http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/keyword/cinema Inquiries Journal provides undergraduate and graduate students around the world a platform for the wide dissemination of academic work over a range of core disciplines. en-us Tue, 28 Apr 2026 06:58:49 -0400 Tue, 28 Apr 2026 06:58:49 -0400 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1959/occupation-and-the-road-not-traveled-in-habibi-rasak-kharban-2011 By Alya Osman - In adapting the twelfth-century story Layla and Majnun, Susan Youssef’s 2011 film Habibi Rasak Kharban re-imagines the Arabic folk tale in the context of Israeli occupation of Palestine, wherein the significance of journeys arises primarily from those not taken. Placing Youssef's film in conversation with Nizami's original poem (composed in 1118), this article examines Youssef's representation of literal and figurative journeys, focusing on the role of nature, mobility, stigma,notions of displacement and encounters with the ‘Other,’ and. Subsequently, I argue... Mon, 19 Sep 2022 02:51 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1959/occupation-and-the-road-not-traveled-in-habibi-rasak-kharban-2011 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1868/stereotypes-in-bollywood-cinema-does-article-15-reinforce-the-dalit-narrative By Khushi Gupta - The vacuum created by the absence of any response or resistance from the Dalit characters elaborate that the oppressed themselves cannot speak and thus are spoken for. Having denied Dalits their voice, the non- Dalits have become a self-appointed spokesperson of the Dalits throughout history. Such depiction in Bollywood have resulted in the misrepresentation and misappropriation of Dalits experiences. The continuous stereotypical representation as submissive, dark-skinned, shabby and under-confident individuals continue in the films. There is a repeated portrayal of men and women being outcasted... Tue, 26 Jan 2021 11:54 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1868/stereotypes-in-bollywood-cinema-does-article-15-reinforce-the-dalit-narrative http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1819/stage-as-moment-cinema-as-memory-the-diverging-aesthetics-of-two-mediums By Abigail Tulenko - This paper argues that film is a medium defined by its relationship to memory. Building upon aesthetician György Lukács's temporal theory of cinema, I contrast film's inherent relationship to memory with the “eternal present” of the stage. Audiences viewing a film have a continual awareness that what they watch on screen was filmed in the past and edited together retrospectively. Cinema replicates the selective encoding process of our memories on-screen when a director and editor piece together the shots and scenes that compose a completed film. Often there is a large amount... Tue, 20 Oct 2020 12:26 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1819/stage-as-moment-cinema-as-memory-the-diverging-aesthetics-of-two-mediums http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1814/recycled-tropes-and-the-persistence-of-islamophobia-in-american-films By Meagen Tajalle - In this essay, I provide a content analysis of commercially and critically successful films that perpetuate popularized Islamophobia, which is often masked as irreconcilable religious and cultural difference although it has in fact been consistently manufactured and weaponized throughout history in order to further Western empirical interests. Recycled tropes and stereotypes in cinematic depictions can be traced back to historical orientalism and political Islamophobia, both of which were instrumental in garnering support for the War on Terror. Specifically, I examine the racial, religious, and... Sat, 10 Oct 2020 08:43 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1814/recycled-tropes-and-the-persistence-of-islamophobia-in-american-films http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1810/the-sanctity-and-disgust-of-the-female-body-in-rosemarys-baby By Leina Hsu - This paper explores the woman’s body as a site of sanctity and disgust in the film Rosemary’s Baby. The character of Rosemary Woodhouse is depicted as a pure, virtuous, and feminine figure. She is positioned against other corrupted, sinful women, which reinforces a binary of womanhood. When Rosemary is sexually violated, her sanctity is vandalized. Her subsequent pregnancy introduces a new dimension to the binary: that between sacred motherhood and “disgusting” pregnancy experiences. Rosemary struggles to reconcile her ideals of purity with the horrific transformation her... Mon, 05 Oct 2020 04:50 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1810/the-sanctity-and-disgust-of-the-female-body-in-rosemarys-baby http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1443/the-colonial-subject-seeing-the-unseen-and-the-construction-of-subjectivity-in-apocalypse-now-and-la-noire-de By Eric N. Hahn - The complex and multifaceted nature of cinema is further complicated by the unmistakable tension between the quasi-objective potential inherent in the medium—the camera merely