Instruction for this paper
1.Carefully constructed paper that clearly states
– the goal of the paper
-details that explore the goal
-analysis of those details,,and
– conclusion based on the details and analysis.
2. The paper needs to be carefully copy-edited for correctness in writing and clarity in thinking.
Additional Information for this class,
(Music is an integral aspect of African Fils. whether they are made in the Hollywood or by African directors. This music has amplified, understood, and created a counterpoint to the visual images and action. The course will explore how various kinds of film music are conceived and how these musics may be interpreted by audiences, composers, and arrangers. Film to be viewed and analyzed will be selected from the periods of the 1930s to present. They will includes African Queen, La Vie est belle, Out of Africa..)
Then this is my proposal for major project. Please read carefully and bottom of this essay, there are also professor’s comment.
Proposal for major project
The movie under the analysis is The long walk home (1990) directed by Richard Pearce. This particular movie has been chosen for analysis with a purpose. The plot and the scenes of the movie ideally show the level of racial discrimination and hatred of the whites towards the blacks in the previous century, namely in the 1960s. Besides, the analysis of this movie may help to better understand the difference in roles women play in their families, one in a black family and the other in a white family. The cinematographic effects such as usage of black and white and colored pictures can be also analyzed in terms of effect they have and purpose of usage in movies.
Therefore, the main aim of the paper is to analyze the friendship between the main characters, two women of different skin color: Miriam Thomson (Sissy Spacer) and Odessa Cotter (Whoopi Goldberg). Also, the paper will cover the role of a woman as a wife and a mother in two families – of a white couple and that one of a black couple. The long way home is a great source for studying the details and reality of the Civil Rights Movement in the USA, in particular in the 1960s. A segregated society of the South is shown in its real outfit by the moviemakers. There is no attempt to hide awkward moments or mask arrogant attitude of the majority of white Americans towards African Americans in this movie.
The events of The long walk home occur against a background of a huge historical bus boycott which took place in 1956 in Montgomery, Alabama. It would be interesting to compare family life of ordinary Americans in the 1960s and family roles and daily routine of modern Americans. Because of the boycott Odessa, the main heroine and a housekeeper of the Thompsons, has to go to work and back home on foot. However, her employer, Miriam, also the central heroine, feels that it is her responsibility to give a ride to her black friend that becomes a habitual action.
Furthermore, a culmination or an ending scene which takes place in the parking lot deserves special attention and analysis. A scene of women singing and men chanting while each showing and defending their stance is a grandiose theatrical play interwoven into the movie plot. Thus, music and singing of the main characters has to be analyzed separately as it presents this artistic work from another angle.
Interestingly, even though the major theme of the movie is depiction of the reality of the Civil Rights Movement, it is the main heroin Miriam who being a white woman has to make serious choice in her life. She has to decide: to stay aside and watch black people fighting for their rights or take an active stance and participate in the revolutionary events herself.
Finally, on the basis of the scenes and events that are shown in this historical fiction one can easily form an idea of the significance of this boycott in American history. Analysis of the film helps to better understand the events of the Civil Rights Movement of that time and its influence on our modern life. Besides, analyzing the events and the relationships between different people in The long walk home, one can notice great friendship between two women – Miriam and Odessa. True friendship does not know boundaries and cannot be tied by any social stereotypes such as inequality or racial discrimination. Roles women have to play like wives and mothers also do not greatly depend on their social position or color of skin.
The major source for movie analysis is the movie itself as well as movie reviews of different critics like New York Times review of the movie by Janet Maslin. Besides, analytical articles, for instance, “Sissy Spacek’s long walk home” by Jan Jarboe Russel, that present different aspects of the movie are also studied.
References
Pearce, R. (Director). (1991). The long walk home [motion picture]. United States: Miramax Films.
After submitted my proposal essay, Professor commented,
– You’ve chosen to analyze a very contentious issue–racial discrimination–for your topic. That is appropriate. It will be important for you to show how this film has links to Africa and ways in which it connects back to the continent. You will also need to more explicitly integrate the analysis of music into your paper.
I think that professor wanted to more describe on music in detail such as how the music effects on scenes or this movie. She wanted to focus on music, because this class is based on “Music in African Film.”