Film Essays (Examples)

Film Discussion Early View of

The natural world allows us to show of more of our individual talents, whereas the urban landscape seems to only allow us to show what is needed of us in terms of industry.

Modern Times echoes these themes and images of the early representation of the modern city. However, the film is much more comedic, but with the same message. For example, the factory scene shows the same monotony. It is comedic, yet it is also representing the dehumanizing of urban workers because of the extreme technological advances (Hicks 2007). This film represents a strange sense of automation taking the life and quality out of production within modern urban environments. There is the incessant need to be faster, and Chaplin's character can't even take a short break. Yet the workplace is not an ideal environment -- the fly that keeps bothering him represents the constant torture the modern worker endures…… [Read More]

Film Campaign Nora Ephron's Julie

Their decision and ability to not only highlight the portions of the film that nest exemplify this (i.e. Streep's scenes as Julia Childs) but to also tie the rest of the film into the same perspective they were hoping to entice their viewers into adopting (i.e. The worship of Childs from afar a la Powell) accomplished exactly what was needed.

The construction of the television spots used in the marketing campaign for Julie & Julia were not effective only in legitimizing the story of Julia Childs told in the film, but also helped to draw younger viewers to the film. Amy Adams is a quickly emerging yet very well-received actress, and her story in the film modernizes what would otherwise be a historical piece. Though this historicism was the main focus of the advertising campaign, the television spots also reflect and understanding that younger audiences will not necessarily be drawn…… [Read More]

Film Theory Film and Reality

The spectator is unwittingly sutured into a colonialist perspective. But such techniques are not inevitably colonialist in their operation. One of the innovations of Pontocorvo's Battle of Algiers is to invert the imagery of encirclement and exploit the identificatory mechanisms of cinema in behalf of the colonized rather than the colonizer (Noble, 1977).

It is from within the casbah that we see and hear the French troops and helicopters. This time it is the colonized who are encircled and menaced and with whom we identify. The sequence in which three Algerian women dress in European style in order to pass the French checkpoints is particularly effective in controverting traditional patterns through the mechanisms of cinematic identification: scale (close shots individualize the three women); off-screen sound (we hear the sexist comments as if from the women's aural perspective); and especially point-of-view editing. By the time the women plant the bombs; our…… [Read More]

Film Theory and Criticism Hitchcock

She must deliver the government plan to an end and be successful. She is determined and uses all her feminine best cards. At the beginning of their meeting she seems to be a superficial, sex interested woman, giving a slight sense of nymphomania. During her adventure with Roger Thornhill she falls in love with him. A theme frequently used in American films (take for example all James Bond films, sexy women ready anytime to jump in the hero's arms). At the end Eve and Roger seem a happily married coupled going on a honeymoon, and the viewer is given the impression of the perfect companion, a future ideal mother and wife, and Roger the devoted husband. They had there moments of doubt, when Roger thought Eve betrayed him and named her a person with no feelings, but Roger realized his mistake and they reconciled. The characters seem to have been…… [Read More]

Film Documentary Review Nix on

In fact, the reviewer seemed to make it clear that this film would provide insight even for people well-familiar with the comfort women story. Three survivors talk about what they endured as comfort women, and how that has continued to impact them and their lives, to this day. The reviewer describes the women using graphic detail, which is an interesting and anomalous phrase. After all, would not one expect to find descriptions of rape to be graphic and disturbing? However, the euphemistic phrasing that is employed to justify human rights violations like this one, such as calling the women "comfort women" rather than "sex slaves" softens the impact of what has been done, even years after the fact. Therefore, while it is clear that the reviewer has previously studied these events, it is equally clear that the reviewer did not ever really consider the impact that being forced into prostitution…… [Read More]

Film Birth of a Nation

The first part ends with Lincoln's assassination and with influential abolitionists wanting to punish the Southern states.

The second part of the movie presents the characters after the end of the war as they attempt to reach their goals. Austin travels south with the intention of taking care that blacks are being set free and that they receive their basic rights. Ben Cameron is disappointed that his people now have to treat blacks as equals and decided to form the Ku Klux Klan.

Flora Cameron commits suicide after being chased by Gus, a former slave that tried to convince her to marry him. Ben quickly apprehends Gus, hangs him, and leaves his body in front of Lieutenant Governor Silas Lynch's house. Lynch responds by ordering the executions of all those part of the Klan. The Camerons manage to escape Lynch's people and they take refuge in a country home.

As…… [Read More]

Film Criticism of Casablanca Casablanca One of

Film Criticism of Casablanca

Casablanca, one of the most famous films of the last one hundred years, uses various film and music techniques to convey the story of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman's tragic love triangle set in World War II's North Africa. The film connects on many human levels due to its use of seamless shots including close-ups, deep focus and dissolves to name a few. The technique of mis en scene, which literally means use of stylistic items such as scenery, lighting and costumes also artistically builds the drama. The use of music also plays a huge role in setting the scene for romance in the film. It, too, can be considered a character, after all no one can forget the line "Play it again, Sam." The following paragraphs takes an in depth look at such examples in the film.

Film Criticism

Montage and overlapping of scenes opens…… [Read More]

Film & TV Terminology Terminology

In this area, meanings with their endless referrals evolve. These include meanings form discourses, as well as cultural systems of knowledge which structure beliefs, feelings, and values, i.e., ideologies. Language, in turn, produces these temporal "products."

During the next section of this thesis, the researcher relates a number of products (terminology) the film/TV industry produced, in answer to the question: What components contribute to the linguistic aspect of a sublanguage inside of the English language?

CHAPTER III

FILM and TV SUBLANGUAGE

We've come to a certain point in the history of film.

Introduction

In the writing of the script for film/TV, a sublanguage, the writer's deep collection of his/her responses to life. Under specific circumstances, individuals in a particular area of expertise alter/change/utilize a language, in this case, English, to fit their profession, in turn making it easier of those in the profession to understand. This practice of altering specific…… [Read More]

Film History Expressions of Existential

These blows come in the form of beatings and disappointments encountered by Antoine while he is a student at a prison-like school. Truffaut paints the starkness of his reality effectively in his use of black and white hues. The boys are dressed mainly in dark formal clothes and their surroundings are also dark. This is contrasted with the brightness of the outside world in which Antoine is constantly looking for. He is left to his own devices, as the adults of the film appear to be "hypocritical, unsympathetic, unperceptive and untrustworthy" (Mast 353). This depicts a gloomy picture of Truffaut's outlook on life. His methods of camera technique, palette choice and story structure further promote this feeling. His choice of loner and misfits like Antoine who feel stifled by society also promote changing definitions in society. Truffaut wanted to put these ideas out into the public not only to express…… [Read More]

Film Prompt The Battle of

This is important, because the director was using these individuals to show how the struggle for independence was carried out by: ordinary people who wanted to make a difference. (Johnson)

Since the film was first released in 1966, sympathy has changed dramatically. What has been happening is: the views of the FLN and their leaders are seen as heroes throughout the film. As they are representing the struggles that Algerians are going through during the independence movement. In this aspect, the movie was about the people standing up to: capitalist regimes that were exploiting many countries. (Johnson)

However, as time has went by, the use of these tactics by the FLN (mainly bombings) has changed. What has been occurring is that, this has become a common form of attack that many terrorist groups are using against innocent civilians. After the events of September 11th and the feelings associated with what…… [Read More]

Film and Television and Culture

Film And Television and Culture

One of the principal concepts that Robert Zemekis' 1994 motion picture Forrest Gump is meant to put across regards the problems that society has to deal with. Consequent to watching this film, most viewers are likely to look back and think about all of the issues in Forrest Gump's life. The fact that Tom Hanks soundly plays the character contributes to making the audience relate to him, especially considering that his emotional nature increases the overall feeling that one has while viewing the film.

