42 movie analysis essay

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If you were offended by the supposedly profligate use of the n-word in “Django Unchained,” it stands to reason you’ll be outraged by a scene in “42” in which Philadelphia Phillies manager Ben Chapman climbs out of the dugout and spews cruel racist epithets at Brooklyn Dodgers rookie Jackie Robinson.

You can see the pain and rage on Robinson’s face as he tries to concentrate on his at-bat, knowing if he goes after Chapman, the headlines won’t be about the hateful manager — they’ll be about the first black player in the major leagues “attacking” the opposition.

It’s a tough scene to sit through, with the likable character actor Alan Tudyk bravely portraying this real-life embodiment of pure, ignorant, racist hate, and Chadwick Boseman doing equally fine work as a the fiery, intense Robinson, who must perform with the weight of instant history on his shoulders — while racists such as Chapman (and some of Jackie’s own teammates) are hectoring him every step of the way. (Sadly, the Chapman character wasn’t the least bit fictionalized. The ’47 incident really happened. Before that, as an All-Star outfielder with the Yankees, Chapman reportedly taunted Jewish fans with anti-Semitic slurs and the Nazi salute. What a guy.)

The sliding moral scale of major league baseball at the time was such that Brooklyn Dodgers manager Leo Durocher was suspended for an entire season for having an affair with a married actress — but Chapman was just told to knock it off with the racist taunts and to pose for a publicity photo with Robinson.

That this all happened in 1947 — history recent enough there are people around who remember it — might come as shocking news to younger generations who know little about Jackie Robinson other than that his number 42 being universally retired because he broke baseball’s shameful color barrier. For this reason alone, “42” is a valuable film — a long overdue, serious big-screen biopic about one of the most important American pioneers of the 20th century.

But this is more a ground-rule double than a grand slam.

As written and directed by Brian Helgeland , “42” is competent, occasionally rousing and historically respectful — but it rarely rises above standard, old-fashioned biography fare. It’s a mostly unexceptional film about an exceptional man.

Boseman is a fine actor, and he looks like a baseball player in the spring training and game-time sequences, but other than one bat-breaking meltdown that takes place out of sight of fans and teammates, we rarely get that visceral, punch-to-the-gut true feeling for the pressure Robinson surely must have felt when he took the field in 1947 as a pioneer. (As “42” reminds us, black Americans fought and died for their country in World War II — but they returned home to a country with separate drinking fountains and a ban on Negroes in the major leagues.)

To be sure, there are scenes of racist fans heckling Robinson and many of his own teammates signing a petition demanding Robinson not be allowed to join the Dodgers — but “42” falls short in giving us a full measure of the man himself. The Jackie Robinson of “42” is a high school history lesson, lacking in complexity and nuance. Even the domestic scenes with the beautiful Nicole Beharie as Rachel Robinson paint an almost too-perfect picture. The real Rachel Robinson was also a hero, but in “42,” she’s portrayed as a near-saint, patiently counseling Jackie to hold his temper, and looking like a movie star as she quietly endures the morons in the stands behind her.

We’re told Robinson was chosen over other major league-ready players (and future teammates) such as Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe because he wasn’t as “nice,” i.e., soft, and would be better equipped to deal with the hate and intolerance.

In “42,” Robinson is indeed pragmatic. When he gets the offer to sign with the Dodgers, he’s more excited about the pay increase than the historical implications.

Harrison Ford is all eyebrows and speeches as Branch Rickey, the Dodgers executive determined to break the color barrier. It’s a rather remarkable performance by Ford in that he goes for it whole hog, scowling and barking and delivering sound bite-sized life lessons. Whether Rickey’s lecturing young whippersnappers in his sun-dappled office (which looks like it was borrowed from “ The Natural ”) or observing his ballclub from the sidelines, he’s filled with one-liner wisdom and perfectly timed punch lines.

John C. McGinley delivers a gem of a performance as the great announcer Red Barber, and Andre Holland is solid as Wendell Smith, a black sportswriter who’s more of a baby-sitter and travel guide for Robinson than an objective journalist.

From the soundtrack to the speechifying to the subject material to the script’s somber tone, “42” has the uniform of an Oscar contender, but it falls short of Hall of Fame status. Jackie Robinson was great. “42” is good.

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Film credits.

Rated PG-13 thematic elements, including language

115 minutes

Chadwick Boseman as Jackie Robinson

Harrison Ford as Branch Rickey

Christopher Meloni as Leo Durocher

Jon Bernthal as Ralph Branca

John C. McGinley as Red Barber

T.R. Knight as Harold Parrott

Directed by

Brian Helgeland

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Not Even Past

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The new film 42 tells the story of Jackie Robinson’s heroic effort to integrate Major League Baseball. Signed by Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford), Robinson (Chadwick Boseman) endures resistance from teammates, taunting from opposing players and fans, and terrifying threats of violence against his family and himself by breaking baseball’s color line. His loving wife Rachel Robinson (Nicole Beharie), herself a determined warrior in the struggle for racial equality, serves as his anchor during this time of trial. Jackie Robinson’s courage inspires Americans, both white and black, and helps to ignite the emerging civil rights movement. 42 is a stirring film that illustrates the brutality of racism and the heroism of those individuals who sought to overcome the most troubling characteristic of American society in the twentieth century.

Set in the immediate post-World War II years, 42 focuses primarily on Jackie Robinson’s first season with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. A key theme in this movie is the significance of relationships between people, with Jackie Robinson as the ideal candidate for integrating baseball. Branch Rickey immediately recognizes that Robinson possesses the strength of character as well as the athletic gifts necessary to undertake this daunting task. As the film begins, Robinson tells teammates and the press that he is “just a ballplayer,” and Rickey stresses that his job as a baseball executive is solely to win games and make money for the club. But the two men forge a close relationship through their shared experience and, by the movie’s end, recognize that Robinson’s integration of baseball means much more to themselves and to the nation at large. Rickey, portrayed by Ford as deeply philosophical and troubled by a failure earlier in his career to take a stand for integration, finds redemption and a renewed love for the game through Robinson’s bravery. Robinson realizes that he is much more than only a baseball player—he has become an inspiration and a hero for Americans of all races, particularly children, and has touched the conscience of the United States.

The strong marriage of Jackie and Rachel Robinson further illustrates the key role played by personal relationships in the quest to integrate baseball. 42 presents the Robinsons’ marriage as a true love story. Jackie calls Rachel his “heart,” not only the love of his life, but also his source of strength during his times of trouble. Rachel Robinson is as much a civil rights activist as her husband, confidently entering a whites-only bathroom in a southern airport and continuously displaying a calm resolve in the presence of hostile fans in baseball parks.

42 also examines Jackie Robinson’s relationships with the press and his teammates. Besides Rachel, Jackie’s key confidant becomes Wendell Smith (Andre Holland), an African American sports reporter covering these historic events. Robinson initially is reluctant to become too close with Smith for fear of relying on other people for support. Eventually however, Robinson develops a strong friendship with the journalist, who records his accomplishments on the diamond with beautiful prose. Furthermore, Smith helps Robinson realize that he represents more than “just a ballplayer” by confiding his own hardships with racism as a black reporter. Many Brooklyn Dodgers players are wary about having Robinson on their team, pictured most dramatically when several sign a petition against his joining the club. Yet Robinson’s determination and dedicated play win over most of his fellow ballplayers, and by the film’s ending those few remaining doubters find themselves ostracized by the team. In a poignant moment, while playing in Cincinnati, a city bordering the South, Kentucky native Pee Wee Reese (Lucas Black) puts his arm around Robinson on the field, a powerful gesture for all fans to see.

The film depicts the cruelty of racial segregation and the valor of civil rights activists in twentieth-century America. Fans and players yell at Robinson hatefully and, in an upsetting scene, an opposing team’s manager viciously taunts him with a barrage of racist insults. Base runners spike Robinson with their sharp cleats and pitchers purposefully try to bean him; by season’s end Robinson leads the majors in hits by pitch. Perhaps most frightening, Robinson receives hundreds of letters with death threats against him and his family. Yet Jackie and Rachel Robinson, like later civil rights activists, handle this trauma with quiet persistence and sheer bravery. Branch Rickey encourages Robinson by invoking their shared Methodist faith, which Jackie emulates through “turning the other cheek” in the face of his oppressors. 42 also soberly illustrates how children imitate their elders, for both good and evil. In a disturbing sequence, a seemingly kind young boy heckles Robinson after watching his white father do the same. However, young black children see Robinson as a role model to imitate in both words and deeds. Rickey further tells Robinson that he has even noticed some white children pretending to be him on playgrounds, a hopeful sign for the future of race relations in the United States.

By expanding its story beyond the 1947 season, 42 could have illustrated better Jackie Robinson’s complexity. Following his first year in the majors, Robinson, with Rickey’s approval, resolved to fight back when persecuted on and off the field. He believed that he had proved he belonged in the Major Leagues and now had to protest against his tormentors to further the larger civil rights movement. To do otherwise would be to acquiesce to the unjust status quo. Indeed, for the rest of his life, Robinson continued to push for greater progress in racial equality. He viewed his post-baseball career in several successful commercial ventures as similarly important in opening doors to African Americans in the business world. He urged ball clubs to hire black managers and front office administrators. Major League Baseball’s failure in this area, coupled with a growing national backlash against the civil rights movement by the early 1970s, left Robinson disillusioned. Yet despite these disappointments, serious health problems, and personal tragedy with the death of his oldest son, Robinson remained dedicated to the struggle for racial equality until his death in 1972.

In 1997, Major League Baseball retired Jackie Robinson’s number 42 for every team. Over the last few years, players of all races have worn the number 42 on Jackie Robinson Day in April. Although additional detail about his entire life could have provided a more nuanced picture of Robinson, 42 is a magnificent film that shows audiences a critical time in the struggle for racial equality in the United States. Brilliant actors give unforgettable performances in a movie that should stand the test of time not only as a sports classic, but indeed a masterful drama of American history.

Photo Credits:

Promotional poster for 42 (Image courtesy of Legendary Pictures)

Jackie Robinson signing autographs in the Brooklyn Dodgers’ dugout, Ebbets Field, April 11, 1947 (Image courtesy of Corbis Images)

Robinson playing against the Boston Braves (Image courtesy of The Full Count )

Images used under Fair Use Guidelines

Cultural Analysis and Inferences from the Movie 42

Introduction, the film’s cultural presentations, feelings about the groups represented, the presentation of edward said’s ideas, the target culture’s position and cultural institutions, comparison between the movie and scholarly sources, works cited.

Culture is a central aspect in anthropology that gives insight into a people’s history, values, and perceptions. Over the years, visual arts, particularly films, have been used not only to inform but also to indicate people’s cultural artifacts. Every film author wants to communicate a particular theme and influence people’s views of the social concepts demonstrated. The movie “42” is based on the American culture in relation to the racial prejudice and segregation of the African-American community. This essay analyzes the film’s depiction of racism in America and its accuracy compared to existing literature and how the concepts of orientalism and crisis of representation are demonstrated in the movie’s central theme.

The movie 42 , which was released in 2013, has been applauded for its historical and cultural relevance. Branch Rickey is a renowned manager of America’s famous Baseball Team-the Brooklyn Dodgers ( Movie: #42 ). Rickey breaks baseball’s infamous racial barriers by recruiting Jackie Robinson, represented by Chadwick Boseman, to the team in 1946 ( Movie: #42 ). The historical timing reflects the engraved racial prejudice following the end of the world war that had seen many African-Americans risk their lives on the battleground.

Rickey and Robinson find themselves in the crosshairs of the public, the press, and other players as a result of their bravery. When confronted with flagrant racism on all sides, Robinson shows great courage and admirable composure by refusing to retaliate and allowing his undeniable talent to silence the detractors for him ( Movie: #42 ). Robinson finds friends and inspiration in unlikely places as he fights against his propensity to bear such assault without complaining. At some point, he asked his fellow players to respect him as a human being, whether they liked him or not ( Movie: #42 ). In summary, Robinson endured hatred and often violent discrimination and brutality. Still, he showed himself time and time again, demonstrating strength, tenacity, restraint, and a remarkable ability to play the game.

In this movie, two main cultures are presented: the African-Americans and indigenous Americans. The film author displayed animosity between these two cultures through the experiences of Robinson at the Dodgers. Although African-Americans form a significant percentage of the U.S. population, their position in society has been contested. The indigenous Americans are depicted as violent, dominating, and racial individuals, showing no respect for other races ( Movie: #42 ). Race, in this case, denotes the socially constructed views and attitudes regarding a people’s position in society.

The author dissects the relationship between African Americans in the lines of power, talent, and resilience. African-Americans, represented by Robinson, are shown to be talented and highly resilient but lacking the power to enforce their stand ( Movie: #42 ). Being the first African-American to join the national baseball team, Robinson had to encounter violent opposition from the people he sought to make proud. Essentially, “42” presents the U.S. culture as highly racist and characterized by undue prejudice and segregation in all avenues of society.

