City Lights
Movie: 1931, black and white, 87 min.
- Director: Charlie Chaplin
- Actors: Charlie Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill
City Lights is a romantic comedy about a tramp, Chaplin, who runs into a beautiful blind girl. She mistakes him for a billionaire and he continues to go and see her. When the tramp learns that the woman’s rent is overdue, he finds a way to pay for it. After the tramp is imprisoned, the girl gets surgery to fix her eyesight. In the end, the woman sees the tramp and knows it was him.
Q: How does the director portray love in a silent film?
A: Chaplin portrays love in a silent film in many ways. To begin, the protagonist woman in the film is blind. Although she cannot speak (as the film as silent) or see, she still expresses her love with her emotions. It is clear when she is happy and when the man leaves, her smile does not return until she senses him again.
For the tramp, he can portray love much easier as he can see. His actions of buying flowers, following the girl, and doing random stunts prove his desire. His emotions also play a large part in demonstrating his love and affection. Although difficult, Chaplin portrays love very vividly in City Lights
Q: How does Chaplin portray both a comedy and romance in one?
A: City Lights’ genre proves to be both a comedy and a romance film. At this time, this particular genre was difficult to portray and thus, was a difficult task for Chaplin. The second romantic comedy made (after Girl Shy), City Lights has different scenes for the different genres.
In one scene, the tramp buys the flowers and pretends to be a rich billionaire in order to impress her. However in a later scene he kisses the girl and shows he loves her with his emotions. The comedy is driven by his love, which shows that its genre is a romantic comedy.
The Godfather
Crash
Movie: 2004, color, 112 min.
- Director: Paul Haggis
- Actors: Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Thandie Newton
Crash is a series of multiple stories that interconnect through different actions and scenes. The daily lives of multiple Los Angeles citizens change when racial interactions begin. Different races have different stories, all leading to one another. Haggis portrays all citizens having their good moments as well as their bad.
Q: How does Haggis portray the good and evil in people?
A: Throughout the movie, Haggis portrays the good and evil in people in different ways. Every person in the movie has an evil side, which is revealed when dealing with another disliked person of different race or religion. During this time, the characters truly display their anger and villainous through their emotions and actions.
However, these same racist characters in the following scene turn into the typical “good guy” because they are trying to do their job, or an ordinary task, and are discriminated against by another race. Because they are now the ones being tortured and blamed, they show their good side by trying to deal with the adversity and still go through their daily life. Haggis portrays the good and evil in people by showing them being racist and later being discriminated against and trying to deal with the same racism they recently displayed.
Q: How does Haggis show the racial discrimination in realistic situations?
A: Haggis demonstrates the racial discrimination in realistic situations throughout the movie. Each race of characters has their own territorial area, in which they reside or work. When working their specific job, they come into real life situations, such as a locksmith fixing a lock, a policeman in a car chase, or a gun-store owner selling a gun.
In all three situations, the customer or person who the worker is dealing with, is racist towards the worker. This displays that even in your own jobs and daily situations, there is racism and discrimination towards you, even if you are helping the customer with what they need.
Movie: 1972, color, 175 min.
- Director: Francis Ford Coppola
- Actors: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan
The Godfather is a movie about a New York Mafia family and their interactions with other Mafia families. The family demonstrates ruthless violence to anyone that stands in the way of the good of the family. When introduced with the idea of selling drugs, the Don does not follow suit. The disagreement leads to fighting between the families and eventually deaths upon deaths.
Q: How does the lighting reflect the movie’s ideas?
A: Coppola uses a dark, sort of unlit scenery to portray his movie’s ideas. Most of the movie is dark, and dealing with the negative effects of the different Mafia families. To show these underlying themes, no scene is ever too bright. Even in the beginning scene at the wedding, a happy occasion, there is a dark, shadowy lighting which demonstrates the dark plot subject to emerge.
Additionally, throughout the movie, shadows take precedent in almost every scene. This mis-en-scene is important because it shows the looming shadow of what is to come next.
Q: How does Coppola portray the crime, drama, and thriller all in one?
