Your point about Sadie’s honesty on stage really resonates with me. Although I can’t say I enthusiastically admired the “Take me Back” scene, I really enjoyed most of the scenes in which Sadie performs on stage. My favorite moment in the entire movie comes one of the first times we see Sadie actually take the stage, when she preforms “Almost…[Read more]

Max,

I really like your analysis of the character of Sadie and her relationship with her sister; Sadie’s addictions being not only limited to drugs but an addiction to dreams as well. I also like how you brought in Jake’s character and while he plays a relatively small part in the movie, I think that he is the closest I would consider to a hero…[Read more]

Lydia,

While it does seem that Georgia has the same stubborn pride –hubris– as Antigone, I do not think she exists as a tragic hero in this movie. If she is, where is the downfall that she brings upon herself? While she does continually cross Sadie’s feelings and create more distance between the two, she knows Sadie will continue to look up to h…[Read more]

Melissa,

This is an amazing analysis of Georgia; though I was not a fan of the long, drawn-out music scenes (just for the sole reason that I hate musicals and any movie with that mindset) I found the characters in the Georgia to be extremely interesting. Specifically two of your lines really struck a cord with how I felt about the film: “I kept w…[Read more]

Marissa, I find your comment “Sadie may have actually needed medical help for her addiction sooner. Eventually, Georgia does do the right thing and is there for her sister at the rehab center”  interesting. I’m not sure I can agree with the part where Georgia eventually does “the right thing.” Georgia and her family may have been trying to get…[Read more]

I really like your analysis of the film and I tend to agree with the points you make. Specifically the comment about the antagonist of the film being addiction. I’m not sure if I enjoyed the film more because it was prefaced with negative reviews, but regardless I was pleasantly surprised by the film for being so real about enabling addiction,…[Read more]

Melissa,

I think you’re analyzation of Georgia is truly impressive. I can easily say that I did not enjoy the movie and I think that is because I did not watch it through the same lens that you did, but I wish I did. The points that you brought up regarding the different singing styles of the two sisters really made me think harder about the f…[Read more]

Lizzie,

I think that you have an interesting take on the idea of transsexuals in the film. Your claim that Buffalo Bill’s death in the end represents his punishment for trying to become a woman definitely made me think about how I viewed the film. While I don’t necessarily disagree with you, I think that I had a different reaction to this issue.…[Read more]

In terms of how Keating reinforces the boys’ privilege, I think it’s also worth considering the texts that he privileges in his class. Dead Poets’ Society takes place in 1959, well into the Beat movement and four years after the publication of Ginsberg’s “Howl,” poetic movements that did much to push the boundaries of what poetry could say and…[Read more]

I agree with almost everyone who has posted so far regarding Hannibal Lecter’s role in the movie. It was almost a shocking realization that I could watch him bite into someone’s face in the middle of the movie, and somehow still like him in the end. I think this stems from the identification of the audience with Clarice, and as Clarice comes to…[Read more]

Hi Lizzie, I agree with you that the transgender issue in this movie gets slightly complicated. The movie does not seem to demonize transgenders, yet the scene in which we see Buffalo Bill dressed as a female, juxtaposed by Katherine screaming in the well is chilling. By emphasizing the transgender element, here it seems to tie together…[Read more]

Emily, I agree with you that Hannibal’s support for Claire makes him likeable to the audience. What I find more interesting, however, is your point about Hannibal as a mentor figure, especially because I had been thinking about this in tandem with Alison Lurie’s observation of mentorship in The Classic Fairy Tales. Lurie observes that female her…[Read more]

I think this is a really good point, too. As I was watching the film, I was surprised to find I actually liked Hannibal Lecter as a character. I kept asking myself why I liked this person who was a violent, psychopathic prisoner, and I found at least part of it was because he was treating Clarice as a person with potential, rather than…[Read more]

Lizzie, I think your analysis is really insightful and accurate. I had seen this film before, however never in the context of the typical fairy tale, girl becomes a knight, story. Therefore, I had never made the connections between the two until now, and I agree with basically everything that you have written here. I especially like the comment…[Read more]