The movie featured Robinson’s real-life experiences and was meant to show that racism is real. Although the film’s theme of racism was well-articulated, critics have argued that it fails to show the true picture of racial segregation in American society (Salter et al. 150). This links to the crisis of representation coined by Marcus and Fischer, which implied that social reality in respect to a lived experience could not be adequately described in an interpretive account (Salter et al. 150). Nevertheless, the author aimed to show the systemic racism throughout American society featured in the baseball team.

Set in a post-war period, the movie was meant to alter viewers’ perceptions of African-Americans from disgraced individuals to the talented heroes of the land. The author wanted people to feel proud of African-Americans who were willing to withstand any amount of violence and resistance to become the best they could be ( Movie: #42 ). Statistics show that by 2020, African-American players in the national baseball teams were a mere 7.8%, according to a report in USA Today (Nightengale 1). Watching the talent and resilience displayed by Robinson, one is expected to feel optimistic that the percentage of black players would significantly increase. It is also meant to generate concern and empathy for the highly segregated African-American community.

Power and politics are major driving forces in society’s value systems. Edward Said examines the relationship between power and literature by showing that a society’s representation is oriented towards the social structures that create it, an element also shown by Roberts (265). In the movie, Said’s theory of orientalism is demonstrated in that the central theme, racism, is oriented towards the author’s personal experiences and the African-American society. The blacks are represented as weak and powerless based on the imperialist western society that created such notions. In the movie, Robinson’s sufferings in the hands of white players demonstrate that the orientalism theory was at play, making him a lesser team member.

The movie focuses on the African-American culture, giving it the central character. It is narrated from the first-person experiences of a black man determined to defy the odds and attain the position reserved for indigenous Americans. The main cultural institutions represented in the film are sports and family. Sports are a crucial part of a people’s culture serving as a unifying factor. In the film, this cultural institution is represented as corrupt, ruined by racist players in a divided community ( Movie: #42 ). The family, however, is shown to be the fabric of society, enabling people to hold to their cultural heritage. Although most of the players and fans are against Robinson’s participation in the game, his family supports his ambition, and with the support of the reporter, he gains the motivation he needs to withstand all the forces against him ( Movie: #42 ). The two cultural institutions are shown to work contrary to each other.

The author’s representation of the American culture shows that he and his audience were against the white supremacy displayed by the indigenous Americans. This view is evident since the author revealed how the whites exercised undue influence in sports, on the bus, and in every area within their power. The author chose to represent the cultural aspects since he had a first-hand experience with the painful ordeals of racism and because, even in the 21 st century, African-Americans were still segregated in many areas. Although other themes such as education were important, this theme was central because it affected the core purpose of a person’s existence by limiting personal expression and belonging. This aspect helped develop the story by shaping its history and demonstrating its impact on future individual and national growth. If the film were the only source of information on the American culture, it would inform that indigenous Americans are extremely racist, oriented towards Western imperialism.

The movie’s presentation of culture aligns with scholarly literature regarding U.S. culture. Robinson’s experiences in the movie demonstrate that racism is a socially constructed aspect and that systemic racism has a central part in America’s culture. Similarly, Roberts shows that the statement made by Folklorist Richard Dorson about the Negros represents the engraved systemic racism in America’s cultural institutions (267). On the same note, Salter et al. argue that racism is not just in mind but is evident in the real world propagated by wrong perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs held by individualist western civilizations (152). Therefore, the movie accurately represents America’s cultural values and gives a framework on which to evaluate the social implications of the aspects displayed.

In conclusion, the movie “42” has been applauded as a historically and thematically relevant film in anthropology. It features a talented black man who faces opposition from multiple agents in his career and passion for sports. The manager’s decision to recruit him into the Dodgers puts him and Robinson in the spotlight, exposing them to violent criticism and hostility. However, Robinson’s resilience and talent silence his opposers and make him one of America’s greatest players. The movie accurately describes the U.S. culture that aligns with scholarly literature. The American culture is shown to bestow power upon indigenous Americans following the imperialist cultures that constructed those social views.

Movie: #42 . Written and directed by Brian Helgeland; produced by Thomas Tull. Warner Bros., 2013.

Nightengale, Bob. “Starting to Hit Home: Percentage of Black players in MLB Still Low, but There are Signs of Growth.” USA Today , 14 Aug. 2020, pp. 1-3.

Roberts, John W. “Systemic Racism in American Folkloristics.” Journal of American Folklore, vol. 134, no.533, 2021, pp. 265-271.

Salter, Phia S., et al. “Racism in the Structure of Everyday Worlds: A Cultural-Psychological Perspective.” Current Directions in Psychological Science , vol. 27, no. 3, 2017, pp. 150-155.

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“42” Speaks to Courage and Racism, Past and Present

This movie addresses our past and present national psychology.

Posted April 15, 2013

42 —the movie about the life of famed baseball player, Jackie Robinson—couldn’t have come at a better time. It is a perfect movie for all people, of all races, ages and religions.

Not only is it a story about baseball and the league’s colorful personalities of the 1940s-1950s. Not only does it portray Mr. Robinson with love for his wife, Rachael, who even today at age 90, is going strong, looking good and still supporting her husband. Not only does it freely assault our ears with the word “nigger”—a word that needs to be heard in its original form and intent so as not to be misused for sport by the very people it insults [think Black rap/hip-hop “artists,” comedians and the like].

But amidst such no-good-intent verbiage, Harrison Ford’s role as Branch Rickey shows what can be done when one has vision, and courage, and humanity towards other human beings. Richey accepted a man based on his talents, not based on something as irrelevant as the color of one’s skin. (And by the way, given the annual revenue of tanning shops and products, colored skin is a darn good thing.)

But as you listen to the frequent calls of “nigger,” and realized that no, White people don't say that word so freely in public these days, I believe everyone will hear the same demeaning and degrading intent in the words and tone of others. The words may have changed, but the intent is quite clear.

I hear comments about 'friend chicken and watermelon" aimed at Tiger Woods. I hear Sarah Palin’s reference to “shuckin’ and jivin’. I hear Mitch McConnell saying that his singular goal is to make President Obama—the first Black president of the United States—a one-term president (and he said this even before Obama was officially sworn into office). I hear Rush Limbaugh and others saying they “ want President Obama to fail .” (What "real American” would want the president of their own country to fail?)

I hear the constant barrage of “no” to anything the president aimed to do, especially in his first term, because they had that goal to break him, to defeat him, to work against him no matter what he did. Many opted for that approach instead of celebrating the history President Obama made, and instead of working together with him to make this land all it can be.

In the movie, I also saw one little White boy demonstrate how racism is passed down from one generation to another. It’s a short scene, but be sure not to miss it.

I also felt disgust at how so many young Blacks have squandered the gains so many brought our society. Our forefathers had to fight for all of us to have the rights we have now, but too often, some act in ways unbecoming to our position as a people who have handled slights with grace, nonviolence and courage.

This post isn’t at all a pro-President Obama, nor political article. As a conservative Democrat, I haven’t like some things the president has done, or had to do based on what he inherited. And God knows I wish he and Congress would let me get my hands on the federal budget; I’d clean it up in no time.

But the negativity and disrespect towards the president of our great land is obvious; and, even though many try to deny it, much of that current attitude stems only from the fact that President Obama is a Black man. Seeing ‘42’ might even bring that point home to those who wish to see.

We’ve often heard that it is Obama who is making the country more racially divided. But other that that one speech he made about race, only because race became an issue for others, he, like Jackie Robinson, has exhibited the “guts not to fight back.”

People have been waiting for Obama (and other Blacks in positions of power) to do the ‘angry Black man’-thing. To nut up, to act out; to show his (or her) behind. So far, he hasn’t. He has stayed above the fray. But, as in the movie, it is those not accepting of Robinson’s skin color that made race an issue. Robinson came to play ball and succeed at his work; to be part of a team and to be a part of a winning team.

This movie addresses the psychology of a nation, of a people. It demonstrates what others have endured, and still must deal with today. It identifies how impressions—think racial attitudes—get passed down one generation to another. It exhibits ignorance. But it also presents America with an opportunity to be all it can be if we can just come together as one nation, under God, indivisible, and treat our fellow man as equals.

Jackie Robinson was only fifty-three years old when he died in 1972, but in those few years (similar to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s 39 years), he made a great mark on our land.

I encourage all people to take their children, grandchildren and any you know to see this movie. While it is a look back at a past time in our history, it is perfect for our current day. It is perfect for such a time as this.

April is National Minority Health Month. Living Well, Despite Catchin' Hell , a book about health, sex and happiness , with a foreword by Pauletta Washington, musician and wife of Academy Award winner, Denzel Washington; and endorsed by psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere, HBCUs and others. The book includes current comparative data for Black, White, Hispanic, Asian and Native American women. The book also addresses the effects of negative stereotypes . (print and eBook).

April is also National Poetry Month. Melodies of the Heart: Poems of Life & Love (eBook with poems about love, faith , sex , death and more)

It's always a time for relationships and humor . See the latest E-Book: First Do No Harm: How to Heal Your Relationships Using the Wisdom of Professional Caregivers , and...

Medical Bloopers! Amusing & Amazing Stories of Health Care Workers (foreword by Dr. Neil Shulman, author of Doc Hollywood . A book of medical humor /anecdotes, now as an eBook.)

Melody T. McCloud, M.D. , is an obstetrician-gynecologist and the author of First Do No Harm: How to Heal Your Relationships Using the Wisdom of Professional Caregivers .

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Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Movie Analysis — An Analysis of Racial Discrimination in the Film “42”

An Analysis of Racial Discrimination in The Film "42"

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Published: Mar 6, 2024

Words: 622 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Introduction, the portrayal of racial discrimination, the significance of teamwork, personal growth of the main character.

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A Review of ‘42’: Jackie Robinson’s Bitter Pill

Article. By Dave Zirin. 2013. Dave Zirin describes how 42 limits the story to a tale of “individual triumph through singular greatness,” ignoring the social movements and broader context of the time.

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Barriers Begin to Crumble

Integrating Baseball One of the first barriers to fall was in sports. Professional baseball had long been segregated into the all-white Major Leagues and the Negro League. Branch Rickey, general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, wanted to break the “color line” and tap into the vast pool of talent in the Negro League.

In 1947, Rickey signed an African American army veteran named Jackie Robinson. Robinson’s first years in the majors were a test of endurance. While some teammates welcomed him, he was ignored by other players and jeered at by fans. Soon, however, his skill and daring on the field won him huge numbers of fans, both white and African American. At the end of his first season, Robinson was named Rookie of the Year. More important, he paved the way for other African American athletes to compete in professional sports.

Zirin’s critical analysis of the film is also very useful as a critique of traditional textbook narratives.

By Dave Zirin, sports editor for The Nation , host of Edge of Sports , and co-author of The John Carlos Story and more .

This week in Major League Baseball was Jackie Robinson Day. This is when Commissioner Bud Selig honors the man who broke the color line in 1947 and pats MLB on the back for being “a leader in the Civil Rights Movement.” It’s possible to appreciate that Selig honors one of the 20th Century’s great anti-racist heroes. It’s also possible, out of respect for Jackie Robinson, to resent the hell out of it.

Ignored on Jackie Robinson Day are baseball’s decades of racism before Jackie broke the color line. Ignored are Robinson’s own critiques of baseball’s bigoted front office hiring policies. Ignored is the continuance of the racism that surrounds the game in 2013. Ignored is the fact that today in Arizona, Latino players live in fear of being stopped by police for not having their papers in order.

Early in the film, Jackie Robinson, played by newcomer Chadwick Boseman, says, “I don’t think it matters what I believe. Only what I do.” Unfortunately that quote is like a guiding compass for all that follows. The filmmakers don’t seem to care what Robinson — a deeply political human being — believed either. Instead 42 rests on the classical Hollywood formula of “Heroic individual sees obstacle. Obstacle is overcome. The End.” That works for Die Hard or American Pie . It doesn’t work for a story about an individual deeply immersed and affected by the grand social movements and events of his time. Jackie Robinson’s experience was shaped by the Dixiecrats who ruled his Georgia birthplace, the mass struggles of the 1930s, World War II, the anti-communist witch-hunts and later the Civil Rights and Black Freedom struggles. To tell his tale as one of individual triumph through his singular greatness is to not tell the story at all.

This is particularly ironic since Jackie Robinson spent the last years of his life in a grueling fight against his own mythos. He hated that his tribulations from the 1940s were used to sell a story about an individualistic, Booker T. Washington approach to fighting racism.

As he said in a speech, “All these guys who were saying that we’ve got it made through athletics, it’s just not so. You as an individual can make it, but I think we’ve got to concern ourselves with the masses of the people — not by what happens as an individual, so I merely tell these youngsters when I go out: certainly I’ve had opportunities that they haven’t had, but because I’ve had these opportunities doesn’t mean that I’ve forgotten.”

This was a man tortured by the fact that his own experience was used as a cudgel against building a public, fighting movement against racial injustice. He wanted to shift the discussion of his own narrative from one of individual achievement to the stubborn continuance of institutionalized racism in the United States. The film, however, is a celebration of the individual and if you know how that pained Mr. Robinson, that is indeed a bitter pill.

