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IOTBS & ET

Lily, Charlotte & Freddie

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  1. Identify one male character in your film: Dr Miles Bennell (1)

Choose one character that you know a lot about as questions like these usually ask for a more in depth analysis of this character in the next question.

  • Briefly outline the costume of your character: he usually wears a business suit, formal and appropriate for his job as a doctor. He wears this suit throughout the whole film to show he is very business-oriented, wearing his work clothes even not at work. (4)

Briefly explain what he usually wears and how it fits him as a character due to his occupation and the context of the character.

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Question 1: US FILM 1930-60s - Invasion of the Bodysnatchers (0:00-2:38)

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Question 1 - 10 Marker

  • Explore how this character is represented using key elements in at least one key sequence from your chosen film: At the start of the film, Miles is presented as a lunatic; erratic and irrational. He is kicking about and being restrained by doctors, giving the audience the impression that he is mentally unwell. Police are seen arriving at the emergency hospital where Miles is, showing the severity of the situation and making the audience aware of his unstable mental state. Long shots are used when Miles is thrashing about, but when he calms down, the shots come in closer, showing his emotion and vulnerability ashe starts to trust the doctor. This creates a feeling of intimacy as Miles explains his story to the doctor, showing how his erraticness has stopped as he is finally being listened to. By the end of the sequence, he starts to act more professional and how we would expect a doctor to act. This is the real Miles Bennell. (10)

Use one or more scenes from the film to refer back to, using film language to describe how he is represented. Use CEMS, CLAMPS, DISTINCT and MCDOVED.

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Question 2: US film 1961-1990, ET

Historical Context in your film: Counterculture, Civil Rights, Radical Feminism, Sexual Revolution, Hippie Subculture, Anti-Vietnam Protests, Nixon Impeachment.

Explain the term ‘Historical Context’: Historical context is the social, political, cultural, economic and environmental situations that influence the events or trends we see happen during that time. E.G. The Cold War, Communism vs Capitalism.

Explore how the film presents its historical or social context: ET presented historical and social context because the children let the ‘Unknown’ alien into their home and welcomed it without any idea what it is however the adults were seen as villainous and unpleasant to ET, also they are always seen as mysterious and dark to be presented as people not to trust and are dangerous.

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3. Compare how both of your chosen films represent the same key theme or message

  • In both et and invasion of the body snatchers the key theme is supernatural things going on in a paranoid society. Both the films were set during the cold war. Because there were tensions between america and russia, lots of americans were paranoid about spies or an invasion. This lead people in IOTBS to be easily led on to believe that anyone were spies so when there is something that seems off, they easily get lead on.
  • The cold war
  • spies - americans were scared of russian spies
  • In et the scientist men are marching - they look like an army this links to war
  • In iotbs they think the body snatchers are linked to the cold war and could be russian spies
  • The films are similar because they both have supernatural beings and fear of the unknown
  • Communism
  • The main woman in invasion is weak and relies on a man as in those days that was normal however it E.T women were more independent so the mum is more independent