Spinal Tap?

I'm pretty sure we had to post in addition to the 500 word writing assignment if not my mistake. Anyway I found Spinal Tap very interesting seeing how it could have been viewed as a real documentary but was really poking fun at the heavy metal aspect of rock and roll. Prior to the film if I hadn't been made aware that it was fake I probably would have believed it until perhaps the first interview about the bands past drummers that all seem to die in unbelievable ways like the freak gardening accident or choking on another persons vomit and to top it all off one of their drummers spontaneously combusted thats where its becomes completely unbelievable and you know it's not real. Other things that stuck out in my mind was their sexist new album cover and how they really didn't understand why the cover was that bad even going so far as to state whats wrong with being sexy when mishearing the word sexist, yet another example of their hyper masculinity. Overall, I could see where this film would be under appreciated if viewed as a real documentary but once you get past that it makes for an excellent comedic satire I found myself suppressing laughs throughout the film.

Assignment for February 29

500 word-writing assignment:

Choose three points discussed in Plantinga's article on This is Spinal Tap that address the film's portrayal of "hypermasculinity," and choose three specific examples from the film that illustrate them.

First Short Essay Assignment, due March 14

This essay of 1000 words should address three of the films we have watched in class so far. After briefly introducing your choices in the first paragraph, you will analyze ONE aspect of the three films to compare and contrast. This aspect may be a theme OR a production element.

Themes may include political ideas, aesthetic approaches, social controversies, critical theories, etc. (for example, propaganda, biography, social commentary, or theories such as feminism, post-colonialism, Marxism, post-modernism, etc.) You may choose only ONE theme.

Production elements may include cinematography, use of sound, positioning/presence of filmmaker, camera technique, use of sets or locations, lighting, editing, visual design, music, etc. You may choose only ONE production element.

I suggest that you run your basic essay thesis by me first (i,e. the three films you wish to write about, and your chosen theme or production element) via email. Choose an interesting title for your essay. You may use outside research source material if you wish, but that is not a requirement for this paper.

The films you may choose from include: Bill Cunningham New York, Nanook of the North, Man with a Movie Camera, This is Britain, Triumph of the Will, Don't Look Back, Glastonbury, This is Spinal Tap, Night and Fog, and Grey Gardens.

Essays must be typed, and can be either double spaced or 1.5 spaced. Please place the word count on the front under your name and other identifying information. A cover page is not necessary. Make sure your paper is proofread (not just spell-checked) and all errors corrected before it is handed in. I recommend giving this some time and thought, and making at least two revisions of your essay during your process.

Please post any questions here, or feel free to email me or come see me at office hours (Wednesdays 3-4:15, outside Jazzman's in the library) or make an appointment.

Glastonbury

Feel free to post any comments, questions or insights pertaining to Julien Temple's documentary Glastonbury here.

What kind of film is this? Does it provide a typical documentary experience? Why or why not?

Don't Look Back: on reserve now!

If you want to take a look at the Pennebaker film Don't Look Back, it is now on reserve in the library. We should have time to look at a bit of it in class next week, but won't have time to view the whole thing.

We will continue with our plan to view This is Spinal Tap next week; please read the accompanying chapter in the textbook for next week also.

The Spinal Tap film, like many other "mockumentary" films about the music industry, pays homage to and references Don't Look Back, so it may well prove useful to view the Pennebaker film before we see the Reiner film.

Triumph of the Will.

Referring to the essay in the textbook by Tomasulo, consider the imagery of the film and the emotions invoked. Does the religion symbolism enhance the film? Are there moments when a kind of mysticism takes over? How do the elaborate production values affect the audience's potential reception of the film?

Does the film transcend simple documentary? How so?

How does the film contrast with Listen to Britain?

Feel free to bring up any other points or responses you wish.

Nanook of the North: Authenticity versus Artificiality

We only had time for a brief discussion in class today, but we started to touch on some issues brought up in William Rothman's article "The Filmmaker as Hunter" regarding the film's relative authenticity and accuracy. For example, one student mentioned the portrayal of some of the hunting scenes being "staged" to reflect a method of hunting that had largely fallen out of use at the time of filming.

As well, the idea of ways in which Nanook and his family were portrayed in overly-sentimental or even childlike ways are present in Rothman's critique.

While I find I do not agree with many of Rothman's main points regarding the film in this essay (I find some of his assumptions to be fairly conjectured), certainly these criticisms have been applied to the film by other scholars.(One example is here) Do you agree that the question of the representation of reality is of paramount importance here? Do the staged segments weaken the film's overall impact? What about the motivations or cultural assumptions behind such "staging" efforts?

Feel free to respond to any of these points or bring up your own...or other ideas from Rothman's essay.