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Psycho (1960)
you should watch this movie
In my cinema class, our weekly unit was on Hitchcock films. So, I chose to watch "Psycho." Hitchcock is known for his horror films, and this is by far my favorite Hitchcock horror. I think this film has quality cinematography. The sound effects used, really added to the spooky vibe this film gives off. This film has many camera angels, short shots, and clean transitions. The editing and directing was outstanding. Throughout this film I felt like I was on the edge of my seat and had an eerie feeling. "Psycho" makes me think twice before staying at a motel. This film uses psychological and physical aspects to make this film original and thrilling. I really enjoy the plot line, and I think the characters really made this film feel realistic. Also, I really enjoy the television show "Bates Motel" that was inspired by this film. I would recommend this film to people who love horror films. It is really good, and entertaining.
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952)
not a bad watch
This week for my cinema class, I watched the film, "The Bad and the Beautiful," directed by Vincente Minnelii in 1952. This film's plot line/story line was showing an inside look on what goes on in the private lives of famous people. I felt like this film gave a more negative look on Hollywood and the people involved in that lifestyle. The movie was overall interesting and had lots of dramatic and romantic elements, but it wasn't my favorite movie that I've had to watch in this class. Personally, I thought the cinematography could have been better. The lighting in scenes matched the mood, but in other scenes I felt like the lighting didn't match. In some scenes, the camera angels were very cool, like when it seemed like the camera was being "carried" from character to character, but in other scenes the camera angels and movement seemed stiff. I did think the acting was very good and the singing. I also liked how there were aspects of psychology throughout the film. I think that made it more interesting. I don't think I would watch this film again, but I would recommend as a one-time watch if you like watching older films.
Sunset Blvd. (1950)
another hollywood classic
Foe my "History of American Cinema" class, I had to watch a movie under the genre of film noir. The movie I chose to watch was, "Sunset Blvd.," directed by Bill Wilder and released to the public in 1950. Film noir movies have an overall mood of pessimism, fatalism, or menace. I think this film had a strong mood of pessimism. This film had a very cynical view of Hollywood(especially during the 1950's), the plot line's message was how Hollywood makes people famous, then dumps them when they are no longer needed. The script is very clean, clever, and witty. There were a variety of camera angels, with clean transitions. I also enjoyed the element of romance throughout the film. The actors really embraced their characters and brought the script to life and made you feel emotional throughout the movie, because it seemed so realistic, and like these were real people going through hard times. The movie was shot beautifully in black and white, and gave off a very gloomy vibe. I really enjoyed this film and think it deserves all the success, because it is an interesting movie and makes you feel emotional involved. I recommend this movie to someone would wants to see a Hollywood film noir classic.
Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
post-WW2 film(1940's attitudes)
Gentleman's Agreement is truly eye-opening, and calls Americans out on their behavior, in the form of a good quality film. The main character is a writer who is asked to write a series of articles on anti-semitism in America, post-WW2. He decides to tell people he is Jewish, so he could experience racism and prejudice for himself, then write the articles in the perspective of a Jewish person. He rapidly experiences bigotry. He becomes furious with how he is being treated, and lashes out on people in his life.
This film clearly points out the hypocrisy in America. We just finished a world war fighting the Nazi's, liberating the Jews, and the fight for freedom and equality. However, back in America, post-WW2, we are discriminating against the same group of people we just fought for two years previously. America has a long history of discrimination against race, religion, sexuality, gender, economic status, etc.; but, it was shocking to see how Americans have no sympathy for Jewish people after seeing the inhumane conditions at concentration camps and fought for their freedom 2 years prior.
The film shows the character go through a transformation from his experience. Being treated the way he was treated when pretending to be Jewish, upset and sickened him in dramatic ways. It is so disheartening that White people see a problem with discrimination when it happens to them, but have no remorse living in a society where more than half the people are oppressed. It should not take a White male, pretending to be apart of a "minority" group, to realize that behavior is not okay and is extremely contradicting.
During the 1940's, majority of Americans were very conservative and discriminated against everyone living in the America that wasn't white or Christian/Catholic. This all took place before civil rights movements or any type of social change surrounding minority groups. Sadly, making this film must have been extremely risky for everyone involved in its creation, because the message of the film goes completely against society norms, structure, and attitudes on this topic. The movie had some flaws, but the lesson learned and the transformation shown, completely drowned out any flaws, because this film was so powerful in its message and rebellion against society norms.
