Spike Lee's BIG DEBUT

Do the Right Thing really had a controversial ending. My class was able to talk almost two class periods about the morality of the ending and whether or not the right thing was done in the end. Everyone’s thoughts had me battling my own interpretation of the ending. I still however, feel strongly that Mookie made a terrible move when he decided to feed into the destructive intentions of the mob. I felt that Mookie made this decision after the cops took away Radio Raheem’s body and the crowds focus shifted towards Sal, his sons and Mookie himself. I interpreted it as Mookie throwing the trashcan through Sal’s window in order to tell the crowd that he was on their side. Mookie saved his own behind in order to preserve his place in the community and his actions tell the audience that life is more important than material possessions. Everyone knew that what happened to Radio Raheem was wrong and I feel that the crowd needed to take their anger out on someone. This point brings us back to the original conflict of whose fault was it that Radio Raheem got killed. One can argue that it was Raheem’s own fault because of his obnoxious behavior which caused Sal to break his radio which in turn started the fight. On the other side of the argument though when can say that Sal knew what he was getting himself into when he broke Raheem’s radio and that he shouldn’t have acted on impulse. I don’t feel that there is a right answer to whether Mookie did the right thing or not and that it all depends on how a person characterizes Mookie’s actions.

THE BATTLE OF algiers

I listened to the NPR news broadcast (2004) in which the man talked about how the Battle of Algiers is making a comeback. The man also talked about how the US and other countries were using this movie as a tool to aid them with their war tactics. He did think however that the US government did not fully understand the film and what they were supposed to get out of it.
I feel that this news reel should have talked about what kinds of things these government figures were looking for while watching the movie. I also think he missed a fundamental aspect of the film which is the portrayal of torture. It is obvious today that the US government still doesn’t make a connection between terrorism and the torture we are putting those in captive in Iraq through. We still torture people overseas to get answers and as one can see from the movie it usually doesn’t work and that it is inhumane. I did find the NPR talk show to be very fascinating in the fact that it brought in Pontecorvo and got his insight on the film. It was also cool that NPR brought in one of the actors who were actually there during the battle of Algiers. This added some facts and emotions to the news program.

CHINATOWN

Chinatown is a film-noir that was made in the 1970s. The thing that most distinguishes Chinatown from other film-noirs is the fact that it was produced in color. This movie is about JJ Gittes a cheating specialist who Evelyn Mulwray hires to find out who her husband is having an affair with. But, when Hollis Mulwray gets murdered JJ gets assigned to a new case, one that requires him to find Hollis’s killer. This film supports an all star cast including big names such as Jack Nicolson Faye Dunaway and Roman Polanski.
Well some may consider this a film-noir I would have to disagree. This film takes on more aspects of genres such as mystery, thriller and tragedy. I say this because, number one this movie is in color, number two it doesn’t exhibit much low-key lighting and number three and JJ Gittes is not a typical hardboiled detective. The color of the film I think makes this film more interesting and all together more pleasurable to watch but I do feel that the color takes away from the film-noir aspects. The coloring makes it hard to show things such as low-key lighting which is yet another important part of film-noir. My third point of JJ Gittes not being a typical hardboiled detective, I say that because he doesn’t drink and he shows too many feelings in his work. He feels sorry for Evelyn Mulwray after her husband dies, which your normal hardboiled detective would not do.
Overall I felt that this was a fabulous movie. It was kind of weird though to see Jack Nicolson at such a young age. This movie has it all killing, nudity, mystery and a surprise ending.

Kiss Me Deadly

Kiss Me Deadly was one of the first movies to try to incorporate color into a film noir. Kiss Me Deadly is about a man named Hammer who picks up a girl on the side of the road. This girl turns out to be involved in serious stuff, which is why she is captured, tortured, and killed by men in black suits. After this woman was killed Hammer feels obligated to find out who did this to her and why.
I found the movie to be very interesting, not in a good way though. I felt that the film was a downward spiral of plot and bad acting. The ending to the movie emphasized the poor quality of the film. I don’t mean to ruin the end of the movie for you but in order for me to critique on it I need to tell you the logistics. Besides I don’t think that you would want to see this movie. Well, in the end everyone dies after the box containing nuclear explosives is opened. This might sound cool but it is most definitely not. In one of the endings which were used as the primary ending today, Hammer and Velda get out of the burning house before it falls to the ground. While they are in the house and trying to get away from the house, there is a “wawawawawa” sound. It sounds just like static or white noise. This noise goes on for at least two minutes and by then you can’t take the noise any longer. After I watched this ending I proceeded to watch the original ending. This ending was a drastic improvement. The original ending showed Hammer and Velda burning in the house along with the girl that opened up the box. The most important difference though was that the “wawawawawa” was shortened to a mere 30 seconds.

