Final Exam

Your take-home question is the following:

For better or for worse, violence and conflict have been two predominant themes in late 20th-early 21st century American cinema. What specific historical factors do you think may have impacted these themes, and why? How did the mise-en-scene of the films we examined change specifically as a result?

Like at the midterm, this is open book and open notes, and should be typed. Limit your writing to 2 hours (although your proofreading - so that you don't lose points - and correcting can go over this time limit, if you need to!) This essay will be due at the in-class portion of the final on Monday, May 7th at 6 pm.

The in-class will be on the question of adaptation and The Da Vinci Code.

BTW... another curious fact I forgot to mention last Wednesday...

"Another dubious and much-contested fact is Dan Brown’s description of the entrance to the Louvre itself. Brown claims that the controversial Louvre pyramid – completed in 1989– is made up of exactly 666 panes of glass. Various books deny this, although they themselves seem unable to agree on the exact number – just that it isn’t 666! The home page of the company who provide the lights for the pyramid states that there are 675 glass rhombus shapes and 118 triangles, but glassonweb – a website for all your glass needs – goes for 603 rhombus shapes and 70 triangular ones. So, no real help there – and we can only wonder just where Brown got his number from." (from The Fortean Times)

Da Vinci Code Links

• The book's official website
• The movie's official website
• IMDb: The Da Vinci Code
• Response to The Da Vinci Code from the Prelature of Opus Dei in the United States
• American Catholic Bishops' response website
• A different Da Vinci code
• From the news 5/1/07: ‘The Da Vinci Code’ Church reveals 600 year old musical code

Lecture links:

• Re: Leonardo
• "The Real Da Vinci Code" website
  

JUST FOR FUN...

• From IMDb: "Daily Poll - It looks as if Tom Hanks is going to star in the Holy Grail mystery thriller The DaVinci Code. What should they do to the adaptation of the runaway bestseller to make it more "Hanksian?"
• Blackadder the Third (feat. Baldric)
• The Norman Rockwell Code

Cold War Cinema

• "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" Trailer (1956)
• "Red Dawn" Trailer (1984)
• "The Day After" Trailer (1983)
• "Dr. Strangelove" Trailer (1964)
  
  
• The Red Scare Goes Hollywood
• 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' subtly warns against both Soviets and blind McCarthyesque fear
• Ramboesque Brat Pack stars defend America in 'Red Dawn'

Extra Credit Opportunity THIS WEEKEND!

The epic mini-series "Band of Brothers" will be on the History Channel THIS WEEKEND!

It's an amazing series, and well worth every minute you watch. It came out not long after "Saving Private Ryan" and was another partnership between Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks which has much the same cinematic style and impact.

Saturday, April 21st: Parts 1-5, from 12:30PM to 7PM
Sunday, April 22nd: Parts 6-10, from 12:30PM to 7PM

(In addition, it's also available at Blockbuster!)

Because it is a TEN PART MINISERIES, I will give you until the end of the semester to complete viewing and writing-up this assignment. In addition, because I recommend so highly this series, I want to give you an incentive to watch as much of it as humanly possible. :-) As a result, for each episode that you see, evaluate it using at least two of our three major historical analyses, i.e., 1) its role in the history of film (or television); 2) as a primary source; and/or 3) as a secondary source.

For each write-up that you do (and do well), I'll give you 2 points of extra-credit to be applied where you need it most!

Enjoy the viewing!

FYI: listentoamovie.com!

(Including "Adaptation")

Last Installment of Syllabus!!

Wow, the end of the semester is already upon us!! There's so much that I'd still want to cover with ya'll... but here's what we've got time left to do!

QUOTE OF THE DAY: “History is written by the victors.” - Winston Churchill

April 11 - WAR & CINEMA, PART I
Reading Assignment - American Cinema, American Culture, Chap. 9; Propaganda (fyi...)

