So, I just finished watching Memento. I think my head will be swimming for days!
Guy Pearce plays the lead role of Leonard Shelby. Leonard suffers from short term memory loss and uses Polaroid pictures, notes, and tatoos (for really important facts) to help him track down and seek revenge on the the men who raped and murdered his wife - and caused his memory problems.
The movie opens with a scene where Leonard is taking a picture of a man he just killed (we assume on the man who killed his wife), but as you watch the scene, you realize that parts of it are going backward. The Polaroid picture gets more faded as he fans air on it, the shell casing moves backward, and the blood from the victim is flowing the wrong way.
And as you struggle to try to process that, you begin a two hour journey of black and white film, as well as color, that runs mostly backward to fill in the clues of what has happened. The end (the beginning?) of the movie blew me away when it was revealed that Leonard had mixed his story up with the story of Sammy and we realize that his wife perhaps didn't die during the rape and murder but instead was given an overdose of insulin. That made the "Don't Forget Sammy Jankis" tatoo even more meaningful.
The use of the out of sequence style was very interesting. I've seen it done on television shows before (like on sitcoms), but never this effectively.
Leonard definitely felt inner conflict (even if he didn't remember), which was much of the focus of the movie. We also see Leonard get used in some external conflict situations between Natalie and Teddy, each of them encouraging Leonard to trust things the other said.
I needed to go back and rewind after I saw the scene where Natalie came in hid all the pens in her house, knowing that Leonard was going to be looking for something to write with. Evil.
I wouldn't mind seeing this movie in chronological order, but I don't think it would be nearly as powerful.
As I sit here and ponder the movie even more - and go through the Salon.com break down of it, I am remembering other pieces of the movie that I overlooked.
Good movie! My mind IS blown!
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Amelie
Amelie is a French film from 2001 that stars Audrey Tautoe as the lead character, Amelie Poulain. Amelie is a lonely child who didn't get any attention from her father. He was a physician and would examine her each month. She so loved this attention (because her never paid any attention to her otherwise), that her heart would pound rapidly, causing him to mistakenly diagnose her with a heart ailment which prevented her from attending school and playing with other children. Her mother was a nervous wreck and was accidentally killed by a woman trying to commit suicide, while Amelie was a young girl.
We see Amelie quickly grow to womanhood and see her life become changed on the same day that Lady Di is killed in a car accident in Paris. On that day, Amelie discovers a tiny box in her apartment, hidden by a former occupant in the 1950's. She secretly returns the box to him and is elated at his reaction and decides to dedicate much of her time to helping others around her, very reluctant to attend to her own (obvious) needs.
As in some of the past films we've watched, there is an inner-conflict present within the main character. The symbolism present throughout, which the film returns to quite often is the Renoir painting being done by her neighbor, Raymond Dufayel - The Boating Party. Dufayel has been painting it every year for nearly twenty years and has struggled to figure out what one of the characters is thinking. Through the movie we see comparison references between the character in the painting and Amelie.
Amelie does end up helping all those around her, and in the end finally finds love, thanks to the encouragement of Dufayel.
I never in a million years thought I would be watching a French film with subtitles at 1:00 AM, but I did - and I liked it!
The subtitles could easily have been distracting, but I managed to follow things just fine. The film itself seemed so imaginative. The photography was very interesting. I liked the use of colors and shadows and really thought the close-up shots of Amelie at various times throughout the film made the film feel.
Going back to the symbolism a little more, I think you could rightfully compare the man in the boat from Good Will Hunting to the woman on the boat from the Renoir painting as essential elements of the story.
One of the funnier parts of the movie has to do with the travels of the garden gnome, belonging to Amelie's father. In her attempt to help him get through his depression, she encourages him to travel by kidnapping the garden gnome and sending it on trips with her airline flight attendant friend who takes snapshots of the travels and send pictures back to Amelie's father.
Another funny spot in the movie (maybe I'm a little morbid) came at the time she discovered the little tin box in her apartment. Amelie had her television on and was watching the news about Lady Di being killed, when she accidentally bumped a tile along her floorboard which revealed the secret box that had been hiding for years. She turned off the news to concentrate on her new discovery. I was sort of assuming that the death of Diana was going to have something to do with the movie - and there are a few references later - but to have her turn off the TV at this point completely ended any idea I had of where the plot was taking me. Well done.
