Bonus: it's hilarious.
(vid: source)
But what does it have to do with our class, and why is it even worth watching?
Lysistrata
In Aristophanes' Lysistrata, the women use their seductive skills to sexually frustrate the men, and the lack of consummation eventually gets the women what they want. Easy A shows echoes of this concept. Olive, the main character, starts to use the rumor working against her to help the less fortunate. She pretends to have sex with them, but for a price.
Well that's the most awkward screencap I've ever seen.
(vid: source)
The Misanthrope
The connection to Molière's The Misanthrope is less about characterization, and more about wordsmithing. The style of writing used in The Misanthrope was downright poetic. In Easy A, there is an obvious love for words among Olive and her family. They delight in language itself, and find a way to turn this delight into something entirely comic.
"Tallywacker?"
(vid: source)
The Venetian Twins
In The Venetian Twins, Goldini used a method called "breaking the fourth wall" that allows the characters to speak directly to the audience. Not only is Easy A broken up into bite-sized segments (or what I would call "acts"), these segment breaks are a direct result of Olive narrating her situation directly to the audience.
YouTube didn't have the scene, so here's a snake in a tiny hat.
(pic: source)
There are a lot of elements to Easy A that relate back to previous texts we've analyzed in class (as seen above). But beyond that, this film masters a tongue-in-cheek humor that is subtle and elevated, and all the more hilarious because of it. Every line is crafted, and if you listen carefully enough, you'll find something to laugh at come every turn.
When first reading the title of your suggestion, "Easy A", I too automatically thought of the play, "Lysistrata" and the roles women play and how they are exemplified in both. I enjoyed your post and the multiple comparisons that you made. Great suggestion!
ReplyDeleteI really like this movie, and think that it would adequately give the class lots of material about which to discuss. I particularly like the way you broke down the different relations this film has with the different texts that you mentioned, giving a framework for which the film can be analyzed. Only reason I didn't do that was in case my film was actually chosen, I didn't want there to be a lack of things to talk about, even between so many students. But the beauty of Easy A, as well as I Love You, Man, is that there's a rich density of comedy and laughing material to use in a productive course discussion.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I suspect, by the picture-tax at the end, that you might just be... imgurian?
DeleteThis would be a great movie to watch for this class! I feel like every aspect of comedy from this class is mentioned in this movie in one way or another.
ReplyDeleteYES! This would be a fantastic movie for us to watch! I also think it could be tied to The Broken Jug because when Olive lies, she must then lie more to support her previous lies. Great suggestion!
ReplyDeleteThat's a really awesome comparison I hadn't even thought of!
DeleteLove this movie! I think would be great to discuss. I also think it would be interesting because of the strong female lead. I had never thought of this movie in comparison to Lysistrata, but it fits so well.
ReplyDeleteI have always wanted to watch this movie! And after reading through your analysis, I definitely have to watch it now, whether as a class or not. I especially can't wait to see how the language is used in this movie. (I didn't look at the YouTube clip you posted because I don't want to spoil it)
ReplyDeleteHmm, your post might have convinced me to give this film another chance. I saw it when it came out, and I personally feel the film falls apart at times, but it might be a good opportunity to revisit it.
ReplyDelete