It became known as both the eisenhower era and the mccarthy era, and mike newells movie, mona lisa smile, begins in 1953 during dwight eisenhowers first year in the white house, when joe. The above dialogue summarizes the central theme of the 2003 film mona lisa smile, a feminist film about katherine watson, an art history teacher at the wellesley college with a liberal outlook on the subject she teaches and in life in general. A 2003 drama directed by mike newell, starring julia roberts, maggie gyllenhaal, kirsten dunst and julia stiles. In the movie, a vibrant and independentminded teacher shows her students a paintbynumbers kit for a van gogh picture to show them the difference between art that is insightful and meaningful and mindless repetition of pretty images. The soundtrack to mike newells mona lisa smile, a dead poets societylike film set at a womens college in the 50s, features a wide array of contemporary artists covering standards from that decade. We have to be told several times that shes bohemian, for. Mona lisa smile cert 12, 117 mins progressive teacher katherine watson arrives at the prestigious, conservative all women college of wellesley in the autumn of 1953 to teach history of art. Katharine is a sharpminded, intelligent, progressive woman who wishes to help mold the minds of the women at the allgirls prestigious wellesley college. The film shows a school which teaches, above all, that a womans duty is to stand by her man, and if clinton. How does the film mona lisa smile, directed by mike newell, challenge traditional views of gender conformity. Mona lisa smile is a bland little movie, our annual ripoff of dead poets society arriving just in time to land on critics 2003 voting ballots. The film is centered on the classroom of katherine ann watson julia roberts, a socially progressive art history instructor. Essay on analysis of the inspirational film, mona lisa smile 2045 words 9 pages. The students are amongst the brightest women in the country, and have absorbed the course.
Mona lisa smile intended to empower women, but raised questions that have no easy answers. Write one teel paragraph and use at least three examples of film techniques. Mona lisa smile visual analysis 5 paragraph essay free essays. Essay on analysis of the inspirational film, mona lisa smile. Film analysis of mona lisa smile in terms of sociological. The movie is based around the life of katherine ann watson, played by julia roberts. Mona lisa smile is a 2003 american movie that narrates the story of a freespirited art history teacher and her conservative female students at wellesley college in 1953. The film is about katherine watson, a college lecturer from liberalminded california, who manages to. The movie sets in postwar period in which womens roles have changed into being good wives and mothers. My grandmas really into buying bootleg dvds at the flea market and picked up mona lisa smile. The movie, mona lisa smile is an inspirational film that explores life through feminism, marriage, and education lead by a modernist teacher at the end of a traditional era. Though the film lacks character development and has a onesided viewpoint of feminism.
I find it hard to believe that wellesley college was as reactionary in the autumn of 1953 as mona lisa smile says it is but then i wasnt there. Analysis of the film mona lisa smile 1256 words 6 pages. Mona lisa smile is a positive, thoughtful period film about the importance of education and a womans right to choose her own future. Analysis of the inspirational film, mona lisa smile 2055 words 9 pages. Pays tribute to a bohemian teacher who tests her idealism in the conservative milieu of wellesley college. By watching mona lisa smile, i noticed that life as a young adult during the 1950s was similar and very different than how life is now in 2005. Analysis of the film, mona lisa smile 911 words 123. The films treatment of roberts is a primo example of what i like to call double datingthe way contemporary looks inevitably infect period. It centers on a woman who challenges and questions life, the world around her, and the people that she comes into contact with. It centers on a woman who challenges and questions life, the. Analysis on the movie mona lisa smile essay sample. Julia roberts was believable in the role and it is amusing to see how badly she fared with the critics not based on her own performance but because she. An appealing female cast gives the hollowly formulaic mona lisa smile more. Mona lisa smile is a 2003 american drama film produced by revolution studios and columbia pictures in association with red om films productions, directed by mike newell, written by lawrence konner and mark rosenthal, and starring julia roberts, kirsten dunst, julia stiles, and maggie gyllenhaal.
History versus her story the readers guide feature. The films marriage is between one of her most contemptuous pupils, betty. Her idealism causes her to believe that she can educate these young women to think for themselves. Everything from this movies doesnt make sense, to just feminist garbage. Mona lisa smile doesnt really try to get around that.
