Revision 2 - Section A World Cinema Surrealism

Section A: World Cinema 

In order to understand surrealism as an example of an international film style we need, first of all, to have an understanding of what we mean by world cinema.

Starter: Answer the 3 questions about surrealism on the handout provided.

How would you define world cinema?

It’s a term used in English-speaking countries to refer to the films and film industries of  non-English-speaking countries. The word ‘world’ has often been interchanged with ‘foreign’.

2.       In A2 Film Studies we look at film as art rather than film as a commercial product.

Our starting point is to understand what we mean by art. How would you describe art?

The expression of human creative skill, often in a visual form, producing works that are appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power.

3.       Historically, art (painting, drawing etc) existed before film was invented so what is so exciting about surrealism is that it was the first film ‘movement’ to develop out of an art ‘movement’.

       What is an art movement?

      An art movement is a tendency or style in art with a specific common philosophy or goal, followed by a group of artists during a restricted period of time, (usually a few months, years or decades).

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Task 3: Watch this overview of surrealism

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Points to remember:

Don’t describe the style or the films in negative or derogatory terms

Surrealism in the 1920s (France) was one of the most influential, experimental and radical art and

cinema forms ever to emerge

Don’t describe the narratives as ‘weird’ or making no sense. Narratives are anti-narrative

(deliberately) or non-linear, non cause-effect etc. All of this was deliberate playing with rules and

techniques to push boundaries and explore possibilities – the focus of many these films was style

rather than story.

Past questions - Task 3: Produce essay response plans for the questions on the handout provided.


Either 3. Consider the significance of cinematography and/or editing in creating a distinctive style of cinema in the films you have studied for this topic. [35] 
or 4. How important is it to see the films you have studied for this topic as being marked by their specific time and place of production?

Either, 3. Explore in detail the use of a particular micro feature in your chosen international film style. [35] 
Or, 4. Discuss some of the factors that contributed to the development of your chosen international film style.

3. Discuss how far your international film style was developed by directors and how far by other influences. [35] 
Or, 4. To what extent is your international film style characterised by a particular approach to performance and/or mise-en-scène?

3. How far does cinematic style support themes and ideas in the films you have studied for this topic? [35] 
Or, 4. Discuss how far the development of your chosen international film style can be seen as the work of particular creative individuals?

3. How far can the impact of your chosen international film style be explained by reference to its historical context? [35] 
Or, 4. ‘There are as many stylistic differences as there are similarities within international film styles.’ With reference to the films you have studied for this topic, how far do you agree? [35]

Section C Vertigo - Revision 1

FM4 - SECTION C: (Past Paper Questions 2012 – 2014)

In the exam you will select one question and answer solely on your selected critical study (Vertigo).  You will have a choice of 2 ‘general questions’ or 1 ‘specific’ question.

Past General Questions:

How far has an awareness of the filmmaker as auteur influenced your response to your chosen film?

How far has particular writing by critics been important in developing your understanding and appreciation of your chosen film?

How useful have you found a particular film critical approach, such as an auteur or genre approach, in gaining a deeper understanding and appreciation of your chosen film?

With reference to critical and review writing you have considered as part of your study, discuss how your ideas on your chosen film have developed.

Explore how far the application of a particular critical approach has either reinforced or challenged your first impressions of your close study film.

 How far have the opinions of reviewers and critics informed your thinking about your close study film’s messages and values?

In developing a response to your chosen film, how valuable did you find the application of a specific critical approach?

Explore how far a particular debate by critics has influenced your understanding of your chosen film.

Discuss some specific discoveries you have made in applying a critical approach to your chosen film.

Often different critics and reviewers respond very similarly to a film.’ How far is this true of your close study film?

Past Vertigo Specific Questions:

The representation of women in Vertigo demonstrates how far this is a film by a man for men.’ How far do you agree?

There is an artificial cinematic quality about Vertigo which makes us question constantly what kind of film we are watching.’ How far can it be argued that this is strength of Vertigo?

For the first time, in 2012, Vertigo, made in 1958, was voted the ‘greatest film ever made’ by Sight and Sound magazine.’ Why should the film be so highly regarded today?

Explore the importance of narrative structure in the development of key themes and ideas in Vertigo.

