Iron Jawed Angels
*Directors Purpose/Intentions
*What do you think was Garnier’s purpose overall?
*Why did she make the film?
*What did she want us to learn/understand from it?
*Some reasons to consider…
*To inform people about the Suffrage Movement in America.
*To encourage people to stand up for what you believe in.
*To demonstrate the power of non-violent protest.
*To show how perseverance helps us to overcome obstacles
*To illustrate the damaging effects of ignorance/close-mindedness.
*To show us the importance of having a voice in society.
*To help us understand and recognise the conflicts we face in life.
*To make us think about what we would be willing to sacrifice for a cause.
*You can also talk about director’s purpose in
relation to techniques.
*You might say…
*Von Garnier’s use of dialogue…
*The choice of lighting that Von Garnier has made shows the viewer…
*The viewer understands….through Von Garnier’s deliberate use of…
*The combination of…. And …. Which Von Garnier has created allows the viewer to…
*The development of Emily as a character allows Von Garnier to…
*When should you talk about
director’s purpose?
*IN EVERY PARAGRAPH IF
POSSIBLE*It will not always be possible or appropriate for you to discuss in detail the director’s overall purpose in each paragraph.
*But you should be incorporating sentences like we have just discussed in each paragraph.
*A conclusion is a great place to make a broader comment on purpose and to make links to the wider world/significance of the film.*You CAN also refer to these ideas throughout
your essay if possible- especially at the end of paragraphs in your LINK.
*WHY?
*Discussion of director’s purpose is one of the things that will help you to achieve a MERIT or EXCELLENCE grade.
*You should aim to do this whether the question specifically asks you to or not.
*In groups of 4 or 5…
*You are going to brainstorm ideas for writing about director’s purpose relating to specific kinds of essay questions.
*Each group will select one of the following:
*Setting
*Character- Emily
*Character- Alice
*Theme- Oppression of Women
*Theme- The Importance of having a voice in society.
*You will have 10-15 minutes to brainstorm ideas about director’s purpose relating to your topic. You will then present your ideas to the class.
*Linking to Modern Society
*Another good way to propel yourselves into the Merit and Excellence grades is by showing how the film is relevant to us today.
*This is especially relevant here because the film is set so far in the past.
*You can consider either:
*How the film is relevant to “society”
*Or how the film is relevant to the lives of teenagers.
*HOMEWORK
*Read the review of Iron Jawed Angels.
1) Make a list of the reasons this reviewer thinks that the film is relevant to young people today.
2) Make a second list of ways that you can relate to the film, or ways that it is relevant to you, that ARE NOT mentioned in the review.
*Remember you can be referring to the film as a whole, aspects, events, characters, etc.