Some of the best representations of the character of the femme fatale, a type that has always played an essential part in film noirs and a tradition that has been carried on in more modern films. We are not talking about superwomen/action girls/just sexy and attractive women in films or musicals but really those who fit the dark, borken and manipulative side that defines femme fatale, in the film noir sense. Some examples: – Gloria Swanson in Sunset Boulevard (although she is quite atypical and so much more) – Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity – Anne Savage in Detour (B films are interesting ones) – Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction – Lee Remick in Anatomy of a Murder – Anne Bancroft in The Graduate – Gene Tierney in Laura Hunt
Cool article, would be interesting to see someone's take on the genre's reactions to political and social issues. Compare femme fatale characters from specific time periods e.g. Stanwyck in Double Indemnity to Amy Dunne in Gone Girl etc. – Thomas Munday10 years ago
You could also explore a less human angle in more recent films Under the Skin and Ex-Machina if you've seen them. – Marcus Dean10 years ago
Sharon Stone in <I>Basic Instinct</I>, definitely. – Monique10 years ago
A list and study of some of the best pop soundtrack of 1980s films, songs that continue to mark us now. Sometimes a film's soundtrack is better remembered than the film itself. Analyse how the director creates a certain atmosphere with the music, why he chose this song specifically, what is he trying to achieve, how does the song help us understand the character's personalities better? And how these songs have impacted our culture. I'm thinking on the line of The power of love from Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, Flashdance, Beetle Juice, potentially Dirty dancing… Although from the 1990s, soundtracks from Tarantino could be interesting to look at. (Pulp Fiction might be the most representative)
Sweet article, would be interesting to see a comparison between 1980s to soundtracks today. How have today's scores been affected by famous 1980s tracks (Drive, The Guest)? – Thomas Munday10 years ago
_Footloose_ should be on this list. A lot of those songs made the Top 40. – Monique10 years ago
A list and study of some of the most beautiful songs composed for the cinema. This is a very broad topic so make it personal, and choose between 7-10 songs (I know it's hard to choose!) This would focus on classical compositions though so choices can include John Williams, Klaus Badelt, Maurice Jarre, Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman…. and so many more!
This article's subject matter is rather expansive, it may be more efficient to study one particular composer's work e.g. Hans Zimmer's work with Gladiator compared to Man of Steel and Dark Knight. – Thomas Munday10 years ago
With Paul Walker's sad demise, not to mention to losses of several key characters in previous installments, which action stars/big names should join the franchise? Should they build upon their diverse range of actors or add more caucasian names?
I think they should continue to be as colorblind as they can with casting. So that means casting an actor that will be best for the job, regardless of color. – Arlinka Larissa10 years ago
I think they should pick someone with a personality that goes well with the cast no matter their color. – MeyonLittle10 years ago
This could be quite a fun and personal article. Think about some famous dance scenes happening in bars in films. Often, the narrative of a film is suspended for a few minutes just for a dance to happen. Why are bars perfect places for dances to happen? A few examples: – Charlie Chaplin in Modern Times – Laurel and Hardy in Way out West (although they are not in a bar, they dance in front of the bar/saloon) – Travolta and Thurman in Pulp Fiction – Gérard Philippe in The Proud and the Beautiful – (It's always fair weather maybe when the boys dance in the bar) – (for inspiration, maybe think about how many times Michael Jackson set dance scenes in bars in some videos like Smooth Criminal, You Rock My World…)
Fun! The second Dirty Dancing movie had a dance/bar scene. Pretty much every Step Up movie, of course. Depending on how you define "bar", there's a scene in the engine room of the Titanic that could work. Diary of a Mad Black Woman has a dance/bar scene. The Heat with Sandra Bullock... good idea, lots of potential for great pictures! – Monique10 years ago
could also include imagery and scenes from music videos :) – rocky1310 years ago
If you want another famous dance scene, "Three Amigos". Enough said :) – Aaron Hatch10 years ago
Travolta in everything: Saturday Night Fever, Urban Cowboy, etc. – Kristian Wilson10 years ago
Could do some worst ones (Spiderman 3) and their impact on the topic - how some directors do certain sequences right and some wrong. – Thomas Munday10 years ago
In film noir, the tussle between male and female characters defines the narrative. How has this issue transformed between the birth of neo noir and today?
Interesting topic! I think that if you want to look at masculine identity in noir, you definitely have to parallel it to the particular femininity portrayed in those films. The woman is often a femme fatale, strong-headed, aware of her sexual power and manipulative. Whereas the man is the one who gets trapped, who seems unable to get a grip on his life. How is that different today? Did these power relations change? – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun10 years ago
How to the earliest auteur directors compare to those of the 1990s (David Fincher, Oliver Stone etc).? How do political and social issues influence style?
I think it would be interesting to look a little into the time when the word authorship was first used in film history and gave birth to a whole generation of filmmakers who regarded and established cinema more as an art. I think Bazin was the first one to use the concept when describing French New Wave – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun10 years ago
