Weblog #5- "Golddiggers of 1933"

Golddiggers of 1933 by Mervin Leroy is a musical about the lives of three showgirls as they struggle to make ends meet by finding work and falling in love. After watching this film, I would definitely categorize it as a Busby Berkely musical for many reasons. First, there are a number of elaborate musical productions that turn the normal theatre space into fantasy space. This was most obvious during the song "Pettin' in the Park." During this scene, the actors are supposedly only performing on a regular stage; however, due to cutting and fading in and out of certain spaces and images, the audience is taken to an almost fantasy world where there is much more going on than could actually fit on a stage. For example, the camera zooms in on the picture of monkeys on Paulie's cracker box and when it zooms back out, we see real monkeys in a cage in a real park. This is done to make the scene more elaborate and create excitement within the audience as they view fantasy coming to life. Another reason this film can be classified as a Busby Berkely musical is because the actors are no longer singled out, but become parts of a greater wholistic image within the scene. No longer are we as viewers solely able to look at Paulie and Brad. Instead, the use of the new fantasy space created by the different shots and transitions by the camera allows us to focus on a more abstract scene.

One prominent theme I noticed in this film was the mention and meaning associated with both monetary and personal worth. The value of money is a theme presented throughout the entire film, seen at the very start when we hear the opening number "We're in the Money." The three main showgirls are also struggling to support themselves and desire money in exchange for their work in the show as well as from two men that two of the women first use to simply buy them things. Personal worth and value is also a theme in this film concerning both the women and the veterans seen in the last musical number that closes the film. Being seen as nothing more than "vulgar showgirls" by most of the main men in the movie forces Paulie, Trixie, and Carol to prove their worth to others and show that they are people to be valued. Also, by portraying the veterans first in WWI uniforms and then standing in line for food sends a message to the audience that these men who once risked their lives for our country are now being forced to succumb to the Depression just like everyone else. To me, it was a way to let viewers know that these men should be appreciated and valued for their duty to our country.

This film was very fun to watch. I have always been a big fan of musicals, but have not seen too many classics or musical films probably from before the 1960s. I enjoyed this film very much as well as the clips we viewed of other musicals.

Weblog #4- "Baby Face"

Baby Face (1933) is a film about a woman who uses her sexuality and power over men to move up in the world of business and get what she wants. It falls into the Fallen Woman category of film because of the way the main character, Lily, trades sex for power in order to remain economically and financially stable. It is somewhat similar, however, to the idea of gangster films we have viewed because it still deals with a person who will do just about anything to get ahead. Where in gangster films the main male character will often use violence to get what he wants, in this fallen woman film the main female character uses sexuality in order to control men into giving her what she desires.

Throughout the film, Lily goes from man to man using them for many different reasons. It starts out with convincing a young man who catches her and her servant, Chico, stowing away on a train to not take them to prison. With a few blinks of her eyes and the line, "why don't we go sit down and talk this over," Lily has the man mesmerized. The remaining majority of the film revolves around Lily's seduction of a variety of business men. With each one, she utters the same line and convinces them to give her what she wants solely based on her sexual nature. Also, with each man she moves higher up in the business world and becomes wealtheir and wealthier as she persuades them to give her money. While she is physically getting everything she wants, Lily is still emotionally unhappy, never finding love or true happiness with any of the men. Only when she meets and begins dating Trentholm, a man who sees through her unmoral actions but is willing to accept them, does she truly find peace and is able to finally give up all the material securities she once thought she needed. This is an aspect of the film that I found interesting. Some may view Lily's manipulation of men a form of female empowerment; however, she is not internally empowered until she meets the right man. Instead, the exchange of sex for power and money only leaves her empty and unsettled. It is interesting to me that Lily felt complete and happy only when she fell in love and found security in a man. Perhaps another theme that can be taken away from this aspect is that one cannot find solice only in the material things in life.

I really enjoyed this film. Apart from the fact that it had sound, making it slightly more enjoyable than some of the silent films we viewed, it was amusing and very fun to watch.

Weblog #3- "Scarface"

Scarface (1932) by Howard Hawks was a very well done gangster film that let audiences see into the lives of the gangsters themselves. One of the most important elements of this film was the development of the characters. Each character, from Tony the main gangster to his sister Cesca, was developed in such detail that it brought more life to the movie. By presenting each character in such an in depth fashion, the director created opportunities for audience members to sympathize with them when they encountered trouble. For example, when Cesca was hit by Tony and was being constantly yelled at for her supposedly wrongful ways of life, I was able to look at her as though she were my own sister and, therefore, sympathize with the sadness she felt brought on by her brother. Another great example of brilliant character development is seen with Tony. Even though he is clearly a bad guy who murders people without showing an ounce of remorse, we feel for him in certain situations because we are able to see his human side through the scenes with his family and with Poppy, the girl he likes.

