1ere euro : Topic #2 : Last century wars in comic books and movies

You can download here the slideshow of our next topic. For next week you have to choose 1 of the 7 subjects below to be presented individually for mid-jannuary. You have to work on it by yourself at home, not in class... I lend books and dvd's 

Those who won't work on one of this topics have to focus on many aspects of Stanley Kubrick's 1957 masterpiece we watch in class : Paths of glory.

Presentation topics : 

Topic #1 : 

The USA war effort in motion pictures cartoons during WW2 : Tex Avery, Blitz wolf, 1942 - Walt Disney, Der Fuhrer’s Face, 1942 - Dan Gordon, Popeye : You’re a sap Mr Jap, 1942

Questions : What are the plots of those cartoons ? How do they present the USA's enemies  to the public ? What are the aims of such cartoons ?

Topic #2 : 

Jewish genocide during WW2 according to a comic book from Art Spiegelman : Maus, 1986

Questions : What is the plot of each volume ? How do they render the life in occupied Poland and into the concentration camps ? What do you think about the author's choice to draw mice, cats and pigs ?

Topic # 3

The Atomic Bomb upon Hiroshima according to "mangaka"" Keiji Nakazawa in Barefoot Gen, 1976

Questions : What is the plot of each volume of Barefoot Gen ? What about the Japanese society and the bombing day depicted in volume 1 ? How is depicted Hiroshima and the living conditions the day after ?

Topic #4 

The cold war and nuclear threat in Dr Strangelove from director Stanley Kubrick, 1963

Questions : What is the movie's plot ? How are depicted relationships between the USA and the USSR ? What do you think about the author's aim and his choice to make a comedy ?

Topic #5 

The war in Vietnam according to Francis Ford Coppola Apocalypse Now, 1979

Questions : What is the movie's plot ? Why can we say this movie is built as a symbolic trip to hell ? What is the author's aim, doing so ?

Topic #6 

The post Cold War conflicts according to Andrew Niccol movie Lord of War, 2006

Questions : What is the movie's plot ? Where most the weapons sold by Youri Orlov comes from ? Why ? Why can he do such things with impunity ?

Topic #7 

The war against Al Qaeda and the hunt for Ben Laden in Zero Dark Thirty from Katrin Bigelow, 2012

 Questions : What is the movie's plot ? Why do you think the movie was controversial about the way key informations were got ? What's the interest of the assault scene ?

I don’t want you to make a ppt presentation !

If needded, you will only use the board to show, and comment key documents of your work. 

You'll only need your notes to present the movie or the book you explored.