Forrest Gump is a rather ordinary individual who somewhat accidentally becomes a part of a series of historic events. Having been challenged by life's hardships, he continuously strives to achieve his goals, regardless of the fact that he often comes across tough situations. His below-the-average IQ and his failure to connect with the love of his life in his early years…… [Read More]

Film Comparison Almodovar's Prisons Can Be More

Film Comparison

Almodovar's Prisons

Prisons can be more than a place where one is confined for what they have done. A prison can be a great number of things; a prison can be a psychological, social, emotional, or physical construct. Pedro Almodovar explores these four types of prisons in two of his films, Volver and Todo Sobre Mi Madre (All About My Mother). In both of these films, the characters find themselves held prisoner by what they keep as secret; the ramifications of these secrets sometimes force characters into seclusion, whether it is self-imposed or a result of social/cultural fears. Volver and Todo Sobre Mi Madre's narratives demonstrate the effects that these four types of prisons -- psychological, social, emotional, and physical -- have on the people that are forced into confinement.

"Almodovar is most interested in melodrama, approached from a variety of angles, some of them skewed" (Mast &…… [Read More]

Film Family Prays Together Stays Together Tyler

Film: Family Prays Together Stays Together Tyler Perry Select a film, short story, drama worthy time analysis, Aristotle's ideas good dramatic storytelling lecture, analyze story a 750- 1

Tyler Perry's movie drama "The family that preys" represents the story of two families that eventually are forced by circumstances to work together and to get along, regardless of the discrepancies that exist in their life style, mentality, and dreams.

The story line is relatively complex in the sense that there are numerous events that take place throughout the film, from marriage, to drama, from happy moments to sad ones. From this point-of-view, the story and the plot itself resembles the complexity of everyday life, with all intricate affairs and developments that usually do take place in people's lives. An aspect however that may seem somewhat unrealistic relates to the way in which paths cross between the two families. In every day…… [Read More]

Movies and Methods Volume I

Not only does Nichols provide a good context for the many paradoxes that can confront film studies with his insightful and thoughtful introduction, but he also shows how sharing approaches and methods can help to stimulate a lot of the best writing regarding film. In addition he shows many of the common problems that are seen and deals with the contradictions that appear. Like the first volume of the anthology, this second volume also provides smaller introductions so that each essay and piece of information can be more easily understood. It also allows a reader to peruse the book and find the pertinent piece of information that he or she needs at that point in time, which can be very valuable, especially for a novice to the film industry trying to find information quickly. Having the smaller introductions before each piece also help to showcase each item within the context…… [Read More]

Film Analysis Sophie's Choice Film

Conclusion

It is hard to deny that Sophie's Choice indeed has the trifecta of what I believe good movie-making needs: superb acting, sound, and cinematography, as it was nominated excellence in acting (won by Meryl Streep), cinematography, and music by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' annual Academy Awards. While I have seen many movies, few have touched me the way Sophie's Choice has. I can remember the seamless acting, the haunting music, and the visual beauty of the film itself. In viewing Sophie's Choice, it's easy to see that a great film is so much more than commercial success or box office revenue; a great film is compelling. It grabs hold of you and doesn't let go. In looking for movies that resonate with the viewer, one cannot come any closer to perfection than Sophie's Choice, one of the most compelling films of all time, a gripping…… [Read More]

Film Leverage

Film Awards

The film industry produces experience goods for consumer enjoyment and consumption, and substantively relies on consumer differentiation for the economic success of movies. Moviegoers appear to differentiate films primarily on the basis of genre, starring actors, exposure to promotion, recommendations from other moviegoers and film critics, and -- for the dedicated film buffs and connoisseurs -- directors, cinematographers, and even screenwriters associated with the film production (Albert 1998, De Vany 2004, Eliashberg and Shugan 1997, Hand 2002, Krider and Weinberg 1998, Nelson et al. 2001, Ravid 1999, Smith and Smith 1986, Wallace, Steigermann and Holbrook 1993). Access to information about films is related to the resources and networks that moviegoers enjoy, and on the attention that films garner, as expressed by the media and through social networks. Information about films is accessed by moviegoers from many sources: 1) The genre of the film; 2) the rating of the…… [Read More]

Film Journal Comparison of Similarities

The leading lady of the film within the film is crazy, without the need for abusing any form of intoxicating substance. But the primary difference between the contemporary and the past film does not lie in any of these imperfect parallel details involved in their mutually chaotic plots, nor the minute distinctions in the minds and portrayals of stock characters. Rather, the difference lies in the way that DiCillo's style of storytelling constantly forces the audience to remain on edge, unaware if they are watching real life or the film that is being filmed -- or the director or actor's idealized dream of what the creative product should be. Thus, the later film has an added nuance about how the creative process can take over the lives of actors and directors, as well as seem absurd to individuals outside of the movie business. It also forces the viewer not simply…… [Read More]

Film Analysis American Beauty Women's Sexuality Film

Film Analysis: American Beauty

Women's Sexuality

Film Analysis: American Beauty

Film Analysis: American Beauty

American Beauty (1999) was written by Alan Ball, creator of the HBO series 6 Feet Under, and directed by Sam Mendes. American Beauty centers around the Burnham family, who, on the surface seems like a picture-perfect, white, upper-middle class, suburban family. The protagonist of the film is the father and husband of the Burnham family, Lester, who, fed up with the boredom and monotony of his life, has an interesting "mid-life" crisis, that includes a very active crush on his adolescent daughter's Lolita-type best friend.

The film follows the Burham family as each member (mother, father, and daughter) transition into new stages of their lives. Lester's transition is the most notable and spectacular. He loses his high paying job and begins working at a fast food restaurant. While working the drive-thru, he discovers that his seemingsly…… [Read More]

Film Music Critique Dziga Vertov's

Woody Allen's Annie Hall

Music is hardly used at all throughout the course of Woody Allen's classic comedy film Annie Hall. Like the great Ingmar Bergman, a director that Allen has idolized throughout the course of his career, Allen chose to leave a music score out of the film altogether.

Allen has always been known for his unconventional use of music in his films. He has never commissioned an original score for any of his movies; rather, he prefers to use established jazz and classical music recordings. But in a lot of his films, these jazz scores can be heard constantly in the background. Not so in Annie Hall.

