Section B: American film since 2005 (two-film) Flashcards
(114 cards)
1
Q
What does an ideological approach help reveal in film analysis?
A
It uncovers how visual elements reflect or critique power structures such as race, gender, and sexuality.
2
Q
How is mise-en-scène used ideologically in Get Out?
A
It critiques liberal racism and class power through setting, costume, and character interaction.
3
Q
What is the significance of the garden party scene in Get Out?
A
It visually mirrors a slave auction, highlighting racial fetishization and discomfort.
4
Q
How does costume contrast Chris with the guests in the garden party?
A
Chris wears casual, neutral clothing while guests are in expensive attire—emphasizing class and racial divides.
5
Q
What do the props in the garden party scene symbolize?
A
Champagne glasses and luxury items signal white wealth and a performative interest in Black bodies.
6
Q
How does performance in the garden scene convey ideology?
A
Guests interact with Chris in an unnatural, objectifying way, reinforcing themes of racial commodification.
7
Q
Why is the garden party mise-en-scène ideologically powerful?
A
It exposes post-racial myths and the sinister realities of systemic racism beneath civility.
8
Q
What is the role of mise-en-scène in Carol’s department store scene?
A
It highlights gender roles, queer desire, and class differences through costume, colour, and setting.
9
Q
How do Therese and Carol’s costumes contrast ideologically?
A
Therese’s plain workwear contrasts with Carol’s luxurious coat—showing class disparity and allure.
10
Q
What does the department store setting symbolize in Carol?
A
It represents consumerism, gendered expectations, and emotional repression of 1950s women.
11
Q
How is colour used ideologically in Carol?
A
Muted backgrounds vs. Carol’s bold reds show the emotional and sexual difference she brings into Therese’s world.
12
Q
What do the train set and doll props suggest in Carol?
A
They reflect the rigid gender norms imposed on women and children in the 1950s.
13
Q
How is blocking used in the department store scene to reflect power?
A
Carol moves confidently and controls the space; Therese is static and observant, indicating early imbalance and fascination.
14
Q
How does mise-en-scène encode queer desire in Carol?
A
Through subtle visual contrasts, lingering gazes, and emotionally charged space.
15
Q
How are dominant ideologies challenged in both films?
A
Get Out critiques white liberalism and racism; Carol challenges patriarchy and compulsory heterosexuality.
16
Q
Why is mise-en-scène not ideologically neutral?
A
Every element (costume, set, lighting) can express or critique cultural power systems.
17
Q
What is a key similarity in the ideological use of mise-en-scène in both films?
A
Both films use visual storytelling to subvert dominant norms—racism in Get Out, heteronormativity in Carol.
18
Q
Why is an ideological approach especially valuable in analysing mise-en-scène?
A
It reveals how visual choices carry social and political meanings that impact the spectator’s interpretation.
19
Q
How does mise-en-scène in Get Out affect audience alignment?
A
It immerses the viewer in Chris’s discomfort, making the racial critique personal and visceral.
20
Q
How does mise-en-scène in Carol create emotional connection?
A
It builds intimacy and empathy by positioning the viewer inside Therese’s emotional and visual perspective.
21
Q
What is the focus of an ideological critical approach?
A
It explores how films reflect, reinforce, or challenge dominant ideologies like race, gender, sexuality, and class.
22
Q
Why is an ideological approach useful for Get Out and Carol?
A
It offers insight into the social systems they critique and the emotional/psychological impact on the viewer.
23
Q
How does Get Out challenge the idea of a post-racial America?
A
It exposes the insidiousness of white liberal racism through character interactions and horror tropes.
24
Q
What does the Sunken Place in Get Out symbolize?
A
It is a metaphor for Black silencing and loss of agency, creating horror through ideological meaning.
25
How does Get Out position the audience?
It aligns viewers with Chris, immersing them in his isolation, gaslighting, and terror.
26
What is Jordan Peele’s ideological aim in Get Out?
To make white audiences uncomfortable and empower Black audiences through genre subversion.
27
How did the political context affect Get Out’s reception?
Its release during Trump-era anxieties made it culturally resonant and ideologically impactful.
28
What dominant ideology does Carol critique?
It critiques patriarchy and heteronormativity in 1950s American society.
29
How does Carol express lesbian identity?
Through the female/female gaze and emotional intimacy rather than objectification.
30
How does Carol use classical Hollywood melodrama ideologically?
It subverts genre expectations by telling a queer love story with emotional depth.
31
How is the spectator aligned in Carol?
The viewer sees the world through Therese’s eyes, promoting empathy over spectacle.
32
How does Cate Blanchett’s performance in Carol contribute ideologically?
