Date: Sat, 27 Feb 1999 11:59:14 +0800 From: Sue Abel <sabel-AT-po.pacific.net.sg> Subject: Re: Sociology-Film To follow on from my last post - Stam and Shohat also argue that "The GodsMust be Crazy" 'relays the colonialist discourse of official White South Africa. The racist discourse of the film posits a Manichean binarism contrasting happy and noble but impotent Bantustan "Bushmen", living in splendid isolation, with dangerous but incompetent mulatto-led revolutionaries. Yet the film camouflages its racism by a superficial critique of White technological civilisation'. Sue Abel Luke Lindhjem wrote: > Odul, here are some films I could think of off the top of my head for some > of the subfields you mentioned... > -Marxist Sociology: The Battleship Potemkin, directed by Sergei > Eisenstein...the entire film is based on Marxist philosophy. There is no > emphasis on the individual and lots of emphasis on the whole, the people. > What else...religion is put in a negative light...it follows Marx pretty > closely and gives you a good idea of what's going on in Russia at the time > (1925). > Another film which might fit is Citizen Kane...this was shown during a > class I took called The Modern World where we studied Marxism and > capitalism for the most part. It shows the rise and fall of the central > character...a result of capitalistic greed, I suppose. Gaining the world > but losing your soul type theme. Both of these two films are generally > acknowledged as two of the ten best films of all time...so they're worth > watching. > > -Sociology of Deviance and Crime: Let's see...I am a Fugitive from a > Chain Gang (1932) is something I saw recently in my Film History class. > It's well done and the main character is a sympathetic one. He's back from > WWI and feels like he needs more out of life so he leaves home and ends up > in prison for something he's innocent of...some parallels between the army > and prison. Then there's Shawshank Redemption, which is one of my favorite > movies of all time. Again, the main character is innocent of his crime and > uses his mind and his patience to escape. > > -Feminist Sociology: The Piano (1993) was shown in one of my Humanities > classes a couple of years ago. The topic of the class was pretty much > feminism, even though that wasn't the class description. The director is > female (Jane Campion), and it's a really well done film set in the 1800s? > about a New Zealand pioneer who mail-orders a bride type thing. She > consoles herself with her piano...an interesting film...definitely fits the > category > > -Sociology of Nationalism: some propoganda films here would be good. The > Eternal Jew done by Franz? Hipler is pure German propoganda...scary stuff. > Then there's the counter to that, American propoganda: the Why We Fight > series directed by Frank Capra...an attempt to inform and motivate American > soldiers > > -Sociology of Urbanization: the film I first thought of was > Koyaanisquasti (sp?). It's a really well done montage film which uses time > lapse cinematography. There's no dialogue and no actors. The title means > "life out of balance"...a Hopi Indian term. Um, it was produced by Francis > Ford Coppola, but it's very difficult to find, at least here in old Va. > Not your run-of-the-mill film, but I really respect it. > If you're looking for something more "normal," try Crocodile Dundee. > Oh, and then there's The Gods Must Be Crazy...I guess that fits more under > the geographical area category. It's a comedy about a rare African culture > (the one that uses that clicking language...can't remember what it's > called). hilarious. > Well that's all I could think of off the top of my head...hope it helps. > I'd actually like to have the job of going out and watching films that fit > your categories (I know that sounds weird, but I love film, what can I > say). Good luck > Oh, one more. For Race and Ethnicity check out Missippi Burning with Gene > Hackman...good film. > Luke > <llindhje-AT-vt.edu> > > --- from list film-theory-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu --- --- from list film-theory-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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