Genre films employ "systems of orientations, expectations, and conventions that circulate between industry [the marketing of films], text [the content of films], and subject [the audience who watches the films]." Steven Neale and Frank Krutnik
"A romantic comedy is a film which has as its central narrative motor a quest for love, which portrays this quest in a light-hearted way and almost always to a successful conclusion.” Tamar Jeffers McDonald
"The best actors in the world, either for tragedy, comedy, history, pastoral, pastoral-comical, historical-pastoral, tragical-historical, tragical-comical-historical-pastoral, scene individable, or poem unlimited: Seneca cannot be too heavy, nor Plautus too light. For the law of writ and the liberty, these are the only men." Shakespeare, Hamlet 2.2.379-84

Viewing Questions for RUSHMORE


Viewing Questions for RUSHMORE

1.     Pick four scenes, two that demonstrate “supersymmetry,” as Barsam defines it, and another two that features asymmetry. Discuss the thematic points that such composition serves in each instance.  How does director Anderson use composition to enhance characterization and/or themes?

2.     Do what extent does this film adhere to Frye’s account of New Comedy?  Does it keep some elements and alter others?

3.     Considering Bordwell’s discussion of the elements of classical Hollywood cinema, which elements does Anderson honor and which does he violate?  In your answer, consider both narrative and formal elements of cinematic style.

4.     Discuss two of the film’s repeated motifs.  In what ways are these motifs introduced and developed visually or aurally, and how do they enhance characterization, themes, narrative form?

5.     Discuss Anderson’s use of deep space composition, focusing on just a scene or two.  What is the relation between fore-, middle-, and background? Do the activities in those planes complement or contradict each other?  Does the action occurring in the different places in the framed image develop certain themes?

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