to both his survival and that of his fellow soldiers. The explicit challenge to the manhood of new recruits is designed to force them to become that which is considered weak or feminine in their nature to become hardened marines- that is, to become men.

Chapter 8, option 1

In integrating an individual into a society, American screen comedies demonstrate the flexibility of our social structure in its ability to absorb new members and integrate them into a new social order whose unity and diversity exceeds that of the old order. The typical resolution of a film comedy often involves a marriage or other celebration of the formation of a new community out of the old. Pretty Woman brought together a a corporate takeover specialist (Richard Geer) and a Hollywood hooker (Julia Roberts). In the film While You Were Sleeping, a Chicago token clerk (Sandra Bullock) falls in love with a wealthy lawyer (Peter Gallagher) and, when he falls into a coma, pretends to be his fiancee. She falls in love with his carpenter brother (Bill Pullman) and marries him in the end of the film. In reforming the workplace, the theme of integration often involves the outsiders' transformation of the very social system that they enter and attempt to fix it from within. The best example of this I think is 9 to 5. Three Secretaries (Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, and Lily Tomlin) reclaim their office from the male-chauvinist tyranny of corrupt boss Dabney Coleman and establish a new, more benign order. This new order ultimately wins out over the old system. It celebrates comic virtues of independence, innovation, and a willingness to break the rules.

Entry 6? (chapter 11)

Option 1
Usually, the central plot of the western film is the simple goal of maintaining law and order on the frontier. It is normally rooted in conflicts of virtue vs. evil, white hat vs. black hat, settlers vs. Native Americans, civilization vs. wilderness, or lawman vs. gunfighter. Specific settings normally include but not limited to isolated forts, ranch houses, a saloon, a jail, or a small town street. Other iconic elements include the hanging tree (a dead giveaway), stetson hats, spurs, colt .45's, bandannas, stagecoaches, cattle drives, prostitutes, and most commonly, the horse ("faithful steed".) Dime store novels and comics were things the western was based on. Oh sure, the characters could have been real. They were, however, blown way out of proportion and made larger than life. People needed a larger than life hero or anti-hero to believe in. Native Americans were often portrayed as savage Indians. It was a popular assumption. Assumptions not really based on fact. Then again, was there any part of the western that really was fact?

Entry 5

Option 3
Is typecasting a good thing or a bad thing? In most cases, it's really a bad thing. Typecasting occurs when an actor plays a similar part from film to film. Over the course of several films, these actors develop a distinct persona, or public image. In certain instances, an actor will become associated with a specific character, whose attributes become fused with his or her own. Sean Connery will be forever linked with James Bond. William Shatner with the role of Captain James T. Kirk. Sylvester Stallone will always be linked to Rocky Balboa and John Rambo. Sometimes it works out for the best. For stars like Clayton Moore (the Lone Ranger) and George Reeves (Superman, one of many to play him anyway) were shackled to the characters they portrayed, and never really found other work because of it. Stars like Owen Wilson have even attempted suicide from depression caused by typecasting.

Entry 4

Option 2
If a person was under contract with a studio, they were a slave to the beast. His or her contracts were seven year terms. An actor worked up to fourteen hours a day. They were forbidden to engage in non approved acting activities (theatre, radio, television.) Their personal behavior was regulated.... there was a morals clause in their contracts. The studio governed over other features of their off screen appearance including hairstyles, choice of clothing, and even their weight. The studio contract required actors to act in whatever films the studio cast them in, made them attend studio publicity functions, publicize their own films, promote product tie-ins, or even be loaned out to other studios to fulfill the same obligations there for one or two pictures. Failure of any of these tasks resulted in suspensions or fines. If you were suspended for any length of time, it was added to the contract and made up. Of course, it couldn't be all bad. After all, you were guaranteed work for seven years. People today would kill for an opportunity like that.

Entry 3

Option 2
Three-point lighting: The standard lighting set-up employed in Hollywood. The three points to which the term refers are the dominant sources of light. The key light or chief directional light source. The fill light, or weaker light source that fills in the shadows cast by the key light. The back light, the minor light that illuminates the space between the back of the set and the characters in order to separate or distinguish the characters from the background. High key lighting: a style of lighting found in musicals, comedies, and other upbeat films, in which the fill light eliminates dark shadows cast by the key light, producing an image that is brightly and evenly lit. Low key lighting: a style of lighting found in film noir, suspense, or horror films, in which there is little fill light. It results in a dark or shadow-filled image. Star lighting: highlights or conceals certain features of the major performers and makes the expressions on their faces readable.