One of the few uses of background music to be heard in Annie Hall include a boy's choir Christmas melody that features in a scene where the characters are driving through Los Angeles. In another instance, Mozart's Jupiter Symphony can be…… [Read More]

Film Troy 2004 A Mythical

There are enough similarities of story and characterization, however, that while one must take care not to see Troy as fact, or even as an essentially faithful movie version of the Homer's the Iliad, one may still learn something about the plot, characters, and setting of Homer's great poem by seeing it. Educationally speaking, perhaps one of the greatest benefits of a major motion picture like Troy is that seeing it might interest more people in reading the Iliad, for comparison, and/or in learning more about Greek legends, myths, and mythological characters in general.

The basic plot and setting of the film is this: the Mycenae Greeks (Greece and Sparta) and the Trojans, having been at war, have finally reached peace after many years. Two handsome young Trojan princes, Hector and Paris (sons of King Priam) are celebrating this fact with Menelaus, King of Sparta (Menelaus's brother Agamemnon is King…… [Read More]

Film Psychoanalysis of the Film

Grey with a way to accommodate the needs of their Ids and their Superegos. Their Superegos imposed the societal constraints on sexual relationships, which would drive both Lee and Mr. Grey to enter into monogamous sexual relationships. Their Ids drove Lee and Mr. Grey to seek immediate gratification of their aggressive urges through sexual behavior. By entering into a relationship with each other that allows them to fulfill both needs, Lee and Mr. Grey allow their Egos to reconcile the needs of their Ids and Superegos.

Furthermore, the Secretary addresses the issue of sexuality, and highlights the intimate relationship between sexuality and aggression. The unusual thing about the Secretary is that it demonstrates that a relationship that might be viewed as deviant was actually helpful to both members of the relationship. Prior to becoming involved with one another, Lee and Mr. Grey are both in pretty bad shape. Lee was…… [Read More]

Film Critique Apollo 13 the

This lack of trust further leads to dysfunctional conflict.

Dysfunctional conflict refers to a destructive and unhealthy disagreement among people. In a team, this could lead to a removal of focus from the task at hand. This occurs in the scene, where all the members of the team allow their emotion of fear to control their behavior. Rather than seeking solutions, they appear to look for scapegoats upon whom to blame their situation. The scene ends with the potential to resolve the conflict.

The scene focuses very much upon the conflict aspect of communication breakdown, rather than clearly illustrating the positive aspects of the team involved. There appears to be no basis of trust among the team members, which leads to an escalation of dysfunctional conflict. In order to better illustrate the full range of aspects involved in the concepts, the scene might have included a sense of basic trust…… [Read More]

Film Being John Malkovich Sexuality

His stance is also one of superiority as he presents himself as the victim of his own vision and artistic expression. In this context, the generic pronoun "they" symbolizes Craig's detachment from the world around him as he feels superior which he believes, is what causes his isolation.

Craig's wife, Lotte, is perhaps the most radically changed as a result of traveling through the portal. She becomes convinced that she is a transsexual, and consequently, feels the only way she can be true to herself is to assume a new sexual identity, i.e. that of a man. However Lotte abandons her desire of sexual reassignment when she becomes aware that by starting a relationship with Maxine, she can in fact assume a different gender role simply by falling in love with Maxine. Maxine, on the other hand, embarks on a sexual relationship with Malkovich so she can be with Lotte.…… [Read More]

Film Project Othello Modernized Shakespeare

My story being done,

She gave me for my pains a world of sighs:

She swore, in faith, twas strange, 'twas passing strange,

Twas pitiful, 'twas wondrous pitiful:

She wish'd she had not heard it, yet she wish'd

That heaven had made her such a man: she thank'd me,

And bade me, if I had a friend that loved her, should but teach him how to tell my story.

And that would woo her. Upon this hint I spake:

She loved me for the dangers I had pass'd,

And I loved her that she did pity them.

This only is the witchcraft I have used:

Here comes the lady; let her witness it.

Translation

Setting: The inside of the administrative building. Nighttime. Othello is wearing a suit, and is confronted by the school's president, 'Dr. B,' and several members of the administration in their pajamas.

John Othello: Look Dr. B,…… [Read More]

Film Technique in Saving Private Ryan

Film Technique of 'Saving Private Ryan'

Saving Private Ryan by Steven Spielberg opens with a sequence that, to some degree, complies with "war drama" conventions. But the movie also possesses innovative elements, challenging the characteristic heroic notion of war. The director employs micro techniques like handheld camera use as well as other techniques that correspond to the documentary genre (e.g., on-location filming) for creating an intense feeling (realistic), making the war appear awfully shocking; the conveyance is a negative representation of war (Andrews).

Amplified diegetic sounds communicate the immensely ghastly reality of the D-day clash. Loud crashing waves reflect soldiers' vulnerable position as they face the brutal and violent nature of war. Loud marching-beats help portray war as an unnatural occurrence in society, as it indicates the natural order of things has suffered from Nazi indoctrination, making of a dominating and regimented man, rather than as a free and peaceful…… [Read More]

Film Pilosophy Philosophy in Films

Humanity seems to unravel altogether in Pi: Faith in Chaos, both written and direct by Darren Aronofsky. Max is a brilliant but socially crippled young mathematician who has built a supercomputer and possibly unlocked the mathematical secrets of the universe, explaining everything from the stock market to God. The mathematical precision with which the world would operate if this is true casts a great deal of doubt on the existence of free will. At the same time, however, the film is asking questions about reality, and whether or not Max's discovery can truly be used in any practical way. Ultimately, both questions are rendered moot by Max's destruction of the mathematical portion of his brain. Though this seems to be an act of free will, it could also be the natural and inevitable next step in the algorithm of his life following his discovery of the sacred 216-digit number. Regardless,…… [Read More]

Film Auteur Theory in Tim

Gotham is a dark place, which manifests evil in the character of the Joker (Jack Nicholson). Bruce Wayne, Batman, is the force with which evil must reckon. Batman, however, has his own dark side, which is manifest in his costume, his gothic style mansion, and the technology he employs to combat the Joker and other criminal elements.

In this film, Burton needed only a few big name and talented actors -- Jack Nicholson (the Joker), Michael Keaton (Bruce Wayne aka Batman), Billy Dee Williams (Harvey Bent), and Kim Bassinger (Vicky Vale) to attract that audience that might otherwise have opted out of a comic book to film production. Yet the actors in this instance by virtue of their talent need minimal direction, and that allows Burton to focus on the structure of the film. The film is not structured around the actors, but the actors fill the structure of the…… [Read More]

Film Gay and Lesbian Stereotypes

The homosexual community is also associated with characteristic mannerisms that, in fairness, do project homosexuality.

