Children of Men - Cuaron
Theo is walking into a vacant building, decrepit, falling apart, dark. He hears a noise that startles him; it turns out to by a deer roaming what we learn to be an elementary school. Our first clue of this come from the paintings on the wall, paintings done by children, although even these slightly resemble Picasso’s Guernica, a painting we see early in the film and then a few homage’s of the painting throughout the film. We also learn that Miriam is a midwife, who brings up some interesting thoughts on what happens when there no children are being born, elementary schools fall apart, playgrounds are empty, midwifes are no longer needed. Kee is outside on the swing set while Miriam and Theo talk in a class room that has been empty for a very long time, it is dirty, dark, and desks are flipped upside down. Miriam describes how she first started noticing the lack of new child births, first many Mothers were giving still births, then fewer and fewer deliveries at all and before she knew it there were no more expected dates for delivery for seven months. Miriam and Theo hear a cops siren and along with Kee walk outside where they find the arranged officer showing up to pick them up and deliver them to a Guantanamo Bay type prison.
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Hugo- Scorsese
What an amazing film, and how cool that after taking this course I had a huge understanding of the history of film in which was mentioned so much throughout Hugo. Even from the beginning of the film we see Papa Georges flipping the pages of Hugo's journal which reveals a flip book, a moving head of the automaton so important to both Hugo and Papa Georges. I just thought it was great though, in this one scene we were seeing the amazing advancements of film had what it had become while still acknowledging where it had come from. If film is called the art of motion than this flip book with a moving image in one point in time could have been where the idea for a motion picture started. And I loved how Scorsese brought to live the myth of the first film being shown of a train arriving in the station and how the audience had half expected it to jump of the screen and into the theater, when Hugo is down on the railroad tracks to grab a key (he is dreaming) the train passes him and doesn’t stop it runs right off the track and continues through the station. I have mention how much I liked the scene with the two small dogs also, a scene that really had no significance to the narration but might have been one of my favorite parts, I love how great directors can almost have small films inside of their bigger films. Putting those scenes together where the man tries to get close to the woman but it unable to because of her dog, then he shows up with a dog to occupy her dog. Loved it. That easily could have been a four minute short film watched on Vimeo.
The Prestige- Nolan
Melancholia- Lars Von Trier
Theo is walking into a vacant building, decrepit, falling apart, dark. He hears a noise that startles him; it turns out to by a deer roaming what we learn to be an elementary school. Our first clue of this come from the paintings on the wall, paintings done by children, although even these slightly resemble Picasso’s Guernica, a painting we see early in the film and then a few homage’s of the painting throughout the film. We also learn that Miriam is a midwife, who brings up some interesting thoughts on what happens when there no children are being born, elementary schools fall apart, playgrounds are empty, midwifes are no longer needed. Kee is outside on the swing set while Miriam and Theo talk in a class room that has been empty for a very long time, it is dirty, dark, and desks are flipped upside down. Miriam describes how she first started noticing the lack of new child births, first many Mothers were giving still births, then fewer and fewer deliveries at all and before she knew it there were no more expected dates for delivery for seven months. Miriam and Theo hear a cops siren and along with Kee walk outside where they find the arranged officer showing up to pick them up and deliver them to a Guantanamo Bay type prison. *****************
Hugo- Scorsese
What an amazing film, and how cool that after taking this course I had a huge understanding of the history of film in which was mentioned so much throughout Hugo. Even from the beginning of the film we see Papa Georges flipping the pages of Hugo's journal which reveals a flip book, a moving head of the automaton so important to both Hugo and Papa Georges. I just thought it was great though, in this one scene we were seeing the amazing advancements of film had what it had become while still acknowledging where it had come from. If film is called the art of motion than this flip book with a moving image in one point in time could have been where the idea for a motion picture started. And I loved how Scorsese brought to live the myth of the first film being shown of a train arriving in the station and how the audience had half expected it to jump of the screen and into the theater, when Hugo is down on the railroad tracks to grab a key (he is dreaming) the train passes him and doesn’t stop it runs right off the track and continues through the station. I have mention how much I liked the scene with the two small dogs also, a scene that really had no significance to the narration but might have been one of my favorite parts, I love how great directors can almost have small films inside of their bigger films. Putting those scenes together where the man tries to get close to the woman but it unable to because of her dog, then he shows up with a dog to occupy her dog. Loved it. That easily could have been a four minute short film watched on Vimeo.
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A Single Man- Ford
Another fantastic film and well worth the watch.
