Film and Current Events

Both films and works of literature (as well as all other art forms) are often interpreted in light of the social, economic, and political state surrounding their production and release. A 2007 New York Times article discusses one such controversy sparked by Zack Snyder's production of 300. After reading the article, do you believe that the film should be understood in light of the US's relations with the Middle East at the time of the film's release.

It is indeed difficult to ignore the parallels between the film and then current events. Five years after 9/11, there was seemingly no end in sight to US occupations in the Middle East.

Many Americans believed that American freedoms were at stake. Unified by pride and patriotism, we sent our soldiers to fight a an inhuman enemy (terror). Similarly, the Spartans face Xerxes, the god-king, whose army is certainly portrayed in the film as a terrorist force, striking fear and threatening a democratic state with slavery or destruction. Like the Spartans, "Freedom!" was our cry as we marched off to a state of undeclared war.

Should such parallels be ignored? Are there dangers to entertaining such analyses? Are there dangers to disregarding them?

Stranger Than Fiction

A product of postmodernism, Stranger Than Fiction is moreso an excellent example of postmodern literature than postmodern film, although strong arguments could be made for both. Considering the diverse and sometimes quite disparate definitions of postmodernism you come across on the Web, in what ways does the film accomplish the aims of postmodern art?

In light of its postmodern qualities, what is the purpose of the film? In other words, what message does the film aim to communicate to its audience and why?

Finally, why begin a class that takes a narrative medium such as film as its focus of study with this particular film? In what ways can Stranger Than Fiction help us better understand the narrative strategies of both mediums: film and literature?

As you consider these questions, you might want to visit the STF website and review the movie trailer again. As your textbook suggests, the best practice for analyzing film is to view a film multiple times. You might have seen this film prior to our in-class viewing for strictly entertainment purposes. You all watched the film in class with the intention of beginning to analyze its literary and cinematic elements. You should attempt to view the film again in order to deepen that analysis by thinking further and more critically about the judgments you have made.

Award-Winning Movie Trailer