The Godfather

1. In class we discussed many elements of the classic film The Godfather. The one thing that I noticed is how great Coppola made you feel for a family of people, who in reality, were terrible people. The Corleone family hurt and killed people, yet because the film takes place through their eyes in a sense you never look at them as bad people. Every time a member of the family was killed, you felt bad for them. That is one of the many things that makes this such a great film. The way that Coppola plays with your emotions and makes you feel things that you normally wouldn’t really says wonders about the film.

2. This article talks about how Francis Ford Coppola is a genius for what he did with the screenplay of The Godfather and why it is such a great film. In the article author Paul Tatara says, “It's no exaggeration to say that Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather (1972) has moved beyond the realm of mere cinema to become a slice of American mythology.” Coppola fought battles with both interest groups and the studio in order to get the film to come out the way that he envisioned. He had to convince Paramount to hire Al Pacino and Marlon Brando. Coppola did so much work for this film to come out the way it did.

 

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/443184/The-Godfather/articles.html#00

3. This article made me respect Coppola even more than I already did. The lengths that he went to in order to make sure that The Godfather hit the big screen as the master piece that we all know it to be. He put a lot on the line in order to ensure that his artistic vision was not compromised by the studio or anyone else who did not want him to make this film as he saw fit.

4. I have seen The Godfather many times before this class, but I did not always notice all of the little things that were in the movie that made it so good. It truly is the best film of all time and it is very hard to argue that it is not. To be able to  make a movie with such a dark and violent undertone into such a heartfelt and complete story is genius writing and directing. The Godfather is an outright classic.

The Graduate

1. In class we discussed how the filming and editing of The Graduate was very unique and innovative for its time. The way that director Mike Nichols shot this film was remarkable. Not only are the shots creative and unique but they also help tell the story. As it was mentioned in class, at the beginning of the film the shots of Ben are very tight and as the film plays out they are longer and a bit looser. This goes right along with the character of Ben, which was played wonderfully by Dustin Hoffman. When you pay attention to these details while watching the film, it goes from a fun movie about a young man entering the real world to a true piece of art. It is obvious why Mike Nichols won the Academy Award for best director.

2. In this article about The Graduate the author Lang Thompson discusses the film’s legacy in pop culture and Hollywood over the years as well as some of difficulties director Mike Nichols faced while filming the movie. Thompson says, “The Graduate is one of those films that’s been quoted and parodied and referenced so often that you might think you’ve seen it even if you haven’t.” He then talks about the role of Ben and how Robert Redford and Charles Grodin passed before Nichols wound up with Dustin Hoffman. Hoffman almost couldn’t take the role himself because he was committed to another film but was able to get out of it.

 

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/18530/The-Graduate/articles.html

3. This article solidified some thoughts that I had about the film. The first was the commentary about how you feel like you have seen it even if you haven’t. I felt as if I had seen The Graduate before almost throughout the whole film, particularly the ending scene when Ben is going to stop Elaine’s wedding. From seeing Wayne’s World I felt as if I had watched that scene a million times. They copied that shot for shot and I never knew that it was a parody. I am also glad that Dustin Hoffman ended up with the role of Ben. You hear things like this happening a lot in Hollywood but the film would not be the same without him. His acting in this film was so great and I don’t think that the film would have worked as well as it did if he did not play Ben.

4. The Graduate was a great piece of American cinema. From the acting to the directing the film was absolutely wonderful. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and only got one, which is ridiculous. Dustin Hoffman played a great role as Ben and Anne Bancroft was amazing as Mrs. Robinson. The directing that Mike Nichols did was groundbreaking for its time and all of these elements add to the greatness that is The Graduate. 

Casablanca

1. In class we discussed the themes of the film Casablanca. The themes of this film are what make it such a classic. Lost love was a theme that was carried out throughout the film. Rick was in love with Ilsa from when they were together in France and when she came into his bar he couldn’t believe it. You thought that as the story moved along the two of them were going to get back together, but the fact that they don’t brings up the rest of the themes in the film. Rick’s self-sacrifice was a funny theme in Casablanca. All throughout the film he said that he doesn’t stick his neck out for anyone but in the end he gives up his chance to get out of Casablanca and his chance to once again be with Ilsa so that she can leave get away with Victor.

