Singin' in the Rain (Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, 1952)
Summary:
The movie Singing in the Rain, takes place in 1927during the coming of sound. The main character, Don Lockwood has worked hard to become a leading star in Hollywood along with his best friend Cosmo Brown. Don Lockwood must lead a high-profile relationship with his costar Lina Lamont but only for the fans. On his way to a Hollywood party, Don meets Kathy Selden while escaping from his crazed fans. Although Don and Kathy have their disagreements at first they realize they may be able to help each other out. Don’s costar, Lina, has a high-pitched voice and they create a plan to override her voice with Kathy’s in order to save the movie. When Lina realizes how much the audience loves Kathy’s voice she blackmails the owner of the studio to insure that Lina will remain a huge star. Don and Cosmo refuse to let this be the case and reveal Lina’s real voice to the entire audience so Kathy can have her big moment.
Questions:
1. How does the time period of the movie affect the story line?
A: The time period has to do with the coming of sound so the characters in the movie deal with the issues of perfecting sound.
2. Was the color perfected in the movie or no?
A: No, even in the 1950s they hadn’t perfected color.
3. Did Debbie Reynolds’ really sing in the movie?
A: Although Debbie did sing in the movie they also used another singer for her voice as well.
4. Where does Singing in the Rain take place?
A: Hollywood, they work for Monumental Pictures.
5. How is this movie ironic?
A: Kathy dubs her voice over Lina’s but they use another voice to cover Kathy’s voice.
by Ashley Simpson
Film Review:
The film “Singin’ in the Rain “directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, is a musical comedy and romance film. The film takes place in Hollywood, California around in the 1920’s, right before the coming of sound. MGM‘s Technicolor “Singin’ in the Rain”, made in 1952, is full color talkie. Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) is a famous silent film actor and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) a famous film actress is the most beloved movie duo in Hollywood. Don’s friend Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor) is the music creator of their films; together they make the best films in Hollywood. Many fans, and Lina, speculate that they are a couple and are dating but that is proven wrong when Don meets Kathy Selden (Debby Renolds) while running away from fans and falls in love with her. With the coming of sound they decide to create a talkie but turns out to be a fail and the viewers don’t like it because of the audio issues and seeing it as a comedy instead of a romance. Cosmo comes up with an idea to turn the movie into a musical and try to make the movie a success.
This film used Technicolor colors; they looked nice for a movie that used first way to make a color film. The only thing wrong with the color was that it made some of the skin colors look tan. I enjoyed the music in the film, it was enjoyable. The dancing with the music was also good. Overall the movie was great I enjoyed all the music and dance routines. I liked the concept of the film being silent film makers being introduced to sound. I especially enjoyed the movie because it was the first full talkie and full color movie we watched in out class.
by Cameron Estrada
Film Elements Analysis:
Singing in the Rain is a musical in which sound plays an important part in the movie. It uses the history of sound by starting off the movie in a time when sound hasn’t come to movies yet. Since there was a lot of singing the sound had to be good and was clear for its time. They added many songs that went with the movie and were big parts in certain scenes. After getting through the silent period in time they show the problems sound faced and how much more work they had to do for sound. This movie did a great job with sound and picked songs which fit with the movie. It became a good movie with some memorable parts
With color Singing in the Rain had a clear image throughout the movie. In the musical parts with this movie they moved from place to place and used a lot of background items. They fit the image with the song they were singing which improved the part. Image is very important because it can help or hurt movie and I think it helped this movie. I like how they took time with the setting for each part and made the characters use a lot of objects which most movies don’t do. One of its better known parts was with Don singing in the rain which the image played a big part with the song. This movie did a good job fitting the image with the sound which I think made the movie a lot better because of that.
by Anthony Rizo
Film Comparison:
Singin' in the Rain made in 1952 was known as one of the most popular American musical comedy motion pictures today. It was directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, Kelly also starred in the film and choreographed each dance scene; also starring was Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds. The film has a lot of great qualities; it really gives the audience a look at the process of motion pictures as well as the struggles that were created through the coming of sound. The Artist, made in 2011, both focus on the hardships that the coming of sound brings to actors and actresses who have focused their whole careers on exaggerated movements as well as the amplified expressions. As well as the motion picture studios who had to convert everything to sound. Some of the problems that occurred were audio and image synching as well as maintaining the right sound quality. It was a tricky balance for background sounds to remain background and not take over the actor's dialogue. These two films had many similarities throughout their stories. One being the choice of music used both pictures used music that helped drives the mood and the movie along. Another similarity is the main characters story; they are both big time actors. They both unexpectedly meet a girl who they also end up becoming famous costars together. There is also a resemblance between Peppy and Kathy; they were both your everyday sweet innocent girls who had an unheard of talent, the love of dance and acting, to the public. In addition they both became famous movie stars with the help of the main characters, George Valentin and Don Lockwood, when sound in films was established. This was also due to their incredible talent to sing and dance.
