Write an essay answering the following prompt. Please answer all parts of the question. Do not write your essay as a list of answers; instead, craft your answer into an essay, containing a thesis (in other words, make an argument). You will be graded on your ability to write clearly, give examples from the films, and form an argument, as well as on your demonstration of the knowledge you have learned in class. This is your chance to demonstrate some depth and original thinking in your answer. In this class, we have discussed the development of film in relation to its social and cultural history. In the second half of the semester, we encountered a variety of films that specifically explore a social order through a series of contrasts between two groups of people (for example: the country versus the city; the world of children versus the world of adults; the wealthy versus the working class;, the old world vs. the new world, etc.). Choose ONE of the films below and discuss the following three things, using specific examples from your film to illustrate your points: 1) What types of contrasts and/or parallels between social groups are being drawn in the film? 2) What narrative, thematic, formal, and/or generic techniques are being used to make these comparisons in the film? 3) How does your film relate to its social reality – that is, how does it represent its cultural context? Is your film ultimately pessimistic about its social reality, or optimistic?
