Last Monday in Film History class, we viewed the film class, It Happened One Night, which related to part of the class discussion that revolved around screwball comedy. Screwball comedy, which includes a battle of the sexes, is often seen in older films in the 1940's and 50's. The film is an honest love story between two strangers that meet on a bus. This is also one of the first major films that were effected by the use of sound, which was relatively new for this time period.
An article related to It Happened One Night that I found is by Rotten Tomatoes, a professional film rating site that has rated the film rather high, putting it at a 9/10, in the 98th percentile. You can find that review HERE . The review states basics of the movie, such as a film timeline, a summary, and has a section on Frank Capra, who directed the film.
In all honesty, this review made me think more positively about the film. As of now, I have seen It Happened One Night twice, once in my high school Film Studies class, and once again this past Monday for Film History. Neither of the times I took a great liking to the film because it isn't really my style, and I didn't like the suggestive acting. Now that I have seen the film from an older perspective of thought, I found that I enjoyed it more thoroughly than I did when I was younger.
Analytically, I saw the film as quite interesting. The film's screening standpoint is great, and I've found the film to become quite a good watch. I'd love to have some more class discussion about the entirety of the film so I can develop a better understanding of it. As for the text material, the film has brought a new type of viewing to the table, since this was one of the bigger names when sound in film had just arrived in everyday media. Frank Capra added his own personal expertise to this film with the way he directed it as well. When Peter and Ellie are in the woods after leaving the bus, Capra does a good job on making Ellie look completely alone and vulnerable in the dense forest. Throughout the film, there were things I liked and disliked, however this film was definitely one that I need to rewatch for a third time before I know whether or not I do in fact love it or not.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Monday, March 3, 2014
Film Journal: The Gold Rush
Last week in Film History, the class had watched the classic silent film starring Charlie Chaplin called The Gold Rush. Throughout prior classes, we talked about the fundamentals of the silent film covering topics such as visual gags and Chaplin's own Tramp outfit. In silent films, the acting relied mostly on what the actor could do to himself that involved any type of comical action. Some of the other known silent film acts were known for purposely hurting themselves in some ridiculous fashion just to get a kick out of the audience's reaction. For example, Chaplin tends to fall a lot in comparison to some of the bigger, more intimidating actors tend to abuse him for comedy purposes.
Upon searching through the depths of the online jungle we call the internet, I found an article hosted by Turner Classic Movies' website that had some information on The Gold Rush. That article can be found by clicking HERE. This article explains the entirety of the film for anyone who has not seen it and gives quite the summary about what happens throughout it. Covering the aspects of what happens when Chaplin gets to Alaska in the first place, the article explains a backstory as well as what the future of The Gold Rush held. "The Gold Rush was altered by Chaplin in 1941 during the sound era to include a new orchestral score composed by Chaplin, and the deadpan wit of Chaplin's voice-over narration adds another element of comedy to this revised version," which is a direct quote out of the article.
This article made me think more independently about the film in terms of a whole idea instead of just an occurrence of events. Upon watching a silent film, many people may look at it as just another movie without sound, but that is not the case. Back in the days of silent films, there were not any special effects, so anything that was done wrong had to be completely re-shot. Now a days, many shots are just covered up by computer generated imagery in order for the film to get out of production quicker. Another thing that was mentioned in the article is the fact that Chaplin not only directed and produced The Gold Rush but also did the entirety of the screenplay for the film. This means that the majority of this was entirely his creation.
From the perspective as someone who has not seem many silent films, I thought that this one of the better ones I saw. Generally, the ideology of a silent film has a lot to do with the length because I feel as if the length of the film has a lot to do with the audience. The Gold Rush was one of the longer silent films that I enjoyed because it had a good plot to it. The story wasn't bland like some other productions of the time. Many silent films started out as just very small clips of film that repeated for people to watch over and over again, but this had a recurring story that kept the mind interested. Personally, I liked The Gold Rush as a timeless film. It really showed how revolutionary the industry was getting as the years went by. For it's time, the comedic values placed into play by the snow effect and how the characters kept getting blown out of the cabin because of the wind were done very well. For someone who did know much about film and lived in the time frame when this was released, that must have looked like the most real encounter with wind and snow that the audience has ever seen before.
Upon searching through the depths of the online jungle we call the internet, I found an article hosted by Turner Classic Movies' website that had some information on The Gold Rush. That article can be found by clicking HERE. This article explains the entirety of the film for anyone who has not seen it and gives quite the summary about what happens throughout it. Covering the aspects of what happens when Chaplin gets to Alaska in the first place, the article explains a backstory as well as what the future of The Gold Rush held. "The Gold Rush was altered by Chaplin in 1941 during the sound era to include a new orchestral score composed by Chaplin, and the deadpan wit of Chaplin's voice-over narration adds another element of comedy to this revised version," which is a direct quote out of the article.
This article made me think more independently about the film in terms of a whole idea instead of just an occurrence of events. Upon watching a silent film, many people may look at it as just another movie without sound, but that is not the case. Back in the days of silent films, there were not any special effects, so anything that was done wrong had to be completely re-shot. Now a days, many shots are just covered up by computer generated imagery in order for the film to get out of production quicker. Another thing that was mentioned in the article is the fact that Chaplin not only directed and produced The Gold Rush but also did the entirety of the screenplay for the film. This means that the majority of this was entirely his creation.
From the perspective as someone who has not seem many silent films, I thought that this one of the better ones I saw. Generally, the ideology of a silent film has a lot to do with the length because I feel as if the length of the film has a lot to do with the audience. The Gold Rush was one of the longer silent films that I enjoyed because it had a good plot to it. The story wasn't bland like some other productions of the time. Many silent films started out as just very small clips of film that repeated for people to watch over and over again, but this had a recurring story that kept the mind interested. Personally, I liked The Gold Rush as a timeless film. It really showed how revolutionary the industry was getting as the years went by. For it's time, the comedic values placed into play by the snow effect and how the characters kept getting blown out of the cabin because of the wind were done very well. For someone who did know much about film and lived in the time frame when this was released, that must have looked like the most real encounter with wind and snow that the audience has ever seen before.
CHECKLIST
FOR PLAGIARISM
1) (x) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) (x) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
3) (x) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) (x)I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
5) (x) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) (x) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) (x) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8) (x) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
Name: __Michael De Man_______ Date: __01 February 2014_________
1) (x) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.
2) (x) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.
3) (x) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.
4) (x)I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.
5) (x) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.
6) (x) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.
7) (x) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.
8) (x) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.
Name: __Michael De Man_______ Date: __01 February 2014_________
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