Identify and discuss two elements of Vertigo which, in your view, contribute to the sense of strangeness the film conveys.

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Task 1: Expand on the rough structure for response to this exam question.

 ‘The representation of women in Vertigo demonstrates how far this is a film by a man for men.’ How far do you agree?'

Vertigo:

A San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.

Release Date:

 24 August 1958 (UK)

Does the synopsis indicate that this is a film by a man for men?
What films do men generally watch?

Does Hitchcock employ any devices to attract a male audience?

Several times during Vertigo we are asked to question the genre of the film.

What aspects of the film qualify it as a romance genre film?

What aspects of the film qualify it as a thriller? As a mystery?

The start of the film sets it up as an action. Scottie almost falls from a roof after a chase which kills a colleague.

A romance would not normally appeal to a male audience.

The introduction of Madeline engages the male audience. How?

Laura Mulvey's male gaze.

Themes of obsession, love and identity are explored. How?

This links to how women are represented as objects of male obsession.

Shifting 'genres' was a risk for Hitchcock.
This lead to the film receiving mixed reviews.

Vertigo engages a wider audience through the use of experimental cinematography, sound and narrative.

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Approaching Section B Popular Film and Emotional Response

Starter: Use the handout provided to define the key words:

*Catharsis, Voyeurism,  Pleasure, Scopophilia, Suture, Identification

Example exam question:

16. With reference to the films you have studied for this topic, explore some of the techniques that

are particularly powerful in producing an emotional response in the spectator. [35]

Spectatorship theories are based on the belief that film is an affective medium – that spectators are affected by watching films
If we accept that film is an affective medium with the power to affect our emotions then we need to consider the ways in which it does that:

What is emotion? 

As we watch films we can each experience fear, and pleasure, and desire, and surprise, and shock and a whole array of possible emotions, but we will not all experience these emotions equally at the same moments in a film.

What is it that determines our individual response in particular emotional ways at certain points in certain films? 

Think carefully about this but don’t worry about a right answer, this is the debate. 

Your job is to recognise that there is an intense interaction with the sounds and images occurring
 as we watch films.
Also that film-makers are deliberately setting out to create emotional responses.

Spectatorship theories are based on the belief that film is an affective medium – that spectators are affected by watching films

The nature of that affect can be:

•Short term (the length of the film)
•Medium term (a few hours or days after the film)
•Long term (years after the film)

The nature of that affect can also be psychological, intellectual, emotional or physical, for example …

• Psychological – embedded in the subconscious in ways that might drive behaviour at a later date
• Intellectual – providing knowledge and information
• Emotional – generating feelings, like sadness or happiness
• Physical – causing physiological responses such as crying or laughing

Film was designed to be a powerfully affective medium – especially through the development of continuity editing which persuaded audiences to suspend disbelief when watching a film and accept fantasy as reality.

•Director Intentions - 
NBK-To make us more sensitized to the violence in our everyday lives so that we might question its validity.
CoG-The cyclical nature of life in the Favelas.
TCG-A message of tolerance.

•Star Performance - Subtext. How does the actor deliver their lines?
Gesture, Blocking (staging/movement of actor), Movement, Body language, 

•Narrative Structure - Linear / Non linear / 

•Film Language - Macro: Genre/Narrative/Rep, - Micro: Camera/Lighting/Mise-en scene etc

•Historical/Political/Social Context - What issues is the filmmaker dealing with?

Task 1:
Using the handouts provided, indicate the ways that audiences' emotions have been affected by the three case studies.

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Task 2: In groups, produce a plan for an essay response to this question:

16. With reference to the films you have studied for this topic, explore some of the techniques that

are particularly powerful in producing an emotional response in the spectator. [35]

Catharsis, - the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions

Voyeurism, - the practice of gaining pleasure from watching others, engaged in sexual activity

Pleasure, - a feeling of happy satisfaction and enjoyment

Scopophilia, - deriving pleasure from looking.

Suture, The techniques used by film to make us forget the camera that is really doing the looking

Identification, a psychological relationship between a spectator in the audience and a character on screen. Spectators 'see themselves' in the fictional character.

