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I've moved the essays below to their own page because, looking at them
again, I'm very aware of their deficiencies. These are my older essays, usually
written in the first few years of uni, and I'm not really comfortable leaving
them up without a major disclaimer. I don't want to take them down completely,
though - they're not entirely without merit - so I'm creating this page. Think
of it as a place to rummage around in my old work that I've thrown into the
paper recycling.
These essays don't really work as standalone documents, so they have the original essay question in italics at the start of the essay. All were written for subjects at Melbourne University.
One of several essays on action cinema. This one looks at the two Hong Kong talents best known in the west: Jackie Chan and John Woo. The question focussed on here is similar to my previous essay on Australian cinema (see below): are Hollywood tendencies overriding the unique qualities of Asian cinema? My answer here (as before) is an emphatic "no," though rereading the essay now I'm not sure I'd make the same argument if I wrote it again. Went on a big Jackie Chan binge before I wrote this: the most fun I've had researching an essay. Written in August 1996 for "The Entertainment Experience."
Brief summary of Generic and Auteurist approaches to films, linking them to the works of Steven Spielberg. Due to a looming deadline I rushed the final paragraphs, so the links aren't drawn very clearly, but still... If you're after a concise summary of genre or auteurism, might hold some interest. Written in June 1996 for the subject "Genre Study."
A look at Rick Altman's very useful distinction between semantic and syntactic generic conventions. I had slightly weird examples to work with (dictated by the question) but the real problem with the original version of this essay was that I referred to Rick Altman as Robert Altman. Doh! Written in April 1996 for "Genre Study."
Is the increasing absorption of Hollywood genres into Australian cinema preventing our films from expressing a unique, national identity? I argue not. Written in October 1995 for the subject "Introduction to Cinema B."
A look at cartoons and the most fundamental of questions: what's the difference between the Disney style and the Warner Brothers style? They really played into my hands on this one. It's pretty brief though, due to the low first year word limit. Written in September 1995 for "Introduction to Cinema B."
An analysis of genre films, generic evolution, and some of Thomas Schatz's
approaches, drawing on John Ford and Frank Capra as examples. Written
in June 1995 for the subject "Introduction to Cinema A."
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All the essays are © 2003 by Stephen Rowley