Another very long, also-racist Civil War movie.
Sorry. But... it's a classic (and there are five copies in the library) (relentless topic though, non?)
Consider here how the now matured film-making sound and color technologies effect the scope and detail of the narration of these lives. What makes you feel that this picture marks a real milestone in the history of film-making?
You could contrast this, should you chose, with "A Birth of A Nation."
Alternately, watch "Casablanca." (you'd have to rent this on your own)
Many films of Hollywood's golden era, and, indeed, ours today, have a lot of elements in it that are hard to find credible and require us to suspend our disbelief. What would be some examples of this in "Casablanca"? And/or, why do you think the movie is such a classic?
Write three paragraphs on either of these films.
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18 comments:
Oliver Young:
Well I'm a bit confused because on the syllabus its says for us to watch all quiet on the western front. so that's the movie that i watched and blogged about.
Well according to this film no statement can be truer than " Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it, which is shown in World War 2.
Any way this film was very powerful not only depicting what the soldier's lives were like in World War 1 but the film also serves as powerful propanganda tools, Each side felt that they were right and there enemies were absolutely wrong in every single way. This was the first war that soldiers used trench war fare, poisonous gasses and tanks so it totally transformed war fare but sadly that's not something that we as human beings should be proud of.
Well, I'd to say that I watched either one, but I don't have access to either one. However, I have seen "All Quiet on the Western Front" (both 1930 & 1979 versions).
Overall wise, it was a really good movie for its time --- better cinematography, editing, acting, and storyline (anti-war).
When I first saw it (back in junior high school --- way back when) I was blown away, especially the ending scene.
This is definitely a keeper for me.
I really like the movie "Gone With The Wind". I like that Scarlet was a very spoiled and manipulative person, who tried anything to get her way, even if it meant hurting others, she did not win in the end
The costumes were very nice. These as well as the setting of the movie depicted the lavish life of the south. The color of the film was also very nice.
I think that although the south was very racist, the characters of the Black people were very good, They were not portrayed like the stereotypical racist point of view of "Birth of a Nation"
In " all quiet on the Western Front" it was avery good story about what soldiers experienced on the war front. I think there was a lot of truth in the movie. Boys were persuaded to fight for their country to be patriotic, proud and brave. They were not prepared for what happened on the battle grounds. Also when they went home no one understood what they went through.
Amber Garcia:
"Gone with the Wind" is an incredible film I think that he color contrast was very nice and innovative for the times.
The story its self is interesting Scarlet is a spoiled little rich kid. She has a way of getting what she wants.
The film is a bit racist but thats to be expected due to the time period.
All in all is was a marvalous flick.
I think Gone With The Wind was a very well done film that had its characters picked out perfectly. The costumes for the film were also very fitting to the time and went along with the film well. The colors that were used for example the scene with the fire seem to be very ahead of the time. Overall I thought that the race issues were much less in this movie compared to previous movies which is good and a big step forward. I have seen gone with the wind before but it was a good memory and I was glad to see it again.
I picked Gone With the Wind. This movie is genuinely classic. Complete with 2 minutes of intermission. There is love, war, hope, loss, fear, courage, jealously, lust. All of that is in this movie in some form or fashion. Also I should add this while I'm ahead, Clark Gable is the man.
I liked what they did with the lighting. While some parts of the movie just feel like parts of a movie. There were some things they did with lights that I felt made a difference for their scenes. In particular when they are leaving Atlanta. While they are leaving the house, there was one single lamp that he carried as they got everyone into the wagon. Then leaving the lamp at the side of the road in front of the house as they hurry off down the dark road. I really liked that sequence.
The side to side love story that just goes everywhere made me think of ER for obvious reasons. You all know ER. Every character has had a relationship with every other character possible. While I won't say it was exactly like the soap that ER is, there was plenty of love drama. It was almost sad how little Scarlett knew of herself, to not even recognize what she had emotionally. I nearly had pity for her character. Then I remembered that so much of that was her fault as much as anyone's.
The movie was around 4 hours long too. It really didn't feel that bad, but I do have to say that it was frustrating watching the back and forth love story. I love you. I hate you. I love you again. No I really hate you go away. Then the final wow I really do love you don't leave! To credit the 4 hours, the movie was about a lifetime for these characters. It really spoke to them. Now, I should probably wrap this up here. But I would like to add something before I publish this. Please oh please can we get out of the racist movies now?
-Jeremy Kashatok
i have seen gone with the wind several times and every time i watch it i find something new that i had not noticed before. maybe it is because it is a long film, but i enjoy watching it every time. i like how there is so much variety in the film from racism, love, and the war. The fashion in the movie is fantastic, and all the accessories to the setting that really emphasizes how people were rich. Scarlet is spoiled rotten and given everything she wants, and takes it all for granted. i like how she has to really fight and struggle for what she needs because it shows that you cant always get everything you want. i like this film and enjoyed watching it.
I chose Casablanca. It's one of my all time favorite movies, and considering my current state (blah blah blah, I'm a crybaby) I don't think I could deal with the effed up love affair between Rhett and Scarlett today.
First of all I have to say that both are beautiful movies. This is the first time I watched Casablanca with such a eye for technicalities. The lighting in the movie captivated me. It really made me feel. I may be weird, but when you could see the tears in their eyes sparkling, it made me choke up.
As far as credibility goes. Are we talking about the war? I am trying to imagine what it would have been like to live during a time like that, and I only wish my father were still alive so I could ask him. He served in the army during WWII, and he was always my source of trivia. So perhaps the movie was not accurately portrayed historically, but they made it into a great story.
and it rips my heart out... I think I'm going to go have a gin and tonic. lol.
