FILM STUDY PROJECT You are going to select a film from the list of films and write a paper answering the evaluation questions listed below. No one may choose the same film, and films are assigned on a first come, first served basis. There is some flexibility for you to add a film, but the goal of this assignment is twofold. First, you are to explore a film in a way you may not have done previously. Second, the films are chosen for their quality, so that you are opening your mind to look at films that are effective. There is no formal format to this essay, but you do need to answer each question and give evidence. You also need to include a cover page with information requested on the back of this page (you can get this info during the film’s credits, or on www.imdb.com). We will also review in class. EVALUATION CRITERIA: 1. How did the film make you feel? What did it make you think about? What kinds of lessons can you take from the film? 2. Which scenes engaged you the most? Which ones were the least engaging? Why? 3. What kept you interested throughout the film? Was it acting, plot, lighting, etc? How so? 4. What literary works did the film remind you of? (You cannot say none) Why? 5. What was the film’s plot (please cover the five stages of plot: exposition, complication, climax, denouement, resolution)? Consider the conflict in this summary. What is it? Is it internal or external? 6. Describe the main characters (protagonist, antagonist, other important characters). 7. How did the main characters evolve throughout the story? 8. What is the film’s setting (time, place, etc.)? 9. What was the theme of the film? Why do you think so? 10. What mood is created through the film, and how does the director do this? 11. What symbols exist in the film? (You cannot say none) How are they used? 12. What point of view is the film told in? How does this affect the story? 13. Is suspense created? How? 14. Was the acting believable? Were the performances understated or overstated? 15. What camera angles were most effective? What did you notice about the angles? 16. Is the set realistic? Does it make sense in the context of the film? How? 17. Does the set and art design create a feeling of a certain time and place? 18. How does lighting and use of color contribute to the mood of the film? 19. What music is used in the film? How does this affect the mood? 20. Are there are significant sound effects used? Why? Are they effective? 21. Is there an unseen narrator speaking at any point in the film? What does this add to the film? Does it detract in any way? 22. Were special effects used effectively? Did they need to be, or should they have been cut? 23. How was the film edited? How many scene changes existed? 24. Was the film based on anything? If the film is an adaptation, does it seem like parts were left out? What was missing? 25. Does the script leave anything unsaid? How could this have been fixed? COVER PAGE INFORMATION Fil ...

1. FILM STUDY PROJECT
You are going to select a film from the list of films and write a
paper answering the evaluation questions listed below. No one
may choose the same film, and films are assigned on a first
come, first served basis. There is some flexibility for you to add
a film, but the goal of this assignment is twofold. First, you are
to explore a film in a way you may not have done previously.
Second, the films are chosen for their quality, so that you are
opening your mind to look at films that are effective. There is
no formal format to this essay, but you do need to answer each
question and give evidence. You also need to include a cover
page with information requested on the back of this page (you
can get this info during the film’s credits, or on
www.imdb.com). We will also review in class.
EVALUATION CRITERIA:
1. How did the film make you feel? What did it make you think
about? What kinds of lessons can you take from the film?
2. Which scenes engaged you the most? Which ones were the
least engaging? Why?
3. What kept you interested throughout the film? Was it acting,
plot, lighting, etc? How so?
4. What literary works did the film remind you of? (You cannot
say none) Why?
5. What was the film’s plot (please cover the five stages of plot:
exposition, complication, climax, denouement, resolution)?
Consider the conflict in this summary. What is it? Is it internal
or external?

2. 6. Describe the main characters (protagonist, antagonist, other
important characters).
7. How did the main characters evolve throughout the story?
8. What is the film’s setting (time, place, etc.)?
9. What was the theme of the film? Why do you think so?
10. What mood is created through the film, and how does the
director do this?
11. What symbols exist in the film? (You cannot say none) How
are they used?
12. What point of view is the film told in? How does this affect
the story?
13. Is suspense created? How?
14. Was the acting believable? Were the performances
understated or overstated?
15. What camera angles were most effective? What did you
notice about the angles?
16. Is the set realistic? Does it make sense in the context of the
film? How?
17. Does the set and art design create a feeling of a certain time
and place?
18. How does lighting and use of color contribute to the mood
of the film?

