1. American Film –Comparative Study

2. Recurring issues Messages and values – ideology/morality
Representation
Style/genre characteristics
Context

3. How far do the American films you have studied for this topic express similar messages and values to one another?

4. What will the examiner will be looking for, whatever the question?

5. Representation: gender, sexuality, ethnicity
Context: post depression era, wartime, Hays code, etc vs. the post-feminist era
Genre characteristics: cynical atmosphere, crime story, sex as a motive, character archetypes, male perspective vs. objective narrative, the inevitability of fate, flashback structure, narrative tropes what equilibrium is reached, etc.
Style: Chiaroscuro lighting, hard-boiled dialogue, iconography, character archetype, etc.
Representation: gender, sexuality, ethnicity

6. Definitely include: Examples – know key scenes from both films
You will NOT be asked to refer to specific sequences but you may be directed to compare openings or endings
Reference to cinematic style
Genre characteristics
Context (whether asked for this directly or not)

7. Messages and Values Gender representation in classic noir
The female who destroys the family unit is unnatural to be punished
Masculinity is challenged and seeks a way to reassert itself
Male relationships are stronger than sexual lust
Male authority restored at the end
The male viewpoint is presented as natural, if burdened with doubt
The rule of ‘natural law’ in classic noir (thanks, Hays code!)
The good are rewarded
Order is restored
The guilty are punished
Confession cleans the soul
Fate is inevitable
Consider how The Last Seduction defies all of these and why

8. “In Double Indemnity, Phyllis is introduced using a male gaze shot”
Wilder follows genre convention by introducing his femme fatale with the typical ‘male gaze’ shot. Neff’s reaction confirms that this is shot-reverse shot and his perspective. She is seen from below, only partly covered. As she descends the stairs, we linger over her ankles. We are asked to look at her in the same way Neff does – as a sex object. This underlines the masculine viewpoint of these films.
The shot is typical of film noir. It is also used in Tay Garnett’s The Postman Always Rings Twice, for example. The shot shows that classic noir ideology is male dominated and assumes a male perspective. The narrative is also constructed around the male protagonist’s confession, which privileges his point of view.

9. “In The Last Seduction, there are no male gaze shots.”
In contrast, Dahl’s camera often lingers over Bridget’s body, particularly her legs. The tops of her stockings are often on display from a low angle, such as when she exits the taxi after her visit to Trish. This clearly sexualises her for the spectator and emphasises her attraction, despite the unfeminine aggressiveness of her performance. However, none of these sexualising shots are from Mike’s point of view and the male gaze is notably not used in their initial meeting in the bar when Mike first sees her. This has the effect of distancing Mike from our perspective and is a subtle difference between the classic neo-noir.

10. Read the Band 4 example: How far do the American films you have studied for this topic express similar messages and values to one another?
Identify what went well:
Context
Genre
Style
Representation

11. Compare how far the openings of the American films you have studied for this topic establish their messages and values