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Film Essay Outline

Title: 


Introduction:

  • Opening Sentence: The task of bringing to life great literary works is not an simple one.
  • Thesis Statement: The 1992 adaptation of the novel "Of Mice and Men" strongly translates Steinbeck's literary style into visual elements.
  • Evidence: 
  1.  "All of the collaborators seem guided by the intention to let Steinbeck's brilliance shine through, unaugmented by false modern analysis or technical gimmickry." (Rosenfeld, Megan. “Of Mice and Men.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 16 Oct. 1992, www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/ofmiceandmenpg13rosenfeld_a09e7c.htm?noredirect=on.)

Paragraph 1:

  • Main Idea 1: Main characteristics of literary style (vivid descriptions and imagery/metaphor/similes)
  • Main Idea 2: How these characteristics are translated into the visuals (analysis of the colors used)
  • Evidence: 
  1. The new film adaptation [...] remains faithful in almost every way to the stark Steinbeck tale. Yet this "Of Mice and Men" [...] emphasizes something in the original work that never before seemed of foremost importance: "Of Mice and Men" is a mournful, distantly heard lament for the loss of American innocence.  [...] it is the dominant mood of the film, which is gorgeous in the idealized way of beauty remembered. The wheat fields are golden, the skies blinding blue. There is a stylized perfection about the [...] ranch." (Canby, Vincent. “New Facets Highlighted in a Classic.” The New York Times, 2 Oct. 1992, pp. 5–5. The New York Times Archives, www.nytimes.com/1992/10/02/movies/review-film-new-facets-highlighted-in-a-classic.html.)
  2. " A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green. The water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool.” (Steinbeck, John. Of Mice and Men. Penguin Books, 1993, p. 1.)

Paragraph 2:

  • Main Idea 1: Lennie's death in the book: analysis of style focusing on POV and intentions of author.
  • Main Idea 2: Final scene in the movie (Lennie's death): analysis of tone and music and comparison to book.
  • Evidence: 
  1. "In every bit of honest writing in the world there is a base theme. Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other.", Steinbeck. (Barr, Tracy, and Greg Tubach. Cliff Notes: On Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. Wiley Publishing, 2001.)
  2. "Another change was his [Steinbeck's] decision to end the play with George's speech to Lennie just before he pulls the trigger, an improvement over the anticlimactic group scene in the novel." (Meyer, Michael J. The Essential Criticism of John Steinbeck's of Mice and Men. Scarecrow Press, 2009. Google Books, books.google.ca/books?id=wcz4bQ_NmAgC&pg=PA120&lpg=PA120&dq=Ralph Thompson of mice and men&source=bl&ots=Hmg5pfJlSB&sig=dRpXHkWiSGPJZoRJrJZTi1h-jRY&hl=fr&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi9mM_ex4zeAhXI1VkKHeeSA8AQ6AEwCHoECAYQAQ#v=onepage&q=Ralph Thompson of mice and men&f=false.)


Conclusion:

  • Main Idea 1: "Of Mice and Men" was wonderfully adapted into a film that stays true to the author's vision.
  • Evidence: 
  1. "Like Steinbeck's novella, the film is spare, tender, honest and human." (Douglas, Clark. “Of Mice and Men.” 365 Movie Guy, 19 Feb. 2016, www.365movieguy.com/review/2016/2/19/of-mice-and-men.)


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