Summary of World Cinema/ Urban Stories

Summary of urban stories 2015 final from Naamah Hill

 

Past questions for world cinema from Naamah Hill

 

Checklist from Naamah Hill

Interesting responce from a student about the issue of gender in Fight Club

Student Response

What different attributes and characteristics are associated

with masculinity and femininity in fight club?

What does it suggest about the ideology of the film?

Masculinity is a strong theme played throughout the film. Fincher is trying to portray the different views about masculinity and femininity and how our society shapes them. Fincher has said that Edward Norton is an example of a modern man who has lost touch with his traditional masculine side. An example of of Edward's modern man characteristic is his emphasise on consumer pleasure and materialistic goods. In contrast traditional pre-industrial male traits were those such as being focused of physical sex, being the bred winner and supporting a family; all attributes which are missing in Norton's life.

Robert Bly upheld these points of traditional masculinity in his mytho-poetic essentialism. Such points were “men had a clearly defined role in pre-industrial society. They were required to be violent when hunting animals, and when society became industrial based – to protect the farm and family. Modern society refuses men this role – unless at wartime”.

Robert Bly suggests males should reject the consumerist pleasures. This is portrayed in fight club where Norton and Tyler live in a run down flat and they wear dirty clothes. Another of Bly's solutions is to separate yourselves from the 'tender' feminine world. Fight club shows this by females such as cancer patient 'Chloe' taking a male focus on life; as she speaks about wanting sex, the lack of nurturing female characters in the film and lack of females in general. Bly also suggested we should do initiation through enduring pain. This can be strongly seen in fight club, by self-inflicting acid burns, the huge amounts of fighting and pain, and Norton's emotional pain experienced from leaving behind society norms.

In the modern society, masculinity now includes taking care of yourself and your image. Fight club attempts to rejects this by taking masculinity views on appearance back to the pre-industrial society. However, even though fight club members reject current images of male 'beauty' and express their hunter/gatherer role through the use of violence, the style of the film has been criticized for doing exactly what it aimed to go against; by making their bodies conform to a female idea of beauty through fighting as a sport and gaining a muscular attractive body.

Confused masculinity is element seen in fight club. The pre-fight club life of the narrator is an example of a modern man and the superego; he is 'emasculated' and a consumerist, he's confused between whether this has brought him happiness or not.

His job, his possession, clothes and car has made him 'happy', however his male status is an illusion; it's an accumulation of possessions but there's a lack of real happiness. He's lost his traditional male role and has no male friends, no sexual partner and no 'action' job. Society influences what people find important, and has made the modern man have a more female mind-set e.g. choosing IKEA furniture. The narrator is low in hierarchy at work, this portrays how he's not achieving highly how masculine providers should be. By choosing to spend money on furniture over food for survival (constantly empty fridge) he's attempting to make the 'perfect home', for a family he doesn't have. This suggest the ideology of fight club is to emphasise to males the importance of keeping the traditional masculine roles and way of life.

The cancer groups are another example of confused masculinity; these are men who have attempted to conform to traditional masculine roles, but who have failed. The testicular cancer patients can no longer 'provide' for females, they have been stripped away from being able to become a father, and the lack of testosterone has resulted in a lack of masculinity. This can be seen in the father-figure who's wife left him due to him being unable to provide her with children. The character 'Bob' is a another example; oestrogen has caused female tissue fat to grow and has taken away his 'perfect masculine' body. Males such as these are now left confused how to live their lives after having their masculinity taken. This emphasises fight clubs ideology of the importance of masculinity in male lives.

Norton's 'power animal' is a penguin. This is a message showing contemporary masculinity to be useless. Penguins are black and white which represents the 'new man' being boring and basic. Penguins can't fly, showing the 'new man' to be skill less. Male penguins also look after the children in their habitat; this portrays the 'new man' as a home man and therefore not fulfilling his traditional masculine role.

A problem said to be with the modern man is their lack of having a role model and the focus being on the mother raising them; resulting in a lack of a father figure. The narrator created Tyler from his own self-conscious needs because he felt he needed one. The narrator can be seen to look up to Tyler; following his rules, his way of life and believing his views. Being brought up primarily by the mother means the child will naturally have feminine attributes within their personalities. Fight club goes against this and attempts to show how the father figure is hugely important in the child growing up to achieve their full masculinity. Traits such as separating the 'son' from the feminine 'nest' can be seen when Tyler takes Norton away from the comforts of his materialistic world. Teaching the 'son' about the 'real world' is portrayed through Tyler showing Norton how to fight and how to live like a 'real man'. The 'son' then kills the father to enter adulthood; seen through Norton's rejection of Tyler and resulting in Norton killing him. To an extent fight club proposes a traditional Oedipal narrative and the importance of other males being present.

Overall fight club's ideology and message is to the modern male; it's expressing the view that the 'new man' is feminised and isn't going to succeed if relying on materialistic goods and consumerism traits. However it does offer other views by incorporating Marla and introducing the importance of a partner. It also results in Norton killing his masculine role model; offering the idea that perhaps the 'new man' is a good and an a important adaption, but needs to find the right balance between pre-industrial society and modern society to be the perfect man.