The film’s original sin was to set the action entirely in 1946 and 1947. Imagine if Spike Lee had chosen to tell the story of Malcolm X by only focusing on 1959-1960 when he was a leader in the Nation of Islam, with no mention of his troubled past or the way his own politics changed later in life. Malcolm X without an “arc” isn’t Malcolm X. Jackie Robinson without an “arc” is just Frodo Baggins in a baseball uniform. The absence of an arc means we don’t get the labor marches in the 1930s to integrate baseball. We don’t get his court martial while in the army (alluded to in the film without detail). We don’t get Jackie Robinson’s testimony in 1949 at the House Un-American Activities Committee against Paul Robeson. We don’t get his later anguish over what he did to Robeson. We don’t get his involvement in the Civil Rights Movement when he was a barnstorming speaker across the South. We don’t get his public feud with Malcolm X, where Malcolm derided him as a “White man’s hero” and he gave it right back saying, “Malcolm is very militant on Harlem street corners where militancy is not that dangerous. I don’t see him in Birmingham.” We don’t get his daring, loving obituary to Malcolm after his 1965 assassination at a time when the press — black and white — was throwing dirt on his grave. We don’t get his support of the 1968 Olympic boycotters. We don’t get the way his wife Rachel became an educated political figure who cared deeply about Africa, as well as racial and gender justice in America. We don’t get the Jackie Robinson who died at 52, looking 20 years older, broken by the weight of his own myth. We don’t get Raging Bull. We get Rocky III.

But if the focus of 42 is only going to be on 1946 and 1947, then there is still a lot to cover: namely Brooklyn Dodgers owner Branch Rickey, Jackie Robinson and their relationship to the Negro Leagues. Rickey — with Robinson’s support — established a pattern followed by other owners (with the notable exception of Bill Veeck), of refusing to compensate them for their players. On the day Robinson signed with the Dodgers, Rickey said, “There is no Negro League as such as far as I’m concerned. [They] are not leagues and have no right to expect organized baseball to respect them.” This led to the destruction of the largest national black owned business in the United States.

You would never know this from 42. Instead, the film chooses to affix a halo to Branch Rickey’s head. Instead, under a prosthetic mask, Harrison Ford plays Rickey as a great white savior, and not even Han Solo can make that go down smoothly. Fairing better than Ford is the terrific performance of Chadwick Boseman as Robinson. Jackie Robinson could be sensitive about his voice, which was clipped and somewhat high-pitched. Boseman’s voice is so smoky it could cure a ham, and his eyes and manner give hints of an internal life the film otherwise ignores.

There is no doubt in my mind that Jackie Robinson, if alive, would call on Bud Selig and Major League Baseball to stop using his history as an excuse to do nothing about the racial issues that currently plague the game. But there is also no doubt in my mind that Jackie Robinson, ever the pragmatist, also would support this film publicly. He was an honorable person who would have been humbled by the effort made to make him look like a hero. He would have seen the value in being a role model of pride and perseverance for the young. But at home, alone, he would have thought about it. And he would have seethed.

Reprinted from The Nation by permission of the author, © Dave Zirin, April 17, 2013.

Related Resources

We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

Picture book. By Kadir Nelson. 2008. 96 pages. The story of Negro League baseball, in text and stunning imagery.

2 comments on “ A Review of ‘42’: Jackie Robinson’s Bitter Pill ”

Wow. I agree with Skeeter. Thank you. It is so important to see a more complete picture. I will be sure to remember this review as I discuss history and race with my friends and family. Bootstraps only work if you have boots and then boots with straps or whatever features are needed for boots to work on ones feet best.

Thank you for a more balanced picture of the recognition and feelings related to respect for Jackie Robinson and what he really stands for in history.

Comments are closed.

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42: film review.

Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford provide engaging performances as Jackie Robinson and Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey in the Legendary/Warner Bros. drama about the man who broke MLB's color line.

By Todd McCarthy

Todd McCarthy

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42 Harrison Ford Chadwick Boseman - H 2013

Pretty when it should be gritty and grandiosely noble instead of just telling it like it was, 42 needlessly trumps up but still can’t entirely spoil one of the great American 20th century true-life stories, the breaking of major league baseball’s color line by Jackie Robinson . Whether in the deep South or the streets of Brooklyn, life here looks spiffy and well-scrubbed enough to appear in a department store window, while the soaring musical accompaniment seems to be stamping all the protagonists’ passports for immediate admission to that great ballpark in the sky. All the same, lead actors Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford cut through the artifice with engaging performances as Robinson and Brooklyn Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey , respectively, and audiences who don’t know much about the first black man to play professional baseball will be suitably impressed. Hit-starved Warner Bros. should be able to stir moderately good attendance domestically, although foreign prospects, as always with baseball yarns, are slight.

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How accurate is "42".

Ron Briley reviews books for the History News Network and is a history teacher and an assistant headmaster at Sandia Preparatory School, Albuquerque, New Mexico. He is the author of " The Politics of Baseball: Essays on the Pastime and Power at Home and Abroad."

At the heart of 42 lie three major heroes -- Robinson (Chadwick Boseman); Branch Rickey (Harrison Ford), the Brooklyn Dodgers executive who signed Robinson; and Wendell Smith (Andre Holland), a sportswriter for the black Pittsburgh Courier who serves as Robinson’s liaison with both Rickey and the black community. In fact, 42 deserves considerable credit for featuring the role of the black press in confronting baseball’s color line; a topic which is often ignored in popular accounts of the Robinson story. Most film audiences, however, are also certainly unaware that communists, especially sportswriter Lester Rodney of the Daily Worker , played a prominent role in the struggle for baseball’s desegregation. While it may be asking too much for the communist role to be acknowledged, the inclusion of Smith as an influential member of the black press is commendable.

Much of the film concentrates upon explaining the motives of Branch Rickey, a devout Christian and staunch anti-communist Republican, for breaking with his fellow owners in signing a black ballplayer. Initially, Rickey, played by an almost unrecognizable Harrison Ford, asserts that his primary motivation was color -- the green color of money which does not discriminate between white and black spectators. In other words, the signing of black players would attract black fans and their dollars. And money was certainly important to Rickey who enjoyed a miserly reputation in his salary negotiations with players. Near the end of the film, however, Rickey provides a more humanitarian motive with the story of Charles Thomas. When Rickey was a baseball coach for Ohio Wesleyan in 1903, his black catcher and first baseman was denied permission to stay in an Indiana hotel. Rickey prevailed upon the hotel management to have Thomas sleep on a cot in his room. A distraught Thomas, according to Rickey, then sat in the room attempting to wipe away his black skin. Rickey promised himself and Thomas that if an opportunity presented itself to do something about segregation in baseball and American life, he would avail himself of that opportunity. Post-World War II working-class Brooklyn seemed the right time and place.

Although outside the scope of 42 , Rickey continued to bring black ballplayers to Brooklyn. In 1955, Robinson, joined by Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe, led the Dodgers to a World Series victory over their nemesis the New York Yankees. Rickey’s Dodgers were attracting more black fans and dollars, but Rickey’s rival Walter O’Malley believed that even greater profits could be generated in the El Dorado of California. O’Malley maneuvered to oust Rickey from the Dodger ownership, and following the 1957 season the Dodgers deserted Brooklyn for Los Angeles. Brooklyn had supported the desegregation of baseball in 1947, but a decade later they had lost their beloved Dodgers. As for Rickey, he resurfaced in management with the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates. Thus, reality conflicts with a running joke through 42 , in which Dodger players, such as Dixie Walker (Ryan Merriman) and Kirby Higbe (Brad Beyer), who opposed Robinson’s signing were traded to Pittsburgh, a franchise which continues to struggle today. But what the film does not reveal is that Pittsburgh was also Rickey’s destination.

Of course, the central heroic figure in 42 is Robinson, and the film tells the story of Jackie’s 1947 campaign in which he led the Dodgers to a National League pennant, while earning selection as Rookie of the Year. When Rickey signs Robinson in 1945, the Brooklyn executive chooses Robinson over other Negro League players because he had college experience; running track and playing baseball, football, and basketball at UCLA. Robinson also had military experience, although he challenged the Army’s segregationist policies. Robinson also had the support of a loyal girlfriend who would soon become his wife, Rachel Isum Robinson (Nicole Beharie). Rickey makes it clear that he selected Robinson because of his belief that the athlete had the courage not to fight back when confronted with racist taunts and baseballs thrown at his head in an era before batters wore protective helmets.

Robinson and his new bride faced considerable discrimination in 1946 when he reported to spring training in Florida. To ease the transition for Robinson and his teammates, Robinson spent the 1946 season with the Montreal Royals and was selected the Most Valuable Player in the International League.

42 primarily chronicles a series of events that made 1947 the year when all hell broke loose in baseball, according to Dodger broadcaster and native Southerner Red Barber. Robinson’s promotion to the Dodgers is met with a petition circulated by players such as Dixie Walker, who was a Brooklyn favorite, and Kirby Higbe from the South. Manager Leo Durocher (Christopher Meloni) squashed this revolt by asserting that the club would be willing to trade any player who refused to play with Robinson. A combative Durocher proclaims that the Dodgers will add other black players, not as a social mission but in order to win baseball games. Although Durocher championed Robinson, he was suspended by Baseball Commissioner Happy Chandler for his alleged involvement with actress Laraine Day before her divorce was finalized. The film omits that Durocher was also suspended due to his alleged association with gamblers. And the role of Chandler -- the replacement for the racist Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who died in 1944 -- in promoting the integration of baseball is also ignored by the film. Durocher was replaced by former Dodger manager Burt Shotton (Max Gail), who advocated for Robinson in his own gentle manner.

One of the pivotal moments in the film is the vehement racial slurs hurled at Robinson by Philadelphia Phillies manager Ben Chapman (Alan Tudyk). The Phillies manager was so vitriolic that combative Dodger second baseman Eddie Stanky (Jesse Luken) told Chapman to pick on someone who could fight back. When Robinson asked Stanky why he confronted Chapman, the response was simply because he was attacking my teammate. Robinson was also embraced by the Dodgers popular shortstop Pee Wee Reese (Lucas Black). During a game in Cincinnati, Reese, who was a Southerner from nearby Kentucky, made a public gesture of putting his arm around Robinson, silencing many Robinson detractors in the hostile crowd. Robinson became fully aware of his acceptance by teammates when he is beaned. After regaining consciousness, Robinson is able to see his Dodger teammates engaged in battle with the Pirates and pitcher Fritz Ostermueller. Robinson gains his revenge on the field when his home run against Ostermueller clinched the pennant for the Dodgers. A slow motion turn around the bases symbolizes the triumph of Robinson and racial progress over the reactionary elements of Jim Crow. And young black men, such as Ed Charles (Dusan Brown) who later played third base for the 1969 World Champion New York Mets, could now dare to fulfill their drams. A bit corny on film, this heroic portrait of Robinson is certainly an important part of the Dodger great’s legacy.

Yet, reality is bit more complicated. The struggle against racism took its toll upon Robinson. Earning selection to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962 for both his on the field play and courageous breaking of the sport’s color line, Robinson’s health was poor following his retirement in 1956. Robinson also suffered through the agonies of his son Jackie Robinson, Jr. who returned from the Vietnam War with a drug problem. After seeming to deal with his addiction, Jackie, Jr. (whose birth is featured in 42 ) died in a 1971 car accident. When he died from a heart attack on October 24,1972, Jackie Robinson was only fifty-three years old, but he was nearly blind and suffered from hypertension and diabetes. One can only surmise how the strain of the 1947 season helped to make Robinson prematurely age. But director Brian Helgeland, perhaps best known for his screenwriting credits on such films as L.A. Confidential and Mystic River , does attempt to convey this stress in a powerful scene which is not based upon any observed historical account. Angered and frustrated by Chapman’s race baiting, Robinson retreats toward the clubhouse, where he proceeds to break down emotionally, shattering his bat and sobbing uncontrollably. While not based upon fact, this scene does convey what being baseball’s racial pioneer cost Robinson.

It also cost other black baseball players who never made to the Major Leagues. For example, there is a scene in 42 where Rickey has candidates from the Negro Leagues listed on a blackboard. The name Satchel Paige is circled. Based upon his barnstorming performances against such famous Major Leagues pitchers as Dizzy Dean and Bob Feller, many baseball experts consider Paige to be the greatest pitcher in the history of the sport. Yet because of his black skin, Paige was unable to pitch in the Major Leagues until the summer of 1948, when he was signed by Bill Veeck and the Cleveland Indians. Paige was a MLB rookie at age forty-two. But at least Paige got to play briefly on the MLB stage. This opportunity was denied to Josh Gibson, known as the black Babe Ruth.

