Journal Writing about Film Noir and Science Fiction Films
Movies being referenced in the journal writing:
Film Noir: The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), Fatal Attraction (1987)
Science Fiction: The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), World War Z (2013)
The above movies are Film Noir and Science Fiction Films, make sure to
refrence this in the journal.
Things to consider for each movie that could help with the journal:
Film Noir:
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
– Where in The Postman Always Rings Twice, do we see signs of post-war
American social malaise?
How is this reflected through expressionistic film language?
– Does the temps perdu style of the first-person narrative express a sense of
nostalgia or regret for the past?
– How does the main character Frank Chambers, embody elements of the
archetypal anti-hero at the centre of American Film Noir? What are the signs
of the existentialist, world-weary, cynical, loner-drifter?
– How does Cora Smith, embody elements of the archetypal ‘femme fatale’?
What are the signs of her potential power (sexuality, intelligence, ambition,
control) which challenge male dominance and invite a misogynistic backlash?
Fatal Attraction (1987)
– Why would this film be considered a ‘neo-noir?
– Where in this film – in the narrative, characters, and film language, can we
detect signs of a new postwar malaise in America (instability, anxiety,
paranoia, cynicism, pessimism, blurred moral boundaries, etc.)
– How does the mise-en-scene of this film refer to classic film noir, yet also
update it?
– How does the character of Alex refer to the classic film noir femme fatale, yet
also update her?
The Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
– Would you consider this to be a ‘Horror’ film or a ‘Sci-Fi? film? What are the
conventions of either genre, that we recognize in the film?
– What are the changes or upheavals taking place in the time and context when
this film was made, that might have inspired this story, and its atmosphere of
fear and anxiety?
– How is this atmosphere of fear and anxiety represented in the use of film
language? Which are the cinematic techniques (camerawork,, lighting &
shadow, music, editing) that convey these feelings?
World War Z (2013)
– If Science Fiction films function as ‘cautionary tales’, warning us against
transgressing the boundaries, then which boundaries have been
transgressed, in order to bring about the Zombie apocalypse?
– How specifically do the Zombies represent that transgression? What is it
about them that is so terrifying?
– How are the Zombies symptomatic of ‘universal’ fears, or threat to humanity?
How and why are they so easily adaptable to various social or cultural
contexts and time periods?
The journal must include:
500 words
Double spaced
Essay style
Relate the two genres of movies together (Film noir/Science Fiction)
A brief description of a scene or sequence from one or both of the films in that
section, which for you, is the most evocative of the topic covered in the lecture,
screening and course materials As part of this statement, you will explain why
you think this scene best demonstrates the topic in question.
Examples from the film’s storyline, characters and cinematic elements that help to
bring out the subject matter and also illustrate the lecture topic. (Examples of
cinematic elements include camera, lighting, editing, music,sound effects, costume,
hair and makeup, set design, and anything else you notice).
Film techniques which pertain to what you are talking about – examples of film
technique, lighting, editing, music, special effect that help to bring out the thematic
elements/issues you are reflecting on.
Some Usable questions for the Journal: (Pick whatever one you find best)
Film Noir Questions to get started:
Consider the ways in which ‘patriarchy’ and ‘male power’ are either reinforced or
challenged in The Postman Always Rings Twice and Fatal Attraction.
What makes the femme fatales admirable and what makes them terrifying?
How do the femme fatales in both these films (Cora and Alex) ‘exceed’
patriarchy (e.g. subvert, evade or overcome it), and at the same time, how are
they punished for that?
How does this relate to either the beginnings of feminism, or the backlash
against it? What are some of the social factors related to both (feminism and the
backlash)?
Are the male protagonists in Postman and Fatal Attraction heroes or victims? Or are
they something in between, or something else altogether? What would that
be?
What does the ‘darkness’ of both Film Noir and Neo Noir represent in a larger
social and cultural context? What aspects of ‘darkness’ in America are reflected in
these films?
How and where is that darkness represented through film language and cinema
tictechniques?
Science Fiction Questions to get started:
Why do zombie films adapt so well to different social and cultural contexts?
What is the key to their survival? 8 How does the opening sequence of ‘World
War Z’offer a chilling forewarning of the coming apocalypse?
How does the victims’ loss of control over their bodies, through the process of
zombification that we are witness to in both films (Invasion of the Body Snatchers
and World War Z), serve as a metaphor for the loss of control or order in the
surrounding society?
As noted in the lecture, zombie character in Science Fiction represents our
greatest concerns about society – chief among which is the transgression of
boundaries. What are those boundaries, and how are they represented?
What does the transgression of boundaries mean in the context of the films’
respective eras (e.g post-war, and. post-millenial) and the impact on the
surrounding society?
Are the zombies and boundaries similar or different from one era to the next?
And in what way(s)?