Fight Club Revision

A Level answers

A grade answers on Fight Club from Naamah Hill

Model Answers for all sections

In the document below you will find model answers to all the sections we study (along with ones that we don't.......). Have a look through and read the essays that are relevant to the topics we study.

High Level model answers 1-10 from Naamah Hill

Fight Club and the Politcal Critical Approach

Don't forget that you have an essay to write!  Due in on Tuesday 12th May

Fight Club Marxism (political critical approach) from Naamah Hill

In case you have 'lost' your Fight Club booklet.....

 

Fight Club Booklet from Naamah Hill

Postmodernism and fight club from JenniferAnnTrimnell

Gender Critical Approach - Masculinity in Fight Club

Masculinity in Fight Club 2015 from Naamah Hill

Fight club femininity from JenniferAnnTrimnell

Emotional Response Essay Question: To be handed in Weds 22nd April. "With references to the films you have studied for this topic, explore some of the techniques that are particularly powerful in producing an emotional response in the spectator" Tips: Open with a statement about the key emotional response created. Explain that it will will be different for different types of viewers. I suggest splitting it into sections: Mise-en-scene, camera, sound, editing and narrative. Give specific examples of the techniques and the emotions they create. Throughout (possibly at the end of each section) refer to the theories e.g Hyperdermic Needle Theory and Uses and Gratification. Example - if a spectator was watching the film for escapism the examples of camerawork discussed may create this response ... as ... however audiences watching it for surveillance may have the following response to the camerawork ... as ... Then conclude drawing together that the elements and techniques work together to create different emotional responses in different audiences.

Fight club stars from JenniferAnnTrimnell

Fight Club - Institustional Critical Approach

Fight Club Institutions Critical Approach from Naamah Hill

Unsupervised Lesson 27 March

Hi Guys

I am not in class today as I have a meeting at the other site :( But this is COURSEWORK deadline day!
Tom and Josh - you need to either print off a copy of your script or email me a copy by 5pm TODAY!
Georgia - you will need to email me your user name and password so that I can access you account to view your film!

HOLIDAY HOMEWORK

Please answer this essay question looking at La Haine, City of God and the other film/s you have been researching for this topic.

To what extent do you think the films you have studied present either clear or ambiguous messages about the worlds they represent? 

I have left cupcakes for you as a treat on the teachers desk! (to make up for homework.....)

Emotional Response Essay Question: How far is the response to mainstream films triggered by specific techniques? • Needs to be linked to a film have researched • Discuss at least 2 techniques for each element • Link to theory e.g Hypodermic Needle & 0r Uses and Gratifications • Give specific examples from the film To be completed by March 25th Tip: Remember to discuss all the elements: Camerawork, MES, Sound, editing and narrative - give two examples of how each has been used to create an emotional response from the audience. In the conclusion link it to the theories and explain how you answer supports or contradicts them.

Fight Club and the 8 Critical Appoaches

Fight Club 8 Critical Approaches from Naamah Hill

 

Researching Fight Club from Naamah Hill

Introduction to Film Club

Fight Club Induction from Naamah Hill

Extra Resources for Emotional Responce Unit

 

Popular film and emotional responses course booklet part II from South Sefton College

Popular film and emotional responses course booklet part I from South Sefton College

 

Lesson 6 2014 from South Sefton College

Unsupervised Lesson 16 Jan

Today you will need to write an essay. You must refer to both films we have been studying - La Haine and City of God.


The stylistic choices made by filmmakers define not just the look but also the meaning of the film.’ How far is this true of the films you have studied for this topic? 

• Consider how camera work, editing, mise en scene, sound and performance have been used. You don't have to talk about every thing but you should talk about 3 -4 areas and give specific details e.g The choice of shot sizes and angle and how they make us feel about the characters (low angles of Lil Z = we don't like him, Mid shots of Rocket which emphasis the positive relationships he has with other = we like him, Hubbert if often in the middle of the shot which highlights that he is the leader and we look up to him), pace of editing (slow in La Haine to highlight the boredom of the characters)
• Try to use formal language.
• Plan out what you are going to write and then HAND WRITE you answer so I can see if you are writing long enough - should be a minimum of 4 pages. There is a planning template below.
• If you are away you are still expected to do this and hand it in on Tuesday.
• Remember to structure it as an essay with an introduction, conclusion, paragraphing, good spelling and sentence structure.

Essay 2 from Naamah Hill

A clockwork orange – final session from JenniferAnnTrimnell

Representation in La Haine

Representation in La Haine from Naamah Hill

Extension Reading
http://kec-asa2filmmedia.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/fm4-urban-stories-city-of-godla-haine_23.html
 http://tonymckibbin.com/film/la-haine
http://www.acme-journal.org/vol6/ASi.pdf 
https://filmonogamy.wordpress.com/2011/03/17/film-of-the-day-la-haine-1995/
https://poultersopinion.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/a-cultural-analysis-of-la-haine/