There is nothing necessarily prejudiced or closed minded about making assumptions that those who adopt mannerisms and clothing or hairstyle choices that generally denote a specific orientation (whether to crime or homosexuality), are likely to be associated with that orientation. In many cases, the external behavior and manner of dress helps individuals communicate information (such as their sexual orientation) about themselves to the world. But the converse is not true. Specifically, when we make assumptions about people knowing nothing else about them other than their sexual orientation, it is inappropriate. First, sexual orientation is not necessarily associated with any other behaviors; if anything, the mannerisms and style of dress generally associated with homosexuality are matters of preference, choice, and social modeling (or mimicry). Second, to the extent any other behaviors are more often evident in…… [Read More]

Film - Hable Con Ella

Whereas Marco's devotion to Lydia is based on his perception of guilt and responsibility for her predicament, Benigno's infatuation with Alicia seems to be a perfect example of the manner in which men can be love struck by a complete stranger even without any substantial interaction between them first. From the perspective of human sexual attraction and romantic infatuation, Benigno's infatuation is typical; what is atypical and perhaps less realistic is Benigno's continued devotion in light of Alicia's prognosis for recovery. From a much darker perspective, the apparent mental instability to which Benigno is prone may provide some explanation for his preoccupation with a virtual stranger. Ordinarily, it is not so much the manner in which men become infatuated with strangers so quickly that is sometimes a function of mental instability.

On the other hand, what very often is an indication of psychological dysfunction or obsession is the continued infatuation…… [Read More]

Film the Early Years of

However, in spite of the fact that the film was promoted as a motion picture displaying real-life events, it appears that the director did not hesitate to modify a series of aspects about the environment that he shot in and the story itself. The protagonist's wife and children were not actually his and Flaherty correctly believed that audiences would be more deeply impressed if he presented the story from a more spectacular point-of-view. Even with this, one can still claim that the film is a documentary because it presents viewers with its own creation.

Many individuals took advantage of the fact that documentary films were very influential and devised propaganda strategies using motion pictures. Many individuals involved in this affair considered that fiction films no longer had a strong appeal and that society was more concerned about seeing 'cinema verite'. Many filmmakers got actively engaged in creating films discussing political…… [Read More]

Film Frozen River Courtney Hunt's

The relationship between the two women is strengthened as the film advances and as they discover that they have more things in common than they initially thought. The two criminal-oriented individuals find that they have serious issues with their families and that something urgently needs to be done for them to solve their problems. The bond they form is best observed to the end of the motion picture, when Ray has second thoughts about leaving Lila and instead presents herself to the authorities, willing to be penalized for her actions. In spite of the fact that some viewers might consider the film's ending to be dull in comparison to the dramatic outcome they expected, the final is actually satisfying, as Ray's punishment is somewhat equivalent to the illegalities that she committed.

The frozen river can be taken for granted, with all the risks involved in crossing it, and it can…… [Read More]

Film Field of Dreams Executive Review The

film Field of Dreams

Executive review: The objective of this paper is to provide an in-depth analysis of the film 'Field of Dreams' [1989], taking into consideration such intrinsic aspects of the film as the plot; characterizations; contextualization and storyline; moods and particularly evident ideological perspectives.

The plot within Field of Dreams begins to take shape when, due to instruction given unto him by a mysterious, heavenly voice one day, Ray Kinsella [Costner], a struggling Iowa farmer, begins to turn one of his cornfields [virtually the exclusive source of his income] into a baseball diamond. The characters he meets and the experiences he subsequently has, the eventual result of his accomplishment (s) and the ultimately reconciling and redeeming conclusion collectively converge to make for a movie that, in spite of having various fictional and illogical inclinations, depicts a pot that is fundamentally logical moralistic.

The film, directed by Phil Alden…… [Read More]

Movie A-Better-Tomorrow-1986 Revolves Around Two

Ho finds out that Mark has a twin brother who was a former gang member that went straight and traveled to America where he opened a restaurant in New York. Kit Ho's brother was fatally wounded almost the same time his daughter was born but before he got to the hospital he died .after Kit's funeral Ho, Ken and Lung decide to avenge the death of Kit by launching an attack on Ko's mansion at a time he was meeting with one of his counterfeiting clients. A huge gun battles goes down with the three men killing almost 90 people in the process. These three sit down within the mansion and the police surround them.

The plot of the movie is basically cohesive and is reasonably not complicated. The climax of the movie towards its end is both tragic and played out quite excitingly. This movie a better tomorrow is…… [Read More]

Film Analysis of Sunset Boulevard 1950

Sunset Boulevard is a classic film noir produced in 1950 and directed by Billy Wilder. The film begins with the murder of Joe Gillis, a floundering screenwriter who ends up dead in a swimming pool. "Poor dope," the voice over says. "He'd always wanted a pool. Well, in the end he got himself a pool, only the price turned out to be a little high." The voice over, delivered in classic film noir style, turns out to be none other than Gillis himself. Far from being an unreliable narrator, though, Gillis promises "the facts" and delivers. The entire film Sunset Boulevard is the retelling of "the facts" from Gillis's perspective. Wilder's choice of narration is dutifully ironic, as a failed filmmaker becomes famous. The theme of the movie is reminiscent of the Great Gatsby, with its peek at American decadence and lost dreams. Because it offers rich social commentary, Sunset…… [Read More]

Film CAPOTE 2005 Directed by Bennett

The ultimate proof of the film's tendency to utilize hyperbole to portray the author as someone whose morality was questionable due to his own pursuit of success, wealth and fame lies in the quantity of interactions that Capote had with the two prisoners. There is certainly evidence in Clarke's biography that implies there was a fondness and physical attraction between the author and Smith. However, the sheer number of visits that the movie portrays is certainly erroneous. In actuality, the writer's "extended prison sojourns in the film are…fictionalized. In five years, Capote…visited his subjects no more than half a dozen times, though he did correspond with [them] weekly... He…was less interested in dealing with the defendants as people (Gibbons)."

As such, it becomes fairly obvious that the film Capote exaggerated a number of different facets of his personality and behavior in order to render the author as a consummate perfectionist…… [Read More]

Film Interests Choose a Film Interests Isolate

Film Interests

Choose a Film Interests

Isolate a specific issue, case, problem, or scenario related to business, politics, leadership, advertising, marketing, or ethics in the film.

In the movie Wall Street, there is a focus on a number of issues to include: business, marketing and ethics. What happened is Bud Fox is an up and coming broker who will do anything to be successful. This is when he meets Gordon Gecko, who encourages Fox to become creative in the investment advice that he is providing (by obtaining inside information). The impact is that Fox quickly become corrupted by the easy money and fast life of Gecko's world. Once he realizes that Gecko is using him for his own personal benefits, is when he begins to face legal troubles (with him being arrested for insider trading). After wearing a wire and recording Gecko's involvement is when Fox goes to court. The…… [Read More]

Movie Secrets and Lies There

She eventually does however, and this particular episode merely shows the types of problems that families have with one another. It functions as a piece of foreshadowing since it occurs in the beginning of the film. While the aforementioned couple argues about whether or not the husband looks better with his glasses on or off, or why the wife has chosen to hide her crucifix because it is not expensive enough or gold, the viewer is merely given visual clues that the tension, arguments, and problems that have befallen this particular couple is one of the themes in the movie. The couple, therefore, functions as a microcosm of the couples and families in the film, and of the problems that plague them.