operating as an observer—versus the unrestricted camera which functions as a metaphysical transport to the psychological and even physical experience of a distinct body. Upon close examination, it can be said that both of these modes of address are unique to cinema and arguing for the significance of one over the other is a fool’s errand. As such, this paper does not address this arguably problematic dichotomy... Fri, 09 Sep 2016 09:04 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1443/the-colonial-subject-seeing-the-unseen-and-the-construction-of-subjectivity-in-apocalypse-now-and-la-noire-de http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1130/an-examination-of-native-americans-in-film-and-rise-of-native-filmmakers By Julia Boyd - This paper explored the role of Native Americans in the Hollywood film industry and their actions to establish authentic representations of their population and culture in the media. Using academic literature, film analyses, and contemporary film reviews and articles, the author created a synthesis of the history of Native Americans in film. The author concluded that by becoming producers, directors, and writers of their own stories, American Indians have regained control of their images and been able to combat stereotypes and the exclusion of Native Americans in the creative process. Positive... Sat, 30 May 2015 11:59 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1130/an-examination-of-native-americans-in-film-and-rise-of-native-filmmakers http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1011/living-with-evil-crime-and-sexuality-in-bonnie-and-clyde-and-chinatown By Joel S. Kempson - Through the late 1960s the French New Wave became a pronounced and significant factor in the creation and development of Hollywood films. Such movements had gained popularity through an ability to engage with a younger audience by means of a more youthful focus, by taking advantage of a counterculture brought about by the disillusionment with hierarchy exemplified by protests against the Vietnam War, political assassinations, experimentation with drugs, gay liberation and a rise in sexual freedom. Partly in an attempt to take advantage of this, but also encouraged by favourable taxation on filmmaking... Sat, 14 Mar 2015 04:03 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/1011/living-with-evil-crime-and-sexuality-in-bonnie-and-clyde-and-chinatown http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/740/power-and-presence-in-fritz-langs-m-1931 By Zachary B. Wunrow - In the penultimate scene of Fritz Lang’s M (1931), mentally-disturbed child murderer Hans Beckert (Peter Lorre) falls to his knees before a kangaroo court and cries out, “I have to roam the streets endlessly, always sensing that someone’s following me. It’s me! I’m shadowing myself!”  Beckert’s monologue conveys that a disparity exists between his shadow and his self, and it becomes apparent that his self cannot exist without his shadow.  For most of the film, the Beckert on screen is a “shadow,” a monster; only at the end is the... Tue, 11 Jun 2013 09:33 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/740/power-and-presence-in-fritz-langs-m-1931 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/640/the-thin-blue-line-and-the-ambiguous-truth By Lucien J. Flores - In his 1988 documentary, The Thin Blue Line, Errol Morris explores the 1976 murder case of police officer Robert Wood and the man convicted for the murder, Randall Dale Adams. Having originally stumbled upon the subject, Morris chose to make the documentary after “he became personally persuaded of the convicted man’s innocence” (Curry 157). In Morris’ presentation of the case, the director refutes the original verdict and persuades audiences that Adams is innocent. In Bennett L. Gershman’s article “The Thin Blue Line: Art or Trial in the Fact-Finding Process... Thu, 10 May 2012 08:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/640/the-thin-blue-line-and-the-ambiguous-truth http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/638/examining-the-foundations-of-documentary-film-through-the-cove By Lucien J. Flores - Directed by Louie Psihoyos, The Cove (2009) is an Oscar-winning documentary that follows Psihoyos and a crew of devoted dolphin activists as they fight to stymie and bring attention to dolphin hunting in the small coastal village of Taiji, Japan. Psihoyos’ film is unusual for documentaries in that it combines his activist stance with “dramatic arcs and suspense one would expect in a James Bond or Hollywood action movie” (Rohter). Film critic Larry Rohter writes that The Cove “seems destined to generate an emotional and contentious debate” and the film does just that... Tue, 01 May 2012 09:05 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/638/examining-the-foundations-of-documentary-film-through-the-cove http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/599/jane-austens-unnamed-character-exploring-nature-in-pride-and-prejudice-2005 By Kathleen E. Gilligan - The 2005 film Pride & Prejudice opens with sound rather than