Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane is a film about a man, Charles Foster Kane, which recounts his life, his loves and the empire that he created for himself that gave him the title of being the quite possibly most successful man in America, maybe even in the entire world. Kane's story is told in full through a newsreel at the beginning of the film, highlighting his accomplishments that essentially led to his eventual demise. The film then goes onto to delve into Kane's life in detail, through flashbacks told in the point-of-view of the most important people in Kane's life (Thatcher, Kane's guardian growing up; Bernstein, Kane's friend and business manager; Jedediah Leland, Kane's best friend; Susan Alexander, Kane's mistress and eventual second wife; and his caretaker) to a reporter searching for the meaning of Kane's dying word, "Rosebud". The viewer is given a point-of-view that allows a deep look into the core of Charles Foster Kane, and left wondering what is the real measure of a man's life once he's dead.

Citizen Kane has been hailed as "the greatest film ever made" by many film critics and scholars. Critics have stated that "Citizen Kane is the biggest cinematic landmark since pictures first started moving" and "With its spirit of visual and narrative innovation, and Welles's precocious towering central performance, Citizen Kane almost lives up to its reputation as the best of all time" (http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/citizen_kane/). I don't know if I would agree that it is the greatest movie of all time, solely because of the fact that I am not a film scholar and have only started to critically and analytically view films beginning with this class. I don't have classic Holllywood films to compare Citizen Kane to in the areas of style, narrative, composition, etc. nor do I have the critical eye to determine what "the greatest film ever made" would look like. But watching this film, I felt so connected to Charles Foster Kane and could empathize with the struggles that he endured throughout in his life. I don't think that he ever knew the real meaning of what it is to love and be loved, because his father abused him as a child which led to his mother giving him away to be raised by Thatcher. Not being raised in a healthy environment and never being taught the true meaning of life, Kane sought to gain love and success through his fotune. His idea of the American dream was to have wealth and success, and throughout the film, we see Kane trying to maintain that ideal at all costs. He didn't want what he couldn't control and he controlled everything that came into his life: the newspaper, Jedediah, both Emily and Susan, and set out to control politics by running for govenor. Kane filled his life with material possessions bought with his wealth and people that he thought he could control in order to atttain happiness and success. The narrative of the film illustrates this in quite a unique way, through the perspectives of others in his life whom he tried to control and ended up pushing away. These flasbacks, along with the newsreel at the very beginning of the film, foreshadow Kane's eventual demise in a powerful way. Kane's breakdown leading up to his death occurs right after Susan tells him that she is leaving him, and leaves Xanadu. We see Kane tear apart her room, symbolizing him breaking through the facade that he has created for himself that has led him to be incapable of love and caused him to end up alone. He walks out of the room, to all of his staff just watching him and we see a singular "K" charm hanging out the front of his suit. His name, his wealth and success are all that he has left for himself. They have defined his life and now that he is alone, he realized that this is not the life that he wanted and he is forced to come to terms with his true inner self. To him, this was no longer the American dream that he had worked so hard for. He lost two loves, his best friend and everyone else that was close to him in life because he was so incapable of loving anything other than his money and himself.

Citizen Kane displays an emotional depth that I don't think I've witnessed before in any other film. The narrative perfectly illustrates the hardships in life, the heartache of love and loss and that wealth and success mean little without knowing how to love and be loved. I was moved by the ending and the room surrounded with millions of dollars of possessions that never made Charles Foster Kane as happy as Emily and Susan once made him. I can most definitely understand why this film is considered by many to be "the greatest film ever made", and never will I forget the story of Citizen Kane.

Definition of Film Noir

After watching four films that were characterized as film noir, I have come to see film noir as a spectrum filled with different genre conventions that represents that time in which the film was made and the story that the narrative is trying to portray. I don't believe that a film has to fit a certain number of criteria in order to be classified as a film noir. Rather, I believe that if a film has some attributes of a conventional film noir, was made during the film noir period and gives off a tone of suspense and tension that the theme of the chase  brings out within the narrative, then it fits what I consider to be a film noir fit.

In The Maltese Falcon, fits into the first phase of film noir with the genre conventions in line with the theme of the "private eye and the lone wolf" (Schrader). Sam is the private detective who is working on his own, with his partner who is killed early on in the film, and is enlisted by various parties to help find the falcon. Many of the film noir genre conventions are present: the femme fatale Bridget, the strong male hero, the foreigner, etc. But there is also a lot to say about the stylistic aspects of The Maltese Falcon that add to the tone of suspense and mystery that builds throughout the narrative. The music that play when there is a cut from one scene to the next adds a sense of mysterious and lends itself to foreshaowing what will happen next in the film. Many different people come into Sam's life, trying to threaten him into finding the falcon and giving it to them first. The viewer is continuously wondering what is going to happen to Sam: if he'll find the falcon in time, if the police are going to arrest him, how much danger he's in, what Bridget is hiding. All of these different aspects, along with the lighting and sense of moral ambiguity, build the suspense and mystery until the very end of the film.

Touch of Evil is unique within the film noir genre, in that it doesn't fit into any of the three phases of the film noir period. It has some of the genre conventions of a typical film noir (Mike Vargas as the male hero, Susie as somewhat of a femme fatale) but it was less predictable than the film noir's that came before it. Although Touch of Evil doesns't fit into a category within the film noir period, it does have stylistic aspects that contribute to the suspense and mystery that I believe is typical of all the film noirs we've seen in this class. There is the presence of darkness and the use of lighting that adds to the suspense of the narrative. Especially when Vargas gets attacked in the alley, the genre convention of alleys or docks is at play. There is the presence of the Grande family throughout the film, who seem to be following Vargas' wife Susie. Their presence adds to the suspense and mystery of the film, because we as the viewer don't know what they want or what they are going to be to Susie. There is also an overwhelming presence of the theme of moral ambiguity within the narrative. We can see the actions of most of the characters in the film, and how they are struggling with the nature of right and wrong which makes us wonder when everyone else is going to find out the truth.