Again, this was a very good film and another that I hadn't watched before. The casting of characters were all very fascinating - and a lot of fun!
We see Amelie quickly grow to womanhood and see her life become changed on the same day that Lady Di is killed in a car accident in Paris. On that day, Amelie discovers a tiny box in her apartment, hidden by a former occupant in the 1950's. She secretly returns the box to him and is elated at his reaction and decides to dedicate much of her time to helping others around her, very reluctant to attend to her own (obvious) needs.
As in some of the past films we've watched, there is an inner-conflict present within the main character. The symbolism present throughout, which the film returns to quite often is the Renoir painting being done by her neighbor, Raymond Dufayel - The Boating Party. Dufayel has been painting it every year for nearly twenty years and has struggled to figure out what one of the characters is thinking. Through the movie we see comparison references between the character in the painting and Amelie.
Amelie does end up helping all those around her, and in the end finally finds love, thanks to the encouragement of Dufayel.
I never in a million years thought I would be watching a French film with subtitles at 1:00 AM, but I did - and I liked it!
The subtitles could easily have been distracting, but I managed to follow things just fine. The film itself seemed so imaginative. The photography was very interesting. I liked the use of colors and shadows and really thought the close-up shots of Amelie at various times throughout the film made the film feel.
Going back to the symbolism a little more, I think you could rightfully compare the man in the boat from Good Will Hunting to the woman on the boat from the Renoir painting as essential elements of the story.
One of the funnier parts of the movie has to do with the travels of the garden gnome, belonging to Amelie's father. In her attempt to help him get through his depression, she encourages him to travel by kidnapping the garden gnome and sending it on trips with her airline flight attendant friend who takes snapshots of the travels and send pictures back to Amelie's father.
Another funny spot in the movie (maybe I'm a little morbid) came at the time she discovered the little tin box in her apartment. Amelie had her television on and was watching the news about Lady Di being killed, when she accidentally bumped a tile along her floorboard which revealed the secret box that had been hiding for years. She turned off the news to concentrate on her new discovery. I was sort of assuming that the death of Diana was going to have something to do with the movie - and there are a few references later - but to have her turn off the TV at this point completely ended any idea I had of where the plot was taking me. Well done.
Again, this was a very good film and another that I hadn't watched before. The casting of characters were all very fascinating - and a lot of fun!
Sunday, January 20, 2013
The King's Speech
In keeping with our theme this week of looking into Fictional and Dramatic Elements of film making (Petrie & Boggs, 2012, Page 34), I watched The King's Speech rather intently, watching for symbolic references and other elements.
The "King" is King George VI (played by Colin Firth), who ascended to the throne in 1937, after his older brother abdicated the throne in order to get married to an American divorcee.
King George's real name is Albert. He is married to Elizabeth and they have two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret.
The movie opens in 1925 when Albert (then the Duke of York) was tasked by his father, King George V, to speak to the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Stadium, and we see right away that the Duke has a severe speech impediment. The look on his face as he struggles to get the words out, as well as the look on the face of all who are listening at the stadium, speak volumes.
Elizabeth is determined to help Albert with his speech and enlists the help of several doctors. Nothing works. She finally enlists the help of an Australian named Lionel Logue. Lionel is not like any of the other doctors and works at getting to know Albert (who he calls Bertie) and the root cause of his impediment (I felt a little like the movie Good Will Hunting was creeping in at this point).
During the course of these sessions with Lionel, tensions rise within the Royal Family and the leadership of Great Britain because of the failing health of King George V and also with the impending conflict with Nazi Germany. King George V dies and Albert's older brother becomes King Edward VIII.
We learn through his conversations with Lionel, that Albert is quite conflicted. Lionel noticed that Albert was using his right hand and asked if he was naturally right-handed. Albert replied that he was actually left-handed but was forced to change since it wasn't proper to be left-handed. He also told Lionel that he felt more closeness to his nanny's than he did to his family - except for his first nanny, who loved his brother more than him and would always pinch him as she was presenting the boys to their parents so that he would cry and his parents would ask to have him taken away. He went on to say that she would punish him by not feeding him and that this went on for three years before his parents found out. He also had a brother named Johnny who was epileptic and died at 13. His parents had kept Johnny out of the public eye because of his seizures.
