English 100W
Dr. Sigler
Viewing Guide for Smoke Signals
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Directed by Chris Eyre.
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Written by Sherman Alexie, based on stories from his book, The Lone
Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven.
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Photographed by Brian Capener.
Major Characters:
Victor Joseph: Adam Beach
Thomas Builds-the-Fire: Evan Adams
Suzy Song: Irene Bedard
Arnold Joseph: Gary Farmer
Arlene Joseph: Tantoo Cardinal
Grandma Builds-the-Fire: Monica Mojica
Police Chief: Tom Skerritt
As you watch the film and take notes, keep the following questions
in mind:
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This is in many ways an archetypal "journey-quest" (or "coming-of-age")
narrative about two young men venturing forth into the unfamiliar world
for the first time. What do Victor and Thomas learn from their journey?
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Although much of this film follows the progress of a journey, the narrative
often "pauses" while one of the characters (usually Thomas!) tells a story.
What is the relationship between the larger narrative (the trip to Phoenix)
and the interpolated stories? (Keep in mind that the story of the movie
is told by Thomas, so at certain points he's telling the story about himself
telling the story about somebody else telling a storyÖ).
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Sherman Alexie says that he used humor in Smoke Signals, and in
other writings, because he claims that " humor is the most effective political
tool out there, because people will listen to anything if they're laughing."
If satire and humor are ways of questioning the status quo, then what,
specifically, does this movie ask us to question?
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Smoke Signals is in many ways about the common American experience
of belonging to multiple communities or cultures (e.g. home, school, ethnic,
religious, sports, local and national cultures). What are the relationships
between the groups/cultures to which Thomas and Victor belong? How do these
cultures work together, test one another and come into conflict?
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How does the title of this film connect to the filmís theme(s)?