Section A World Cinema Topics -International film styles - Surrealism REVISION 4

Starter: Complete the gap worksheet on Christopher Nolan

A2 film fm4 a christopher Nolan from aealey

Task 1: In groups, Complete the 'Film Styles' Worksheet

Task 2: Produce a plan for a response to the following exam question. 

‘There are as many stylistic differences as there are similarities within international film styles.’ With reference to the films you have studied for this topic, how far do you agree? [35]

E-mail or present to me before end of Thursday. 

Section A World Cinema Topics -International film styles - Surrealism REVISION 3

Starter: Complete the Svankmajer biography worksheet.

Exam Question: ‘There are as many stylistic differences as there are similarities within international film styles.’ With reference to the films you have studied for this topic, how far do you agree? [35]

Food (Czech: Jídlo) is a 1992 Czech animated short film directed by Jan Švankmajer that uses claymation and pixilation. It examines the human relationship with food by showing breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Breakfast

A man enters a room, sits down, and brushes the previous diner's leftovers onto the floor. Across from him sits another man with a placard attached to a chain hanging around his neck. The diner stands up and reads the placard one line at a time and follows the instructions. He puts money down the man's throat and pokes him in the eye. The man's shirt unbuttons itself, and a dumbwaiter rises up into where the man's chest should be. The diner takes his food, and punches the man in the chin with his third knuckle for his utensils. When he is done eating, he kicks the man's shin for a napkin. After wiping off his mouth, the diner convulses, and then goes limp. The man now comes to life, stretches, and places the placard on the former diner. He stands and puts another tally mark on the wall. Another diner comes in and the scenario is repeated with him. At the end, we see a line stretching down the hall and around the corner.

Lunch

Two diners, a business man and a vagabond, are unable to get the waiter's attention. They proceed to eat everything in sight: the flowers, their shoes, pants, shirt, underwear, plates, table cloth, table, and chairs. The vagabond watches the business man and then eats what he eats. In the end with everything else eaten, the business man eats his utensils. The vagabond also eats his. The business man then smiles, pulls his utensils from his mouth, and advances on the vagabond.

Dinner

An interior of a luxurious restaurant is shown. A wealthy gourmet sits at a table adding many sauces and spices to his dish, which is hidden by the sheer number of condiments (this is the scene shown in the film poster). This continues for a long time, and then we see him hammer a fork to a wooden left hand. He then starts to eat his own hand. In a series of short and violent scenes, we are then shown an athlete eating his lower leg, a woman eating her breasts (this is also shown in the film poster), and the last eater, who is about to eat his genitals. As he realises the presence of camera the man covers his genitals and shoos the camera away with his hand.

Reception

A New York Times review called the film "caustically witty but slight." It goes on to say that "Švankmajer conceived the film in the 1970s, when it seemed too risky a political allegory to be made [...] it now seems too simple a statement about how people are devoured by mechanistic states and each other."

Michael Nottingham pointed out that "[t]he humour is particularly black in [the last] segment, mocking how delicate social ritual and conditioning are effective masks for brutal self-destruction."

Food (1992) Jan Svankmajer

Task 1: In groups, Complete the 'Three Directors Comparison Worksheet'

Task 2: Produce a plan for a response to the following exam question. 

‘There are as many stylistic differences as there are similarities within international film styles.’ With reference to the films you have studied for this topic, how far do you agree? [35]

Section A World Cinema Topics -International film styles - Surrealism REVISION 2

Starter: 

Complete the handout provided which compares conventional film with Surrealist film.

Key terms:
Continuity Editing (the dominant, classical style of film editing in the USA/Hollywood Studio System).

