FILM 120 University of California Los Angeles Film History Reflection Paper
Reflection Journal 1 Prompt
Part 1
Below is a list of the titles of four chapters from Anton Kaes book on Fritz Lang’s M. Beneath each chapter title, three terms or phrases that each suggest a key idea from the chapter.
Choose ONE term for each chapter, write a brief paragraph (150 words, approx) explaining its significance for the chapter and the film. Thus, you should have four separate paragraphs, each on a different key idea from each chapter.
Chapter 1, Berlin, 1931
Murderers among us Expressionist sound Peter Lorre
Chapter 2, Serial Murder, Serial Culture Kurten and Haarmann Criminology
Chapter 3, Total Mobilisation
Westfront 1918 Ernst Junger Surveillance
Chapter 4, Before the Law
Mock trial Anti-Semitism Mental illness
Part 2
Write an elaborate concluding paragraph (600 words, approx), where you make connections between your ideas on M in Part 1, and some aspect of contemporary culture and society. Think wide and far: music, art, media, Internet, television, film, books, politics and political movements, social issues, news stories, and so on. (And you don’t need to address all the ideas from Part 1, just a few you choose.)
The goal here is to show how something historical and foreign (almost 100 years ago, pre-WWII Europe) from film history continues to have relevance to today’s American socio-political landscape. Do your best to explain and unpack the connections you are making. Be specific.
And references to other films screened and discussed thus far in class–most welcome.
here are some movies you may reference to
The Mummy (1932 film)
The Jazz Singer (Alan Crosland, 1927)
