ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS
1. The decade of the 1970s is often referred to as a “Hollywood Renaissance.” What stylistic shift(s) occurred in Hollywood films during this period? What changes in the industry contributed to this transformation in the kinds of movies being made and released? Describe in as much detail as you can the combination of circumstances that brought about this change. What circumstances contributed to the decline of this “Renaissance?”
2. Explore the thesis that both Easy Rider (1969) and Natural Born Killers (1994) can be regarded as products of their respective historical eras, agreeing or disagreeing. Consider the narrative content, the rhetorical content, and the stylistic attributes of the films.
3. In class we discussed ways in which Taxi Driver (1976) can be regarded as an extension of the Western genre. Compare and contrast Taxi Driver’s implicit connection to the conventions of the Western with the explicit revisionism of the genre to be found in McCabe and Mrs. Miller (1971). How do Scorsese and Altman use (or subvert) the genre’s conventions to comment on either the genre itself or on society’s “conventions”?
4. Analyze Natural Born Killers from the perspective of influences. Cite as many influences on this film as you can identify, including genre influences, foreign cinema influences, the influence of specific filmmakers, and the influence of prevailing trends or movements in the arts in general, especially postmodernism. Cite as many specific examples from the film as you can recall in support of your observations.