Integration, however, proved to be a double-edged sword for black baseball. As players such as Robinson entered MLB, interest in the Negro Leagues declined. Once a major business and employer in the black community, the Negro Leagues were destroyed by the integration of many major stars into MLB. And Branch Rickey refused to honor Negro League contracts and declined to compensate the Kansas City Monarchs for Robinson’s services. A better model for baseball integration might have been the incorporation of entire Negro League franchises into MLB or the high minor leagues. The individualistic approach benefitted some black players and white owners at the expense of the larger black community. And the pace of integration in MLB remained slow despite the self-congratulatory rhetoric of the sport’s leadership. For example, when Robinson retired in 1956, the Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers had yet to feature a black player at the Major League level.

In addition, after reaching a record percentage of approximately 18 percent black players in MLB during the 1970s, that percentage has fallen to 8.5 percent in a sport which includes numerous international players from Asia and Latin America. With approximately 65 percent of the National Football League and 78 percent of the National Basketball Association black, baseball seems increasingly out of sync with black Americans despite the great personal sacrifice of Jackie Robinson. Meanwhile, the economic disparity between white and blacks in America continues to grow.

42 is a film honoring the heroic legacy of Jackie Robinson, and every spring on April 15 all Major League players wear number 42 in tribute to Robinson. Nevertheless, the historical reality of baseball integration and race relations in America are a far more complex and challenging problem.

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In 1947, Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era when he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and faces considerable racism in the process.
In 1946, Jackie Robinson is a Black League baseball player who never takes racism lying down. Branch Rickey is a Major League team executive with a bold idea. To that end, Rickey recruits Robinson to break the unspoken color line as the first modern African American Major League player. As both anticipate, this proves a major challenge for Robinson and his family as they endure unrelenting racist hostility on and off the field, from player and fan alike. As Jackie struggles against his nature to endure such abuse without complaint, he finds allies and hope where he least expects it. — Kenneth Chisholm ([email protected])
Branch Rickey of the Brooklyn dodgers wants to recruit Jackie Robinson for the Dodgers. Jackie, being an anti-racism merch, accepts and soon realizes that overcoming the racist merches will be tough. People from his own team sign a petition to kick him off, but it doesn't work. — The Big Merch

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Analysis of Movie 42

For my movie review, I chose to watch the movie 42, a biographical sports film about the racial integration of professional baseball player Jackie Robinson. I thoroughly enjoyed watching this movie and have seen it multiple times. I would rate the movie a 4.5 out of 5. The small problem I have with the movie is it gets boring in some parts, and I fall asleep; which is a continuous struggle for me in every movie I watch. The movie honestly does have a great storyline and can make people very emotional.

The movie, 42, was released on April 12 of 2013 in the United States. Thomas Tull produced the film along with Brian Helgeland directing it. The main character, Jackie Robinson, is played by Chadwick Boseman. A few other starring actors are Harrison Ford, Alan Tudyk, and well-known actress Nicole Beharie. The film is a total of 128 minutes long with many ups and downs and climactic scenes to keep the viewers intrigued, well they tried to at least. The film brought in 97.5 million dollars at the box office with a 40 million dollar budget. Brian Helgeland made $27.5 million on its opening weekend, the highest-grossing debut for a baseball movie in Hollywood history and the second-highest for a sports drama. 42 is rated PG-13 for its thematic elements, including language.

Making the movie was an adventure that took a total of twenty-three years to bring to life. The first idea and plan of a movie based on Jackie Robinson’s life and experiences were thought of by Spike Lee in 1995. The studio he was working with planned to release the film in 1997, to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Robinson breaking the color barrier. Sadly, the project fell apart in 1196 due to creative differences. Throughout the years, there were three more failed attempts to make the movie a reality. Finally, the movie became promising in June of 2011 when Legendary Pictures announced they were going to produce and develop a movie based on Robinson’s life.

Filming of the movie primarily took place in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee in the cities Macon, Birmingham, and Chattanooga. A few of the inside and stadium shots took place at Atlanta Film Studios in Paulding County. The writers of 42 did an excellent job of portraying the setting as if it was really in the 1940s. Characters in the film had the correct attire, language, and demeanors about them that makes the movie very realistic. Uniforms worn by the Dodgers players, the hairdos women did, the style characters had, and the everyday activities and customs they’d do all were related to the 1940s-1950s. The settings where the scenes took place were very persuading because they were base on old photographs and stadium blueprints. In total, the movie took two years to film and produce.

It is difficult to tell the story of something that lasted for many years with lots of substance in a short two hours. With that being said, I feel the writers, producers, and directors did a great job of telling Jackie Robinson’s story and celebrating his success. Many critics were pleased by the historical accuracy of the movie and how many facts and content was made clear in such a short amount of time. The people, events, and actions that took place all pertained to real life. Jackie had to go through many difficulties being a black man playing baseball and the persecution he, and other people of color, faced was more than obvious.

I enjoyed the movie because it’s real and has substance to it. 42 is not just another comedy baseball movie. This plot is something that indeed happened and a miraculous event that changed history. Being heavily involved in softball, I appreciate the game more than I did before. I would recommend this movie to my friends, and even watch it a party with them! The film can make you go from laughter to tears to anger in a matter of minutes. Watching Jackie defy the odds and do what so many told him he couldn’t is inspiring and motivational. I’m so glad that this movie has been created to educate, pay respect, and celebrate the life of Jackie Robinson and his success. He honestly did change history and make the world a better place: he deserves to be known and remembered.

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6.5: Film Analysis

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What this handout is about

This handout provides a brief definition of film analysis compared to literary analysis, provides an introduction to common types of film analysis, and offers strategies and resources for approaching assignments.

What is film analysis, and how does it differ from literary analysis?

Film analysis is the process in which film is analyzed in terms of semiotics, narrative structure, cultural context, and mise-en-scene, among other approaches. If these terms are new to you, don’t worry—they’ll be explained in the next section.

Analyzing film, like analyzing literature (fiction texts, etc.) , is a form of rhetorical analysis—critically analyzing and evaluating discourse, including words, phrases, and images. Having a clear argument and supporting evidence is every bit as critical to film analysis as to other forms of academic writing.

Unlike literature, film incorporates audiovisual elements and therefore introduces a new dimension to analysis. Ultimately, however, analysis of film is not too different. Think of all the things that make up a scene in a film: the actors, the lighting, the angles, the colors. All of these things may be absent in literature, but they are deliberate choices on the part of the director, producer, or screenwriter—as are the words chosen by the author of a work of literature. Furthermore, literature and film incorporate similar elements. They both have plots, characters, dialogue, settings, symbolism, and, just as the elements of literature can be analyzed for their intent and effect, these elements can be analyzed the same way in film.

Different types of film analysis

Listed here are common approaches to film analysis, but this is by no means an exhaustive list, and you may have discussed other approaches in class. As with any other assignment, make sure you understand your professor’s expectations. This guide is best used to understand prompts or, in the case of more open-ended assignments, consider the different ways to analyze film.

Keep in mind that any of the elements of film can be analyzed, oftentimes in tandem. A single film analysis essay may simultaneously include all of the following approaches and more. As Jacques Aumont and Michel Marie propose in Analysis of Film, there is no correct, universal way to write film analysis.

Semiotic analysis

Semiotic analysis is the analysis of meaning behind signs and symbols, typically involving metaphors, analogies, and symbolism.

This doesn’t necessarily need to be something dramatic; think about how you extrapolate information from the smallest signs in your day to day life. For instance, what characteristics can tell you about someone’s personality? Something as simple as someone’s appearance can reveal information about them. Mismatched shoes and bedhead might be a sign of carelessness (or something crazy happened that morning!), while an immaculate dress shirt and tie would suggest that the person is prim and proper. Continuing in that vein:

What might you be able to infer about characters from small hints?
How are these hints (signs) used to construct characters? How do they relate to the relative role of those characters, or the relationships between multiple characters?

Symbols denote concepts (liberty, peace, etc.) and feelings (hate, love, etc.) that they often have nothing to do with. They are used liberally in both literature and film, and finding them uses a similar process. Ask yourself:

In Frozen Elsa’s gloves appear in multiple scenes.
Her gloves are first given to her by her father to restrain her magic. She continues to wear them throughout the coronation scene, before finally, in the Let It Go sequence, she throws them away.

Again, the method of semiotic analysis in film is similar to that of literature. Think about the deeper meaning behind objects or actions.

Elsa’s gloves represent fear of her magic and, by extension, herself. Though she attempts to contain her magic by hiding her hands within gloves and denying part of her identity, she eventually abandons the gloves in a quest for self-acceptance.

Narrative structure analysis

Narrative structure analysis is the analysis of the story elements, including plot structure, character motivations, and theme. Like the dramatic structure of literature (exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, resolution), film has what is known as the Three-Act Structure: “Act One: Setup, Act Two: Confrontation, and Act Three: Resolution.” Narrative structure analysis breaks the story of the film into these three elements and might consider questions like:

How does the story follow or deviate from typical structures?
What is the effect of following or deviating from this structure?
What is the theme of the film, and how is that theme constructed?

Consider again the example of Frozen. You can use symbolism and narrative structure in conjunction by placing the symbolic objects/events in the context of the narrative structure. For instance, the first appearance of the gloves is in Act One, while their abandoning takes place in Act Two; thus, the story progresses in such a way that demonstrates Elsa’s personal growth. By the time of Act Three, the Resolution, her aversion to touch (a product of fearing her own magic) is gone, reflecting a theme of self-acceptance.

Contextual analysis

Contextual analysis is analysis of the film as part of a broader context. Think about the culture, time, and place of the film’s creation. What might the film say about the culture that created it? What were/are the social and political concerns of the time period? Or, like researching the author of a novel, you might consider the director, producer, and other people vital to the making of the film. What is the place of this film in the director’s career? Does it align with his usual style of directing, or does it move in a new direction? Other examples of contextual approaches might be analyzing the film in terms of a civil rights or feminist movement.

For example, Frozen is often linked to the LGBTQ social movement. You might agree or disagree with this interpretation, and, using evidence from the film, support your argument.

Some other questions to consider:

How does the meaning of the film change when seen outside of its culture?
What characteristics distinguishes the film as being of its particular culture?

Mise-en-scene analysis

Mise-en-scene analysis is analysis of the arrangement of compositional elements in film—essentially, the analysis of audiovisual elements that most distinctly separate film analysis from literary analysis. Remember that the important part of a mise-en-scene analysis is not just identifying the elements of a scene, but explaining the significance behind them.

What effects are created in a scene, and what is their purpose?
How does the film attempt to achieve its goal by the way it looks, and does it succeed?

Audiovisual elements that can be analyzed include (but are not limited to): props and costumes, setting, lighting, camera angles, frames, special effects, choreography, music, color values, depth, placement of characters, etc. Mise-en-scene is typically the most foreign part of writing film analysis because the other components discussed are common to literary analysis, while mise-en-scene deals with elements unique to film. Using specific film terminology bolsters credibility, but you should also consider your audience. If your essay is meant to be accessible to non-specialist readers, explain what terms mean. The Resources section of this handout has links to sites that describe mise-en-scene elements in detail.

Rewatching the film and creating screen captures (still images) of certain scenes can help with detailed analysis of colors, positioning of actors, placement of objects, etc. Listening to the soundtrack can also be helpful, especially when placed in the context of particular scenes.

Some example questions:

How is the lighting used to construct mood? Does the mood shift at any point during the film, and how is that shift in mood created?
What does the setting say about certain characters? How are props used to reveal aspects of their personality?
What songs were used, and why were they chosen? Are there any messages in the lyrics that pertain to the theme?

Writing the film analysis essay

Writing film analysis is similar to writing literary analysis or any argumentative essay in other disciplines: Consider the assignment and prompts, formulate a thesis (see the Brainstorming Handout and Thesis Statement Handout for help crafting a nuanced argument), compile evidence to prove your thesis, and lay out your argument in the essay. Your evidence may be different from what you are used to. Whereas in the English essay you use textual evidence and quotes, in a film analysis essay, you might also include audiovisual elements to bolster your argument.

When describing a sequence in a film, use the present tense, like you would write in the literary present when describing events of a novel, i.e. not “Elsa took off her gloves,” but “Elsa takes off her gloves.” When quoting dialogue from a film, if between multiple characters, use block quotes: Start the quotation on a new line, with the entire quote indented one inch from the left margin. However, conventions are flexible, so ask your professor if you are unsure. It may also help to follow the formatting of the script, if you can find it. For example:

ELSA: But she won’t remember I have powers? KING: It’s for the best.

You do not need to use quotation marks for blocked-off dialogue, but for shorter quotations in the main text, quotation marks should be double quotes (“…”).

Here are some tips for approaching film analysis:

Make sure you understand the prompt and what you are being asked to do. Focus your argument by choosing a specific issue to assess.
Review your materials. Rewatch the film for nuances that you may have missed in the first viewing. With your thesis in mind, take notes as you watch. Finding a screenplay of the movie may be helpful, but keep in mind that there may be differences between the screenplay and the actual product (and these differences might be a topic of discussion!).
Develop a thesis and an outline, organizing your evidence so that it supports your argument. Remember that this is ultimately an assignment—make sure that your thesis answers what the prompt asks, and check with your professor if you are unsure.
Move beyond only describing the audiovisual elements of the film by considering the significance of your evidence. Demonstrate understanding of not just what film elements are, but why and to what effect they are being used. For more help on using your evidence effectively, see ‘Using Evidence In An Argument’ in the Evidence Handout .