Along with the great character development, Scarface also contained symbolism. Every time someone was murdered, the audience could see an X, either in the shadows or cast down by certain lighting sequences. In the films we have seen so far, none of them have incorporated symbolism into any scenes. I believe it was vitally used in this film because of the code of crime restrictions. Directors could not show both the man getting killed and the man doing the shooting in the same camera shot because critics believed this was to violent. Therefore, the director clearly chose to incorporate the X into every scene when someone is killed to remind audiences of what has happened. Tony's scar is also in the shape of an X, which could even foreshadow his death that occurs at the end of the film.

One main theme that I noticed in this film came from the words on a sign seen in certain scenes of the film. It read "The world is yours." I believe this was meant to inform audiences that it is up to them, or us, to stop violence and we cannot always leave it up to the police or government. Text seen at the very beginning of the film asks "What are you [audience] going to do about it[crime/violence] ?" This made it clear that this film was trying to send a message to people that the end of violence is in their hands, and we all must do our part to stop it. I really enjoyed this film, especially its use of comic relief, and I hope to one day see the remake in order to compare similarities.

Weblog Post 2- "Redskin"

The film Redskin (1929) by Victor Schertzinger contained many important elements and issues. For example, it was a huge step forward concerning the aspects of characters and the film as a narrative. Unlike earlier silent films, Redskin portrayed immense character developments and had an actual storyline for the audience to follow and become invested in. Also, it can be classified as a melodrama for many reasons: it revolves mostly around the decisions of Wing Foot and Corn Blossom and their love for each other, no main characters die tragically, and most importantly it has a happy ending. This was a significant quality of all melodramas during this time. Each narrative began peacefully before being disturbed by some antagonist character, and eventually action led to resolution and a peaceful ending.

Along with breaking boundaries as a narrative film, Redskin also took a huge step forward technologically. The use of color in the film was not only advanced, but it also pertained to the setting and mood of the story. For example, most of the film was in color with the exception of the scenes involving the Native American boarding school. This could symbolize the dreariness and negative impacts the school had on the Native American children. Also, stunts and tricks became more difficult and provided better action sequences for the film. Make-up was also used, especially with Wing Foot, to intesify the mood and expression of the characters.

One theme of this film and the most significant message I took away concerns education. The portrayal of education is completely oppositte the portrayal in Within Our Gates. In that film, education is seen as the tool to help African Americans become "useful" members of society. It is looked upon as a positive addition to their lives. In Redskin, however, education is seen as the demise of the Indian culture in young children. In the case of Wing Foot, being forced into the "white man's" education stripped him of his identity of both a Native American and a man who could fit in to the white society. It is interesting how Wing Foot is taken from his home to be educated for the purpose of assimilating into the white man's culture, yet after completing that education he is not welcome to assimilate. After returning home to his tribe, he is also pushed away and forced to live on his own. Instead of education making his life better, it takes away his identity and forces him to live as an outcast in between two worlds. I thought this depiction of edcucation was interesting and truly showed what occurred with many Native American children who were sent to real Boarding Schools.

English 339- Weblog Post 1

The film Within Our Gates (1919) by Oscar Micheaux is a brilliant silent film with many plot lines and underlying themes. Ideas and themes such as religion, justice, and women's rights all presented themselves in the film, as well as storylines that included flashbacks and many characters. One of the most important aspects I noticed while watching the film was the importance of education and how it ties into the rights desired by African Americans and how most white people agree they should not be educated. One of the main stories within this film is how Sylvia Landry is struggling to raise money for a school for African American children. She eventually finds the money that amounts to way beyond what she first needed from a kind Northern white woman named Mrs. Warwick. Though the school was properly funded and was able to continue educating African American children, it did not stop another Northern white woman with the name of Mrs. Stratton to give her opinions on the matter. A racist herself, she advises Mrs. Warwick not to give Sylvia the funds and instead donate a lot less money to the "Negro Preacher" who preaches to keep African Americans in their right place. Mrs. Stratton's opinions represent the opinions of many white women at that time regarding the education and status of African Americans. She did not believe they were of any real use to the nation and thought they did not deserve an education. As a result of this thinking, some African American people began to adopt this way of thinking. For example, the African American man in the film who begs for his two children to be educated reasons that with that education they would be of "actual use" to society.

Another aspect that struck me while watching this film concerns technology. The different shots and clips taken by the camera as well as the director's style choices set a certain tone throughout the film. For example, the use of cross-cutting allows the viewer to see what is going on with two different sets of people at different locations simultaneously. This occurred in the film several times, most noticably to me when Mr. Gridlestone was talking with Mr. Landry and the man responsible for killing Mr. Gridlestone was outside the window. The director did not have to show the actions of both sets of characters at the same time, but in doing so he created suspense for the viewers wondering who was going to get shot or why this man was there in the first place.

The dream sequences in the film and the way there were shown were also a way to depict the characters' internal thoughts. Pointed out in our class discussion was the use of fast clips to show the incredible differences between the lives of the whites and the African Americans. By switching quickly back and forth using fast clips the director is able to portray just how significant the aspects are of the poor or "lowly" African Americans versus the rich white people in the film. The use of all these technological elements may seem run of the mill in today's world of film; however, they were seen as truly unique and skilled ways of filming that made Within Our Gates an extraordinary film.