1st Group Presentation

Group 2:

Michael George

Brad Creanzo

Brian Patamia

Dan Vargas

Nick, Luis, Joe, Brian

Question 2:

What is it that is unexpected, or surprises Eisenstein? How does he relate this experience to cinema? Find a parallel or example of your own design that would help explain the concept.

Learning Tool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67-bgSFJiKc

Final Presentation

GROUP 7:

Michael George

Dan Vargas

Brad Creanzo

Brian Patamia

TOPIC:

Horror films and notable directors from the 70s/80s

Here is the link to my portion of the project. Brian & I wrote and selected the clips together. Dan brought in the slide show of zombie films, and Brad had his clips of Roger Corman.

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Desperately Seeking Susan

Michael George

12/3/2010

Desperately Seeking Susan

Director: Susan Seidelman

Total Running Time: 01:44:00

Language: English

Awards: Multiple Awards for Different Actors

     Desperately Seeking Susan was released in 1985 under the direction of Susan Seidelman. This film was different than all the other films we've viewed this semester as it is probably the closest film portraying a time period we can relate too, and it is a comedy. ...Seeking Susan is about a boring housewife, who is very much a creeper, who becomes obsessed with a stranger who is very slutacious and grimey. The viewer can almost feel the irony of the casting director because the dirty, gutter rat is played by none other than Madonna! The boring housewife wants to leave parts of her life behind so she starts trying to follow Madonna, I mean Susan. A man tries to jump her in the park, but she ends up bumping her head and losing her memory. Supported and befriended by someone who believes she really is Susan, she begins to live her life with him. Maybe the stoic housewife shouldn't have quit her day job because things don't always turn out great for her in this film.

     I think the biggest film theory present in this movie is feminism. While Madonna is very strange looking, she kind of reaks of female empowerment, and probably beer and bud. She is confident, determined, capable, and strong - all characteristics that feminist theorists try to showcase because those are traits they believe all women have. The plot of the boring house wife, Roberta, trying to shed her current lifestyle for that of Susan's is an even bigger feminist movement. Roberta was pretty much trying to shed the roles of being a wife that men placed on women at the time. When she became the magician's assistant, left her husband, and just lived her life was when she said she finally felt free. Even casting Madonna as the lead role was a nod to feminism, because she is one of the top female recording artists of all time. Desperately Seeking Susan contains two slight theories as well. It contains auterism as I feel this was a movie that Seidalman created with a particular vision in mind. Also, this film contains glimpses of the formalist film theory as the music and color was chosen for a specific reason.

     The two articles I used for this blog entry can be found here and here. I chose the first article because it comes from the New York Times, which is one of the biggest scholarly sources ever. This article notes that the movie is a quarter century old, pokes fun at the funny clothing, and states that this is Madonna's first lead role in a movie. The latter part of the article is an interview with Seidelman, where she jokingly admits that vanity was not a part of the title of the film; it was already the title of the script when sent to her. She comments that the film is about finding who you are on the inside. She also points out that the bridge in the film is a metaphor - literally jumping the bridge from being a housewife to a rebelious life. Another important fact is that scenes in the film were chosen because she had been there in real life. The second article comes from Roger Ebert himself. He speaks about how the film is a series of double reversals, and that he enjoyed the chemistry the two main actresses created.

     Seidelman commenting on the theme of the film kind of is a point against my opinions about the feministy themes here. It would seem as if the real theme of the film is finding your true self and individualism. However; there are many themes, viewes, theories, etc present in this movie. You can decide for yourself how much weight you put on each category. I chose to focus on the feminist theme for this movie over the individualist. Seidelman mentioning the bridge metaphor was interesting too because I did not pick that up during the film. It went right over my head so to speak. I do agree with Ebert in reguards to the two main characters. Roberta and Susan do have a great chemistry due to Arquette and Madonna being the perfect picks for the roles.

     This film was definitely one of the more enjoyable films we watched this semester. It's probably because I tend to enjoy the more modern films over the early film eras. Desperately Seeking Susan did have its funny moments. Some parts ranged from funny to just ridiculous though. When Roberta trips over nothing and falls "hard" into that light post I just kind of sat in my seat and said, "wooowww..." It was cheesy, but at least it got a reaction. My only criticism is that the plot of the film was kind of confusing at the beginning, to me at least. I didn't understand if Susan killed the mobster and that's why she was being hunted? I didn't really understand the part about the Egyptian earrings too. In Roger Ebert's review he clarified both points so now it is a little clearer. Susan was being stalked because she could have been a witness...right? In retrospect, this was a really good film. I would recommend it to other film theorists as well as students studying film in the 1980s.





Ps: I just really don't like Madonna.............

