5-7 pages essay
Essay Topic A: Pick one film viewed in class. In what ways does the film depart from the historical record or literary sources it is based on? What do you think is the significance of these departures? Please refer to specific scenes and passages as you make your analysis.
Essay Topic B: Compare two films viewed in class. What are the themes they have in common? How are these themes treated differently in each of these films? What choices did the film make to impart these different messages? Please refer to specific scenes and passages as you make your analysis.
Choice of Film:
1. Tyrant Yeonsa(1962): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU3zNR40aE8
2. The Happy Day of Maeng Jin-sa(1962): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S1MXH1gMJeg
3. Chunhyang (1961): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmYVrjINoa8
4. Untold Scandal (2003): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzpoMU4h_00&t=4744s
A successful essay will:
Focus on a specific issue/topic/theme pertaining to the film[s]. E.g. treatment of women, use of color, relationship to source text, characterization, moral message etc.
Present a cogent ARGUMENT about the film and the issue/topic/theme. I.e. “I argue Film A uses the female characters in the film to highlight different attitudes towards the meaning of loyalty.”
Use the events, camera shots, mise-en-scene (scenery, props, framing) of specific scenes, identified by timestamp, to illustrate and back up the ARGUMENT
Cite or quote passages from relevant assigned readings to illustrate or back up the ARGUMENT
Have a logical organization, with a beginning, middle, and end.