The key differences between Singin' in the Rain and The Artist are quite noticeable. One distinction would be that The Artist was made in 2011, having all technological advances and film techniques ready at hand, with no real problems or setbacks while Singin' in the Rain would be referred to as a "talkie" brought on numerous audio and continuity problems. Such as during some of the musical numbers the sound would be off or when cutting and putting scenes together it would be unfortunately obvious. Another difference that would set the two apart was that Singin' in the Rain was a musical while The Artist was a silent film, completely soundless, which meant all dialogue was printed on screen. This really affected the choice of music and color that was displayed to capture the right emotion. For instance, in The Artist there was a lot of use of black and white and grey which really showed the feel of the actors while the color and music for Singin' in the Rain was bright and upbeat. Overall I deliberated that Singin' in the Rain was a better film, it was continuously entertaining and extremely happy while The Artist was rather depressing at times and not constantly engaging.
by Kaitlyn Ellison
The movie Singing in the Rain, takes place in 1927during the coming of sound. The main character, Don Lockwood has worked hard to become a leading star in Hollywood along with his best friend Cosmo Brown. Don Lockwood must lead a high-profile relationship with his costar Lina Lamont but only for the fans. On his way to a Hollywood party, Don meets Kathy Selden while escaping from his crazed fans. Although Don and Kathy have their disagreements at first they realize they may be able to help each other out. Don’s costar, Lina, has a high-pitched voice and they create a plan to override her voice with Kathy’s in order to save the movie. When Lina realizes how much the audience loves Kathy’s voice she blackmails the owner of the studio to insure that Lina will remain a huge star. Don and Cosmo refuse to let this be the case and reveal Lina’s real voice to the entire audience so Kathy can have her big moment.
Questions:
1. How does the time period of the movie affect the story line?
A: The time period has to do with the coming of sound so the characters in the movie deal with the issues of perfecting sound.
2. Was the color perfected in the movie or no?
A: No, even in the 1950s they hadn’t perfected color.
3. Did Debbie Reynolds’ really sing in the movie?
A: Although Debbie did sing in the movie they also used another singer for her voice as well.
4. Where does Singing in the Rain take place?
A: Hollywood, they work for Monumental Pictures.
5. How is this movie ironic?
A: Kathy dubs her voice over Lina’s but they use another voice to cover Kathy’s voice.
by Ashley Simpson
Film Review:
The film “Singin’ in the Rain “directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, is a musical comedy and romance film. The film takes place in Hollywood, California around in the 1920’s, right before the coming of sound. MGM‘s Technicolor “Singin’ in the Rain”, made in 1952, is full color talkie. Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) is a famous silent film actor and Lina Lamont (Jean Hagen) a famous film actress is the most beloved movie duo in Hollywood. Don’s friend Cosmo Brown (Donald O’Connor) is the music creator of their films; together they make the best films in Hollywood. Many fans, and Lina, speculate that they are a couple and are dating but that is proven wrong when Don meets Kathy Selden (Debby Renolds) while running away from fans and falls in love with her. With the coming of sound they decide to create a talkie but turns out to be a fail and the viewers don’t like it because of the audio issues and seeing it as a comedy instead of a romance. Cosmo comes up with an idea to turn the movie into a musical and try to make the movie a success.
This film used Technicolor colors; they looked nice for a movie that used first way to make a color film. The only thing wrong with the color was that it made some of the skin colors look tan. I enjoyed the music in the film, it was enjoyable. The dancing with the music was also good. Overall the movie was great I enjoyed all the music and dance routines. I liked the concept of the film being silent film makers being introduced to sound. I especially enjoyed the movie because it was the first full talkie and full color movie we watched in out class.
