The Godfather is a film from Francis Ford Coppola in 1972 and based off of a novel by Mario Puzo. This film has strong themes that mostly hit close to home. One of the main themes is family. And throughout the film you see how much love this family has for one another. Another theme is anti-hero, the director really wants his audience to root for the bad guys despite all the violence in this film. The last theme is violence and if you have seen this film then you know what I mean! This film had 11 nominations and won three of them for: best picture, best actor for Marlon Brando, and Best Adapted Screenplay. This film is also one of the only other films where its sequel, Godfather II has also won best picture as well as five other wins, and 11 nominations all together. This film has impacted everyone who has seen it and has made advancements and inspired other films like Goodfellas as well as inspiring the tv show Sopranos. The Godfather is one of the highest grossing films of all time and after watching this film you now understand why this film is so infamous.
http://planetpeschel.com/wp/2006/03/5-facts-about-the-godfather-you-cant-refuse/
In this article i learned five facts about the film The Godfather. Some facts stood out to me though and i thought they were extremely interesting. One fact that blew my mind was that Coppola really had to fight in order to get Brando as Don Vito Corleone. He had to work so hard to get him because Brandos box-office appeal has declined rapidly, but once he did a screening for the producers, they didn't recognize him and called him a guinea! But because of his great acting skills he got the part instantly and I could not imagine this film without him in it!
After reading that article that one fact about Brando really blew my mind. If Brando wasn't in this film i honestly could not see this film being accredited with all that it is today. Brando honestly MADE this film. His acting is impeccable and is a true talent. Thank goodness that Coppola had the great vision of casting an incredible talent as Don Vito Corleone because if it wasn't for him I seriously couldn't see this film being as successful as it was. Marlon Brando did in fact with best actor for this role, so without him this film would be dull.
I saw this film once before and didn't understand it at all. But with reviewing the powerpoint before the film, I fully understood this film and thought it was a masterpiece. This film is really impeccable because even though it revolves around mobsters and violence, the main theme is family and that is a theme that almost everyone can relate to. This film will forever stand the test of time for the incredible actors that had a chance to star in this film. Such actors include: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Cann, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, and Talia Shire. Without these actors staring in this film the film wouldn't be as nearly as incredible as it is today. This film can relate to every generation because family is important and everyone can appreciate that. This is a film that will be remembered forever and go down in infamy.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
The Graduate
1. The film The Graduate was directed by Mike Nichols who is well known for achieving all entertainment awards including Grammy, Emmy, Oscar, and Tony. One of his best movies was The Graduate which grossed over 40 million dollars at the box office. This film was nominated for seven awards but only took home the best director at the Academy Awards. This movie was Dustin Hoffman's first film and made him infamous. From there on out he has stared in multiple films including classics like Tootsie and Rain Man. The Graduate is truly one of the first youth rebellion films ever and still can be relatable to todays youth when dealing with ones future. This film has a lot of great camera effects and different and unique aspects that make the film stand out. A lot of the scenes have overlapping actions and uses innovative ways to bring sound in and out of scenes. A majority of the film uses songs from Simon and Garfunkel. A lot of the songs don't relate to the actions but once the scenes develop you can see how the music really impacts the emotions going on through the film.
2. http://movies.amctv.com/movie/1967/The+Graduate
This article talks about how Mrs. Robinson's character slowly develops and show how empty and barren a life she leads. It explains how she seduced Ben perfectly in the film and how vulnerable she was in her role which made her character extremely believable. Also the article talks about the infamous ending scene with Elaine and Ben in the back of the bus. The director told them just to stay in character and gave them no actions to do. But their reactions as the bus kept going became more serious and looks like that they gained maturity which shows that their life will actually start to begin as adults together.
3. This article relates to the film because it really explains how characters emotions and the actors who portray them really have to be accurate in order to let the story become 100% believable. Also having seen this film before the last scene is really iconic and notable in the film industry because their reactions are so real, and honest to their role in the film and shows how great actors they are just by sticking to their character.
4. With this being the second time Ive viewed this film, I can relate to it more because I am finally old enough to understand how rebellious this is for the 1960s and how it can still be related to the young adults of our generation. The great editing and camera angles are well executed and brings the film some angst and emotion for each characters viewpoint. Also The soundtrack really influences the mood and relates to the youth and makes the words really stand out to the scenes going on. This film is not one of the most noted films ever, but its contribution it gave to film and artistry will go down in history.
