Is Amélie Poulain a voyeur?

Essay: Amelie

• Is Amélie Poulain a voyeur?
• Analyze a pivotal moment when the camera or viewing devices contributes to the dramatic tension of the scene.

• You are NOT required to use all the vocabulary words below.
• Pick one or two and incorporate them into your discussion.

For instance, when describing how the camera or viewing devices presents the dramatic tension of the scene, you might write about the use of monocular in the film. In the same way, you might discuss how the movement of camera enhances the dramatic tension of the scene.

Themes to consider: (see attachment for definition of these terms)

• Different viewing devices seen in the movie
• The flaneur
• Impressionism

Film Vocabulary to consider:

• Haptic visuality
• Voyeurism
• The Look (The Gaze)
• Gender (gendered space)
• Spectatorship

Design Vocabulary to consider:

• Public and private spaces (as well as semi-public and semi-private spaces)
• Art Nouveau

Guidelines for writing your essay question:

Paragraph one

• The topic sentence must include the film title, director and year as well as you’re your main idea. The main idea answers the question.
• The body of the paragraph develops your main idea, using one scene from the film to support your answer. Provide specific information about design and an analysis of such film elements as: composition, significant objects, materials used for the set and the positions of the actors and what they say.

Paragraph two

• Analyze your scene in relationship to one or two others.
• The concluding sentence closes the paragraph by asserting how you have developed your main idea in the paragraph. It tells me what you learned when you watched, listened and wrote about the film.

General instructions

• Include at least one image from the film and a caption that identifies the film and director, and briefly explains why the image is relevant to your analysis.
• Be careful to choose a scene that reinforces your main idea.
• In each paragraph, be sure to provide specific information about design elements and then analyze the scene, focusing on these elements.
• Check your spelling and grammar—I will factor the quality of your writing into the grade.
• Your answer must be limited to two paragraphs and one page.