IS THIS FILM ART?
Criteria for Evaluating a Film

RE-VIEWING
Is the film worth seeing again? What factors determine whether you want to see a film more than once? Which of these factors does this film use effectively? Explain.

ENDURING QUALITIES
Can this film stand the test of time? Why or why not? Does it relate to universal ideas or situations? What are they? Does it deal only with contemporary situations and ideas? Explain.

TRUTH
Does the film deepen your understanding about some significant idea or cast new light on it? Does it present new ideas? Are the characters credible? Do they behave in ways you expect? Cite examples and explain.

BEAUTY
Is the film aesthetically pleasing? Do the quality of photography, color, sound, and performance and the use of special effects come together as a work of art should? Which aspects work especially well? Why? Describe how the quality of a particular scene from the film gives the viewer this sense of beauty.

UNITY
Are the shots and scenes organized logically? Describe one example of a particularly effective sequence. Describe one that seems weak. Tell why each of these sequences succeeds or fails.

TREATMENT
Are the ideas suggested or are they stated? Discuss one scene and the particular idea, feeling, or mood it creates.

EMOTIONAL RESPONSE
Were you moved by the film? Did it make you feel sorrow or joy or anger? What emotion(s) did you feel when the film ended?