Chinatown seemingly does not fit into any of the three film noir period, but most definintely contains genre conventions that make it a film noir. I would say that it would loosely fall into the first phase that contained the theme of the private eye and the lone wolf. Gittes spends most of the movie on his own, trying to figure out who killed Mulwray and who is dumping water. Mulwray's wife is the quintessential femme fatale, who is surrounded by mystery after her husband's death. There are many aspects of film noir that also add to the suspense and the mystery within the narrative. The suspense was created more by the narrative, and how the characters interacted with one another. Especially in the relationship between Mrs. Mulwray and Gittes, there was a great deal of mystery and tension because she had something to hide which wasn't discovered until the end of the movie. Every character in this film seemed like they had something to hide, and that no one was exactly who they said they were. Because of this, I as the viewer was left in suspense until the very end of the film, and was quite suprised at the resolultion.

Finally, Gilda is considered to be a part of the first phase of film noir. I found this movie to be very similar to Casablanca while watching it. Both movies revolve around a love triangle, and the gambling/casino atmosphere. There were quite a few genre conventions that I noticed in Gilda. Gilda definintely seemed to portray the femme fatale, who was torn between money and passion. There was the presence of evil within the lives of both Johnny and Mundson and that something about their business seemed suspicious. There is a great deal of suspense that is incorporated into the film because we as the viewer see that Gilda and Johnny have met before, and still have feelings for each other but now that Gilda is married to Mundson, we are left to wonder how long their history will go unnoticed,

Overall, I believe that film noir comes in many different forms and there isn't one umbrella definition for what a conventional film noir is. There are films today that could fit the definintion that I have constructed, but weren't made during the time that film noir was present in American cinema. But I think that this is a topic that is subjective, and it is up to the viewer to determine what is and isn't considered to be a film noir.

Gilda

Gilda is a classic film about a man named Johnny Farrell, a gambler trying to make it big in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He meets a mysterious man who rescues him from getting robbed, and points him towards a nearby casino where he can showcase his skills of talented deceit. Johnny arrives at the casino, and is caught cheating by the casino owner who ends up being the man that saved him from being robbed, Ballin Mundson. Mundson sees something in Johnny, and recruits him to be his right hand man. The two men become inseparable, with Johnny gaining more and more responsibility as he continues to gain Mundson's trust, with Johnny eventually put in charge of the casino while Mundson is away. But the plot grows complicated after Mundson comes back, surprisingly with a new wife. This woman, Gilda, seems to have a mysterious air about her and something about her doesn't sit right with Johnny. The film goes on to uncover Gilda's mysterious past, and how her presence is now changing the relationship between Mundson and Johnnny.

I honestly liked this film, probably because it wasn't in the same film noir sub-group as The Maltese Falcon and Touch of Evil. There weren't many of the typical genre conventions of film noir within the plot of this film, other than Gilda as the femme fatale and the presence of money and the police, and the motif of the tortured, troubled relationship which adds to the buildup of suspense throughout the narrative. I thought that Gilda played the femme fatale quite well, and was more believable than any of the other female characters in the other examples of film noir that we've seen. Overall, I thought that Gilda wasn't the typical film noir pick but other than its long-winded plot, it was an enjoyable film to watch.

Chinatown

*SPOILER ALERT*

 

 Chinatown is a cleverly written and developed film-noir narrative about a private detective, J.J. Gittes who is hired by quite a few individuals to investigate events that have transpired in result of a dispute over the building of a dam in the Los Angeles area which would relieve the city and the surrounding areas from the drought that they are stuck in. Gittes meets a woman who claims to be Evelyn Mulwray, and hires him to follow her husband, Hollis Mulwray (the chief engineer for the Department of Water and Power) because she suspects him of having an affair. When Gittes begins to follow him, he discovers that Hollis has been visiting many reservoirs and dams in the middle of the night and they both discover that someone is responsible for dumping water into the ocean in the middle of the night even though the city is in the midst of a drought. After they both make this discovery and photos are printed of Hollis with a mystery woman, another woman comes to see Gittes and reveals to him that she is Mulwray's wife and that the woman who hired Gittes is an imposter. The real Mrs. Mulwray sues Gittens, but Gittens is determined to find out who really hired him to follow Hollis Mulwray. Gittes goes looking for Mulwray one afternoon at a nearby reservoir and finds the police there because Hollis has been discovered there dead. Gittes makes it his mission to find out who is responsible for dumping the water, who killed Hollis and who originally hired him in the first place. Gittes realizes that he is in the midst of a very dangerous investigation, and that everyone involved has secrets that they aren't willing to reveal and that no one is who they say they really are.

I really liked Chinatown, more than I thought I was going to after my reactions to the first two film-noirs that we watched. I thought that it was very well written and constructed, and although many of the genre conventions of film-noir were present throughout the narrative I was still kept guessing and held in suspense until the very end of the film. Yes, I could easily predict that the femme fatale, Mrs. Mulwray, was going to end up getting "involved" with the hero, Gittes. But I thought that the narrative flowed really well, and that humor, suspense, romance, and danger were all balanced in a way that made the film enjoyable to watch. I didn't want to fall asleep, and I was kept guessing until the end so for me this film was a good one.

Touch of Evil

Touch of Evil is a film about a newly married couple, Susie and Mike Vargas, who are spending their honeymoon battling gang related crime while straddling the Mexico/U.S. border. Mike is a drug enforcement official, working for the Mexican government who is investigating the aftermath of a car explosion on the U.S. side of the border. Investigating alongside U.S. officials, Vargas realizes that something is not right out this investigation. A possible witness is charged with the murder of the couple inside the car when evidence is found inside a box in his bathroom, which Vargas had just knocked over and found nothing. His goal changes from finding who was responsible for the car bombing to who was responsible for planting the evidence to implicate this seemingly innocent man. Vargas’ wife Susie, has been patiently waiting by her husband’s side throughout this entire investigation. She gets lured to a hotel where she comes into contact with the Grande family, a gang who her husband is working to charge with illegal drug related activities. She is moved to another hotel in the middle of nowhere, only to again be apprehended by the Grande family and drugged, later to be accused of the murder of one of the U.S. officials. The rest of the film centers on Vargas and his ally within the U.S. government, Menzies, trying to find out who framed Susie and planted the evidence, and who is really responsible for all the violence and death that has taken place.