2. http://movies.amctv.com/movie/1967/The+Graduate
This article talks about how Mrs. Robinson's character slowly develops and show how empty and barren a life she leads. It explains how she seduced Ben perfectly in the film and how vulnerable she was in her role which made her character extremely believable. Also the article talks about the infamous ending scene with Elaine and Ben in the back of the bus. The director told them just to stay in character and gave them no actions to do. But their reactions as the bus kept going became more serious and looks like that they gained maturity which shows that their life will actually start to begin as adults together.
3. This article relates to the film because it really explains how characters emotions and the actors who portray them really have to be accurate in order to let the story become 100% believable. Also having seen this film before the last scene is really iconic and notable in the film industry because their reactions are so real, and honest to their role in the film and shows how great actors they are just by sticking to their character.
4. With this being the second time Ive viewed this film, I can relate to it more because I am finally old enough to understand how rebellious this is for the 1960s and how it can still be related to the young adults of our generation. The great editing and camera angles are well executed and brings the film some angst and emotion for each characters viewpoint. Also The soundtrack really influences the mood and relates to the youth and makes the words really stand out to the scenes going on. This film is not one of the most noted films ever, but its contribution it gave to film and artistry will go down in history.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Casablanca
1. Casablanca is a film created in 1942 and directed
by Michael Curtiz. With this films complex love story and
modern era, this film easily made AFI’s Top 100 Films of All Time ranking 3rd.
This film was nominated for a bunch of awards including best actor for Humphrey
Bogart, best supporting actor for Claude Rains, best black and white
cinematography and best score/editing.
What makes this film the phenomenon it is today is because it travels
through a lot of different themes such as: lost love, honor, self-sacrifice in
war, and romance within a chaotic world. Casablanca was based on a play called
Everybody Comes to Ricks. The two main characters are Humphrey Bogart, and
Ingrid Bergman will forever be remembered for their iconic roles in his film
forever. Along with their iconic roles, some of their infamous quotes will be
remembered by movie goers everywhere for the test of time.
2. http://classicfilm.about.com/od/epicswarmovies/fr/CasablancaRevue.htm
This article discusses the story of Casablanca and how it came to be what it is today. in the 1940's when this film was made, it was considered to be a big budget film for its time period. The screen writers made up the end of the story line during the production which in fact the last line of the film was not in the actual film until 3 weeks after shooting the end of it entirely.
3. This article relates to class because it shows that this film even for the lack of time and how thought out this film was going to be, it is still well noted as one of the best films ever. And for the lack of the screen writers for not knowing the plot for a while really helped the audience be even more suspenseful towards the last minuets of the film. This article also really explains that even the actors emotions were real because they didn't know the end of the film for a long time too.
4. When I watched this film for the first time in high school, I was honestly bored to tears and really confused as to what was going on. But watching it for the second time and with your powerpoint explaining what was happening in the beginning really made the movie clear to me. This movie is a true love story that will make anyone understand how deep a love for a person can go. This film wasn't one of my favorites this semester but the storyline was very personal and I believe everyone should have the experience to watch this because it is truly a well recognized movie from our history that is a classic.
2. http://classicfilm.about.com/od/epicswarmovies/fr/CasablancaRevue.htm
This article discusses the story of Casablanca and how it came to be what it is today. in the 1940's when this film was made, it was considered to be a big budget film for its time period. The screen writers made up the end of the story line during the production which in fact the last line of the film was not in the actual film until 3 weeks after shooting the end of it entirely.
3. This article relates to class because it shows that this film even for the lack of time and how thought out this film was going to be, it is still well noted as one of the best films ever. And for the lack of the screen writers for not knowing the plot for a while really helped the audience be even more suspenseful towards the last minuets of the film. This article also really explains that even the actors emotions were real because they didn't know the end of the film for a long time too.
4. When I watched this film for the first time in high school, I was honestly bored to tears and really confused as to what was going on. But watching it for the second time and with your powerpoint explaining what was happening in the beginning really made the movie clear to me. This movie is a true love story that will make anyone understand how deep a love for a person can go. This film wasn't one of my favorites this semester but the storyline was very personal and I believe everyone should have the experience to watch this because it is truly a well recognized movie from our history that is a classic.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Citizen Kane
1. Citizen Kane was written, directed and stared by Orson Welles. Welles was only in his 20's while taking on this much work. Today if a young man like that wanted so much control no one would even allow someone to do this production. It was released in 1941and was a complete failure and was almost not released. After more and more audiences saw this production, the film was an artwork and was up for nine Oscar nominations. Out of the nine nominations, Citizen Kane won two of them: best writing, and best original screen play. The character of Charles Kane closely resembles William Randolph Hurst, and throughout the film you find that they are quite alike each other in many aspects. This film has a bunch of new techniques brought to the cinema that will be used for centuries to come and will be remembered forever.
2. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/jan/24/citizen-kane-screening-hearst-castle
This article talks about how William Randolph Hurst's family after 71 years of Citizen Kane being on film, they are finally going to show it in the well known Hurst castle. This castle is now a tourist attraction and will be showing this film to others. This article discusses that WRH tried his hardest to destroy this film and remove it from his fan's life, so he did not put a movie review in his own newspaper so even his readers will avoid it at all cost because of the horrible depiction they gave him during the film.
3. This article relates to the film because it shows how much WRH did not like this film that was practically about himself! Also it show how much of an innovative and memorable movie Citizen Kane is to show it in the Hurst Castle after 71 years of resentment from the main man himself. It shows that this film will be remembered forever and that the architectural aspects of the film are respected after all these years.
4. I have seen Citizen Kane in high school a couple of years ago and to be honest, it put me straight to sleep! But now watching it for a second time I appreciated it and enjoyed it a lot more than the first time. This film was an artistic mystery that showed that all he missed in the end was his childhood and innocence that he never had chance to receive. The story was amazing and the awesome effects like lighting, filming, and sound made this movie the masterpiece it is today. These techniques will be used and remembered forever. Even though Orson Welles never made another film, this film shows his artistic ability to perform multiple tasks at a young age and completed them perfectly and now as successful as this movie is, it will go down in history forever. And we will all remember the famous line..."Rosebud..."!
2. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/jan/24/citizen-kane-screening-hearst-castle
This article talks about how William Randolph Hurst's family after 71 years of Citizen Kane being on film, they are finally going to show it in the well known Hurst castle. This castle is now a tourist attraction and will be showing this film to others. This article discusses that WRH tried his hardest to destroy this film and remove it from his fan's life, so he did not put a movie review in his own newspaper so even his readers will avoid it at all cost because of the horrible depiction they gave him during the film.
3. This article relates to the film because it shows how much WRH did not like this film that was practically about himself! Also it show how much of an innovative and memorable movie Citizen Kane is to show it in the Hurst Castle after 71 years of resentment from the main man himself. It shows that this film will be remembered forever and that the architectural aspects of the film are respected after all these years.
4. I have seen Citizen Kane in high school a couple of years ago and to be honest, it put me straight to sleep! But now watching it for a second time I appreciated it and enjoyed it a lot more than the first time. This film was an artistic mystery that showed that all he missed in the end was his childhood and innocence that he never had chance to receive. The story was amazing and the awesome effects like lighting, filming, and sound made this movie the masterpiece it is today. These techniques will be used and remembered forever. Even though Orson Welles never made another film, this film shows his artistic ability to perform multiple tasks at a young age and completed them perfectly and now as successful as this movie is, it will go down in history forever. And we will all remember the famous line..."Rosebud..."!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Gone With The Wind
1. While discussing Gone With The Wind, we learned that this film was actually based off of a novel written by Margret Mitchell. She wrote this novel in 1936 and it took her over 10 years to write. This was her only novel and she passed away in 1949 because she was struck by a speeding car. The leading characters were Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh playing Rhett Butler and Scarlet O'Hara. Vivian Leigh won an award for Best Actress and Clark Gable was nominated for Best Actor but unfortunately lost. Hattie McDaniel won an award for Best Supporting Actress and is also the first black woman to win an Oscar for her inspiring and loving role as Mammy. This was one of the longest films being 3 hours and 44 mins until 1939, and was also one of the first films shot in technicolor. Gone With the Wind is also still today the leading #1 film at box offices being the highest grossing film ever!
2. http://www.filmsite.org/gone.html
Within this article most of the information was discussed in class, but there was one thing that stood out to me. There was a lot of things in the film that were not represented from the novel. Like for example in the novel, Scarlett had two children before Bonnie. Also there was a lot of mentions of the KKK in the novel, but none was represented in the film. Which explains a lot about how movies today that are based of novels are created. Not every film can add every eccentric detail that novels have, and I believe that this film started that objective for other films to go by.
3. After reading this article, I didn't think about the film differently because I didn't read the novel. But I believe that the people who read the novel would be disappointed because in the article there was a lot of things mentioned that were not in the film. But if I did read the novel I think that I would be disappointed because I would be expecting the details that i first picked up on. But then I'd realize that when making films a lot of details would be left out and id have to accept that.
