TASK Read, discuss, understand this key note article on Batman by Pete Turner. Some important terminology to define before we read: Ideology Socio-Political Context Vigilante Dominant Hegemony Authoritarianism Dichotomy Read the article aloud around the class. Stop/start discussion on the article and specific sections of it: Vigilantism, justice and vengeance By any means necessary – […]
Posts in the Cultural Contexts category:
Batman Evolves
‘The world about us has changed and is continually changing at an ever-accelerating pace. So have we. With the increase in media coverage and information technology, we see more of the world, comprehend its workings a little more clearly, and as a result our perception of ourselves and the society surrounding us has been modified. […]
America Post 9/11 & The War on Terror
Contention / Thesis ‘All cultural products, including film, are a reflection of the time in which they were made!’ How can we test this idea? We can see if it applies to our films? Is it possible to see, in the characters and themes of The Dark Knight, the significant events after 9/11 attacks and […]
The Archetypes in Film (Heroes and Villains)
Archetypes in literature are fundamental or prototypical characters that are used in stories. They have recurred in literature and art since the earliest writing. They personify universal patterns of human behaviour. Film uses and reuses archetypes in various forms and with varying degrees of nuance, between realism and hyperbole. In this exploration of Batman the […]
Context & Pan’s Labyrinth
In order to understand and appreciate a film more fully we need to study the context…. OK…so…what is context then? Historical Contexts These are the historical events which surround a film’s production. The film itself might also be a response to a specific historical event (as in Pan’s Labyrinth). In that sense there may be […]
Representation in Film
Think: Does film reflect the world we live in or shape the way we view the world? Task: Consider the ideas and messages communicated by these two versions of the same character. Use this document to analyse one of the two characters. Key questions to ask about film / media representations: Who, or what, is being represented? […]