Desperately Seeking Susan

Keith Harper Jr.
Desperately Seeking Susan
Year of Film Release: 1985
TRT: 104 Minutes
Language: English
Director: Susan Seidelman
No awards

Desperately Seeking Susan was a different type of movie for myself. In the era of the "No Wave" this film was considered a B-Rated movie. The movie is mainly about a post in the classified ad . Where Susan (the main character) would post in the classifieds so the person she was desperately seeking could find her. Arquette notices these posting and becomes curious to who Susan is seeking. With these occurrences happening the plot starts to reverse roles and the story seems to get crazy. The roles are played well by both of the main characters which are interesting because of their backgrounds.

The first article I read was " Desperately Seeking Susan" by Roger Ebert. He seemed to enjoy the film. Noting that it is about a character Susan who places classified ads seeking someone. And that Arquette grows interested in classified ads and follows Susan. Roger likes to point out that the movie does not move with the self-confidence that its complicated plot requires. The film seems to have so many convoluted ideas but ends up working out in the end with the reversing plots. According toa apolloguide.com Director Susan Seidelman and screenwriter Leora Barish have created a new-fashioned screwball comedy, one that combines improbable elements, from ancient Egyptian artifacts and dead mobsters to stage magic and downtown New York chic, with classic conceits like mistaken identity and romantic conundrums: Should Roberta return home to dorky hubby Gary (Mark Blum), the “Spa King of New Jersey,” or let herself fall in love with funky Dez? The entire cast has a ball with this delightfully original madcap confection: Quinn and Arquette are terrific together; Madonna oozes the seductively sleazy and yet somehow still innocent charm of her original incarnation, all fishnet and visible bras, junk jewellery, and devil-may-care attitude; Laurie Metcalf is a hoot as Gary’s Stepfordesque sister; and Will Patton, as the requisite bad guy who also thinks Roberta is Susan, does what would become his usual sleaze ball routine with gusto. And John Turturro and comedian Stephen Wright have fun with small parts.

The two articles kind of changed my perspective of the movie, because mainly I wasn't the biggest fan. They both pointed out key points in the movie that made sense to why things were done in the fashion they were done in the movie. Like the style the movie was done in was excessive because everything in the 1980s was excessive. That was just how they did things in that time frame. That was there way of expressing themselves.

Overall i thought the movie was kind of chessy and boring. It was like one knew what was going to happen. I know for the time periode being the 80's the directer did whaetver they could do but the story could have been told and shown better. I didn't like the ending with the bad guy after Susan getting clocked and in the head and that was it. I still would recommend people to see it if they were really into the 80's other than that i would pass. But good pick Dr. Mirrer.

work cited:
roger ebert.com
apollomoviereviews.com

Spirit of the Beehive

Keith Harper Jr.
The Spirit of the Beehive(1973)
Director: Víctor Erice
Total Running Time: 97 Min.
Awards: (1974) Cec Award (best Director, Film, Actor)
(1977) Premio ACE ( Best director, Actress)
Language: Spanish

This film, The Spirit of the Beehive, was very interesting. This film is about a young girl that lives in a small village in 1940 in spain shortyly after the civil war ended. The young girl, Ana, sees the movie "Frankenstein" with her older sister, Isabel, and finds it very interesting and wants to know more about the story. In The Spirit of the Beehive, it uses a lot of symbolism through the characters. The Bees represent the society under facism, Teresa represents hope, Ana represents the innocent republicans, and Isabel represents the powerful nationalists.

The first article was entitled "The Depth of a Child's Gaze" by Nicolas Rapold. In this article the writer explains the essence of the film dealing with "Spirit". And how Ana's older sister Isabel inflames her imagination with talks of spirits in an abandon barn, to late they discover a fugitive hiding out there. He also points out that the director is a admirer to silent films. That in this film he accomplishes to use minimum amount of dialogue, but his images speak volumes. The second article was entitled "The Spirit of the Beehive" by Noel Murray. Noel points out a few crucial points in the movie. Like the conversation they girls share with their father.Tihis conversation brings the girls to do some experimenting of their own.

The articles I read helped me understand the film even more. They both touched on things that I may of either missed watching the film or just did not understand during watching the film. They showed how the curiosity of two little girls can be seen as a heartwarming story. When the little girls are curious about the movie "Frankenstein" the other sister explains to her that, "Movies are all fake" and that those things could not happen. The director returns to how "Frankenstein" is "beautiful," because it reflects "the great mysteries of creation." From the articles they show that the film is meant to nudge adult viewers back to a childlike state and faintly confuse them. "Spirit" is also to been seen as death in the film, but darker mysteries still run together with life in Ana's experience.

I think this film was done very well but far to long and drawn out.That scene is the child in us all, the help we would like to give, but aren't always capable of doing. With that scene we see the pure heart of a child connecting with the her viewing of the movie "Frankenstein". The film was done very well since it was made during those times of Franco's dictatorship. But i guess when one has a story to tell time is not a factor. this is simply a must see.

