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.