Her restraint critiques gender roles and societal expectations.
33
What is the significance of Carol’s ending?
Its hopeful ambiguity subverts tragic LGBTQ+ tropes and signals ideological progress.
34
How do both films challenge dominant ideologies?
Get Out critiques racism; Carol critiques heteronormativity and patriarchy.
35
How does ideology explain the spectator’s emotional response in both films?
It accounts for feelings of discomfort, empathy, empowerment, and reflection.
36
What genres do Get Out and Carol subvert?
Get Out subverts horror; Carol subverts melodrama—both for ideological critique.
37
How is the spectator’s engagement shaped by ideology?
Viewers reflect on their own roles within the systems portrayed in the films.
38
Why is ideological criticism useful for these films?
It clarifies how form and narrative critique oppression and deepen emotional/political impact.
39
What other critical approaches can support ideological analysis?
Auteur and psychoanalytic approaches can add depth, but ideology is central to meaning and reception.
40
What does ideological analysis explore in film?
How films reflect, support, or challenge dominant social and political ideologies.
41
Why is ideological analysis useful for visual and sound choices?
It reveals how these choices communicate political and cultural meanings beyond aesthetics.
42
How does the Sunken Place in Get Out reflect ideology?
It visually represents the silencing and disempowerment of Black voices in society.
43
What does the stirring teacup sound in Get Out symbolize?
It signifies psychological control and racial domination through seemingly harmless objects.
44
What is the ideological meaning of the garden party scene in Get Out?
It critiques liberal racism through superficial politeness and commodification of Blackness.
45
How does Get Out use music ideologically?
It mixes horror tropes with African-rooted music to reclaim genre space for Black identity.
46
What does the sound of police sirens symbolize in Get Out’s ending?
It invokes fear of racial profiling and systemic violence against Black people.
47
How does Carol use mise-en-scène to reflect ideology?
It shows the confinement and repression of 1950s gender and sexual norms.
48
How do costumes in Carol express ideological meaning?
Carol’s elegance represents privilege and allure; Therese’s modesty shows power imbalance and class divide.
49
What is the significance of mirrors and windows in Carol?
They represent surveillance and emotional separation in a repressive society.
50
How does Carol use silence ideologically?
Silence conveys the emotional restraint and invisibility forced on queer individuals.
51
What does Carter Burwell’s score add ideologically in Carol?
It underscores emotional suppression and longing within a rigid social system.
52
What ideology does Get Out primarily critique?
White liberal racism and the illusion of a post-racial society.
53
What ideology does Carol primarily critique?
Patriarchy and heteronormativity in 1950s American society.
54
Why is ideological analysis effective in both films?
It explains how stylistic choices carry political messages and influence spectator response.
55
What does an ideological critical approach examine?
How films reflect, reinforce, or challenge dominant ideologies like race, gender, and sexuality.
56
What does spectator positioning refer to?
How films guide or influence the viewer’s perspective and emotional alignment with characters and themes.
57
How does Get Out align the spectator ideologically?
By centring Chris’s Black experience and immersing the audience in his discomfort and trauma.
58
What is the effect of the Sunken Place in Get Out on spectator positioning?
It forces viewers to share Chris’s voicelessness and loss of agency, mirroring systemic oppression.
59
How does Get Out expose liberal racism through positioning?
It starts with a seemingly safe environment and slowly reveals microaggressions that align the viewer with Chris’s distrust.
60
How does genre subversion in Get Out support ideological positioning?
It uses horror tropes to express racial anxiety and societal fear from a Black perspective.
61
What is the ideological significance of the police siren in Get Out?
It triggers fear of racial profiling, especially for Black audiences—critiques systemic injustice.
62
Whose perspective is privileged in Carol?
Therese’s—inviting the viewer to experience her emotional growth and romantic longing.
63
How does Carol reject the male gaze?
Through the female/female gaze that centres intimacy and emotional connection rather than objectification.
64
What effect does 1950s repression have on spectator positioning in Carol?
It aligns the viewer with characters experiencing constraint and forced secrecy in their identities.
65
How does silence function ideologically in Carol?
It reflects emotional repression and the need for coded expression, especially in queer contexts.
66
How does the ending of Carol position the spectator?
It invites hope and emotional connection as the gaze is returned—emphasising human connection beyond norms.
67
What dominant ideology is critiqued in Get Out?
Liberal racism and systemic racial oppression in modern society.
68
What dominant ideology is critiqued in Carol?
Patriarchy and heteronormativity in mid-century America.
69
How is ideology useful for understanding audience impact in both films?
It explains how viewers are emotionally and politically engaged through alignment with marginalised identities.
70
What is passive spectatorship in film?
