Million Dollar Baby Reaction Paper
This is a 3 - 5 page analysis of a film of the student's choosing. The first 3 chapters of the text as well as the guidelines and sample papers, should give the student an indication of what is to be expected in these papers. Students should pay close attention to how the text's authors analyze scenes from the film JUNO to provide insight on how cinematic language is used to tell the story. Students are highly encouraged to research what critics and scholars have had to say about specific films to give them a clearer understanding of that film, but please be sure to cite sources you may use in your paper. NEVER USE THE TEXTBOOK AS A SOURCE FOR YOUR PAPERS. Papers are to be submitted in a MLA format, but students should contact the instructor about any other format they might prefer.
HELPFUL TIPS:
Writing About Dramas
Most films that deal with serious subject matter ( like A BEAUTIFUL MIND, or SCHINDLER'S LIST) are best analyzed using a persuasive argument format. The first part of the paper should clearly state what theme or themes are presented in the film and then the writer should proceed to support that assessment by writing about how the film maker used cinematic language ( camera work, lighting, production design, sound, symbolism etc.) to present these ideas.
Writing About Genre:
Films that tend to be formulaic in nature ( horror, gangster, western, sci-fi etc.) are best analyzed using a comparison and contrast approach. Students should write about how this particular film either follows the set conventions ( see chapter 3 for specifics about each genre's conventions) of its genre or how it may deviate from them.
Whatever film the student may choose to write about, they should always give credit to the people who made the film. The names, of the director, writers, cinematographer, actors of note and any other artist ( like the costume designer or special effects coordinator) the student may wish to single out for analysis, should be mentioned.
Professor Name
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Date
Million Dollar Baby
Million Dollar Baby is a Hollywood production that was released in 2004. The movie is directed by Clint Eastwood, who also plays Frankie. The movie also stars Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman in important roles. It is a boxing-drama on the surface that has many layers. Maggie (Swank) is a 31 years old lady who has many loose ends in her family and does not get along with them very well. On the other hand, Frankie, who is a boxing coach, also misses the familial love. Reluctant to train a girl earlier, Frankie decides to train Maggie and develops an emotional bond with her. The theme of perseverance is what makes Million Dollar Baby an unforgettable film for the audience. I am going to present a visual analysis of the film below. This will be limited to a few scenes in the movie to suit the requirements of this assignment.
Character Development Scenes (Opening Sequences)
I will be focusing on the two main characters of the film (Frankie and Maggie) that how with the use of cinematography and mise-en-scene their characterization is portrayed toward achieving the main goal of the movie.
Frankie
The first few opening scenes of Frankie develop him as a person who has a love for the profession of boxing and has an introvert and tough-to-deal-with personality.
If we closely observe the scene in which he is driving the car with Big Willie Little (Mike Colter) on the passenger scene, Frankie’s face is not exposed completely and has low key lighting, whereas Big Willie’s face has his all facial features exposed (not overexposed) properly.
In the next scene, he is shown bending down on his knees on the other side of the bed and is praying to God in very few short lines. Then he stands up to sit on the bed with his back facing the camera. The room is lit with a table lamp from one side and has darkness on the other side of it. This scene implies the sadness and loneliness in Frankie’s life. The two consequent scenes just mentioned here describe the two sides of his life. One of which is lit, representing hope and brighter future, whereas the other is dark that symbolizes his grief and pain linked with his past.
In another scene, Frankie enters into his house and finds some letters on the floor. One of them is a letter from his daughter marked ‘Return to Sender.’ It is actually the one Frankie sent to his daughter which was returned without opening. He puts this letter away in a box where he has dozens already. This sequence uses the same technique of low lighting to show a man in utmost pain (Mchugh et al. 314). Let us not discredit the acting abilities of Clint Eastwood to portray the character in the most honest and realistic way.
Maggie
Maggie has grown up in a small town without a major of her mother who cheats the social benefit department. She is forced to believe that she is white trash worth nothing. In the first scene, Maggie appears from the dark and walks towards the camera and stops. Her face is half lit and has shadows on the other half, showing her mysterious character, to be developed later. In the next scene w...