With more research on some of the smaller things noticed in this film I think it would be a great film to look a closer with a cinephiliac lens.
The three piece of literature mentioned during the film, After Many a Summer, Metamorphosis, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s would probably be a great place to start. Looking at similarities between these novels and the film and how one could possibly work to explain the other.
I also noticed a lot of blue, blue eyes, blue Psycho poster, and blue tint in the night swimming scene.
The owl that gave George a little jolt when we opened his door and walked outside his house, owls usually have a symbolic meaning for wisdom and George had reached a point of what could be called enlightenment around this part in the film right before his heart attack. Also in that same scene was the strange color of the moon. Similar to the hue the George and the Spaniard he meets outside the liquor store see and comment on.
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The Prestige- Nolan Another great film watched this semester, the acting was outstanding and the plot seemed very original. I hadn’t felt like this was a motion picture I have seen before. What I was left with after screening The Prestige however was this thinking of just how far people will go to obtain their dreams and aspirations. The obsession of both Angier and Alfred leads both of them to their demise and ultimately to their deaths, well at least for one of the Alfred brothers. The sacrifices they made to achieve the top magician title distanced them from everything and everyone around them. They were unable to live lives rich in happiness for the reason that they were putting their happiness in something fake and intangible, magic. Going as far to push away a lover, cut off one’s own figure, and live a life that was all an illusion. But what did they achieve in the end? Angier losses everything and although one Alfred lives on, both have lost a wife, child and brother. This doesn’t seem too distant from today’s top athletes who must resort to doping to reach the level of competitiveness they are either unable to obtain or not satisfied enough with stopping at their current level of success.
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Melancholia- Lars Von Trier
Loved this film, from the opening sequence to the final scene I was hooked and unable to take my eyes off the screen. Thinking of this film in regards to the recent class readings about the end of cinema I find myself at a similar conclusion one usually hears older folks saying when talking of new music, more to the point, how bad it is. I feel however that there is still plenty of great music being made every day it’s just much harder to hear over the heavily convoluted radio stations. The modern film industry like the music industry is now more concerned with making money rather than putting out a great film. However film and music will always be an art form and something never possible of fading. I feel this is so clear in Von Trier’s Melancholia, it is a beautiful film with beautiful images and from the many pieces of fine art we see throughout the film I believe Von Trier is asking us to think about this film as more of a piece of art that is only interested in its effect on the spectator and not how much money it makes in its opening week. These films are rare now but still provide enough hope for me that cinema as an art form isn’t going anywhere.
My only complaint about this film however is the many questions it left me with, why did that wedding reception go so horribly a-wry and why did the flag on the golf green Claire was running through with her son say 19? Later John makes it clear with Justine that his golf course, like all others, only have 18 holes per course.
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The Hurt Locker- Bigelow
The opening scene presents us with all the sights and sounds expected of war. In Arabic we hear a man’s voice shouting in a nervous tone while women and children are fleeing and United States Soldiers are setting up a barricade. The spectator is shown shots of the area and then shots from the camera mounted on a rover that is making its way over piles of rocks and gravel. All this is heightened by the quick moving camera, which seems like the work done by ones Dad in a home movie rather than the camera work of a Hollywood film. The shaky fast cutting camera never stays on one object or from one view point for very long. We see similar techniques used throughout the film although I do believe it progressively slows down. However in the dessert scene where are three main characters run into British soldiers we again get camera work that adds to the chaos of what is taking place. We are shown tons of flash frames, again none for very long and none very smooth. The camera is constantly moving and zooming in and out. And similar to the opening scene when the bomb is detonated and we are shown a few super slow motion scenes of rocks flying up off of the ground or rust literally shaking off of an old car, we are exposed to this slow motion technique again in this dessert standoff. We see bullet shells raining down from a rifle and again the same subject but only a single shell flipping in slow motion as is leaves the gun and falls towards the ground. The scene in which the guys are sent to investigate an oil tanker explosion also follows this similar method, although now the scene is set an night witch only adds the perception of chaos the film is striving for. The scene is that of destruction and chaos with things on fire and cries coming from unknown voices. The camera again resorts to quick cutting action that is all over the place and really plays out what is taking place in this scene.
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Viaggio in Italia- Rossellini
1954
Denotation
Early in the film Alex and his wife are having lunch with a group of other men and women. Alex is sitting away from his wife, Katherine, with another woman. The scene has cuts going back and forth between Alex and the woman he is talking with and then to shots of Katherine looking pretty jealous.