Passive spectatorship refers to viewers who watch a film without critically engaging or reflecting on its content, ideologies, or themes.
71
What is active spectatorship in film?
Active spectatorship involves the viewer engaging with the film's narrative, characters, ideologies, and emotional content—questioning and reflecting on the film's deeper meanings.
72
How does Get Out encourage active spectatorship?
It confronts viewers with uncomfortable truths about racism, positioning them emotionally with Chris, and urging reflection on societal issues like privilege and systemic racism.
73
How does the Sunken Place in Get Out engage the spectator?
It symbolizes Black silencing and loss of agency, making the audience feel Chris’s terror and helplessness, prompting ideological reflection.
74
What role does empathy play in Get Out’s spectator positioning?
Spectators are aligned with Chris, experiencing his emotional and physical trauma, which creates an emotional bond and calls for active ideological reflection on racial dynamics.
75
How does Carol invite active emotional engagement from the spectator?
Through Therese’s perspective, viewers are emotionally invested in her personal growth and the evolution of her romantic feelings.
76
How does Carol subvert traditional gendered gaze?
The film uses the female/female gaze to focus on emotional intimacy and relationship dynamics, inviting the viewer to rethink gendered perspectives and objectification.
77
How does Carol use silent resistance to engage the audience?
The film uses restrained performances and subtle imagery, asking viewers to read between the lines and interpret unspoken emotions and societal pressures.
78
What does Carol encourage spectators to reflect on?
The film prompts viewers to think about historical repression of queer relationships, social constraints, and the challenges of living outside heteronormativity.
79
How do both Get Out and Carol require active spectatorship?
Both films demand that viewers engage with difficult social truths—Get Out critiques racism, and Carol critiques heteronormativity, encouraging active reflection on power structures.
80
Why is the spectator's role not passive in Get Out?
The film challenges viewers to confront uncomfortable realities about race and power, making them active participants in its social critique.
81
How does the ideological content of Carol engage the spectator?
The film critiques heteronormativity by telling a queer love story, positioning the viewer to reflect on social constraints and historical prejudice against LGBTQ+ individuals.
82
How do both films challenge spectators to engage with ideologies?
Get Out critiques race and privilege, while Carol critiques gender and sexuality, both positioning the viewer to actively reflect on and question societal norms and systems of power.
83
What role does sound play in film spectatorship?
Sound shapes emotion, guides viewer interpretation, and deepens engagement with character and narrative.
84
How does the teacup sound function in Get Out?
It triggers hypnosis, symbolizing psychological control and reinforcing tension and dread.
85
What does sound in the Sunken Place sequence achieve in Get Out?
Echoing, muffled sound isolates Chris and the viewer, emphasizing helplessness and loss of agency.
86
How does Get Out use music ideologically?
Abels’ score incorporates African-American spirituals to connect personal horror with historical trauma.
87
How does silence function in Get Out?
Builds suspense and focuses attention on racial power dynamics, especially in scenes like the key confrontation.
88
What is the emotional impact of Carol’s musical score?
Burwell’s music evokes longing and melancholy, enhancing emotional connection between the characters.
89
How does Carol use diegetic sound?
Radio and environmental sounds reinforce time period and mood, immersing the spectator in 1950s repression.
90
How does silence contribute to Carol’s storytelling?
Communicates unspoken desire and emotional restraint, allowing viewers to read subtext.
91
How does vocal tone influence spectatorship in Carol?
Carol’s soft voice and Therese’s tentative speech reflect emotional repression and internal conflict.
92
What’s the difference in how Get Out and Carol use sound?
Get Out uses sound for tension and ideological unease; Carol uses it for emotional subtlety and intimacy.
93
Why is sound crucial in Get Out?
It heightens horror, immerses the viewer in Chris’s experience, and reflects racial themes.
94
Why is sound crucial in Carol?
It builds emotional atmosphere and helps express what cannot be openly said due to social repression.
95
What is the primary narrative focus of Carol?
Carol follows the romantic relationship between Therese, a young aspiring set designer, and Carol, an older woman going through a divorce. Set in the 1950s, the film explores themes of forbidden love, societal norms, and personal freedom.
96
How does Carol use cinematography to reflect the emotions of the characters?
The cinematography in Carol often uses close-ups and soft focus to capture the intimate moments between Therese and Carol, highlighting their emotional connection. The use of shallow depth of field emphasizes the isolation the characters feel in a society that rejects their relationship.
97
How does the mise-en-scène in Carol contribute to the portrayal of 1950s America?
The period-specific costumes, props, and settings in Carol (like vintage cars, formal attire, and mid-century interiors) transport the viewer to the 1950s. The muted color palette, dominated by greens, browns, and autumnal tones, reflects the restrained and conservative environment the characters navigate.
