DO THE RIGHT THING (SPIKE LEE):

This film directed by Spike Lee shares the story of racism on the streets of Brooklyn in the late 80’s. Each character in the story represents a different struggle of society, one being ‘Mookie’, the pizza delivery boy. Mookie seems to be a very liked person within the community who stands up for what he believes in and always seems to catch people’s attention as we walks by. He works in the Italian pizzeria, where he tends to argue with the Italian owner, Sals, son often. Another character portraying a different view is the mother-sister. She is portrayed as a calm and peaceful character, usually sitting on the windowsill and watching everyone walk through the town. She show s hatred toward the mayor, and ends up taking him in at the end of the film. The mayor is another character that is known to be the town drunk with no job. He is always shown standing on the street with a cold beer in one hand getting yelled at by children and adults for basically being a waste of space. One reoccurring theme throughout the film is the song “Fight the Power” playing through the box speaker being carried around by one of the more quiet characters. Racism is shown constantly through the actions of different characters. In one scene, Mookie’s friend is eating pizza at the Italian pizzeria when he starts a commotion and starts yelling about how there are no pictures of “brothers” on the wall. As the camera shows the wall, all the pictures are framed of white actors or singers. Another scene of racism is shown when three older African men are sitting under a small umbrella on the sidewalk, and a cop car with two white cops drive by. There is an intense stare between all characters in this scene, and one of the cops mumbles “what a waste” under his breathe. The whole film is supposed to demonstrate one whole day, the hottest day of the year.

CACHÉ (MICHAEL HANEKE):

This french film Caché was directed by Michael Haneke in 2005. It entails a story of a family being blackmailed by survaillence cameras of them in their private home, as well as disturbing child like drawings. Throughout the film, Georges and Anne (husband and wife) are concerned and disturbed of these messages and are trying to solve the mystery themselves. In the beginning, Georges and Anne seem to be working together on the same page each time they discover a new tape at their doorstep. They talk to each other and are honest. Anne suggests getting the police or a private detective involved, and Georges overrides her opinions and suggestions every time. As time goes on, Anne seems to have less and less of a say in this situation and Georges almost takes it upon himself to solve this mystery. As more unfolds, Georges seems to have more secrets of from his past than Anne thought. Their relationship gets rocky as Georges gets more comfortable with lying to Anne about who he has spoken to or seen. In one scene we catch Anne and Georges in a heated argument about trusting one another. Georges finally reveals he may have a hunch as to who is terrorizing them, and will not tell Anne who it is. George lets her know it should not be of her concern which really tips Anne off. Anne claims she has not been sleeping and this mystery has gotten her sick, as she even says she is afraid to leave the house. As i watched more of the film, I noticed how Georges sometimes treats Anne as if she is not smart enough or aware enough to help him get to the bottom of this and he treats her very poorly. There seems to be minimal trust and honesty in their relationship. After one of the heated arguments between the two, Anne goes to a café with one of their male friends and seems to be getting a little too close for comfort as she cries on his shoulder and he kisses her hand. Georges definitely did not know Anne was going behind his back and getting comfort from one of their male friends. As the film keeps going it seems that the family has lost touch with each other and have drifted.

BONNIE & CLYDE (ARTHUR PENN):

Bonnie & Clyde is a film I have always enjoyed watching and one I never get tired of.  It seems as though the more I watch it, the more I pick up on. The characters in this film have always been intriguing to me, especially Bonnie because I feel as though she is an easy person to relate to. Bonnie Parker is a pretty, young waitress that has a fairly normal life who is focused on her future. She then meets Clyde who is this dangerous, smooth talking criminal that is able to get Bonnie on his side. Bonnie shows a lot of vulnerability through the film along with a sense of toughness and bravery. Bonnie is portrayed as a confused young adult who does not know her right path in life yet. She is drawn in by this handsome criminal and is basically able to be persuaded to do anything if the right words are used. It has been a while since I have watched this film, but re-watching it helped me catch onto a few things I had never really caught onto before.  The most noticeable one for me was the sexual connotation that was added to many scenes or actions. In the scene where Bonnie and Clyde meet, they are leaning against a building on the street just hanging out. They are drinking a beverage and Bonnie is asking Clyde what armed robbery is like. Throughout this scene, Bonnie is viewed as vulnerable and almost makes everything she does seem sexual. The way she takes a sip out of her drink, and keeps the bottle close to or touching her lips. Clyde shows Bonnie he has a gun on him and Bonnie places her fingers on it and it seems like almost a stroking action.  Clyde then goes onto proving to Bonnie that he is a criminal, and seems to have impressed her. I think what makes the characterization so interesting is this movie is how the two main characters are both very attractive and completely opposite people, yet are so drawn to each other. 

