Offer your opinion on the political intervention or political commentary on current affairs that is made in the song, given the context of the film in which the song appears for song “He’s the Greatest Dancer” by Sister Sledge
The essay must include these elements:
A strong, defensible thesis that could be right or wrong.
A structured approach, including an introduction, body, and conclusion.
The final draft must adhere to MLA style. Use 12-point, Times New Roman font, double-spaced, and should be at least 800 to 1000 words.
Make sure to cite all the sources you reference for the paper, including the work you are reviewing, on the Works Cited page and, in the paper, using MLA in-text citation methods.
Make sure you cite a minimum of two external sources, outside the work you are reviewing (including those availed on Canvas).
The essay should include at least three of the following elements.
Biographical information about the artist/musical group. (Please make sure to incorporate this into your essay. You should NOT have a paragraph that is all biographical information unconnected to your thesis. Use this as evidence to support your thesis; do not use it as ‘background information.’)
A comparison to another work in the same genre.
A comparison to an earlier work by the artist.
A discussion of what other artists you think influenced this artist and why you think so.
A discussion about any intentions that the artist may have had for the work: best if you can find sources to support this.
Since the song you are reviewing appears in a film, the context in which the song appears within the film is important.
In explaining the context, pay attention to the film’s title “Lovers Rock” which also doubles as a name for a reggae sub-genre of music.
ANOTHER APPROACH to the assignment …
Watch Lover’s Rock (dir. Sir Steve McQueen) and write bullet-point notes about the 3 Cs, namely: Context, Composition and Content, as you show how the film intervenes or does not, in contemporary or historical political affairs.
The film review is a popular way for critics to assess a film’s overall quality and determine whether or not they think the film is worth recommending. Film reviews differ from scholarly film articles in that they encompass personal and idiosyncratic reactions to and evaluations of a film, as well as objective analyses of the film’s formal techniques and thematic content.
While film reviews tend to be fairly short (approximately 800 to 1000 words), they require a lot of preparation before you begin writing. Prior to viewing the film, you may want to get a sense of the bodies of work by the director, writer, or individual actor. For instance, you may watch other films by the same director or writer in order to get a sense of each individual style. This will enable you to contextualize the film and determine whether it works as a continuation and/or disruption within the broad trends of the director’s or writer’s work.
Writing a film review often requires multiple viewings of the film. Plan to watch the film two or even three times. During the first viewing, surrender yourself to the cinematic experience; in other words, get lost in the narrative and enjoy the film without worrying about the argument you will eventually cultivate. During your second viewing, try distancing yourself from the plot and instead focus on interesting elements of the film that you can highlight in the review. You may separate these elements into two broad categories:
1) formal techniques such as cinematography, editing, mise-en-scene, lighting, diegetic and non-diegetic sound, genre, or narratology, and
2) thematic content that resonates with issues such as history, race, gender, sexuality, class, or the environment.
After watching the film a second time, take careful notes on the formal and thematic elements of the film. Then attempt to create a central idea for your review that brings together the film’s formal and thematic elements. If your second viewing does not yield a strong central claim for the review or if you need to take more notes, you may have to watch the film or parts of the film a third time.
Writing the Film Review
Although there is not a set formula to follow when writing a film review, the genre does have certain common elements that most film reviews include.
1) Introduction
– In the opening of your review, provide some basic information about the film. You may include film’s name, year, director, screenwriter, and major actors.
– Your introduction, which may be longer than one paragraph, should also begin to evaluate the film, and it should allude to the central concept of the review. A film review does not have to contain a thesis or main claim, but it should focus on a central analysis and assessment.
2) Plot Summary
– Remember that many readers of film reviews have not yet seen the film. While you want to provide some plot summary, keep this brief and avoid specific details that would spoil the viewing for others.
3) Description
– While the plot summary will give the reader a general sense of what the film is about, also include a more detailed description of your particular cinematic experience watching the film. This may include your personal impression of what the film looks, feels, and sounds like. In other words, what stands out in your mind when you think about this particular film?
4) Analysis
– In order to explain your impression of the film, consider how well the film utilizes formal techniques and thematic content. How do the film’s formal techniques (such as cinematography, editing, mise-en-scène, lighting, diegetic and non-diegetic sound, genre, or narrative) affect the way the film looks, feels, and sounds to you? How does the thematic content (such as history, race, gender, sexuality, class, or the environment) affect your experience and interpretation? Also, do the formal techniques work to forward the thematic content?
5) Conclusion/Evaluation
– The closing of your film review should remind the reader of your general thoughts and impressions of the film. You may also implicitly or explicitly state whether or not you recommend the film. Make sure to remind the reader of why the film is or is not worth seeing.
Assignment Prompt
Write a film review of a “Lover’s Rock”, focussing on how the song “He’s the Greatest Dancer” by Sister Sledge, fits within the film’s narrative arch and contribution to political and historical commentary. Ensure that your review centers around your own interpretation of the film’s and song’s engagement or non-engagement with political themes as well as current or historical affairs. Support your main argument with aspects of the film, namely, the context, content and composition. The review should be between 800 and 1000 words long. Use Times New Roman font-type, double space, font-size 12 and standard MLA style.
