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Filmic Tomboy Narrative and Queer Feminist Spectatorship
UNHAPPY MEDIUM: FILMIC TOMBOY NARRATIVE AND QUEER FEMINIST SPECTATORSHIP A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Lynne Stahl May 2015 © 2015 Lynne Stahl ALL RIGHTS RESERVED UNHAPPY MEDIUM: FILMIC TOMBOY NARRATIVE AND QUEER FEMINIST SPECTATORSHIP Lynne Stahl, Ph.D. Cornell University, 2015 ABSTRACT This dissertation investigates the ways in which American discourses of gender, sexuality, and emotion structure filmic narrative and the ways in which filmic narrative informs those discourses in turn. It approaches this matter through the figure of the tomboy, vastly undertheorized in literary scholarship, and explores the nodes of resistance that film form, celebrity identity, and queer emotional dispositions open up even in these narratives that obsessively domesticate their tomboy characters and pair them off with male love interests. The first chapter theorizes a mode of queer feminist spectatorship, called infelicitous reading, around the incoherently “happy” endings of tomboy films and obligatorily tragic conclusions of lesbian films; the second chapter links the political and sexual ambivalences of female-centered sports films to the ambivalent results of Title IX; and the third chapter outlines a type of queer reproductivity and feminist paranoia that emerges cumulatively in Jodie Foster’s body of work. Largely indebted to the work of Judith Butler, Lauren Berlant, and Sara Ahmed, this project engages with past and present problematics in the fields of queer theory, feminist film criticism, and affect studies—questions of nondichotomous genders, resistant spectatorship and feminist potential within linear narrative, and the chronological cues that dominant ideology builds into our understandings of gender, sexuality, narrative, and emotions. -
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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR HISTORY, CULTURE AND MODERNITY www.history-culture-modernity.org Published by: Amsterdam University Press The Cinematic Depiction of Conflict Resolution in the Immigrant Chinese1 Family The Wedding Banquet and Saving Face Qijun Han HCM 1 (2): 129–159 DOI: 10.5117/HCM2013.2.HAN Abstract Both emphasising dilemmas that have been confronted by the Chinese- American family, Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet (1993) and Alice Wu’s Saving Face (2004) highlight the image of homosexuality as incompatible with traditional Chinese family values. Through detailed narrative analyses of these two films with a focus on the structure of the plot, the key characters, and camera work, this article aims to answer the questions of how traditional Chinese culture continues to play into and conflict with the experiences of modern Chinese American families and how each film presents and resolves the tensions arising from a culture in transition. The article argues that the importance of studying the ways in which the protagonists try to come to terms with incompatible value systems, lies in the capacity of film to reveal the complex negotiation between tradition and modernity, as well as the socio-cultural specificity of the conceptions of modernity. Keywords: Chinese-American family, homosexuality, narrative analysis, traditional Chinese family values Introduction From the mid-1980s onwards, a large number of filmmakers from Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the United States have expanded the vis- ibility of Chinese-American family life. In particular, conflict between members of immigrant Chinese families has been a recurrent theme for HCM 2013, VOL. -
A Shared Recommendation List for Summer Leisure Time Chinese/Taiwanese-American Films and Books
A Shared Recommendation List for Summer Leisure Time Chinese/Taiwanese-American films and books FILM LIST [In random order] Documentary Film: Minding the Gap (2018) Director: Bing Liu With: Keire Johnson, Zack Mulligan, Bing Liu Three childhood friends united in their love for skateboarding grow up in a small Illinois town in front of our eyes in filmmaker Bing Liu’s Oscar-nominated documentary, with searing observations on race, class and masculinity. Read a review: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/16/movies/minding-the-gap-review- documentary.html Feature Film: Chan is Missing Feature Film: Saving Face (2004) Director: Alice Wu Cast: Michelle Krusiec, Joan Chen, Lynn Chen A young surgeon keeps her sexual identity a secret from her mom, who has secrets of her own. A hallmark of lesbian cinema and a beloved comedy of Chinese American women negotiating family honor. Feature Film: Better Luck Tomorrow (2002) Director: Justin Lin Cast: Parry Shen, Jason Tobin, Sung Kang, Roger Fan “Fast & Furious” franchise helmer Justin Lin made his solo directing debut with this Sundance hit, a high school crime drama about Asian American overachievers breaking bad that sent the model minority myth spinning. It remains a milestone for ferociously defiant Asian American storytelling. Read a Review: https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/08/how-better-luck- tomorrow-argued-for-its-existence-15-years-ago/568045/ Films that will be screened in Chinese Classes: Chinese 101 The Farewell ALC 325 Chinese Cinema: Ideology and the Box office The Joy -
Riot Dyke: Music, Identity, and Community in Lesbian Film