This film was distinctively a more unique representation of film noir. A lot of the typical genre conventions that are part of most film noir films were more difficult to define in Touch of Evil. There is the ever-present use of lighting to create the presence of good and evil, and to amplify the suspense of the narrative. The setting also played a big part in the creation of suspense within the narrative: Vargas getting acid thrown on him while in a dark alley, vacant hotels in the middle of nowhere, the emptiness of the town, everything portrayed to be dirty and run down. The structure and progression of the narrative was somewhat difficult to predict, and wasn’t as easy to identify and follow along with in comparison to other film noir’s. The character representations were also difficult to define. I thought it the beginning that Susie was going to be the heroine or the damsel in distress but it seemed like throughout the narrative, she was able to be identified as both. The protagonist and the antagonist were also not as easy to define. I thought that the police captain, Quinlan was going to be the hero of the narrative and it turned out that he was the exact opposite. Vargas was also not the only hero figure in the film, considering he had considerable help from Menzies in taking down Quinlan. Overall, I thought that this was a well made film and although I was completely confused at points I think that I would be able to appreciate Orson Welles’s narrative perspective more the second time around.

The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon is a film about a private detective named Sam who comes into contact with various individuals who want to enlist his help in order to find a jeweled falcon. Sam meets a beautiful woman who is searching for her missing sister, whom she thinks is involved with a man who is trying to hurt her. Sam helps her by sending his partner to follow the man, only to get news that both his partner and the man have been killed. Sam later finds out that the woman is not who she says she is, and that she is using him to get to the falcon. Sam is also approached by another man by the name of Cairo, who is willing to pay him $5000 to find the falcon for him. Sam finds out that he is being followed, and is taken at gunpoint to a man named Gutman who reveals to Sam the significance of the falcon and offers him $25,000 for it with the promise of some of the profit. The rest of the film centers around Sam trying to find the falcon, and sorting through the lies and the danger that is attached to it.

I thought that this was a pretty good movie. I thought that some parts were corny and unbelievable, like the "suspenseful" music that played during the change of scenes and the fact that Sam could take the guns away from just about anyone who was after him. There wasn't much physical action but instead, the action was provided through the dialogue and the interpersonal interactions throughout the film. It was slow at some points, and I think that they could have constructed the narrative in a way that gave more suspense and danger to the task of finding the falcon but overall I thought it was a good movie. I mean who couldn't like a movie with Humphrey Bogart playing the dapper hero detective!

Another look...The narrative styles of Casablanca, Daughters of the Dust, and Monsoon Wedding

After watching Casablanca, Daughters of the Dust and Monsoon Wedding, along with reading about the significance of film narrative, I can identify the differences between, and the deviations from, classical and alternative film narrative within these three films. Specifically, I am going to focus on the importance of the characters and the plot structure within these three films, and how they differ in terms of focus, importance, and construction within the classical narrative and the alternative narrative.

Casablanca is very much the perfect example of a film with a classical narrative. In terms of the emphasis and the development of the characters within the film, classical narrative "centers on one or more central characters who propel the plot with a cause-and-effect logic (whereby an action generates a reaction)" (Corrigan and White 2009). In Casablanca, Rick is the main character around whom the plot forms, and most of the story is told through his perspective (through an omniscient narration). Ilsa and Victor are introducted about a quarter of the way through the film and the narractive centers around the entaglement that these three are caught up in. There are other characters, like the piano player who knew Ilsa back in Paris and the German officials who are trying to keep Victor from leaving Casablanca, but they don't serve as any purpose other than supporting the actions of the three main characters. The cause-and-effect logic of the classical narrative is also evident within the film as well. As we find out more about the history that exists between Rick and Ilsa, that cause-and-effect logic becomes more evident. If Rick leaves Casablanca wth Ilsa to start a new life with her, she will have to leave Victor and always wonder if she should have stayed. But if Rick gives the exit visas to Victor and Ilsa, he will have to deal with losing Ilsa for a second time and never being able to see her again. The narrative resolves itself in a way that you can understand why Rick made the decision he did, and feel a sense of hope for Victor and Ilsa now that they are finally escaping Europe and getting the chance to make a new life in America.

The presentation and development of the characters within both Daughters of the Dust and Monsoon Wedding is far different from Casablanca, and aligns with the alternative film narrative. These films fit within the alternative narrative because, "Freed of the determining motivations of classical characters, the plots of alternative film narratives tend to break apart, omit links in a cause-and-effet logic, or proliferate plot lines well beyond the classical parallel plot" (Corrigan and White 2009).

In Daughters of the Dust, the film is narrated through the first-person by Eula and Eli's unborn daughter. The narrative focuses of the Peazant family, but there are many characters present within the narrative, and many different subplots taking place as well. The events within the narrative seem scattered and randomly placed, with no real relation to one another, other then to the apprehension regarding the looming move from Sea Island to the mainland. I found that because the narrative was unconventional and not linear like the classical narrative, I couldn't focus on what was going on during the film and didn't really come away with any feelings of resolution at the conclusion of the film. I felt as though a lot of the dialogues, perspectives and the significance of interactions between the characters were unclear to me, and that the narrative would have been more easily comprehended if I had more knowledge of the context that it was taking place in.