In addition to Albert's internal conflict, there is the conflict within Albert to hold the monarchy together by supporting his brother, even though he knows he shouldn't be King. When he expresses his concerns and the seriousness of the situation to Lionel, Lionel tells him that he would make a great King. Albert is offended by this and storms away.
Later, we see that Albert does indeed become King, after Edward abdicates. We don't see much of the
conflict within the family at this time, but it must have been intense.
(Now) King George VI makes it through his coronation with the help of Lionel, but only after he finds out that Lionel is not a doctor and tries to push him away. Lionel doesn't leave. however, and explains his training and background to King George, who then asks him to stay.
The larger conflict, however, is still to come. As time progresses toward 1939 and war with Germany, the Prime Minister comes to the King and tells him he is going to resign because he didn't prepare the country well enough for the threat posed by Hitler and the Nazis. He is succeeded by Neville Chamberlain, as Great Britain prepares for another World War.
On the day war is declared, King George needs to make a speech to rally the British people - and the world (via radio), as they begin the war efforts. Lionel is there to support him as he gives an impassioned speech, with exactly the right tone, that unites the entire British Empire.
Albert thanks Lionel for his help and his friendship and then goes out to greet his subjects as the nation rallies around their King.
As we look at our text and the various topics within Chapter 3 that could apply to this movie, I first think of the title The King's Speech and the play on the word speech, which could easily have been his manner of speaking, or speach. You could also go back to the use of the word speech and realize the importance of the King being able to communicate effectively to his people - especially when war had been declared when he had to give the most important speech of his life.
This is a terrific movie. I think I've said that about each one of the films we've watched, but it's true!
References:
Petrie, D., & Boggs, J. (2012). The art of watching films. (8th ed. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.
The "King" is King George VI (played by Colin Firth), who ascended to the throne in 1937, after his older brother abdicated the throne in order to get married to an American divorcee.
King George's real name is Albert. He is married to Elizabeth and they have two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret.
The movie opens in 1925 when Albert (then the Duke of York) was tasked by his father, King George V, to speak to the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Stadium, and we see right away that the Duke has a severe speech impediment. The look on his face as he struggles to get the words out, as well as the look on the face of all who are listening at the stadium, speak volumes.
Elizabeth is determined to help Albert with his speech and enlists the help of several doctors. Nothing works. She finally enlists the help of an Australian named Lionel Logue. Lionel is not like any of the other doctors and works at getting to know Albert (who he calls Bertie) and the root cause of his impediment (I felt a little like the movie Good Will Hunting was creeping in at this point).
During the course of these sessions with Lionel, tensions rise within the Royal Family and the leadership of Great Britain because of the failing health of King George V and also with the impending conflict with Nazi Germany. King George V dies and Albert's older brother becomes King Edward VIII.
We learn through his conversations with Lionel, that Albert is quite conflicted. Lionel noticed that Albert was using his right hand and asked if he was naturally right-handed. Albert replied that he was actually left-handed but was forced to change since it wasn't proper to be left-handed. He also told Lionel that he felt more closeness to his nanny's than he did to his family - except for his first nanny, who loved his brother more than him and would always pinch him as she was presenting the boys to their parents so that he would cry and his parents would ask to have him taken away. He went on to say that she would punish him by not feeding him and that this went on for three years before his parents found out. He also had a brother named Johnny who was epileptic and died at 13. His parents had kept Johnny out of the public eye because of his seizures.
In addition to Albert's internal conflict, there is the conflict within Albert to hold the monarchy together by supporting his brother, even though he knows he shouldn't be King. When he expresses his concerns and the seriousness of the situation to Lionel, Lionel tells him that he would make a great King. Albert is offended by this and storms away.
Later, we see that Albert does indeed become King, after Edward abdicates. We don't see much of the
conflict within the family at this time, but it must have been intense.
(Now) King George VI makes it through his coronation with the help of Lionel, but only after he finds out that Lionel is not a doctor and tries to push him away. Lionel doesn't leave. however, and explains his training and background to King George, who then asks him to stay.
