For Section C of the FM4 paper you have to answer one question about the close focus film you have studied. This will be one of the following films, Fight Club, The Battle of Algiers or Morvern Callar. You will have a choice of 3 questions to choose from, the first 2 questions will be general and not be specific to the film you have studied. If you answer these questions you will need to make sure that you mention what your close study film was in the opening paragraph. The other option is to answer the question that focuses on your close study film, this question will focus on a specific aspect of the film and you will need to make sure that you refer to this in your answer.

Sample general questions

1. What does your chosen film reveal about the usefulness of one or more critical approaches you have applied?

2. Consider debates that have arisen in the critical reception of your chosen film, either at the time of its initial release or now or both.

Sample specific questions

1. ‘Despite the gesture of destroying symbols of corporate power at the end, Fight Club is a film about power and control, not liberation.’ How far do you agree?

2. The Battle of Algiers offers multiple characters for the spectator to identify with. Critically discuss the strengths and limitations of this approach in relation to the film’s subject.

3. ‘After repeated viewings, Morvern Callar remains a strange, unknowable film, more dreamlike than a narrative realist film.’ How useful and accurate do you find this comment?

Remember these are examples so do not prepare an answer based on these questions and try to use it in the exam. You must respond to the specific demands of the question asked in the exam.

Here are some links to reviews of Fight Club (Fincher 1999)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0137523/ – IMDB page on Fight Club, institutional information and audience reviews

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight_Club_%28film%29 – Wikipedia page on Fight Club

http://www.foxmovies.com/fightclub/ – Official website of Fight Club

http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/fight_club/ – Review page of Fight Club at Rotten Tomatoes

http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=4523 – Review from Ain’t it Cool

These are 60 second versions of Fight Club made to illustrate key scenes and to try and condense the films narrative. The problem is how to make the split personality obvious on zero budget. It was an exercise in both film making technique and in close analysis.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.