Category: Essays
Collection of Re-Edited Film Essays From Across My Academic Career. The nerdy stuff!!
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From Tartanry to Trainspotting- The Birth of a True Scottish Film Industry
This is a re-edited essay I wrote as part of my Undergraduate History & Politics Degree. The year 1979 saw the release of what has widely been considered Scotland’s first ‘home-grown major film’ in Bill Forsyth’s That Sinking Feeling (1979). Following that, the industry boomed through to the 21st Century with the arrival of new… Read more
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Metropolis vs Triumph of the Will- Abstracting the Masses and the False Equivalency between Weimar and Nazi Cinema
This is a re-edited essay I wrote as part of my UCL Film Studies Masters’. Definitley one for the more ardent cinephiles- Metropolis and Triumph of the Will are required watching before reading!! Metropolis (1927) and Triumph of the Will (1935) are two of early German cinema’s most extensive technical achievements which employed vast masses of people to… Read more
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Why are there Blockbusters at Cannes? – The Tension Between Art and Commerce at the Heart of Major Film Festivals
This is a re-edited essay I wrote as part of my UCL Film Studies Masters’. At first thought, the terms “Film Festival” and “Hollywood Blockbuster” fit together as well as Michael Bay and arthouse production. However, the relationship between the two is very close. Cannes has premiered many Pixar releases, including Inside Out (2015) and UP (2010), and the… Read more
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The True Illusion behind The Prestige – How Christopher Nolan’s film Deconstructs Human Identity Through Narrative, Magic, and Freud
This is a re-edited essay I wrote as part of my UCL Film Studies Masters’. It’s a long one but well worth a read to anyone interested in Nolan’s unique style, and the film of course is where my blog takes it’s design inspiration. Full Spoilers Ahead!!! The Prestige (2006) stands as one of Christopher Nolan’s… Read more
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John Woo and the Male Ideal – How the Action-Auteur’s Films Reflect Different Visions of Masculinity in Hollywood and Hong Kong
This is a re-edited essay I wrote as part of my UCL Film Studies Masters’. The action film for decades provided a crucible in which modern-day masculinity has been forged and tested. Hong Kong and Hollywood have long been at the forefront of this, producing history’s most famed fighting-heroes from Arnold Schwarzenegger to Jackie Chan… Read more