Essays and Research Papers on Film & Television

This 5 page paper looks at Ozu's 1953 film Tokyo Story discussing the way in which it reflects the society and changes in Post World War II and the morning as well as frustration at the loss of traditional values and the influences resulting from the American occupation. The bibliography cites 6 sources.

This 6 page report discusses two movies by Hayao Miyazaki, one of Japan’s leading if not the leading animator. Miyazaki’s movies are exceedingly imaginative, and beautifully realized animated adventures. They have no musical numbers, no wacky animal sidekicks, no tidy resolutions, and no tie-in toys. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

In ten pages this paper examines how American General and first President of the United States George Washington is depicted in various ways as heroic, human, and flawed in Jeff Shaara’s The Glorious Cause, and in the films Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor, The Conquerors: General Howe, Conqueror of New York, The Crossing, and ...

A 4 page paper which examines the radical polarization of the two primary characters in the film “Flawless.” Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 5 page paper looks at the 1994 film White Mile and evaluates the protagonist's controversial behavior. Several paradigms are discussed inclusive of Dilbert's law, the Aristotelian system and Needleman's perspectives. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 14 page research paper that discusses this film and its implications for HIV discrimination law. First of all, Philadelphia is discussed, pointing out the ways in which it utilizes cinematic techniques to emphasize the messages of its narrative, which dramatize issues of employment law and the injustice of discrimination. Secondly, discrimination against HIV victims ...

5 pages in length. The film L.A. Confidential explores the depths of man's ethical concerns in relation to his own existence and how his actions influence issues in his own life. Conspicuously absent from the movie is any depiction of morally upstanding law enforcement representatives whose primary motivation is to see justice served; ...

A 3 page comparison of the legal approaches in the movie with actual law. This paper examines the innocent by reason of insanity plea. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 7 page paper analyzes an episode of the show “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” with regard to the messages and images the show illustrates with regard to law and order in our society. It discusses the ways the messages are communicated (nonverbal, verbal, etc.), the values embodied in the characters, and the structure of the ...

5 pages in length. The notoriety of Ally McBeal is not that surprising if one considers the standard elements of contemporary popular culture that it depicts. Indeed, the extent to which this particular program highlights such cultural values as capitalism and individualism, while at the same time devaluing certain ways of being, lends ...

A 10 page paper which examines how Shakespeare is interpreted differently by numerous film makers. The films discussed are “Hamlet,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Othello,” and “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.” Bibliography lists 7 sources.

This 4 page report discusses the movie versions of Shakespeare's comedy and what was added or changed from the original play in the adaptation for film. The primary movie considered is the 1967 version starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. The popular 1953 hit, "Kiss Me Kate," is also briefly discussed. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

A 10 page paper which examines how Richard III is presented as a caricature in both the play and film versions. Bibliography lists 9 sources.

This 5 page report makes a comparison between Shakespeare’s “King Lear” and Grouch Marx’s “Rufus T. Firefly” from the 1933 movie “Duck Soup.” Both rely on the audience’s expectations as part of the larger story. In “King Lear” those expectations are justifiably founded. In “Duck Soup,” expectations are turned upside down and made ridiculous. “King Lear” serves as ...

This 5 page paper compares and contrasts the film versions of Othello by Welles and Parker. Examples given. Bibliography lists 2 sources.

This 5 page report discusses Elizabethan theater, the movie “Shakespeare in Love,” and the time periods represented in the work of Shakespeare. Reference is made to Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” in describing the plots of “star-crossed” lovers and how they are represented in the movie. For various movie scenes, a quote from “Romeo and Juliet” is used in ...

A 7 page paper which presents an examination of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream as a film for children. The paper discusses elements of the play, the audience, sets, and other aspects which need to be considered. Bibliography lists 2 additional sources.

A 6 page paper which examines the differences between the way the play was conceived and staged and the way Branagh presented the action on film. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 5 page paper discussing this story of the life of 1994 Nobel Prize winner John Forbes Nash, Jr. Nash is a mathematical genius whose promising career is nearly destroyed by the emergence of schizophrenia. The film instructs and informs, but it mostly conveys a message of hope. John maintains the hope ...

This 9 page paper provides an overview of the major film versions of Hamlet. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 10 page paper which examines the ideals of courtly love as it is represented in the film “Shakespeare in Love.” Bibliography lists 3 additional sources.

A 6 page review of the latest movie version of Othello, starring Laurence Fishburne as Othello and Kenneth Branagh as Othello. The paper notes that Parker cut and altered much of Shakespeare's dialogue and changed the very slant of the film in a quest for "relevance"; it questions whether Shakespeare would not have been better ...

A 6 page paper which examines some big and small screen interpretations of Shakespeare’s most popular tragedies to analyze how they attempt to improve the play, how they can reach more audiences, how the works have to be altered to fit the film format, and considers whether or not this hurts the integrity of ...

A 3 page essay that contrasts and compares the movie The Lost World with the original book by Michael Crichton. The writer argues that the film, not surprisingly, concentrates on the visual aspects of the story -- heart-stopping scenes where the main characters have to run for their lives from very real-looking dinosaurs. In ...

A 7 page paper which examines the influences on the work, how it came to be, both in terms of its creator (an interpretation of William Shakespeare’s tragic play) and environmental factors such as politics, culture, and technology. Also provided is a description and analysis of the film’s tone, structure, and message, and also ...