OUt oF The PAst

While studying film noir, we watched Out of the Past a film directed by Jacques Tourneur. The film is about a man named Jeff Bailey who gets himself in a real bad situation. He is assigned to help Whitt Sterling (Kirk Douglas) find his girlfriend Kathie (Jane Greer). What Jeff finds out while he is on the case is that Kathie is a fox. Jeff ends up falling head over heels for Kathie. But, when Kathie ends up killing a man, Jeff wants out. Jeff learns quickly that he cannot escape Whitt.
What made this film the least bit successful was the presence of film noir. Jane was designated to play the role of femme fatal. What characterizes a woman as a femme fatal is her strength, her sex appeal and her devilish ways. Jane really brings out these elements in her character Kathie. Another element of film noir is the usage of low key lighting. For those of you who do not know what that is, it is a high contrast between dark and light. This lighting was used in often in the film to convey mystery and darkness. When Kathie and Jeff are sneaking around in Mexico low key lighting was used to show the hush, hush of their relationship.
This movie was a two out of five. Even though I liked the way the director used the elements of film noir, I didn’t like anything else. Part of the reason why I didn’t appreciate this movie to the fullest is because it’s out of date. I feel that people back when the movie was made were in to the hype of this new genre of film, but now people aren’t into this type of film.

EtErNaL SuNsHiNe

We were lucky enough to watch Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind in Art of Film. This movie is about a man named Joel who fell in love with a psychotic girl named Clementine. The thing he doesn’t know is that he had Clementine erased from his memory after she erased him. This confusing plot makes for a great film.
I found it amazing how director Michel Gondry was able to make the movie so captivating with little special effects. I thought it was cool how Joel kept on running away from his memories being erased and as he did things behind him would fly into the sky and vanish. It made you wonder how long can he run away from his memories before he gets sucked away too. My favorite part though was when Joel went into the memory erasing office and he sees Elijah Wood’s face without any of the facial features. It was sweet!
This movie has suspense, passion, confusion and everything you could want and then some. It was a great movie, even though confusing at times. Jim Carrey did a great job playing someone that is different from his typical roles. The only thing bad I can say about this movie is that Kirsten Dunst can’t act. She tried to be all sad when she found out her memory was erased but you could totally tell she didn’t feel anything.

HIS GIRL FRIDAY

We watched the film His Girl Friday a fast action romance directed by Howard Hawks. This movie fits into the screwball comedy genre. The interaction between Hildy (Rosalind Russell) and Walter (Cary Grant) make this film more than just a romantic comedy. Hildy is supposed to marry Bruce (Ralph Bellamy) but when she goes to tell Walter her ex-husband the news she starts to remember why she married him. The fast pace action of the film is what adds to the already comical dialogue. His Girl Friday is considered a screwball comedy because of its emphasis on humor, the dominant role of Hildy and the acceleration of the plot.
Everything that goes on in the film is associated with humor. Unlike romantic comedies, the main focus of screwball comedies is physical comedy and the humor that is achieved through events. Walter constantly makes jokes at the expense of others. We as viewers also laugh at the way in which Hildy and Walter interact. When Hildy uses Bruce’s money to buy information from another man, Hildy calls Walter to have him pay her back. Walter agrees to give her the money but he does not give her real money, he gives her fake bills. We as the audience find this funny because Walter keeps on screwing up Hildy and Bruce’s relationship and Walter had already gotten Bruce placed in jail twice. It is this comedy that captivates the viewer.
In Bruce’s and Hildy’s relationship Hildy is the one who tells Bruce what to do and what she is going to do. In romantic comedies the man and woman have an equal say in what takes place. But, in a screwball comedy the woman usually is the dominating force. Hildy and Walter are a better match because they both share authority in their relationship. This is the reason why Bruce and Hildy’s relationship doesn’t work. When Bruce wants Hildy to stop work on the paper and go to Albany with him she tells him to wait. She will not stop her work for her fiancé. Bruce tells her again that it is time to go but, she ignores him. Bruce says he’s going to leave but he ends up waiting for her. Hildy’s strong feminine role sets the tone of this screwball comedy.
His Girl Friday uses fast dialogue and long shots to in order to carry out the elements of a screwball comedy. The director does not use many different shots or angles in the film. He holds back on the elements so that the viewer is able to pay full attention to the dialogue and the body language that takes place. The first time in which this takes place is in the opening scene when Hildy and Walter are talking in his office.
There are combinations of components that make His Girl Friday an amazing screwball comedy. This screwball comedy made in 1940 is what gave way to this new genre. Even though this film is black and white, it is a must see film.