In-Class Viewing

• Finish Hotel Rwanda


• Sixth Media That Matters Film Festival: "In Transit" & "Eyes on the Fair Use of the Prize"


• Introduction to Walt Disney: On the Front Lines


• Der Fuehrer's Face (1942)


• Introduction to Victory through Air Power (1943)


• Victory through Air Power trailer


• Duck Soup (1933)


• Why We Fight: War Comes to America (1943-1945)

"This is Frank Capra's classic first installment from the seven film series entitled, 'Why We Fight.' It is a masterpiece of US propaganda, shown first to soldiers, later to the US public, and eventually to our allies (including the Soviet Union). With dramatic narration and musical score, it drives home the point that "Our World, the free world" must fight "That other world." Capra's idea was to use the film archives of Japanese, German, and Italian propagandists against them with, of course, careful editing and translating." (imdb)

"Walter Huston's grandfatherly voice is used effectively to narrate most of the film with a deftly written script. In the hands of a lesser film maker, the materials presented here would be nothing but propaganda on the level used by Hitler. But Capra stirs the spirit at the same time that he is making his point -- namely, freedom is not something that can be taken for granted. Capra skillfully makes his point that if free people don't stand up for themselves, they will likely be crushed by all the darker elements in human nature -- greed, lust for power, and tyranny." (imdb)

April 18 - WAR & CINEMA, PART II

Reading Assignment - American Cinema, American Culture, Chap. 13

Also, don't forget to bring your brief analysis of one of the films from 4/11 as 1) its role in the history of cinema; 2) as a primary source; and 3) as a secondary source.

In-Class Viewing -

• The Legacy: Covering the Vietnam War


• Apocalypse Now (1979)


• Stop That Tank


• Saving Private Ryan (1998) (For more info... See D-Day FAQs)


• Fog of War (2003) (Clip and Official Website)


• The Sixth Media That Matters Film Fest - "Night Visions"

April 25 - THE COLD WAR & FILM

Reading Assignment - American Cinema, American Culture, Chap. 12

In-Class Viewing

• Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1953)


• Dr. Strangelove (1964)


• Manchurian Candidate (1962)


• What To Do In A Zombie Attack (2006)

May 2 - Da Vinci Code

Reading Assignment - Da Vinci Code

In-Class Viewing

• Da Vinci Code (2006)

Take Action Online for Darfur!

UPDATED: Taken Movies for Final Presentation

Adam - "Dirty Harry"
Ben - "The Departed"
Stefanie - "Godfather, Pt. 2"
Talia - "Gladiator"?
Kyle- "Jaws"
Angela - "Amelie"
June - "Cleopatra"/"Ben Hur" (If you looked at the role of the Italian version of Hollywood, Cinecitta', you could conceivably do both if you wanted to...)
Seth - "Schindler's List"
Audra - "Life is Beautiful"
Amanda - "MASH"
Sarah H. - "Shawshank Redemption"
Sarah K. - "Gone with the Wind"
Megan - "Sound of Music"

In terms of initial research, check out the imdb and write down...

• year made
• director and principal actors
• MPAA rating
• studio
• filming locations
• any historically-relevant trivia or goofs

Then, make a list of major historical events that occurred in that year. Do you see any way in which the content or form of the film might have been impacted somehow by these events?

I'll collect these after Easter break, but it would be an excellent idea to begin as soon as possible, just in case you need to order anything from Interlibrary Loan. (See below!)

You can use Wikipedia and other sites online as a starting point for information regarding the film and the year, and particularly to look for further bibliography. Afterwards, I'd like to you shift to printed sources (either books, articles, or published articles available full-text online) for the remainder of your analysis, so you should use the library's online catalogs to track down additional sources. (I'd say at least five...)

We'll work next on focusing on what kind of historical analysis you'll choose to do of your film!

UPDATED: Remember, you can analyze your film using one of the three general approaches we've covered in class...

1) Film within context of the history of cinema
2) Film as primary source
3) Film as secondary source

Need to refresh your memory on how to handle (at least written) primary or secondary sources? (Check out these links!)

Hagiography...

Saint Christopher

Reading Assignment for April 4

CBC.ca - Arts - Film - Filming the Unfilmable

Adaptation

Adaptation
Trailer
Adaptation: Fantasy vs. Reality

Reading Assignment: For 4/7

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Consider: How is a "media cartel" like a "studio system," and how does it differ?

EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY: All of Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times"

Watch all of Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times" and post an analytical comment here about the mise-en-scene!

PistolWimp - Charlie Chaplin: Modern Times

Tonight's Links

• About mise-en-scene.
• About camera work.
• Playtime - businessman

Movie Description:

"CITIZEN KANE is Orson Welles's greatest achievement--and a landmark of cinema history. The story charts the rise and fall of a newspaper publisher whose wealth and power ultimately isolates him in his castle-like refuge. The film's protagonist, Charles Foster Kane, was based on a composite of Howard Hughes and William Randolph Hearst--so much so that Hearst tried to have the film suppressed. Every aspect of the production marked an advance in film language: the deep focus and deeply shadowed cinematography (from Gregg Toland); the discontinuous narrative, relying heavily on flashbacks and newsreel footage (propelled by a script largely written by Herman L. Mankiewicz); the innovative use of sound and score (sound by Bailey Fesler and James G. Stewart, music composed and conducted by Bernard Herrmann); and the ensemble acting forged in the fires of Welles's Mercury Theatre (featuring the film debuts of, among others, Joseph Cotten, Everett Sloane, and Agnes Moorehead). Every moment of the film, every shot, has been choreographed to perfection. The film is essential viewing, quite possibly the greatest film ever made and, along with THE BIRTH OF A NATION, certainly the most influential."

FYI - Citizen Kane: The Screenplay

More FYI...

"Orson Welles and his work continue to draw the attention of filmmakers,critics, and devotees:

1. Searching for Orson
2. Let us not see it all
3. The Mercury Theatre on the Air
4. The Magnificent Ambersons
5. Interview with Orson Welles by Peter Bogdanovich
6. Making Magic with Orson Welles: A Conversation with Mike Caveney
7. Internet Archive: Orson Welles

When he passed away on October 10th, 1985, young people who knew Orson Welles (if they knew him it all) may have remembered him for his promotional efforts on behalf of a certain wine or for his all-too brief appearance as director Lew Lord in “The Muppet Movie”. The back story of Welles’ life included a rich mix of film, television, documentaries, stage production, and one of the most enigmatic personalities that ever wandered from New York to Hollywood to Europe and back. While Welles never really left the sights of those with a keen interest in cinema, a number of new projects have recently been completed that cast a critical and introspective gaze upon his life and artistic endeavors. This past week, the American Film Institute premiered a new documentary about Welles titled “Searching for Orson” and Simon Callow recently released the latest installation of his three volume work on Welles. Perhaps these reconsiderations of Welles’ work will undo the very concise remark he once offered on his own struggle with fame, acceptance, and recognition: “I started at the top and worked my way down.”

The first link will take users to an article from the Hollywood Reporter discussing the recent biographies and the documentary about Orson Welles.The second link will take users to an article from The Guardian discussing the abundance of movie festivals and how they may be diminishing the romance of the hard to find movie. The third link leads to the website of “The finest radio drama of the 1930’s, The Mercury Theatre on the Air, a show featuring the acclaimed New York drama company founded by Orson Welles and John Houseman.” The show is famous for its notorious War of the Worlds broadcast, but the other shows in the series are relatively unknown. The site contains many of the surviving shows, and will eventually have all of them. The fourth link leads to a site dedicated to Welles’ “MagnificentAmbersons” which provides insights in the making, filming and editing of the movie and its effects on Welles’ later career. The fifth link leads to an interesting interview of Welles by Peter Bogdanovich. The sixth link leads to another interview with Jim Steinmeyer, a close friend of Welles. The last link takes users to the Internet Archive which contains many of Welles’radio broadcasts. (from Internet Scout Report)

Above, "quotation" of Citizen Kane in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

At right, the real "Susan Alexander."

FYI... EarlyCinema.com.

FYI: The last scene of "Cinema Paradiso" on YouTube!

YouTube - cinema paradiso

Assignment for Feb. 7: "Citizen Kane"

Be sure to read (and watch!) the following for Wednesday, Feb. 7. (In addition, go back over American Cinema, chapters 2 & 3... There'll be a quiz!)

