Crash
Movie: 2004, color, 112 minutes
- Director: Paul Haggis
- Actors: Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, and Thandie Newton.
Crash is an American Drama set in Los Angeles that weaves together the stories of different characters that somehow all connect.
One of the main themes in this film is race. How is each race portrayed?
In Crash, race is an extremely important and crucial factor. Each race is portrayed in a different way, and the way the race is portrayed affects how we view each character. Costuming also plays a huge factor in how we view the character. Black people are viewed down upon in this film, bringing about a theme of segregation. There are 4 black man characters, and 2 of them are viewed as bad people because they are criminals, and the other 2 as good hard working people. This creates a conflict in our mind and in society – It would be prejudice to look down upon blacks as a whole if only 50% were criminals. The two criminal blacks wear normal clothing, trying to send the opposite message of who they really are. The other hard working blacks wear suits and nice clothing, as if to show that even though they are part of a looked down upon race, they can too rise above the crowd and have the American Dream. Something interesting about the music is in one of the scenes was when the shot switched to the black people, and rap music came on. When it switched back to the whites, on came the ambient/classical background music. Whites in this film are viewed as completely prejudiced and snotty, and the majority of the whites in this film look down on blacks in a degrading way.
When the two black criminals run over an Asian man and drive away without regard for his life, the camera swivels over to a nativity set in a window. What does the nativity set symbolize?
The nativity set symbolizes the sin the black men are committing before God’s eyes. It symbolizes the evil “black men represent”, even though that is an incredibly racist thing to symbolize as a whole. The interesting thing about one of the black criminals carries around a small statue (of religious value), and believes that he is still with God and that God is still on his side- even after he committed a hit and run murder. The nativity set symbolizes that God is in there watching, and that God sees everything and doesn’t forget anything.
Some Like It Hot
Movie: 1959, black and white, 120 min.
- Director: Billy Wilder
- Actors: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon
The Film Some Like It Hot is an American Comedy written and Directed by Billy Wilder. Two mucisians, Joe and Jerry, witness a massacre and want to find a way out of town before the mob comes and kills them too. They join a traveling all girl band pretending to be woman, and hilarious dilemma’s occur.
What does costuming do for this film?
Some Like It Hot won an Academy Award for best costume design in 1959. Costuming is of major importance in this film, because it’s the reason Joe and Jerry trick everyone into believing they are women, and therefore are able to join the girls band. The first time we see Joe and Jerry disguised as women, they are wearing wigs, make-up, high-heel shoes, dark dresses, jewelry, scarves, gloves and girly hats. Both Joe and Jerry must repeatedly put on this girly disguise so they can be seen as women. They even wear body suits to have a womanly figure! Marilyn’s costumes are equally as important because they show her curvaceous, full, sexy figure. From her costuming, we can tell what type of person Sugar Cane is, and the costuming was also created to display the essence of Marilyn Monroe. In a scene at the hotel where Sugar Cane is performing “I Wanna be Loved by You”, she wears a white dress with sequins on the bottom and a clear fabric in the chest area with two little stars in the middle- completely exposed and seductive, which was Marilyn Monroe’s signature look.
What role does wealth and class play in this film?
Wealth and class play an extremely important role in the film, because it is how everyone first classifies each other. Sugar Cane is in pursuit of a millionaire, and Joe (posing as Josephine) also decides to pose as “Junior”, a handsome millionaire in pursuit of Sugar Cane. A real millionaire tries to woo Jerry (posing as Daphne), and tempts him with money and material things. Wealth was of great importance in that day, because a pretty woman usually went for a wealthy man, forgetting about love and looks in exchange for material things. So if a man wanted a pretty woman, he had to be wealthy- which is why Joe chooses to pretend that he is one.
The Wizard of Oz
Movie: 1939, Technicolor, 101 minutes
- Director: Victor Fleming
- Actors: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger
The Wizard of Oz is a Technicolor adventure film made in 1939 about a young girl who lives in Kansas who is picked up by a tornado, and dropped into the magical land of OZ. There she embarks on a journey to find a wizard who will help her get home. On her journey, she meets a scarecrow, tin-man, and lion who also need help from the Wizard.
In the beginning of the film, Dorothy tries to balance on a fence that closes in the farm animals. What does this say about her character?
This short scene displays a lot about Dorothy’s character- without even trying. Dorothy jumps up on the fence in front of Hunk, and attempts to balance her way across. She falls down into a pool of farm animals, shell-shocked. This act shows that she is a bit of a daredevil, and she isn’t afraid of potentially dangerous things. It also shows that she is a bit silly/dumb/oblivious/happy-go-lucky, and that she doesn’t think of the bad possibility that could happen in a situation. This act foreshadows the future, and how she will get involved in some dangerous situations.
