The Big Trail (1930)

Description

Analytic Report based on the John Wayne western, The Big Trail (1930)

Please follow the following format for writing the report:

The report does not need an introduction.

Simply set out your report using the sections of the assignment questions

as below:

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Heading

Film chosen: The Big Trail (1930)

Number of Words:

Place work under the headings given for each section:

Analytical report

1. Place your chosen film in the context of the historical development of film, especially film technology as a function of storytelling. —– 200 words (approx.)

2. Consider where the film sits in terms of the historical development of the Western genre. —– 200 words (approx.)

3. Select a scene and identify any significant technical codes, tableaux, images, gestures and other elements of the mise-en-scene in relation to the issues discussed in the first block of the course. How do they contribute to the production of synthetic film space as a coherent story world? How do they relate to the narrative of the film? —– 800 words (approx.)

4. Briefly discuss any aspects of the politics of the film (gender, race, nation, the land, the law) that you find interesting. How are they presented as part of the storytelling of the film? —– 400 words (approx.)

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Preparation: preliminary research

This assignment will require you to undertake some preliminary research. You will need to have some knowledge of the historical context of your chosen film as well as knowledge of where it sits with respect to the development of Western film genre. This knowledge may not be gained from the course material provided in the first five weeks of the course, but you can undertake some wider reading in the scholarly literature on the film Western.

However, the main research should come from the readings and lecture notes in the first 5 weeks of the course.

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