In the 1953 film shane directed by george stevens, mysterious hero shane helps settlers in the west claim their property against land owners who are greedy for land. A research paper on film analysis discuss the process that is used to evaluate the quality of a film. Film analysis essay examples download free or order unique. These small conflicts foreshadow the eventual gun battle that shane feels he must fight. Rather than avoiding the cliches, platitudes and stereotypes of the genre, shane pursues and embraces them. Shane by jack schaeferthemestheme analysisplot structure. But the shane mariann relationship makes the movie more complex than your usual action yarn.
Apr 08, 2010 i found your analysis of the characters and their motivations most insightful, as usual. Examples of film studies essays content by carter staub and savannah gillespie, site by megan venable. Shane study guide contains a biography of jack schaefer, literature essays, a complete etext, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The film shane essay example topics and well written essays. The unexpected beauty in shane 1953 to celebrate the oscar season, im pleased to be adding this post on george stevens shane for the 31 days of oscar blogathon the motion pictures, hosted by paulas cinema club, outspoken and freckled, and once upon a screen. All about shane, the western movie that logan quoted obsessively. Possibly more than any previous american film, shane tries to encapsulate the cultural ethos of the western. Shane is my fathers favourite film he saw it in the cinema in 1954 and introduced it to me as a young boy, i have always enjoyed repeat viewings over the last 35 years. The expert writers at paper masters will write on any film you need explicated and take the elements of film you see listed below and. A stranger rides into town and conflict forces him to act. Jack palance in shane 1953 the image could not be loaded.
Shane, american western film, released in 1953, that is a classic of the genre, noted for exploiting the elegiac myths of the old west via a unique juxtaposition of gritty realism and painstakingly composed visual symmetry. Shane, the 1953 film based on the 1949 novel of the same name by. Get more argumentative, persuasive film analysis essay samples and other research papers after sing up. Under the last credits a deer is seen in the middleground, farmstead behind and mountains in the distance. Classic hero story in movie shane film studies essay. A version of this article appears in print on april 24, 1953 of the national edition with the headline. The genre doesnt do much for me in general, but this film offers a fairly satisfying blend of drama and action and it does so without much of the excessive melodrama typical of its brethren.
Just after orangeyellow letters announce george steven production of shane theres a dissolve to a long shot over the valley floor. Bob starrett bob is the narrator of the book and allows us to see shane and the rest of the characters and events through the eyes of a boy. This is a morally complex western not just white hats and black hats that can play well for both the action fans and families seeking serious drama. He is a boy yearning for action and yearning for someone to revere. Writing a film analysis paper the film analysis paper is designed to be a short essay, which allows you to begin thinking about the movie. Turners famous essay 1893, the significance of the frontier in american history,6 which can. Shane fights and defeats chris and morgan, two of fletchers men. While the new screen on which the picture is being shown at the.
Jack schaefer wrote the script and the film was produced by george stevens. Shane 995 words 4 pages george stevens 1953 film shane is notable for a number of reasons, from its grand cinematography to its ambiguous ending, but perhaps the most striking thing about the film is its treatment of violence. The purpose of this lesson is to provide students with a working definition of a thesis statement while also helping them acquire techniques that will aid them in constructing their own thesis statements, particularly in response to an essay assignment focusing on textual. Its not that a greater truth lurks in the depths of george stevens shane 1953. It has great scenery, jack palance as a villain, the gunfights, and the decent man trying to change his life. Shane is indisputably one of the great classic films of the american west. The picture was produced and directed by george stevens from a screenplay by a. The rising action of the plot comprises most of the novel. Analysis of western films shane and high noon writework. Shane shane is a movie about a group of small town farmers who are being picked on by some cowboys. I also like him very much in zinnemans member of the wedding it was released the year before, but shane was actually shot in 1951, and you can tell hes older in the zinneman film.