New York Film Academy Glossary Movie Outline Glossary Movie Script Database Citation Practices: Film and Television

Works Consulted

We consulted these works while writing the original version of this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find the latest publications on this topic. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial .

Aumont, Jacques, and Michel Marie. L’analyse Des Films. Paris: Nathan, 1988. Print. Pruter, Robin Franson. “Writing About Film.” Writing About Film. DePaul University, 08 Mar. 2004. Web. 01 May 2016.

“Film Analysis.” The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.5 License

How to Write a Film Analysis Essay – Step by Step

So, your assignment is to watch a movie and analyze it in an essay. Great!

I’m Tutor Phil, and in this tutorial I’ll show you how to write a film analysis.

In short, to write a film analysis means to:

Identify the elements of the film
Identify the relationships among those elements
Form an argument about your findings
Support your argument using evidence

If this task seems daunting, don’t worry – it is actually fun once you know exactly what to do.

So, let’s dive right in. Here are…

7 Steps to Writing a Film Analysis Essay

Step 1. Watch the movie while taking notes

If you already saw the film you need to analyze, you’ll probably need to watch it again, this time taking some notes.

Why is note taking important? Well, to analyze really means to break something into parts and to discuss relationships among them.

And to identify parts (or elements) of a movie, you need to watch it while paying attention to details and writing down your observations.

Taking notes will allow you to do several things:

Identify some of the elements of the film so you have something to discuss
Uncover details you would otherwise miss
Make connections between ideas
Get some raw content you can readily use in your essay

How to take notes

Here’s a tip on how to do it most efficiently. Play the movie on one device while taking notes on another.

For example, play the movie on your TV or iPad, and take notes on your laptop. This way, you can pause the movie and make a note without switching apps on your laptop.

What to look for

When watching the movie, you are looking for elements that it is made up of. You can simply start a bulleted list with a timeline and some of the things you observe.

Importantly, you usually don’t want to simply describe every event of the film. You need some kind of a theme or motif to focus on because otherwise you’ll simply write a synopsis if the movie.

But you want some useful notes. Here’s how to choose what to focus on.

First, your assignment should determine your focus. For example, if your instructor wants you to write about a particular character, then pay special attention to that character.

If your assignment includes more details, that’s even better. Maybe you have to pick a character and write about her love life or her relationship with her mother.

Great – that will help you narrow down your focus.

Second, you can choose your own theme to focus on. If your assignment is very general, don’t worry – just pick your own character, theme, or something in the movie you want to write about.

In this case, if you’ve already seen the film, just think back and choose something to focus your analysis on.

Third, you can simply analyze the entire film. In this case, your task is to identify the overall message of the film and how its elements help deliver this message.

Each of these ways to approach writing a film analysis essay works great. And the steps you learn here will help you whatever approach you choose.

Example of note-taking

Let me give you an example. Recently, I had to write about one particular character in a movie. I also had to discuss the mental health of the character. So, I paid special attention to anything that had to do with mental health.

I chose the movie The Hours based on Michael Cunningham’s book of the same title. And by the way, let’s use this film from now on as an example to illustrate our seven steps to writing a film analysis.

This movie follows three women at different periods of the twentieth century. One of them is Virginia Woolf, based on the real-life writer of the same name.

Since my task was to write about her, I took notes primarily related to her. But I also noted relevant elements in other parts of the film.

Note that I time-stamped the events that happen on the screen. This would help me orient myself in the story when I later read my notes.

This can also help you use quotations from the film because in some citation styles you are required to provide exact time stamps for the dialogue lines.

Here is a sample of the notes that I took while watching the movie:

00:00 – 3:30 Very compulsive behavior. Frantically dressing up.

“I feel that I’m going mad again.”

08:35 – ~11:00 “How was your sleep?” “Uneventful. No headache. I believe I may have the first sentence.”

“Always giving parties to cover the silence.” – Ed Harris. ~22:00

27:44 – 31:50 “Her fate becomes clear to her.”

Makes demands on her cook. Being kind of rude.

43:20 Doesn’t comply with doctors. Depressed all the time. Lies down by the dead bird, as if wanting to join it.

01:05:45 Talking to herself, mumbling, in the presence of others – sister, nephews, niece.

-What were you thinking about?

-I was going to kill my heroine but I changed my mind.

01:08:05 “I’m afraid I might have to kill someone else instead.”

Your notes don’t have to consist of perfect sentences. You can jot down sentence fragments, phrases, or even just words.

But complete sentences, or at least sentence fragments, will help you understand what you were thinking when taking the note. A sentence will tell you more than a word or a phrase.

Write down some important dialogue verbatim. You can later use these quotations in your essay.

Elements to look for

Let’s explore what kinds of elements you can look for while watching the movie. Cinema is an amazing medium that combines a multitude of things to talk about.

A film can contain everything a novel can. And in addition, it has visuals and sound. So, it’s very rich. Let’s divide the elements into two categories – literary and cinematic.

Literary elements

Story (the beginning, middle, and end)
Plot (how events are arranged in time and space)
Setting (where and when the action takes place)
Characterization (characters and their unique qualities)
Themes (recurring elements that link things together by topic)
Message (the point, the argument, if you will, of the movie)
Dialogue (what characters say)
Symbols (concrete visual or auditory bits that stand for abstract ideas)
Contrast (highlighting differences)

Cinematic elements

Sound (music, noises, or the use of silence)
Lighting (how light is used to convey or emphasize ideas)
Camera angles (positioning of the camera when shooting a scene)
Editing (putting different shots together in a sequence)
Mise-en-scene (everything you see on the screen)
Casting (the choice of actors)
Acting (the art of playing a character)

If you’re a film or literature student, many of these elements will sound familiar to you. But even if you’re not, you don’t have to know much about all or even most of these to write a great film analysis.

All you need is a few good elements that will serve as ideas to organize and develop your paper. And you are probably already familiar with some of them, such as story and characters, for example.

As you watch the movie and take notes, keep these elements somewhere in your document so you could check in with the list at any time.

Step 2. Make some connections among the elements

If you really want to do well on this paper, you might want to watch the movie one more time after you’ve taken your initial notes. This time, you’ll be making connections using these elements.

You can do this step from memory and your initial set of notes, but if you do it while watching the film one more time, your paper will be a lot stronger. And the writing part will be easier.

As you watch the film, especially for the second and maybe even a third time, you’ll notice patterns.

You’ll begin to see how different elements are connected by themes and other unifying elements.

Here are examples of how different and seemingly distant elements can be connected in a movie:

Thematic connection

Two or more characters have the same pattern of behavior. They may not know each other or may even live on different continents or in different time periods. But they both feel stuck in their marriages, for example.

Connection through dialogue

Two or more characters who, again, seem completely unrelated say the same things. Or, one character says something, and another picks it up or answers it in the next scene or shot.

Connection through mise-en-scene

Mise-en-scene is all the visual elements on the screen. A recurring visual can link different elements, such as characters, together.

For example, a character can have a red rose in her hand. Another character, in a different time and space, can also have a red rose in her hand. This is a director’s way of saying: “Pay attention and look for connections between these characters.”

Musical connection

The same music can play in different scenes. Or, the same tune can be played in a major, happy key in one scene but in a minor, sad key in another. Or, a short motive can be repeated at pertinent moments in the film.

Movie writers and directors make all kinds of other connections in their films. If you watch the movie more than once while being consciously aware of the possibilities, you’ll notice things.

You can choose any types of connections you want. If your instructor wants you to be specific and use cinematography and dialogue, for example, then use these two categories.

But if you identify some nice connections in other categories, put them in your notes, too. You’ll use them as supporting ideas in your essay.

Example of making connections

Let me give you an example of how I used elements of film to make some connections for that film analysis I worked on.

Note that I’m using only four categories of these elements because to discuss more of them would only make the essay get out of hand. It’s better to focus on a few. Make sure it’s no fewer than two, and preferably three or four.

The first one or two can be the main ones, and the rest can be used as supporting ideas (more on this later).

To make better sense of the example below, keep in mind that the movie The Hours follows three women in different times and places.

I used letters V, L, and C as acronyms of their first names, because it’s faster and easier that way.

Here is a sample of connections (as brief notes)

Homosexuality and bisexuality.
Around 42:00 – L kisses her neighbor Kitty. Later, V kisses her sister Vanessa. Both women are not only stuck in their situations – they are also stuck in the closet.
C is also stuck, according to her own words.
V tries to write a novel. L tries to bake a cake. C tries to throw a party. Each one is frustrated.
But there is a progression from V-L-C. V never succeeds. L fails at first attempt but succeeds with the second one. C makes everything ready, but the party never happens through no fault of her own.
Also, trying to run away. V fails. L succeeds. So does Louis in modern times.
C says at one point, “From then on I’ve been stuck.” It seems she’s stuck in bisexuality.
When L drops off her son, it’s with Mrs. Latch (note the name). A latch is a fastening or binding device.
Louis Waters says, “The day I left him, I got on a train and made my way across Europe. I felt free for the first time in years.”
V succeeds on the third attempt. L contemplates it but changes her mind. C never attempts. But Richard succeeds.
13:54 – (1951) L’s son asks to help with the cake. L: “Of course you can, sweet pea. I’m not gonna do anything without you.” Cuts to 2001 New York: C: “No, of course!”
It’s as if the director is being sarcastic: “Yeah, sure. Of course I’m not gonna do anything without you.”
L eventually abandons her family, including her son. So, this juxtaposition seems sarcastic and acts as foreshadowing.

Mise-en-scene (visual elements)

Each of two women, V and L, is alone in a bed; one is in bed with a partner.
L is particularly emphasized as alone with an empty half bed – happens again later in the film.
The light is pouring in from outside, but the room is dark. She is isolated by the window frame. Isolated from everything in the home, including her son.
Later, around 17:30, her son will be alone in a very dark apartment: “I needed to let in some light.” Maybe light is associated with freedom.
V depressed, even disturbed
L wondering what the day will bring
C excited about the upcoming day.
There seems to be a progression from worse to better in V-L-C.

When you actively look for connections, you’ll make many of them. In this step, you’re not thinking deeply about them. You’re just noticing things and jotting them down.

The main thinking is done in the next step.

Step 3. Formulate your main argument

Now that you have your elements and you’ve perceived some relationships among them, it’s time to formulate your thesis.

A thesis is the main point of your essay. This step is the most important because this is where you take a stand.

This is also a creative step. You’re essentially making a decision about what to say about this movie or an aspect of the movie.

Here’s a short video I created, explaining what a thesis is:

Read back through your notes

Read through the initial notes you took and the connections that you’ve made.

What stands out to you as the most important, the most general and overarching idea that is probably the main one?

Make your thesis about this idea. And the rest of the elements or ideas will act as supporting points (we’ll add them in the next step).

Choose the subject

Let’s choose what to write about – our subject – in our sample film analysis. We have four categories of elements in which we’ve made notes and connections:

Mise-en-scene

Just by looking at this list and reading through the connections made, it is easy to notice:

One or more of the themes are dominant, and the rest is supportive. Therefore, our main point should probably be about a theme .

Again, if your instructor has given you a specific subject to focus on, then that’s what your thesis will be about.

In this example, let’s assume that we must simply write a film analysis, and we’re free to choose what to write about.

So, we’ll pick one of the themes, take a stand on it, and formulate our thesis based on it. Let’s look at the themes we’ve picked out again:

Repressed sexuality
Frustration
Being stuck
Seeking freedom

Which of these is the dominant one? Which one is all-encompassing? Which one includes some of the others?

These are some of the questions we might ask to pick the main subject for our essay. Let’s arrange these themes in the order of more general to more specific:

Why is being stuck the most general and all-encompassing theme? That’s because it seems that the rest of the themes are either the signs or the effects of it.

Repressed sexuality and frustration in trying to accomplish things and failing are signs, examples, or manifestations of being stuck.

It is only possible to seek freedom if you feel stuck. And suicide, at least in this film, is a result of being stuck and seeing no way out.

This tells us that being stuck as a theme is the best candidate for our thesis. In other words, this essay will be about the theme of being stuck in the film The Hours .

Formulate the thesis

At this point, we have everything we need to formulate our thesis, our main point that we’ll be supporting in the essay. Let’s do it:

“In the film The Hours, the feeling of being stuck in terms of their sexualities and life situations plagues the main characters. And the earlier in the century the action takes place, the more disastrous the consequences of them feeling stuck.”

What’s going on in this thesis?

First, we have two sentences because this film analysis is kind of complex. It is possible to write out the main point in only one sentence, but then it would be too long and complicated.

Second, note that we have all the main elements either explicitly or implicitly present in this statement. In other words, this thesis summarizes our entire essay perfectly.

It contains the themes of:

Being stuck (which is our main subject)
Sexuality (one supporting idea)
Seeking freedom (from an unwanted life situation)
Sucide (a disastrous consequence)

In other words, it’s all there in the thesis. And we’ll unpack these concepts more in the next two steps.

