Essays and Research Papers on Film & Television

An 8 page paper discussing the film industry's pre-Hollywood days, when nearly all movies were made in the East. Astoria studio is highlighted in discussing the state of the industry and the stars of the day, most of whom hated having to move to California where there was largely a cultural wasteland. Gloria ...

An 8 page paper discussing movies and the home entertainment industry, with concentration on the video rental and sales market segments. The paper gives an overview of the industry and briefly discusses the recent business results of four major companies involved in the industry: Fox, Disney, Time Warner and Universal. Short ...

An 8 page discussion of Bud Abbot and Lou Costello and their important contributions to American Humor. Bibliography lists 4 sources. Abbot &

A 5 page character analysis of Don Lockwood and Kathy Selden, played by Gene Kelley and Debbie Reynolds. The characters are analyzed individually, together and with respect to the story-line and theme of the film Singin' in the Rain. No bibliography.

A 12 page paper which charts the evolution of the Hollywood studio system following World War I and examines why it became the dominant force in world cinema. Bibliography lists 9 sources.

Hispanic women portrayed in American film are discussed in this 8 page paper. Pointed out is the fact that while women's roles have evolved in the industry the Hispanic female is still stereotyped and little work is available for serious Spanish actresses. The releases of such movies as Selena and Evita are discussed. Bibliography lists ...

This 27 page research paper explores the contributions of women directors to American cinema. Specifically discussed are the films of Lois Weber, Dorothy Arzner, Ida Lupino, Elaine May, Joan Micklin Silver, Claudia Weill and Susan Seidelman and their depiction of male and female characters. Bibliography lists 14 sources.

This 12 page paper looks at the postmodern film and its essential elements. Also discussed is the difficulty inherent in defining the term "postmodern." Several contemporary movies are analyzed in detail including The Crying Game, Trainspotting and Pulp Fiction. Bibliography cites 12+ sources.

This 5 page research paper examines the evolution of motion picture comedy by discussing the major works of Charles Chaplin, The Three Stooges, Buster Keaton, the Marx Brothers and Woody Allen. Bibliography lists 9 sources.

A 3 page paper comparing crime and punishment in films Do The Right Thing, Unforgiven and New Jack City to determine whether or not each represents justice from a legal or cultural respective. No additional sources cited.

This 7 page report discusses three Vietnam War movies in the context of their symbology and the ways in which they represent the attitudes of Americans directly involved in the war and those presenting their cinemagraphic viewpoints of a war that did not have the simplistic good guy against bad guy scenario. By the late ...

This 7 page paper explores Speilberg's 1998 film about World War II. The focus of the paper is on what exactly was learned about the war from this realistic depiction. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 5 page report creatively discusses the possibility a fictional film about the Persian Gulf War entitled 'Forty-Three Days Later.' The writer creates a movie to illustrate the overriding technological superiority of the U.S. military and the bloodless means of devastation modern warfare is able to create. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

This 3 page paper considers the nature of revolution as it is related in Director Gillo Pontecorvo's The Battle of Algiers and considers a comparison between the events related in the story and the argument that political rebellion resembles an avalanche: Once it is started, it continues to progress and cannot be stopped. No bibliography.

A 6 page paper which examines the concept of ‘blackness' as explored by revolutionary African-American filmmaker Spike Lee in his 1989 film, Do the Right Thing. Bibliography lists 10 sources.

This 8 page paper looks at many aspects of the making of Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, Scorsese's part in New York Stories and Kassowitz's La Haine. The films are compared and contrasted and the theme of the inner city is the focus of this paper. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 12 page paper which examines how George Lucas' blockbuster Star Wars film trilogy has impacted American popular culture. Bibliography lists 13 sources.

This 7 page report discusses the upcoming 'prequel' for the 'Star Wars' trilogies of movies and the role of 'Star Wars' as modern mythology. Throughout the earlier movies, Luke Skywalker traces a path that can best be described in mythic terms as "the hero's journey." 'Phantom Menace' now shows the audience the world in ...

A 5 page paper which examines the concept of Jewish ‘otherness' in American society and how this alienation is depicted in the 1947 film, Gentleman's Agreement. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

The film, Mildred Pierce, was released to movie theaters in 1945 and starred Joan Crawford in an adaptation of a book by James M. Cain. Ms. Crawford won an academy award for her performance, however, the film was not received particularly well by critics. Fifty years later another film, Pretty Woman, was released ...

A 5 page paper which considers the way in which the code of silence is featured in the films (and, briefly, the books upon which they were based) Serpico and Prince of the City to examine its nature, supports, pros, cons and the moral consequences of the two protagonists who broke it. Bibliography lists ...

This 5 page paper that provides an overview of the significant technical and formal elements in The Shining and A Clockwork Orange and then assesses consistencies in the developments of the Kubrick's works. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

An 8 page paper which examines the sociology of the family and how the family system functions as a social group, citing scenes from the 1983 film, Terms of Endearment, as examples. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 5 page paper (plus 1 page outline and thesis) which examines the life and work of controversial film director Sam Peckinpah and how he contributed to the current trend toward violence in cinema. Bibliography lists 11 sources.

In 5 pages, the author discusses violent filmmaker Quentin Tarantino. Quentin Tarantino is a filmmaker who has become notorious for his violence in movies such as "Reservoir Dogs" and "Pulp Fiction." In fact, there is a great deal of controversy over the violence and profanity in his films. Nonetheless, Tarantino is ...