The Power of the Dog
The director
is female. She won the Oscar (Academy Award) for best director.
Foreshadowing:
“When my father passed [died], I wanted nothing more than my mother’s
happiness. For what kind of man would I be if I did not help my mother?”
All four
actors were nominated for an Oscar.
The two
brothers are George and Phil. Peter is the young, effeminate guy.
1.
Is
Phil a misanthrope? He seems to treat his workers fairly. He has a black worker
(this is 1925) who he also treats fairly.
Every time
Phil talks about Bronco Henry, his brother George ignores him.
He tells the
story about Bronco Henry and the horse making the jump.
That is
impossible. Remember that Phil studied Classics at Yale University, so he is
interested in myths (stories that aren’t true)
2.
Is
Bronco Henry a figment of Phil’s imagination or is he real?
3.
Homoerotic:
Was Bronco Henry Phil’s lover? Is that why George doesn’t want to talk about
him?
Foreshadow:
give hints about what will happen later
4.
Is
he really hitting the horse or is that a metaphor?
5.
Is
Phil a misogynist (hates women)?
The
soundtrack also won an Oscar. It is written by the singer from Radiohead.
Stark:
empty, like landscape
6.
Does
Phil want revenge for stealing his brother?
He is going
to mentally torture her…
**********************
Remember I
was saying I think Phil is trying to torture his brother’s wife for reasons of
misogyny or jealousy.
1.
Why
is he befriending her son Phil?
Idiom: “got
off on the wrong foot” means we can be friends now even though we had trouble
and did not like each other at first.
Foreshadow:
Pete says to his mother: “You don’t have to do this [get drunk and suffer]. I
will see you don’t have to do this.
Peter isn’t
completely innocent or a sissy. There is a sinister or evil side to his
personality too. Another foreshadow.
2.
What
is the final meaning of Pete saying: “My father said ‘obstacles? You need to
try to remove them?” Who was the obstacle? Phil.
“on the
sauce” means alcoholic
3.
What
does Phil mean when he foreshadows: “Everything is going to plain sailing for
you for now on?” Plain sailing means easy life for you.
Phil warned
about anthrax twice in the movie – once to his workers and later to Peter.
4.
Why
did Phil die?
5.
Why
did Peter change back to the canvas sneakers at the end of the movie?
Casablanca:
1942, set during World War II: 1941-1945 / Asia 1937 – 1945
Taiwan also
fought in World War II for Japan and 30,000 Taiwanese people died. It affected
every country in the world basically.
This movie
is set in Casablanca, Morocco, Africa.
There are
actors from 34 different countries including two from Taiwan.
Critics say
this movie is Shakespearean. That means every time you see a movie or read a
book, you can get a different meaning. There are so many different ways to
interpret the plot. That is what makes a story great.
