Midnight in Paris

620 Words3 Pages
Film Response: “Midnight in Paris” 1. How does the portrayal of Paris in the film reflect one of the themes encountered in our discussions of the birth of modern culture? Discuss briefly. The film captures the Roaring 20’s, a time where people rejected traditional standards and promoted new styles of dancing, alcohol and nightlife. There is an expression of freedom through this way of celebrating life and as viewed, dancing erased all boundaries between classes. An example of mixing the social classes in the film is depicted by Gil, an average man, dancing with such famous people. The New Woman is also really well shown in this theme of the 1920’s. an example would be, Adriana, who is not traditional woman but rather a product of her age. 2. Like the lives of many modern individuals, Gil’s life is full of conflicting possibilities. Explain his dilemma. Mass culture makes modern individuals mechanical and distracted from personal and social problems. Just like Gil, we’re surrounded by many people and so much is going on that sometimes it becomes difficult to define exactly who we are. A loss of individuality occurs and we dull our sense of imagination. It somehow lessens our uniqueness and traces of difference. Because of this, Gil is searching for who he is. He questions the purpose of life and the work he does, trying to gain back critical reflection that gets dumb downed in the modern world. 3. How does Ernest Hemingway’s character contribute to Gil’s understanding of what it means to be a modern writer? Hemingway wrote books about true experiences such as war and death. He believes they were good pieces of literature as they were honest books and the subject was true. Contributing to Gil’s understanding, modern writers have to experience their subject in order to have a better understanding of it. Hemingway’s style was most influential of the

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