Not all of the portraits that Morris is shown taking at the beginning of the film are as argumentative as that of the aforementioned couple. However, the vast…… [Read More]

Film History

movie industry in America has been controlled by some of the monolithic companies which not only provided a place for making the movies, but also made the movies themselves and then distributed it throughout the entire country. These are movie companies and their entire image revolved around the number of participants of their films. People who wanted to see the movies being made had to go to the "studios" in order to see them. They made movies in a profitable manner for the sake of the studios, but placed the entire industry under their control and dominated over it. The discussion here is about some of those famous studios inclusive of that of names like Metro Goldwyn Mayer, Culver, RKO, Paramount Studios, Warner Bros, 20th Century Fox, Walt Disney Studios, Universal Studios, Raleigh Studio, Hollywood Center Studio, Sunset Gower Studio, Ren-Mar Studios, Charlie Chaplin Studios and now, Manhattan Beach Studio.…… [Read More]

Film United 93 Directed by

It also says a lot about our society that so many people went to see the film and endorsed the film. It is not because this film is about heroes or heroism. It is because the film's ultimate message is to never forget the people who died in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. It was a time when the people of the country came together in support and grief, and a time that made the country and its people just a bit closer to one another. It was an epic time in history and this film makes everyone remember, ultimately so they will never forget.

In conclusion, this is an important and emotional film. It is certainly not easy to watch, and it is easy to demonize the terrorists and fault the military because of their scrambled messages and inaction. However, the director does not demonize the terrorists or…… [Read More]

Movie Proposals These Would Be the Mission

movie proposals. These would be the mission for the firm and its basic proposals, the company's "must" objectives, the company's "want" objectives and the estimated ROI for each of the for movies. This report will evaluate each of the movies as perceived by the four criteria previously mentioned and will subsequently make an overall evaluation and reason the best choice for the company.

The first movie, "My Life with Dalai Lama," perfectly complies with the main ideas of the company's mission. First of all, from a creative point-of-view, the idea to present the life of a personality through the eyes of a snake and through the eyes of other animals befriending him is new, interesting and creatively a positive aspect. Further more, to some degree it is also championing environmental concerns by presenting the role of animals in the life of a personality of 20th century history, bringing the animal…… [Read More]

Film Is Not Yet Rated

The NC-17 rating, of course, is a compromise to avoid serious films being given the 'X' rating associated with pornography possessing no artistic value. But having any rating system at all means that filmmakers who want their films to reach a wide audience, and need a wide audience to pay back their backers may feel pressured to compromise their artistic integrity for the sake of getting a more desirable rating, because R-rated films can draw in more movie goers.

The subjective nature of film ratings even under the MPAA is evident when one considers that certain things we take for granted, like nudity, for example, were originally prohibited by the Hayes Commission. Foreign films from nations with different sexual standards, documentaries about important subjects, and other films that contain taboo topics can be effectively censored by being given a NC-17 rating, while violent, major Hollywood blockbusters with little artistic pretentions…… [Read More]

Film W By Oliver Stone

But it did make me wake up a little to the fact that this was not a true date and fact biopic, but a Stone biopic, which looks more into the heart of darkness of the topic than most others in the genre.

While the humor was there another unexpected feeling I walked away with was fear. This is just not fear of this particular president's way with words or from his gut decision making cowboy politics. It is the fear and the reality that the president is after all is said and done a human being making, often, inhuman decisions. One tends to think of the president as on a pedestal and the scrutiny there is so much higher that any error or misstep or malapropism is multiplied a hundred fold. But in this particular president, Stone by way of implication is saying that if you are not fit…… [Read More]

Film and Perspectives on History

The newsreels are a successful thematic device as they are used to guide the viewer through the details of the events. It was the decision more so of the studio executives to leave some things out as they only used what would drive the story of the horse. Only upon further investigation of the history does one gain a fuller knowledge. Still the filmmaker's intention of getting the story to the forefront of the American consciousness was successful and met critical review.

Malcolm X

In the film Malcolm X, Spike Lee misleads the viewer about the full nature of racism held by the Nation of Islam. The Nation of Islam characters in the movie say that whites are "blue-eyed devils," but never revealed to viewers is the doctrine about whites being eliminated in racial Armageddon. Furthermore, Lee did not limit the film's context to historical accounts; instead he chose to…… [Read More]

Film Theory

Film Theory

The canonical model of the purely cinematic (Eisenstein, Kracauer, Bazin) starts disappearing in contemporary theory. Most film theorists since the 1970s (Baudry, Wollen, Mulvey, Stam/Shohat, or Jameson, etc.) Explain in different ways how the textual (content and form, the film text itself) and institutional have merged together. Choose two theorists for whom the institutional issues are integrally connected to the textual ones, and explain their insights about reading cinema.

Laura Mulvey's piece, "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" is divided into three sections. The first section is the introduction, the next section is called "Pleasure in Looking: Fascination with the Human Form." The third section is called "Woman as Image, Man as Bearer of the Look," which is followed by a summary of the entire work. Mulvey makes numerous assertions in her work, but one of her primary intentions of "Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema" is to call serious,…… [Read More]

Movie Review Schindler's List

Schindler's List is based on the novel by Thomas Keneally, with the film released in the United States in December 1993. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the movie includes a cast of stars including Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagalle and Embeth Davidtz. It was produced by Steven Spielberg, Gerald R. Molen and Branko Lustig, with screenplay by Steven Zaillian, cinematography by Janusz Kaminski and music by John Williams.

Schindler's List was the winner of seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Liam Neeson, Best Supporting Actor for Ralph Fiennes, Best Screenplay, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score for John Williams. Further accolades include winning seven British Academy Awards, winning the Best Picture Award from the New York Film Critics Circle, winning the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Golden Globe Award and Spielberg winning the Directors Guild of…… [Read More]

Movie Versions of The Green Mile the

movie versions of "The Green Mile"

The Green Mile" is a six-part serial novel by Stephen King, an acclaimed novelist known for his themes of suspense, thriller, and the supernatural. The novel uses Paul Edgecombe, the chief prison guard of Cold Mountain Penitentiary, as the chief narrator of the story. He talks about his life as a prison guard during the Great Depression years, specifically during the year 1932, a year when he met John Coffey, a black American convicted for raping and killing two young girls. Edgecombe shares how his life (and belief) has changed tremendously when he met this particular man, most especially when a "miracle," a supernatural thing that happened to Edgecombe, making him doubt whether Coffey was indeed capable of murder or not. The novel also includes numerous characters that takes the novel an interesting turn, starting from Edgecombe's friends, also prison guards in Cold Mountain,…… [Read More]

Movies Ratings Television Shows Ratings Currently Area

movies ratings television shows ratings. Currently area number shows television portraying negative aspects race, class gender. For, show "Family Guy" a show played "primetime" materials show "kid-friendly.

