Conscience

Movie Analysis
Gina Bakker
Introduction to Film
Anna Hopson
April 13, 2009

      To analyze an entire movie, one must first be able to “respond sensitively to simultaneous and continuous interplay of image, sound, and movement on the screen.” (The Art of Watching Films, p. 5)   “We must somehow remain almost totally immersed in the experience of a film while we maintain a high degree of objectivity and critical detachment.” (The Art of Watching Films, p.5)   This paper examines how to analyze an entire movie, how we find and interpret meaning in movies, and my own personal criteria for evaluating movies.
      When watching movies, we must also “consciously cultivate it if we desire to become truly “cineliterate.” (Boggs & Petrie p.5) We should also “become familiar with the basic techniques of film production so that we can recognize them and evaluate their effectiveness.” (Boggs & Petrie p.5) In our book The Art of Watching Films, by Boggs and Petrie, they suggest to watch a movie two times.   The first time, watch it as you normally would, watching it to see the plot, the emotional effect, and the theme, then over again “because we are no longer caught up in the suspense of what happens, we can focus our full attention on the how’s and whys of the filmmakers art.” (The Art of Watching Films, p.6)   “Scores, if not hundreds of commercial professionals are involved in the production of the average “picture”.” (The Art of Watching Films p.6) Each film we see usually has a producer, director, actor, actress, and costume, make- up, and, of course the screenwriter to name a few.
      In a film, we can experience many types of feelings such as “beauty, joy, mystery intellectually, as well as intuitively.” (The Art of Watching Films p.7)   “The analytical approach is essential to the art of watching films, for it enables us to see and understand how each part functions to contribute its vital energy to the pulsing, dynamic whole.” (The Art of Watching Films p.7)...