What role does costuming play in this film?
Costuming plays a huge part in The Wizard of Oz, because it reveals a lot about each character. We first see Dorothy and she is wearing a checkered farm style dress that is extremely simple and practical. Her hair is in braids, also displaying her as a farmer/down to earth type girl. When she arrives in OZ, she puts on the Ruby Red slippers, and from then on she’s seen as magical. The ruby red slippers signify power and prestige. Right off the bat, you can tell that Gallinda is a good witch because she is wearing a beautiful sparkly fluffy pink dress & a giant crown, and she is carrying a magic wand. In most people’s mind, a beautiful person would be a good witch, which is why the costume designers dressed her grandly and styled her beautifully. The bad witch on the other hand is styled extremely “ugly” looking, and her costume is styled to look wicked and mean. She wears a long black dress, black witch hat, long black cape, and has green skin. Now if someone dresses as a witch for Halloween, people dress like the Wicked Witch did because that is the image The Wizard of Oz created.
Movie: 1976, color, 113 min
- Director: Martin Scorsese
- Actors: Robert Deniro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepard
Taxi Driver is an American Psychological thriller about a psychologically unstable war veteran who takes a job as a Taxi Driver in New York City. People perceive him in a way he doesn’t want them too, and it causes him to descend into madness, trying to save a teen prostitute on the way.
In Taxi Driver, how does Scorsese use city signs as symbols?
In the film, Scorsese gives a lot of things symbolic meaning, including street signs. In the scene where Travis first sees Iris, she is being pulled out of his taxicab and back onto the street by “Sport”. As she appears back onto the street, above her is an apartment sign that reads “For Rent”. This shows a lot about her character, and what kind of a person she is. First of all, this foreshadows that she is a prostitute, and she basically “rents” her body out to pleasure people for money. This also shows that she is most likely mentally unstable, and probably had a difficult/struggled childhood. Another street sign that had a symbolic meaning (although not as heavy) was a sign above a street beggar (playing the accordian) that said was advertising for the “Goodwill”. This sign directly correlated to the beggar who was beneath it, and really gives you the essence of New York City life.
What significance does costuming have in the film?
In the film, costuming has extreme significance because it reveals something about the character and displays their development as a person. When we see Iris in the “$10 dollar room” scene, she wears a skimpy outfit- high waisted short shorts, a tie-top shirt (her belly showing), and a studded belt. But even though her outfit displays her as older, she keeps it fresh and young-looking by adding a wide brimmed sun hat. This is costuming at it’s finest- every detail paid attention to. A character who showed development through his costuming is Travis. In the beginning of the film, Travis has a sleazy relaxed look- he is unshaved, wears plain jeans, an old brown jacket (with a war veteran patch), and his hair is roughed up. In the middle of the film, he tried to appear more refined, and he is seen cleanly shaved wearing newer jeans, a nice flannel shirt, and sunglasses, making him appear hipper and smarter. In the ending scene, Travis has a shaved head with a think strip of hair in the middle, and an old sleazy jacket again, displaying the madness that has come over him.
All About Eve
Movie: 1950, Black and white, 138 min
- Director: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
- Actors: Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, Marilyn Monroe,
All About Eve is a show-business drama involving an aspiring actress named Eve and renowned Broadway star Margo Channing. Eve maneuvers her way into the stars life, and attempts to become her, replacing and taking over her career.
Eve is a very psychological character, who’s character unfolds during the duration of the film. How does Eve’s character develop?
In the beginning of the film, Eve’s character strikes us as a meke star-struck character with a desire, longing, to be apart of the theatre. Her idol is Margo Channing, and she attends every one of her shows. Eve gets to meet the stars, and displays herself as an even meeker character, drawing everyone’s heart with her sob childhood story. After Eve becomes Margo’s loyal secretary, it becomes apparent that Eve has a devious plan. We see Eve in front of the mirror, holding up Margo’s costume- what looks to be innocent is thrown off by the longing and conniving look in Eve’s eye (which is where her great acting came into play). As Eve becomes closer with all of Margo’s friends (including her boyfriend), Margo is plagued by jealousy and suspicion, and she begins to alienate her. This just makes Eve more confident, it seems to the audience that Eve has had this in her all along, and she was hiding it so she could maneuver her way into the show business world. As Eve becomes more infatuated with the world of fame and theatre, she becomes Margo’s alternate- which is now a theme we see in a lot of show-business dramas (the enemy playing the alternate and the star becoming paranoid). Eve’s cleverly calculated plan is then fully displayed, as she makes sure Margo cannot get home the night of the performance, causing Eve to play her part. After this scene, we realize that every bit of meekness and shyness Eve once had was all part of an act, and was all her acting.
