Movie Review: Un Chien Andalou (An Andalusian Dog, 1929)

We were able to see this 16-minute silent surrealist film entitled 'Un Chien Andalou' in our Cinema class last week. When the movie started, it was quite hard to understand because it seemed like the scenes are not related to each other at all. The time frame keeps on jumping to another time frame, and the flow of the whole story is not that clear to me. When a scenes comes up, I would be like "what happened? what's going to happen now?". There are a lot of actions in the movie that surely had meanings but I wasn't able to catch those up.

I find it difficult to understand the film because it feels like the film makes no sense at all not in a bad way though.  Everything going on with the film were dream-like and I think that it allows the audience to analyze the meaning behind it. The infamous razor eye slicing made me cringe, it was very disturbing and at the same time questionable because I really wasn't able to understand why it became like that.

Maybe because I am more exposed to films that has dialogue and everything that is why I find it hard to understand a film that is silent all throughout but nevertheless, I'm still convinced that this film is one of the most surreal film that was ever made in the film history.

You can watch the full movie HERE. :)

French Impressionism and Surrealism (1918-1930)

French Impressionism can also be referred as the 'first-avant grande' or 'narrative-avant grande'. Most of the impressionist filmmakers started out working for major french companies and some of their works proved financially successful. In Surrealism, the filmmakers relied on their own means and private patronage.

France had been one of the centers of the film industry but they had been traumatize from a serious blow struck by World War 1. French films were unable to compete with the American films on a large scale, their film exports were limited to those countries that had steady cultural exchange. And because of that, a door opened for them to imitate the typical Hollywood films and they thought that it's a way to recapture the market. French films often adapted from theater productions and focuses more on character psychology. The french industry concentrated on finding innovative ways to portray their characters' inner personalities and that is when French Impressionist Cinema movement started.

Abel Gance, Marcel L'Herbier, Germaine Dulac, and Jean Epstein are those directors who genuinely pushed the boundaries of cinema. They worked part-time and at the same time serving their studios with more conventional work. Impressionist directors were able to expand their movement while still being supported with commercial minded employers. The previous generation considered filmmaking as a commercial graft though the younger filmmakers wrote essays saying that cinema was an art comparable to poetry, painting etc.

Surrealism cinema produced films that are perplexed and shocked most of their audiences. It was more radical movement. We have discussed in our class that Surrealist cinema is overtly anti-narrative, attacking causality itself. Those are silent films and doesn't have dialogue but the visual being shown in the film will definitely attack its viewers.

The Star System in Filmmaking

While doing my research and some readings, I have learned that the star system is considered as one of the most controversial contributions of film to the long history of acting. It is the method of exploiting movie stars in Classical Hollywood Cinema. The agency or studios would select and glamorize promising young actors to the point where they create personas for them, inventing new names and even changing their backgrounds for them to fit the 'star' bubble.

Star system emphasize more on the image rather than the acting, although discreet acting, voice and dancing lessons were all a common part of it. I've also read that women were expected to behave like elegant ladies and they always have to dress up in a very stylish way while Men were expected to be seen in public as a total gentlemen, in that way people will recognize them as the perfect celebrity.

The studio executives and the staffs helps the actor to build a star persona. They work together to avoid things that would damage the image of their actor. They are also the ones in-charge in making up dates between male and female stars to stir up publicity. In show business, it is essential that the actors are well known because it will determine how long they would stay on the spotlight. If you want to be a total star, you have to be publicized. And their main goal is to help their actor boost its popularity. In short, it is their responsibility to protect the actor by covering up everything that would make him/her fall down. 

German Expressionism (1919-1926)

photo cr: http://www.spaightwoodgalleries.com

Notes

• Horror films and Film Noir are influenced by German Expressionism
• In 1916, film imports were banned except from neutral Denmark.
• Production increased rapidly, from a dozen of small companies in 1911.
• UFA (Universum Film Aktiengesellschaft) A move toward control of not only the German market but the postwar international market as well.
• German film industry concentrated on three genres.
• Popular adventure serial, Featuring spy rings and Clever detectives.
• As an avant garde movement, Expressionism had first been important in painting.
• German Expressionism depends heavily on mise-en-scene.
• Shapes are distorted and exaggerated unrealistically for expressive purposes.
• Actors often wear heavy make-up and move in jerky or slow patterns.
• Caligari is one of the typical examples of German Expressionism
• It was prevalent in the 1920s
• Remembered films are such as "The Cabinet of Dr.Caligari" (Robert Weiner, 1920), Nosferatu (F.W Murnau, 1922) and Sunrise (F.W Murnau, 1922).
• The story lines of German Expressionist films are matched the visuals in terms of darkness and disillusionment.