2. This article tells us how Casablanca has become an iconic film and a main part of America’s pop culture. According to the article the film did not have an overwhelming impact in this country until 20 years after its was originally released in theaters. “In the 1960s, a few years after Humphrey Bogart’s death in 1957, a movie theater called The Brattle in Cambridge, Massachusetts started reviving Casablanca for three weeks every years, drawing enthusiastic and increasingly larger crowds.” The article then goes on to state that many films over the years have paid homage to Casablanca using references from the film such as What’s Up, Doc?, Murder By Death and When Harry Met Sally. The film also cements the fact that this film is a standard in American pop culture by stating that “In 1999, The Oxford Dictionary of 20^th Century Quotations added four movie quotes,” and one of them was “Here’s looking at you, kid” from Casablanca.

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/610/Casablanca/articles.html

 

3. This article made me realize how Casablanca is truly a piece of Americana. This was the first time that I had seen this film but I had heard about it since I was a child. Although the film was not as technically sound as some of the other films that we have watched in class, the story is something that people can relate to.

4. Personally I was not that big of a fan of Casablanca but that in no way takes away from its historical significance. I can see why people enjoy this film. I would say that this is one of the classic romantic stories of all time. The acting and story were great but I wouldn’t put this film on a level with other films like Citizen Kane and Stagecoach that we have watched this year.

Citizen Kane

1. In class we had an in-depth discussion about the composition and cinematography of Citizen Kane as well as the brilliance of the story that Orson Welles told over the course of the film. The cinematography of Citizen Kane is part of why this film is considered the best film of all time. Welles’ use of space in the film is unreal. He uses space to tell a story in itself. Throughout the film the settings become larger and the physical distance between the characters in shots represents the metaphorical space that is growing between the character’s relationships. A good example of this is the montage scene of Charles Foster Kane and his first wife sitting at the table for breakfast. As time goes on they go from sitting next to one another talking while eating to sitting at opposite ends of the table reading separate newspapers without a single word being spoken. And another great example of this is towards the end of the film when Charles Foster Kane and Susan Alexander Kane are sitting in the colossal room in Xanadu talking to one another. He is sitting in a chair all the way across the room in the shadows while she is talking to him, which is right before she leaves him. The way that the story begins and ends with the same shots was also a brilliant idea by Welles.  The film starts with a shot of a “No Trespassing” sign and then an overview of the giant Xanadu mansion and ends the same way. After the opening shot you see the snow globe and hear Foster Kane say “Rosebud” and at the end you find out the meaning of “Rosebud” and why the snow globe reminded him of this word. The look and story of this film are unbelievable, especially for its time.

2. This article brings up the question on if Citizen Kane is still the greatest film of all time. According to the article every ten years Sight and Sound magazine questions critics as to what the greatest movie of all time is, and for the past fifty years the answer has always been Citizen Kane. But the author of this article says that this year maybe the end of the reign for Orson Welles’ masterpiece. The past fifty years the magazine has asked 145 critics to voice their opinion on the greatest films, but this time there will be 1,800 critics asked to weigh in on the subject. There are some critics that said that there is no way that Citizen Kane will lose its spot and there are others who are routing for it be taken down off of its pedestal, but it seems that everyone agreed that if it does lose its spot, it will not be to a film from recent years. Peter Bogdanovich said, “I don’t know what it’ll be, but if it’s some made recently I’ll throw tomatoes. If it’s Star Wars or The Godfather or Saving Private Ryan there will be a scream from me heard around the world.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/9431706/Is-Citizen-Kane-still-the-greatest.html

3. This article didn’t change what I thought about Citizen Kane but it did reinforce the thought that this film is still probably the best film of all time. For the last fifty years all critics have said that this is the finest piece of cinema that has ever been created, so how can that have changed? Because younger critics may look at this film as outdated or old should not mean a thing. You have to think about the film in the time it was created and even when you look at it compared to films now, you can see that so many things from Citizen Kane has been used throughout the years that you cannot discount its brilliance. And the fact that no film recently has been made that could top it, how could anything be considered better?

