These are summative essay titles. The mark for this essay will count toward your end-of-year assessment and your degree classification.

Short assessed essay questions

Choose one of these questions if you are taking assessment method C (50% essay and 50% exam). Write 2000-2500 words on ONE of the topics below.

1. With close reference to his performance in any ONE OR MORE films, attempt to account for the on-screen charisma of Gérard Depardieu.

 

 

2. To what extent, and in what ways, can Jean Gabin be taken to represent 'Frenchness'? Answer with reference to any ONE OR MORE of his film roles.

 

 

3. ‘Catherine Deneuve’s mature film roles give her more opportunity to exploit her acting range than her early films.’ How far do you agree with this assessment of Deneuve's career? Answer with reference to any ONE OR MORE of the films you have studied on the module.

 

 

4. How does spectatorial identification operate in any ONE OR MORE films starring Daniel Auteuil?

 

 

5. Examine the relationship between interiority and exteriorization in any ONE OR MORE film performances by Isabelle Huppert.

 

Long assessed essay questions

 

If you are taking assessment method A (100% assessed essay), you must write ONE essay of 4000-5000 words. You may choose your own essay title in consultation with the module tutor or write on one of the topics proposed below. Essay titles must be approved no later than Friday of week 8 in the spring term. Essay titles should be modelled on the format of scholarly articles and not examination questions i.e. your title might be 'The importance of costume in shaping the star persona of Catherine Deneuve' but not 'Discuss the importance of costume in shaping the star persona of Catherine Deneuve' and not 'To what extent has Catherine Deneuve's star persona been shaped by costume?' Use the titles below as a guide to forming your own title.

 

1. Gérard Depardieu as romantic lead.

 

 

2. Minimalist performance and melodramatic expression in the film roles of Jean Gabin.

 

 

3. Catherine Deneuve and film genre.

 

 

4. Daniel Auteuil: an unconventional masculinity.

 

 

5. Isabelle Huppert and auteur cinema in France.