UNFORGIVEN

Clint Eastwood pulled out all the stops with “Unforgiven.” This film is about a man named William Munny who is a retired gunslinger. Ever since William met his wife he has neither drank nor killed a man. William’s morals are tested when the Schofield Kid comes to Will’s farm and asks him to help him kill two men in exchange for $500. Even for $500 William would not kill a man unless he rightly deserves it. The Schofield Kid tells William that they are going to kill these men because they knifed a prostitute after she laughed at the size of his wang. This outrages Will but he still tells the Kid no.
The next day, after breakfast, William tells his kids that he is leaving. William goes to Ned Logan’s house to ask for his help in killing the two men who cut up the prostitute. Ned, William’s friend, agrees to go on the hunt for the two men. At this point we aren’t sure as viewers whether Will has it in him to kill a man. Will constantly says that his wife changed him which tells us that he is trying to stick to his morals. Things get worse when William and Ned start to get shot at. The shooting is atrocious and they see the tip of the Schofield Kid’s hat. When they finally get him to cease fire they get him to join their adventure.
Around the campfire that night Ned starts to tell stories about the men that William killed. After awhile Ned asks the Schofield Kid about the number of people he killed. The Schofield Kid says three which Will and Ned obviously can tell is a lie. As they get closer to the town Ned and the Schofield Kid drink alcohol to prepare themselves for the kill ahead. They ask Will if he needs alcohol but he says again that his wife changed him.
When Ned, William and the Schofield Kid finally get to the town where the two men supposedly reside, they immediately go to Skinny’s Bar. As William is sitting in the bar, the sheriff comes in and asks Will if he has a gun. Will says no, not wanting to cause trouble. But, when the sheriff sees that he has a gun they beat him up, almost to the point of death. After this little run in with the police, Ned, Will, and the Schofield Kid leave for a cabin just outside of town.
Once Will is rehabilitated they go back out in search of the two killers. Will finds and kills one of the men. Ned having little hope of finding the other man decides to go home. After Ned leaves, Will and Ned find the second man and the Schofield Kid kills him while he is on the john. As Ned is on his way home he gets killed by the sheriff who thinks he killed the second man. When Will hears this he tells the Schofield Kid to go home. Will goes into the town and kills all the main players responsible for Ned’s death.

The Goodfellas (1990)

Gang violence has always been a big problem in the world. Martin Scorsese takes the viewer into the life of an active gang, in the movie “The Goodfellas.” This award winning movie, which is based on a true story, has an all star cast consisting of Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, and Paul Sorvino. These actors bring to life the backstabbing world of criminals and con artists.
The movie for the most part is narrated by Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) a notorious gang member. We first see Henry as a boy growing up with Paul Cicero (Paul Servino), a mob boss, for a mentor. As Henry grows older he cannot seem to get enough of the mob life. He stays in the mob and becomes a respectable member of the gang. He makes friends with Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci), a crazy killer and Jimmy Conway (Robert DeNiro), a calm and collective smuggler. As they grow up together, they end up getting into lots of trouble. Tommy is a trigger happy guy that will kill anyone who crosses him the wrong way. His biggest mistake is killing Billy Batts (Frank Vincent) a head mobster. Henry has his own share of mistakes as well. Henry gets involved in the drug business which is what Paul explicitly told him not to do.
Robert DeNiro does an amazing job in playing Jimmy, a smooth, cool mobster. Rob DeNiro has had much experience in playing this type of role. He has been in criminal film such as: Mean Streets, The God Father: Part II, and Cape Fear. In most of Robert DeNiro’s films he is portrayed as a quiet, powerful man. This movie fits that portrayal as well. He didn’t seem to talk a lot other then when he was trying to break up fights or when he had something to say. People say that Robert DeNiro’s persona is depicted realistically. He is said to be one of the most private celebrities and that he rarely does interviews.
I felt that Joe Pesci was able to capture the intense personality of Tommy DeVito. Joe’s character was constantly energetic and found everything annoying which is a role I don’t think most people could pull off. Joe is a compact Italian- American actor which was part of the reason he was chosen for this role. Joe Pesci has acted before with DeNiro in another Martin Scorsese film called Raging Bull. He also acted in Martin Scorsese’s other violent gangster film, Casino. Joe Pesci won an Oscar for his character Tommy and his role as Tommy was dubbed the ninety-sixth best performance in Premier Magazine’s 100 Greatest Movie Characters of all Time.
There were so many things that made this movie so great, but all in all I found the acting to be the thing that tied everything together. The combination of characters and actors is what made the mob theme so interesting. I have honestly never seen mob members depicted so realistically. In real life there would be someone that is the silent type or a person who loves to kill people. This movie covered all of the characteristics of a mob member and that is what made this such a great movie.

