FOLKLORE FILMS
Analysis Assignment
IDST 2115–Introduction to Folklore -- Georgia College -- Mary Magoulick
You may choose, watch and evaluate two of the films from this list for extra credit. Do not choose a movie you have already seen before. Or if you do, be sure to watch it again – successful evaluation and analysis come after a fresh viewing. Watch with a pen and paper in hand to take notes about the aspects of the film you will analyze. You may need to watch the film more than once to successfully fill out the worksheet. There are other films that would be appropriate, but you must get permission to use another film.
WORKSHEET (click here to find a copy of the worksheet you must fill out for this assignment)
WRITTEN RESPONSE GUIDELINES (how to fill out the worksheet)
You may cut and paste the worksheet to your computer and type your responses, or you may write by hand IF you write very neatly and legibly. Responses that are difficult to decipher will lose points. Italicize titles of films. You may express your opinion using first person pronouns. Do not write a summary (telling what happened). Rather, for each point, write an ANALYSIS, discussing what you think about the movie. Was it good or bad? WHY? What made it good or bad? Cite specific examples from within the film (without giving excessive summary) in order to prove a particular point.
Additionally, IN ALL CASES, you must explain how the film relates to concepts and ideas from class – not just “it’s a folktale” but a thorough discussion of its folkloristic elements. Demonstrate thoughtful analysis of how this film is folklore (according to class concepts and information)
POSSIBLE FILMS (LIST TO CHOOSE FROM)
Well-known Folklore Narratives Adapted as Films
The Adventures of Robin Hood (Errol Flynn) (1938) – Saxon lord rebels against Norman rule
The Company of Wolves (1984) by Neil Jordan – version of “Little Red Riding Hood”
The Decameron, 1001 Nights or The Canterbury Tales directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini (from the 60’s and 70’s)
Ever After (1998) by Andy Tennant – with Drew Barrymore in a new version of “Cinderella” (with Leonardo da Vinci as her fairy godmother)
Freeway (1996) by Matthew Bright – “Little Red Riding Hood” version set in the contemporary urban world
The Glass Slipper (1955) by Charles Walters – version of “Cinderella”
The Princess Bride (1987) by Rob Reiner –Captured princess rescued by prince -- amidst giants, evildoers & many adventures
Robin Hood (1991) by John Irvin with Patrick Bergen (not the Kevin Costner version)
Snow White: A Tale of Terror (1997) by Michael Cohn – horror version of Snow White
The Thirteenth Warrior (1999) by John McTiernan – Beowolf version where an Arab courtier teams up with Vikings to slay a monster
New Folkloristic Stories in/as Films
Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) Terry Gilliam – Assorted misfits travel to marvelous lands on strange adventures
Children of Heaven (1997) by Majid Majidi – A poor Iranian girl loses her shoes and then shares another pair with her brother
The City of Lost Children (1995) Caro and Jeunet – A surreal scientist cannot dream and so steals the dreams and youth of children
Edward Scissorhands (1990) by Tim Burton – A misfit with magical hands lives in isolation until a local woman befriends him
I Married a Witch (1942) René Clair – 1672 witches burned by Puritans rematerialize in 1942 to plague descendant of tormentor
Into the West (1992) by Mike Newell – Children accused of crime use a magical horse to ride into the West to become outlaws
Latcho Drum (1993) Tony Gatlif – Romany “gypsy” musicians and dancers of India, Egypt, Turkey, E. Europe, France, and Spain
The Milagro Beanfield War (1988) Robert Redford – New Mexico town resists development by planting beans and their traditions
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) Harry Selick – The Pumpkin king of Halloween Town wants to swap Christmas -- but there are problems
The Night of Shooting Stars by Paolo Taviani – Italian night when dreams come true – set in WWII era (themes involving Nazis and liberation)
Pirates of the Carribean (2003) by Gore Verbinski – A rogue (and cursed) pirate tries to save a kidnapped princess
To Sleep with Anger (1990) by Charles Burnett – A man who knows traditions comes to a town, bringing trouble and good times
True Stories (1986) David Byrne – A Texas town prepares for a festival – involves various colorful local characters – urban legend themes
The Weeping Camel (2003) by Davaa & Falorni – A Mongolian camel gives birth to a white colt that 2 boys try to save with the help of a musician
Films Involving Heroic Quests
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) Ang Lee – Warriors, a stolen sword & a teenage nobleman's daughter clash in ancient China
Dragonslayer (1981) – Version of the King Arthur legend based loosely on T.H. White’s The Once and Future King
Eric the Viking (1989) by Terry Jones – Viking warriors go on a dangerous journey to ask the gods for sunlight (which had been stolen). Satire.
