Examining And Writing About A Film Through Formalism

The included article was written by Ted Wing, a professor at Langara College. This is an interesting article due to the fact that it gives helpful tips on how to write a formalistic essay on any film. He does a great job by giving suggestions about what to specifically look for in a film, and he also provides examples. He makes formalistic allusions to films such as Metropolis, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and The Player. The following quote is an example of what this article can offer a film student.

A classic example of a formalist film from an earlier era is Metropolis, Fritz Lang's 1926 silent movie, which abounds with symbolism and visual exaggeration. It shows workers, dwelling in an underground city and so exploited by the capitalist system that they have turned into automata as they service the machines of industry.