Tragedy and Comedy Film Review Essays

January 13, 2021

Tragedy and Comedy Film Reviews Essays

FILM REVIEWS: The following questions can serve as prompts for the essays on tragedy (Death of a Salesman) and comedy ( Some Like It Hot or The Nutty Professor)

You are to write one film review essay for each genre.

DEATH OF A SALESMAN

–What is tragedy?
–How does the movie fit this definition?
–What is tragic about all the characters in the play? How well did the actors portray their
roles?
–How does the theme of a lack of communication fit?
–What other themes are covered?
–How do the technical aspects of the movie convey themes (camera, lighting, etc)
–What is your evaluation/ recommendation of the movie?

SOME LIKE IT HOT or THE NUTTY PROFESSOR

–What is comedy?
–What are the various forms of comedy?
–What are the comic techniques in the movie you choose?
–What, if any, is the serious message underlying the movie?
–How did the acting contribute to the comedy?
–Technical aspects of the film.
–What is your evaluation/ recommendation of the movie?

REMEMBER: Formal essay rules apply—active verbs, no personal pronouns, topic sentences, clear
thesis statement, specific support for what you say.

Grading Rubric

Your essay will be graded based on the following rubric:

Category	Unacceptable (0-1)	Needs Improvement (2-3)	Good (4)	Excellent (5)	Total Possible Points

Organization (x3)	There is no apparent organization to the essay. It shows some coherence but ideas lack unity.	There is some level of organization though digressions, ambiguities, irrelevance are too many. Transition evident but not used throughout essay.	Essay is coherent and logically organized with transitions used between ideas and paragraphs to create coherence. Overall unity of ideas is present.	Essay shows high degree of attention to logic and reasoning of points. Unity clearly leads the reader to the conclusion and stirs thought regarding the topic.	15
Content (x3)	Essay lacks evidence of critical thinking. Uses superficial, simplistic, or irrelevant reasons and unjustifiable claims. Makes illogical, inconsistent inference.	Essay is primarily opinion without valid support. Little critical thinking is evident. Follows existing evidence to obtain conclusions.	Ideas are logical and reasoned, but demonstrate lesser degree of originality. Follows evidence and reason lead to obtain justifiable, logical conclusion.	Writer develops logical and reasoned independent ideas that go beyond predictable outcomes or the conclusions of researched materials. Follows where evidence and reason lead in order to obtain defensible, thoughtful, logical conclusions or solutions.	15
Grammar & Mechanics(x2)	Sentences are unclear and many grammatical errors in structure make essay virtually unreadable. Spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and vocabulary usage contain major flaws that impede readability.	Most spelling, punctuation, and grammar correct allowing reader to progress through essay. Some errors remain.	Essay has few spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors allowing reader to follow ideas clearly. Very few fragments or run-ons.	Essay is free of distracting spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors; absent of fragments, comma splices, and run-ons.	5