3. 19. What music is used in the film? How does this affect the
mood?
20. Are there are significant sound effects used? Why? Are they
effective?
21. Is there an unseen narrator speaking at any point in the
film? What does this add to the film? Does it detract in any
way?
22. Were special effects used effectively? Did they need to be,
or should they have been cut?
23. How was the film edited? How many scene changes existed?
24. Was the film based on anything? If the film is an adaptation,
does it seem like parts were left out? What was missing?
25. Does the script leave anything unsaid? How could this have
been fixed?
COVER PAGE INFORMATION
Film Title
Photo from film/poster
Director
Writer
Starring Actors
Production Company
Year Released

4. Your Name
Your personal star rating (out of 5)
Average rating on IMDB
FILM LIST
1. Citizen Kane
2. Casablanca
3. The Godfather
4. Gone with the Wind
5. The Wizard of Oz
6. The Graduate
7. Schindler’s List
8. Star Wars
9. Chinatown
10. Psycho
11. 2001: A Space Odyssey
12. Raging Bull
13. ET
14. Dr. Strangelove
15. Apocalypse Now

5. 16. Annie Hall
17. A Clockwork Orange
18. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
19. Rebel without a Cause
20. Atonement
21. Across the Universe
22. Raiders of the Lost Ark
23. Silence of the Lambs
24. Forrest Gump
25. Shawshank Redemption
26. American Graffiti
27. Rocky
28. Fargo
29. Easy Rider
30. My Fair Lady
31. Goodfellas
32. Pulp Fiction
33. Scarface

6. 34. American Beauty
35. Life is Beautiful
36. Saving Private Ryan
37. The Sixth Sense
38. Blade Runner
39. Trainspotting
40. Monty Python’s Life of Brian
41. The English Patient
42. Crash
43. Little Miss Sunshine
44. Million Dollar Baby
45. The Prestige
46. Finding Neverland
47. Batman Begins
48. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
49. 300
50. Dog Day Afternoon
51. Moulin Rouge

7. 52. Rain Man
53. Ghostbusters
54. Back to the Future
55. A Fish Called Wanda
56. This is Spinal Tap
57. Harold and Maude
58. The Way Way Back
59. Once
60. Die Hard
61. Taxi Driver
62. Jurassic Park
63. The Matrix
64. V for Vendetta
65. When Harry Met Sally
66. Swing Kids
67. Breakfast at Tiffany’s
68. American President
69. Princess Bride

8. 70. Affair to Remember
71. Cover Girl
72. Memento
73. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
74. Brokeback Mountain
75. Pieces of April
76. Manic
77. Brick
78. Amelie
79. As Good as it Gets
80. Good Will Hunting
81. Big Fish
82. Breakfast Club
83. The Chumscrubber
84. Clerks
85. Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
86. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
87. Donnie Darko

9. 88. Enemy at the Gates
89. Serenity
90. Green Mile
91. Pleasantville
92. High Fidelity
93. Love Actually
94. The Notebook
95. Pan’s Labyrinth
96. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves
97. Shopgirl
98. Stand by Me
99. The Untouchables
100. The Usual Suspects
101. Godfather II
102. Empire Strikes Back
103. Return of the Jedi
104. Full Metal Jacket
105. There Will be Blood

10. 106. Monty Python & the Holy Grail
107. Gran Torino
108. Dark Knight
109. Definitely, Maybe
110. District 9
111. Big
112. Boondock Saints
113. Pitch Black
114. Harry Potter
115. City of God
116. We Were Soldiers
117. Thin Red Line
118. Hurt Locker
119. Dazed and Confused
120. Titanic
121. Braveheart
122. American Gangster
123. Alpha Dog

11. 124. No Country for Old Men
125. One Flew Over Cuckoo’s Nest
126. Lord of the Rings: Two Towers
127. Fight Club
128. Rear Window
129. It’s a Wonderful Life
130. The Professional
131. American History X
132. Alien
133. Pandorum
134. Rosemary’s Baby
135. Gangs of New York
136. The Pianist
137. LA Confidential
138. Slumdog Millionaire
139. Sin City
140. Unforgiven
141. 3:10 to Yuma

12. 142. The Wrestler
143. The Deer Hunter
144. Platoon
145. Into the Wild
146. It Happened One Night
147. 8 ½
148. Children of Men
149. Whiplash
150. Magnolia
151. Mystic River
152. Gone Baby Gone
153. Mulholland Drive
154. Edward Scissorhands
155. Jaws
156. Cabaret
157. Cool Hand Luke
158. Sound of Music
159. 39 Steps

13. 160. Field of Dreams
161. Glory
162. Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
163. Royal Tenenbaums
164. Lars and the Real Girl
165. Irreversible
166. Being John Malkovitch
167. Moon
168. 28 Days Later
169. Revolutionary Road
170. United 93
171. Let the Right One In
172. Casino Royale (2006)
173. Squid and the Whale
174. Adventureland
175. Juno
176. Junebug
177. Billy Elliott

14. 178. The Departed
179. Inglorious Basterds
180. O Brother Where Art Thou?
181. Half Nelson
182. Elephant
183. Almost Famous
184. Lost in Translation
185. Law Abiding Citizen
186. Gladiator
187. Boyhood
188. Friday Night Lights
189. Do the Right Thing
190. Jerry Maguire
191. Scream
192. Donnie Brasco
193. Django Unchained
194. Twelve Years a Slave
195. Swingers

15. 196. Blair Witch Project
197. Dead Poets Society
198. A Few Good Men
199. Ghost
200. Shakespeare in Love