SOURCES:
 "Once More Into The Grove: Desperately Seeking Susan Turns 25." The New York Times. Itzkoff, Dave. 22 September 2010. http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/22/once-more-into-the-groove-desperately-seeking-susan-turns-25/
"Desperately Seeking Susan." Ebert, Roger. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19850329/REVIEWS/503290301/1023

Independent Film Article Review

1. Film of Paul Bowles Short Story Rediscovered - I think this was a really cool article. Director Sara Driver gets a phone call telling her that they found the original print of a film she did inside an abandoned apartment. This film was thought to be lost forever, until now. The film is called You Are Not I and was produced by Sara with a budget of only $12,000. She shipped the film to someone who loved it and granted the rights to her. It was filmed in 6 days in New Jersey. It would be a hit at it's premier, being called one of the best films of the 1980s by one critic. As it started to gather a cult following, a strange accident in a warehouse ruined the prints of all copies. And even more oddly, her copy was so used and tattered that it could no longer be played on a projector. Then many, many years later a copy would be found years and years after a man's death. After going through his left over belongings, they found Sara's long lost film. Now, for the first time in almost 20 years, the film can be seen once again. I think finds like this are really cool. Imagine if they found a long lost film by John Carpenter, or someone more world famous like Spielberg, or even a long lost Charlie Chaplin film? SOURCE

2. Brazil’s Best, Restored and Ready for a 21st-Century Audience -  This seems to be another article raving about a movie that has seemingly re-emerged from the dead. Orson Wells even gave it a thumbs up. This time the film, called Limite, was made in 1931 in Brazil. Directed by Marrio Peixoto, Limite has become an urban legend among film buffs. It is important to mention that this film is very avant-garde, although this is one of the only things mentioned about the movie. Being cited as a mystery film, Limite was detested and eventually banned by the right wing government party. Peixoto's film is currently being screened at the World Cinema Foundation Festival. The article doesn't mention the plot, so I took it upon myself to find out. The plot is based around a man and a woman stranded in a row boat, and the experimental film is mostly about flashbacks about their lives while they wait to be rescued or die. Again, another cool story to see about a cult classic from early film years re-emerging. Although, the way this article displayed the content made me show little interest in viewing this film. However, it is being shown at a theatre in Union. So, anyone interested in seeing this important piece of Brazillian film history should go check it out. SOURCE

The Spirit of the Beehive

Michael George

11/17/2010

The Spirit of the Beehive

Director: Victor Erice

Total Running Time: 01:37:00

Language: Spanish

Awards: "Silver Hugo," Chicago International Film Festival

     The Spirit of the Beehive is a Spanish film that was directed by Victor Erice in 1973. This film follows two young girls as they experience life together. Their lives are shaped by a traveling movie theatre that comes to town and shows the original Frankenstein film. The girls almost become obsessed with finding him after they believe he is haunting a small house in a deserted field. I really can't think of any specific theory that this film would fall into. Judging by the content of the film and background information provided in class about the director, I would guess that this is an auteristic film. During the time period showcased in The Spirit of the Beehive there was a lot of political termoil going on in Spain, mostly between two groups known as the Republicans and the Nationalists. As mentioned in class, many have speculated that each girl in the film represents a different side of the political debate in the country at that time. I think choices that he made in this film with casting, music, scene selection, and themes points that this is an auteristic film, as this all molds together to showcase his vision of the film.

     The two articles I chose for this journal entry can be seen here and here. The first article is a film review from a scholarly source, but it mentions things that I thought were important to mention. Firstly, the copy of The Spirit of the Beehive that most possess now is actually slightly different than the one that was originally released in the mid-1970s. Apparently as cencership strains began to losen up after cinema returned to the country, a different version was created. It's not mentioned how different the two versions are, but I'm guessing their is nothing too earth shattering or we'd all know about it. Secondly, the article mentions the theme of regression; regression being the act of trying to return to a previous state.

     The second article mentions the way in which the film plays down serious issues. The article cites the distant gunfire and the mother's maybe-scandal as being played down more than they should have. The word being used here is subtle. The children are fascinated, almost in their own little world, and don't seem to pay that much attention to important things. Isn't the usual response to gunfire to be to run? Isn't the usual response to a cheating scandal to me to question why? There is an apparent darkness to this film that the writer of the second source says creates a mesmorizing quality. Also mentioned here is that the beehive in the father's office was a metaphor for the repetitive nature of humans.

     In relating the two sources to the movie, it is noticable that the two sources both seem to have a different take on the same movie. This is ironic at best because The Spirit of the Beehive is a film about opposing worlds, opposing political views. The articles share the same values as the movie, but seem to play particular attention to certain themes than others. Both sources mention the history of Spain, which is fundamentally what fueled this movie to begin with. Both sources also cite Ana as the main character, although I would personally give both girls equal value to the film. If each girl represents a different stand, each girl is equally important to driving the plot forward. The second article mentions the repetitiveness of humans. I guess this is applical to the theme of war or how the mother get's up every morning to send a letter, but aside from that I don't share the same believe on that theme.

