Hey guys,
For our next paper, I've decided to take an analytical approach to a film that I have always loved, Cruel Intentions. It hit me right away to write about this movie!
I think this movie is a perfect piece for this paper because it is filled with so many volatile elements, and it'll be fun to pick apart. The first is its overly sexual message, that every character is related to some sexual counter-part, and it makes it the overall theme of the movie. It's also fun because it has drugs, and deceit, and teenage angst. I'm really excited to watch it, but keep in mind everything we learned in class. I plan on deconstructing how it levels itself with all of the sexual overtones, and break-down how they stereotype each character based on their sexuality and how they express it. Some of examples of this include Sarah Michelle Gellar’s character, Kathryn, is only seen as this young, successful, sex vixen, which only has sexual control over the other characters, especially her half brother Sebastian (sick), played by Ryan Philippe. The interesting thing I hope to explore is how, through the events in the plot, the movie questions what over-sexualizing things can do through Ryan Philippe’s relationship with Reese Witherspoon’s character Annette.
My thesis (which is still being worked on): Cruel Intentions relies heavily on over-emphasizing sexuality thus making it an unrealistic portrayal of teenagers.
I hope to show my audience the faults of the film, that although may be fun to watch is too off base with sexuality, and furthers stereotypes within gender.
What do you think?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think this is such a good idea! This movie does play into everything we have been talking about in class. I think there is a lot of good stuff you can talk about. I really like your idea for a thesis. I think it would be very interesting for you to talk about the way Kathryn and Sebastian use sex to manipulate the new girl in the movie (I forget the character's name but I know the role is played by Selma Blair. I think that whole storyline gives a very unrealistic portrayl of teenagers. Can't wait to see what you come up with!
ReplyDeleteHi Molly,
ReplyDeleteI agree with Krista. This is a great movie for you to analyze. There is so much going on in terms of gender and sexuality in this film. I think that you will be smart to focus on the oversexualization of the characters, in particular Kathryn and Sebastian, and the impact that their personalities have on the other characters, such as Annette and Cecile.
One thing that you will need to talk about is what you mean by "unrealistic portrayal of teenagers." You can use this phrase, but you will have to define it for your reader. The reason for this is, the term is very general - each reader will have a different idea of what the phrase means. So you need to establish what you mean for the reader; this is called "defining your key terms." If you make sure to do this, it will really help your argument. ~Megan
This is a great movie for the next essay. The storyline works well with what we've been discussing. It definitely over-emphasizes sexuality... It's just not realistic at all. I have seen this movie several times and there are more than enough scenes to choose from. I think it would be really interesting to look into Sebastian's character more in depth. He starts off by being this manipulative guy then somehow ends up being a sensitive person in love. Sebastian, along with Kathryn, are complex characters that need to be dissected.
ReplyDelete