Connotation
Cultural Codes: A married man flirting with other women is never admirable. Katherine has every right to look angry.
Specialized Codes: Creating visible tension between the couple. They are sitting apart from each other which becomes theme throughout the movie.
Myth Produced
Although I came to like Alex’s character I feel this scene worked to produce thinking in the spectator that he, like all men must have infidelity issues. Alex and Katherine realize early into their trip that their relationship is lacking and it becomes clear before this scene takes place. When we do see the couple at lunch however and Alex is now talking flirtatiously with another woman the idea starts that Alex must be unfaithful and this could be the problem with their relationship or it is a sign of things to come. Which although it is not, this scene still works to create that interpretation on the spectator.
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Psycho - Hitchcock
Loved this screening. From Psycho there were two scenes especially that stuck with me. The first being when Norman brings Marion dinner shortly after she arrives at his motel. We hear the argument from inside the house between Norman and his “mother.” An argument that really doesn’t sound appropriate between a grown man and his “mother.” When Norman does come down from the house with the sandwiches for Marion he insists that they eat in his parlor, which happens to be filled with birds that he had preformed taxidermy on. An uncomfortable scene for the audience which makes it very noticeable how uncomfortable Marion must be feeling. I immediately started to associate Norman as a strange character during this scene, and it created an impression that turned out to be correct. From his interest in taxidermy and the reasons he gives as to why birds are his preferred creature to the lines he delivers on his relationship with his mom.
This scene is followed by the murder of Marion while in the shower. After dinner with Norton and on her own deciding that she was going to return back to phoenix and give back the money Marion takes a shower. She isn’t long into it when a blurry image of an older woman appears through the curtain and stabs Marion to death. This scene absolutely had my skin crawling. Every sound that accompanied the slashing and trusting of the knife creating for me a scene far more dramatic than any other murder scene I can recall watching in a film.
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There are many things done for cinematic purposes in the film of "Grapes of Wrath" for example the nature effects used throughout, birds chirping, strong whistling winds, and backgrounds of farm land. What Steinbeck describes in words in his novel, must be brought to life in the film. However with "Grapes of Wrath" being my favorite novel I think there are some things that can be said are not done for cinematic purposes.
The drive to California, Steinbeck reserves half the book for this task, something the director takes care of in a short montage of passing state signs. Possible for time constraints.
There are also a few more deaths in the novel that the director cuts out, possibly to keep the focus on the Joad family.
The other family members also have strong development in the novel but are hardly mentioned in the film, Uncle John being one of them who struggles with many personal demons in the novel. The cinematic purpose of not going in depth on other characters could have been to possibly keep story line in the view point of Tom Joad.
The ending, not even close to how the novel ends however maybe the kind of ending likely in a film. Ma’s monologue on how “our people” will survive and the rich will die off seems to be the expected ending to a film, a feel good ending. Much different than that of the novel which leaves us with a complete feeling of just how desperate people where during these times.
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Midnight in Paris - Allen
What can film do that other mediums cannot?
A few things I noticed about the filming included
The extended period of establishing shots at the beginning of the film.
How the characters would almost walk into the shot, they would start off screen where we could hear them but were unable to see them at first.
How close Allen followed many of the “IMR” rules, though both the narrative and the “film language.”
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Masculine Feminine- Godard
In the opening three scenes, and all the scenes that follow, Godard refuses to follow the established shot/reverse/shot rule, in the café where we (the audience) first meet Paul and Madeleine, we are not shown the speaker but instead the listener. It’s a peculiar thing, being shown Madeleine’s (the listener) expressions as Paul is almost harassing her with questions gives a feeling that she was possibly somewhat annoyed with him. A sensation we might have missed had Godard not gone against this rule. We witness this again not in conversation but in the actions of Robert and Paul while “admiring” a woman’s breast. We are shown the action of Robert as he conducts this mischievous act but when Paul goes to do the same we are instead forced to watch Robert sitting at the table. Maybe Godard doesn’t think it necessary to show to same exact scene back to back, when we see Robert sitting as Paul goes to ask the woman for a sugar cube we are seeing the same scene but almost in a different perspective, we can still hear what is taking place and we know what is happening because we just witnessed it with Robert, however now we are seeing it a tad differently. The “Dutchman” scene on the subway was also very interesting and something to expand upon. And the same with the almost lack of intimacy I noticed between Paul and Madeleine until later in the film. And Finally the sense of misogyny I felt was taking place when a few female characters are being asked about politics or war and are unable to answer, not that the men where much smarter, also we learn that the ladies get the last laugh. 