The Fast Runner (Atanarjuat) (2001) by Zacharias Kunuk – Inuit legend of an evil spirit & a good man’s battle against its menace (to him and his community)
Kill Bill Vols I & II (2003-4) by Quentin Tarantino – A female assassin seeks revenge on those who tried to kill her (her former comrades)
The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) by Martin Scorcese -- version of the life of Jesus in which he undergoes additional temptation and struggles with being human.
Life of Brian (1979) by Terry Jones – Satire of an alternate messiah in Jesus’ Israel
Lord of the Rings – trilogy (2001,02,03) – Heroes band together on a quest to destroy an evil ring in order to save the world
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985) by Miller and Ogilvie – Post-apocalyptic children & a hero remember stories and survive
Main Hoon Na (2004) by Farah Khan – Bollywood retelling (loosely and modernized) of the Ramayana (myth from India)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) by Terry Gilliam – Satire of the King Arthur legend
O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000) by Joel Coen – retelling of Homer’s Odyssey with escaped Southern convicts -- involves much traditional music
Star Wars – original trilogy (1977, 80, 83) by George Lucas – Luke and friends go on a quest to defeat the dark side and save the world
The Whale Rider (2002) by Niki Caro – Maori girl fulfills a mythic prophecy but must win acceptance and her grandfather’s love
Willow (1988) by Ron Howard – A magician teams with a swordsman and a dwarf to save a baby princess from death by an evil queen
Films Focusing on Folk Groups (and Region)
Brassed Off (1996) by Mark Herman – An English coal town’s mine closure threatens locals' livelihood -- and their brass band
Frida (2002) by Julie Taymor – Bio-pic of the life of artist Frida Kahlo – many scenes of traditional life in Mexico (foodways also)
Local Hero (1983) by Bill Forsyth – Remote Scotish villiagers resist outsider’s oil deal -- shows strong traditions and community life
Margaret’s Museum (1995) In the Gaelic region of Canada coal miners’ lives lead to heartache for community and one woman (who opens a gruesome museum)
Monsoon Wedding (2001) by Mira Nair – A contemporary Indian wedding in Delhi leads to many family gatherings that involve tensions and joys (many music and food scenes)
Naturally Native (1998) by Jennifer Wynne-Farmer – Native American sisters market cosmetics based on tribal remedies
The Nephew (1998) by Eugene Brady – A young African American man seeks acceptance in his mother’s small Irish hometown
Powwow Highway (1989) by Jonathan Wacks – Native American reservation life is revealed through a road trip that includes spiritual ceremonies and activism
The Secret of Roan Inish (1994) by John Sayles – A 10 year old girl is sent to live with relatives in rural Ireland
Smoke Signals (1998) By Chris Eyre – Two Native Americans leave their reservation in Idaho and go on a road trip to Arizona – one of them is a storyteller
The Southerner (1945) by Jean Renoir – Depression-era story of sharecroppers using traditional ways but challenged
Taafe Fanga (Skirt Power) (1997) by Adama Drabo – In Mali, West Africa a powerful mask allows reversal of gender roles (scenes of traditional life in Mali throughout)
The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978) by Ermanno Olmi – Italian farm community sends clever child to school but he needs shoes
Wend Kuuni (God's Gift) (1982) by Gaston Kaboré -- Tale of community life, loss, silence, and healing in a pre-colonial Burkina Faso (African) community
Films that Illustrate Ritual
Amelie (2001) Jean-Pierre Jeunet – A mischievous do-gooder woman plays pranks, figures out rituals and seeks romance
Eyes Wide Shut (1999) Stanley Kubrick – Physician goes on an odyssey that reveals a sexual underworld of strange rituals
Godfather I & II (1972, 74) by Francis Ford Coppola – Saga of a Mafia family’s violent and illegal empire – focus on life cycles & rituals
A Handmaid’s Tale (1990) by Volker Schlöndorff – A dystopia of literalized rituals based on the Bible (in which women lose freedom)
The Deerhunter (1978) by Michale Cimino – 3 friends are plagued by the horrors of Vietnam – wedding traditions and other rituals
Films that Focus on Foodways
Animal House (1978) by John Landis – Outrageous fraternity rough-housers – includes some ritual activity and interesting food scenes
Babette’s Feast (1987) by Gabriel Axel – In 19th century Denmark a village is enlivened by a French chef
Big Night (1996) by Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci – Italian immigrants open a restaurant and build a community