On the other hand, Monsoon Wedding also follows the alternative film narrative but also seemed to have some aspects of the classical narrative integrated within the film as well. The narrative focused on the importance of many different characters within the Verma family, and the many subplots present within the narrative were important to the development of the plot and in reaching a resolution at the conclusion of the film.While there was no real cause-and-effect logic within the narrative, I felt a sense of resolution at the end of the film: when the bride, Aditi, chooses to marry her suitor instead of continuing her illicit relationship with her married lover; when the wedding planner finally is able to tell the Verma's maid Alice that he is in love with her; when Ria, the brides cousin, exposes the family patriarch for sexually abusing her years ago, and so on. I felt as though the importance of these subplots and the characters within the narrative was a lot clearer than in Daughters of the Dust.

Overall, I feel as though I can identify and relate better to the classical film narrative of Casablanca because I like feeling the sense of resolution at the end of a film. But I can also identify with the alternative film narrative within Monsoon Wedding because it was a new way, for me, of watching a film and interacting with the narrative and the characters present within that narrative. I didn't care at all for Daughters of the Dust and how it depicted the alternative film narrative, but I can say that I would enjoy watching films from either style narrative and that I have developed more of an open mind and a wider scope of interest after watching and analyzing these three films.

Monsoon Wedding

Monsoon Wedding is a film about the multitude of problems that arise during a traditional Punjabi wedding in India. The story centers around a father, trying to plan an extravagant and expensive wedding for his only daughter to a man that she barely knows. He has arranged for her to marry this man, as is common in  Indian tradition, but she is in love with another man. Also common within the Indian tradition, the extended families of both the bride and groom come together for the wedding with a multi-day celebration. But with all of the Verma family for what most likely is the first time in a very long time, there comes a great deal of tension and conflict that adds to the stress of planning a great, big Indian wedding.

I loved watching this film, and found myself thouroughly entertained and captivated from start to finish. The planning of the wedding at the events that occured during the process were so real and I was able to relate to the feelings of heartache and pain and frustration that the characters were experiencing, and identify with the characters that the actors represented. Even though this was a Bollywood film and a portion of it was in subtitiles, I found that both the lingual and cultural barriers were very minimal. There were many subplots that were integrated into the main overall plot of the wedding, but the narrative was constructed in a way that wasn't confusing, but rather clear and cohesive. Overall, I thought this film was so interested and quite the change of pace from what we've been watching. After not liking the past couple films, watching Monsoon Wedding was a breath of fresh air.

Daughters of the Dust

Daughters of the Dust is a film about the Peazant family, a multi-generational African American family living in Ibo Landing on Sea Island, off the coast of South Carolina, and their difficult transition to a new life on the mainland. The film depicts the struggles that these Gullah women have gone through living on the island, and their apprehensions and expectations about their new lives. The plot centers around different relationships within the Peazant family and the tensions that are at play within those relationships. Eula Peazant, whose husband is Eli Peazant, is pregnant with a child as a result of being raped by a white man. Eula tries to protect Eli by refusing to tell him who raped her, but her secrecy only results in driving Eli crazy. Interestingly, most of the film is narrated from the perspective of their unborn daughter, who is shown randomly as a five or six year old girl throughout the film. Yellow Mary Peazant, Trula, and Viola Peazant have arrived back from the mainland, and are real life examples to the rest of the Peazant family about how their lives will change once they move to the mainland. Nana Peazant is the head matriarch of the Peazant family, and is against the family's move to the mainland and plans to stay in Ibo Landing on her own, alone with her longheld traditions and the remains of their ancestors.

I found it very difficult to follow this film, due to the native dialect used by the Peazant family and the unusual narrative style. I lost interest before the film was even halfway over. I tried to keep an open mind and was working to give this unconventional film a chance, but I couldn't engage with the plot or any of the characters. I thought the plot was scattered, and I also found it hard to understand what they were saying most of the time. I'm not sure what type of narrative style was used in this film, but I strongly disliked how it influenced and shaped the plot, progression, and the characters within the film.

Casablanca

Casablanca is a love story set during World War II, in the unoccupied French area of Morocco called Casablanca. This town is filled with refugees who are waiting for exit visas to the United States, and German military whose job is to keep people from leaving. Rick is the owner of Rick's cafe, a popular meeting spot in Casblanca. He is a jaded, mysterious and unopinionated man who is always looking out for himself over anyone else. We meet many people in Rick's, anyone from high profile military men to common criminals always looking to make a buck off of someone else. Then we meet Victor Laszlo and Isla, who come into Rick's seeing exit visas so they can finally be safe. Victor is a leader of the French resistance, and is wanted by the Nazis, and Ilsa is his seemingly loving and devoted wife. They meet Rick, but Rick already knows Ilsa. And while Victor is trying to get them out of Casablanca, Ilsa is rekindling her romance that she has with Rick back in Paris which Victor was trapped in a German concentration camp and thought to be dead. We find out that Ilsa broke Rick's heart, and that she is the cause of his cold and distant demeanor. The rest of the film centers on Victor trying to get a hold of stolen (but missing) exit visas for himself and Ilsa and evading the Nazis, while Ilsa tries to choose between her love for Victor and the love that she still has for Rick.

I have seen this movie before, and it is one of my all time favorites. Yes, some of the love scenes and reactions that Ilsa has are corny and overexxagerated but that's what distinguishes this movie as a romantic and emotionally riveting classic. I identified with the characters, and their feelings of love and loss and trying to leave the complacency that is Casablanca. It highlights the real nature of war, and how it destroys lives and relationships, but also how it brings people like Ilsa and Rick together, even if it is only for a few days. It is a classic love story, and a film that I don't think that I could ever get tired of watching.

Another look...Bonnie & Clyde

One of the main themes of Bonnie & Clyde that is highlighted and illustrated through the use of editing is the awkward sexual tension between Bonnie and Clyde that is overtly present through most of the film.