The larger conflict, however, is still to come. As time progresses toward 1939 and war with Germany, the Prime Minister comes to the King and tells him he is going to resign because he didn't prepare the country well enough for the threat posed by Hitler and the Nazis. He is succeeded by Neville Chamberlain, as Great Britain prepares for another World War.
On the day war is declared, King George needs to make a speech to rally the British people - and the world (via radio), as they begin the war efforts. Lionel is there to support him as he gives an impassioned speech, with exactly the right tone, that unites the entire British Empire.
Albert thanks Lionel for his help and his friendship and then goes out to greet his subjects as the nation rallies around their King.
As we look at our text and the various topics within Chapter 3 that could apply to this movie, I first think of the title The King's Speech and the play on the word speech, which could easily have been his manner of speaking, or speach. You could also go back to the use of the word speech and realize the importance of the King being able to communicate effectively to his people - especially when war had been declared when he had to give the most important speech of his life.
This is a terrific movie. I think I've said that about each one of the films we've watched, but it's true!
References:
Petrie, D., & Boggs, J. (2012). The art of watching films. (8th ed. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Good Will Hunting
This week we read Chapter 3 of our text The Art of Watching Films, which covered Fictional and Dramatic Elements of films. It was very timely, then, to watch the third film assignment of this class - Good Will Hunting, a film written by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.
Matt Damon plays the role of Will Hunting, a troubled janitor at MIT, who is "discovered" by an MIT mathematics professor after solving very difficult mathematics problems on a chalkboard in the hallway of the building - and given an opportunity (OK - maybe he didn't have much of a choice) to work on math with the professor and his colleagues, while also seeing a psychologist named Sean (Robin Williams), who seems almost as troubled as Will.
Of the three films we've watched so far, I have to say that I enjoyed - and was most moved - by this film. Will's love interest in this film is Skylar, played by Minnie Driver, who I thought was simply terrific and completely believable as someone who wanted to love (and be loved by) Will and get him to show his true self. The rest of the cast was terrific, as well, including the role of Will's best friend, Chuckie, played by Ben Affleck.
There are a couple things that really stood out for me as I watched the movie.
First, I thought the symbolism (Petrie & Boggs, 2012, Page 59) of the painting of a lone man struggling in a small boat against the large sea was very well done. It applied not only to the painter, Sean, as he struggled with the grief of losing his wife, but also to Will as he struggled with the internal demons inside of him that kept him from getting close to people or putting himself in a situation where someone may actually get to know him. He had been orphaned at a young age and then abused throughout his childhood in various foster homes. He had spent his entire adult life in trouble - usually resulting from numerous fights/assaults. This finally resulted in a court appearance where he was to be sentenced to jail, but was released to the custody of Professor Lambeau, and ordered to get psychological help.
The symbolism of the man in the boat is referenced a throughout the film and scenes of a lone rower in the river in Boston pop up every once in a while to again show the conflict between man and the water (himself).
The internal conflict (Petrie & Boggs, 2012, Page 48)within Will was the main focus of the movie, but you also see (and feel) the internal conflict going on within several of the characters, including Sean, and Professor Lambeau.
What a relief it is when Sean and Will finally have their very emotional breakthrough and we watch both of them leave their comfort zone to pursue love (Will) and renewal (Sean).
One of the funnier moments for me came in one of the more serious moments in the film. When Will and Sean had their first appointment in Sean's office and Will got under Sean's skin by criticizing his painting and asking him if his wife had left him, Sean went a little nuts and ended up pushing Will against the window and choking him - right next to a book in his collection titled "I'm OK - You're OK." I found that to be more than a little ironic.
I hadn't watched this movie before, and left feeling very impressed and again, was quite moved.
References:
Petrie, D., & Boggs, J. (2012). The art of watching films. (8th ed. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.
Matt Damon plays the role of Will Hunting, a troubled janitor at MIT, who is "discovered" by an MIT mathematics professor after solving very difficult mathematics problems on a chalkboard in the hallway of the building - and given an opportunity (OK - maybe he didn't have much of a choice) to work on math with the professor and his colleagues, while also seeing a psychologist named Sean (Robin Williams), who seems almost as troubled as Will.