98
What is the significance of the film’s use of lighting?
Soft lighting, often diffused through windows, symbolizes the quiet, repressed nature of Carol and Therese’s love. It contrasts with harsh lighting used in scenes depicting oppressive societal norms, underscoring the tension between personal desires and societal expectations
99
How does performance play a role in Carol?
Cate Blanchett (Carol) and Rooney Mara (Therese) deliver restrained yet powerful performances, with subtle gestures and expressions conveying the complexity of their emotions. Carol's poised exterior contrasts with Therese’s more naive yet longing demeanor, creating emotional depth in their interactions.
100
How does the film's editing help develop the narrative of Carol?
Carol uses elliptical editing, cutting between key moments in the relationship, as well as flashbacks to the past. This technique creates a sense of longing and memory, as Therese reflects on the moments she shared with Carol.
101
What ideological themes are explored in Carol?
The film challenges the societal norms of the 1950s, addressing themes of sexuality, freedom, and love. It critiques the heteronormative values of the time and the marginalization of LGBTQ+ individuals, showing the emotional and social consequences of forbidden love.
102
How does the score enhance the atmosphere in Carol?
The film’s lush, orchestral score, composed by Carter Burwell, reflects the emotional highs and lows of the relationship. It adds to the romantic yet melancholic tone, enhancing the sense of longing and emotional depth between the characters.
103
How is Carol a film about power dynamics?
The relationship between Carol and Therese reflects shifting power dynamics. While Carol is more experienced and confident, Therese’s initial vulnerability and lack of experience in love shift throughout the film, with both women growing stronger in their feelings and desires.
104
How does Carol explore the theme of self-discovery?
Through her relationship with Carol, Therese begins to explore her own desires and identity. The film explores her coming-of-age journey, as she moves from being passive and uncertain to becoming more assertive and self-aware.
105
What is the plot of Get Out?
Get Out follows Chris, a young African American man, who visits the family of his white girlfriend, Rose, in a remote suburban community. He uncovers a horrifying secret about the family’s intentions for him, revealing deep-seated racial tensions and social horrors.
106
How does Get Out use cinematography to build tension?
Get Out utilizes tight framing, wide shots of isolation, and slow zooms to create a sense of claustrophobia and growing unease. The cinematography often contrasts the serene, picturesque environment with the underlying terror Chris experiences.
107
How does sound play a role in Get Out?
The sound design in Get Out plays a significant role in enhancing the atmosphere of discomfort. For example, the "hypnotic sound" of a teacup stirring and the subsequent brainwashing scenes use sound to indicate psychological control. The score, with its eerie strings, adds to the film’s unsettling mood.
108
How is mise-en-scène used to highlight the racial undertones in Get Out?
The mise-en-scène is carefully constructed to represent racial tension. The house, with its immaculate and welcoming decor, initially feels warm but later becomes a symbol of manipulation and control. The white characters’ behavior, while outwardly polite, reveals their underlying racism and appropriation of black bodies.
109
What role does the "sunken place" metaphor play in Get Out?
The "sunken place" symbolizes the silencing and disempowerment of African Americans in society. It visually represents Chris’s physical and mental control by the white characters, where he is conscious but unable to act, echoing themes of subjugation and racial oppression.
110
How does Get Out address social issues and ideologies?
Get Out critiques liberal racism—white characters who claim to be "progressive" but still harbor deep racial biases. The film explores issues of cultural appropriation, exploitation of black bodies, and white supremacy, particularly within the context of wealth and privilege.
111
What is the significance of the party scene in Get Out?
The party scene at the Armitage family’s estate highlights the discomfort of blackness in predominantly white spaces, where Chris is paraded as a spectacle for white guests. This scene lays bare the underlying racial dynamics that permeate the entire narrative.
112
How is performance used to reflect Chris’s psychological journey?
Daniel Kaluuya’s performance as Chris is marked by emotional restraint and a sense of unease. His subtle expressions of confusion, fear, and realization are central to the film’s suspense, as his awareness grows regarding the true intentions of the people around him.
113
How does the film's editing contribute to the revelation of the horror in Get Out?
The slow burn editing in Get Out builds suspense, as the audience gradually becomes aware of the horror lurking beneath the surface. Quick cuts and disorienting transitions highlight Chris’s panic, while prolonged moments of stillness increase tension as he uncovers the truth.
114
How does Get Out subvert traditional horror film conventions?
Get Out blends horror with social commentary, subverting traditional tropes by focusing on racial tension instead of typical supernatural horror. The horror in the film arises from the very real, insidious racism that exists within society, making the experience of terror more relatable and immediate.