Source: Film Art Book by Bordwell and Thompson

Review Paper: The Film School Generation: Blockbuster Directors

Being a Director is one of the most important roles in a film industry. They considered as the eyes and ears of the whole film production.  As we define a “Director”  he or she is the one that controls the film’s artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizing the script. They create an overall vision through which a film gets eventually “born”.  Since he/she depends on a successful cooperation of a lot of different creative individuals with possibly strongly contradicting artistic ideals and visions, he also needs "to be a diplomat" in order mediate whenever necessary.
The five directors with magical minds who created the blockbuster movies in the 60s-70s represented what Hollywood did best with the works like E.T, The Godfather and the Untouchables. They are the filmmakers who thought they could change the world, and they actually did.  Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Francis Coppola, Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma are those five young directors who are also knows as the “movie brats” that made some of the most successful movies of all time.
They created the “phenomenon” of a blockbuster movie.

Steven Spielberg

As a movie fan, I consider him as one of the geniuses in the American film industry. He’s one of those directors that didn’t even go to a film school.  And in my opinion, Steven Spielberg thinks of his audience because he wouldn’t be able to create a blockbuster film if he’s just thinking of himself. He considers his audience as well but of course he gave his own touch in it.  When Steven Spielberg does a science fiction movie he can do no wrong but the line doesn't stop for him there he can do drama movies that touch just as well and sure we can list and talk about all of them but at the end of the day it’s about how he got his movie to speak to you.

George Lucas

He never imagined that he would end up in a film school because at first he wanted to be an illustrator. George Lucas is best known as the creator of the Star Wars saga. A common theme throughout Lucas's works is escape. His films tend to emphasize visuals and plot. They often include chase scenes of some sort, and are often edited to move along at a fast pace. Him being a director, I have this feeling that he thinks of himself because I've read some news articles about his involvement in the Star Wars Saga that until now he is still not endearing himself to the Star Wars fans.

Francis Coppola

As for this talented director, he’s that kind of director that thinks of his audience because his style is that his characters don’t always have to say what they are thinking, the audience knows it already and the music helps them feel it too. He’s the one who founded American Zoetrope, the production company that gave many film artists both a home and help their careers.  He thinks of his client/audience more than anyone else. He is such an inspiration because of his craft.

Martin Scorsese

This director has been acknowledged as the best filmmaker in his generation. His red-blooded canon has spawned a generation of copycats while his muscular style has become a template. In my opinion, he’s also one of those directors that think of his audience. He experienced failure in the past but still he was able to accumulate great deal of cultural prestige and power. He was able to make blockbuster films that changed Hollywood.

Brian De Palma

American director Brian De Palma has always insisted that he gained his fascination with all things gory by watching his father, an orthopedic surgeon, at work. It's more likely that the principal influence on De Palma's career was Alfred Hitchcock, a fascination he has claimed to have outgrown professionally. In my opinion, I think that he thinks of his audience. His film genres are thriller and horror that deals with love and obsession, in which the lead character is haunted by what he has seen or heard. In a way, all these films are about the human senses, and about cinema itself, which are the only means through which the characters make sense of the world around them.

A film is something that a person can relate on. That’s why I believe that if you don’t think of your audience while making a film, you won’t be able to communicate with them as a director. You should consider them first because they are the ones who will absorb the movie. The way your characters communicate with the audience is a big impact for the viewers.

You can watch the complete parts of the whole documentary here.

Reflection Paper: The Hollywood Style

Watching this documentary, I've learned that the "Hollywood Style" on filmmaking is very unique and extraordinary in my opinion. They are able to create films that are beyond our expectations because they have this sense of creativity in them that can be seen in the movies as results. Obviously there's a very big difference between the films in the past and those films today but we cannot deny that the quality just improved a lot. Discipline is a very important factor, from the director, staffs and of course the actors in the film. 

