so at first i wasnt sure what to think of this class. i was kinda intimadated by my teacher and the other students. on the first day we had to tell everyone what our favorite movie is. most people had these really deep movies that are commended for their cinematography. so i was getting pretty nervous, what should i say? i couldnt possibly be honest and tell the whole class my favorite movie is sisterhood of the traveling pants. so i said fight club. in hindsight i should have listed a few movies so people would think i was well rounded.
so my teacher is totally a member of the writers guild. so in my opinion class should be canceled while they are on strike. professor kevanos has this passionate rich voice. i just want him to narrate my life.
we started out watching thiss horrible racist film, Birth of a Nation.aside from being so dumb and promoting the reclamation the South after the uncivil blacks had destroyed the great southern values. the black cast members are portrayed as lesser beings. white supremacy is shown trough dialog and behaviors. even though the southerners had lost the civil war they retained their honor and dignity by caring for one another, and working hard for the cause. they were shown as the victims of slavery in America.
aside from that it was three hours long! and silent! ew.
then we watched battleship potemkin. i originally thought we might be viewing some russian version of pokemon (gotta catch em all!). but i was wrong.
the next movie was the german film metropolis. eh. nothing really to say about this one.
then we got to watch gold rush. a great charlie chaplin movie.
so funny!
like for reals laughing out loud.
then today we watched It Happened One Night. clark gable and claudette colbert. so cute. so funny. i was impressed. i still have about 20 minutes left that i still have to watch. but i am actually looking forward to doing that homework.
:]
so im looking forward to the rest of the class. now that we have gotten out of the silent era.
:]
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
film class.
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3 comments:
i'm glad you are liking this class...film is so pivotal in our culture and it is interesting to see how it affects our culture.
in regards to our chat about good ole charlie and his politcal scandals, here is something from wikipedia:
"Although Chaplin had his major successes in the United States and was a resident from 1914 to 1952, he always retained his British nationality. During the era of McCarthyism, Chaplin was accused of "un-American activities" as a suspected communist sympathizer and J. Edgar Hoover, who had instructed the FBI to keep extensive secret files on him, tried to end his United States residency. FBI pressure on Chaplin grew after his 1942 campaign for a second European front in the war and reached a critical level in the late 1940s, when Congressional figures threatened to call him as a witness in hearings. This was never done, probably from fear of Chaplin's ability to lampoon the investigators.[5] This was probably a wise decision, as Chaplin later stated that, if called, he wanted to appear dressed in his Tramp costume.[citation needed]
In 1952, Chaplin left the US for what was intended as a brief trip home to the United Kingdom for the London premiere of Limelight. Hoover learned of the trip and negotiated with the Immigration and Naturalization Service to revoke Chaplin's re-entry permit. Chaplin decided not to re-enter the United States, writing; ".....Since the end of the last world war, I have been the object of lies and propaganda by powerful reactionary groups who, by their influence and by the aid of America's yellow press, have created an unhealthy atmosphere in which liberal-minded individuals can be singled out and persecuted. Under these conditions I find it virtually impossible to continue my motion-picture work, and I have therefore given up my residence in the United States."[6]
Chaplin then made his home in Vevey, Switzerland. He briefly and triumphantly returned to the United States in April 1972, with his wife, to receive an Honorary Oscar, and was welcomed warmly."
Always go with "Citizen Kane" when someone asks what you favorite film is.
All you have to say is "Three reasons, 1) the movie is told first in broad strokes, then in fine detail. 2) the Rosebud thing is awesome. 3) the whole movie is in sharp focus...from the foreground, to the background. Everything is crystal clear. No depth of field at all.
Even if you don't know what those things mean, most others won't either, so you will really sound like a film snob. I'm sure you guys will watch it since it is consistently ranked #1 year after year. But watch for those things when you see it.
Plus Orson Welles was dead sexy.
GAHHH i'm SO jealous!!!! Gold Rush is hilarious, and It happend one night is so cute! DAMN!
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