Montage Editing (ideological juxtapositioning as well as editing that did not seek to maintain logical and connected temporal and spatial relationships between shots)

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Exam question 1:
3. Discuss how far your international film style was developed by directors and how far by other influences. [35]

The ultimate aim is to answer the questions :

·         With appropriate terminology

·         Demonstrating your own ideas with regard to the topic

·         Showing contextual knowledge

·         Using specific moments from (a range of) films

·         Assessing the impact of both macro and micro techniques

·         Integrating/ synthesising the ideas of theorists/ critics

·         Drawing conclusions; however tentative

·         Placing the question’s focus in the broader framework of the topic

Topics

Section A : International Film Styles : Surrealism

Section B : Spectatorship : Popular Cinema and Emotional Response

Section C : Close Critical Study : Vertigo

Each section has a different focus and is designed to draw out specific issues with regards to the film texts:

Section A

•  an understanding of the philosophy of Surrealism
•  the extent to which Surrealism can be seen to possess a common style and approach
•  the ways in which its film makers use micro and macro features to achieve its effects and what  these effects are.
•  an understanding of the extent to which time, place and personal background of film makers  may be traceable in their films’ themes and concerns
•  the difference between these films’ approaches and those of mainstream films
•  an awareness of the distinctively different approaches/ concerns of your film makers

Exam question response:

Discuss how far your international film style was developed by directors and how far by other influences

Describe the international film style (Surrealism).

Name the directors that you will discuss (Bunuel - Svankmajer)

Name the films (with dates) that you will discuss (UnChien Andalou 1929 - L'Age d'Or 1930 - The Garden 1968)

Discuss how far your international film style was developed by directors and how far by other influences

Describe the international film style (surrealism).

L'Age d'Or, commonly translated as The Golden Age or Age of Gold, is a 1930 French surrealist comedy directed by Luis Buñuel about the insanities of modern life, the hypocrisy of the sexual mores (customs) of bourgeois society and the value system of the Roman Catholic Church. The screenplay is by Salvador Dalí and Buñuel. L'Age d'Or was one of the first sound films made in France.

The surrealist films of Luis Bunuel, Un Chien Andalou 1929 and L'Age d'Or 1930 are  full of style typical of the surrealist movement. The micro elements are used to show themes and ideas which epitomise the definitions of surreal cinema, they are pivotal works of the movement.

Jan Svankmajer is a Czech film maker and artist.  He is a self-labelled surrealist known for his animations and features, which have subsequently influenced other artists such as Terry Gilliam, the Brothers Quay, and many others. The influence of the surrealists can be seen through the use of micro elements.

Surrealist cinema originated in Paris in the 1920's as a facet of the literary art movement led by Andre Breton and the Surrealist group. The roots of Surrealist cinema lie within the earlier art movement, Dadaism. Dadaism had anti-establishment sentiments and attempted to provoke the bourgeois society whom they despised. Surrealism was also influenced by the psychoanalytic theories of Freud, in particular his theories regarding dreams, expression and the unconscious.

Bunuel and Salvador Dali, who co-directed Un Chien Andalou, had the primary aim of shocking the bourgeois and questioning the authority of their values. Svankmajer's 1968 film 'The Garden' includes quick cuts, often several in the space of a couple of seconds, to cram as much information, emotion, and meaning into as little time as he can. There are also intense close-ups, showing bemusement, happiness, or boredom on the faces of Svankmajer's actors.  

The garden can be compared to Bunuel's films in terms of themes and messages and also uses a non realistic approach stylistically with a plot that is detached from real life.

Un Chien Andalou's most overt stylistic motifs are the juxtapositioning of two or more seemingly unrelated images, here Bunuel drew on Freud's method of free association to create links between images highlighting themes of violent and sexual repression. One scene which illustrates this is the juxtapositioning of a seated woman who has her eye sliced open with a razor, a realtively shocking scene which is indicative of Surrealist cinema's provocative nature while a cloud cuts across the moon with unrealistic speed. The latter image is metaphorically linked to the the former with the moon being traditionally associated with feminity. The razor, according to Freudian dream theory represents the phallus. The scene implies a violent sexual nature, a theme which is a theme typical of Surrealist works in general.

(Discuss the films of Svankmajer)

L'Age d'Or is more explicit in its provocation of the bourgeois and a screening of the film was actually vandalised by far right protesters at the time of its release. 

The film uses what seems to documentary footage of scorpions in vicious competition. This was to function as a metaphor for the Catholic Church and the bourgeois in general which the Surrealists saw as oppressive institutions. Bunuel specifically criticizes the bourgeois who are represented as a mass group, opulently dressed and seen to thwart the attempted consummation of two lovers in a frenzy. The female lover turns to a statue in order to exercise her sexual desires when her lover is taken away. This not only metaphorically represents sexual repression but can also be said to represent how people internalise their own subordination via the bourgeois and its institutions. The woman is seen kissing a foot which is a classic image of subordination. The narrative in  L'Age d'Or is predominantly linear although Bunuel does at times divert to completely detached scenarios.

