In attempting to provide a critical response to, and an examination of, a particular artistic process or condition in history, an array of theorists, historians, and critics concoct a set of causal and functional explanations that frame their hypotheses. This paper will comparatively analyze the historical arguments and the respective approaches of two authors on the topic of the realist aesthetic. Ruth Ben-Ghiat's, Fascism, Writing, and Memory: The Realist Aesthetic in Italy, and Cesare Zavattini's, A Thesis on Neo-Realism, expound evocative suppositions in the discussion and reading of Italian realism. However, with the progression of the paper, it will become increasingly evident that Ben-Ghiat's approach provides a more perceptive and integrated contribution to the understanding of the subject.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences concretely defines documentary as a film where the emphasis is placed on factual content and not on fiction; however, debates in documentary theory have emphasized an array of diverse issues in the field of non-fiction films that complicate such definitions. Dziga Vertov, John Grierson, Bill Nichols, and Carl R. Plantinga, are some of the most influential theorists of documentary practice who contemplated on pivotal issues within its multifaceted sphere. These issues include the conundrum concerning the relationship of neutral and unmediated "reality" versus the creative interpretation of "reality." The analysis extends to consider the relation between cinematic image and the material world. Some of the other dominant issues include staging, objectivity, ethics, "the evidentiary status of actuality images, documentary rhetoric, and the cinematic apparatus itself."

This annotated bibliography includes sixteen of the most relevant sources in the study of Robert J. Flaherty. It is organized in chronological ordering, by date of the most recent publication. The research method for this undertaking began by locating a number of the most recent publications and thoroughly considering their bibliographic references. Upon identification of the most often cited bodies of work, the search progressed by physically attaining the mentioned material and reviewing its contents in order to distinguish its relevance to the project. At this stage, the sources were beginning to cross-reference each other, which aided the process of narrowing down what was most important. After all of the necessary sources were collected and reviewed, the writing stage finally solidified the research into a synthesized form.

The ambiguously rich, Last Tango in Paris, by B. Bertolucci, is both refreshingly daring and unsettlingly disturbing. It explores the cumulative effect of a chance encounter between an aging, emotionally drained American man and an alluring and youthful Frenchwoman. This flourishes into an erotic convulsion of the two characters, which is further intensified by the clashing of their respective cultures. The dualistic complexity of its thematic undercurrents are both daringly blunt yet inconspicuous, challenging yet accessible, and beautiful yet grotesque. Within the unraveling of its simple plot, Bertolucci achieves this dualistic perfection through a unique approach to the representation of sexual innuendoes and mystic elements.

During the productions performed in the Laboratory Theatre, Jerzy Grotowski attempted to identify what separated theatre from other forms of artistic expression as he closely explored the relationship between the actor and the spectator (Grotowski, 15). He believed this intimate relationship was central to the art of theatre, without which this craft in its entirety would cease to exist. Furthermore, as my research progressed it became increasingly apparent that Grotowski was greatly influenced by major actor-training methods, such as Stanislavski's work on physical actions, Meyerhold's biomechanics training, Vakhtanghov's synthesis, Dullin's rhythm exercises, and many more (16). He also found the training of oriental theatre incredibly stimulating. Grotowski was most concerned with the development and ripening of the actor (16). He was not interested in simply providing the actor with a number of skills or a "bag of tricks". What I find to be enticing about Grotowski's work is that he was not concerned with teaching the actor anything that did not penetrate into his deeper essence of being or into his most intimate spiritual center (16).

(Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society)
By Herbert Marcuse