Watching Toy Story is likely to influence many adults to believe that it would be wrong for them to allow their children to view the animated comedy. I believe that it is wrong for the Motion Picture Association of America film rating system to provide it with a G. rating, taking into account the violent scenes that the animation contains. Andy's next-door neighbor, Sid, is a horrible person and he is obsessed with mutilating toys. While it would be perfectly normal for children to occasionally break toys, an individual who wants to mutilate toys and who creates mutant toys consequent to doing so is actually deranged.

Providing children with the image of a deranged individual is probable to have a negative effect on…… [Read More]

Movie Adaptations it Is Often

In this respect, it relishes on surprises that you find David Gamut missing in the movie, while Munro dies and Alice commits suicide. Indeed, it makes the reader doubt on whether or not he has skipped some parts in reading the novel. However, once the confusion is solved and the reader is able to let go of any regrets that the screening does not follow the plot of the book entirely, the result is a good script, following a coherent course of actions with well conceived settings. In this particular case, that the historical truth in Cooper's book was no followed accurately by Mann seems to have helped the latter into creating indeed a movie and not a documentary. Without the element of surprise, without the drama, the humor, or the love story, the script would have least resembled a movie.

In fairness, the only possible way to enjoy the…… [Read More]

Film Lone Star Discussing Various Aspects of

film Lone Star discussing various aspects of the movie.

Lone Star" is John Sayles' best movie yet, a richly textured, multi-racial, multi-generational examination of a Texas town. The writer/director Sayles brilliantly combines drama, romance, mystery, and social observation into a one third love story with a twisted one-third-murder mystery. Exploring the lives of half a dozen people in a Texas border town (i.e. border) Sayles ties them all together in his script with discovery of a skeleton in the desert that brings the skeleton out if every closet in the sleepy little berg. Two off-duty sergeants from an Army post near the town of Frontera find skeleton remains and a rusty Sheriff's badge. The current sheriff of Frontera Sam Deeds, son of late legendary lawman Buddy Deeds, begins an investigation. Sam quickly learns that the remains are those of the corrupt sheriff Charley Wade, his father reputed to have run…… [Read More]

Movie Mandy Moore Plays a Fairly Straight

Movie

Mandy Moore plays a fairly straight laced daughter of a minister in A Walk to Remember who finds out that being involved in relationships with others is more than following a list of to do's and to don'ts. When she is placed in the path of Shane West's character, a 'bad boy' who also needs to learn the value of looking beyond the a person's surface characteristics, the two find that understanding others, and understanding themselves, is a matter of getting past the surface habits, into the 'real' person that often hides, afraid of contact and rejection.

Early in the movie, the two are riding on the bus to school together, and the issues of personal knowledge and personal acceptance are brought to the surface via a typically teen conversation. Mandy attempts to engage Shane in a conversation, and is abruptly shut down. He doesn't appreciate her attempts to…… [Read More]

Movie and Movie Review

MONSTER with Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci

MONSTER" starring Charlize Theron is worth seeing if for no other reason than the compelling acting and tremendous transformation the lead actress underwent to play Aileen Wuornons, a well-known Floridian serial killer. The movie is compelling, detailing the life of a woman who never experienced love, and subsequently turned to hate and murder for comfort. "MONSTER" successfully tells a story. It tells the story of a woman ravaged by violent acts and abuse, who turns to murder as a means to make things right with the world. Aggressive and somewhat brutal, the movie was not written for the feint of heart. Rather this movie compels audiences to acknowledge that desperate times often due result in desperate measures.

The movie, though fictional, is based on the real life story of Ms. Wuornos, who was convicted of murdering six men during the late 1980's and…… [Read More]

Movie Snapshot Then Elaborate Typeface Printin

movie ( snapshot). Then, elaborate Typeface printin

The 2009 film Typeface, which was directed by Justine Nagan and produced by Kartemquin Films, is a thoroughly fascinating documentary about the decline of traditional woodblock type and printing. The movie also focuses on the ramifications of that decline, which occurred in the wake of the transition to digital type and modern printing presses. There is a great deal of history in this film, which is centered on the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum located in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Most importantly, the movie highlights some of the intangible benefits of traditional wood type that are not found in the technologies used today. The result is the viewer gets a comprehensive overview of the benefits of the traditional method, and the reasons why it was forsaken for contemporary ones.

Another fairly intriguing aspect about this film is the fact that, despite the patent…… [Read More]

Film Required for the Class With a

film required for the class with a non-Required film of your choice.

One can find a lot of parallels between John Singleton's 1991 film "Boyz n the Hood" and Allen and Albert Hughes' film "Menace II Society," taking into account that they both address the idea of young men dealing with violence in underprivileged African-American neighborhoods in the U.S. Even with the fact that both films are filled with stereotypes, they manage to put across the message the producers were interested in sending. They basically emphasize the harsh environment that a person has to deal with in order to be able to achieve success in his or her enterprise.

The fact that both movies are largely appreciated for the way they represent the 'Hood' means that they each have a large fan-base and that reviews are likely to differ on account of how each reviewer perceives each film. "Boyz n…… [Read More]

Film Focuses on the Young

I personally thought she is a heroine to all the young women out there who do not want to be sexually repressed, but want personal freedom.

Although Nola is freedom loving, Nola is a character who envies the notion that men in the black community can have multiple partners and have it seen as okay. She, being a woman, would always been seen in a lower regard than a man who does the same thing. She symbolizes sexual freedom at a time where African-American women's sexuality was feeling restricted and bound. It was revolutionary to have a woman enjoy men and actually not want to be tied down. It offers a rare look into how some women are and some wish to be.

Although the film was Spike Lee's first real attempt into films, it didn't seem that way. The ideas were clean and concise albeit with certain ambiguity towards…… [Read More]

Film Required for the Class With a

film required for the class with a non-Required film of your choice.

Andy Tennant's movie Hitch and Glen Ficarra's movie Crazy, Stupid, Love describe romantic stories by also relating to more complex topics such as love and the difficulty associated with winning someone's heart. Hitch presents Will Smith as Alex 'Hitch' Hitchens, a man who assists other men in overcoming their timidity and in captivating the attention of persons that they are interested in. Similarly, Similarly, Crazy, Stupid, Love presents viewers with a story involving a young man, Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling) who is experienced in dealing with women and who helps the central character, Cal Weaver, as he deals with a serious crisis in his life and as he tries to be more attractive to the opposite sex.

Alex Hitchens and Jacob Palmer both seem proficient in understanding women and what they want up to the point where they…… [Read More]

Movie Good Will Hunting Is an Artfully

movie Good Will Hunting is an artfully written and produced film which explores one important part of the human condition from the viewpoint of all of the major characters. The question probed in one way or another by all the major characters is how we as human beings balance the need to be connected to others with the risk of being hurt if those people leave us in some way.

