Film History: 1990's

As we look at the recent history of film and television in the 1990's it's a bit easier to contextualize the social and historical factors around films.  In television we talked about the major series such as: Seinfeld, The Simpsons, Friends, and we watched the "Norm and Cliff's Excellent Adventure" episode of Cheers which came to an end in 1993.  The film are watching is one of my favorites,  Lasse Hallström's 1993 drama What's Eating Gilbert Grape starring  Johnny Depp, Juliette Lewis, and Leonardo DiCaprio.  Below are the three questions to answer on your reaction paper which is due on Wednesday:

The town of Endora is, in a sense, a major character in the film and there are a few distinct parts of the town that seem to serve an important symbolic purpose such as the water tower, the grocery stores, and even the town's name itself.  Discuss why and how these elements work in the film and what their symbolic meanings are.

The cast of the film is pretty amazing from the stars like Depp & DiCaprio to the supporting actors like John C. Reilly & Crispin Glover so it's not a surprise that the performances are terrific too but putting the major characters aside choose three supporting actors and talk about what their purpose in the film is, what do they represent? If you removed them what would be lost?

Finally, what is the theme or moral of the film, what's it trying to say?  Give evidence from the film to support your ideas

Film History: Ghostbusters

In 1984 the film Ghostbusters became a phenomena and the stars who wrote the film Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis began a classic film franchise which is still continuing with a script for Ghostbusters 3 still supposedly in development.  We talked a bit about  Ivan Reitman direction and the cultural significance of the film but for your essay well focus mostly on acting and writing so answer the following three questions in a two page typed paper for Friday June 1:

The comedic moments of the film are often hinged on the actors ability to relate to each other as a ensemble, describe a scene which worked thanks to the interplay of the primary cast: Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis and describe what specifically makes you care about the characters as a viewer.

The effects are dated at times but somehow they still work and the film still is fun to watch, use a scene from the film and discuss what makes the ghost work despite the outdated effects?

The location plays an important role in the film, discuss how the city of New York is woven into the film and what makes it work as a character in the film for the audience?  Why New York?

Film History: Network

In Film History class we recently screened a long segment of the Sidney Lumet film Network and discussed it's place in history.  The satire of the film in a sense predicted the future and for your reaction paper you'll need to discuss Howard Beale's rant shown above where he calls out television and in a larger sense media for it's ability to produce propaganda and create the information that becomes seen as the truth in many minds.  Answer the following three questions in a two paged, typed, double spaced reaction paper which is due on Monday May 21:

How did you interpret Howard Beale's rants in the film based on what we know about his character as the film progresses?  Do you think he's gone 'mad' or is speaking his own truth knowingly?  Does it matter?

The film was made at a time when network news was one of the primary places people received information from, this has changed dramatically with the advent of 24 hour cable news, the Internet, smart phones, and blogging.  What was the film's message about the media then and how has it changed for today?

The film shows the network using the 'Ecumenical Liberation Army' terrorist group (based on the Symbionese Liberation Army) for ratings, in your opinion how outlandish is that in today's media world?  Use examples both from the film and modern sources to explain your answer.

Film History: The Graduate

This week we watch one of my favorite films The Graduate and we talked about the film as well as the impact the film had socially and on films afterwards. Director Mike Nichols introduced some major innovations in the film that we discussed and the story itself and characters are distinct and memorable.  In our paper we'll discuss these aspects along with the film's unique ending so in a two-page typed paper answer the following three questions:

After deconstructing the film, what is the film really about (aka what it the theme) and how does it hold up over time as the movie is now over 40 years old.

How did the innovations in the use of sound, music, and editing help support the overall film?

The end of the film leaves the audience up in the air in some sense based on what you know and how you feel about the characters of Ben and Elaine, what do you think became of them after the film's conclusion (use evidence from the film to support your theory).

Also just a FYI Mike Nichols will be doing a Times Talk this Monday May 7, 2012 which will be webcast if you're interested!

Film History: The 1950's

The 1950's were a huge decade in film and television with films like: On The Waterfront, The Caine Mutiny, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, All About Eve, Singing In The Rain, Blackboard Jungle, The Seven Year Itch, Peyton Place, Bridge Over the River Kwai, BEN-HUR, Anatomy of a Murder, and Rear Window.

Before we look at film we'll take a look at television, specifically the Alfred Hitchcock Presents show and we'll watch the Emmy nominated episode directed by Hitchcock himself titled "The Case of Mr. Pelham" from 1955 which stars Tom Ewell.

After the episode we'll learn a little more about Hitchcock and then watch Dial M For Murder starring Grace Kelly. The film may not be one of the most famous Hitchcock films today but it's a great example of how the master of suspense works and after the film you will be writing an two-page typed essay on the following questions:


How does the Dial M For Murder reflect the time in which it was made?

How did you feel about the main characters, Tony and Margot Wendice, as the film progressed?

How do you feel about the conclusion, what do you think happens after the final scene?

Film History: Orson Welles vs. Charles Foster Kane

We watched Citizen Kane in class and discussed the amazing story of how the film was made, the technical innovations it brought to film, and the people behind it. The essential question of the film and the subject of your two page, typed essay is:

Who is Charles Foster Kane and what is his motivation?

Look at the decisions the character makes and discuss why he makes them beased on what you learned about the character and what you know about the people behind him: Orson Welles and William Randolf Hearst. The paper is due Wednesday and it's the final assignment for this quarter so make sure it's a good one!

Film History: Research Project I- The Directors

In Film History class we we be working on creating a 5 page presentation on PowerPoint with a title page, a video clip with a scene, a bulleted biography, and explanation of the director’s style. Below is the list of directors we'll be looking at and we'll watch the finished presentations and then conclude with a short quiz that includes each of them. I created the list based on the their number of Academy Awards nominations (they've all been nominated for at least 3). Above is a clip about director John Ford who has won the most Academy Awards for Best Director, 4 in total: 1935- The Informer, 1940- The Grapes of Wrath, 1941- How Green Was My Valley, 1952- The Quiet Man.

Billy Wilder
David Lean
Elia Kazan
Francis Ford Coppola
Frank Capra
Fred Zinnemann
George Cukor
George Stevens
Joel & Ethan Coen
John Ford
John Huston
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Martin Scorsese
Michael Curtiz
Mike Nicholls
Milos Forman
Robert Wise
Steven Spielberg
Woody Allen

Film History: Chaplin

This week we will be looking at the films of Charlie Chaplin in film history class, one of the most successful and recognisable comic actors ever. We will be viewing a selection of clips from his films and watching his classic Modern Times as well as the film about him starring Robert Downey Jr.