Essay 2: Choose Your Own Adventure Film Analysis
For Essay 2, you will choose one of the following films, view the film in its entirety at least once (the entire film, not just the film trailer), and write an analysis of at least 700 words (and no more than 800 words) of the film using the guidelines below.
Tampopo (1985, directed by Jûzô Itami)
Babette’s Feast (1987, directed by Gabriel Axel)
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991, directed by John Avnet)
Like Water for Chocolate (1992, directed by Alfonso Arau)
Eat Drink Man Woman (1994, directed by Ang Lee)
Ratatouille (2007, directed by Brad Bird)
Waitress (2007, directed by Adrienne Shelly)
Chef (2014, directed by Jon Favreau)
Uncorked (2020, directed by Prentice Penny)
The Menu (2022, directed by Mark Mylod)
Guidelines
Analyzing film, like analyzing literature, is an exercise in rhetorical analysis–critically analyzing and evaluating discourse, including words, phrases, and images. Having a clear argument and supporting evidence is every bit as critical to film analysis as to other forms of academic writing.
For this particular essay, having a central argument (a thesis) and supporting it with evidence from the film is every bit as important as it is in short story analysis or analysis of a poem.
As you watch the film, take notes. (You will likely find it helpful to turn captions on.) Each element presented on the screen–dialogue, music selections, imagery–are the result of deliberate choices made by the producer, director, and screenwriter. Each of these elements make up the whole.
Since we are discussing food and place/setting specifically in this course, be sure to analyze the way the film depicts setting (place and historical time period) and the ways in which food plays a role in the narrative and tie a discussion of setting and the role of food to a larger discussion of plot and character(s) in the film.
For instance, if you are analyzing Fried Green Tomatoes, you would need to discuss the physical setting (a small town in Alabama), the historical context (flashbacks between WWI and WWII–and the “current” storyline in the 1980s) and also the relationships between the major female characters in the film. You would also want to discuss the role of food in the film–food as comfort and also as a source of income since Idgie and Ninny run the cafe in town.
pick any of the films whichever is easiest for you. I have attached below two sample papers their in the same file
Rubric
In order to do well on this essay you must:
Establish and support a thesis with relevant evidence from the film.
Present a coherent analysis.
Submit an essay that is mostly free of grammatical errors.
Follow MLA Document Design guidelines.
Include analysis of at least two of the following elements: plot, characterization, dialogue, symbolism, and audiovisual elements (such as costumes, lighting, music, camera angles).
Include analysis of the role of food in the film.
Include analysis of the role of setting in the film.
