Comedy: Talking Points for 9/30

For Some Like It Hot:

1) Which scene do you think is director Billy Wilder's tribute to the stateroom scene in A Night at the Opera?
2) What are the implications, if any, of the final line of Some Like It Hot?
3) Is this the funniest American film comedy ever made?
4) Why is this movie in black-and-white?
5) Is it clear to you from this movie why Marilyn Monroe was such a big star, or is it something of a puzzle?

Adaptation for 10/3

1) On 10/3, we're going to watch Being There, which is a pretty long movie. So we won't be able to have our usual 10-minute break. You'll have just a few minutes (no more than 5), while I'm setting up the projector, for a break. However, as always, if you need an unscheduled break, you're always free to take one.

2) Reminder: Be sure to bring your copy of A Room with a View with 3 passages marked, passages that tell the reader something important about a character or characters. (If you try to fake it and find a passage at the last minute, as one or two students did at our last class meeting, I can tell!)

3) Another reminder: Your paper on A Room with a View is due on 10/3, and it is REQUIRED.

Adaptation: Talking Points for 9/26

For Stagecoach/"Stage to Lordsburg":

1) What are this short story & movie about?
2) Considering that Stagecoach is a western, were you surprised by anything in it?
3) How is the main hero introduced in the short story? In the movie?
4) By the end of the movie, what happens to the people in the stagecoach? Is this different in the short story?

Reminder: Bring in "Stage to Lordsburg" with two passages marked in which information is revealed indirectly.

Comedy: Talking Points for 9/23

For His Girl Friday:
1) From whose perspective do you tend to see most of the events of this movie?
2) What does this film have to say about marriage & divorce?
3) The dialog in this film is often fast-paced. Did you like that? Do you like this film?
4) Would you describe the journalists in this film as "heartless"?

Comedy for 9/16: Talking Points

For The Miracle of Morgan's Creek

1) What do you suppose would have been shocking about this movie in 1944?
2) What is the significance of the title?
3) Is there a sensible person in this movie?
4) What do you think about the story being told in flashbacks?

Adaptation: Talking Points for 9/12

For Rear Window:

1) How does the introduction of the character of Lisa change the story?
2) How does the switch from the short story's Sam to the movie's Stella affect things?
3) How is music used in this film?
4) What does the movie's ending mean?

Comedy: Talking Points for 9/9

A Night at the Opera

1) Who is your favorite Marx Brother? Why?
2) What are the movie's targets?
3) What are the characters' social classes?

Adaptation: Preview of 9/5

This week, we'll be watching Rear Window, Alfred Hitchcock's 1954 masterpiece. Be sure you've read the corresponding story in your book to prepare. I think you'll like this one!