Italian Neo-Realism and French New Wave

Keith Harper, Jr.

Italian Neo-Realism style of filming can be defined as a low budget style of filming that uses low budget actors and also can have a poor style of background. this type style of filming could also be considered as underground style of filming used to portray poverty and the struggles of every day life in Italy after World War II. Popular film figures such as Vittorio De Sica, Federico Fellini, and Roberto Rossellini were all figures of Italian Neo Realism. All of these figures depicted the struggle economics challenges that the war caused to people.

The French New Wave was another style of filming which included filmmakers such as Jean Cocteau, and Jean-Luc Godard. These filmakers all came up from the late 1940's through the 1960's. These Filmmakers style of filming had a mix of Italian-neo realism and also a bit of Hollywood cinema. The French new wave gave birth to a certain style of shooting such as in their films there would always be tracking shots that would last for a while. The New Wave also gave birth to rapid shots of scenes and also had more dialogue than films in the past.Notable Films in the French new wave are Beauty and the Beast, Breathless and Week End.

workcited:http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Independent-Film-Road-Movies/Neorealism-HISTORICAL-ORIGINS-OF-ITALIAN-NEOREALISM.html
http://books.google.com/books?id=feDyNCFtJloC&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+french+new+wave&source=bl&ots=oN_8uoZmYr&sig=eXb-6HFOgxJuNhzdTt23oP81S1c&hl=en&ei=9DwJTaDRHIWosAOB5Ln4Dg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAjgK#v=onepage&q&f=false

Un Chien Andalou

Keith Harper Jr.
Un Chien Andalou
Director: Luis Buñuel
Running Time: 16 Min.
Language: Silent
Awards: None

This film was wierd but yet intertesting. The film has creepy music, weird actors and crazy scenes. Just by looking at the cover of this film, people would be creeped out. The most amazeing thing to me had to be the special effects used for the era. For this film to have been made in 1929 that is crazy how they were able to cut the eye ball and create the ants crwaling on the actors hand. I belive this film really freaked some people out but like i stated early the were intriged by the version brought to scene. I belive every who is a movie person should see this at lease once.

Reaction to NY times Articles

Mario Peixoto's 'Limite' Makes Its Way to Brooklyn
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/10/movies/10cinema.html

The article talks about how all of the films, although old, have a lot of social awareness in them. Director Martin Scorsese founded the nonprofit organization in 2007. In its mission statement, the foundation describes itself as “dedicated to preserving and restoring neglected films from around the world,” and in one way or another, each of the 12 films in the BAMcinématek program falls into that category. I think it is great for movies to get this exposure, while shown at a Brooklyn film festival where people can finally experience it.

Film of Paul Bowles Short Story Rediscovered
://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/13/movies/13driver.html

When I came across reading this article i was simply amazed. Ms. Driver spent the past years thinking her critically acclaimed would never be seen by the public again, until one day when it was found by accident by a research from University of Delaware. This really makes me think how quickly things can change. Now thanks to some good luck her film is back on tack to being viewed by the public. It really gives hope to what other lost works of art are sitting in someones study completely forgotten.

La Belle et la Bete

Keith Harper Jr.
“La belle et la bête”
aka Beauty and the Beast
Released Dec. 23, 1947
French with English subtitles
Directed by Jean Cocteau

La Belle et la Bete is a 1946 French film directed by Jean Cocteau which was based on two different French fairytales, the narratives of which were combined and altered to be adapted into a finalized film version. The story of a beautiful young woman who is imprisoned by a Beast in order to ensure her father's safety, who takes pity on her hideous captor and ultimately ends up falling in love with him, is a story most know and cherish because of its animated Disney version. This film, however, is anything but Disney. It's dark and at times frightening, blending eerie effects with the mystical and supernatural. The film's surrealist and romantic tone created by Cocteau lend to holding La Belle et la Bete's place as an extremely fine work of art. This film is important to film theory because of its interesting genre, a blend of surrealism, romance, and fantasy which was rare at the time but is seen quite often in modern moviemaking.

According to http://www.film.u-net.com/Movies/Reviews/Belle_Bete.html Jean Cocteau has brought to life a visual masterpiece. From the intricate and convincing make-up of the Beast and the surreal splendour of the bewitched castle to the unadorned simplicity of Beauty and the brutal gaudiness of her sisters, every frame is a feast for the eyes. Light and darkness seem to caress the screen as the movie runs. The challenge of these surroundings is met by the cast (preventing this from being some arty-farty flick), each member of which fills and broadens their character (especially Jean Marais). The aura of amour drifts through every scene, underpinning the story and leading us to a triumphant conclusion which celebrates the victory of love over all obstacles (although it is intriguing that the transformation removes an essential element from the Beast). We believe in this fairy-tale and that is how it should be. This Article talks about how Cocteau brings darkness and convinceing make-up to his verison of beauty and the beast. The second article I read was at Filmsdefrance.com by Dennis Grunes. He looks at the film as symbolism of the freedom and liberation of France. He associates the Beast’s shame to the shame of France being occupied. He too notes the dramatics throughout the film: the slow motion, the fairy tale like foliage and the enchantments of the castle. At the end he feels the symbolic meaning is the freedom of France.

