TFILM 485 - Final Essay [30%]-Family Ties In the Film, „The Sound Of Music‟

Final Essay A Points 100 TFILM 485: Final Essay [30%] Length: 8–10 pages, double-spaced, 12-point serried font (such as Times New Roman) Please include both a title and page numbers Building on the close formal analysis you constructed for the midterm, please compose a critical/persuasive research paper in which you provide an ideological and/or socio-political argument about your chosen Hollywood musical. In other words, what does this film say (intentionally or not) about society? Along the way, you should also situate your chosen film within its time period and overall structure, demonstrating how it fits alongside other films we have studied in this course. Key Essay Components: • A central argument, laid out in the form of a thesis statement (to be clearly articulated by the end of your introductory paragraphs—you will have already submitted this for approval) • Remember that the body of the essay is structured around "proving" this main claim, supporting it with sub claims and evidence from your film • One or more close formal readings of key song-and/or-dance scene(s) from the film, including at least part of your midterm analysis • Your close readings form part of the evidence you should marshal to support your central argument. Ask yourself: How does the analysis of the song-and-dance number you analyzed for the midterm help to prove your argument? Do other numbers shed light on different aspects of this argument? • Historical, cultural, and/or industrial production context that will help your reader understand the stakes and significance of your argument about this particular film • Certain key historical facts or events may actually serve as evidence that helps support your thesis, so feel free to use them as such. Examples might include famous court cases, major wartime events, • Certain key historical facts or events may actually serve as evidence that helps support your thesis, so feel free to use them as such. Examples might include famous court cases, major wartime events, landmark public speeches or broadcasts, social movements, etc. Sometimes these are directly referenced in a film; sometimes they affect the production of the film in some documented way. • Otherwise, think of the "context" piece as the historical backdrop against which you see your film occurring. What are some major cultural concerns that seem to have shaped the production of your film? Who were some key players involved in this project, and what might the rest of their careers help us understand about your film in particular? Is your film set in the past? Is it a "backstage" musical? How does it relate to the nature and history of the musical genre? • Build on existing research: Be sure you refer to and cite at least 5 scholarly sources (see below for information on what qualifies--you will have already submitted these for approval). • Have other scholars written about this film? How does your reading of the film and general argument build upon and/or differ from the existing scholarship? • You will also need to cite articles or books about American history (in pursuit of the historical context point above). Did you have to look up information about the historical moment in which your film was released? Cite these sources (as long as they are scholarly and credible--again, see below)! Structure: Like most academic essays, this paper should begin with an introduction. By the end of the introduction, you should have clearly stated the argument you intend to put forth and defend in the rest of the essay. Body paragraphs should each make their own subclaims; they should begin with topic sentences introducing this claim, continue with an analysis of evidence to support it, and conclude with a sentence tying this subclaim back to the central thesis. Your paper should then end with a concluding paragraph that ties together the various threads and subclaims of your paper, demonstrating to the reader how your central thesis has been "proven." (You will have already submitted an outline of your basic structure for approval.) Sources, Citations, Bibliography: Your final bibliography must include at least the 5 sources you provided in your annotated bibliography, but more are always welcome. ***Note that you should remove the annotations for your Final Essay submission Acceptable sources include: • Articles from academic journals such as those we consulted in class. Also, Cinema Journal, Film History, Journal of Film and Video, Theatre Journal, TDR: The Drama Review, Critical Inquiry, Screen, etc. • Edited volumes or monographs published by university presses (e.g. Oxford University Press, University of California Press, MIT Press, etc.) • Other books or articles by academics (people with PhDs in a field such as film studies, media studies, theatre and/or performance studies, musicology, etc.) Other work of varying formats (interviews, essays, blog posts, keynote speeches) by acclaimed (do they have a Wikipedia page?) PhDs (e.g. Professor David Bordwell has a very active blog; Bully Bloggers is authored by a number of distinguished professors) Gray area sources (that is, sources you may use primarily as "archival evidence) include: • Fan sites (about films, actors, stage musicals, etc.) • Film reviews in the popular press (i.e. The New York Times, The Rolling Stone, etc.) Unacceptable sources include: • Wikipedia and other online encyclopedias • General interest books (especially those lacking citations) This bibliography, as well as your citations and overall essay formatting, should conform to the standards put forth by a style guide (MLA or Chicago Manual of Style are preferred, but APA is ok too; basic versions of these guides are available online).