Ladri di Biciclette (1948), director Vittorio De Sica - review
CINE262 L a d r i d i B i c i c l e t t e F o l l o w i n g t h e s l o w a n d t i r e d s t e p s Yin Chi Lui In Ladri di Biciclette (1948), director Vittorio De Sica portrays an Italy full of unemployment - where people turn to superstition when confronted by uncertainty, where authorities are virtually invisible, where helplessness and despair overshadow the peace of the post-war period. One of the earlier influential titles in the neo-realism category, Ladri di Biciclette employs some of the most notable techniques that define neo-realism to present a vividly true picture of the then Italy - and, thus, turning an imagined incident into a true story that every audience can relate to. Ladri di Biciclette, on the surface, talks about a lower middle class jobless father's despair and frustration after his working tool, his bicycle, gets stolen; yet, in all its subtlety, the movie explores the disparity of wealth and treatment between the middle and the upper class in the society; and questions the importance of morality when the basic needs of one is hardly met. Ricci finds himself in merry land when his search for job ends with an offering as a billsticker - only if he owns a bicycle. At the cost of all the bed sheets of his home, he is able to go to his first day of work - a day that ends with dismay for his bicycle is stolen. His search for the
Porgy and Bess Reaction.
Benjamin Wulf IFA Jerome Stanley Porgy and Bess Reaction Before Gershwin's opera, Porgy and Bess, the interaction between blacks and whites was always controversial. With the opening of Porgy and Bess, inequalities where put onto the stage for everyone to see, forever changing the opera community, transforming the audience and reinventing what opera is and what opera should be. Gershwin's opera was an invasion of the white-dominated theatrical world. Whether the white theater goers liked it or not, they were going to have to view the individual and race wide struggles of African-American men and women in a three hour opera. Porgy and Bess symbolizes something that is very much real. It shows things in society that people did not want to acknowledge were there and it spawned an entire cultural awareness, leaving a vivid memory of injustice and inequality. The idea of an opera being dominated by blacks was unimaginable at the time. Without even mentioning the story, this was an amazing breakthrough for blacks, although it was not achieved without struggle. They had to fight for respect as performers and where under appreciated and under paid and were forced to perform in front of a segregated audience. The opera acts out the undeserved hardships that African Americans were facing on a day to day basis. In the opera, they all work on a plantation, little more
On November 29, 1963 President Johnson issued an executive order to investigate the assassination of JFK.
Randy Horne Miss Dooley Section 021 October 8, 2003 Un-Midterm On November 29, 1963 President Johnson issued an executive order to investigate the assassination of JFK. The findings of this report concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone gunman, three shots were fired, and that one bullet caused the throat wound the Kennedy as well as all of the wounds of governor Connelly. Later in 1979 another commission concluded that there were four shots, but that Oswald fired the fatal shot, as well as the single bullet that struck Kennedy and Connelly. The above conclusions are highly debatable, and in my opinion completely false. My belief consists of the following: Oswald had no part in the assassination, there were upwards to 5-7 shots fired by more than one assassin, the fatal shot to Kennedy came from the front, and that the single bullet theory is physically impossible. The basis of my belief is based upon factual research, expert testimonies and eyewitness reports. To prove that Oswald had not part in the assassination one must look at the testimony of Victoria Adams, Roy truly, and officer McDaniel. According to all three of their testimonies, Oswald was found in the 2nd floor lobby drinking a coca cola in a "calm and collected state" no more that 90 seconds after the assassination. In order for this to be the case, Oswald must have run down 4 flights of stairs
Race and Representation in the Film Jedda
Year 9 English - Race and Representation in the Film Jedda - Catalina Clema Jedda, Australia's first colour film, created in 1955 by Charles Chauvel deals with an Aboriginal child adopted by a white grazing family. As she grows up, Jedda is tempted more and more to return to her people. Seduced by the wild Marbuck, she partakes in the film's tragedy, played out against a spectacular landscape. This essay seeks to discuss the representations of the Australian landscape as portrayed in the film Jedda, highlighting the use of filmic techniques in these representations. One of the first representations encountered in the film Jedda is the portrayal of Australia as a tourist destination in the exposition of the film. This glorified view of the landscape is conveyed to the audience through the use of bold visual images and birds eye camera angels. The visual images, as well as portraying Australia as a tourist destination, also adopt the romanticised Hollywood view of the landscape that many American westerns use to emphasise their appeal to an audience of European background. An example of this romanticised view can be seen in the incorporation of camera shots of landscapes such as rolling planes of dry grassy land, and areas of steep rocky hillsides. This style of filming has been incorporated into the exposition to highlight the drama, beauty and primeval nature of the
Crash Analysis
Crash Analysis Crash is a groundbreaking film that came to our cinema screens in 2004. The cast is well known and they all play new characters to their genre of film. The film has been Oscar nominated and has made more money then the director could ever imagine. The director of this film, Paul Haggis has deliberately shown the audience race relations and how we treat each other today so the audience can make there own preconceptions. He likes to do this so that people are forced to confront difficult issues. Mr Haggis wants people to think about his film after they have watched it instead of just forgetting all about it and saying, "that was a nice film". He says the idea of the film came to him the night after September 11th 2001 at about 2am. He said he had his own memories from when he had a car - jacking experience ten years previous to that night. As well as the extreme close ups used the music also music shows emotion for instance when the little girl gets shot all we can hear is the music, which makes us take in what is happening at that time. The music is by Mark Isham and he uses a non-digetic soundtrack. Paul Haggis wrote this film as well as directing it. The film uses a non - linier structure, which the audience may find harder to understand. He uses multiple narrative strands as he weaves all the characters stories through the busy streets of Los
How does the 1955 film rebel without a cause establish many of the generic conventions of teen movies?
