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Full-Text Articles in American Film Studies
The Birth Of The Mpdg 2.0: The Potential For The Manic Pixie Dream Girl Trope In Independent Film, Brenna Elizabeth Sherrill
The Birth Of The Mpdg 2.0: The Potential For The Manic Pixie Dream Girl Trope In Independent Film, Brenna Elizabeth Sherrill
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
This project chronicles an in-depth character study on the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope in film. The term was coined in 2007 by a film critic about a very specific kind of female character—one who exists “solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.” The MPDG has often been written off as nothing more than a stereotype or sexist characterization of a woman, but I argue that the MPDG can be much more than a flat character, as evidenced by the increasingly complex characterization of …
The “Fatty” Arbuckle Scandal, Will Hays, And Negotiated Morality In 1920s America, Aaron T. Whitehead
The “Fatty” Arbuckle Scandal, Will Hays, And Negotiated Morality In 1920s America, Aaron T. Whitehead
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
In the autumn of 1921, silent film comedian Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was arrested for the rape and murder of a model and actress named Virginia Rappé. The ensuing scandal created a firestorm of controversy not just around Arbuckle but the entire motion picture industry. Religious and moral reformers seized upon the scandal to decry the decline of “traditional” moral values taking place throughout American society in the aftermath of World War I. The scandal created a common objective for an anti-film coalition representing diverse social and religious groups, all dedicated to bringing about change in the motion picture industry through …
Rulers, Rhetoric, And Ray-Guns: A Post Colonial Look At 90'S Alien Invasion Media, Logan Matthew Hudspeth
Rulers, Rhetoric, And Ray-Guns: A Post Colonial Look At 90'S Alien Invasion Media, Logan Matthew Hudspeth
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
This thesis opens discussion on American alien invasion films of the 90s as a self-critique, a reaction to being an imperial power at the end of the Cold War. The alien menace in these films is not the "other" but rather the U.S. itself being the colonizer or conqueror looking to expand its sphere of influence. Furthermore, it discusses how Presidential rhetoric in the films play a role in this postcolonial reading. Specific works studied are: Independence Day (1996), Mars Attacks! (1996), Babylon 5: In the Beginning (1998), and The Puppet Masters (1994).
Andrew Sarris And The Politique Des Auteurs (1962-1974): An Assessment And An Analysis, Steven Grumbacher
Andrew Sarris And The Politique Des Auteurs (1962-1974): An Assessment And An Analysis, Steven Grumbacher
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
The politique des auteurs was, from the period 1968 through 1973, the dominant methodology in cinematic criticism. It was tentatively formulated by Francois Truffaut in 1954 and greatly expanded upon by Andrew Sarris in 1962. Briefly, the “auteur theory” (as it is known in English speaking countries.) contends that aesthetically important films are the product of an auteur--an equivalent term to author in a work of literature or composer as opposed to conductor in a musical composition--and that that auteur is usually the film’s director. The quality of the film under scrutiny is directly related to the ability of that …