I watched all quiet on the western front. I thought it was pretty accurate on how they got men to enlist. They told a bunch of teenage boys that if they put on their uniform they get to skip school and get all the ladies so all the boys are running around all excited. Good irony.
The use of sound is definitely the biggest and most important advancement of film technology. It makes it so much easier to actually understand what is happening in the movie.
The scenes at night suprised me at how good the night vision is. You could see really good detail in it.
I watched All Quiet on the Western Front and enjoyed most of it.
It is a sad story and addresses some dark times in our history, but I can certainly see why this flick is a classic. Some great cinematography and the story keeps you going. I know I shouldn't dog on the acting because this isn't one of those classes, but these old flicks have some terrible acting so it's kinda hard to take seriously but they manage to make you feel the heaviness when absolutely needed.
It was very interesting to watch the war scenes because of how real they seemed. I'm always amazed with classic war films because of their realistic battle scenes. I don't ever expect them to look that authentic, but they manage to do it.
Casablanca was my choice, and I actually have Gone With the Wind in my Netflix possession, but I simply did not have that kind of time to watch such a long length feature movie. Possibly this weekend I will be able to.
The first thing that stands out in terms of newer technology was the color and how it made things seem surreal. Either it was colored later in post or they used some hefty filters to give the actors that neatly pressed, wrinkle-free look. The same look that made the whites of their eyes crystal clear and when there were tears, they sparkled like diamonds.
I thought the setting also helped the coloring along. There seemed to be a pinkish tinge to everything that complemented the Moroccan decor everywhere, not to mention the white jacket worn by Bogart through the entire movie.
The next item of notice was the impeccable lighting. Every single scene was lit perfectly, triangles on every face. Well and softly lit backgrounds in all the correct places only enhanced the actors lines by making sure nothing else distracted or cluttered the scenes. There was obviously a lot of attention paid to getting the lighting right on.
Lastly was the idea that Rick (Bogart) was content running his bar while everyone around him desparately trying to get out and back to Lisbon. His character was built around the idea of a solid romaantic. Protecting what he loves most, the bar and Ilsa. A noble position in such a time of chaos during WWII. The shadows in all the right places practically gave the heroes and villans their character without having them say a word.
i ended up watching casablanca and enjoyed it very much. I know everyone has already talked about the lighting, but that was the best part of the movie to me.
There was always very soft light whenever you had a close up of a character which was done of course to draw your attention to them and only them. It worked, especially with Ingrid bergmans character. Even when she was around other characters you only focused on her.
Plot played out very well, lighting was terrific, i was satisfied.
I viewed All Quiet on the Western Front. This is my second time watching, and it felt just as fresh.
What I love about this film is how absolutely anti-war it is, during a time when it was considered unpatriotic to not die for your country.
The trench warfare scenes displayed a ferocious sense of timing and showed a side of war that only veterans knew about.
My favorite scene towards the end, when the lead character denounced those around him for being so blindly patriotic, choosing to go back to the front because "out there you're either alive or your dead, and you can't fool anyone about that for very long."
The final scene is quiet and quick, but keeping it within that simple context made that much more brutal about the savagery of war.
Samantha Brick:
I decided to watch 'Casablanca' because I hadn't seen it in a while, but remembered that I liked it.
This film is such a cinematic achievement. It tells a captivating story and uses great imagery. The music is done well and adds to the story rather than just being fill.
There were a lot of visually interesting shots in this film, and they made the whole movie feel larger than life. It didn't just feel like a love story between a woman and a man, it felt like everyone could put themselves right into Rick and Ilsa's shoes. Not only that, but you feel as though you yourself are on the run from the German army and are tired of having to run. The desire to have a stable life and someone to love is very translatable.
The lighting added great emotion to the scenes and the framing was used in ways that kept the viewer intrigued. The emotion didn't stop with the acting or the music, it also finds itself shown through the shots as well.
Casablanca is one of my all time favorite. It has everything, romance, drama, action, guns, deception…. It was one of my mom’s favorite, so I have seen it a few times. I think it was a classic because of the romance; it was during WWII in the movie and the period it was released in 1943 which was during the war WWII. Casablanca was a very well unknown place at that time; people in the US knew Casablanca was used as a port.
The cinematography was brilliant for it’s time; it used a lot of dolly and a crane to establish the shoots they imagined. The movie does make you wonder what you would have done if you were Rick. Would you take the girl or would you let her go and help save the war? Or could you have done both, take the girl but still send Victor on his way to America? Characters reactions during pressure reveals their true self. I think he wanted to keep the girl, but Ilsa’s lecture earlier about how their feeling don’t matter considering the war, etc….got to him and decided not to be self and let her go.
Casablanca is one of my favorite films, because there is so much to like. I don't know what I like more the technical aspect of the film or the interplay between characters. Bogart and Ingrid Bergman are truly brilliant in the film, but I can't get over the incredible job Arthur Edeson did with the cinematography. His use of vertical shadows to represent imprisonment and the lighting Edeson used for Ingrid Bergman to make her look so sad was beautiful. The inter play between Rick (Bogart) and Captain Renault is some of the best dialogue ever written. you can tell that Rick truly despises The Captain but needs him to keep the delicate balance that is Casablanca.
More wartime propaganda though this one was meant to show war in its most brutal or "truest form" we know what happens at the end with the the death of our hero and truly his whole time in the war is that tragic even when there were good times this film is meant to have an impact on our audience so everyone remembers or are reminded of the gruesomeness of war i think this goes under art imitating life.
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