A: Coppola portrays a crime, drama, and thriller movie all in one. The audience knows what genre of movie it is due to the different scenes, themes, and actions throughout the movie. Crime is portrayed because of the story line. The Mafia family deals with a drug trade and needs to be the Mafia family. They go to all costs and will kill people and even animals to get what they want.
This crime is intertwined with drama because of the themes. Going to all costs to get what they desire shows demonstrates drama between the families. These crimes and drama are both intertwined with the thriller, because each and every scene has the audience on the edge of their seats anticipating the next move. Coppola is able to portray these three genres in one, because each one bounces off of the next to create a crime/drama/thriller effect all in one.
American Graffiti
Movie: 1973, color, 110 min.
- Director: George Lucas
- Actors: Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat
American Graffiti is a movie about six high school graduates and their nighttime adventures the day before a few of them go off to college. The two boys, who are leaving for college, must deal with the decision of whether they truly want to leave or not. Meanwhile, the others experience their own crazy nights in their own ways. Just when you think you know what is going to happen, the unexpected occurs.
Q: How does music and sound reflect each character?
A: Lucas makes the music and sound portray each character differently. When the camera shifts from one character to the next, the background music changes as well to display each character’s different personality and motives.
When the camera shifts to Charles Martin Smith, the nerd like character, the music is often slower and geekier. The audience immediately knows, after hearing the music and seeing his appearance, what Smith is all about. However, with the other characters such as Ron Howard and Richard Dreyfuss, the music is more upbeat, such as The Beach Boys and the song Johnny B Goode, to show the entertaining nights they are having. Finally, when the scene covers the character who is driving the little girl around all night, the music is more fun and childish to show the juvenile time he is experiencing with the little girl by his side.
Throughout the movie, Lucas makes great use of the music and sound to portray each character differently.
Q: How does Lucas display the change characters are going through from childhood to adulthood?
A: Throughout the movie, every character deals with the challenges of the transition from childhood to adulthood. Primarely, the two boys who have been accepted to college deal with the stress and emotions of actually leaving. In addition, the little girl, Carol, who rides with John (Paul LeMat) all night, experiences the real world at an extremely young age. At this young age, Carol shows her transition from childhood to adulthood. When traveling with her sister and the other girls, she acts very childish and desperately wants to leave them. However, once with John, she acts more maturely and tries to get his attention.
Throughout the movie, through actions, emotions, mise-en-scene, and everything else apparent, the characters show their transition from childhood to adulthood.
Jaws
Movie: 1975, color, 124 min.
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Actors: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss
Jaws is a classic movie about a small island named Amity, that has a shark problem. When one girl is killed, the mayor refuses to tell the town what really happened, in fear tourists will not stay for the upcoming 4th of July weekend. As more and more are killed, Chief Brody, along with shark expert Hooper and local shark fanatic Quint all go out in hopes of killing the shark.
Q: How does the music foreshadow what is to come?
A: Throughout the movie, the music often foreshadows what is to come in the upcoming scenes. When all of the tourists are at the beach, a slow, torturous song begins to play and continually increases in speed. Within seconds, the beach is being evacuated and the frantic begins. There is a shark attack which has been foreshadowed by the music.
Additionally, the Jaws theme song (the doomsday sound of dun dun dun) begins to play each and every time the shark is preparing to attack. During the final battle against the Great White, the music is beating extremely fast displaying the fast heart beat of Hooper, Brody, and Quint as they battle the animal.
Q: How does Spielberg portray citizen’s true motives?
A: Throughout the movie, it is apparent that material goods and emotions are more important than life itself. Throughout the movie, the mayor continually denies the shark invasion in order to retain the income that will come in during the July 4th weekend. He does not value the tourists’ lives and instead values their money more.
Additionally, the citizens know that multiple civilians have been killed, but do not care either and are simply looking for an enjoyable vacation. They therefore, continue to swim in the water and continue to go to the beach. They put their experience in front of their own life values.
Titanic
Movie: 1997, color, 194 min.
- Director: James Cameron
- Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane
Titanic is a fictional movie about the sinking of the unsinkable ship Titanic. Throughout the course of its travels, two travelers, of completely different classes, meet and fall in love. They go to all costs to be together and demonstrate their love through their trust for one another. Their love stays strong regardless of how they are treated and what eventually happens to the ship and their lives.