The film begins with the time when craftsmanship history instructor, katherine watson, recognizes a demonstrating position at the regarded wellesley school. British academics have discovered the secret behind the smile of the mona lisa by studying a recently discovered portrait by leonardo da vinci. Analysis on the movie mona lisa smile essay example. In the film, the tensions between the traditional ideology of a womans role in society as a domestic. This process is beautifully portrayed in mona lisa smile. A graduate of berkeley, watson longed all of her life to teach at wellesley. She has mixed results, suffice to say they will never forget her not something you can say about this film. In the 1950s birth control was unheard of and people made it out to be against the law whereas today, birth control is the most widely used drug to prevent pregnancy. The film mona lisa smile offers one possible reason, a very profound one. Mona lisa smile 2003 dominic west as bill dunbar imdb. Portrayals of female academics an analysis shows how our notions of who is a teacher are organized by gender.
The soundtrack takes the utmost care to sound like an artifact from the early 50s, which is refreshing and frustrating in equal measure. I was beyond excited to see a movie set in the 1950s, with all the neat outfits, the makeup, the hairstyles. Mona lisa smile 2003 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. So, when a position opened for an art history class, she perused it until she was. The other the herd is clearly represented by bettys mom. The movie mona lisa smile takes place in a setting that would make a modern woman become incensed newell, 2003. At least, the film highlighted the objectives of womens education in the 1950s, and namely, unfortunately, this still exists in some parts of the world. Film education resources film library mona lisa smile. Released in 2003, the films message is towards women empowerment and to reveal the flaws in the eras traditions. Though mona lisa smile espouses the value of breaking barriers, the movie itself is predictable and. The mona lisas smile came not from some divine intervention. We have been talking about seeing this movie for at least two months.
The movie, mona lisa smile, was released in december of 2003. I chose this speech as my mother came from this era and turned out to be a horrific individual spending all her life pulling everything she hated in to conformity working her life away so it. She insists of putting together all of bettys wedding plans so that they will be acceptable to society. Dead poets society, set a few years after mona lisa smile in the final days of. Mona lisa smile film analysis by mary shea on prezi. Neither were the screenwriters, who reportedly based their screenplay on hillary clintons experience at wellesley in the early 1960s. She glides into mona lisa smile like a walking anachronism nice, but always a movie star.
Leonardo da vincis famous portrait of lisa gherardini, titled mona lisa, is one of the mostdiscussed works of art ever, partly thanks to the subjects ambiguous look. The students are amongst the brightest women in the country and have absorbed the course readinglist before katherines first lecture. The film is about katherine watson, a college lecturer from liberalminded california, who manages to get a teaching position in the art history department at wellesley, a prestigious, conservative, and elite private womens college situated at the opposite end of the country in. Dr margaret livingstone, harvard neuroscientist, says smile of the mona lisa appears to come and go because as the observers eye moves from. Using the notes you have just taken, answer the following question. The title is a reference to the mona lisa, the famous painting by leonardo da vinci, and to the song. There is a simplistic analogy with the mona lisa throughout. It became known as both the eisenhower era and the mccarthy era, and mike newells movie, mona lisa smile, begins in 1953 during dwight eisenhowers first year in. The movie takes place in 1953 at wellesley college which is an all girls school. Mona lisa smile is a 2003 american movie that depicts the story of a freevivacious craftsmanship history teacher and her preservationist female understudies at wellesley school in 1953. The main character is a teacher that represents the brave, intelligent individuals that broke ground for women to pursue equality. The movie begins by introducing the lead character, katherine watson, who is a free spirited art history teacher determined to make a difference at the. In the movie, mona lisa smile directed by mike newell, a new art history professor at wellesley college teaches her female students alternatives to their seemingly preordained futures as wives and mothers.
The film mona lisa smile ultimately illustrates how certain expectations within gender roles, contraception, divorce, and marriage have changed over time, and some have remained the same. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central. Mona lisa smile tells the story of an idealistic art history teacher, katherine watson, who comes to wellesley college for girls in 1953. Reasons for lying, identity management approximate scene location. It begins by introducing the lead character, katherine watson julia roberts, a liberalminded novice professor from. The 2003 film mona lisa smile depicts wellesley college, a womenonly massachusetts school, in the 1950s. Mona lisa smile is a film based off of traditional cultural beliefs and filled with challenges towards change for new modern traditions. Like down with love earlier this year, this movie preaches. In 1953, a 30something grad student from ucla named katherine watson roberts accepts a teaching position at a liberal arts college for women in massachusetts. To get the feminist value the writer uses descriptivequalitative analysis as the method to analyze the relationship between the.
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