Of the three films we've watched so far, I have to say that I enjoyed - and was most moved - by this film. Will's love interest in this film is Skylar, played by Minnie Driver, who I thought was simply terrific and completely believable as someone who wanted to love (and be loved by) Will and get him to show his true self. The rest of the cast was terrific, as well, including the role of Will's best friend, Chuckie, played by Ben Affleck.
There are a couple things that really stood out for me as I watched the movie.
First, I thought the symbolism (Petrie & Boggs, 2012, Page 59) of the painting of a lone man struggling in a small boat against the large sea was very well done. It applied not only to the painter, Sean, as he struggled with the grief of losing his wife, but also to Will as he struggled with the internal demons inside of him that kept him from getting close to people or putting himself in a situation where someone may actually get to know him. He had been orphaned at a young age and then abused throughout his childhood in various foster homes. He had spent his entire adult life in trouble - usually resulting from numerous fights/assaults. This finally resulted in a court appearance where he was to be sentenced to jail, but was released to the custody of Professor Lambeau, and ordered to get psychological help.
The symbolism of the man in the boat is referenced a throughout the film and scenes of a lone rower in the river in Boston pop up every once in a while to again show the conflict between man and the water (himself).
The internal conflict (Petrie & Boggs, 2012, Page 48)within Will was the main focus of the movie, but you also see (and feel) the internal conflict going on within several of the characters, including Sean, and Professor Lambeau.
What a relief it is when Sean and Will finally have their very emotional breakthrough and we watch both of them leave their comfort zone to pursue love (Will) and renewal (Sean).
One of the funnier moments for me came in one of the more serious moments in the film. When Will and Sean had their first appointment in Sean's office and Will got under Sean's skin by criticizing his painting and asking him if his wife had left him, Sean went a little nuts and ended up pushing Will against the window and choking him - right next to a book in his collection titled "I'm OK - You're OK." I found that to be more than a little ironic.
I hadn't watched this movie before, and left feeling very impressed and again, was quite moved.
References:
Petrie, D., & Boggs, J. (2012). The art of watching films. (8th ed. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.
Sunday, January 13, 2013
On the Waterfront
Again, this was a movie that I hadn't seen before. I had heard some of the Marlon Brando quotes before, obviously, such as "I could have been a contender" and had (wrongly) assumed at the time that these quotes were from some sort of boxing movie.
Our Session 1 reading assignments in Chapters 1 and 2 were very helpful in setting the stage for how I wanted to approach watching the movie and what to look for throughout (Petrie & Boggs, 2012).
As an aside, one thing I really enjoy about this class so far is being able to watch movies with my wife. We're typically so busy that we don't have time to sit for a few hours to watch a movie. This is something I need to incorporate into my life schedule - well beyond the end-date of this class.
Anyway, back to the movie. On the Waterfront takes place in the New York/New Jersey waterfront and focuses on the corruption that was taking place in the union leadership for the longshoremen. The union bosses controlled who got the work, what assignments they received, etc...Anyone who disagreed with the union leaders were basically locked out of working. Those that didn't agree to be deaf and dumb and decided to report corruption to law enforcement usually met some sort of untimely demise - like murder.
The main character, Terry Malloy was played by Marlon Brando. Terry was approximately 30 years old and had at one time been an up-and-coming boxer. Terry's older brother Charley was the right-hand man of the corrupt union boss, Johnny Friendly. Johnny controlled Terry and had him do errands for him, including helping get one of the dockworkers, Joey, to come to the roof of his building, where he was eventually murdered - for agreeing to testify against the union.
Right away, we see that Terry struggles with his role and really wants nothing to do with the corruption, but we also see him take advantage of having easy work on the docks through his relationship with Johnny and Charley. After Joey's murder, Terry wrestles with his conscience somewhat, but not enough to make him agree to speak out against the corruption.
He does eventually speak out once he meets (and falls for) Joey's sister, Edie. She sees good in him, even though he considers himself to be just a bum.
Another interesting character in the film is Father Barry, a Catholic priest in the neighborhood who also gets called out by Edie for not doing enough to help his parishioners deal with the corruption.
He ends up getting very engaged and bravely takes a stand and encourages others to stand with him.