• The Mavens' Word of the Day: "Yellow Journalism"
• Original 1941 Review - New York Times
• Print out and bring to class Citizen Kane: Editing in key scene/Worksheet on film techniques
• Watch Errol Morris: "The Donald" on "Citizen Kane"

Homework Viewing for 1/31

• Read here about Charlie Chaplin's Gold Rush (1925) & Modern Times (1936). Then watch this scene, that scene and this trailer!
• Don't worry about the Hitchcock documentary for this week... I don't think we're going to be able to get to Rear Window until next week!

Remember... be on the lookout not only for the main ideas presented in the video clips, but also illustrations of things we've already talked about!

Links for tonight...

• Tableaux: Losing My Religion (1991)
• Magic Lantern slides here & here.
• For fun... Make your own Flipbook !
• Eadweard Muybridge's Animated racing horse (1887) (hooves' bet!)
• "Fred Ott's Sneeze" (1894)
• Lumieres' first films
• Life of an American Fireman (1903)
• Typical Movie Palace
• Melodrama: "You must pay the rent..."

Newsflash!

FYI: OSCAR.com - 79th Annual Academy Awards - Nominees!

Don't worry about the video or the Cinema Paradiso write-up!

I guess a number of folks have had trouble accessing the videos embedded below. Don't worry about them... I'll show them in class this time!

Also, you don't have to write up about Cinema Paradiso until you see the ending tomorrow night!

See you then!!

UPDATED: For Tuesday, Jan. *24*!

Dear Class,

My bad... You know, after the new year, some folks have problems remembering 2007. Not me... I just have no idea what day of the month we're talking about! :-)

So, yes... I do have a Faculty Senate meeting the 31st. But, no, that's not this upcoming Wednesday. No problem... We'll just shift the writing assignment about Cinema Paradiso to homework after class, and everything else will be the same as I originally wrote down below!

To recap, the questions are:
1) What can you learn from Cinema Paradiso about the history of movies?
2) What can you learn from Cinema Paradiso about the history of Italy in the late 20th century?

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Note from IMDB: "Though not particularly noteworthy in itself, this remake of 'The Kiss' is historically of some interest in comparison with the original version. The content is only slightly different, but the responses that the two movies received are interesting. Whereas the 1896 version was met with widespread comment and controversy, inflaming public opinion and permanently changing the careers of the two performers involved, the remake seems to have come and gone with comparatively little disturbance.In comparison with the earlier version, this movie has a different, younger-looking couple, and has a somewhat different feel to it, with the actors seeming a bit more playful and flirtatious than the couple in the original. The degree of intimacy still seems about the same, and if anyone was concerned about the 1896 movie, you would think that they would object to this one also. But perhaps what caused the original controversy was not really the content itself, but the newness of motion pictures. The permanent, re-playable nature of a movie, the intimacy (compared to a stage production) of a mid-range close-up, and the completeness that a movie offers, were all brand new in 1896, but were getting to be a little more familiar in 1900. It still happens today that things that once seemed shocking on film don't seem so outrageous once they become a little more common."

Excerpt from the Battleship Potemkin directed by Sergei Eisenstein.

"Considered one of the most important films in the history of silent pictures, as well as possibly Eisenstein's greatest work, Battleship Potemkin brought Eisenstein's theories of cinema art to the world in a powerful showcase; his emphasis on montage, his stress of intellectual contact, and his treatment of the mass instead of the individual as the protagonist. The film tells the story of the mutiny on the Russian ship Prince Potemkin during the 1905 uprising" (which foreshadowed the successful Communist Revolution which had already taken place by this time! From the Internet Archive)

More about the mutiny at Odessa, Ukraine Travel - Potemkin sailor monument.

Cited in a million films... including The Godfather, Revenge of the Sith, Bananas, Love & Death, Brazil, and Naked Gun: 33 1/3. Here's The Untouchables (1987) version.

CBS "Sunday Morning" on The Jazz Singer (1927) .

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And not required but just for fun...

The Little Train Robbery (Edison K. Films 1905 parody of their original film above)

Silent Star Wars