Rarely has a film impacted an audience and held the test of time as the film Gone with the Wind. I have always been curious if director, Victor Fleming and producer, David O. Selznick and screenplay writer, Sidney Howard knew what they were creating a masterpiece and how this film would have such an enormous impact on audiences for years to come. Interestingly enough there were some who thought the film should not be made, as Irving Thalberg said to Louis B. Meyer in 1936, “Forget it Louis, no Civil War picture ever made a nickel” (Ten Films that Shook the World). This romantic melodrama was released in January, 1940, yet it was at the 1939 Academy Awards that Gone with the Wind was nominated for thirteen awards, the eight awards that were won were Best Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actress, Screenplay, Color Cinematography, Art Direction, and Editing (Ten Films that Shook the World). ”If the total income for Gone with the Wind were to be adjusted for inflation, it would be considered the most successful of all time” (Ten Films that Shook the World). When you think of “Gone with the Wind” from a film criticism standpoint, it’s hard to judge it by the Auteur Theory, which states that the director is supreme overlord of a films artistic merit because in the case of Gone with the Wind, Fleming takes a back seat to Selznick. The film chronicles the grandeur and splendor of the Old South, how it crumbles during the Civil War and the New South during reconstruction. The characters are basically simple folk living a simple life until their world is shattered by the Civil War and this devastation creates a new world, one which will require courage and resilience to survive. Selznick genius in the aspects of cinematography lighting, sound, costumes and societal impact and genre…
The veteran Louie Zamperini enlisted in 1941 was a bombardier of his plane during World War 2. After spending 47 days on a raft after his plane crash and surviving being a prisoner of war by the Japanese caused him to be a war hero. Louie Zamperini is the person being portrayed on the base on a true story movie called” Unbroken”. Zamperini in high school broke all of his high school track records, and after high school he joined the Olympics at age 19 where he broke the 5000 meter dash record. After the war Zamperinni has many accomplishment after the war beginning his new life from where he started, Christianity, and Fame.…
The 1989 movie Glory by Edward Zwick is about the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry army for the Union army during the civil war. The movie was about a federal army that was one of the first African American armies and the hardships the endured due to their race. Throughout the movie the soldiers are first given small manual tasks but then are finally able to fight in the war. The movie shows how the men were trained to fight in combat but how they were given little supplies and were not given the big tasks they were ready for and asked for. Glory shows how the men were punishable just as if they were still slaves and how most of the men were not given enough food and not supplied with adequate equipment because they…
In the 1997 movie, Gattaca, Vincent Freeman is an invalid born into a valid world. This means his parents decided not to pick and choose the ideal genes in the process of conceiving him, causing Vincent to be born with heart problems, asthma, and myopia. He then makes the decision to become Jerome Eugene Morrow and pass himself off as valid in order to achieve his dream of traveling into space. In the movie, there is a clear divide between the valids and invalids, revealing many connections to sociology. Through the poor treatment of invalids, the worshipping of valids, and the lengths Vincent goes through as Gerome all connect to symbolic interaction, Durkheim’s labeling theory, deviance, and the structural-functional paradigm.…
Many people lived in Casablanca, but it was hard for most to leave due to the Nazis wanting them. People are held in Casablanca in spite of their legal rights. Rick is an American who doesn’t do things for anyone and only worries about himself. He moved from Paris to Casablanca, and he opened a café in Casablanca. He meets up with his ex girlfriend, Ilsa, who broke his heart in Paris. They still have feelings for one another. She came into his café with Laszlo only to visit Casablanca. Then she found out that he had the letters of transit, which she needed, so she had a hard time leaving Casablanca. The letters of transit allowed them to travel freely throughout areas that the German controlled. The Nazis shut down Rick’s café because they found out that there was gambling going on in there. Ilsa snuck over to Rick’s café and pulled a gun on him because he wouldn’t give…
“In this bright future you can’t forget your past.” Sweet, simple, and to the point was this quote said by Jamaican reggae artist Bob Marley. The major theme of this movie is returning to the past to understand your future. In the beginning of the film the protagonist starts off as Mona, a self-centered model oblivious to her surroundings, and its importance. She stood on the very ground where many of our ancestors were chained and held captive until voyage, yet all she did was smile inartistically into the camera. Later while exploring she found herself trapped in a slave trade, and she became delirious. As the slave masters proceeded to pull her back into the dungeon for branding she screamed “I’m not like them, I am not one of them”. I find that in today’s society without blatantly screaming it, the African American culture is doing just that, separating ourselves so we’re not like them.…