Q: How does Cameron display two stories in one?
A: Titanic begins with explorers attempting to find the lost Heart of the Ocean Diamond necklace. This occurs in 1996. They eventually come across a woman named Rose who says she knows about the diamond. She then takes everyone back in a vivid memory to the Titanic and what happened. Throughout the movie, the screen changes from the 1996 Rose to the 1912 Rose and back multiple times.
Cameron displays two different stories by changing Rose’s voice every time a time period is changed. Her 1996 old, raspy, slow voice is different from her 1912 childish, rambunctious, fast moving voice. Additionally, the scenery and mise-en-scene is different in the two time periods. For instance when looking for the sunken Titanic in 1996, cameras are used. These are extremely high tech and are very easy to use. There are different gadgets and tons of buttons. However, when taking a picture on the actual Titanic in 1912, the camera takes one shot at a time and takes a while to rewind. There is a clear difference between these two cameras and help to show the time period difference. Additionally, the outfits and wardrobe of the characters create a different time period sense.
Q: How does Cameron display different classes of citizens all aboard the same ship?
A: Throughout the 1919 portion of the movie, many different classes of citizens are portrayed. Primarely, Rose is portrayed as a wealthy woman who gets whatever she desires. This class of people are for the most part arrogant, and filthy rich. Their style of partying is very proper.
Aboard the same boat is Jack, who is a poor man, only winning his ticket for the Titanic moments before departure. He does not have much and is lucky to be aboard the ship at all. Jack takes Rose to a party, which is very informal where the music is uptempo opposed to the proper slow dancing music.
Finally, there are crewmen who put the steam in the boat and help it to move. These men are at the bottom of the chain, and are for the most part, people of different and foreign ethnicities. Three completely different classes of people are portrayed very differently throughout the film.
Raging Bull
Movie: 1980, black and white, 129 min.
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Actors: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci
Raging Bull is a biography about the life of boxer Jake LaMotta. This middle-weight boxer experiences ups and downs throughout his life both in the ring and outside the ring. He experiences emotional changes with his family, love life, and competition.
Q: How does Scorsese portray LaMotta throughout the movie?
A: Scorsese portrays Jake LaMotta as a big, tough middle weight boxer throughout the movie. Although Robert De Niro is not as big as Jake LaMotta was, Scorsese was able to make it seem like De Niro was bigger through camera angles.
In the beginning scenes, whenever De Niro was shot with another character, De Niro was closer to the camera, showing his superiority. Because he was always closer to the camera, he looked bigger and thus, more like a boxer. Additionally, when showing him throughout the film, the camera is usually placed below him and shot from a worm’s eye view to show largeness and superiority.
Q: How does Scorsese show the true sins of society?
A: Scorsese demonstrates the true sins of society through Jake LaMotta’s actions. Throughout the movie, he does things solely for his own purpose and own success. To begin, when trying to attract Vicky, he is solely doing it for his own personal life and his own desires. Later in the novel, he is fighting solely for money. When there are financial problems, he will not fight because of money issues. Later, he beats his wife and brother because he has his own problems. Than finally, when he is a bum at the end, he is trying to make a living just to feel good about himself.
Throuhgout the movie, if LaMotta made the right decisions and had his priorities straight, he would have been successful. However, his decisions are made solely for his own gain and proves to be his character flaw which leads to his demise.
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Movie: 1964, black and white, 95 min.
- Director: Stanley Kubrick
- Actors: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb is a comedic drama about United States Air Force General Ripper, who suspects communism against America. He sends bombers out to destroy the U.S.S.R. in hopes of destroying the Doomsday Machine. Former Nazi, Dr. Strangelove, attempts to stop these bombers, which will in actuality trigger the device.
Q: How does Kubrick portray both a comedy and a drama in one?
