1. Terms What is escapism and how might films be construed as escapist?
What range of meanings does identification have in the context of film viewing?
What is point of view?

2. Sherlock, Jr. & Rear Window
How do the two films thematize film viewership?
What different conclusions do they present?
How are gender roles represented ambiguously in the films?

3. What Is Form?
We frequently use the word form, though we rarely have to define it. What range of meanings does this word have?
What is it opposed to?
How does it function in film?
Is a notion of totality necessary to perceiving form? Experience? Difference? Expectations?

4. Form as System
Bordwell and Thompson: “the overall system of relations that we can perceive among the elements in the whole film” (55)
“If form is the total system that the viewer attributes to the film, there is no inside or outside” (56).
What first problem does this general definition of form open up? Note their subjectivism.

5. Narrative vs. Non-narrative
Narrative: “a chain of events in cause-effect relationship occurring in time and space”
Universal feature of culture
Built around expectations about what might, could, or should happen almost from the very beginning of the story (enhanced by genre conventions)

6. Pattern within Form
Norms: recurring patterns accepted unconsciously [closure with the consummation of heterosexual romance]
Conventions: recurring elements and patterns [characters ride horses in westerns]
Genre: Conventions, settings, character types, plot features, costume, music, etc. taken together create recognizable types.

7. Bordwell on Conventions
“Precisely because artworks are human artifacts and because the artist lives in history [time] and society [organized space], he or she cannot avoid relating the work, in some way, to other works and to aspects of the world in general. A tradition, a dominant style, a popular form—some elements will be common to different artworks. Such common traits are usually called conventions. …. Bodies of conventions constitute norms of what is appropriate of expected in a particular tradition” (58).

8. Types of Meaning (60-63) Referential meaning: plot and setting
Explicit meaning: superficial narrative purpose
Implicit meaning: deeper narrative purpose
Symptomatic meaning: social purpose

9. Referential (60)
During the Depression, a tornado takes a girl from her family’s Kansas farm to the mythical land of Oz. After a series of adventures, she returns home.”

10. Explicit (61)
“A girl dreams of leaving home to escape her troubles. Only after she leaves does she realize how much she loves her family and friends.”

11. Implicit (61)
“An adolescent who must soon face the adult world yearns for a return to the simple world of childhood, but she eventually accepts the demands of growing up.”
How might you contest this?

12. Symptomatic (62)
“In a society in which human worth is measured by money, the home and the family may seem to be the last refuge of human values. This belief is especially strong in times of economic crisis, such as that in the United States in the 1930s.”
(social) ideology

13. Three Arguments
Bordwell and Thompson offer three argued positions in the reading:
Why form is defined in a certain way
The subjective nature of film-viewing in terms of form (related to the experience of individuals)
The psychological conditioning that allows us to recognize and anticipate form
At each step, however, we should think carefully about objections to their positions.

14. B/T’s Definition of Form
1. Films are not random images and sounds; rather, they contain patterns.
2. Patterns appear in time and space (narration and style).
3. Patterns can be organized into a “system of relationships.”
4. These relationships are both concrete and abstract.
5. This system is the form of the film. Psychologically, being able to understand and take pleasure from the film means the form is complete.

15. Anticipating Form
1. Films unfold as a process in time so that we cannot master the entire object at once.
2. Experience not only helps us to understand structure as it unfolds; it also helps us to anticipate or predict the future.
3. So, our experience creates formal expectations of the film.

16. Patterns and Limits
4. B/T use the example of A, followed by B, to form a pattern: AB. What follows might be C, or it might be A again. We understand both the sequence ABA and ABC; however, the number of variables at any place or time is finite.
Although this idea may appear to be common sense, I think that it is questionable. What is wrong with this A, B, C approach. Think about their example of The Wizard of Oz—the ABA pattern they see in the film.

17. Tentative Responses
Does A really equal A? Possibly we should say A and A`.
What if you have never heard of A, if A is not within your experience?
Wouldn’t you need to have a formal totality in mind to understand any component within the system? What does a totality consist of?

19. Freytag’s Terms exposition conflict rising action climax catastrophe
complication
resolution
climax
catastrophe
falling action

20. Hollywood Connection
If you reflect a little on commercial movies, you’ll find that Freytag is very much alive and well.
Think of an example that conforms to this pattern and label the parts.
Can you think of an example that does not follow this pattern?
Why does Hollywood conform to this pattern so frequently?