Step 4. Write the introductory paragraph

The introductory paragraph consists of three parts:

An introductory sentence
The thesis (main point)
The supporting points

Here is a diagram of how it is organized:

We already have one of these parts, which is the thesis (part 2). Now, all we need is the introductory sentence and the supporting points.

Let’s put together our supporting points – the crucial part of a thesis statement. A full thesis statement always includes the main point and the supporting ideas. And then we’ll write out the complete introductory paragraph.

Keep in mind that each of our supporting points will correspond to a section of our essay. And I always recommend using the Power of Three to organize a paper.

Three is a great number to divide one idea into many. Note that writing an essay on any topic is very much a matter of dividing big topics into subtopics.

What three supporting points or sections can we have in this essay? Well, luckly, it just so happens that the film The Hours centers around three main characters set in different time periods and places.

This makes a perfect division into three parts. Now, your movie may not have such a clear division, and in that case you’ll need to come up with three supporting ideas creatively.

For example, you could discuss the feeling or predicament if being stuck in terms of these concepts:

And your essay would have three main sections. Each section would be devoted to being stuck in a particular sense.

In our essay, the three women are:

Virginia Woolf (1923)
Laura Brown (1951)
Clarissa Vaughan (2001)

From our thesis, we know two things:

They all share the feeling of being stuck, in similar ways
There is a progression from past to present in how it affects them

So, now, let’s write out the complete thesis statement. Note that we’re also including the introductory sentence, whose function is to pull the reader into the subject matter of the essay.

Our film analysis thesis statement example

“Through the power of narrative and visual elements, cinema allows the viewer a glimpse into worlds she otherwise could not know, revealing difficulties people have faced throughout history. In the film The Hours, the feeling of being stuck in terms of their sexualities and life situations plagues the main characters. And the earlier in the century the action takes place, the more disastrous the consequences of them feeling stuck. Virginia Woolf, set in 1923, is in the worst situation because while she suffers from repressed homosexuality and hates living in the country, it is next to impossible for her to find a viable way out. Laura Brown, set in 1951, is also a closet lesbian and lives a small-town family life she despises. But she eventually finds a way to liberate herself. Finally, Clarissa Vaughn, set in 2001, is stuck in her bisexuality. But her life situation, while challenging, is otherwise better than those of the other two characters.”

Step 5. Outline the essay

The thesis statement that we just put together also acts as our big-picture outline. Let’s see how our essay will be organized, in terms of the main sections:

Notice that this big-picture outline is dictated completely by our thesis statement. This is why a great, detailed thesis statement is so important.

Fulfilling the word count requirement

Your film analysis essay assignment may have a specific word or page count requirement. Let me give you an example of this film analysis outline with a breakdown of words per section and subsection.

Let’s say you need to write a 2,000-word paper. Well, right now our introductory paragraph contains about 150 words. Here is how we could distribute words to meet that word count requirement.

Outline with word count distribution

Introductory paragraph (150 words)
Sexuality ( 300 words )
Life situation ( 300 words )
Conclusion (100 words)

If you add up all the sections and subsections, you’ll get 2,050, which is about our desired word count.

If you need to write 5,000 words, then distribute your words accordingly. You’ll have about 250 words per introduction and conclusion, which will leave you with 4,500 words for the body of the essay.

That will be 1,500 words per main section. Divide each main section into three subsections using the Power of Three, and you have 500 words per subsection.

It’s very helpful to know how to distribute your words because that allows you to map out how much you’re writing in each section and paragraph.

Step 6. Write the body of the essay

The body of a film analysis essay consists of sections, and each section consists of one or more paragraphs.

So, your main building block in the body of the essay is the body paragraph. Here is how a body paragraph is structured:

The first sentence is the so-called lead sentence. It must summarize the contents of the paragraph succinctly and perfectly.

An explanation is where you have a chance to provide any reasoning or describe a process.

And examples are the most specific parts of any paragraph or essay. They are the most fun to write and to read.

Let’s write a body paragraph to illustrate exactly how such a building block works in a movie analysis.

Our example is about Virginia Woolf. It belongs in Section 1, subsection 1 – about being stuck with repressed homosexuality.

Note that this subsection can have more than one paragraph. This will be one of the paragraphs in this section.

Film analysis body paragraph example

“Virginia feels stuck in her personal life as if in a prison because of her repressed sexuality. She appears to be a closet homosexual, which is a difficult predicament to endure in the early 20th century England. Homosexuality was looked down upon, and a woman had to be married to a man, regardless of her innate sexual preferences. She lives with her husband who takes care of her and clearly loves her. However, when her sister Vanessa comes to visit, at the end of the visit, Virginia gives her a long, passionate kiss on the lips that is apparently reciprocated. The kiss is so intense that it indicates a repressed desire. Vanessa accepts it, but it is not clear whether she does so out of mutual attraction or compassion for her sister’s suffering.”

This paragraph follows the structure illustrated in the diagram.

It opens with a lead sentence which summarizes and introduces the entire contents of the paragraph perfectly. It is also the most general statement of the essay.

Next comes the explanation. We explain why we think that Virginia has a problem. The time period she lives in makes it difficult to be a sexual minority.

Finally, we provide an example – the most specific kind of evidence in an essay. It is an example of a kiss, with a description and implications.

To complete the body of the essay, we would need to build it out by writing one paragraph after another, following the outline and maintaining this body paragraph structure.

Note that you can also use outside sources to support your points. But first write out what you can without resorting to research. And only then go and find sources that would confirm your thinking and ideas.

Step 7. Write the conclusion

This is the final step and the easiest one. I usually advocate for concluding with a simple restatement.

All you need to do is write out the thesis statement using different words so it doesn’t come across as a mere copy.

Your conclusion can be shorter than the introductory paragraph. After all, you’ve already said it all. And now, just restate in fewer and different words. You can also add a more general statement at the very end, as a finishing touch.

And let’s do it.

“The Hours is a fascinating study of how repressed sexuality and confining life situations have affected people’s lives throughout the twentieth century. The three characters live in different times, and the earlier the period the more difficult the situation and the harder it is to endure. Virginia commits suicide because she can’t find a way out of her situation. Laura almost commits suicide but then chooses to abandon her situation, which is physically a little easier in the 1950’s. And Clarissa lives with her girlfriend. Her situation is better although she is still stuck as a bisexual. Life in 2001 is significantly better, though not devoid of challenges.”

And there you have it. Now you know exactly how to write a film analysis paper.

I hope this was helpful!

Tutor Phil is an e-learning professional who helps adult learners finish their degrees by teaching them academic writing skills.

How to Write a Film Analysis Essay: Examples, Outline, & Tips

A film analysis essay might be the most exciting assignment you have ever had! After all, who doesn’t love watching movies? You have your favorite movies, maybe something you watched years ago, perhaps a classic, or a documentary. Or your professor might assign a film for you to make a critical review. Regardless, you are totally up for watching a movie for a film analysis essay.

However, once you have watched the movie, facing the act of writing might knock the wind out of your sails because you might be wondering how to write a film analysis essay. In summary, writing movie analysis is not as difficult as it might seem, and Custom-writing.org experts will prove this. This guide will help you choose a topic for your movie analysis, make an outline, and write the text.️ Film analysis examples are added as a bonus! Just keep reading our advice on how to get started.

❓ What Is a Film Analysis Essay?

🚦 Film Analysis Types

📽️ Movie Analysis Format

✍️ how to write a film analysis, 🎦 film analysis template, 🎬 film analysis essay topics.

📄 Essay Examples

🔗 References

To put it simply, film analysis implies watching a movie and then considering its characteristics : genre, structure, contextual context, etc. Film analysis is usually considered to be a form of rhetorical analysis . The key to success here is to formulate a clear and logical argument, supporting it with examples.

🚦 Film Analysis Essay Types

Since a film analysis essay resembles literature analysis, it makes sense that there are several ways to do it. Its types are not limited to the ones described here. Moreover, you are free to combine the approaches in your essay as well. Since your writing reflects your own opinion, there is no universal way to do it.

Semiotic analysis . If you’re using this approach, you are expected to interpret the film’s symbolism. You should look for any signs that may have a hidden meaning. Often, they reveal some character’s features. To make the task more manageable, you can try to find the objects or concepts that appear on the screen multiple times. What is the context they appear in? It might lead you to the hidden meaning of the symbols.
Narrative structure analysis . This type is quite similar to a typical literature guide. It includes looking into the film’s themes, plot, and motives. The analysis aims to identify three main elements: setup, confrontation, and resolution. You should find out whether the film follows this structure and what effect it creates. It will make the narrative structure analysis essay if you write about the theme and characters’ motivations as well.
Contextual analysis . Here, you would need to expand your perspective. Instead of focusing on inner elements, the contextual analysis looks at the time and place of the film’s creation. Therefore, you should work on studying the cultural context a lot. It can also be a good idea to mention the main socio-political issues of the time. You can even relate the film’s success to the director or producer and their career.
Mise-en-scene analysis . This type of analysis works with the most distinctive feature of the movies, audiovisual elements. However, don’t forget that your task is not only to identify them but also to explain their importance. There are so many interconnected pieces of this puzzle: the light to create the mood, the props to show off characters’ personalities, messages hidden in the song lyrics.

To write an effective film analysis essay, it is important to follow specific format requirements that include the following:

Standard essay structure. Just as with any essay, your analysis should consist of an introduction with a strong thesis statement, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The main body usually includes a summary and an analysis of the movie’s elements.
Present tense for events in the film. Use the present tense when describing everything that happens in the movie. This way, you can make smooth transitions between describing action and dialogue. It will also improve the overall narrative flow.
Proper formatting of the film’s title. Don’t enclose the movie’s title in quotation marks; instead, italicize it. In addition, use the title case : that is, capitalize all major words.
Proper use of the characters’ names. When you mention a film character for the first time, name the actor portraying them. After that, it is enough to write only the character’s name.
In-text citations. Use in-text citations when describing certain scenes or shots from the movie. Format them according to your chosen citation style. If you use direct quotes, include the time-stamp range instead of page numbers. Here’s how it looks in the MLA format: (Smith 0:11:24–0:12:35).

Even though film analysis is similar to the literary one, you might still feel confused with where to begin. No need to worry; there are only a few additional steps you need to consider during the writing process.

Need more information? It can be found in the video below.

Starting Your Film Analysis Essay

There are several things you need to do before you start writing your film analysis paper. First and foremost, you have to watch the movie. Even if you have seen it a hundred times, you need to watch it again to make a good film analysis essay.

Note that you might be given an essay topic or have to think of it by yourself. If you are free to choose a topic for your film analysis essay, reading some critical reviews before you watch the film might be a good idea. By doing this in advance, you will already know what to look for when watching the movie.

In the process of watching, keep the following tips in mind:

Consider your impression of the movie
Enumerate memorable details
Try to interpret the movie message in your way
Search for the proof of your ideas (quotes from the film)
Make comments on the plot, settings, and characters
Draw parallels between the movie you are reviewing and some other movies

Making a Film Analysis Essay Outline

Once you have watched and possibly re-watched your assigned or chosen movie from an analytical point of view, you will need to create a movie analysis essay outline . The task is pretty straightforward: the outline can look just as if you were working on a literary analysis or an article analysis.

Introduction : This includes the basics of the movie, including the title, director, and the date of release. You should also present the central theme or ideas in the movie and your thesis statement .
Summary : This is where you take the time to present an overview of the primary concepts in the movie, including the five Ws (who, what, when, where, and why)—don’t forget how!—as well as anything you wish to discuss that relates to the point of view, style, and structure.
Analysis : This is the body of the essay and includes your critical analysis of the movie, why you did or did not like it, and any supporting material from the film to support your views. It would help if you also discussed whether the director and writer of the movie achieved the goal they set out to achieve.
Conclusion: This is where you can state your thesis again and provide a summary of the primary concepts in a new and more convincing manner, making a case for your analysis. You can also include a call-to-action that will invite the reader to watch the movie or avoid it entirely.

You can find a great critical analysis template at Thompson Rivers University website. In case you need more guidance on how to write an analytical paper, check out our article .

Writing & Editing Your Film Analysis Essay

We have already mentioned that there are differences between literary analysis and film analysis. They become especially important when one starts writing their film analysis essay.

First of all, the evidence you include to support the arguments is not the same. Instead of quoting the text, you might need to describe the audiovisual elements.

However, the practice of describing the events is similar in both types. You should always introduce a particular sequence in the present tense. If you want to use a piece of a dialogue between more than two film characters, you can use block quotes. However, since there are different ways to do it, confirm with your supervisor.

For your convenience, you might as well use the format of the script, for which you don’t have to use quotation marks:

ELSA: But she won’t remember I have powers?

KING: It’s for the best.

Finally, to show off your proficiency in the subject, look at the big picture. Instead of just presenting the main elements in your analysis, point out their significance. Describe the effect they make on the overall impression form the film. Moreover, you can dig deeper and suggest the reasons why such elements were used in a particular scene to show your expertise.

Stuck writing a film analysis essay? Worry not! Use our template to structure your movie analysis properly.

