Film Canons

Film Canons Order Description Essay Question: Critically examine the ways that two film scholars have either defended or critiqued the idea of film canons. What kinds of aesthetic, pedagogical, or theoretical justifications do these scholars offer in defence of their respective arguments? What institutional factors (e.g. the activities of film institutes and influential film critics and/or scholars) have contributed to the idea that 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) is a canonical film? Is there anything about the film itself (e.g. its formal features and narrative concerns), which has contributed to this development? Take care not to repeat, as much as possible, points raised and discussed about the film in seminar. Essay Guidelines: 1. Title: do not write the essay question out in full or repeat the wording in your own essay. Simply write the essay topic in bold on your essay cover sheet. On page 1 of your essay, you may optionally provide a different, specific and original title for your essay that appropriately describes its remit (within the set topics). 2. Choice of film: make sure to fulfil the focus on one film drawn from the module, as required by all essay questions. You may reference other films as needed. 3. Researching your essay: all essay questions ask you to engage closely and in depth with at least two theoretical essays studied in the module. Your wider research for the essay must reference at least two other scholarly sources (i.e., a book or essay in an academic journal), which are not assigned readings. Good starting points for your research are the further reading lists included in the module guide.