From the get-go, she has full acting potential!
How does the ending of the film symbolize karma?
The film ends with Eve getting ready for her move out to Hollywood. First of all, Margo’s decision to take Eve in led to all kinds of mayhem and destruction that Margo never predicted. Eve ruined Margo’s ego, and deviously took her spot as the theatres “Golden Girl.” At the end of the film, Eve arrives home to find a young college student lying on her sofa. The student introduces herself as Phoebe, president of her school’s “Eve Harrington Fan Club.” Eve being incredibly tired, lets the girl stay. The last shot we see is of Phoebe in front of Eve’s mirror, wearing Eve’s jeweled cape and award, with a hungry look in her eye. This scene of slight déjà vu (referring back to the scene of Eve in front of Margo’s mirror) foreshadows exactly what is yet to come, and symbolizes the karma that Eve is yet to receive.
Forrest Gump
Movie: 1994, Color, 142 min
- Director: Robert Zemeckis
- Actors: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright Penn, Gary Sinise
Forrest Gump is an American drama/romance film about simple guy Forrest who has mental issues, little brain activity, but a big heart. Forrest achieves many big things throughout the course of the film and meets the president on several occasions, but he will never be satisfied untilthe love of his life and only childhood friend Jenny will love him back.
Jenny is a very confused and diverse character. How does her costuming signify what phase she is going through?
As a child, Jenny is abused and treated horribly- which causes her to be confused as to who she really is most of her life. In the beginning of the film, she is a child who wears nice dresses. The nice dresses and neat hair disguise what she’s going through at home, and at first lead us to believe that nothing is wrong. The next time we see Jenny, she is at an all girls school, and is wearing uniformed preppy clothing, which also seems to be hiding who she truly is. At this point she is at a time of her life where she is making some bad decisions. Jenny’s next phase is her longing to become a famous singer, and we find her completely naked, singing in a strip club. Her wearing completely nothing signifies the bareness she feels and the absence of something greater in her life. After Forrest fights in Vietnam, we see Jenny again and this time she has turned into a complete Hippie on drugs- she is wearing long flowy skirts, frontal bangs, etc. Her dress signifies that she probably didn’t know who she was and wanted to be, so she followed the crowd through the hippie movement that occurred. When Jenny comes back to Forrest, she is wearing a long flowy skirt, but a more conservative one with a white blouse, and her hair cut shorter. She looks a lot more put together, and a little more sure of herself. This dress signifies that she kept a little bit of her mindset from the hippie movement, but realized that the real her was put together, and not as free-spirited as the hippies.
How does the quote “Life is like a box of chocolates… you never know what you’re gonna get” apply to the film?
This quote that Forrest receives from his mama applies to the film in every way because Forrest is a character that achieves many random accomplishments throughout the course of his life. Throughout each scene, you are almost waiting, anticipating, what life will bring him next- each accomplishment is a surprise and joy to see unfold. Playing the world pingpong championship, creating Bubba Gump shrimp, and running across the USA for over 3 years.
Umberto D.
Movie: 1952, Black and White, 89 min
- Director: Vittorio De Sica
- Actors: Carlo Battisti, Maria-Pia Casilio, Lina Gennari
Umberto D. is about an aging retired civil servant, who is barely making it on government pension. Umberto’s only friends are his housemaid Maria, and his little dog Flike. He struggles to find a way to survive, and embarks on an extremely psychological journey.
What mood/environment do the settings in Umberto D. create?
Umberto D. takes place on the streets of post-war Italy- the setting is real and is one of true destruction. The non-pretty raw streets of Italy create a realism feel, which is what you see in Italian Neorealist films. The shaky camera movement paired up with the raw emotion the actors conveyed, the daily-ness (realness) everything was, and the grimy-ness of the setting created a very authentic film, and made the film extremely relatable and believable.
What does the very last scene leave you feeling? Why does it make you feel this way?
