The Power of the Dog
1. How did Peter protect his mother?
2. Did Peter do an immoral thing in protecting his mother?
3. Why does Peter smile slyly at the end of The Power of the Dog (when he sees his mom with his stepfather)?
4. Why does Peter put on yellow gloves to handle the rope?
5. What happened to Phil at the end of the film?
6. Was Phil a misogynist? Explain.
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Seven
1. What did David Mills do to the man they arrested?
2. Did David Mills do an immoral thing at the end of Seven?
3. Is William Somerset misanthropic or disillusioned?
4. What are the seven deadly sins?
5. What is the worst of the deadly sins? Explain.
6. What genre is Seven?
I have watched this film twice. So, I don’t know what the title “The Power of the Dog” means. I am still thinking about it.
It was
nominated at the Oscars / Academy Awards for
1.
Best
Movie
2.
Best
Actor
3.
Best
Actress
4.
Best
Supporting Actor
5.
Best
Supporting Actress
It won Best
Director. The director is a woman.
It won Best
Soundtrack (which means music). The band is Radiohead.
The music
matches the landscape.
This is set
in Montana.
Montana is
empty of people.
What is the
genre?
Pulp Fiction
was dark comedy. Film Noir.
Rain Man was
a road trip picaresque. If you want to simplify, a drama.
Seven was a
detective movie and thriller. It is a psychological thriller.
The Power of
the Dog is a cowboy movie or western. It is also a homoerotic movie (gay).
The
landscape is stark. That means not much grows there.
Foreshadow:
hint of what will happen
“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, if I did not save
her?”
Who does he
need to save his mother from?
That boy
murdered Phil.
When you see
him, he is skinny and weak, a sissy. He does not seem like someone who can
protect women.
Subtle.
So, his
father is dead. He must protect his mother.
Phil talks
about “Bronco Henry” three times to his brother. Every time, his brother
ignores him and does not want to talk about “Bronco Henry.”
1.
Why?
2.
Who
is Bronco Henry.
This is the second time Phil talks about Bronco Henry.
Phil is calling himself and his brother Romulus and Remus.
They are two men who Romans believed started Rome in 753 B.C. This is not true.
Rome is much older. It is a myth. A myth how we explain the world when we don’t
understand it from science. The myth says the two brothers were raised by a
wolf. One brother killed the other brother.
This story he is telling about Bronco Henry is impossible.
It’s a lie. It is a myth about Bronco Henry.
His brother went to Yale and graduated number one in
Classics. The history of Rome and Greece.
Phil got anthrax from that rope.
How did he save his mother?
Remember he gave the hide to Phil to finish the rope. That
hide (animal skin) had anthrax.
The title is “The Power of the Dog.” When they look at the
hills, he says you can’t see it, I won’t explain.
Is it his secret place?
The movie has a riddle. Something to solve.
Why is Phil so jealous of this woman?
1.
Misogyny:
hatred of women
2.
Misanthrope:
smart person who hates other people for being stupid
3.
Jealous
because she steals his brother?
We are half
way.
I want to
show you ten minutes of a documentary. Documentary is another genre.
This
reminded me of something.
I will post
last weeks and two weeks’ ago tonight. So, there will be two sets of questions.
One for Seven and one for The Power of the Dog. You have to do three homework
assignments.
I will give
you the midterm exams next week.