A: Throughout the film, Kubrick is able to portray comedic ideas while discussing extremely serious topics in a drama. He does this by switching back and forth between the two genres. To begin the film, the topic of bombs are discussed. The generals are nervous and are very serious. When they call their men that are in planes, however, the pilots are looking at Playboy magazines, playing cards, and doing crossword puzzles. Right when the audience thinks it is strictly a serious drama, the film takes a 180 degree turn and is comedic.
Later in the film, Strangelove needs quarters to warn an official about an attack. He finds a Coca-Cola machine and proceeds to shoot it with his gun in order to steal some quarters. While this is very serious as he is preventing an attack, the Coca-Cola machine sprays him in the face with Coke. He finally gets the quarters and right before he leaves, is sprayed again. The film quickly changes from serious, to funny, back to serious, and back to comedic once more.
Q: How do angles portray different ideas throughout the film?
A: Kubrick uses mainly low angle camera shots throughout the film to give the characters a powerful characteristic. Aside from the airplane shots, which are eye level in order to see the airplane, most other shots are from a low, even worm’s eye view. This is because every figure thoughout the film is important. There are US generals, the US president, the German ambassador, and many other important people in government.
To make these characters seem powerful, Kubrick shoots scenes from below to make them seem big, important, and powerful.
Taxi Driver
Movie: 1976, black and white, 113 min.
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Actors: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd
Taxi Driver is a story about Travis Bickle, an old war veteran who works as a nighttime taxi driver. He becomes obsessive over a teenage prostitute and attempts to save her at all costs. Although his intentions are good, what he does can ultimately lead him into trouble.
Q: How does Scorsese portray characters with camera shots?
A: Scorsese portrays important characters in the scene by keeping them in focus. When Bickle is applying for a job, he is in focus while a man at the bar behind is out of focus. However, soon after the man is in focus as the scene shifts to his actions.
Likwise, in the street, the important characters are focused. Bickle is almost always in focus while the other hundreds of passerbys are out of focus. Scorsese does this to keep the audience informed who is important in the scene while keeping in mind that the other characters in the scene are there to show background information.
Q: How does Scorsese create a sense of time?
A: Scorsese creates a sense of time through each scene. Besides daily actions, Scorsese creates gaps in times by displaying different events. When Bickle is walking down the street, he disappears and reappears farther up the street. This shows a gap in time and therefore, means Scorsese does not need to waste time with Bickle walking down the street.
Additionally, while in the taxi cab, stalking the woman in the room upstairs, the taxi fare goes up. We see the meter run and we hear each time the fare is raised. Although we only see the taxi meter, we know there is a lapse in time.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Movie: 1939, black and white, 129 min.
- Director: Frank Capra
- Actors: James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a drama about a young man, Jefferson Smith, who is appointed senator on short notice. He proceeds to go to Washington D.C and learn the realities of the US government. He finds out the government is not everything he once thought it was because there is a lot of political corruption, but he strives to bring back justice.
Q: How does Capra display Smith in Washington D.C.?
A: When Smith goes to Washington D.C., Capra portrays him as a very insignificant figure. Smith, who was recently appointed senator, has aspirations of being huge and important in government. However, Capra shows Smith next to the Lincoln Monument, and shows Smith looking up at his idol. Capra proceeds to show Jefferson looking up at all the previous presidents. This all shows how insignificant Smith is in the US government.
Later in the film, Capra shows Smith looking up at Lincoln again. This time, he is proving that Smith will never be as large or powerful as Lincoln was.
Q: What does Smith’s hat represent and why?
A: Throughout the film, Jefferson Smith’s hat plays a large roll. Smith never leaves without his hat. The hat could symbolize his desire to be like Lincoln, who always wore a top hat. However, more likely it represents Smith’s timidness and being worried.
When he speaks to Senator Paine’s daughter, he fidgets with his hat. He keeps dropping it on the floor, picks it back up, and drops it again. This shows his preocuppation with everything else on his mind that he is not focusing on what is at hand. Additionally, it shows how nervous he is to talk to this woman. In a later scene, Capra decides to show Smith talking to her, but only shows the hat, not Smith’s face. We see the hat being twirled, shuffled, and moved. He cannot stand still as he is so worried. Capra shows that although he aspires to be big, he has a long way to go.
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