Will is hunting for a way to fit into a world that doesn't make sense to him. He has two major barriers to connecting to people. First, he is a true self-educated genius with a photographic memory. Second, he is an orphan who was shuffled from foster home to foster home and was sometimes viciously beaten by foster parents. He has no reason to trust other people.

He does manage to connect with some childhood friends, especially Chuckie, his best…… [Read More]

Film Required for the Class With a

Film Required for the Class With a Non-Required Film of Your Choice

Boyz n the Hood and Menace II Society

John Singleton's motion picture Boyz n the Hood, and the Hughes Brothers' film Menace II Society both address the idea of the Los Angeles 'hood' as being a particularly dangerous place for young people trying to find their personal identity. Both films have central characters who are somewhat different from their friends and who actually seem to be 'better' than the people that generally inhabit dubious neighborhoods in L.A. The producers obviously wanted viewers to get a more complex understanding of the 'hood' environment. Many viewers are certainly likely to acknowledge that many of the apparently ruthless criminals in these locations are really the product of the world they are living in, taking into account that very little actually have a say in their lives.

Race is one of the…… [Read More]

Movie Elements Power Vengeance Freedom Explain Chose

movie elements power, vengeance freedom. Explain chose movie specific references Mill / Norton's arguments.

Finding parallels between Steven Spielberg's 1993 motion picture Schindler's List and John Stuart Mill's theory of utilitarianism.

This proposal's goal is to determine whether or not the film's protagonist was guided by moral principles in his struggle to free a large number of individuals from Nazi authority. It is very probable that Schindler acted on account of his moral thinking, as he acknowledged the fact that he was among the only individuals who could actually have a say in the critical conditions in Nazi-dominated Europe.

By looking at how the character of Oskar Schindler manages to abandon his previous convictions with the purpose of helping others viewers are likely to observe his moral attitude. The fact that he is no longer interested in physical forms of pleasure demonstrates that he virtually reached a whole new level…… [Read More]

Film Is a Comprehensive Work

There is a direct correlation with, say, Henry Hill's cocaine abuse and the increasingly rapid cuts between shots. Faster-paced narrative parallels quicker-moving shots. When viewers finally see the film in the theater, the finished product reads like a cohesive narrative when in fact the filmmakers strung together disparate shots and cuts and combined them later after thousands of hours of painstaking labor. Analyzing a movie must therefore include respect for the editorial prowess of the post-production crew.

Editors must be intimately familiar with the screenplay they work with, especially in films that do not have a linear narrative. For instance, Christopher Nolan's 2000 film Memento describes one man's struggle with memory degradation. Relying on a non-linear plot, the filmmaker depended on the post-production crew to adequately convey the disjointedness of amnesia. Other elements like dramatic irony, in which the audience is privy to information that protagonists do not have access…… [Read More]

Film There Are Numerous Influencing

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) came in a time when the public became fond of funny westerns. The editors carefully made the movie's beginning and its end in order for it to have an exceptional result consequent to the audience viewing it. The silent beginning and the freeze-frame ending gave the movie an exceptional character, showing the public something that they had never seen before.

In times when the whole world filmed in color, a number of directors reached the conclusion that it had not been the color that made the difference between a good movie and a bad one, as it had been the script and the movie crew. Peter Bogdanovich, the director of the Last Picture Show (1971), had been influenced to film the movie in black and white because of a conversation that he had with Orson Welles. The two concluded that it had been…… [Read More]

Movies Rear Window Stewart v

Even if it successfully brings back to life a story forgotten by the public and distinguishes itself from today's typical films, Disturbia is no match for Rear Window.

It is not certain if Disturbia is homage or a remake to Rear Window, since the two movies are not exactly the same, but they are not very different either. While some might consider Disturbia to be a rip-off to Rear Window (Wilonsky 66), it is not the case here, since copying an idea as long as one does not copy its expression is not illegal. The reaction of the masses to Disturbia regarding the plagiarism involved in it is most probably owed to the film's success, since it is very probable for this condition to have been inexistent if the film were to make little to no money.

Caruso was right in bringing back the story present in Rear Window, considering…… [Read More]

Movie American Psycho

American Psycho

The movie American Psycho is written and directed by Mary Harron. The story is adopted from the novel "American Psycho written by Bret Easton Ellis. The movie has presented the life style of a typical young and prosperous broker of the Wall Street, who has a unique way of clothing, dining, listening to music etc. In fact the movie is a social interpretation of extremes of the 1980s.

The character being portrayed in the movie is a kind of a man who believes to spend his life on his own. He used to dine at the finest restaurants of the city, wears the fanciest cloths and has a unique way of living. Working as a Vice President of Pierce and Pierce, he is considered to be one of the most disciplined executives of the company. As Mr. Patrick Bateman keeps on enjoying his routine life, socializing with his…… [Read More]

Film Life Is Beautiful Life

Guido is apparently well aware of the power of love and does not hesitate to fight for the concept whenever he gets the chance to do so. He is not embarrassed with the fact that his background prevents people like him from interacting with individuals belonging to the upper social class and demonstrates that strength of character can assist him in getting through uncomfortable situations. Guido constantly uses the encounters he has with Dora, a local school teacher, as a way to declare his appreciation toward the woman. He knows that he risks greatly through stealing her from her engagement party, but he does not care, as he is willing to fight for his goals. While in the work camp, Guido is weakened but he is reluctant to abandon the fight, considering that he influences his son in believing that nothing has changed and their love compensates for the suffering…… [Read More]

Movie Called Holy Motors

Holy Motors Movie Analysis

Holy Motors: An Analysis

Director Leos Carax has done it again. He has shocked the film industry with an abstract film focusing on the damaging power of our obsession with gazing into another's life. Voyeurism is a destructive force in the 2012 film Holy Motors, one which destroys the life of Oscar, the never-ending actor.

This intense French film was a major shocker in 2012. It is a very unique story told with incredible cinematic genius. Oscar, an actor, constantly drives around to different appointments, where he plays a number of odd roles. Sometimes he plays his roles in front o a large audience, while at other times they seem to be in front of only a few individuals or even no one at all. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to his roles, as he is random characters without much explanation of what…… [Read More]

Film Review Forbidden Games

Forbidden Games Film Review

Most likely Paulette is more focused on her puppy because that is something that is more immediate. She is so concerned with the fact that she lost her cute puppy that she used to play and cuddle with because it was something that immediately gave her pleasure and satisfaction. In reality, she doesn't really understand that her parents are fully gone. She may be in shock, or just too young to really understand that they will never return. Thus, she is too childlike to understand the more long-term ramifications of the loss of her parents. During the entire movie, she seems to begin to realize this, however. At the end of the film, when she is running into the crowd at the train station, she does end up crying for her mother. This may ultimately show how she is beginning to understand the reality of her…… [Read More]

Film and Media in the Digital Age

digital age include worlds that are highly imaginative (eg. Harry Potter films). Films are sometimes conceived in a literary form and then turned into a script and a film. Films since the 1920s and into the 21st century have used physical models and stage properties of some kind (eg. Metropolis, Blade Runner, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Harry Potter). In the digital age, visual effects are created by composite images and ongoing production techniques, practices and narratives. Discuss.