picture, but it is not the expected man-made musical score that fills the air. Rather it is nature’s music: the song of birds, particularly blackbirds. As Lydia Martin’s article “Joe Wright’s Pride & Prejudice: From Classicism to Romanticism” states, “The film’s opening with overlapping birdsong, heard even before the first image appears on screen, suggests the awakening of nature.” Then picture fills the screen, and the audience can see a shot of a beautiful green field. Lush trees... Mon, 12 Dec 2011 08:05 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/599/jane-austens-unnamed-character-exploring-nature-in-pride-and-prejudice-2005 http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/560/the-technological-evolution-of-filmmaking-and-its-relation-to-quality-in-cinema By Ryan A. Piccirillo - The development of motion picture complexity has been driven by a continuing technological evolution, ignited and manipulated by human initiative and inventiveness, which has afforded filmmakers the opportunity to practice a more complex craft to tell more complex stories. In concert with societal attitudes and proximity, this evolution has driven the development of distinct styles, movements, and methods that would have been impossible without increasingly advanced apparatus. However, while this technological progression has been linear, it has not necessarily coincided with a similar evolution... Sat, 13 Aug 2011 03:02 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/560/the-technological-evolution-of-filmmaking-and-its-relation-to-quality-in-cinema http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/211/embodied-memory-and-trauma-recovering-from-rape-in-jasmila-zbanics-grbavica By Michael A. Gold - On its simplest level, Jasmila Zbanic’s 2006 film Grbavica examines how the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s still shape life in post-conflict Sarajevo. The film’s protagonist, Esma, is struggling to cope with the aftermath of being a victim in the systematic rapes committed by soldiers during the Yugoslav wars. Over ten years after her rape and subsequent pregnancy, Esma is now the single mother of an adolescent daughter who begins to question her identity. As Esma tries to protect her daughter from the fact of her birth, she also struggles to recover from her personal trauma and shake... Tue, 23 Mar 2010 09:20 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/211/embodied-memory-and-trauma-recovering-from-rape-in-jasmila-zbanics-grbavica http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/209/the-breakdown-of-censorship-in-american-cinema By William K. Boland - In America, the years from 1946 to 1962, labeled the “post classical era” of cinema, were years in a state of transition. American culture was simply unstoppable and alive, constantly changing and growing toward a more open society. However, though there was a shift in American values toward openness in addressing sexuality and violence as well as other societal issues, it was in direct conflict with the conservative government currently in power. This conflict of ideals resulted in a caustic, explosive period of heightened awareness of violence, sexuality, social problems, and individuality... Mon, 22 Mar 2010 08:50 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/209/the-breakdown-of-censorship-in-american-cinema http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/206/hitlers-use-of-film-in-germany-leading-up-to-and-during-world-war-ii By William K. Boland - Lang’s masterpiece focuses on an oppressed lower class that rises to rebellion through the inspiration of one individual. Riefenstahl’s Triumph des Willens, however, is a propaganda piece about German society fighting outside international oppression and rebuilding itself to a world power under the guidance of “their hero,” Adolph Hitler. When compared to one another, Triumph des Willens is easily seen as a propaganda reinvention of Metropolis through the eyes of Hitler, envisioning himself as the hero of his people but really representing every ideal the original Metropolis... Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:04 EDT http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/206/hitlers-use-of-film-in-germany-leading-up-to-and-during-world-war-ii http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/196/career-snapshot-the-film-director-a-human-lens By Ryan A. Piccirillo - It is the director’s job to translate the script to the screen as he directs the array of people working under him on how to best capture his artistic vision for the film. Director Christopher Nolan (Memento, The Dark Knight) says of his job, “I’m a sort of human lens through which everyone’s efforts are focused. A big part of my job is making decisions about how all the great talent that I’m working with blends into a single consciousness” (Rabiger 5). A great director is a great leader with drive, patience, inspiration, and imagination. He is responsible for... Fri, 05 Mar 2010 11:45 EST http://www.inquiriesjournal.com/articles/196/career-snapshot-the-film-director-a-human-lens