 

4. This was the second time that I have seen Citizen Kane and my opinion of the film changed drastically from the first time that I saw it. The first time I saw it I was so focused on the story that I didn’t focus on all of the little things in the film that Welles did to make this film so wonderful. Everything about Citizen Kane is brilliant and I realize that now. Whether you are looking at the acting, the story, the directing or the cinematography, this film was ahead of its time. Watching it now, you can barely tell that is was made so many years ago. From start to finish, Orson Welles made a masterpiece with Citizen Kane.

Gone With the Wind

1   1. In class we discussed how Gone With the Wind was one of the most successful films of all time, in terms of box office numbers as well as the awards it won in 1939. You can see why the film won awards such as Best Picture, Director, Actress, and Supporting Actress. The acting in this film was on point in all aspects. Gone With the Wind was the highest grossing film of all time until 1966, which is completely understandable because of the film’s epic journey. We also discussed in class how black actors and actresses were used in films of the times and Gone With the Wind both showed and broke these examples. In the film the black characters were not given leading rolls, however Hattie McDaniel’s roll in the film was absolutely outstanding which is why she won the Best Supporting Actress award.  Although the black actors were not used in the leading roles, they weren’t given just the comedic roles and had roles that helped move the story along as apposed to just being in the background.

2. This article talks about how the film was looked at as a flop before it even came out and how it became so successful when it was released. According to the article Gone With the Wind “had the nickname “Selznick’s Folly” by critics while the film was still in production.  They then go on to state that “the cynicism was swept aside by such reactions as the Hollywood Reporter’s headline description: “Magnificent and Supreme Triumph of Film History” when the movie premiered in December of 1939.” The article talks about how the film cleaned up on award night by going home with eight Academy Awards but Clark Gable was robbed for not winning the Best Actor award.  Apparently Selznick was very angry that Gable did not win this award and blamed the producer for not campaigning properly to get him this award.

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/414427/Gone-With-the-Wind/articles.html

3. Although the article touched on some of the things that we had discussed in class about Gone With the Wind, it went a bit more into depth about the film’s success. The one thing that I really couldn’t believe was that people thought that the film was going to be a flop. I don’t know if it is because the film cost $4 million to make and they did not think that it could do big numbers, but that just blew my mind. This film was the highest grossing film for almost thirty years and they were criticizing Selznick prior to it even being released. This article really made me respect how much pride Selznick had in his work because of how upset he got that Clark Gable was beaten out for the Best Actor award. Even after winning awards in a year that had films such as Stagecoach and The Wizard of Oz, he was upset that his actor did not win and that shows how much of a perfectionist he was.

4. Gone With the Wind is clearly one the most critically acclaimed films of all time and you can see why. It is an epic tail of one of the most important events in United States history with a great love triangle in the foreground. Although I didn’t care for it as much as I did some of the other films we saw because it was very long, I can see why the film is held in such high-regard in terms of the history of film.

Stagecoach

1.  During our last class discussion, the director of the film John Ford was brought up to be one of the four best directors of the time. The many elements that he added into a simple story of a group of people traveling is astounding. In class Ford's values were brought up, which were clearly represented in the film. His values of family, law, decency, and having faith in people and not the law were brought out in the film through different characters. The characters each seemed to represent the different themes that were present in Stagecoach. You could see how the different social classes were treated by one another. The prostitute and the outlaw were looked down upon for most of the film by the rest of the passengers despite the good deeds they did for others. The doctor was also looked down upon by the banker but because of his excessive drinking rather than his social status. The outlaw also had a chance to redeem himself by helping with the Indian attack as well as getting revenge on the man who killed his father and brother. And it was interesting to see how the banker was the most judgmental of all the character, yet he was the one who was really the true villain.