21. The Wizard of Oz Directors: Victor Fleming and Richard Thorpe
Release date: 1939

22. Characters/Relations
Dorothy Gale
Hunk/Scarecrow
Hickory/Tin Man
Zeke/Cowardly Lion
Miss Almira Gulch/Wicked Witch
Prof. Marvel/Wizard

26. Content 1. Why does Miss Gulch visit the farm?
2. Why does Dorothy decide to run away from home?
3. What advice does the Professor give to Dorothy?
4. Who are the Munchkins?
5. Why is Dorothy advised to follow the yellow brick road?
6. What are the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion lacking?

27. Content
7. What does the Wizard demand that Dorothy and her friends bring him? How is this problem resolved?
8. What does the Wizard give to the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion?
9. How does the Wizard offer to get Dorothy home?
10. How does Dorothy actually get home?
11. Whom does she see when she wakes up?

28. Function (65-6) What do the characters “do” (function) in the movie?
How would removing a character cause problems in form? Can any of the characters be understood as symbols?
The authors understand Toto as a complex character. What might he symbolize?

29. Opening Segments
Note: You might compare repeated character functions in two films, such as in Sherlock, Jr. and this film.

30. Similarity and Repetition (66-7)
The authors give us two terms in this section: motif and parallelism.
What sorts of things can be a motif?
What is an example of motif and parallelism from today’s film?

31. Difference and Variation (67-8)
Dorothy meets opposition as the plot develops.
Consider the examples from the book, specifically in respect to place and character.

32. Development (68-70) What are the main segments of the film?
If we look at segments in the film, how is it clear that time is flowing in one direction?
What would happen if you tried to place a later segment into an earlier position?
How are characters transformed between beginning and end?

33. Segmentation 1
Dorothy, the farm hands, aunt and uncle are introduced: Miss Gulch threatens Toto
Gulch initiates conflict; Dorothy runs away, meets the Professor
Tornado transports Dorothy to Oz; conflict deepened by death of Wicked Witch of the East
Dorothy begins journey to Oz (goal: to return home)

34. Segmentation 2 Meets Scarecrow (brain/intelligence)
Meets Tin Man (heart/compassion)
Meets Lion (courage)
Overcomes obstacles (trees, witch, poppies)
Arrives at Oz; meets wizard; sent to collect broom
Capture of Dorothy

35. Segmentation 3
Rescue of Dorothy by Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion (use of intelligence, compassion, and courage)
Death of witch
Return to Oz; unmasking of the Wizard
Promise of help (balloon); foiling of plan (Toto)
Aid of Witch of the North
Return to home; epiphany

36. Topoi
To the terms function, similarity/repetition, difference/variation, and unity/disunity, we can add topos.
Which literary topoi can you identify in this film? Can we subordinate them to any of B/T’s four formal criteria?

37. Form and Structure: Topoi
a threat
a difficulty to overcome (obstacle)
a threatening (supernatural) antagonist
a journey
meetings with several characters in stages
a quest
a reward following a trial
return/reintegration (with special knowledge)

38. Technique and Style
What is the effect of contrasting black-and-white with color film?
Why is this contrast used and what does each type of film suggest? Which is more realistic?
How might have the reaction to color and black-and-white film changed since this film appeared?

39. Segment

40. Characters
1. How do Dorothy and the other characters change during the film?
2. What is the relation between the qualities sought by the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion and their real physical form? Are these characters actually independent or do they represent qualities which Dorothy herself lacks?

41. Characters
3. Can all the characters be divided into good and bad or are there also ambiguous characters?
4. What might the dog Toto represent? Think about this carefully since the dog, in a sense, motivates the entire action (biting Miss Gulch, causing Dorothy to run away)—and poses the final obstacle to return (by chasing the cat). Is Toto a negative or rebellious force? If so, how does society (represented by Miss Gulch) plan to deal with him? How might he be a positive force?

42. Theme 1. How is the story about generational relations or conflicts?
2. Identify motifs or symbols in the film.
3. Who is the audience of this film? In light of your answer, why has this film established itself as one of the most popular American films?

43. For Next Time Watch: North by Northwest
Background reading: Bordwell (中)/ (E)