Visually, the quality of this film matched the quality of the message. The black and white photography was amazing. There was smooth transitions, and shorter scenes. The cast who agreed to this movie were all attractive, and brought the plot and script to life. They showed how this behavior and treatment can take a toll on someone. They made their audience feel their pain. The flawless acting really made this movie come together and succeed. Something I thought was interesting was the cast was white. This film was released in the late 1940's and only ten year later, the country shifted into a more liberal society in the 1960's. Maybe this film was foreshadowing all the civil movements and protests and change to come soon after.
I think everyone should watch this film. It is so interesting to see reversed discrimination. White people have no idea what is like to be a minority and be harassed on a daily basis for traits and things you can't change. This movie is the first time we see White people dealing with what blacks, gays, jews, etc., deal with everyday, all throughout history. I think this film is extremely well-done, and it was much needed. It blows my mind that during such a conservative time, a very modern/progressive film on a "taboo" topic was released by all White people and won awards for it.
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
hollywood films during WW2
During WW2, tensions and nerves were high. Many war efforts were being made and all hands were on deck. During times of war and depression, Americans look back in history to influential, important people that were able to conquer the negatives and turn them into positives. People were thinking about Lincoln, and how he was faced with similar obstacles and was able to triumph and return the United States back to order and prosperity. Hollywood during WW2 made many films who gave American hope and reminded people that the United States can overcome all our obstacles. John Ford made many political and pro-American films during this time including Young Mr.Lincoln. These films wanted to remind people that we fight to preserve our rights, freedom, and the American dream. History and media, like this film, reminds people that patriotism and loyalty will always lead us to victory. This film takes us back to when Lincoln was a young lawyer who defended two men in a murder case. This was his big break, and his success was recognized and appreciated. He later agreed to go into politics and lead us through the Civil War, which outcome kept our country together, when it was on the brink of falling apart. He made this country stronger in the end, and his legacy inspires people to this day. The genre of this movie is a little bit of drama, history, and biography. Many think this film is "boring," but, it really just brings you back and makes you feel like you are on Lincolns defense team and watching his career grow. It gives an accurate and realistic account of history and the struggles that an American hero went through, many can relate to them. The camera work makes you feel like you are sitting with Lincoln in the court room and almost like a close friend when you see his journey progress. Gives people hope in the American dream because Lincoln was a wilderness guy and ended up being one of our greatest presidents. The setting of this movie was pre-civil war and it shows us the psychic and social sacrifices of manifest destiny. Lincoln is a man of the wilderness, who is striving to find civilization within himself. He was trying to adapt to the change in the U.S at that time, just like people throughout history try to adjust to the constant change. Lincoln is a symbol of justice and mercy and this film does an excellent job of portraying that and making us feel apart of history. This film came out in the peak of the war, when American morale was low, and if you pay attention, through Lincolns story, this film reminds you patriotism, loyalty, perseverance, will never lose.
The movies plot was historically correct, the script was powerful, the quality of the film was up to par, and overall I would recommend this film to everyone. I really enjoyed this film because I love history and politics, and I felt like John Ford did a great job that relying the message and retelling history.
His Girl Friday (1940)
screwball comedy>>>
Everybody loves a classic screwball comedy, and His Girl Friday, is one of the best. This film follows the basic structure of a screwball comedy, the girl and boy start off by disliking each other and going through many obstacles; which, eventually lead to them falling for each other. But, don't be fooled, even though this film follows the basic outline of a screwball comedy, this film goes above and beyond and original material and techniques. This film uses Overlapping Dialogue, which adds to the already fast-paced plot and script. Overlapping Dialogue was rare and this film used it in the best, organized way. His Girl Friday does not skip a beat, and has the audience on their toes anticipating what is going to happen next-not to mention keeping the audience laughing the whole time. You would think being so fast-paced would make this film feel messy and too much, but it gives the opposite effect, it keeps the audience engaged and wanting more. The character development is outstanding. Howard Hawks(director) could have not picked a better cast. The chemistry between the two main characters, Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell, made them the perfect screen pair; everyone was routing for them. Also, Russell's character wasn't the average 1940's women, she was independent, playful, sexual, and one of the "boys." This type of women was not the social norm, and seeing a powerful female lead excited people as well(mostly other women). The plot was original and quirky, the script was well-written and full of humor, and the music matched the energy of the film. Also, Hawks incorporated realistic sound effects throughout the film, which helped increase the quality of this film even more. Visually, the black and white photography was high quality and the camera work used a variety of angles and movement, with short scenes that had smooth transitions. On top of all the excellent effort, the movie had underlying messages through its humor and story line. Even though this film is upbeat and funny, many controversial issues are incorporated and joked about. These issues include: race, corruption, abuse of power(police, city hall), nepotism, politics, dealth penalty, and questions around privacy and freedom of speech. It's hard to believe all these serious issues are apart of the movies story and humor, but is it, and I think Hawks did that for a reason. These underlying messages are intense, he jokes about them, but he shines light on how these issues are apart of every day life and affect many peoples lives.