2. This article touches on more of the behind the scenes aspects of the film Stagecoach. The article talks about how the original treatment for the movie was rejected by the Breen Office because of "the story's sympathetic portrayal of the prostitute Dallas, Doc Boone's constant drunkenness, the Ringo Kid's thirst for revenge and the marshal's involvement in some deaths. The article then talks about how Stagecoach was the beginning of a friendship between John Ford and the Navajo Indians because he hired so many of the locals to play the parts of the Apaches who attacked the stagecoach. It goes on to state that John Ford was so happy with the way that Yakima Canutt safely got the stagecoach across the river, that he gave him complete control of creating all of the stunts for the film. Finally, according to the article, Ford was a bit of  bully on the set of Stagecoach. Apparently he spoke to his actors in a demeaning tone but this was just his way of trying to get them to perform better.

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/91227/Stagecoach/articles.html

3. The article did not really change the way that I looked at the film but more so the director John Ford. I was kind of shocked to hear about the way that he treated his actors but I guess that worked because of how well the film turned out. You would think that being polite and going over the points you want them to improve on would be more effective but if you get someone to the point where they want to prove you wrong you will draw a lot of emotion out of them. It was also interesting to see that things that are almost common place in today's films got the movie's original script rejected by the censorship office.

4. I believe that Stagecoach is a great film. Even though it was made in 1939, it holds up because you know the story so well. So many films over the years have used the same story and format with their own little twists, but Stagecoach was the original journey film. The underlying messages that were portrayed by the characters showed Ford's core values and ideologies and really brought the film together. The way each character is so different at the beginning of the film from the end really showed what a wonderful story Stagecoach still is today.

The Gold Rush

1. In class we discussed at length the life and career of Charlie Chaplin. This was considered his best film and many of the elements that were said to have been addressed in his films came up in The Gold Rush. Subjects such as poverty and hunger come up throughout the film and it is usually centered around Chaplin's character. The scene when the three characters are in the cabin and get snowed in, hunger comes up as a serious issue. They are even reduced to eating Chaplin's shoe because food is so scarce. Chaplin's character is also extremely poor and has essentially no money until the end when he and Big Jim find the gold. His poverty even kept him from Georgia, the girl that he was seeking throughout the film. Although Chaplin made these issues comical, they were then and still are now very serious problems, but that is what made him a comedic genius.

2. This article goes into an overview of the film but it also brings to light the brilliance that is Charlie Chaplin. The summary of the film is just that, a summary. The article tells the basic plot line of The Gold Rush and gives you an inside look at the characters. That is not the important part however, the rest of the article brings to light what a great film this was and how in every sense this is Chaplin's best work. It tells us that this is one of the greatest comedies of all time and how every part of the film was put together so well. It tells us how Alaska was the perfect setting for the story as well as being an easy one to create in the studio. It also talks about the great casting that was done by Chaplin and not to mention his great acting.

http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117789109?refcatid=31

3. I think that this article definitely had an impact at the way that I looked at every facet of this film. Because The Gold Rush is a silent film I had some trouble keeping myself focused for the entire 90 minutes. Looking back however I realize that I was jaded because of the way that we view films today. To be able to make people laugh without any dialogue is an amazing feat and I believe that is why people still talk about and view Chaplin's films almost one hundred years later. As a director his vision of this film as fantastic, but as an actor he truly brought comedy and film itself to a whole new level.

4. At first glance I wasn't sure if I missed something or if the film itself was just dated, but looking back I can see why people look at The Gold Rush as a piece of classic cinema. As I said in my response earlier being able to make people laugh and to be truly funny without the use of sound is a very hard thing to do, but Chaplin did a phenomenal job of that in this film. The fact that he could draw emotions out of people in the present day through a silent film is astounding. He made you laugh, feel sorry for, and become elated for his character all in the same film and all without saying a single word. Most films that are made with modern technology cannot do that. Overall, it is clear why Charlie Chaplin is looked at as a film icon and why The Gold Rush goes down in history as a break through comedy.