INGLORIOUS BASTERS (QUENTIN TARANTINO):

Today’s blog focuses on the character Hans Landa from the film Inglourious basterds, directed by Quentin Tarantino. Colonel Hans Landa is viewed to be the most complex character in this film, as he is really the only character that seems to change throughout the film. Although it is obvious Hans landa holds cruelty and evil in his heart, I also picked up on a sense of charm, cleverness and definitely unpredictability. The viewer never quite knows what Hans landa will make of his next move. In the scene where we are first introduced to this interesting character, he enters a farmhouse and then meets the farmer’s daughter. There seems to be tension growing in the room during this scene, and he gives the daughter a weird look. This is an example of Landa’s trait of being unpredictable and unexpected, and this part of the film left me a little uneasy until Landa calmy sits down for a glass of milk. I think it is safe to say Hans Landa is a very intimidating character, and the charm that comes along with him makes him even more so. 

IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (WONG KAR-WAI):

In Wong Kar-Wai’s In the mood for Love, loneliness and the realities of life are both themes that are consistently shown to be hand in hand. Both characters, Chow and Su, are cheated on by their spouses and left abandoned which leads to their friendship and love for one another. They are both alone and betrayed and manage to find a friendship because of it. Regardless of who Chow is friends or lovers with, he still seems to remain lonely deep inside. It is as if he always finds the need to isolate himself and accept that he is meant to be alone. When Su does not show up, Chow easily accepts it and decides to leave rather than finding her or trying to reach her. It is always easy for Chow to walk away and avoid rather than face what he could possibly be missing in his life. Chow comes full circle, started lonely and ends lonely.

SHUTTER ISLAND (MARTIN SCORSESE):

Shutter Island takes place during a time of the world healing from the trauma of World War II. The film shows the pain endured by integrating historical horrors and atrocities, helping the viewers see and the understand the the life of Teddy. As we can see, Teddy has lived a horrific and trauma-induced life, which he dealt with by resorting to alcoholism. Along with his migraines, Teddy has these traumatic dreams where he relives the death of his wife and children. As his wife Dolores haunts him in his dreams, Dr. Naehring tries to get Teddy to realize that his hallucinations are stopping him from confronting these repressed memories. I think Teddy has been in a delusional dreaming state for too long to ever have had the opportunity to land back on his own two feet. Teddy’s guilt takes complete control over his life, especially shown through the dreams he has of Rachel’s ghost and sees her body. The film opens with a shot of fog, creating a mysterious and gloomy tone that sets the rest of the film. Like the opening shot, Teddy’s state of mind can also be considered to be foggy.

MULHOLLAND DRIVE (DAVID LYNCH):

This film produced by David Lynch is one that can be considered confusing, mysterious, eerie and spooky. The first time we see Rita/Camilla, she is hurt and bleeding because she was just in a car accident. My first impression of her as a character was that she was in a bad place in her life. There is nothing happy about the first 20-30 minutes of the film. We see the crash and Camilla stumbling out of the car, and we also see many shots of the city lights that the road overlooks. Dark lighting takes over the whole screen, and so does this eerie background music that triggers a sense of danger coming. The background music that plays throughout the film is a very unsettling melody that always made me wait for something bad to happen. When that spooky music is not playing, then it is just silence, which can be even creepier. While Camilla may come off as a dark character, Betty/Diane definitely comes off to be brighter. One thing I noticed when comparing the two characters was that Camilla is this pretty brunette that is usually wearing this dark red lip and dark color clothing, while Diane has soft-looking blonde hair and blue eyes, usually wearing lighter and more vibrant colors. The first time Camilla and Diane meet, Diane is happy and chatty, wearing this hot pink sweater, and Camilla seems so out of place with mascara smeared down her cheeks. A theme that was present throughout the whole film was regret. In the first half of the film, Diane is portrayed to be this vibrant, excited, innocent girl just trying to make her acting dreams come true. It seems as though this part is what she had wanted to happen, it was a fresh start for her and an opportunity for her life to play out the way she had hoped it would. The second half of the film shows reality. We see who Diane really is, and it is a complete 360 turn from the first half of the film. Shows jealousy, anger, and harm. Diane has her former lover killed, and sees her whole life dream basically vanish, which leads her to taking her own life. This all goes back to the theme of regret. The film exposes her dream versus her reality, and the guilt and regret she may feel. Everything she once wanted with becoming a famous Hollywood actress, finding love, and living the life she had always dreamt of, is all gone forever.