Both atricle make a great point when it comes to Cocteaus's verson. Armes makes a good point with the realism of the unreal. The story seems almost plausible while you’re watching it, even though it’s a surreal tale. I think as they stated in the first article Cocteau did a great job with the darknessand convinceing make-up. The aura of amora added to the intensity oof each scene.

I personally enjoyed the film alot. I always enjoyed the disney version. So seeing this version really kept my interest as we watched. I aslo enjoyed that this version was more darker and intese then the cartoon version. I think this is a must see for all beauty and the beast fans.

“Rashomon”

Keith Harper, Jr
“Rashomon”
Language: Japanese
Release Date: Dec. 26, 1951
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Color: Black and white

Nominated Oscar - Best Art Direction, Won Blue Ribbon Award – Best Screenplay
“Rashomon” created the Rashomon effect which is perception by recollection. Like in the movie, all the characters have a different story and can be perceived by the viewer as reliable or unreliable. The choice to make the film black and white adds to the mystery of the murder and the instability of each witness.
Rashomon is a 1950 Japanese crime mystery film directed by Akira Kurosawa. It can be said to have introduced Kurosawa and Japanese cinema to Western audiences, albeit to a small and discerning number of theatres, and is considered one of his masterpieces. The film won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and also received an Academy Honorary Award at the 24th Academy Awards.

Also visible in this film is the feminist view, as well as the formalist view. I think that maybe the film maker was trying to show how weird the treatment of women is in Japan. Formalist theories play more into production values such as lighting, sound, shots, etc. The use of the music which would almost fit into a western and the "first ever" shot of the sun in film was used for a specific purpose.
According to Rodger Ebert of RodgerEbert.com. The genius of "Rashomon" is that all of the flashbacks are both true and false. True, in that they present an accurate portrait of what each witness thinks happened. False, because as Kurosawa observes in his autobiography, "Human beings are unable to be honest with themselves about themselves. They cannot talk about themselves without embellishing."
According to thecityreview.com. The message of the film, therefore, would seem to be that truth is relative, fragile, fleeting and uncertain. In his review of the film, James Berardinelli noted that that movie "is not about culpability or innocence." "Instead, it focuses on something far more profound and thought-provoking: the inability of any one man to know the truth, no matter how clearly he thinks he sees things. Perspective distorts reality and makes the absolute truth unknowable.

Personally i did not like the movie to much. I thought it was far to long and the story line and plot were terrible. I felt it just dragged out and wasn't that interesting.I did not like them sticking to the same few scenes the entire movie. However i did enjoy the fight scenes.

work citied
rodgerebert.com
http://www.thecityreview.com/rashomon.html

400 Blows Journal Entry

Slug:Keith Harper,Jr,10-11-10,400 Blows,French Language Film, Released November 16,1959, the film also won best director award at the 1959 Cannes Film Fest.the Critics Award of the 1959 New York Film Critics' Circle and the Best European Film Award at 1960's Bodil Awards. It was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 32nd Academy Awards.

400 Blows is a powerful film Intensely touching story of a misunderstood young adolescent who left without attention, delves into a life of petty crime.
400 Blows , for example, seems a clear descendant of the Italian neorealism of Vittorio De Sica and Cesare Zavattini, though more personal and autobiographical in tone—other elements, potentially at odds with naturalism, combined with it. The film also shows forms of montage editeing.

400 Blows’ does have some subtle cuts and editorial techniques that are worth exploring. It is almost as if Truffaut is announcing to the world of cinema “this is my style, folks that I will employ in almost all my films to come”. This style works for ‘The 400 Blows’, a film about an twelve year old boy’s rebellion against society, and indeed for most of Truffaut’s later work. According to passionforcinema.com. Also according to nytimes.com The striking distinctions of it are the clarity and honesty with which it presents a moving story of the troubles of a 12-year-old boy. Where previous films on similar subjects have been fatted and fictionalized with all sorts of adult misconceptions and sentimentalities, this is a smashingly convincing demonstration on the level of the boy—cool, firm and realistic, without a false note or a trace of goo d.

Both articles are right about the boys rebellion agaist society. The film also use editeding to make you feel the intensity of each seen. The film is also lokked at as Truffaut's (who is the director) greatest form of work. Overall the film while watching the film one cannot turn away becuase as the viewer one wants to kno what happens next.

My opinion of the 400 Blow's film overall was very positive. This was a very interesting film that one could not turn away fom the screen. I could not help but want to follow this boys life and want to know what would happen next. The editorial techniques used also amazed me becuase of the time the film was made. I think that it is amazeing what they were able to capture in 1959 with the limited tech the had.. Overall i recommand this film to watch.