Notably, it is remembered as one of the most classic westerns, with its wandering gunslinger shane, who appears out of the wilderness and makes a big impression on young joey starrett who is fascinated by the six gun that he wears. The film follows shane as he meets the starrett family who are fighting to keep their land. The movie shane is about a former gunslinger, named shane. This, in turn, will help us to have a good discussion of the film in class. And thats when they flip on the tv and watch scenes from the 1953 western shane. A statement of the purposegoals of the project the purpose of my project is to study how films contributed to the images of married women and observe if these images reflect the ones found on other 50s media. Shane 1953 a sdg george stevenss shane defined the archetypal western hero who is not a cowboy or a sheriff, but a wandering gunslinger who comes upon oppression in. The idea for the movie came from the director s childhood, and it is the most personal film shane meadows has made so far, as he said himself. Shane meadows is known to make movies about his own experiences. Mar 03, 2017 logan and the laura share one of the film s few moments of levity, and the vibe is straight out of the 1970s masterpiece paper. It is never revealed in shane where shane comes from, only that he was a former gunslinger, looking to put his past behind him.
Mar 19, 20 in the film shane, directed by george stevens 1953, the hero tries to subtly integrate himself into his community. The film s rich color cinematography captures the beautiful environment of the legendary frontier filmed on location in jackson hole, wyoming with its grayblue grand tetons as a backdrop. Writing reaction or response papers about documentaries. Shane is wounded in the process, and the movie ends as he climbs onto his horse and rides away, whilst joey. Shane endures as a classic after more than 60 years simply because its a wellmade movie that provides a strong example of whats good about westerns. Writing helps you to think, since you have to articulate your otherwise unformed or vague thoughts. Sep 16, 2017 there are many things to love about the film shane. Tcc timeless classics now in color recommended for you. Shane is a 1953 american technicolor western film from paramount pictures, noted for its landscape cinematography, editing, performances, and contributions to the genre. Leading with a softer example of masculinity, shane answers the. Man of the forest full movie randolph scott verna hillie tcc ai color duration.
Looked at a certain way, the entire story of shane is simply a backdrop against. Then shane mysteriously comes into view and tries to do the right thing by helping the farmers. Its that all of these levels coexist, making the movie more complex than a simple morality play. Please make sure you can stream this movie prior to registering. Most particularly, theres eloquence and greatness in a scene of a frontier. Heres why logan kept quoting the classic western shane. The film s rich color cinematography captures the beautiful environment of the legendary frontier filmed. I found your analysis of the characters and their motivations most insightful, as usual. A custom written film analysis is one that follows the directions that your film professor has given you. The western has tended to document not the history of the west but those cultural. How to write a reaction paper to a documentary essays. Yes, on the surface, shane is the gunfighter who wants to leave his past behind him, who yearns for the sort of domesticity he finds on joe starretts place in the. Critical approaches to shane by ruth griffin, nottingham trent university abstract representations of the american west have perhaps resonated most strongly in the western film genre, yet at the same time, the literary western is a highly developed and sophisticated genre in its own right.
Based on the novel written by jack schaefer in 1949, shane brought the best of the book to life on the big screen. The story of a wyoming range war is elevated to nearmythical status in george stevens western classic shane. Shane is based on a novel thats widely assigned in schools. Shane contains a classic heros story and archetypes typically found in heros journeys. This study guide consists of approximately 22 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of shane. The shane mariann relationship is so subtle that descriptions of the movie rarely mention it. Shane is a wandering stranger who appears from out of nowhere and makes a profound impact on the lives of some simple homesteaders, the starretts. Patriarch joe starrett is impressed by the way shane handles himself when facing down. Mar 31, 2020 the analysis includes other aspects applicable to film such as staging and dramatic effects. Shane is without doubt best described as an old fashioned western in all ways. Students must watch the movie, shane 1953, prior to coming to class. Instead of riding into town, shane, alan ladd is perceived through the young and carefree eyes of a child.
Even though westerns in general are nowhere near as popular and plentiful as they were in times past, this classic is a mustsee. When people speak of heroes riding off into the sunset, shane is exactly the stuff theyre. Shane 1953 is a timeless, classic western tale a very familiar and highly regarded seminal western and the most successful western of the 1950s. It was made long before the anti hero clint eastwood,s man with no name trilogy of the late 1960,s. It also displays some of our less admirable traits of lawlessness, violence and racism. Shane s conflict in the book really begins when he feels that the starretts are threatened by fletcher and his men. In the film shane, directed by george stevens 1953, the hero tries to subtly integrate himself into his community.
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