SUNSET BOULEVARD (BILLY WILDER):

Sunset boulevard was a film I enjoyed very much, maybe even my favorite from the semester. The opening scene shows a dead mans body floating in a pool, which sets the tone for the rest of the film. When i was watching that opening scene, I was instantly hooked because I wanted to know why he was floating dead. The more I watch this film, the more I begin to read into all the characters. I think the characters were my favorite part. Joe Gillis is a screenwriter with very little success. In the start of the film, we see Joe fleeing from an issue, where he ends up at Norma’s mansion. Its almost like he was escaping his reality, and actually ended up in a fantasy. Joe Gillis, along with Max, feed Norma all these lies about her fame, when none of it is real. Them feeding her these lies build up a bigger illusion of her being this star she once was. Norma can’t quite let go of the past, and lives in it. Everything about how the film is shot correlates with the story the film tells. For example, the mansion. Norma’s mansion is a huge, dark, abandoned-looking, scary home. Everything in the mansion seems outdated, much like Norma is. There is dark lighting throughout the film, until the very last scene where Norma is arrested but has gone absolutely insane. One part that I never really understood until I read into it was the dead monkey scene in the start of the film. We see a dead body under a sheet, and Joe is mistaken as someone to deal with the body. The dead monkey may have been a symbol of a new life. Once the monkey is no longer in the picture, it is almost as if Joe is sort of filling that spot of emptiness. Overall, I think this movie is incredible and I never get tired of it.

CASABLANCA (MICHAEL CURTIZ):

A common theme portrayed throughout this film is love and sacrifice. It takes on many different forms, but is very relatable to real life. Rick is the love of Ilsa’s life, and she breaks his heart to save him. She stays back with Lazlo, knowing Rick would be captured if he were to stay in Paris. She sacrificed her own love for his safety and freedom. The scene where Rick is stood up by Ilsa at the train station is a turning point for the entire film. Rain is pouring down and Rick is reading a letter written by Ilsa. The ink from the letter runs down the paper, making it impossible to read the letter. On the other hand, Lazlo also sacrifices his love, Ilsa, for her own freedom. He requests that Rick take Ilsa away from Casablanca to keep his wife safe, even though he is her past lover and this pains him. In the end, Rick finally has the chance to live his dream of being with Ilsa, but turns it out because he loves her. He lets her go because he does not want her to carry any regret with her by leaving Lazlo, and all Rick wants is for Ilsa to be happy. Another point important throughout the film is the shadow that covers Rick’s face. We rarely see Rick’s whole face clearly, and I think it is because he’s trying to hide his broken heart by seeming like this unapproachable man. When the scene of the flashback to Paris is shown, we see Rick in a much brighter and softer lighting. This is when he was with Ilsa and seemed to be the happiest man without any worries.

THE 400 BLOWS (FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT):

Rarely do I ever watch movies where I have to read subtitles throughout the whole film because I hate doing that. However, this film was one I enjoyed thoroughly, and did not mind reading the subtitles. Antoine seems to be betrayed throughout the film. It always seems like no one is on his side and no one really supports or cares for him. In school he is always getting in trouble with his teachers. I would say he gets along best with his father, as he is really the only adult that seems to ever speak to Antoine in a positive tone and talk about his day. Antoine’s mother was a character I very much disliked. She treated her family so poorly, and made it seem like she was being forced to be apart of that family. All she would do is get into fights with everyone, especially Antoine, and was constantly yelling. She seemed like she was always in a hurry and just all over the place. In the scene where Antoine catches his mother kissing another man was officially the point where I was very frustrated. It made me feel so bad for Antoine that he had to see that and act like nothing happened. Further in the film, we find out that Antoine’s mother wanted to abort her pregnancy, and that Doinel was not his real father. Betrayal is expressed from almost every character in this film. It seems like Antoine is always on his own doing his own thing. He never is trusted or looked at as responsible. The ending scene of this film I found to be very freeing and satisfying to watch. It made me think about how Antoine seemed to have been almost tied up his whole life and an overall unhappy child. We see him running to the open beach, what he had always dreamt of. Once he sees the ocean, the expression on his face makes up for all the hard times he has endured throughout his life. He is finally free. It makes me wonder what he will do and where he will go next.

REAR WINDOW (ALFRED HITCHCOCK):

This film shows reoccurring themes of voyeurism and modern marriage. Jeff never seems to be ready to fully commit to Stella, which upsets her. He expresses his opinions of their very different lifestyles and is unwilling to compromise enough to make their relationship fully work. He says they have very different lives, and that Stella is too perfect for him. Stella is constantly trying to make sacrifices and change her lifestyle for Jeff. It seems as if Stella’s love and devotion to Jeff just is not enough. He is constantly overanalyzing their relationship which causes him to always keep his guard up with her. In the end of the film we see that Jeff really does care for Stella and does love her. The closing scene shows Jeff sitting in his wheelchair with two broken legs, while Stella sits in the corner and reads a magazine. We see many changes in Stella. She is wearing jeans, when she normally wears extravagant gowns with her hair all done up, she is reading a magazine that Jeff would read. Once she sees Jeff is asleep, she finally pulls out her fashion magazines, what she really cares about. This scene shows us she is willing to change for him yet again, but that fire inside of her of what she truly loves to do will always be apart of her. In the film, there are a few points of where you see Jeff having a seductive look on his face when looking at Stella. When Stella goes outside to help Jeff investigate by the flowers and comes back into the apartment, we catch Jeff staring at her in such awe, holding solid eye contact.

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