i Riot Dyke: Music, Identity, and Community in Lesbian Film by Alana Kornelsen A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Music and Culture Carleton University Ottawa, ON © 2016 Alana Kornelsen ii Abstract This thesis examines the use of diegetic pre-composed music in three American lesbian feature films. Numerous trends can be noted in the selection of music in lesbian film broadly— music is often selected to draw on insider knowledge of the target audience of these films, creating cachet. This cachet comes with accompanying “affiliating identifications” (Kassabian 2001) that allow music to be used in the films’ construction of characters’ identities. This is evident in the treatment of music in many lesbian films: characters frequently listen to, discuss, and perform music. This thesis focuses specifically on riot grrrl music and the closely linked genre of queercore (which together Halberstam ([2003] 2008) refers to as “riot dyke”) in three films that focus on the lives of young women: The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (dir. Maria Maggenti, 1995), All Over Me (dir. Alex Sichel, 1997), and Itty Bitty Titty Committee (dir. Jamie Babbit, 2007). By examining how diegetic riot dyke music is used in these three films to build characters’ identities and contribute to the films’ narratives I argue that in these films, riot dyke music is presented as being central to certain queer identities and communities, and that this music (as well as the community that often accompanies it) is portrayed as instigating or providing opportunities for characters’ personal growth and affirming characters’ identities in adverse environments. -
Gender and Contemporary Film
Issue 2013 46 Gender and Contemporary Film Edited by Prof. Dr. Beate Neumeier ISSN 1613-1878 About Editor Prof. Dr. Beate Neumeier Gender forum is an online, peer reviewed academic University of Cologne journal dedicated to the discussion of gender issues. As English Department an electronic journal, gender forum offers a free-of- Albertus-Magnus-Platz charge platform for the discussion of gender-related D-50923 Köln/Cologne topics in the fields of literary and cultural production, Germany media and the arts as well as politics, the natural sciences, medicine, the law, religion and philosophy. Tel +49-(0)221-470 2284 Inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Beate Neumeier in 2002, the Fax +49-(0)221-470 6725 quarterly issues of the journal have focused on a email: [email protected] multitude of questions from different theoretical perspectives of feminist criticism, queer theory, and masculinity studies. gender forum also includes reviews Editorial Office and occasionally interviews, fictional pieces and poetry Laura-Marie Schnitzler, MA with a gender studies angle. Sarah Youssef, MA Christian Zeitz (General Assistant, Reviews) Opinions expressed in articles published in gender forum are those of individual authors and not necessarily Tel.: +49-(0)221-470 3030/3035 endorsed by the editors of gender forum. email: [email protected] Submissions Editorial Board Target articles should conform to current MLA Style (8th Prof. Dr. Mita Banerjee, edition) and should be between 5,000 and 8,000 words in Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Germany) length. Please make sure to number your paragraphs Prof. Dr. Nilufer E. Bharucha, and include a bio-blurb and an abstract of roughly 300 University of Mumbai (India) words. -
Angela Cheng Oral History Transcript
Houston Asian American Archive - 1 - Chao Center for Asian Studies, Rice University Interviewee: Angela Cheng Interviewer: Kelly Liao Date of Interview: 06/05/2020 Transcribed by: Kelly Liao Edited by: Sarah Kong Audio Track Time: 01:35:22 Background: Angela is a Brooklyn-based writer and filmmaker who spent her childhood performing Chinese stand up comedy in Houston, Texas. Since then, she's traded the stage for writing and directing movies. She spends most of her life obsessing about Asian-American identity, weird science, and how to perfect the noodle soup. Angela’s feature screenplay, Lucky Grandma, co-written with director Sasie Sealy, won the AT&T and Tribeca Film Festival’s 2018 Untold Stories $1 million filmmaking grant. The movie, starring the inimitable Tsai Chin (Joy Luck Club, Casino Royale) debuted at Tribeca Film Festival in April 2019 and will be making its European debut at the London Film Festival. Her screenplay Trouble to the Herd is also the winner of the 2019 AsianCinevision SAG- AFTRA Screenplay Award and is currently a finalist at this year’s Nashville Film Festival. Her short film Ten & Two - about a Chinese-American housewife who learns how to drive in order to leave her husband - was awarded NYU’s Wasserman Prize for Filmmaking. She’s been awarded the Sloan Foundation feature screenplay award for Sugar Water, a gothic drama about the strange discovery of insulin. Her work has been shown at SXSW, Palm Springs International Short Film Festival, Newfest, Outfest, and Los Angeles International Film Festival. Professionally, Angela has directed the stage for TED Talks, featuring brilliant speakers with “Ideas Worth Spreading.” She is currently the Creative Director of Format Development at TED, experimenting with and launching new forms of storytelling. -
Michelle Krusiec's Journey from Asia to Hollywood, and Back
omeboundMichelle Krusiec’s journey from Asia to Hollywood, and back By Mai Bui HO ne warm October evening, Michelle Krusiec was cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway when she received a call that But nothing was common about this young Taiwanese girl. would change her life. She couldn’t believe the news; reaching Graced with charm and determination to be the best actress back to an adolescent ritual, she looked in the rearview mirror ever, Krusiec began her training at the Virginia Governor’s at her reflection for comfort and assurance. The news? She’d Magnet School for the Arts. After receiving her Theatre and been nominated in the Best Actress category for Taiwan’s English Degree from Virginia Tech University, Krusiec furthered Golden Horse, the Chinese equivalent of the American her studies at the University of Oxford, and then went on to Academy Award. host two seasons of Travelers for the Discovery Channel, which introduced her to almost fifty destinations around “First, I was shocked,” said Krusiec. “Then chills ran down my the world. spine.” After the success in Travelers, Michelle played Sui Blake in For Krusiec, it was a call that marked the beginning of an exhila- NBC’s Saturday morning series One World, which was created rating journey home, one that would certainly serve as an by Peter Engel (Saved By The Bell, California Dreams impressive addendum to her prolific Hollywood accomplish- and Hang Time). Since then, Krusiec has appeared in ments. At the age of five, Krusiec came to America, leaving both recurring and starring roles on Grey’s Anatomy, behind not only the land she loves but also her birth name Weeds, NCIS, Cold Case, Monk, E.R. -
