Blog Post 8

A useful source for my research paper is a book written by Ben Singer titled "Melodrama And Modernity." The book mainly speaks about how Melodramatic movies have improved over time in films. This book defines Melodrama as "a set of subgenres that remain close to the heart and hearth and emphasize a registered of heightened emotionalism and sentimentality."  In the book it also states that a good Hollywood melodrama is one that makes you cry, or the one that arouses strong sentiment, particularly a powerful feeling of pathos." This ties in with what I am talking about which is mise-en-scene. I can tie this source in with what I am speaking of because it explains what makes a Melodramatic movie so compelling it states that a movie has to evoke pathos in the audience. Evoking pathos has to do with nonverbal aspects. An example would be if a character is crying, this is a way to evoke pathos in the audience. This source is reliable and extremely useful.This source has explained my ideology behind Melodrama.

Blog Post 7

My research paper focuses on the nonverbal aspects of melodrama. A source that I also found to be useful is titled Imitations of Life a book edited by Marcia Landy. This book states writings from many different authors. Each chapter is dedicated to the writings of a different author. This book thoroughly explains melodrama by putting in the works of different authorIn Chapter 6 titles Ways of Melodrama by Raymond Durgnat he states "It might be argued that melodrama is simply an arbitrary extension of drama: a fist fight, for instance, is more or less arbitrary extension of hate, disagreement or competition, or adds nothing to the drama except physical intensity. Nonetheless, a melodramatic situation can often provide a searching test of character." Durgnat's explanation of how a fight scene is more than just a disagreement but rather shows the audience who the characters are and what they are standing up for or against. This ties in with mise-en-scene because fight scenes are considered a non-verbal aspect of melodrama. This is a relevant source for me because I can tie in my topic which focuses on the non-verbal aspects of melodrama. I can also use the other authors as a source which is why it is a useful source. This book has only supported my thoughts on my topic. I believe that things such as fight scenes, or scenes when a character is weeping, or scenes when a tragic accident is seen happening is what help shapes melodrama.

Blog Post 6

One of my sources is a book written by Barbara Klinger titled Melodrama & Meaning it speaks of Douglas Sirk's films and also talks about the use mise-en-scene. Klinger tries to analyze Sirk's films such as Magnificent Obsession. This book tries to explain Melodrama and its aspects by using examples of films and components to films such as the actors and actresses. This source is useful because there is a part in the book which is dedicated to mise-en-scene, which is what I am focusing on in my research paper. This information is reliable and does not seem to be biased. The book states that the things such as how a female dresses and class are ways to fulfill the viewers fantasies or desires. This book fits in to my paper because of how it explains how viewers are effected through watching Melodramatic films. This book can helps me explain the significance of mise-en-scene. Through using other Melodramatic films in the book I can tie in the melodramatic films that I have used because they are all related in some way or form.

Fifth Blog Post

A source that ties in with my topic is Melodrama and Modernity a book written by Ben Singer. In the introduction part of the book he speaks about how Hollywood was criticized before the 90's for showing the same kind of Melodramatic film. The films during earlier times spoke about the typical traditional problems a women might face when it comes to issues present in their lives. In chapter 6 of this book which is titled Ten-Twenty-Thirty Melodrama: Boom and Bust it talks about technology has had a effect on melodramatic movies. During the early 1900's is when action filled movies came out and this was all because of technology. This chapter is relevant to me because it speaks of the nonverbal aspects of melodrama. Scenes that are filled with action these scenes are then interpreted by the audience without further interpretation. This book talks about how Melodrama and Modernity are combines and relevant to films. It speaks about the changes that occurred in Melodramatic films overtime and how peoples perception on melodrama has changed as well over the course of time. This source is useful to me because I am focusing on the nonverbal aspects on my essay. This source is objective it gets the point across while stating opposite views of writers such as David Bordwell.