The very last scene is of Umberto and Flike, and they are walking down a park lane, playing. This scene is incredibly well done, and gives you a sense of hope. Umberto’s consecutive efforts to commit suicide have failed, due to his dogs smart timing. As Umberto walks down a path with his dog Flike, you realize that Umberto is not going to give up on life, and he will keep on pushing through the fight- not for himself, but for his little dog Flike. You also can’t help but wonder, what is going to happen if/when Flike dies? That’s a whole different subject- but it’s another question to explore.
City Lights
Movie: 1931, black and white, 87 min.
- Director: Charlie Chaplin
- Actors: Charlie Chaplin, Virginia Cherril, Harry Myers
The Film City Lights is an American silent film written and directed by Charlie Chaplin in 1931. The film is about a tramp who falls in love with a beautiful blind woman, leaving her under the impression that he is rich. The tramp received money from a drunken millionaire, and spends it on a surgery for the blind women that will fix her eyes, all the while knowing that he may never see her again because he was just a tramp.
How does the tramp act as a hero in the film?
The tramp acts as a savior in City Lights because he puts his own financial troubles aside to help another in need. He invests the only money he has into a blind girl’s surgery, changing her life, but all the while knowing he would probably never see her again, because he is only a tramp. In a way, the Tramp “resembles Jesus Christ” (1) because he helps those who are in need, and never judges or belittles another. He looked at everything optimistically, and was comfortable in his own skin. The tramp was often made fun of by young boys who threw stuff at him and condemned him. This represents when Jesus was placed upon the cross and was too, condemned. The tramps character is simply unique, because he also displays the Kohlbergs highest form of “the principles of human conscience”: “Level 6- I have a personal code of behavior and I follow it.” He behaves like a true gentleman throughout the movie, and he respects others. Although he knows that stealing is morally wrong, he decides that a human life (in this case, eyesight) is more important, which is one of the highest levels of thought and reasoning. The reasoning that human life comes before law, is at the top of the chain of thoughts.
(1) - http://www.bookrags.com/films/citylights1931/symbols.html
How do facial expressions play a part in City Lights?
Facial expressions play the most important part in City Lights, because it is a silent film. Like in other silent films, the characters have to really act with their facial expressions, because there was no information conveyed through speech. Just through Chaplin’s facial expressions, you can read his thoughts clearly (which is what all silent film actors and actresses aimed for). In the famous ending scene, Chaplin and Cherril’s facial expressions really come into play, because their performance needs to be able to show the viewers what they are feeling, and give them room to predict what’s going to happen next. “In City Lights just the last scene … I’m not acting …. Almost apologetic, standing outside myself and looking … It’s a beautiful scene, beautiful, and because it isn’t over-acted.” (Chaplin) What Chaplin says applies to the whole film, because actors had to know where to draw the line. They had to find the fine line between not showing enough expression, and overacting, which was hard to accomplish, - yet Chaplin did.
12 Angry Men
Movie: 1957, Black and White, 1957
- Director: Sidney Lumet
- Actors: Henry Fonda, Lee J.Cobb, and Martin Balsam
12 Angry Men is an American Drama/Courtroom film about a jury that has to make a decision that would either save or end a mans life. Eleven people of the jury want the trial to be over-with and all vote guilty. One intellectual man goes against the popular vote, and spends the rest of the film (set in one room all 96 minutes) convincing the other jurors that the accused could be innocent.
The film is set in one room for the entire duration. What effect does this have on the film?
The fact that the film is set in one room causes you to pay close attention to dialogue and small details. Because you only have one space to think about, your mind is more open to interpret the dialogue that’s taking place. You are also able to read characters a lot easier – there are a lot of close up shots that showcase facial expressions, emotions, and other details you wouldn’t usually notice. Also because there are 12 characters and it’s a dialogue-run film, you are able to fully analyze each character based on their words and actions. Also, the film being set in one room gives you a nervous feeling of anticipation, because you become anxious to know when the decision will be made, and when they will finally be aloud to leave the room.
Juror #7 is ready to declare the accused guilty based on prejudices of his own, without any real evidence. What does this say about Juror #7?
Juror #7 is a very frustrated character, and by the things that he says and does we guess that he may have had some troubles of his own in the past, either with himself or with others of different race. Juror #7 is an extremely prejudice man who is quick to judge based on no evidence, which displays his lack of patience and lack of compassion. When Juror #7 is trying to convince the rest of the Jury that people of the accusor’s kind are born that way and they all commit crimes, 9 of the jurors stand up, walk to the wall and turn their back to him. Juror #7 gets extremely frustrated, and doesn’t understand what’s happening and why nobody believes him. This shows his lack of intellect as a character, and lack of correct morals as a character.