4. Before reviewing this film, I have heard of it before. It is a film that would always be noted as a film that stood the test of time and after watching the movie, I fell in love with it the same way audiences fell in love with it during this time period. The length of this movie was way to long for me but after understanding that Mitchell's novel was over a thousand pages long I understood why it was time consuming. The different stories all came together at the end and blew my mind. I never imagined Bonnie dying, as well as Scarlett's sister Melanie. I believe Gone With The Wind is an American classic and will always be the highest grossing film. The representation of the Civil War and staying home during that time while your loved ones are risking their lives is completely believable. This film kept my attention the entire time and told a great story that I will forever remember.
2. http://www.filmsite.org/gone.html
Within this article most of the information was discussed in class, but there was one thing that stood out to me. There was a lot of things in the film that were not represented from the novel. Like for example in the novel, Scarlett had two children before Bonnie. Also there was a lot of mentions of the KKK in the novel, but none was represented in the film. Which explains a lot about how movies today that are based of novels are created. Not every film can add every eccentric detail that novels have, and I believe that this film started that objective for other films to go by.
3. After reading this article, I didn't think about the film differently because I didn't read the novel. But I believe that the people who read the novel would be disappointed because in the article there was a lot of things mentioned that were not in the film. But if I did read the novel I think that I would be disappointed because I would be expecting the details that i first picked up on. But then I'd realize that when making films a lot of details would be left out and id have to accept that.
4. Before reviewing this film, I have heard of it before. It is a film that would always be noted as a film that stood the test of time and after watching the movie, I fell in love with it the same way audiences fell in love with it during this time period. The length of this movie was way to long for me but after understanding that Mitchell's novel was over a thousand pages long I understood why it was time consuming. The different stories all came together at the end and blew my mind. I never imagined Bonnie dying, as well as Scarlett's sister Melanie. I believe Gone With The Wind is an American classic and will always be the highest grossing film. The representation of the Civil War and staying home during that time while your loved ones are risking their lives is completely believable. This film kept my attention the entire time and told a great story that I will forever remember.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Stagecoach
1. This film is set in the 1880's when a group of people with different backgrounds all travel together in a stagecoach. This film shows how people from different backgrounds have moral laws to keep just in themselves. Throughout the film all of their different backgrounds change: some for the better and some for the worse. No one even acknowledged the prostitute, but when the wife had her baby, the prostitute was a nurturing woman and helped her in her time of need. And the doctor showed that even though he had a great profession, he still had troubles within himself which he used alcohol to relieve those struggles. This films showed that everyone has a piece of humanity within them no matter what their profession is, and throughout the film it is portrayed perfectly.
2. http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/91227/Stagecoach/articles.html
During this article, they discussed how they hired a veteran stuntman to do their ridiculous and risky scenes. One of the scenes included where their stuntman, Yakima Canutt had to be dragged under a team of horses and a stagecoach. This stunt was too much for John Ford to handle, when being ask if it was caught on film or not, Ford replied "Even if they haven't, I'd never shoot that again."Showing Fords care for the stuntman, risking his life for the films sake. Also Ford was known to poke fun at his actors on set and bully them as well.
3. This article related to the film because it shows Fords appreciation of his fellow workers, and how much he dedicated to making this film amazing. It also makes you appreciate it more because of the risk they took shooting certain scenes. The stunts are not like how they are shot today, so filming these scenes was really challenging and were performed exceptionally well for being shot during this time period. It really shows what true stuntmen are trained for.
4. This film was a bit boring to follow in the beginning, but once they started moving along on their journey and the characters started to develop then I could not keep my eyes away from the screen. After studying the characters traits during the lecture it was pretty cool watching them change throughout the film. I believe that this film was way ahead of its time. It had so many qualities movies today have, and this being one of Fords first talking films, he has done an incredible job of showing a difficult story line to an audience and make them learn a valuable lesson from it. This film has to be one of the best westerns and after watching it I can clearly understand why that is.
2. http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/91227/Stagecoach/articles.html
During this article, they discussed how they hired a veteran stuntman to do their ridiculous and risky scenes. One of the scenes included where their stuntman, Yakima Canutt had to be dragged under a team of horses and a stagecoach. This stunt was too much for John Ford to handle, when being ask if it was caught on film or not, Ford replied "Even if they haven't, I'd never shoot that again."Showing Fords care for the stuntman, risking his life for the films sake. Also Ford was known to poke fun at his actors on set and bully them as well.
3. This article related to the film because it shows Fords appreciation of his fellow workers, and how much he dedicated to making this film amazing. It also makes you appreciate it more because of the risk they took shooting certain scenes. The stunts are not like how they are shot today, so filming these scenes was really challenging and were performed exceptionally well for being shot during this time period. It really shows what true stuntmen are trained for.