When we first meet Bonnie, she is in her bedroom. The first shot of the film is an extreme close-up focusing on Bonnie rubbing her lips together. This functions as an establishing shot, and after watching the film I believe that it establishes the notion that Bonnie functions as a sexual character in the film, especially in relation to Clyde as we see later on. Then the camera cuts to Bonnie looking at herself in the mirror, and slightly smiling while studying her reflection. Then, there is a cut on action as she stands up, looks around the room, and then fall down, somewhat dramatically, onto the bed where the camera focuses on her laying there and then hitting the bed in what seems to be frustration based on how the camera gets a close-up of her expression. Then we see her over by her dresser, reaching for a dress while we see her naked back in the shot. She sighs in boredom, and then the camera cuts to a shot of Clyde standing outside her window by her mother's car. The camera cuts back to Bonnie, who walks over to the window still naked and sees Clyde outside. He can obviously see that she is naked through the window, and she can obviously tell that his intention was to steal her mother's car. The camera cuts back and forth between Bonnie and Clyde, illustrated with cutting on action and camera movement, until she gets dressed and goes outside to confront him.

This scene establishes the sexual tension that is present between Bonnie and Clyde throughout the rest of the film. When Clyde first shows Bonnie his gun, the camera focuses on both the gun and Bonnie's expression in a way that suggests that his gun represents a phalic symbol that represents his manhood and the attraction Bonnie feels towards him. This representation doesn't last long however, because the sexuality between them becomes awkward and strained because Clyde is impotent. Without this use of editing to illustrate the sexual tension and awkwardness between the Bonnie and Clyde, I don't think I would have caught onto it as quickly as I did while watching the movie.

Bonnie & Clyde

Bonnie & Clyde is a film about Bonnie Parker, a small town woman who is unhappy living her mediocre life as a waitress who meets Clyde Barrow, a seasoned criminal who is looking for a parner, both in crime and in life. They begin to commit crimes all around the South as partners, starting with small petty crimes and eventually moving onto bank robberies all throughout Texas, all the while falling in love. They recruit others to join in their efforts throughout the film: a gas station attendant named C.W., and Clyde's brother and sister-in-law, Buck and Blanche. Together, they were known as the Barrow Gang and are hunted by the police wherever they go.

Bonnie & Clyde frustrated me because I felt like it didn't go anywhere. I felt as though the plot was dull and lifeless, and that every robbery was awkwardly staged and boring. The Barrow Gang, although violent at times, is the worst bunch of criminals that I have ever seen portrayed in a film. The monotonous and dull plot, combined with the bleak and empty backdrop of Texas bored me to the point where I was just wishing that Bonnie and Clyde would be shot and that the movie would be over. All together my frustration with the dynamic between Bonnie and Clyde, my frustration with the annoying nature of Buck and Blanche, and the story that never seemed to end made me feel so grateful that I never have to see this movie ever again.

Another look...Run Lola Run

The use of editing in Run Lola Run makes this film a unique story of different pieces and techniques that are interwoven to create a cohesive illustration of the real life and vivid emotions that both Lola and Manni are experiencing as they face against the clock to try and save Manni's life. In my opinion, the first scene when Manni is calling Lola to tell her what happened sets the stage for the rest of the film and the editing in this scene sets the tone for the rest of the film as well.

The cutting back and forth between Lola and Manni during their phone conversation made the scene a lot more suspensful, and conveyed to me the amount of pressure they are both under, and the fear the both have of Manni being killed for his mistake. It illustrates the contrast between Manni's irrational and scared demeanor with Lola's more sensible and composed state. To me, it depicts what the dynamic most likely is within their relationship. As we can see, Manni relies on Lola to be a constant in his life. He relied on her to pick him up like she usually did and he is relying on her now to get the money that will save his life. Manni seems to be the risktaker and the provider in the relationship, and this was his one chance to make it big and now he has to deal with the possibly consequences of his negligence.

The flashbacks that occur while Manni is explaining what happened that day to Lola add more depth to the story that he is telling, and made the whole scene more real. You can see the progression of his actions, and how tedious the different steps that he had to go through were and that one mistake could ruin the entire operation. You see how Manni is out in the middle of nowhere, and that not having a ride back comprimises his task. You see the camera focus on the bum on the train, which made me curious as to what role he was going to play since the attention paid to him made him seem important within the scene. You see Manni's horrified reaction when he realizes that he forgot the bag on the train, and how his boss reacted to the one time that he forgot to return his cigarettes. It shows the audience how serious this mistake is, and if Manni's boss reacted that violently to a small mistake, that Manni is not going to live a second after 12:00.

The camera also moves around Lola's apartment and focuses on different objects that are around her while she is on the phone with Manni, adding to the chaos and insanity of the scene. You see Lola screaming and the glasses on top of her TV shattering at the sound. Then the camera cuts to the slanted window coverings, to the picture of Manni and Lola on the wall, to the dolls sitting on the table, and the turtle slowly crawling across the floor. In the background of all these shots, all you see is clutter and mess, a scene symbolic of their life and the ordeal that takes place throughout the movie. The scene that Lola is in reflects how she is feeling, overwhelmed and crazed at the thought of having to get Manni this money in 20 minutes. And then you see a long shot of Manni in the phone booth, with the scene seeming empty and less cluttered around him. Then the camera cuts into a close shot of Manni in the phone booth, looking towards the Rolle store. This editing is symbolic of the fact that Manni feels like the world is closing in on him, and that he is running out of both time and options. So he looks towards the store, and sees it as his saving grace and plans to steal money from them to get the $100,000 he needs.

Overall, the editing in this film was truly unique and created a sense of immediacy and heightened emotions that stuck with me throughout the film. I felt as though I was right there the entire time with Lola, and that time was running out to save the man I love from imminent death.

Run Lola Run

Run Lola Run is a uniquely creative and artsy German film, about a girl named Lola who is racing against time to try to save her boyfriend, Manni's, life after he makes a terrible mistake. Lola faces many obstacles during her rush to get $100,000 for Manni in 20 minutes, and interestingly enough each time she faces an obstacle in the film there is a flashforward which depicts how that encounter affected the course of the other person's life. But when you think that these obstacles have prevented Lola from making it to Manni in time, and that there is no hope, we are sent back to the beginning where Lola has another chance to save Manni from death by drug lord.