Eventually he and Edie convince Terry to testify at a hearing on the corruption. This becomes easier for Terry once his brother, Charley, is murdered by Johnny and his thugs for not taking care of the problem Terry is posing for the group. After Terry testifies, it becomes clear that Johnny and the corrupt leaders of the union will soon be indicted. Despite being threatened by Johnny, Terry goes down to the docks to work, and is shut completely out of an assignment. He goes to the union office and demands to speak to Johnny. They have words and eventually begin to fight. Terry is left nearly unconscious. The other dockworkers had all left their assignments and gathered around the area to witness Johnny and his thugs beat up Terry. When the owner of a ship comes down to find out why his ship isn't getting loaded, Johnny tries to get the dockworkers to begin working. They refuse - until Terry leads them back to the pier and Johnny is left powerless.
I really liked this movie. There were a couple areas of focus that I thought were very apparent.
One was on the character of Terry and his development from a bum who didn't want to rock the boat to a leader. I also enjoyed following the character of Father Barry and his involvement with getting his parishioners to speak out...something he himself wasn't doing until Edie sort of convicted him.
I also thought the picture focused on a social problem of the time - union corruption - and was an encouragement for those who wanted to stop it. It is through this focus, I think, that the film becomes timeless. Regardless of the era, there is always some sort of conflict between good and evil, right and wrong. It is through films such as "On the Waterfront" that society is called to action to take a stand against these wrongs.
One last thought. Was anyone else confused by the part where there was an (apparently) important person watching the hearings on television who told his butler that if Johnny Friendly called, to tell him he wasn't there...? Seemed like that scene didn't fit and assume that it was meant to just be some anonymous important person who realized they needed to distance themselves from the corruption.
References:
Petrie, D., & Boggs, J. (2012). The art of watching films. (8th ed. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.
Our Session 1 reading assignments in Chapters 1 and 2 were very helpful in setting the stage for how I wanted to approach watching the movie and what to look for throughout (Petrie & Boggs, 2012).
As an aside, one thing I really enjoy about this class so far is being able to watch movies with my wife. We're typically so busy that we don't have time to sit for a few hours to watch a movie. This is something I need to incorporate into my life schedule - well beyond the end-date of this class.
Anyway, back to the movie. On the Waterfront takes place in the New York/New Jersey waterfront and focuses on the corruption that was taking place in the union leadership for the longshoremen. The union bosses controlled who got the work, what assignments they received, etc...Anyone who disagreed with the union leaders were basically locked out of working. Those that didn't agree to be deaf and dumb and decided to report corruption to law enforcement usually met some sort of untimely demise - like murder.
The main character, Terry Malloy was played by Marlon Brando. Terry was approximately 30 years old and had at one time been an up-and-coming boxer. Terry's older brother Charley was the right-hand man of the corrupt union boss, Johnny Friendly. Johnny controlled Terry and had him do errands for him, including helping get one of the dockworkers, Joey, to come to the roof of his building, where he was eventually murdered - for agreeing to testify against the union.
Right away, we see that Terry struggles with his role and really wants nothing to do with the corruption, but we also see him take advantage of having easy work on the docks through his relationship with Johnny and Charley. After Joey's murder, Terry wrestles with his conscience somewhat, but not enough to make him agree to speak out against the corruption.
He does eventually speak out once he meets (and falls for) Joey's sister, Edie. She sees good in him, even though he considers himself to be just a bum.
Another interesting character in the film is Father Barry, a Catholic priest in the neighborhood who also gets called out by Edie for not doing enough to help his parishioners deal with the corruption.
He ends up getting very engaged and bravely takes a stand and encourages others to stand with him.
Eventually he and Edie convince Terry to testify at a hearing on the corruption. This becomes easier for Terry once his brother, Charley, is murdered by Johnny and his thugs for not taking care of the problem Terry is posing for the group. After Terry testifies, it becomes clear that Johnny and the corrupt leaders of the union will soon be indicted. Despite being threatened by Johnny, Terry goes down to the docks to work, and is shut completely out of an assignment. He goes to the union office and demands to speak to Johnny. They have words and eventually begin to fight. Terry is left nearly unconscious. The other dockworkers had all left their assignments and gathered around the area to witness Johnny and his thugs beat up Terry. When the owner of a ship comes down to find out why his ship isn't getting loaded, Johnny tries to get the dockworkers to begin working. They refuse - until Terry leads them back to the pier and Johnny is left powerless.