4. This film was a bit boring to follow in the beginning, but once they started moving along on their journey and the characters started to develop then I could not keep my eyes away from the screen. After studying the characters traits during the lecture it was pretty cool watching them change throughout the film. I believe that this film was way ahead of its time. It had so many qualities movies today have, and this being one of Fords first talking films, he has done an incredible job of showing a difficult story line to an audience and make them learn a valuable lesson from it. This film has to be one of the best westerns and after watching it I can clearly understand why that is.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The Gold Rush
1. The Gold Rush was released in 1925. We discussed in class how Charlie Chaplin uses comedy to make a point come across in his actions. Throughout the film Chaplin was portrayed as his well known character, The Tramp who eventually in the end got everything he deserved. Also we discussed how films have a circular structure, which was developed in this film where the story started and ended in the same place. This was then used in other films today. Charlie was a big involvement in this entire film. He is considered an auteur director because of his multiple contributions to making this film possible.
2. http://www.charliechaplin.com/en/biography/articles/5-The-Gold-Rush "Filming the Gold Rush"
Chaplin was inspired by the 1896 Gold Rush and decided that he wanted to turn that historic event into a comedic film, starting him as a prospector who runs into these crazy events. It took Chaplin 600 extras to film the scene that inspired this event which was when the miners were climbing a dangerous hill. This film took almost a year and a half to make. Charlie demanded on having a lot of special effects, like for example the most suspenseful scene when their cabin in hanging off the edge of a cliff, where in that case made a small replica and made it show what was actually happening during the scene. The scene when Chaplin danced with the rolls on New Years was already done in a film before his, but the way he mastered that talent made audience rave about it for months, and even made the film maker go back to that scene for an encore performance. This was one of the most know, and well accomplished films done in Chaplin's era. He will be forever known as the Tramp.
3. After reading this article, I could only feel the utmost appreciation for Chaplin. He has not only paved the way for the film industry during the 1920's, but brought different effects, emotions, and topics to film that were unheard of during this time period which makes him as recognized as he is today. I believe that without his contribution to film, the industry would be not nearly as far advanced as it is now. This article showed me that one person can be so dedicated to their passion and make an impact on the entire world for years to come.
4. After watching this film a second time, (watched previously in high school!) I can understand that this film showed how advanced they can be during this decade. I personally enjoyed the film a lot better the second time than the first. I can appreciate all that Chaplin has done for film and the industry on a greater level rather when I was younger. His contributions have really made an impact on everyones lives if you truly think about it. Without his accreditation we would have made not nearly as fast of advancement in film as we would have today. His character as the tramp has showed that the little man can still have an outstanding life, even though he was put in terrible situations. The Gold Rush has been one of his best films, and after watching this again, I can understand why it was. It had every quality that a good movie should have today and has set the standards for filmmakers during that era.
2. http://www.charliechaplin.com/en/biography/articles/5-The-Gold-Rush "Filming the Gold Rush"
Chaplin was inspired by the 1896 Gold Rush and decided that he wanted to turn that historic event into a comedic film, starting him as a prospector who runs into these crazy events. It took Chaplin 600 extras to film the scene that inspired this event which was when the miners were climbing a dangerous hill. This film took almost a year and a half to make. Charlie demanded on having a lot of special effects, like for example the most suspenseful scene when their cabin in hanging off the edge of a cliff, where in that case made a small replica and made it show what was actually happening during the scene. The scene when Chaplin danced with the rolls on New Years was already done in a film before his, but the way he mastered that talent made audience rave about it for months, and even made the film maker go back to that scene for an encore performance. This was one of the most know, and well accomplished films done in Chaplin's era. He will be forever known as the Tramp.
3. After reading this article, I could only feel the utmost appreciation for Chaplin. He has not only paved the way for the film industry during the 1920's, but brought different effects, emotions, and topics to film that were unheard of during this time period which makes him as recognized as he is today. I believe that without his contribution to film, the industry would be not nearly as far advanced as it is now. This article showed me that one person can be so dedicated to their passion and make an impact on the entire world for years to come.
4. After watching this film a second time, (watched previously in high school!) I can understand that this film showed how advanced they can be during this decade. I personally enjoyed the film a lot better the second time than the first. I can appreciate all that Chaplin has done for film and the industry on a greater level rather when I was younger. His contributions have really made an impact on everyones lives if you truly think about it. Without his accreditation we would have made not nearly as fast of advancement in film as we would have today. His character as the tramp has showed that the little man can still have an outstanding life, even though he was put in terrible situations. The Gold Rush has been one of his best films, and after watching this again, I can understand why it was. It had every quality that a good movie should have today and has set the standards for filmmakers during that era.
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