In Svankmajer's film The Garden, the character Frank visits his friend Josef, who introduces him to his pedigree rabbits and his wife Mary. Frank is more interested in the slightly unsettling fact that Josef and Mary's garden fence is entirely made up of living people holding hands. Finally, Frank asks Josef how he manages to keep the fence together.

Svankmajer orchestrates point-of-view shots and jarring close-ups to indicate the guest’s growing discomfort as the host boasts of his purebred rabbits and rich compost. Made during the Prague Spring’s collapse in 1968, The Garden remains a crystalline vision of tyranny’s end result.

Today, L'Age d'Or is widely regarded as one of the key works of surrealist cinema. British critic Philip French noted that the film, alongside Buñuel'sUn Chien Andalou (1929), featured "bizarre sequences that assault bourgeois values and sexual oppression while making no logical sense, and they were acclaimed by the leading arbiters of surrealism as the first authentic surrealist films. 

Conclusion - how far..?
Overall the Bunuel films, UnChien Andalou 1929 and L'Age d'Or 1930 use violent, visual metaphors which are typical of surrealism whilst Svankmajer ‘s The Garden borrows from the dreamlike visual style of the early surrealists but can be said to be a continuation of their style.

Discuss how far your international film style was developed by directors and how far by other influences. Level 4 

A very good knowledge and understanding of the international film style itself and of specific film examples which can be referred to accurately and in detail. 

A sound ability to understand and respond to the terms of the question, including a good knowledge of directors’ contribution to the chosen international film style. 

A confidence in responding directly to the question, weighing the relative arguments for a ‘directors cinema’ and those for other and different inputs. 

(The very best candidates) … will develop a sophisticated argument and have the confidence either to adopt and defend through elaboration a very definite position – or to offer a refined weighing of different creative inputs.

Task 1: Complete the essay above including a description of surrealist style, an expansion of Svankmajer's influences and a conclusion.

Task 2: Complete the Svankmajer biography worksheet

Task 3 (homework) Plan and write a response to the following exam question:

4. To what extent is your international film style characterised by a particular approach to performance and/or mise-en-scène?

Section A World Cinema Topics -International film styles - Surrealism REVISION 1

Starter: Define the following key terms:

Bourgeoisie, Aesthetics, Free association , The Unconscious Mind, Subversion

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Exam question:

How far can the impact of your chosen international film style be explained by reference to its historical context? [35] 

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— This section of the exam examines your understanding of complex films from different contexts (non Hollywood and non British) as well as the diversity of film and its effects.

In your case those complex films are Surrealist and the different contexts are:

• Europe 1920s
• Lynch 1960s  to present (though our focus is on the 1990s)
•  and Svankmajer 1960s to present.

• The Surrealist artists sought to channel the unconscious as a means to unlock the power of the imagination. Disdaining rationalism and literary realism, and powerfully influenced by psychoanalysis, the Surrealists believed the rational mind repressed the power of the imagination, weighting it down with taboos. 

—  Don’t describe the style or the films in negative or derogatory terms

—  Surrealism in the 1920s (France) was one of the most influential, experimental and radical art and cinema forms ever to emerge

—  Don’t describe the narratives as ‘weird’ or making no sense. Narratives are anti-narrative deliberately or non-linear, also non cause-effect. All of this was deliberate playing with rules and techniques to push boundaries and explore possibilities – the focus of many these films was style rather than story. 

—  Bunuel was a prolific film maker and his style matured as he grew older. He also made films in several countries so other influences can be seen in some of his films but Un Chien Andalou and Le Phantome De La Liberty  stand at two ends of his career, which is why they are so useful to compare.

—  Bunuel was, arguably, an auteur because his style and intentions remain throughout his films though his methods of executing them differ. Not least because of developments in technology. His later films are ‘glossier’ (bigger budgets; higher production values) and the use of film stars evidences his success and standing, especially in France. 