Introduction

The title of the film is… [title]
The director is… [director’s name] He/she is known for… [movies, style, etc.]
The movie was released on… [release date]
The themes of the movie are… [state the film’s central ideas]
The film was made because… [state the reasons]
The movie is… because… [your thesis statement].
The main characters are… [characters’ names]
The events take place in… [location]
The movie is set in… [time period]
The movie is about… [state what happens in the film and why]
The movie left a… [bad, unforgettable, lasting, etc.] impression in me.
The script has… [a logical sequence of events, interesting scenes, strong dialogues, character development, etc.]
The actors portray their characters… [convincingly, with intensity, with varying degree of success, in a manner that feels unnatural, etc.]
The soundtrack is [distracting, fitting, memorable, etc.]
Visual elements such as… [costumes, special effects, etc.] make the film [impressive, more authentic, atmospheric, etc.]
The film succeeds/doesn’t succeed in engaging the target audience because it… [tells a compelling story, features strong performances, is relevant, lacks focus, is unauthentic, etc.]
Cultural and societal aspects make the film… [thought-provoking, relevant, insightful, problematic, polarizing, etc.]
The director and writer achieved their goal because… [state the reasons]
Overall, the film is… [state your opinion]
I would/wouldn’t recommend watching the movie because… [state the reasons]
Analysis of the film Inception by Christopher Nolan .
Examine the rhetoric in the film The Red Balloon .
Analyze the visual effects of Zhang Yimou’s movie Hero .
Basic concepts of the film Interstellar by Christopher Nolan.
The characteristic features of Federico Fellini’s movies.
Analysis of the movie The Joker .
The depiction of ethical issues in Damaged Care .
Analyze the plot of the film Moneyball .
Explore the persuasive techniques used in Henry V .
Analyze the movie Killing Kennedy .
Discuss the themes of the film Secret Window .
Describe the role of audio and video effects in conveying the message of the documentary Life in Renaissance .
Compare and analyze the films Midnight Cowboy and McCabe and Mrs. Miller .
Analysis of the movie Rear Window .
The message behind the film Split .
Analyze the techniques used by Tim Burton in his movie Sleepy Hollow .
The topic of children’s abuse and importance of trust in Joseph Sargent’s Sybil .
Examine the themes and motives of the film Return to Paradise by Joseph Ruben.
The issues of gender and traditions in the drama The Whale Rider.
Analysis of the film Not Easily Broken by Duke Bill.
The symbolism in R. Scott’s movie Thelma and Louise .
The meaning of audiovisual effects in Citizen Kane .
Analyze the main characters of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo .
Discuss the historical accuracy of the documentary The Civil War .
Analysis of the movie Through a Glass Darkly .
Explore the core idea of the comedy Get Out .
The problem of artificial intelligence and human nature in Ex Machina .
Three principles of suspense used in the drama The Fugitive .
Examine the ideas Michael Bay promotes in Armageddon .
Analyze the visual techniques used in Tenet by Christopher Nolan.
Analysis of the movie The Green Mile .
Discrimination and exclusion in the film The Higher Learning .
The hidden meaning of the scenes in Blade Runner .
Compare the social messages of the films West Side Story and Romeo + Juliet .
Highlighting the problem of children’s mental health in the documentary Kids in Crisis .
Discuss the ways Paul Haggis establishes the issue of racial biases in his movie Crash .
Analyze the problem of moral choice in the film Gone Baby Gone .
Analysis of the historical film Hacksaw Ridge .
Explore the main themes of the film Mean Girls by Mark Walters .
The importance of communication in the movie Juno .
Describe the techniques the authors use to highlight the problems of society in Queen and Slim .
Examine the significance of visual scenes in My Family/ Mi Familia .
Analysis of the thriller Salt by Phillip Noyce.
Analyze the message of Greg Berlanti’s film Love, Simon .
Interpret the symbols of the film The Wizard of Oz (1939).
Discuss the modern issues depicted in the film The Corporation .
Moral lessons of Edward Zwick’s Blood Diamond .
Analysis of the documentary Solitary Nation .
Describe the audiovisual elements of the film Pride and Prejudice (2005) .
The problem of toxic relationships in Malcolm and Marie .

📄 Film Analysis Examples

Below you’ll find two film analysis essay examples. Note that the full versions are downloadable for free!

Film Analysis Example #1: The Intouchables

Raising acute social problems in modern cinema is a common approach to draw the public’s attention to the specific issues and challenges of people facing crucial obstacles. As a film for review, The Intouchables by Oliver Nakache and Éric Toledano will be analyzed, and one of the themes raised in this movie is the daily struggle of the person with severe disabilities. This movie is a biographical drama with comedy elements. The Intouchables describes the routine life of a French millionaire who is confined to a wheelchair and forced to receive help from his servants. The acquaintance of the disabled person with a young and daring man from Parisian slums changes the lives of both radically. The film shows that for a person with disabilities, recognition as a full member of society is more important than sympathy and compassion, and this message expressed comically raises an essential problem of human loneliness.

Movie Analysis Example #2: Parasite

Parasite is a 2019 South Korean black comedy thriller movie directed by Bong Joon-ho and is the first film with a non-English script to win Best Picture at the Oscars in 2020. With its overwhelming plot and acting, this motion picture retains a long-lasting effect and some kind of shock. The class serves as a backbone and a primary objective of social commentary within the South Korean comedy/thriller (Kench, 2020). Every single element and detail in the movie, including the student’s stone, the contrasting architecture, family names, and characters’ behavior, contribute to the central topic of the universal problem of classism and wealth disparity. The 2020 Oscar-winning movie Parasite (2019) is a phenomenal cinematic portrayal and a critical message to modern society regarding the severe outcomes of the long-established inequalities within capitalism.

Want more examples? Check out this bonus list of 10 film analysis samples. They will help you gain even more inspiration.

“Miss Representation” Documentary Film Analysis
“The Patriot”: Historical Film Analysis
“The Morning Guy” Film Analysis
2012′ by Roland Emmerich Film Analysis
“The Crucible” (1996) Film Analysis
The Aviator’ by Martin Scorsese Film Analysis
The “Lions for Lambs” Film Analysis
Bill Monroe – Father of Bluegrass Music Film Analysis
Lord of the Rings’ and ‘Harry Potter’ Film Analysis
Red Tails by George Lucas Film Analysis

Film Analysis Essay FAQ

Watch the movie or read a detailed plot summary.
Read others’ film reviews paying attention to details like key characters, movie scenes, background facts.
Compose a list of ideas about what you’ve learned.
Organize the selected ideas to create a body of the essay.
Write an appropriate introduction and conclusion.

The benefits of analyzing a movie are numerous . You get a deeper understanding of the plot and its subtle aspects. You can also get emotional and aesthetic satisfaction. Film analysis enables one to feel like a movie connoisseur.

Here is a possible step by step scenario:

Think about the general idea that the author probably wanted to convey.
Consider how the idea was put across: what characters, movie scenes, and details helped in it.
Study the broader context: the author’s other works, genre essentials, etc.

The definition might be: the process of interpreting a movie’s aspects. The movie is reviewed in terms of details creating the artistic value. A film analysis essay is a paper presenting such a review in a logically structured way.

Film Analysis – UNC Writing Center
Film Writing: Sample Analysis // Purdue Writing Lab
Yale Film Analysis – Yale University
Film Terms And Topics For Film Analysis And Writing
Questions for Film Analysis (Washington University)
Resources on Film Analysis – Cinema Studies (University of Toronto)
Does Film Analysis Take the Magic out of Movies?
Film Analysis Research Papers – Academia.edu
What’s In a Film Analysis Essay? Medium
Analysis of Film – SAGE Research Methods
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Film Analysis: Example, Format, and Outline + Topics & Prompts

Films are never just films. Instead, they are influential works of art that can evoke a wide range of emotions, spark meaningful conversations, and provide insightful commentary on society and culture. As a student, you may be tasked with writing a film analysis essay, which requires you to delve deeper into the characters and themes. But where do you start?

In this article, our expert team has explored strategies for writing a successful film analysis essay. From prompts for this assignment to an excellent movie analysis example, we’ll provide you with everything you need to craft an insightful film analysis paper.

📽️ Film Analysis Definition

📚 Types of Film Analysis

✍️ How to Write Film Analysis
🎞️ Movie Analysis Prompts
🎬 Top 15 Topics

📝 Film Analysis Example

🍿 More Examples

🔗 References

📽️ what is a film analysis essay.

A film analysis essay is a type of academic writing that critically examines a film, its themes, characters, and techniques used by the filmmaker. This essay aims to analyze the film’s meaning, message, and artistic elements and explain its cultural, social, and historical significance. It typically requires a writer to pay closer attention to aspects such as cinematography, editing, sound, and narrative structure.

Film Analysis vs Film Review

It’s common to confuse a film analysis with a film review, though these are two different types of writing. A film analysis paper focuses on the film’s narrative, sound, editing, and other elements. This essay aims to explore the film’s themes, symbolism , and underlying messages and to provide an in-depth interpretation of the film.

On the other hand, a film review is a brief evaluation of a film that provides the writer’s overall opinion of the movie. It includes the story’s short summary, a description of the acting, direction, and technical aspects, and a recommendation on whether or not the movie is worth watching.

This image shows the difference between film analysis and film review.

Wondering what you should focus on when writing a movie analysis essay? Here are four main types of film analysis. Check them out!

📋 Film Analysis Format

The movie analysis format follows a typical essay structure, including a title, introduction, thesis statement, body, conclusion, and references.

The most common citation styles used for a film analysis are MLA and Chicago . However, we recommend you consult with your professor for specific guidelines. Remember to cite all dialogue and scene descriptions from the movie to support the analysis. The reference list should include the analyzed film and any external sources mentioned in the essay.

When referring to a specific movie in your paper, you should italicize the film’s name and use the title case. Don’t enclose the title of the movie in quotation marks.

📑 Film Analysis Essay Outline

A compelling film analysis outline is crucial as it helps make the writing process more focused and the content more insightful for the readers. Below, you’ll find the description of the main parts of the movie analysis essay.

Film Analysis Introduction

Many students experience writer’s block because they don’t know how to write an introduction for a film analysis. The truth is that the opening paragraph for a film analysis paper is similar to any other academic essay:

Start with a hook to grab the reader’s attention . For example, it can be a fascinating fact or a thought-provoking question related to the film.
Provide background information about the movie . Introduce the film, including its title, director, and release date. Follow this with a brief summary of the film’s plot and main themes.
End the introduction with an analytical thesis statement . Present the central argument or interpretation that will be explored in the analysis.

Film Analysis Thesis

If you wonder how to write a thesis for a film analysis, we’ve got you! A thesis statement should clearly present your main idea related to the film and provide a roadmap for the rest of the essay. Your thesis should be specific, concise, and focused. In addition, it should be debatable so that others can present a contrasting point of view. Also, make sure it is supported with evidence from the film.

Let’s come up with a film analysis thesis example:

Through a feminist lens, Titanic is a story about Rose’s rebellion against traditional gender roles, showcasing her attempts to assert her autonomy and refusal to conform to societal expectations prevalent in the early 20th century.

Movie Analysis Main Body

Each body paragraph should focus on a specific aspect of the film that supports your main idea. These aspects include themes, characters, narrative devices , or cinematic techniques. You should also provide evidence from the film to support your analysis, such as quotes, scene descriptions, or specific visual or auditory elements.

Here are two things to avoid in body paragraphs:

Film review . Your analysis should focus on specific movie aspects rather than your opinion of the film.
Excessive plot summary . While it’s important to provide some context for the analysis, a lengthy plot summary can detract you from your main argument and analysis of the film.

Film Analysis Conclusion

In the conclusion of a movie analysis, restate the thesis statement to remind the reader of the main argument. Additionally, summarize the main points from the body to reinforce the key aspects of the film that were discussed. The conclusion should also provide a final thought or reflection on the film, tying together the analysis and presenting your perspective on its overall meaning.

✍️ How to Write a Film Analysis Essay

Writing a film analysis essay can be challenging since it requires a deep understanding of the film, its themes, and its characters. However, with the right approach, you can create a compelling analysis that offers insight into the film’s meaning and impact. To help you, we’ve prepared a small guide.

1. Understand the Prompt

When approaching a film analysis essay, it is crucial to understand the prompt provided by your professor. For example, suppose your professor asks you to analyze the film from the perspective of Marxist criticism or psychoanalytic film theory . In that case, it is essential to familiarize yourself with these approaches. This may involve studying these theories and identifying how they can be applied to the film.

If your professor did not provide specific guidelines, you will need to choose a film yourself and decide on the aspect you will explore. Whether it is the film’s themes, characters, cinematography, or social context, having a clear focus will help guide your analysis.

2. Watch the Film & Take Notes

Keep your assignment prompt in mind when watching the film for your analysis. For example, if you are analyzing the film from a feminist perspective, you should pay attention to the portrayal of female characters, power dynamics , and gender roles within the film.

As you watch the movie, take notes on key moments, dialogues, and scenes relevant to your analysis. Additionally, keeping track of the timecodes of important scenes can be beneficial, as it allows you to quickly revisit specific moments in the film for further analysis.

