Film Review: Orson Welles’ The Lady from Shanghai at Film Forum
Film Forum: 209 W Houston St, New York, NY 10014
Assignment Details:
Due: Friday, February 14 (by midnight, by e-mail)
Length: 3-6 pages (double spaced, 12-point font)
Percentage of Final Grade: 10%
This review is designed for two purposes:
1. To allow you to test out your ideas about what Film Noir is and how it works.
2. To allow you to reflect on the experience of seeing a film in a communal, non-profit, legendary “cinephile” environment.
PREPARING FOR THE ASSIGNMENT:
Readings:
In order to complete the assignment, you will need to read through the following contextual materials online:
1. Introduction to Film Forum: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_Forum
2. Village Voice interview with Film Forum founder Karen Cooper: http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-02-02/film/film-forum-s-karen-cooper-on-the-secret-to-her-success/full/
3. Introduction to Orson Welles (the director and star of The Lady from Shanghai): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Welles
4. Introduction to the Mandarin Theater, San Francisco: http://reelsf.com/reelsf/the-lady-from-shanghai-mandarin-theatre-1
Choosing a Lens:
You have now read the most important essays in the history of Film Noir. Think about what stood out to you in the readings, and choose a theme that you are going to focus on while you view The Lady from Shanghai. For instance, you might decide that you are interested in the use of voiceover narration in the genre, and that that is what you will be looking for in the film. Or you might decide to focus on a different theme (some common ones might be: camera work, use of light and shadow, the femme fatale, the use of courtroom scenes, exotic locations, etc). Really, it can be any point or theme that stood out to you in the readings. This is something you will be making a mental note to look for when we see the film at the theater, and to use as a shaping theme for your review.
Your Assignment:
This assignment requires you to review and reflect on your experience of attending The Lady from Shanghai at Film Forum. It has two equally significant parts—an analysis of the experience of seeing the film at Film Forum, and an analysis of the film itself in light of the readings for our class. You may balance these two elements in any way you like, but they must both be present. So, for instance, you might decide to have an opening and closing paragraph on the experience of going to Film Forum and then dedicate all of your body paragraphs to an analysis of The Lady from Shanghai (or use the same “sandwich” approach, but with the Film Forum experience occupying the body of the essay and the film the opening and closing frames), or you might divide the assignment into two equal halves, each half treating one of the topics, or you might decide to go back and forth between the two.
In The Lady From Shanghai section of your review, analyze thefilm from the point of view of your theme (the one you were looking out for) and mention what you think were the most interesting scenes from that point of view. What did you learn about that element of noir from this film? You may also expand beyond this, of course, to share your insights about the film in general, both as a noir and just as a film.
In the Film Forum section, analyze the experience of going to see a “revival” (ie. a classic film) at an independent cinema. Who else was in the audience? What conversations did you overhear? What was the neighborhood like? How did the experience compare to going to a movie in a regular way? What was it like to watch a movie with your classmates? What was it like to watch a movie looking out for its generic hallmarks as a film noir? Why do you think Film Forum selected The Lady from Shanghai? Could you see evidence of Film Noir's special status (and Orson Welles' special status) among cinephiles?
I will leave it to you to weave these various elements together as you see fit. Don’t be afraid of using the first-person point of view (“I”) or of expressing your true opinions.
The assignment is due on Friday, Feb 14 by midnight (by e-mail to [email protected]). Please double-space and use Times New Roman 12-point font.
Thanks!
Questions? Drop me a line at [email protected]
Film Forum: 209 W Houston St, New York, NY 10014
Assignment Details:
Due: Friday, February 14 (by midnight, by e-mail)
Length: 3-6 pages (double spaced, 12-point font)
Percentage of Final Grade: 10%
This review is designed for two purposes:
1. To allow you to test out your ideas about what Film Noir is and how it works.
2. To allow you to reflect on the experience of seeing a film in a communal, non-profit, legendary “cinephile” environment.
PREPARING FOR THE ASSIGNMENT:
Readings:
In order to complete the assignment, you will need to read through the following contextual materials online:
1. Introduction to Film Forum: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_Forum
2. Village Voice interview with Film Forum founder Karen Cooper: http://www.villagevoice.com/2010-02-02/film/film-forum-s-karen-cooper-on-the-secret-to-her-success/full/
3. Introduction to Orson Welles (the director and star of The Lady from Shanghai): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Welles
4. Introduction to the Mandarin Theater, San Francisco: http://reelsf.com/reelsf/the-lady-from-shanghai-mandarin-theatre-1
Choosing a Lens:
You have now read the most important essays in the history of Film Noir. Think about what stood out to you in the readings, and choose a theme that you are going to focus on while you view The Lady from Shanghai. For instance, you might decide that you are interested in the use of voiceover narration in the genre, and that that is what you will be looking for in the film. Or you might decide to focus on a different theme (some common ones might be: camera work, use of light and shadow, the femme fatale, the use of courtroom scenes, exotic locations, etc). Really, it can be any point or theme that stood out to you in the readings. This is something you will be making a mental note to look for when we see the film at the theater, and to use as a shaping theme for your review.
Your Assignment:
This assignment requires you to review and reflect on your experience of attending The Lady from Shanghai at Film Forum. It has two equally significant parts—an analysis of the experience of seeing the film at Film Forum, and an analysis of the film itself in light of the readings for our class. You may balance these two elements in any way you like, but they must both be present. So, for instance, you might decide to have an opening and closing paragraph on the experience of going to Film Forum and then dedicate all of your body paragraphs to an analysis of The Lady from Shanghai (or use the same “sandwich” approach, but with the Film Forum experience occupying the body of the essay and the film the opening and closing frames), or you might divide the assignment into two equal halves, each half treating one of the topics, or you might decide to go back and forth between the two.
In The Lady From Shanghai section of your review, analyze thefilm from the point of view of your theme (the one you were looking out for) and mention what you think were the most interesting scenes from that point of view. What did you learn about that element of noir from this film? You may also expand beyond this, of course, to share your insights about the film in general, both as a noir and just as a film.
In the Film Forum section, analyze the experience of going to see a “revival” (ie. a classic film) at an independent cinema. Who else was in the audience? What conversations did you overhear? What was the neighborhood like? How did the experience compare to going to a movie in a regular way? What was it like to watch a movie with your classmates? What was it like to watch a movie looking out for its generic hallmarks as a film noir? Why do you think Film Forum selected The Lady from Shanghai? Could you see evidence of Film Noir's special status (and Orson Welles' special status) among cinephiles?
I will leave it to you to weave these various elements together as you see fit. Don’t be afraid of using the first-person point of view (“I”) or of expressing your true opinions.
The assignment is due on Friday, Feb 14 by midnight (by e-mail to [email protected]). Please double-space and use Times New Roman 12-point font.
Thanks!
Questions? Drop me a line at [email protected]