Sapphic Cinema: an Exploration of Films About Gay Women and Their Relationship to American Society in the Reagan Era and Beyond Melinda Roddy
University of Portland Pilot Scholars History Undergraduate Publications and History Presentations 12-2017 Sapphic Cinema: An Exploration of Films about Gay Women and their Relationship to American Society in the Reagan Era and Beyond Melinda Roddy Follow this and additional works at: https://pilotscholars.up.edu/hst_studpubs Part of the Film and Media Studies Commons, History Commons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, and the Women's Studies Commons Citation: Pilot Scholars Version (Modified MLA Style) Roddy, Melinda, "Sapphic Cinema: An Exploration of Films about Gay Women and their Relationship to American Society in the Reagan Era and Beyond" (2017). History Undergraduate Publications and Presentations. 6. https://pilotscholars.up.edu/hst_studpubs/6 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the History at Pilot Scholars. It has been accepted for inclusion in History Undergraduate Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of Pilot Scholars. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Roddy 1 Sapphic Cinema: An Exploration of Films about Gay Women and their Relationship to American Society in the Reagan Era and Beyond By Melinda Roddy Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in History University of Portland December 2017 Roddy 2 Heterosexuality has always been privileged within the United States, which has resulted in, among other things, a lack of representation of LGBTQ+ people film, especially women. Sapphic women and all things Sapphic have largely been marginalized in society. Sapphic, coming from the name of the Greek poet Sappho, means women, or things related to women, who are attracted to other women. -
Portrayals of Gay Characters in Chinese Movies: a Longitudinal Look Xuan Zhang Iowa State University
Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Graduate Theses and Dissertations Dissertations 2014 Portrayals of gay characters in Chinese movies: A longitudinal look Xuan Zhang Iowa State University Follow this and additional works at: https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd Part of the Chinese Studies Commons, Journalism Studies Commons, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons, Mass Communication Commons, and the Visual Studies Commons Recommended Citation Zhang, Xuan, "Portrayals of gay characters in Chinese movies: A longitudinal look" (2014). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 13960. https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/13960 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Iowa State University Capstones, Theses and Dissertations at Iowa State University Digital Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Iowa State University Digital Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Portrayals of gay characters in Chinese movies: A longitudinal look by Xuan Zhang A thesis submitted to the graduate faculty in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Major: Journalism and Mass Communication Program of Study Committee: Thomas Lloyd Beell, Major Professor Lulu Rodriguez Yalem Teshome Iowa State University Ames, Iowa 2014 Copyright © Xuan Zhang, 2014. All rights reserved. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................... -
Alice Wu's Lesbian Rom-Com Was Influential, but Her Follow-Up Wasn
Alice Wu’s Lesbian Rom-Com Was Influential, but Her Follow-Up Wasn’t Easy When she made “Saving Face,” Wu didn’t expect to influence a generation of Asian-American actresses and directors. Her new Netflix movie arrives in a much different time. Alice Wu in San Francisco. When she made her film debut in 2005, “I had this moment when I was like a deer in headlights.” She’s now back with a Netflix movie.Credit...Damien Maloney for The New York Times By Robert Ito April 29, 2020 When Alice Wu wrote and directed her 2005 debut, “Saving Face,” she knew it wasn’t going to be your typical Hollywood rom-com. Other than the “Last Emperor” star Joan Chen, cast wildly against type as a frumpy (until she isn’t), mysteriously pregnant mom, the ensemble consisted largely of unknowns. Much of the film was set in Flushing, Queens, and not even the neighborhood’s prettiest parts; and the story itself focused on a budding lesbian relationship between two Chinese-American overachievers. “I was trying to make the biggest romantic comedy I could on a tiny budget, with all Asian-American actors, and half of it in Mandarin Chinese,” she said. Even so, “Saving Face,” years away from the successes of either “The Joy Luck Club,” in 1993, or 2018’s “Crazy Rich Asians,” has had an outsized impact on Asian-American filmmakers and cinema. Ali Wong (“Always Be My Maybe”) has said that seeing it as a young girl made her believe that “Asian-Americans were capable of creating great art.” Last year, it was named one of the 20 best Asian-American films of the last 20 years by a collection of critics and curators assembled by The Los Angeles Times.