The history of American Film is greatly discussed in this documentary. The words by men and women who made those movies struck me, their talented minds and incomparable discipline are one of the main factors why their movie became a hit. They were able to tell the actors the right emotions and they give them this motivation to act out the scene perfectly. I am very impressed with the methods they used to motivate their actors.

And also witnessing the American production method will definitely help us to determine how different it is from their foreign compatriots. I've also seen the basic materials they used for production which is a big help because I am now informed and I am curious to know more about it. The directors also discussed here how they were able to achieve different film effects with the available resources or materials.

I believe that this documentary is a very helpful tool for us Mass Communication students because it will help us understand more how Americans produce their films that affects us as well.

Movie Review: Trainspotting

During our cinema class, we are able to get to see the movie “Trainspotting” starring Ewan McGregor as a drug dealer with his other friends. It is a black comedy/drama film that deals with substance abuse. In some western countries, using drugs for their personal satisfaction is just normal but in fact, they don’t consider what the result might be. According to the articles I have read about substance abuse, once you get addicted to it, it’s hard to stop. You won’t be able to control yourself anymore because the drug is already attached to your system. In this movie,  Mark Renton along with his friends Spud and Sick boy are addicted to heroin. Heroin is a highly addictive drug derived from morphine, which is obtained from the opium poppy. It is a “downer” or depressant that affects the brain's pleasure. They used heroin to satisfy their needs and to heal their emotional wounds. 
      
The movie had lots of great shots. We have discussed the different camera shots in this class and some of the examples are from this movie. I am so impressed on how they handled the different camera angles to emphasize each scene and for the viewers to appreciate the movie more. It’s very realistic, you can tell already what they are up to just with the dialogue and the way they speak. The facial expressions and how the actors portray their roles are superb. The close up shots that are seen in the movie, they emphasized the feeling of a person that is under influenced of substance abuse. The treatment of the whole film is quite ridiculous but the sound effects during the scenes made it so real like you’re really watching a bunch of kids wasting their life injecting heroin to their system. The close up shots are job well done because as an audience, I was able to tell the feelings of each character. I am so impressed with the whole film’s cinematography.  The way they focus each characters and the tracking shots are truly an art.

Watching Trainspotting is like a wakeup call to everyone who are using drugs and for those who wants to use heroin. In this movie, they will be able to witness what terrible things might happen to them when they use drugs. The character Mark Renton was able to escape from the horrible world of using drugs because he realized that there are more important things that he should be doing, he was able to overcome his addiction because he really wanted to change his self for the sake of his health and of course his family. He probably realized that he doesn’t want to die the same way his friends did. His other friend Tommy died because of the complications in his body due to substance abuse. It serves as a wakeup call for him to be a better person.  This movie might not be widely accepted because of the superb amount of violence and sexual scenes but it is inspiring for those people who want to change for the better and escape from the world of drug addiction.

I find the ending of Trainspotting very interesting and at the same time very crucial. When Mark Renton met up again with his friends because of Tommy’s passing, they started hanging out together again. They started drinking just like before Mark stopped doing drugs. That time Sick Boy suggested a heroin transaction but needs Mark to supply the initial £4,000. After they purchased the heroin, Renton injects himself with a sample to test its purity. The four were able to sell the heroin for £16,000. Early in the morning, Mark took all the money from Begbie’s arms and left the room where they were all sleeping. Spud saw him leave but he didn’t say anything at all. While Mark was walking away with the money, he vows that he will live a stable and traditional life just like the ordinary people then the next scene was Spud finding the £2,000 Renton has left for him.

It was a very nice touch of the ending, it makes people realize that if you want to change for the better you are very free to do it as long as you have the will and determination to escape from your dark side. Everyone has a second chance, even third, fourth, fifth and so on. You just have to believe and trust yourself that you can surpass and overcome everything as long as you’re aware that you are in the right path.

Konnichiwa!

This blog is made for our Cinema101 class and it will contain different entries regarding films including movie reviews and reaction papers. If you have some questions or just simply want to share something, feel free to comment. Have fun reading!