It’s fair to say that this is the decade when Hitchcock truly arrived into the public consciousness. The Hollywood star machine was in full force, working its magic both for Hitchcock as a director and for his many stars – Joan Fontaine, Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman and a very fresh-faced Gregory Peck, among others. The introduction of Technicolour in the latter part of the decade … Continue reading Part 3 of my year of Hitchcock: The 1940s
Once again I’m almost finished with the next decade before I get around to watching this (the 1940s is a banging bunch of films, for the record). The 1930s is Hitchcock’s only complete decade in the UK, and what a fascinatingly mixed bag it is. His signature style and themes are beginning to emerge in some films, but he’s also a young director for hire … Continue reading Part 2 of my year of Hitchcock: The 1930s
Before the summer holidays, I set my class of five Year 1 IBDP film students their summer project – and then I asked them to set one for me. Following Sharon Lacoste McDonagh’s suggestion, I asked each student to set me one film to watch; something they love that would help me understand them, how they see the world and their place in it. Here … Continue reading Homework for Ms Home: My Students’ Summer Watchlist
I am now one whole decade into my Hitchcock project. (Actually I’ve been a decade in for well over a month but am only now getting round to writing about it.) As someone who struggles with even one post per year I would be frankly delusional to think I could manage one per film; instead I want to take this opportunity to reflect on the … Continue reading Part 1 of my year of Hitchcock: The 1920s
Yesterday I rewatched Rear Window with my year 1 IBDP students as part of our exploration of auteur theory. They saw The Birds back in September so this seemed a good opportunity to show them another Hitchcock and explore why so many people view him as the quintessential auteur (and why his relationships with his female stars were so complex and problematic). I gave them a potted overview of his career, which … Continue reading 2025 Hitchcock Challenge
This is a practice Textual Analysis that came out of recent lessons with my current first year Film group. We did all the research and planning together in class, and wrote the first 2 paragraphs together. I then sent all students away to finish their own version of the essay, and I did the same. This is my version. Textual Analysis Film: Dr. Strangelove or: … Continue reading IBDP Textual Analysis: Dr Strangelove
It’s been a while since I’ve posted on here – not least because I moved from London to Berlin a year ago to teach in an international school! I took on my first IBDP Film group partway through the year, and getting my head around the different requirements of the course has been quite a journey. To help with this I’ve been trying to complete … Continue reading IBDP Film Studies: ‘Moonlight’ Textual Analysis
Welcome to this second instalment of my list of suggestions for the AL film curriculum, compiled with a view to including films by directors of colour. My first blog post on this subject dealt directly with Sections 2 and 3 of the Component 1 exam, offering four suggestions for each one. This second instalment will, for the most part, take a more freeform approach, as … Continue reading BHM: Suggestions for a more diverse AL curriculum (part 2)
Even the most cursory glance at the A-level film specification reveals a shocking lack of diversity, which has become even more embarrassing as the Black Lives Matter movement has gathered pace in the wake of the unlawful killing of George Floyd. The (informal) word from EDUQAS is that a new list of set texts is on the way which will seek to address this lack … Continue reading BHM: Suggestions for a more diverse AL curriculum (part 1)
Over the course of nearly thirty years, Quentin Tarantino has consistently garnered both critical acclaim and box office success, and his films have become increasingly ambitious. While his various directorial curios (Four Rooms, Sin City) and writer-only forays (True Romance, From Dusk Till Dawn) all contain aspects of his distinctive style, an initial appraisal of his auteur signature needs to start with the nine films … Continue reading Tarantino – Development of an Auteur
Film Studies with Miss Home 