Think about the last three films we have watched, including Woody Allen's Manhattan, and the filmmakers' choice to use black and white film instead of color. Discuss, in cinematic terms, why you think Woody Allen chose to make his film in black and white. Think about any implied meaning he is trying to convey and how his film does so. Would it have been a different film if it had been in color? Your response should be at least 3 paragraphs and should discuss the film's mise-en-scene, camera work, and sound.
Due: Friday, February 3, 2012.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Blog Response--Breathless
Read this article. Choose a scene in Breathless and respond to the following quote. Be sure to write at least 2 paragraphs. Respond to each others' posts.
Here's the quote:
This basic sequence of events is the minimal thread of continuity that holds the filmic narrative together. However, causal development and character motivation in the traditional sense are relatively loose. While the film does not reject narrative conventions as a whole, it goes a long way towards weakening the tight-knit structure and explanatory mechanisms affiliated with dominant narrative. The film's visual construction works even more aggressively against conventional film style. It systematically departs from the aesthetic guidelines and rules defined by continuity editing, relying variously on long-take sequences (often shot with hand-held camera) and jump cutting.
Here's the quote:
This basic sequence of events is the minimal thread of continuity that holds the filmic narrative together. However, causal development and character motivation in the traditional sense are relatively loose. While the film does not reject narrative conventions as a whole, it goes a long way towards weakening the tight-knit structure and explanatory mechanisms affiliated with dominant narrative. The film's visual construction works even more aggressively against conventional film style. It systematically departs from the aesthetic guidelines and rules defined by continuity editing, relying variously on long-take sequences (often shot with hand-held camera) and jump cutting.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
Some Like It Hot!
Read these three articles--Ebert's, "Masterpiece: Some Like it Hot,"and this one.
Then, in a thoughtful, articulate, and carefully proofread two paragraphs or more, pick a scene from the movie and offer a close textual analysis of it, citing from the articles to support your points. Requirements: 2 paragraphs (minimum), 3 citations, and extra credit if you offer a second post that comments on one of your colleagues' comments.
Then, in a thoughtful, articulate, and carefully proofread two paragraphs or more, pick a scene from the movie and offer a close textual analysis of it, citing from the articles to support your points. Requirements: 2 paragraphs (minimum), 3 citations, and extra credit if you offer a second post that comments on one of your colleagues' comments.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Blog Response--Taxi Driver
Taxi Driver is a
film about many things, but overall, it is about the theme of isolation and
focuses on one particular loner in a big city who can be construed as an antihero. It is a film that draws from
many genres: the Western, horror, noir, and was also influenced by the films of
the Italians (DeSica, Rosselini, Fellini).
Discuss in at least two paragraphs, the themes of isolation and/or the antihero and how Scorsese’s film is influenced by the different genres and by the
Italians.
Due: January 3
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Blog Response--Amarcord
Because I've been sick ever since we finished this film, I'd like to apologize for the tardiness of this assignment.
This should be easy. Choose a scene in the film and analyze it in depth. Be sure to discuss its sociocultural influences, why you chose the scene, and how the scene relates to the film as a whole. Your response should be thoughtful and along the lines of what you will do next month. Be thorough.
Due: Wednesday, 12/21
This should be easy. Choose a scene in the film and analyze it in depth. Be sure to discuss its sociocultural influences, why you chose the scene, and how the scene relates to the film as a whole. Your response should be thoughtful and along the lines of what you will do next month. Be thorough.
Due: Wednesday, 12/21
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Blog Response--La Strada
Roger Ebert says:
"It is Quinn's performance that holds up best, because it is the simplest. Zampano is not much more intelligent than Gelsomina. Life has made him a brute and an outcast, with one dumb trick (breaking a chain by expanding his chest muscles), and a memorized line of patter that was perhaps supplied to him by a circus owner years before. His tragedy is that he loves Gelsomina and does not know it, and that is the central tragedy for many of Fellini's characters: They are always turning away from the warmth and safety of those who understand them, to seek restlessly in the barren world."
Fellini has given us a film about outcasts. How do the roles of these outcasts reflect on each other? Do you see any signs of redemption? Choose a character and examine how that character redeems him or herself and how that character is presented as an outcast by society. Be mindful of all of Fellini's symbolism! Do this in at least 2 hearty paragraphs.
"It is Quinn's performance that holds up best, because it is the simplest. Zampano is not much more intelligent than Gelsomina. Life has made him a brute and an outcast, with one dumb trick (breaking a chain by expanding his chest muscles), and a memorized line of patter that was perhaps supplied to him by a circus owner years before. His tragedy is that he loves Gelsomina and does not know it, and that is the central tragedy for many of Fellini's characters: They are always turning away from the warmth and safety of those who understand them, to seek restlessly in the barren world."
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