How does the 1955 film rebel without a cause establish many of the generic conventions of teen movies? 'Rebel without a cause' was the first ever film to be targeted at the newly established Teenage audience and caused the creation 'Teen Movie' genre because of its incredible success. The creators of Rebel without a cause saw that there was enormous potential for the teen audience as they had never been targeted before and they had money to spend on entertainment as they had no outgoings at all. The film starred James Dean as Jim Stark the troubled teenager in a new town. He is portrayed as the outsider and the protagonist as he fights his oppressive authoritative figures. The main theme running through this film is the outsider being absorbed into the new community and the struggle for acceptance. This can be seen in 'Rebel' as Jim is trying to be incorporated into the new town and how he strives to overcome many obstacles. This theme can also be seen in other films such as 'Save the last dance' as the white protagonist Sara Johnson tries to fit into the very proud black society. The narrative of initiation can be tied into the absorption theme in that in Rebel the chicken run must be completed before Jim will be accepted by buzz and the bully gang. This theme is reflected in later films such as grease where the race must be completed to resolve conflict between the
In what ways does La Haine reflect aspects of "Realism"?
In what ways does La Haine reflect aspects of "Realism"? In the mid 1990's when La Haine was released it was met to great critical acclaim as it presented the major social issues at the time for modern day France. The problem of social exclusion was (and still is) one of the biggest political issues in France, and the director\writer's intention was to tackle it head-on. One of the reasons that La Haine worked so well in attracting large audiences and media attention was how realistic the film appeared to be. This is achieved in a number of ways, including elements in the setting, language, narrative structure, and so on. The film was shot in black and white, which immediately gives La Haine a sense of authenticity with a gritty and realistic look. La Haine is set in les banlieue, in the suburbs of Paris. From shooting on location in France, the audience can really get a feel for the living conditions and increases the believability and realism dramatically. As well as the run-down, gritty scenery, location shooting has the advantage of completely free-moving camerawork, giving La Haine a distinct documentary style. From using this, the director gives the film a feel of validity. An example of this used in the film is where they gang are loitering on the rooftop, and the camera follows them about, staying with them - as if we are part of the group. This first-person
Contrasts in the film Gallipoli
Pavlína Tejcová - 6th year Selected chapters from Australian history in film PhDr. Jitka Vlckova, Ph.D. 24 September 2004 Contrasts in the film Gallipoli Millions of people died in World War I. It was a shattering historic event, which altered the shape of the world, the balance of power among nations. But what about the matters of personal outlook? What about those men in trenches, suffering soldiers in this murderous, never-ending game of war? Who ever thought about them? Well, the movie, Gallipoli certainly did. The film portrays how World War I affected the little people, rather than how it was molded and shaped by great leaders and vast impersonal forces. Archy and Frank, like 330,000 other Australians (Concise History of Australia, 234), find unity in their compulsion to seek out adventure and competition in a foreign land. Not essentially a war film, it is a film about war. Weir has been careful to avoid dismissing the tragic tale of Australia´s ill-fated attempt to gain control of the Dardanelles as a mere action film. Instead, he emphasizes the journey (both physical and mental) of the two main characters. Through this journey motif, a number of contrasting issues arise that help to explain Australia´s involvement in the First World War. The contrast between these issues contributes to the concrete dichotomy in Gallipoli: national versus colonial. Still
Compare 'The Matrix' and 'Charlie's Angels' films, especially the two rescue scenes.
GCSE Media Coursework January 2003 · Essay Title: Compare 'The Matrix' and 'Charlie's Angels' films, especially the two rescue scenes. Charlie's Angels is an action comedy film, which borrows ideas from other well-known movies such as 'Mission Impossible', 'James Bond' and 'The Matrix'. It is not very original or challenging, has a weak and predicable plot, and is merely an update on the 1970's television series of the same name. The film is based on a trio of beautiful women (Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore) who are hired to retrieve a man and his technology. They achieve this by working together, using their intelligence, a series of cunning plans, combined with an impressive display of girl power. In comparison, The Matrix is a science fiction film, with an intricate plot, which captivates the audience's attention with its twists and turns and incredible show of carefully choreographed special effects. We are introduced to this in the very opening scene. Trinity, (one of the main characters, played by Carrie-Anne Moss) is seen to be escaping from the police and several mysterious men dressed in black suits, known as 'The Agents'. She strategically jumps from building to building, and also runs up walls at super human speed, in our first glimpse of the dramatic, special effects, which feature throughout. This confirms that The Matrix falls under the
The Crucible; an intensely emotional and dramatic film based on the horrific story of the Salem witch trials. The opening and concluding sequences are of great importance in conjuring the melancholy atmosphere present throughout the story.
The Crucible English Coursework The Crucible; an intensely emotional and dramatic film based on the horrific story of the Salem witch trials. The opening and concluding sequences are of great importance in conjuring the melancholy atmosphere present throughout the story. The director uses various different devices to achieve this. A variety of camera techniques are used throughout the beginning sequence to enhance the mood and involve the audience. Camera techniques are harmonized with lighting effects to culminate this dramatic scene. I will begin by discussing examples of this. In the village, many close-ups and long shots are used to enhance facial expression and to set the sombre mood. Opening on a zoom shot of Abigail's face, an aura of gloom is created by the cold colour scheme and her shadowed expression. The bleak décor of the room shown in this scene is used to further emphasize the gothic theme of the film. The camera tracks then tracks her out into the village, it's angle showing the village as she would see it; claustrophobic and dark. This may be used as a visual metaphor implying the repressive, narrow-minded nature of the Salem society. A zoom shot is used to show the other village girls simultaneously rush from their houses after Abigail, towards the grim-looking forest ahead. This illustrates Abigail as the girls' leader, and the fact that the film