Inception - Christopher Nolan (2010)

Nolan explains the spinning top at the end of Inception

—Svankmajer worked as an animator so his approach to surrealism has to be explored in light of this. It’s part of his style so technique does dictate/influence meaning to a certain extent. His major influences are his training, the political context of Czechoslovakia (occupied by Communists) and the disturbances and effects of his own childhood.

Task 3: Discuss how far your international film style was developed by directors and how far by other influences. [35]

Bourgeoisie

A person whose attitudes and behaviour are fitted to the standards and conventions of the middle class.

Aesthetics

The study of what is considered "beautiful" in a given society.

 In the Western world, aesthetics in art is judged by a rigid set of long-established rules.

The object of surrealist art was to break some of these conventions, while still maintaining an essence of beauty.

Free association 

was originally a technique used in psychoanalysis that was devised by Sigmund Freud. It encouraged the expression of thoughts directly from the sub-conscious, free from fear of social judgement or self censorship. In art and film, free association refers to the linking of ideas and images that may have no original fixed meaning. The viewer or audience are free to make associations and connections themselves.

The Unconscious Mind
Also known as sub-conscious
The thoughts and ideas that drive us but which we are not necessarily aware of.

Subversion
To seek or intend to undermine the power and authority of an established system or institution.

Approaching Section C

Grade boundaries – sections A and B are 35 marks each, section C is 30 marks, making a total of 100.

As a rough guide:
80 – 100% = A; 70 - 79% = B; 60 - 69% = C; 50 - 59% = D; 40 – 49% = E; 0 – 39% = U


Section C: Single Film – Critical Study (A01 and A02, 30 marks)

One question to be answered from a choice of two questions general to all films and a specific question set for each film prescribed (Vertigo is ours).

Section C : Close Critical Study
· If you do one of the general questions you can prepare an answer...
· The one about critical debates/reception has a simple formula to it :

For example:

How far has particular writing by critics been important in developing your understanding and appreciation of your chosen film?

· Intro in which you outline controversy/polar reactions – perhaps with a couple of dramatically contradictory statements of praise/criticism ...

· Isolate several key issues – e.g. narrative devices, masculinity in crisis as a major theme and the way that theme is examined, critique of consumerism at a moment in USA history, women blamed for a male identity crisis, Fincher’s style, excessive violence, – and find further quotations

· You may need to then give examples of scenes likely to have produced the reaction; and :

· Do some analysis of the scenes you identify; perhaps contextualising them by giving us an insight into Fincher’s intentions in his own words

· Conclude! This could involve your own position on the film; and how looking at it more closely has affected your perspective?

· Remember – point/example/analysis/ counterpoint!

How far has particular writing by critics been important in developing your understanding and appreciation of your chosen film?

Task 1: Spend 20 minutes researching and planning your answer for the following question:
How far has particular writing by critics been important in developing your understanding and appreciation of your chosen film?

Task 2: Write a response to the question above. 
Complete this for homework and submit via e-mail to me when complete.

Level 4 (A – A*)

·  An excellent, detailed and sophisticated knowledge and understanding of the chosen film.

·  Sound knowledge and understanding of critical writings generated by the film, whether among reviewers, academics or both.

·  An ability to explore the degree to which an awareness of critical debate has deepened the candidate’s understanding and appreciation of the chosen film.

·  (The very best candidates) … will demonstrate a sophisticated use of critical reading and may well play off one piece of critical writing against another in developing a more complex argument.

Task 3:  Spend 20 minutes researching and planning your answer for the following question:
Q.21
For the first time, in 2012, Vertigo, made in 1958, was voted ‘the greatest film ever made’ by Sight and Sound magazine. Why should the film be so highly regarded today?
An excellent, detailed knowledge and understanding of Vertigo.

An ability to recognise aspects of the film that give it high critical status

An ability to answer the question directly which includes a strong focus on ‘today’ – on the ways in which the film strikes a contemporary audience as a film of distinction.

(The very best candidates) …will be distinguished by the sophistication of their argument and the range of arguments presented.

Critical Reviews and Writings about VERTIGO

Past Exam question to consider this lesson:

How far has particular writing by critics been important in developing your understanding and appreciation of your chosen film?

