Month: October 2020

When studying a film it is important to consider the historical and cultural context, as well as the critical reception. The historical context can provide additional information to the setting and mentalities of the characters (understanding the stakes of what the resistance group was fighting for makes Mercedes plight easier). The cultural and artistic context can be used to help the audience infer extra meaning, for example, being able to compare the Pale Man’s lair to the Sistine Chapel (painted dome ceiling) tells the audience that the Pale Man is an ancient being with great and terrible power. Critical reception can provide us with another perspective on the movie or tell us something we hadn’t previously known about the film.