Overall, out of all the movies I've had to watch for my History of America Cinema class, I enjoyed screwball comedy and His Girl Friday the most. I usually don't like old films, but this movie was hilarious and incorporated love and social issues. I think it is important for famous people to shine light on social issues because they have a large fan base and audience who watches their content and they can make people aware of these problems through entertainment. Sadly, famous people talking about these issues can make people care about these issues when they normally wouldn't care, but since their favorite famous does, they do. Celebrities can do a lot with their platform, so I really like when they give these underlying messages, while still giving the public amazing films, music, television shows, radio shows, books, magazines, etc.
Dracula (1931)
universal studios monsters
When Universal Studios produced and released "Frankenstein" and "Dracula" in the early 1930's, not only did these two movies turn Universal Studios into a well-known film-making studio, but also made the horror genre become immensely popular in American society. Although this film has many flaws, the plot and amazing acting by Bela Lugosi really turned this film into a classic. The camera work isn't amazing and pretty much stays stationary with little movement and long scenes, which makes you feel like you are watching a live play instead of a film. The little music and limited special effects make the film also feel a little amateur. However, the use of sound effects(bangs, thumps, etc), the use of lighting to create the different moods in the scenes, spooky setting, amazing plot and script, and excellent casting, really make up for the flaws and make people love this movie. The setting/location of this movie is in a dark, isolated, gloomy castle. Tod Browning(the director) went into extreme detail with making the setting/location of the film feel extremely eerie and not like a place you would want to end up in. The castle was enormous and empty, the stairs had comb webs, and he created a very unwelcoming feeling. The plot of this film was original and really scared people. The script was well-written and helped intensify the feeling of dread that the setting/location and plot line the film followed. The plot and script flowed together. The most important part of the film was how well Bela Lugosi embraced his role as Dracula. He morphed Dracula from a character on paper to a terrifying real-life vampire. His deep, unsettling voice combined with his facial expressions and gestures, really made Dracula seem like a real blood-thirsty monster. Bela Lugosi became the model for every vampire movie that came after Dracula.
Overall, this films camera work and editing quality is not up to par, and could have been better. However, in the early 1930's, film-making was a lot different and directors did not have the same knowledge, resources, and experiences that later directors had access too. Regardless in the flaws were present or not, this film would still be a classic. Dracula was the birth of horror films.
Scarface (1932)
definition of gangster films
Scarface perfectly portrays what gangster films are all about. In the 1930's, gangster films were extremely popular, being released in 1932, this film was very popular and is still being talked about today. This film has many action-packed scenes with gun-fights and gang violence. This film gives its audience an inside look on what gangster lifestyle is like. The script is extremely accurate and well-written, and makes you feel like you are in the film apart of all the crime and drama. Also, the black and white photography is extremely well-done in this film. The different lighting from scene to scene helps create different moods throughout the film to determine how you should feel during each scene. Darker scenes are usually more intense, and lighter scenes are more just the characters and plot developing. For the time this movie was produced, the director and his team did a good job with camera angles. They were cautious in making the camera move around and zoom in and out to make the film even more realistic and like you were more than an audience. I think with every part of the movie being above standards from this time period, it made this film stand out among other gangster films and feel realistic. Lastly, the social message behind this film is extremely powerful. This film is more than just a genre. Scarface shows the public that gangster violence is a real thing and can be fatal. It shows that not all people involved in gangs are bad people and that one small mistake can risk you and your families lives. Scarface shines a light on how fast-paced, deadly, anxious, and stressful being apart or involved in gangster lifestyle is; while still being entertaining for an audience.
I definitely recommend this film to people interested in early films ,and seeing where the gangster genre really started and gained popularity among the American people.
Girl Shy (1924)
not bad for a silent film
I usually don't enjoy silent films and never showed interest in watching them;
however, in my History of American Cinema class, we were asked to watch and review a silent film outside of class. I chose Girl Shy by Harold Lloyd and I was presently surprised. Girl Shy is a romantic comedy, and even though it is a silent film, Lloyd is able to keep the audience engaged with the tight structure of this movie and how he is able to portray humor without talking. This movie is full of slapstick humor, wit, and the ideal old-fashion love. This film captured the style of film-making of this time and is definitely one of Llyod's best films. I still don't enjoy silent films, but if anyone needs to watch a silent film for a class or wants to see what they are like, I recommend watching Girl Shy.