In the movie, Ordinary People, the Jarrett family face quite intense conflicts throughout their everyday lives after a son, and brother, of the family dies in a boating incident. The family’s overall dysfunction results from each person’s unhealthy way of grieving and not letting out their emotions and sorrow. Instances in which the family’s dysfunction was shown include: at the breakfast table, in the family’s backyard, when putting up the Christmas tree, at the mall, and when the mother, Beth, and the dad, Calvin, were on vacation. Beth Jarrett, especially, does not practice supplying Conrad, her son, with needs, such as those of Maslow’s Hierarchy of human needs, like love and belonging. She does this by examples like refusing to have a conversation about the death of Buck, the one who drowned in a boating incident. The father, Calvin, is quite distant and tries to reconnect with his depressed and suicidal son, but struggles to do so. Conrad, himself, copes with the help of his psychiatrist, Dr. Berger. The ways each member of the family uses fight and/or flight mode are a myriad, and this, along with possible conflict management strategies, which they could have utilized and have helped the Jarretts, will be expounded upon.…
When reading the two side by side you feel a sense of sadness for the lost love of the writer. In the song and in the poem the words are beautiful and very…
Eva represents a distinctive unit of the Von Geislers which historically resembles those who were brutally killed in concentration camps during World War II. Her impact in the film depicts some true-life events that occurred to child victims. Eva’s appearance is one significant feature she shares in common with young females in the 1940s. Her white delicate dress and matching ribbon in her pigtails resemble what typical young girls would wear. Symbolically, this outfit is relic of her past before she was abducted by the Von Geislers. It is intended to represent her life with her real family, and now it is indicative of where she has stopped growing mentally. In historical context, Eva is meant to represent young Jewish girls that were able…
I had intended on going to the vigil Wednesday night (2/8) but much to my dismay, there was no vigil (or I missed it). So instead of attending a diversity event for this paper, I watched a documentary on Netflix called 13th. This film discusses the issue of racism in the United States criminal justice system; specifically relating to how the 13th amendment transformed the view of African Americans from slaves to criminals.…
In contrary to a stage or screen performance, a documentary film displays real people living everyday life. For many viewers, the notion of documentary film is based on the genuineness of a normal individual playing his or her role in society; without being staged or designed by a producer. However, documentary films, in the aim to portray a daily routine, may encompass professional actors to reenact such performance. Bill Nichols, professor of Cinema at San Francisco State University and author of Introduction to Documentary, helps us distinguish the differences between a social and professional actor. Nichols explained that a social actor “presents themselves in everyday…
Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory is presented throughout the whole movie Up, a movie about aging and empowerment. Erikson’s psychosocial theory is described as a development occurring in eight different stages across the lifespan. In each stage there are different conflicts, areas of focus, and outcomes. Usually, there is a challenge in of the eight stages, which is considered to be a normal and healthy part of getting through the stage and developing.…
In this movie Vivian Bearings is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She is given “experimental” treatment. Some of the other characters include: Dr. Kelekian, the head doctor who informed her of her diagnosis; Jason Posner, the detached kid doctor and Susie, the sympathetic nurse. Throughout the movie Vivian goes through the different stages of death and dying, for example denial, anger, depression and acceptance.…
People have a lot of bad times, but you just got to keep moving on. There is some good times to get by that can make a big difference in someone's life. In the poem "Life" by Paul Laurence Dunbar discuss about situations in life that shows nothing but sadness. But demonstrates that a bit happiness can overcome sadness. This can be the result of the poem by the author's writing in the poem. Although the poem is small it contains displays events that are good and bad, hence the poem is called life. Paul Laurence Dunbar shows vivid descriptions of times of distress. And the juxtaposition…
Students will read and write a variety of non-fiction expository and argumentative genres, as well as reading, viewing, and reacting to short stories, films, and poetry.…