Themes and style Among the central themes explored in The Birds are those of love and violence. The representation of the birds in the film constantly changes to reflect the development of these themes, and the story itself. At first, the lovebirds in the pet store signify the blossoming love between Melanie and Mitch, and […]

Poor Things Playing God in this Yorgos Lanthimos original film, Willem Dafoe plays s a cross between Dr. Frankenstein and the mad scientist’s monster. His crudely stitched facial scars (kudos to make up artists) belie a childhood of cruel experimentation. Decades later, the benign Godwin Baxter continues his father’s research, reanimating a fully grown woman […]

Narrative Structure The tale is divided into a prologue and three parts (my division) Prologue: Chase The incident that precipitates Scottie’s Vertigo Part 1: Scottie consents to watch over Madelene, following her wherever she goes and gradually falling for her. Part 2: Madeleine’s attempted suicide; Scottie’s rescuing her; development of relationship, which end with her […]

Rather than eschew political engagement with democratic theorizing, Huneke asks how queer theory can wed its critically anti-normative impulses to the empirical need for a state.

Saboteur (1942) Hitchcock makes his trademark cameo appearance about an hour into the film (1:04:37), standing at a kiosk in front of Cut Rate Drugs in New York as the saboteurs’ car pulls up. In his book-length interview with François Truffaut (Simon & Schuster, 1967), Hitchcock says he and Parker filmed a cameo showing them […]