So, obviously, Vertigo wasn't always considered to be the greatest film ever made.

Alfred Hitchcock's psychological thriller Vertigo has been named as the best movie of all time by the British Film Institute (BFI). The 1958 film replaced Orson Welles' movie Citizen Kane as the greatest film of all time, a position it had held for an incredible 50 years. The BFI poll has taken place once every ten years since 1962. Its panel is made up of 846 international film critics, movie directors, academics and writers. They voted for 2,045 different movies in this decade's survey. Nick James, a BFI spokesman, said the voting "seems to be not so much about films that…use cinema's entire arsenal of effects to make a grand statement, but more about works that have personal meaning to the critic".
Hitchcock called Vertigo his most personal. It is about a retired police detective suffering from acrophobia (a fear of heights) who is hired as a private investigator to follow the wife of a close friend to find out the reasons for her bizarre behaviour. The film received mixed reviews upon its initial release, but has gone on to amass considerable acclaim over the decades. 

The BFI said: "Vertigo is the ultimate critics' film because it is a dreamlike film about people who are not sure who they are but who are busy reconstructing themselves and each other to fit a kind of cinema ideal of the ideal soul mate."

Task 1: Produce a Powerpoint Presentation 5-10 slides based on reviews of Vertigo and give consideration to this past exam question:

Often, different critics and reviewers respond very similarly to a film. How far is this true of your close study film?

Consider: 
A critical debate relating to Vertigo
Exploring the relationship between knowledge of a critical debate and personal response to the film
Taking issue with the debates around the film's value and applying your own approach/conclusion
The role of James Stewart in Vertigo's popularity

Original 1958 review in Sight and Sound

Is Vertigo the best film ever? (Daily Telegraph 2016)

Critical transformation

Read more: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1208/120802-movies_films.html#ixzz4f5J9JCMS

Task 2: Read the reviews of Vertigo on the handout provided

Task 3: Attempt the exam question below:

How far has particular writing by critics been important in developing your understanding and appreciation of your chosen film?

Level 4 (A – A*)

·  An excellent, detailed and sophisticated knowledge and understanding of the chosen film.

·  Sound knowledge and understanding of critical writings generated by the film, whether among reviewers, academics or both.

·  An ability to explore the degree to which an awareness of critical debate has deepened the candidate’s understanding and appreciation of the chosen film.

·  (The very best candidates) … will demonstrate a sophisticated use of critical reading and may well play off one piece of critical writing against another in developing a more complex argument.

Key Points Vertigo

›Initially received as a failure
›Now considered to be a masterpiece
›American Cinema’s supreme treatment of romantic obsession
›On one level a Gothic Romance
›Scottie is psychologically ‘crippled’ and tormented by guilt
›Scottie is a questionable ‘hero’

›Scottie is a sympathetic character but he is also pathetic (Midge mothers him)
›His condition of acrophobia (fear of heights) is an emblem of his crippling guilt – first over the death of a fellow policeman, then over the suicide of the woman he was hired to follow and with whom he fell in love.

›Vertigo is a self-reflexive, dark commentary on the process of image-making from both sides of the fence
›Scottie is first the victimised spectator of an illusion, then the ruthless creator of one.
›The concept of the femme-fatale is examined and under-cut – the film is explicitly about how men, out of their own anxieties, and for their own convenience, create mythic images of women

›Vertigo draws on the traditions of the hard-boiled detective, film noir thriller
›It starts as a detective thriller and becomes a psychological crime thriller
›Vertigo is part of Hitchcock’s more ambitious and mature works that became the focus of a major re-evaluation of his status as an auteur

›The title is a reference to the physical effect of acrophobia. Vertigo is dizziness or spiralling (falling, descending, in circles) – a metaphor that is underlined in the stairs to the bell tower, Madeleine’s bun, the age lines on the sequoia trees and the posy of flowers held first by Carlotta Valdez in the painting then bought by Madeleine – also the flowers on the wallpaper in the restaurant where Scottie falls into the beginning of an obsessive love (a descent into madness) that spirals out of control

›Hitchcock’s Vertigo has influenced subsequent thriller specialists such as De Palma in Obsession (1984) and Jonathan Demme in Last Embrace, 1979.