To me, watching this film was an interesting experience. I have seen films and television shows where they use flashbacks and flash forwards before, and have used them to replay the same scenes over and over again and show how all the actions involved have contributed to and affected the outcome of the plot (ex. Grey's Anatomy this past week- I know at least one person in class will be able to relate to that example). I found the film, especially the editing used to make it so unique, drew me into and made me relate to Lola: how many times in our lives do we wish that we could go back and do something just a little bit different, and maybe the outcome of a situation would have changed for the better. Run Lola Run illustrates this perfectly. The flashbacks, flashforwards and the real time action made this movie enticing, both aesthetically and cinematically. And it wasn't too long =) all in all, it was a unique but interestingly pleasing viewing.

Another look...Do the Right Thing

The presence of mise-en-scène within the settings found within this film adds to the illustration of the pervasiveness of racism in the day-to-day lives of the characters. More specifically, the theme of characters looking through windows and the window-like framing within the different settings symbolizes the different lenses that the characters look at racism through and how it creates tension and difference within the neighborhood.

For a good deal of the film, you see Mother Sister looking out onto the interactions of the neighborhood through her window. To me, it seemed like this character placement and setting was portraying her as the grandmother of the neighborhood: she's a bit cynical because she's seen a lot during her time living there, but she just wants everyone to get along and to live in peace. Her window is a few floors above the street, which vaguely symbolizes her detachment from the neighborhood. She looks out onto everything and everyone, judges and makes comments, but only a few times in the film do we actually see her out of the context of her window.

Another example of the significance of windows in the film is DJ Mister Senor Love Daddy looking through his window all day, everyday while doing his radio show. The window in this context serves as a barrier between him and the neighborhood, much like Mother Sister and her window. He comments on everything that is going on in the neighborhood, because he knows all and sees all. He is the mouthpiece of the neighborhood. He knows what is going on in the neighborhood, the racist and hurtful actions that take place everyday. He serves as a peacemaker and a facilitator for equality in the neighborhood, but the presence of the window symbolizes the anger and resentful feelings within the neighborhood that restricts any real progrss.

Another representation of windows in this film is the window of the pizzeria that is broken after Radio Raheem's murder to symbolize the breakdown of the racial barriers within the neighborhood.

Another thing that I noticed within the various settings in this film was the framing that caused walls, in my interpretation, to resemble windows looking into the feelings of racism within the neighborhood. Specifically, I am referring to the various shots that focus on the "wall of fame" found in Sal's pizzeria. All of the pictures hanging on that wall were of famous Italian Americans, none of whom were black. This is a source of contention within the neighborhood, especially with Buggin' Out, because he feels that because this is a black neighborhood there should be pictues of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcom X on the wall as well. He sees this wall as a display of racism, because it is so prominently displayed and because Sal has refused to put anything black up on the wall.

Overall, even though I didn't particularly like this movie, the presence of mise-en-scène contributed to my understanding of the plot and what Spike Lee created Do the Right Thing to mean to our racially charged society.

Do the Right Thing

Do the Right Thing is a classic film by Spike Lee, highlighting the presence of racial tensions in Brooklyn during the 1980s. The plot follows the lives of the Afrcan Americans, Puerto Ricans and Italian Americans who live in the neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant on one of the hottest days of the summer, and how they deal with their inherent cultural and racial differences.

I understood the cultural significance of this movie, in that the plot displayed how racism is present in everyday, normal activities and that in order to overcome the tensions that we face in society we have to address racism from an interpesonal perspective. But I didn't really like this movie and found it to be really slow and uneventful up until the last ten minutes. I have seen Spike Lee's work before (Bamboozled) and I found it to be more interesting and captivating than Do the Right Thing, and still was able to illustrate the same point. I came away from watching this movie being convicted about the pervasiveness of racism in society, how it can ruin relationships and lives, and how it needs to be addressed on an interpersonal, person-to-person level but I was just bored throughout the movie while I was coming to that conclusion. I see the film for the messages and ideals that it represents, but I don't think that I could sit through watching this film again, for the lack of an emotionally intriguing and captivating plot.

Another look...The Godfather

While watching The Godfather, I noticed that the props that were used in the movie were especially important in terms of mise-en-scène and served as more than just props, but also as representative agents that give a greater insight into the lives and personalities of the characters we come into contact with.

In the opening scene, when we first meet Don Vito Corleone in his study talking to a "friend", he is sitting in a leather chair behind his desk with a cat in his lap. He strokes this cat through the entire conversation, and is attentive to the needs of the cat (ex. petting it when it purrs). I thought that this was an interesting choice for a metaphorical prop and that it demonstrated the emotional, human side of the Godfather. The "friend" that he is talking to is talking about how his daughter was raped by two men, and how he wants the Godfather to help him carry out revenge on these men. And all throughout this dialogue, the Godfather is calm and composed, just stroking the cat listening to this man talk. Even when he is telling him that he is trying to use him as an assassin, and that he isn't being given the respect he deserves, he still remains calm and holding the cat. This, to me, stood out because I saw the interaction between the Godfather and the cat representing his caring and emotional side, which we also see during his daughter's wedding. Showing the cat in his lap and then contrasting it with the nature of the conversation perfectly illustrates the constrast between love and hate throughout the entire film. Even during the wedding scene, we see the Godfather dancing with his wife and daughter, and then we see his son Sonny breaking a photographer's camera.

Another prop, a contextualized prop, that is significant in this film is the presence of alcohol when those within and associated with the Corleone family are about to have an important conversation or right before a serious, or violent moment. The alcohol represents somewhat of a calming effect upon those who are involved in the interaction that is taking place, and as the movie goes on, a foreshadowing of what is to come. There is wine present during the meeting of the five families; Michael, McCluskey and Sollozzo are all drinking wine right before Michael murders them both; Michael offers Carlo, Connie's husband, something to drink right before he sends him off to be killed.