3. Develop a Thesis and an Outline

Next, develop a thesis statement for your movie analysis. Identify the central argument or perspective you want to convey about the film. For example, you can focus on the film’s themes, characters, plot, cinematography, or other outstanding aspects. Your thesis statement should clearly present your stance and provide a preview of the points you will discuss in your analysis.

Having created a thesis, you can move on to the outline for an analysis. Write down all the arguments that can support your thesis, logically organize them, and then look for the supporting evidence in the movie.

4. Write Your Movie Analysis

When writing a film analysis paper, try to offer fresh and original ideas on the film that go beyond surface-level observations. If you need some inspiration, have a look at these thought-provoking questions:

How does the movie evoke emotional responses from the audience through sound, editing, character development , and camera work?
Is the movie’s setting portrayed in a realistic or stylized manner? What atmosphere or mood does the setting convey to the audience?
How does the lighting in the movie highlight certain aspects? How does the lighting impact the audience’s perception of the movie’s characters, spaces, or overall mood?
What role does the music play in the movie? How does it create specific emotional effects for the audience?
What underlying values or messages does the movie convey? How are these values communicated to the audience?

5. Revise and Proofread

To revise and proofread a film analysis essay, review the content for grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors. Ensure the paper flows logically and each paragraph contributes to the overall analysis. Remember to double-check that you haven’t missed any in-text citations and have enough evidence and examples from the movie to support your arguments.

Consider seeking feedback from a peer or instructor to get an outside perspective on the essay. Another reader can provide valuable insights and suggestions for improvement.

🎞️ Movie Analysis: Sample Prompts

Now that we’ve covered the essential aspects of a film analysis template, it’s time to choose a topic. Here are some prompts to help you select a film for your analysis.

Metropolis film analysis essay . When analyzing this movie, you can explore the themes of technology and society or the portrayal of class struggle. You can also focus on symbolism, visual effects, and the influence of German expressionism on the film’s aesthetic.
The Godfather film analysis essay . An epic crime film, The Godfather , allows you to analyze the themes of power and corruption, the portrayal of family dynamics, and the influence of Italian neorealism on the film’s aesthetic. You can also examine the movie’s historical context and impact on future crime dramas.
Psycho film analysis essay . Consider exploring the themes of identity and duality, the use of suspense and tension in storytelling, or the portrayal of mental illness. You can also explore the impact of this movie on the horror genre.
Forrest Gump film analysis essay . If you decide to analyze the Forrest Gump movie, you can focus on the portrayal of historical events. You might also examine the use of nostalgia in storytelling, the character development of the protagonist, and the film’s impact on popular culture and American identity.
The Great Gatsby film analysis essay . The Great Gatsby is a historical drama film that allows you to analyze the themes of the American Dream, wealth, and class. You can also explore the portrayal of the 1920s Jazz Age and the symbolism of the green light.
Persepolis film analysis essay . In a Persepolis film analysis essay, you can uncover the themes of identity and self-discovery. You might also consider analyzing the portrayal of the Iranian Revolution and its aftermath, the use of animation as a storytelling device, and the film’s influence on the graphic novel genre.

🎬 Top 15 Film Analysis Essay Topics

The use of color symbolism in Vertigo and its impact on the narrative.
The moral ambiguity and human nature in No Country for Old Men .
The portrayal of ethnicity in Gran Torino and its commentary on cultural stereotypes.
The cinematography and visual effects in The Hunger Games and their contribution to the dystopian atmosphere.
The use of silence and sound design in A Quiet Place to immerse the audience.
The disillusionment and existential crisis in The Graduate and its reflection of the societal norms of the 1960s.
The themes of sacrifice and patriotism in Casablanca and their relevance to the historical context of World War II.
The psychological horror in The Shining and its impact on the audience’s experience of fear and tension.
The exploration of existentialism in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind .
Multiple perspectives and unreliable narrators in Rashomon .
The music and soundtrack in Titanic and its contribution to the film’s emotional resonance.
The portrayal of good versus evil in the Harry Potter film series and its impact on understanding morality.
The incorporation of vibrant colors in The Grand Budapest Hotel as a visual motif.
The use of editing techniques to tell a nonlinear narrative in Pulp Fiction .
The function of music and score in enhancing the emotional impact in Schindler’s List .

Check out the Get Out film analysis essay we’ve prepared for college and high school students. We hope this movie analysis essay example will inspire you and help you understand the structure of this assignment better.

Film Analysis Essay Introduction Example

Get Out, released in 2017 and directed by Jordan Peele, is a culturally significant horror film that explores themes of racism, identity, and social commentary. The film follows Chris, a young African-American man, visiting his white girlfriend’s family for the weekend. This essay will analyze how, through its masterful storytelling, clever use of symbolism, and thought-provoking narrative, Get Out reveals the insidious nature of racism in modern America.

Film Analysis Body Paragraphs Example

Throughout the movie, Chris’s character is subject to various types of microaggression and subtle forms of discrimination. These instances highlight the insidious nature of racism, showing how it can exist even in seemingly progressive environments. For example, during Chris’s visit to his white girlfriend’s family, the parents continuously make racially insensitive comments, expressing their admiration for black physical attributes and suggesting a fascination bordering on fetishization. This sheds light on some individuals’ objectification and exotification of black bodies.

Get Out also critiques the performative allyship of white liberals who claim to be accepting and supportive of the black community. It is evident in the character of Rose’s father, who proclaims: “I would have voted for Obama for a third term if I could” (Peele, 2017). However, the film exposes how this apparent acceptance can mask hidden prejudices and manipulation.

Film Analysis Conclusion Example

In conclusion, the film Get Out provides a searing critique of racial discrimination and white supremacy through its compelling narrative, brilliant performances, and skillful direction. By exploring the themes of the insidious nature of racism, fetishization, and performative allyship, Get Out not only entertains but also challenges viewers to reflect on their own biases.

🍿 More Film Analysis Examples

Social Psychology Theories in The Experiment
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader: George Lukas’s Star Wars Review
Girl, Interrupted : Mental Illness Analysis
Mental Disorders in the Finding Nemo Film
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest Film: Interpretive Psychological Analysis
Analysis of Spielberg’s Film Lincoln
Glory – The Drama Movie by Edward Zwick
Inventors in The Men Who Built America Series
Crash Movie: Racism as a Theme
Dances with Wolves Essay – Movie Analysis
Superbad by G. Mottola
Ordinary People Analysis and Maslow Hierarchy of Needs
A Review of the Movie An Inconvenient Truth by Guggenheim
Chaplin’s Modern Times and H.G. Wells’s The Island of Dr. Moreau
Misé-En-Scene and Camera Shots in The King’s Speech
Children’s Sexuality in the Out in the Dark Film
Chinese and American Women in Joy Luck Club Novel and Film
The Film Silver Linings Playbook by Russell
The Role of Music in the Films The Hours and The Third Man
The Social Network : Film Analysis
My Neighbor Totoro : Film by Hayao Miyazaki
Marriage Story Film Directed by Noah Baumbach

❓ Film Analysis Essay: FAQ

Why is film analysis important.

Film analysis allows viewers to go beyond the surface level and delve into the deeper layers of a film’s narrative, themes, and technical aspects. It enables a critical examination that enhances appreciation and understanding of the film’s message, cultural significance, and artistic value. At the same time, writing a movie analysis essay can boost your critical thinking and ability to spot little details.

How to write a movie analysis?

Watch the film multiple times to grasp its key elements.
Take notes on the story, characters, and themes.
Pay attention to the film’s cinematography, editing, sound, message, symbolism, and social context.
Formulate a strong thesis statement that presents your main argument.
Support your claims with evidence from the film.

How to write a critical analysis of a movie?

A critical analysis of a movie involves evaluating its elements, such as plot, themes, characters, and cinematography, and providing an informed opinion on its strengths and weaknesses. To write it, watch the movie attentively, take notes, develop a clear thesis statement, support arguments with evidence, and balance the positive and negative.

How to write a psychological analysis of a movie?

A psychological analysis of a movie examines characters’ motivations, behaviors, and emotional experiences. To write it, analyze the characters’ psychological development, their relationships, and the impact of psychological themes conveyed in the film. Support your analysis with psychological theories and evidence from the movie.

Film Analysis | UNC Writing Center
Psychological Analysis of Films | Steemit
Critical Film Analysis | University of Hawaii
Questions to Ask of Any Film | All American High School Film Festival
Resources – How to Write a Film Analysis | Northwestern
Film Analysis | University of Toronto
Film Writing: Sample Analysis | Purdue Online Writing Lab
Film Analysis Web Site 2.0 | Yale University
Questions for Film Analysis | University of Washington
Film & Media Studies Resources: Types of Film Analysis | Bowling Green State University
Film & Media Studies Resources: Researching a Film | Bowling Green State University
Motion Picture Analysis Worksheet | University of Houston
Reviews vs Film Criticism | The University of Vermont Libraries
Television and Film Analysis Questions | University of Michigan
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Decoding the Symbolism and Performances in the Movie “Signs”: a Detailed Cast Analysis

This essay about M. Night Shyamalan’s “Signs” explores the film’s use of symbolism and powerful performances to engage the audience in a story filled with existential questions and deep emotional themes. It highlights the performances of Mel Gibson and Joaquin Phoenix, who bring to life the characters’ struggles with faith and doubt. The narrative also discusses how symbolic elements like crop circles enhance the film’s profound exploration of humanity, faith, and family.

How it works

In the intricate world of M. Night Shyamalan’s “Signs,” symbolism intertwines with exceptional acting to create a captivating narrative full of intrigue and depth. This film invites viewers to explore a complex story replete with hidden meanings and significant discoveries, presenting a narrative landscape rich with existential questions and deep emotional resonance.

Central to this cinematic masterpiece is Graham Hess, played by the compelling Mel Gibson. As a former priest who is struggling with his crumbling faith after a devastating personal loss, Graham is at the core of the film’s examination of the rough terrain of belief and skepticism.

Gibson delivers a nuanced performance, with every look and movement reflecting the turmoil of a man lost in doubt.

Contrasting with Gibson’s reserved intensity, Joaquin Phoenix plays Merrill, Graham’s impulsive younger brother, with fervent energy and indomitable spirit. Phoenix brings a rough-hewn charm and steadfast determination to Merrill, adding a vital balance to the screen. The chemistry between Gibson and Phoenix is electrifying, enhancing the film’s dynamic tension.

Throughout the film, mysterious symbols such as crop circles and trembling glasses of water emerge, each bearing enigmatic significance that challenges conventional interpretation. These symbols serve as a call from Shyamalan to look deeper, to explore the inner workings of the human psyche where fear meets faith in a dramatic clash.

Amidst these profound themes, Rory Culkin’s portrayal of Morgan, Graham’s son, stands out with its portrayal of vulnerability and innocence. Culkin brings a delicate touch to the role, highlighting the poignant contrast between youthful naivety and the darkening forces around him. Abigail Breslin, as Bo, Morgan’s younger sister, shines brightly with innocence and a subtle intuition of the looming dangers.

The interplay among the characters, against the backdrop of impending dread, adds layers of depth to their interactions with each other and the symbolic elements around them. Directed masterfully by Shyamalan and brought to life through powerful performances, “Signs” is more than a genre film—it’s a profound exploration of faith, family, and the essence of humanity.

As the film concludes, the intertwined journeys of its characters offer a narrative of resilience and redemption, leaving the audience in contemplation of the profound impact cinema has on exploring and illuminating the human condition.

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PapersOwl.com. (2024). Decoding the Symbolism and Performances in the Movie "Signs": A Detailed Cast Analysis . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/decoding-the-symbolism-and-performances-in-the-movie-signs-a-detailed-cast-analysis/ [Accessed: 29 May. 2024]

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"Decoding the Symbolism and Performances in the Movie "Signs": A Detailed Cast Analysis," PapersOwl.com , 21-May-2024. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/decoding-the-symbolism-and-performances-in-the-movie-signs-a-detailed-cast-analysis/. [Accessed: 29-May-2024]

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6.5: Film Analysis

What this handout is about

What is film analysis, and how does it differ from literary analysis?

Different types of film analysis

Semiotic analysis

Narrative structure analysis

Contextual analysis

Mise-en-scene analysis

Writing the film analysis essay

Works Consulted

How to Write a Film Analysis Essay – Step by Step

Step 1. Watch the movie while taking notes

How to take notes

What to look for

Example of note-taking

Elements to look for

Step 2. Make some connections among the elements

Example of making connections

Step 3. Formulate your main argument

Read back through your notes

Choose the subject

Formulate the thesis

Step 4. Write the introductory paragraph

Step 5. Outline the essay

Fulfilling the word count requirement

Step 6. Write the body of the essay

Step 7. Write the conclusion

Recent Posts

How to Write a Film Analysis Essay: Examples, Outline, & Tips

❓ What Is a Film Analysis Essay?

📽️ Movie Analysis Format

🔗 References

🚦 Film Analysis Essay Types