I really liked this movie. There were a couple areas of focus that I thought were very apparent.
One was on the character of Terry and his development from a bum who didn't want to rock the boat to a leader. I also enjoyed following the character of Father Barry and his involvement with getting his parishioners to speak out...something he himself wasn't doing until Edie sort of convicted him.
I also thought the picture focused on a social problem of the time - union corruption - and was an encouragement for those who wanted to stop it. It is through this focus, I think, that the film becomes timeless. Regardless of the era, there is always some sort of conflict between good and evil, right and wrong. It is through films such as "On the Waterfront" that society is called to action to take a stand against these wrongs.
One last thought. Was anyone else confused by the part where there was an (apparently) important person watching the hearings on television who told his butler that if Johnny Friendly called, to tell him he wasn't there...? Seemed like that scene didn't fit and assume that it was meant to just be some anonymous important person who realized they needed to distance themselves from the corruption.
References:
Petrie, D., & Boggs, J. (2012). The art of watching films. (8th ed. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.
Casablanca
Week 1 of our Intro to Film class features to classical films: Casablanca and On the Waterfront. I will discuss the latter film in my next blog entry...
Chapter One of our text talks about the Art of Watching Films. Specifically, the author writes that viewers of film should work to remove any obstacles that would prevent them from viewing a film objectively, and to remove any personal biases (Petrie & Boggs, 2012, Pages 8-9).
Prior to this week, I had never watched the film, Casablanca. I kind of feel like I might have been one of the few people who hadn't, since classical lines from the movie are widely quoted. "Play it again, Sam;" and "Here's looking at you, Kid" are just two examples.
The film takes place in early World War II and centers on an American character named Rick Blaine (portrayed by Humphrey Bogart) who owns an American Cafe/Bar in the city of Casablanca - a city in (Free) French Morocco, which is a gathering place for many French nationals - and other Europeans - trying to flee Nazi-occupied France for a new life in America.
Casablanca is a black and white film, which in and of itself wasn't distracting at all. What was distracting a little, however, was all the dark shadows used throughout the film. It added to the some of the drama and mystery, however, and made me focus a little more on what was going on in the film.
Before I get to the love story elements of the film, I must say that I really enjoyed the larger, political events going on. Rick had been involved in earlier resistance efforts in the past and had worked with underdogs against tyranny. Casablanca was a very corrupt city and the very nature of why people were gathering there (trying to escape the Nazis) made for some interesting characters revealed to us throughout the film.
Through the use of flashbacks, we learn that when Rick was in Paris, he fell in love with Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) but his heart was broken the day they were scheduled to flee Paris together. Ilsa didn't make it to the train and Rick was devastated.
Rick was a key person in Casablanca and seemed to be doing very well, although he certainly didn't seem happy. A central theme, it seems, for Rick in Casablanca was that he would do whatever was in the best interest of himself. He stated numerous times, that "I stick my neck out for nobody."
Rick's Casablanca world gets turned upside down when Ilsa arrives in Casablanca with her husband, Victor Laszlo, one of the main leaders of the Underground Resistance in Europe, seeking to flee to America together to further the resistance efforts. We learn that Ilsa was married during the time she and Rick had fallen in love, but had believed her husband had been killed in a concentration camp. The day she was to leave with Rick was the day she learned that her husband was still alive.
Rick had come in to possession of two writs of passage (exit visas) and the majority of the remainder of the film focuses on what Rick will do with these highly sought documents.
Chapter Two of our text discusses identifying the thematic elements in the film - the theme and focus.
I would have to say that I believe the focus of Casablanca is really on the character (Petrie & Boggs, 2012, Page 20) of Rick and his desire to do the right thing - even when he really doesn't want to. This idea is further strengthened, in my opinion, when Victor tells Rick at one point that "Each of us had a destiny - for good or evil."
Rick ends up giving the documents to Ilsa and Victor, and gets them safely on an airplane that will take them to Lisbon, and eventually to America. He did this despite Ilsa professing her love for him and her desire to be with him instead of Victor.
