Friday, April 29, 2011
Heart of Darkness- Congo River
I thought I would put in some pictures of the river.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEUjr7G0KNpSOseeZBiH0K3H_hum-k8feNS23pNSM0JvDTw8n83St4sfD90nj5Sn1CHn2VoqCqZzv30u3ukL8mvWjODGT-dY5VdH4uC6rcD-j2zAOH8HeY2xjHsMQHRpPhfBKL-nnFJDN1/s1600/congo-river-nat-geo.jpg
http://www.wackyowl.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/congo-river.jpg
http://inlinethumb04.webshots.com/43011/2344088890102973086S425x425Q85.jpg
What do you think? Did you think of the Garden of Eden when you first read the description of the river? Do you believe Marlow is voyaging back to Eden? But also, in what ways do you see this as evil?
I think it's interesting that the Conrad describes the river as snake-like and evil. Much like in the Garden of Eden, with the story of Adam and EVe, the snake represents evil. Could Marlow himself represent Adam being tempted by the "snake" and also going mad as the river continues? Or do you have a different version of this idea?
Just something to think about.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Colonialism and Ethnocentricism in Heart of Darkness
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Apocolypse Now
Any other thoughts about this connection between war and the darkening self?
Heart of Darkness
I wanted to comment that when taken in comparison with something like Mrs. Dalloway it is difficult to see this book as being experimental. However it is not the timeline that makes this story different it is the use of emotion (through the many adjectives) that makes this book experimental in nature.
For those of you that did not comment in class what are your thoughts?
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
"Apocalypse Now" opening
Additionally, I'm on the side that would argue that the film gets better throughout, as it builds on itself on a psychological level, getting more intense throughout, even if it's subtle.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Racism in Heart of Darkness?
-Danielle Holub
Sunday, April 24, 2011
"The Whole Shootin' Match" and regional film.
Theme of Light and Dark
Apocalypse Now
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Apocalypse Now
"Da Buddha"
"A Buddha is any human who has fullly awakened to
the true nature of existence, whose insight has totally transformed him or
her beyond birth, death, and subsequent rebirth, and who is enabled to help
others achieve the same enlightment"
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Film Noir in Apocalypse Now
Audio wise, you have the voice over first person narration of Sheen as well as quiet ambient noise, and a melancholic rock soundtrack, which is arguably what was popular at the time just as jazz/big band music was in the early 40s with film noir's melancholic jazz soundtrack. So does the noir-esqe narration help reinforce the idea of unreliable narrator of the uncanny?
In addition the plot is similar to the classic film noir detective story where Sheen's character plays this military 'detective' on a mission to track down the 'criminal' Kurtz, as well as battling internal moralistic values. So, is the film noir style effective in the adaptation of Heart of Darkness to Apocalypse Now? Why do you think the director Coppola chose to film it this way?
-Cassie
Monday, April 18, 2011
Is "Apocalypse Now" true to the novel "Heart of Darkness"?
Ride of the Valkyries
Mass Tragedy from a smaller point of view in film
During last Monday’s film, we discussed Violence when we were talking about Hiroshima mon Amour. The point was brought up that violence often evokes a purely emotional response before bringing about logical thought. I agree with this statement. We also discussed how bringing a massive tragedy into the perspective of a few people can have an interesting effect on the viewer.
As we were talking about this, I thought of the film Hotel Rwanda. I believe it is a great example of both of these topics. Hotel Rwanda drew attention to an event that wasn’t extremely well known and didn’t gain a lot of it previously. It does this by establishing a connection with individuals, mainly Don Cheadle’s character and his family. It continues by showing the horrible events of the Rwandan genocide. It shows scenes of mass violence, and how it effects this family. I think one of the most emotionally grabbing scenes was the one in which they are driving in the van and hit some bumps on a foggy day. They step out of the van and there are bodies everywhere.
I believe much of the film’s success comes in the story telling from the point of view of the hotel owner, who took in the oppressed people and protected them in his hotel. It helps the viewer relate to how such a huge tragedy could effect themselves, which I believe really puts it into perspective. If you haven’t seen Hotel Rwanda, I would highly recommend it.