What this question primarily conveys is the feasibility associated with the growing trend of using digital techniques in filmmaking. The importance of digitalization, computer generated imagery and visual effects, has grown tremendously and that can be proven with the help of various relevant examples. In the essay, the technological value added by digitalization along with the advantages and disadvantages of digitalization have been discussed. Finally the future of digital filmmaking…… [Read More]

Film Witness The Right to

Even though they seem small, they are also ethical problems, and must be included in the definition when someone asks 'what is ethics' or 'is that ethical'? This is the issue that is being faced with the Amish community and the film Witness, because there is more than one actual issue at work there. This involves a whole community, some of whom may feel very differently about their Hollywood portrayal than others.

A lot of the issue with communities like the Amish and whether they are treated fairly or exploited is situations like this has to do with duty ethics, which was introduced like Immanuel Kant. Duty ethics deals with having the ability and understanding to do what is correct regardless of the consequences (Yirmiyahu, 1998). In other words, one needs to do one's duty regardless of what the other issues surrounding one may be. This is often difficult to…… [Read More]

Film Citizen Kane 1941 Has

"I'm not sorry." The close-up of Susan that closes the scene demonstrates that she has had an epiphany and will likely no longer maintain the shadow of her lonely life. The crooner is all the while singing the blues classic, "It Can't Be Love" while Susan reiterates the message of the work in a step-by-step angry rant, associated with dire unhappiness, reflective of the ignorance and unfeeling nature of her now aged husband. The song, the ranting, the sound of the slap and most startlingly the disembodied screaming of the young girl outside all play upon the structure of the scene, making it a telling and symbolic message of the changed relationship and the fear and anger associated with it. "Loudness, pitch, and timbre also shape our experience of a film as a whole. Citizen Kane, for example, offers a wide range of sound manipulations. Echo chambers alter timbre and…… [Read More]

Film & Bill Nichols What

Reality TV is in a way like a documentary, because the viewer is led to believe that things are happening in real life just as it is being presented.

But the documentary usually opens with a narrator explaining to the audience why that audience should believe what is about to be shown. In the documentary "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan," the viewers know that the documentary was done by a famous filmmaker, Martin Scorsese. There sits the famous rock singer, Bob Dylan, answering questions. This is definitely real to the audience. The audience sees Dylan in concert, the audience sees Dylan during press conferences at the beginning of his career when Dylan rejected the "mainstream" media's questions because those reporters did not understand his lyrics.

The point here is this documentary gives every indication of being real, whereas the movie with Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There," is a slick production…… [Read More]

Film Directors Everywhere Have a

An American Alex would be against classical music, with anarchists normally being associated with hard rock music. Moreover, he would find it perfectly normal to use drugs instead of drinking milk in a club that has dummies for tables. The reason for which a Hollywood producer would not have his psychotic character drinking milk is that he or she would unquestionably find such a scene to be sick, and, thus, not to be presented to a general public.

Most American movies presenting young people fighting for anarchy want to teach a lesson. They want people to understand that society is good and that it is not worth fighting it, since you only harm yourself in the process. In contrast, Kubrick shows that the system is bad and obsessed with maintaining control over people. After Alex is freed from prison, he can no longer be free, as his mind continues to…… [Read More]

Film Pulp Fiction

Violence in Pulp Fiction

When the movie Bonnie and Clyde opened in 1967, Newsweek reviewer Joseph Morgenstern slammed the move as a "squalid shoot-em-up for the moron trade." (Goldstein) But a week later retracted his previous bad review and praised the movie. It was the violence that originally shocked the movie reviewer, but within a week, the shock of the rampant violence had worn off. Once this had happened, Mr. Morgenstern, like American society in general, came to accept that violence was acceptable in movies as an integral part of artistic expression. 27 years later, in 1994, another film was released which once again shocked critics for the violence it contained, Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction.

In his film, Tarantino took the audience for a ride through the violent L.A. underworld complete with murders, drug overdoses, accidental shootings, and even a homosexual rape. (Tarantino 1994) While many initially panned this movie…… [Read More]

Film Analysis on Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane is one of the most influential films in Hollywood history. Director Orson Welles used many camera, lighting, and musical techniques that seem quite common now, but were quite revolutionary when the film was made in 1941. For example, throughout the film, the music clearly follows the mood of the film, from striking march during the newsreel scenes to somber and even dirge-like in the opening and death scenes. However, there are certain musical vignettes that denote certain characters in the film, and the sound itself is highly matched with the many photographic techniques used in the film. If the shot is long, then the sound may be more unclear or distant than sound used in a close-up. It is an interesting technique, and the film would be far different without the close attention to sound and music that match the photography so effectively.

The photography in this film…… [Read More]

Film Analysis on Crazy Stone

Crazy Stone

Hao Ning's 2006 film Crazy Stone is part action thriller, and part comedy crime caper. It has a polished look and feel due to excellent cinematography and good use of multiple camera angles. Because of the direction, cinematography, sounds, and editing prowess of Hao Ning, Crazy Stone looks almost like a Hollywood big budget movie. The film does not necessarily have a wide array of special effects, but those that are used judiciously and within the appropriateness of the tone of the movie. Humor is a huge part of what makes Crazy Stone as effective as it is. The combination of action/suspense elements with the multiple levels of humor is what makes Crazy Stone an instant success. The director understands what film pacing is about, in the way that the serious scenes draw in the viewer for just enough time before inserting another joke or prank. Some of…… [Read More]

Film History

exception, most of Director Frank Capra's greatest movies take place during the depression, 1929-1941, or shortly after. His films are unique in that they are some of the first to display a faith in American opportunity and values in the context of institutional reform. Author Annalle Newitz aptly articulates Capra's contribution to films with the following quote:

The kind of 'socially conscious' movie we associate with Frank Capra's name does not tend to get made in or outside Hollywood at this point in history. Movies that critics and audiences of the 1990s dub 'socially conscious' do not offer portraits of American communities in the process of coming together; more often than not, American communities in contemporary popular movies are falling apart or are bound together by morally repugnant ideals and practices."

This discussion explores five Capra files in chronological order, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934), MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN…… [Read More]

Movie the Matric

Matrix [...] truth and reality in the film. Truth and reality are often hard to tell apart from dreams and unreality. This is very true in the film The Matrix. Neo's world is really simply an illusion created by those in charge, while the alternative life the rebels live underground is in fact real. However, there are parts of each life that seem quite real, and it is difficult to tell where truth and reality end in the movie, and lies and deception begin.

The Matrix might seem like a difficult movie to understand at first. It is hard to tell where Neo's reality begins and ends, and where the world's reality begins and ends. Actually, the only real world is underground, and the life above ground is just a virtual reality "matrix" where people live and work, but do not really exist. At one point, Morpheus tells Neo-about the…… [Read More]