Rick looked at the bigger picture - a utilitarian view, if you will - and determined that there would be greater good occurring in the world (the continuation of the Nazi resistance, etc...) if Ilsa and Victor were to leave together rather than have them split up so Rick and Ilsa could be together.
This was a great picture. One that I am really happy to have watched and one that I look forward to watching again.
References:
Petrie, D., & Boggs, J. (2012). The art of watching films. (8th ed. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.
Chapter One of our text talks about the Art of Watching Films. Specifically, the author writes that viewers of film should work to remove any obstacles that would prevent them from viewing a film objectively, and to remove any personal biases (Petrie & Boggs, 2012, Pages 8-9).
Prior to this week, I had never watched the film, Casablanca. I kind of feel like I might have been one of the few people who hadn't, since classical lines from the movie are widely quoted. "Play it again, Sam;" and "Here's looking at you, Kid" are just two examples.
The film takes place in early World War II and centers on an American character named Rick Blaine (portrayed by Humphrey Bogart) who owns an American Cafe/Bar in the city of Casablanca - a city in (Free) French Morocco, which is a gathering place for many French nationals - and other Europeans - trying to flee Nazi-occupied France for a new life in America.
Casablanca is a black and white film, which in and of itself wasn't distracting at all. What was distracting a little, however, was all the dark shadows used throughout the film. It added to the some of the drama and mystery, however, and made me focus a little more on what was going on in the film.
Before I get to the love story elements of the film, I must say that I really enjoyed the larger, political events going on. Rick had been involved in earlier resistance efforts in the past and had worked with underdogs against tyranny. Casablanca was a very corrupt city and the very nature of why people were gathering there (trying to escape the Nazis) made for some interesting characters revealed to us throughout the film.
Through the use of flashbacks, we learn that when Rick was in Paris, he fell in love with Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman) but his heart was broken the day they were scheduled to flee Paris together. Ilsa didn't make it to the train and Rick was devastated.
Rick was a key person in Casablanca and seemed to be doing very well, although he certainly didn't seem happy. A central theme, it seems, for Rick in Casablanca was that he would do whatever was in the best interest of himself. He stated numerous times, that "I stick my neck out for nobody."
Rick's Casablanca world gets turned upside down when Ilsa arrives in Casablanca with her husband, Victor Laszlo, one of the main leaders of the Underground Resistance in Europe, seeking to flee to America together to further the resistance efforts. We learn that Ilsa was married during the time she and Rick had fallen in love, but had believed her husband had been killed in a concentration camp. The day she was to leave with Rick was the day she learned that her husband was still alive.
Rick had come in to possession of two writs of passage (exit visas) and the majority of the remainder of the film focuses on what Rick will do with these highly sought documents.
Chapter Two of our text discusses identifying the thematic elements in the film - the theme and focus.
I would have to say that I believe the focus of Casablanca is really on the character (Petrie & Boggs, 2012, Page 20) of Rick and his desire to do the right thing - even when he really doesn't want to. This idea is further strengthened, in my opinion, when Victor tells Rick at one point that "Each of us had a destiny - for good or evil."
Rick ends up giving the documents to Ilsa and Victor, and gets them safely on an airplane that will take them to Lisbon, and eventually to America. He did this despite Ilsa professing her love for him and her desire to be with him instead of Victor.
Rick looked at the bigger picture - a utilitarian view, if you will - and determined that there would be greater good occurring in the world (the continuation of the Nazi resistance, etc...) if Ilsa and Victor were to leave together rather than have them split up so Rick and Ilsa could be together.
This was a great picture. One that I am really happy to have watched and one that I look forward to watching again.
References:
Petrie, D., & Boggs, J. (2012). The art of watching films. (8th ed. ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages.
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Initial Post
For quite some time, I've been thinking it would be good (and useful) to do a little blogging. I've started and stopped a few times in the past. It's never really become part of my routine. I think I've always tried to do too much with it before.
A film class that I am taking at the University of Mary requires that I maintain a blog. These next five weeks, I will post specifically on my assignments for this class. After that, we'll try to make it part of a routine of some sort.
Happy New Year!
A film class that I am taking at the University of Mary requires that I maintain a blog. These next five weeks, I will post specifically on my assignments for this class. After that, we'll try to make it part of a routine of some sort.
Happy New Year!
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