STUDY GUIDE 3

Week 3 Guide to Readings and Film Viewing: What You Need to Know

1. What are the roots of Formalism? What is the formalist theory of film?

2. What role does food play in Eat, Drink, Man, Woman? How is food used as expressions of different feelings, motives or unspoken agendas? There is a Mexican American version off this same story entitled Tortilla Soup. How do the different cultural backgrounds change or not change the themes and narratives of the essential story? What are some other movies that have food as the centerpiece? How does food function as the driving force in these movies?

3. How does this film fit into the "Wise Patriarch Trilogy" of Ang Lee's films?

4. What is Formalism? What is it's background and what is Formalist Theory of film?

5. In what ways are traditional gender roles and traditions subverted in Eat, Drink, Man, Woman? How are personal agendas pitted against societal expectations?