     I guess this film was allright. I don't really have an opinion on it either way. I think it would have been a short film at best, and dragged or was very repetitive at points. There were a lot of fluff scenes that I didn't get and left me questioning whether or not those scenes were important. The biggest thing I thought during this movie was, "Wow, these girls are creepy." Am I the only one who thought they were creepy? It was mentioned that Isabelle was the creepy one, but Ana would just randomly stare off at things. I'm more than likely she'll snap at some point in her life. I thought that the soldier was going to kill one of the girls at one point, since one of the biggest plot points in Frankenstein is when he accidently kills a lilttle girl. I'll give The Spirit of the Beehive some points for not being completely transparent and predictable.

SOURCES:
"The Spirit of The Beehive." A.O. Scott. NY Times. 27 January 2006. http://movies.nytimes.com/2006/01/27/movies/27beeh.html
"The Spirit of The Beehive." Row Three. 31 August 2009.

Italian Neorealsim & French New Wave

     Italian Neorealism is a film style that emerged around 1944 and deals mostly with the struggles between
the poor and working class, and can be seen in several different time periods in their films. It also dealt with
economic and moral themes. Italian Neorealism was created as a counter movement to the events that had happened during World War II. As seen  in class, during World War II, the studios were taken over by the Nazis and used as storage shelters. Then, the storage shelters were bombed by the good guys, and used as shelters for displaced citizens after the war. This means that film makers at the time were left on their own to produce films and had to use nonprofessional actors, equipment, and sets.
     Notable Italian Neorealism direcotrs include Roberto Rossellini, Vittorio D Sica, and Federico Fellini. While being a style of film created almost 70 years ago, they have had a great influence over some of today's great film makers. One of those influenced is Martin Scorsese. He would create a documentary called Italianamerican in 1974, which showcases some of the great films from the Italian Neorealism period. Italianamerican is also almost like a journal as it features both his parents, their experiences in America, as well as his thoughts and feelings about being Italian and relating these things to the films he watched as a child.

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     Another movement that formed roughly around the same time, 1950, is the French New Wave. We've already spoken about this multiple times in class, but here is a brief description. It was pretty much another counter movement to distance itself from the way things were being done. One of the biggest characteristics of the French New Wave was their use of the long tracking shot. Other notable characteristics include stressing the need of the individual as well as almost poking fun at how silly the world can be at times, whether morally or politically. Also, most of the films were created with a very small budget.

     Notable French New Wave directors include Francois Truffaut, Jacques Rivette, Eric Rohmer, and of course, Jean Luke Godard. My favorite Jean Luke Godard movie is Breathless. We saw a clip of it in class and it seemed so familiar to me that I realized I had seen it before. I probably would have preferred to see
Breathless for a second time over 400 Blows. Here is a brief slug of Breathless, for anyone interested
in viewing it.

Breathless (1960)Director: Jean Luke Godard
Total Running Time: 01:27:00
Language: French
Awards: "Best Director," 1960 Berlin International Film Festival

     Plot: Breathless is an ill fated love story about a criminal and his girlfriend. Michel is on the run from
police and tries to bide himself some time by hanging around his girlfriend, Patricia, who is a journalism
student. She is weary of his intentions at first, but decides she likes the extra attention and tries
to keep him around. Eventually, the police catch up with Michel and his girlfriend must chose between her
sometimes boyfriend, or furthering her budding career.

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CITED USED:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053472/

http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Independent-Film-Road-Movies/Neorealism-HISTORICAL-ORIGINS-OF-ITALIAN-NEOREALISM.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_neorealism

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_new_wave

http://www.greencine.com/static/primers/fnwave1.jsp

Un Chien Andalou

Michael George

10/30/2010

Un Chien Andalou

Total Running Time: 00:16:00

Director: Luis Bunel

Language: (silent)

Awards: This better not have won any...

If not the most "WTF?!" short film of all time...

    Ok, I know that film can sometimes be an expression of art, but...this just really had no point. I'll give it props for being made well for 1929, but that is as far as it will go and is the only favorable thing I will mention. This was a surrealist film that catored to the avant-garde movement as well as Freudian theories. While researching Un Chien Andalou for this blog, I read that both the lead actors killed themselves after the film was created. I don't doubt it, nor do I blame them after being in this.

     In 1974 Bunuel told the Oxford University Press: "Nothing, in the film, symbolizes anything. The only method of investigation of the symbols would be, perhaps, psychoanalysis." Now, don't get me wrong, I can have a sick sense of humor or a twisted mind at times, but I don't think I would create something like this.

     I'll close the blog with the legacy of the "eyeball cutting scene" and stills from the film. Then I'll never think about this ever again. I know it was shown for weird Halloween purposes, and I guess the shock value was achieved because the film was just creepy and confusing to watch.



#10 in "The 25 Most Shocking Moments in Movie History" (Premiere)

#65 in "The 100 Best Films of World Cinema" (Empire) ...How?