Choose onescene from the movie (you may define the scene by whatever boundaries you like, though I recommend you aim for something between about 5 and 10 minutes.) Discuss that scene in terms of one of the theories that we've introduced in the last few days of class.
(There's a copy of Days of Heaven alreadyon reserve at the library; it's also available on Amazon and YouTube.)
Treat the prompts below as questions to get you thinking in terms of these theories, rather than as checklists-that is, no paper need answer every question in a given prompt. Once again, don't worry about an introduction and conclusion, but do be sure you have a clear thesis that makes a claim about the meaning of the scene.
To get full credit for this assignment, continue to analyze and write specifically: ground your discussion in specific details of the camerawork, mis-en-scene, acting, dialogue, editing, etc.
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~Auteur theory: Use YouTube to watch a few trailers or clips from other Malick movies (The Thin Red Line, Tree of Life, Knight of Cups). Connect these toDays of Heaven to offer a general description of Malick's interests and aesthetics. Can you hypothesize an overall "type" of movie that Malick seems to make?
~Gender criticism: How is gender portrayed in this scene? Are male and female characters filmed and treated in different ways? Are they given different types of dialogue? What does the scene seem to suggest is normal, desirable, or objectionable in the way gender (both masculinity and femininity) is enacted by different characters?
~Marxist criticism: How are class and labor portrayed in this scene? What does the movie seem to be saying about the experience of the working (poor, lower) class relative to the land-owning/industry-owning middle class? How does it treat the desire to cross class boundaries? Where are your sympathies as a viewer meant to align in terms of class?
~Ecocriticism: How is the natural world represented in this scene? Is it threatening, alien, comforting, inviting? How do human characters interact with plants, animals, and natural settings? What differences between rural and urban does the film propose?
length: 500-700 words
style: MLA (be certain you cite any sources you use, though I recommend you not use any.)
film: Days of Heaven