Another aspect of mise-en-scène that I noticed when I looked at the picture above of the Godfather in the meeting of the five families is blocking. As you can see, the Godfather in this picture is blocking Tom during this conversation. I think that this example of blocking really illustrates the relationship between Tom, the consigliore, and the Godfather. This arrangement almost makes me think of the angel and the devil metaphor, one on each shoulder when a person is conflicted about making a decision. I think that perfectly explains Tom's influence on the Godfather. He is there to provide legal counsel, but to also give the Godfather advice. His role, in a way, is to be the Godfather conscience, advising him to do what is right for the situation. Sometimes the situation necessitates something good, other times it necessitates something bad and I think this example of blocking depicts that role that Tom has in the Corleone family.

Other thing that I noticed, and found quite interesting in portrayed the progression that takes place in the lives of the charaters were the use of costumes, specifically in realtion to Don Vito and Michael. When we first meet the Godfather, we see him in a tuxedo and he wears very nice (most likely expensive) suits and ties throughout the rest of his time as the Godfather. Then, in the end when he turns the title over to Michael, you see his wardrobe and his overall "look" completely change. He looks much older, and a bit haggard, and is wearing a sweater vest and other articles of clothing that typically characterize a grandfather figure. Michael's clothing also progresses, more so for the better, throughout the movie. We first meet Michael the army man at his sister's wedding, and he is dressed in his army uniform. Then, as he becomes more involved with his family business, he begins to wear more suits and dressing more smartly. In the end, when he has officially taken over as the Godfather, he is wearing a very expensive looking suit. It was just interesting to me how even something as obvious as wardrobe could contribute to the mise-en-scène and provided insight as to how the characters developed throughout the film.

Overall, these few example of mise-en-scène, although challenging to distinguish at first glace, added to my understanding of the plot of the film and the deeper meaning that it holds as well.

The Godfather

The Godfather is a movie depicting the life of a family involved in the Italian mafia network in New York during the 1940s. The Corleone's, who proudly hail from Sicily, are a close knit family consisting of Don Vito Corleone (known to all as "Godfather"), his sons Sonny (who is seemingly next in line to "inherit" the family business), Fredo, and Michael (a military man who wants nothing to do with the family business), along with adopted son Tom Hagan (the family's consigliore, or lawyer) and daughter Connie. Together, they make up the Corleone family, a ruthless group of businessmen who will do anything, and I mean anything, to stay on top. But when the prevalence of drug related business starts to take over the mafia, conflict begins to ensue among the other mafia families to keep their dealings"honest" but competitive at the same time. This film goes through the rise and fall of the Godfather, and the Corleone's, and how they constantly fought to stay ahead of the other four families.

The main themes of this movie are the importance of loyalty, trust and respect within the family. The Godfather controls his family and all of his dealings with a strong emphasis on these elements, which everyone either lives or dies by with no questions asked. It is also a story of what people will do for family and friendship in the name of love and hate. The storyline is a constant portrayal of the love of family and tradition, but the hate of the Corleone enemies and anyone else who tries to betray them. This movie is wrought with emotional turmoil and struggle, with the overarching theme of being true to your family in the best of times and worst of times.


It was really hard for me to review The Godfather because I am ambivalent as to how I feel about this movie. To rate how I feel about it on a scale of 1 to 10, I'll give it a 6. I did really like it, because of the fact that I find movies from this genre to be really interesting to watch but there is something I don't like about it that I can't put my finger on. Maybe it was the overwhelming amount of death and violence, or the way in which Michael's character so drastically changes throughout the movie that made me disappointed in the end. I think that this is a film that just has to grow on me, and that I'll have to get past the violent bloodshed and intense dramatics to see the movie for what it really is- a classic mob movie that will certainly live as a cinematic legend for many more years to come.

Another look...Apocalypse Now

When we watched this movie for the first time, I found it hard to distinguish many of the aspects of cinematography that we have learned about that make this movie a classic. Maybe it was due to my initial dislike of the film, but after our class discussion and watching certain clips again I found myself enlightened. Many of the scenes had more meaning the second time around, and I found that the usage of light and darkness throughout the film mirrored the struggle between good and evil that is ongoing during Willard's travels down the river, and illustrated in the final scene of the film.

Focusing specifically on the last scene of the movie, the ritual sacrifice and where Willard is seemingly comtemplating whether or not he is going to complete his mission, the use of light and darnkess depicts the internal struggles within both Willard and Kurtz. When Willard rises from the water, camo paint covering his face, you can see that half his face seemed to be covered in shadows and the darkness of the night while the other half of his face is illuminated by the light of Kurtz's "camp". I thought that this lighting decision by the cinematographer for this shot really reflects the struggle that Willard has within himself throughout the entire journey that leads him to Kurtz. When we first meet Willard in the beginning of the movie, he is a broken man who seems incapable of emotion after coming back from the war. He is a dark man, who we saw laying in a hotel bed drunk beyond comprehension, and so angry that he punched a mirror with his bare hand. It seems as though the war has brought his life back at home to a standstill, and that the only way he can function is if he is at war. He is an assassin, who just sees his assignment to find and kill Kurtz as a assignment-nothing else. He listens to the tape of Kurtz and just seems him as crazy like everyone else. But as he travels down the river, and starts studying Kurtz's history, he finds out who Kurtz really is and can't figure out why someone so accomplished would go insane. Knowing this, I could see the manipulation of the lighting to mirror this struggle after Willard arrives at Kurtz's camp. In this actual shot, I believe that the lighting represents the struggle of good and evil going on within Willard over whether or not he should go through with his mission to kill Kurtz. It seemed to me that Willard became more human throughout his journey down the river, and as he grew to know more about Kurtz he realized that he didn't want to become was Kurtz already was. It was almost like Kurtz served as a mirror for Willard, showing what he could be if he let the evils of war continue to engulf him. I believe that Willard killing Kurtz was his choice towards good, in that he killed the evil that Kurtz was and left the native people in peace instead of choosing to bomb them like Kurtz wanted him to.