The Goodfellas

Stagecoach

During the last week of class we have been watching "Stagecoach." This film is a black and white western that takes place in Monument Valley. Director, John Ford, used new special effects which added to the movies greatness. I found that in the attack of the Indians scene Ford really brought out his knowledge of films. I really feel like he put a lot of extra effort into this scene. The scene begins when an Indian shooting at the stagecoach. After this the scene carries on with the Indians chasing after the stagecoach. As the Indians advance on the stagecoach Ringo, Hatfield and Curly tend to pick off the Indians. The most amazing part is when an Indian jumps on to the horses leading the stagecoach. But as the Indian gets closer to the stagecoach, Hatfield shoots him and he falls down into the straps holding the horses together. Hatfield shoots him again and he falls off the straps and down under the stagecoach. What I learned after the movie was that the Indian did this in real life. I was surprised that the stuntman was able to do this without getting hurt.
The one thing that really got to me in the attack scene was how John Ford depicted the Indians. He made the Indians seem like savages and did not provide a reason for why they wanted to kill the people on the stagecoach. I also think it is bad how Indians are always seen wearing feather head bands and shooting bow and arrows. I know that in some perspective that this is true in real life but still it’s very stereotypical. If this scene would have given us some meaning to why the Indians were after the stagecoach, I think it would have made it more powerful.

Citizen Kane

In the movie “Citizen Kane,” Orson Welles uses many cinematographic aspects in order to create a Hollywood masterpiece. When we see Kane (Orson Welles) in the movie he is usually looked at with either a close-up or a low-angle. We tend to see him in a close-up when the director wants us to pay attention to his facial expressions. For example, when Susan Alexander (Dorothy Comingore) has just finished with her opera singing, Kane stands up and claps as hard as he can. We then see a close up of his face and are shown how concentrated he is on trying to in a way sway the audience into believing that he really thinks she’s good. The scene after this shows the viewer Susan’s view of Kane as he yells at her. The camera produces a low angle shot which shows us the fear that Kane instills in her. This camera angle really shows how powerful and daunting Kane is. There is one point in the film where we see Kane as weak and this is produced again by a low angle shot. After Kane loses the election we see that Kane is alone in a room which was supposed to hold a celebration (as shown in the picture above). Seeing Kane through a low angle really shows us how alone and how he truly feels.

"Notorious" (1946)

Alfred Hitchcock tells a patriotic romance in his film “Notorious.” In his movie T.R. Devlin (Cary Grant) is assigned to commission Alicia Huberman (Ingrid Bergman) to spy on a Nazi friend of her imprisoned father. She is told that she must move to Rio and start a relationship with Alexander Sebastian (Claude Rains). While in Rio, T.R. and Alicia fall in love which poses problems with their mission. After meeting Alicia in Rio, Alexander asks Alicia to marry him right away.
This film has great historical significance because it is set right after World War II. The whole plot is based off the fact that Alicia’s father was a spy for the Nazi’s during this time. This movie came out two years after World War II, which made this movie even more significant at the time. “Notorious” back in 1946 brought back emotions of what it was like during World War II. People were being put on trial at this time for war treason and were a very controversial topic.
Throughout the movie I found myself at the edge of my seat wondering if Sebastian was going to find out that Alicia was a spy. The scene in that produced the most suspense was when Alicia stole the key from Alexander’s key ring so that she could get into the locked wine cellar. When she stole the key I thought that she was definitely going to get caught. When Sebastian found out that the key was missing, he still had no clue about what was taking place.
A lot of the time during this movie I found that Alfred Hitchcock was giving me, the viewer, hints as to what was coming up. He used a lot of close-ups throughout the movie to tell us what was going on. For example, in one of the scenes we hear a man gasp after looking at something and then a second later we see a close-up of the wine bottle that he was staring at. It just so happens that later in the movie we find this wine bottle is very significant to the story plot and tells us what the Nazis are up to.
Film editor Theron Warth used mostly dissolves in “Notorious” to connect two scenes to one another. This is where the film lacked a little; I didn’t feel like it used editing to its full extent. He could have used more sound, and I thought if used temporal relations at the beginning and reorganized the story to flow nicer.
I found “Notorious” to exceed my expectation. I usually think of black and white movies as dull and boring. In this movie though, I didn’t notice the color because I was so involved with the plot. The characters seemed to really work together. The relationship between Alicia and Devlin was very believable and added to the mystery element of the movie. It wasn’t very believable however, that Alicia could randomly start acting like she was in love with Sebastian. Yet again, she did seem to easily fall in love. The acting in this movie makes the fact that “Notorious” is in the top 100 just.

HI im jack and this is my first blog ever. I am sooo excited to get started.