Dr. Morse Winter 2015 “War” Today’s Goals Discussion of Memory Introduction to Film Analysis Explore Partnoy Reading Group Film Scene Analysis Presentations on Tuesday

1. Why are the events in Argentina characterized as a “dirty war”? What happened to families? 2. How would you characterize the relationship between economics, business and the military at this time? 3. According to last Thursday’s lecture, what challenges does an individual face when remembering an event?  How is memory fragmented or malleable?  How reliable is one’s memory of an event? 4. When writing about memories of a traumatic experience (Partnoy), what are the advantages of framing this story as a fictional account rather than in a non-fiction memoir? As testimonial fiction?  What does it mean to “bear witness” to an event?  Do you think an individual has an obligation to bear witness to an event like that which Partnoy experienced?

 Close-read your assigned passage and be prepared to share  Identify and discuss key language  Everyone in the group should contribute something meaningful  Make connections to other texts or to lecture materials  Think about the implications of gender and genre in the passage

1. Scarry argues that pain is subjective. Torture has the ability to destroy language. How is this reflected in Coetzee novel through the narrator as story teller as well as performed by his character in the story? In “Conversations Under the Rain”? 2. Scarry includes “sexuality” as an insignia of power. To what extent might we apply this claim to the narrator’s crisis & relationships with the 2 women? In Partnoy’s account? 3. According to lecture, torture applied in times of war makes pain something public, where anything or anyone in the torture room is empowered and available. How does the narrator acknowledge this through his actions? What is he trying to understand? How about Partnoy? Application of Scarry

 THE NARRATIVE- literally, what story is being told? What are we shown vs. What is implied? (past events, things that we don’t see but assume happen)  THE STYLISTIC SYSTEM- the way in which the film’s plot is presented helps to create meaning.  IDEOLOGY- What beliefs or belief systems are at work in the direction, writing, or style of the film?

Time compression- typically a film has two hours or less to convey the meaning, however most plots span several hours, days, or weeks. In the case of some films, the LACK of time-compression then becomes a notable choice on the filmmakers’ part. Hierarchy of knowledge- the story is also told with different levels of what the audience knows and what each character knows. Do the viewers or the characters know more? Does one character know more than another? Various levels of meaning- we’ll use The Wizard of Oz to give examples referential- literal meaning- “The Wizard of Oz is about Dorothy, who...” explicit messages- “There is no place like home” implicit messages- subtext- “The Wizard of Oz is really about the crisis in the development of adolescent girls; do I grow up to be a good or bad witch?” symptomatic- I.E. contextual messages-“The Wizard of Oz is about the importance of family in the 1930’s.”

Consider the controlled environment- everything in a movie is chosen for a reason, so always consider the following elements: Acting/ casting- why might a director cast a movie star? Why might a director cast more anonymous actors? How might these choices affect the film/ it’s reception by an audience? Costumes- why are the characters wearing certain colors, certain styles? Is the costume style realistic or fanciful? Scenery- Settings: where is the story set? How do the various settings lend to the film’s tone, mood, and/or themes? Lighting- colors used? shading, shadows, or bright lights? Props- what is used? how? why?

Cinematography How does the frame move? Focus- what is in the foreground? What is in the background? Are any images blurry, while other images are in focus? Editing- are there any jump cuts? What is the composition of each frame? Sound What music is used? How? When? Why? Diegetic sound- sound that the characters and audience can hear. Non-diegetic sound- sound that only the audience can hear.

What value systems are at work in the film? Consider: Is the ideology didactic or based around pleasure and senses? What is accepted? Violence, sex, drugs, etc. (think about the violence in films like The Hateful Eight or The Revenant; is it accepted?) How is the audience manipulated? (pathos, etc.) Who are the villains? Heroes? How does the film direct audience sympathies? How in-depth is characterization? (is the film more about character or plot?) Who are the “fleshed- out” characters? Ideology Far left- advocates dramatic change, very different than the perceived norm Center- comedies, films not to be taken as having a serious message Far right- wants to keep status quo; might ask you to cry, adhere to “traditional values”

 Opening Scene  12 minutes in  24 minutes in