One-Dimensional Society

1: The New Forms of ControlHerbert Marcuse insightfully questions the functionality and validity of the “advanced industrial civilizations”, on the level beyond materialistic and consumerist desires (1). He suggests that the rights and liberties, which stood as vitally fundamental factors in the origins of the industrial societies, “are losing their traditional rationale and content” (1). Such critical ideas as: (a) Freedom of thought, (b) speech, and (c) conscience served to promote and protect the dominant idea of free enterprise, which is consequently designed to replace intellectual culture by a more productive and rational one (1). Once these seemingly integral rights and liberties became institutionalized, they shared the fate of the society of which they had become an integral part. This fate is devoid of any substance beyond the immediate and material. Marcuse elaborates by stating that the concrete substance of all freedom is the freedom from want, which pertain to the state of lower productivity. (A) Independence of thought, (b) autonomy, (c) and the right to political opposition are being stripped of their basic critical function in a society that appears to be increasingly capable to “satisfy the needs of the individual through the way in which it is organized” (1). Furthermore, such a society demands full acceptance of its ideas and principles and continually aims to reduce the opposition to the promotion and discussion of alternatives within the status quo (2). Under the prevailing conditions of the rising standard of living, non-conformity within this system appears to be socially useless, unbeneficial, and impractical (2). From the very beginning, freedom of enterprise processed its flaws. Is it only provided the options in a form of – to work or to starve, it instilled insecurity and fear within a vast majority of the population (2). Ironically, in the case where an individual is no longer compelled to probe himself on the market, “the technological processes of mechanization and standardization might release individual energy into a yet uncharted real of freedom beyond necessity”, the individual would be liberated from the work the world is imposing on him and the very structure of human existence would be altered (2).

In attempting to grasp the fundamental concepts that embody Latin American theatre, it is essential to acknowledge the significant impact Cuban Revolution had on its developments, aesthetically and in regard to the social-relevancy of its content (CL1). Upon consideration of the common characteristics within the prevailing issues of its subject matter, it becomes increasingly apparent that a significant portion of Latin American theatre is incredibly innovative, inspiring, and often political, in its approach to social change. What also becomes evident, is an abundant use of different types of violence, which can take many forms and can be inflicted in various degrees. The fact that violence is a pertinent theme, within Latin American theatre, adds substantial merit to an in-depth exploration of the varying factors and forms of this violence. Throughout the duration of this course, we expanded our understanding of the role of violence, in Latin American theatre, through an analysis of a number of informational sources. Some of which include: Hannah Arecht’s philosophic theories on the subject, Albuquerque’s incisive analyses of verbal and nonverbal violence in Latin American theatre, and its influential figures, Augusto Boal, Enrique Buenaventura, and Sergio Corrieri. Some of the other sources comprise: class lectures, the Canadian play “Frontrunners”, and an inspiring book, “Ariel”.

Between 1980 to mid-1990s, the climate surrounding the discussion of violence against women was rapidly changing in the United States. With the emergence of various organizations across the country, a series of movements for women’s rights, and the enactment of new legislation, these issues were attaining increased interest in the media and thus the society as a whole. The maturation of social attitudes towards domestic violence becomes echoed in the shifting persona of Robert De Niro’s characters throughout his career. As the problem of spouse abuse was evoking increased recognition as a serious epidemic, and as De Niro became better situated in the dynamic world of filmmaking, his choices in the temperaments of the male figures he portrayed were also evolving. These changes are manifested in his progressive departure from the violent, dominating, and chauvinistic type, with which he was often associated in the first half of his career. This becomes evident in his portrayal of the characters of Jake La Motta in Raging Bull, produced in 1980, and Sam Ace Rothstein in Casino, of 1995, both of which were directed by Martin Scorsese. The parallels and differences between De Niro’s treatment of the two protagonists, in relation to their approach to women, will be traced through a close analysis of two scenes from each film. These scenes demonstrate two distinctive phases in the relationship between his characters and their spouses: the first illustrates their initial encounter, and the second demonstrates the chaotic climax from which there could be no return.

Within the play "Ghosts", Henrik Ibsen explores themes that obsessed him throughout his life. He examines "the way that we are dominated by the past", and challenges the conventional standards and ideas pertaining to the issue of marital unions within society (Ibsen, 10). After a close analysis of a scene, within the first act, which begins with the initial entrance and ends with the exit of Osvald Alving, it becomes evident that Ibsen addresses this issue through the employment of a debate structure. Within this section, Ibsen exemplifies an ingenious use of subtle symbolism in his approach to character construction. This scene is developed through the insinuation of underlying issues, which are discretely interwoven into the narrative, and are gradually transformed into integral ideas with the progression of the play. This quality keeps the audience in constant intellectual involvement and participation, as they have to reevaluate something that was previously mentioned.