Chocolat (2000) by Lasse Hallström – A mysterious woman opens a chocolate shop and transforms a small French community (which also transforms her)
Dim Sum (A Little Bit of Heart) (2002) – Set at a Chinese grocery in London where women make dumplings and share their life stories
Eat, Drink, Man, Woman (1994) by Ang Lee – A chef and his 3 daughters find their lives changed – partly by food (scenes of Tawainese life and food)
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) by Jon Avnet – An unhappy housewife befriends an old woman who tells stories of the South (and whose family ran a restaurant)
Like Water for Chocolate (1992) by Alfonso Arau – Stories of strong passions for food and love among a family of Mexican women
Mostly Martha (2001) by Sandra Nettelbeck – A German chef acquires a family and regains her sense of taste
My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) by Joel Zwick – A couple comes to terms with the woman's heritage – including rituals and food
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation – A family plans for a big family Christmas, which predictably turns into a big disaster
Soul Food (1997) – A mother tries to hold her family together with Sunday traditional dinners
Tampopo (1985) – A widowed noodle chef is helped to become a first class chef by a truck driver and friends
Tortilla Soup (2001) by Maria Ripoll – A Mexican American chef loses his taste for food but not life (a remake of Eat, Drink, Man, Woman)
What’s Cooking? (2000) – Four families prepare for Thanksgiving in a neighborhood in Los Angeles – many ethnic cooking scenes
Films about the Nature of Story or Humanity
Before the Rain (1994) by Milcho Manchevski – During the war in Bosnia, a young Macedonian girl is hunted in a circular story of violence
Big Fish (2003) by Tim Burton – A son tries to learn more about his dying father by reliving stories his father told him about himself
Bladerunner (1982) by Ridley Scott – Replicants (beings like androids) are hunted by a hero in a future world – but questions of their humanity are raised
Sex and Lucia (2001) Julio Medem – Lives and stories converge on isolated Spanish island so that writing (by a novelist character) and real life are confused
Quest for Fire (1981) by Jean-Jacques Arnaud. Prehistoric tribesmen search for a new fire source – archeologically inaccurate but imaginative look at the dawn of humanity
The Truman Show (1998) by Peter Weir – A man’s life is actually a reality TV show -- without his knowledge -- at first
Films about Doing Fieldwork or Cross-Cultural Encounters
At Play in the Fields of the Lord (1991) by Hector Babenco – Missionaries in the jungle of Brazil have varied responses to encounters with the indigenous culture
The Mission (1986) by Roland Joffé – Jesuits try to protect remote South American Indians who are in danger of falling under the rule of pro-slavery Portugal
Mountains of the Moon (1990) by Bob Rafelson – British explorers Burton and Speke go on a quest to find the source of the Nile
Mosquito Coast (1986) by Peter Weir – Egocentric man takes his family to live in Belize. He can’t adapt, and his attempts to transform that world result in tragedy.
Songcatcher (2000) by Maggie Greenwald – An ethnomusicologist collects songs in a rural Appalachian community (and finds love)
Walkabout (1971) Nicholas Roeg – Two children (one in her mid-teens) stranded in the Australian outback are helped by an Aborigine boy who is on a traditional “walkabout”
Horror Films Involving Folklore
The Blair Witch Project (1999) – Student filmmakers seek out a legendary witch in Maryland with frightening results – the film’s website claims it’s true
Candyman (1992) – Folklore graduate students find urban legends to be horrifyingly true
The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) Jack Arnold – A man shrinks after exposure to a strange mist and faces a series of trials
The Wicker Man (1973) by Robin Hardy – The odd disappearance of a young girl is investigated
World of Vampires ((1961) Alfronsa Corona Blake – A piano made from skulls and bones has the power to destroy vampires
Mystery Films Involving Folklore
The Last Wave (1977) Peter Weir – A lawyer defends Aboriginals in Sydney, but they have a hidden society (with a prophecy of a new Armageddon)
The Moon Spinners (1964) by James Neilson – A folklorist and her niece go to a small Greek Island and become involved in theft and murder
Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) by Peter Weir – A legend of school girls who disappear at an Australian aboriginal site (supposedly but not based on a true story)