RSD
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Hiroshima mon Amour
Narrator Credibility
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Hiroshima Mon Amour Language Barrier
Monday, April 11, 2011
Memory
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Pictures for Memory
HIroshima and the Confused Memory
Friday, April 8, 2011
Memory, shared consciousness
Here's a music video for the Scissor Sisters song "Invisible Light" that plays around with tangent imagery that somehow seems to make sense in our mind, based off rich experiences in visuals we encounter in our daily lives, in film, etc. http://vimeo.com/17444911 (probably NSFW by the way)
This sort of buildup of motion vectors within the piece always leads the audience to a new interpretation. It plays off what Eisenstein did in Battleship Potemkin. What do you think? Does this make sense when we look at these like this, as it connects to framing a narrative from memories, and our unconscious?
Thursday, April 7, 2011
The self-reflexivity of Contempt
I wonder if a lot of the sarcastic, self-reflexive, ironic things that Godard was doing in Contempt were just going over the heads of the producers or whether they gave in to his creative manipulation.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Nameless Characters
Last Year at Marienbad
Contempt and language
Themes of Last Year at Marienbad
Monday, April 4, 2011
A few thoughts on Contempt
First of all, did anyone else think it was odd how quickly Paul's wife turned on him? They went from being madly in love then he commits one alleged mistake and she's done with him. Even though the way they argue during the middle scene was realistic, I didn't find it realistic that his offense was truly unforgivable.
Another thing, I found Paul's internal dilemma reflected a broader theme of growing up, having dependents, in this case his wife, and losing idealism. Paul, like most artists, started out doing what he loved, but not making a lot of money. He was a playwright, but shifted to films so he could make money to give his wife what she wanted. The producer even says early in the film that he will take the money because he has a pretty wife. Paul's story is parallel to thousands of artists, be it writers or musicians, who have to either adjust to more financially lucrative activities or give up their hobbies in exchange for something that makes money. The public tends to throw out the term "sell out" quite a bit when referring to musicians who do what they need to do to make a buck, and Paul could be seen under this same lens. I don't think this label is fair, but it is certainly a common tale for artists. This may have reflected the same dilemma that Godard was facing as he took on his first big budget film which presumably landed him a fat pay check
Tracking Shots in Film
Sunday, April 3, 2011
The Motion of the Camera in Contempt
Yet at the same time, Godard almost seems to critique the idea of the tracking shot in the very beginning by showing a camera itself tracking a scene.
And for those are a fan of the tracking shot, I suggest for you to watch one of the most epic tracking shots, done by Godard himself in the short Weekend http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ScGLdfqdYo
-Cassie Hanks
An interesting thought via candy95...
Contempt-Cross cultural relations
Contempt
Contempt
So I just got done watching Contempt and I admit this was a very unique film. I understand that the film is about a film being shot but wow the men in the film really irritated me. What annoys me the most is the way the women were portrayed in the film. Of course, they are viewed as nothing but sex objects and I noticed a few inappropriate parts coming from Jerry and the way he treats Francessca. Although there weren't any actual sex scenes in the film it was obvious from the scenes where Camille is lying naked talking to Paul that those were suppose to represent sex. The truth is Jerry's character made it really hard for me to even like this film to begin with.
Also, it was strange to see Paul's character have no emotional response to Camille's death. All through out the film the two were bickering and fighting and yet he loved her so much. As soon as he finds out that Jerry and Camille are dead it was as if he was reading something in the newspaper but saying it aloud to Francessca. There was no grieving or feeling sorry for Camille who did love her husband but had fallen out of love because he kept leaving her and letting her go with Jerry instead. I think the reason why the film didn't bother to show Paul's character in grief is because the love was already gone between the two. In the film, Paul talks about how if he kills his lover's suitor then she will be mad and he will have lost her forever, but if he killed his lover then he would be all alone and have lost his love too. I think at that moment when he found out that she had died there was nothing else to feel because he had already lost her when she admitted that she despised him. Her mind was already made up so there was no changing it even if he tried some more.
What are your thoughts on the role of women in the film and Paul and Camille's relationship?
Friday, April 1, 2011
Human-like Robots > Robot-like humans
What do y'all think is more uncanny? A functional robot with emotions or a human being used for technology purposes alone?