This is another shot that is from the last scene of the film, during one of Kurtz's final monologues. This shot features the same lighting technique that was seen in the shot of Willard rising from the hazy water. This shot alone, with the lighting as the main focus, tells the viewer a lot about who Kurtz is and the struggles he faces between good and evil as well. I could tell that Kurtz was truly overcome by all that war represents, and let that evil nature penetrate his mentality and overcome his actions and thoughts. Some part of him, I believe, knew what he had become because he wanted Willard to kill him in the end. And I think that Kurtz, even more than Willard, was shown under the contrast of light and darkness during his presence on screen to illuminate the dark struggle that has taken over any rationality that he had in the past. It almost made me empathize with him in a way. Seeing this man, even more broken than Willard was in the beginning of the movie, shrouded in dark shadows but occasionally in light made me feel for him much like the way I felt for Jean-Do in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. What has happened to Kurtz truly illustrates the inherent evil associated with war, and I believe that Kurtz could have been a different man if it weren't for the circumstances he was in.

Although these two men aren't humane or good people by any means, I think that this film featured a very real, raw depction of human struggle and emotion. Although the surface impression I got of both Willard and Kurtz made me think that they were both sick animals, a deeper analysis lead me to conclude that they are both very real and feeling people who inherently battled with the definitions, and subsequent actions, of good and evil within the context of war.

Apocalypse Now

Apocalypse Now is an action filled movie about the Vietnam War that also has its share of funny and emotional undertones that give the movie more substance than the major box office films we are exposed to today. Apocalypse Now is a story that centers around Captain Willard, an experienced soldier who has been given the most important mission of his career- to terminate the command of a fellow soldier, Colonel Kurtz, who has gone insane and completely lost sight of the line between good and evil. The rest of the movie follows Captain Willard throughout his top secret mission to find and kill Kurtz, a mission that he struggles with as he finds out more and more about Kurtz's decorated history in the Army.

I found this movie to be quite confusing for someone who isn't a complete history buff and who doesn't know every single detail about the Vietnam War. I didn't understand some of the scenes when they would bomb villages that seemingly housed innocent natives, and what also seemed like a lot of unnecessary killing. It bored me, and I thought that Williard track "up the river" to find Kurtz's camp was far too drawn out and uneventful. The most exciting part, to me, of that whole hour long journey was when they took the puppy from the boat that they seached after they brutally killed one of its passengers. I sensed the emotional undertones of the storyline; the constant struggle between good and evil, and how to define what each is during a time of war. This movie had somewhat of a heart, but I thought a lot of the content was confusing and overly emphasized the blood and guts aspect of war. I think that they tried too hard to make this a movie that meant something, but still trying to keep it a testosterone pumped action movie. I just didn't care for it and it is just going to be another movie that I've seen that I don't really care to remember.

Another look...The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

After watching this movie for the first time, I was deeply moved and impressed with this movie and how well the emotion that was integrated throughout this story was portrayed on screen. From the acting to the actual cinematography of the movie, the entire film was a well constructed story that caused me to strongly empathize with Jean-Do's physical and emotional/moral struggle. One aspect of this film that caught my eye was the point of view that was used for the first 20-30 minutes of the film, where Jean-Do is being told about what has happened to him and is first starting to deal with the reality of being "locked in" his body and all that entails. The point of view coming from Jean-Do's eyes, and later on just his one eye is so powerful and such a great decision for this film. It made me feel like I was trapped in Jean-Do's body with him- feeling, seeing, hearing, struggling with everything that he was. I don't think that I would have empathized or connected with him as much if the point of view had been any different. Another aspect of the film that I found important to note was the contrast in color throughout the film, paying specific attention to the scenes of the present in comparsion to the flashbacks that Jean-Do experiences. When Jean-Do is seen in the present, the colors around him- the sunlight, the hospital room, the doctors and specialists, the beach scenery- are all of a colorful variety but the tone of the color is very muted and drab. But when Jean-Do is within himself and experiencing thse flashbacks to the times before his accident, the color palette brightens. For example, when he and his wife are on vacation in Lourdes, the bright lights and colors of the city lend themselves to the nature of his lifestyle; vibrant, exciting, loud, full of life and unpredictable. I feel that this evident color change is comparable to what Jean-Do is experiencing inside himself during this time. He is faced with the feelings of depression and solitude that come along with his condition, and keeps himself sane essentially by relying on his memories and imagination. These two aspects of the cinematography in this film, along with many others, truly made me feel like I was on this journey of self-discovery and spiritual awakening with Jean-Do. I left class feeling like this was one of the most powerful and emotionally/morally insightful movies that I have ever seen, and that it will be on the top of my "Greatest Movies of All Time" list.

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a touching and emotionally charged story about a man, at the height of his life, who his forced to spend the rest of his life trapped in his own body due to a tragic, unconceivable accident. He is forced to see the world through one eye, and live based on his imagination and memories of his lively, exciting past. Throughout his rehabilitation process, he forms close bonds with those around him who have made it their goal to help him to speak and move again. He works to repair broken bonds with his family, and realizes that everything he had taken for granted before his accident is now all that matters to him.

I thought from the moment the credit sequence started that there was going to be something different about this movie, something uniqie that would make it stand out from all other movies that I have seen. And this movie did exactly that. The emotional and the realness that is portrayed through Jean-Do's eye and experience trapped in his own body is nothing like I have ever experience before in any other movie. The amount of empathy I felt for him, and feeling like I could feel everything he was feeling made every scene in this movie so powerful. The flashbacks in this movie really made me understand how this accident essentially saved him from himself, in that he was forced to face the man that he was becoming; a man who took everything in life for granted and lived in the moment. A man who couldn't see what was really important in life. I truly loved this movie and loved the intimiate nature in which it was filmed. It is a movie that has changed my view on life and taking things for granted, and surely a movie that I will never forget.