by Cameron Estrada
Film Elements Analysis:
Singing in the Rain is a musical in which sound plays an important part in the movie. It uses the history of sound by starting off the movie in a time when sound hasn’t come to movies yet. Since there was a lot of singing the sound had to be good and was clear for its time. They added many songs that went with the movie and were big parts in certain scenes. After getting through the silent period in time they show the problems sound faced and how much more work they had to do for sound. This movie did a great job with sound and picked songs which fit with the movie. It became a good movie with some memorable parts
With color Singing in the Rain had a clear image throughout the movie. In the musical parts with this movie they moved from place to place and used a lot of background items. They fit the image with the song they were singing which improved the part. Image is very important because it can help or hurt movie and I think it helped this movie. I like how they took time with the setting for each part and made the characters use a lot of objects which most movies don’t do. One of its better known parts was with Don singing in the rain which the image played a big part with the song. This movie did a good job fitting the image with the sound which I think made the movie a lot better because of that.
by Anthony Rizo
Film Comparison:
Singin' in the Rain made in 1952 was known as one of the most popular American musical comedy motion pictures today. It was directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly, Kelly also starred in the film and choreographed each dance scene; also starring was Donald O'Connor and Debbie Reynolds. The film has a lot of great qualities; it really gives the audience a look at the process of motion pictures as well as the struggles that were created through the coming of sound. The Artist, made in 2011, both focus on the hardships that the coming of sound brings to actors and actresses who have focused their whole careers on exaggerated movements as well as the amplified expressions. As well as the motion picture studios who had to convert everything to sound. Some of the problems that occurred were audio and image synching as well as maintaining the right sound quality. It was a tricky balance for background sounds to remain background and not take over the actor's dialogue. These two films had many similarities throughout their stories. One being the choice of music used both pictures used music that helped drives the mood and the movie along. Another similarity is the main characters story; they are both big time actors. They both unexpectedly meet a girl who they also end up becoming famous costars together. There is also a resemblance between Peppy and Kathy; they were both your everyday sweet innocent girls who had an unheard of talent, the love of dance and acting, to the public. In addition they both became famous movie stars with the help of the main characters, George Valentin and Don Lockwood, when sound in films was established. This was also due to their incredible talent to sing and dance.
The key differences between Singin' in the Rain and The Artist are quite noticeable. One distinction would be that The Artist was made in 2011, having all technological advances and film techniques ready at hand, with no real problems or setbacks while Singin' in the Rain would be referred to as a "talkie" brought on numerous audio and continuity problems. Such as during some of the musical numbers the sound would be off or when cutting and putting scenes together it would be unfortunately obvious. Another difference that would set the two apart was that Singin' in the Rain was a musical while The Artist was a silent film, completely soundless, which meant all dialogue was printed on screen. This really affected the choice of music and color that was displayed to capture the right emotion. For instance, in The Artist there was a lot of use of black and white and grey which really showed the feel of the actors while the color and music for Singin' in the Rain was bright and upbeat. Overall I deliberated that Singin' in the Rain was a better film, it was continuously entertaining and extremely happy while The Artist was rather depressing at times and not constantly engaging.
by Kaitlyn Ellison
Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)
Summary:
Vertigo is a twisting mystery about a retired San Francisco detective, John Ferguson, who finds himself in a dizzy situation. The film begins with a police chase ending in a terrible accident that causes John to suffer Acrophobia, the fear of heights. After trying to get over his terrible fear, an old friend of his, Galvin Elster, assigns John or “Scottie” to investigate his wife, Madeleine Elster. Every day John follows her to different locations where she would stop by to rest or be around. It almost seemed normal until she began to repeat this cycle every day. As John try’s to analyze the situation, he begins to come up with conclusions that Madeleine is crazy and suicidal, after trying to jump into the San Francisco Bay. Gavin Elster explains to John about the locations where Madeleine goes every day. It seems that Madeleine is taken to believe that she is the reincarnation of a woman who died many years ago. However, John begins to know Madeleine and falls in love with her. One day, they both go to an old mission church in Santa Barbara and he is unable to stop her from climbing to the top of the steeple, owing to his vertigo, where she jumps to her death. Then several months later, John luckily meets Judy Barton, a woman who is the spitting image of Madeleine. He can't explain it, but she is identical to the woman who died and tries to re-make the image of Madeleine in her. However, he finds out that Judy is Madeleine the whole entire time after seeing the same necklace Judy wore one night. The whole thing is a set up after all, Madeleine is hired by Galvin to act as his suicidal wife trying to commit suicide while Galvin is able to kill his original wife. In the end, everything ends tragically and Judy then plummets to her death as the murder is unsolved. Questions:
1. What had caused John to have Acrophobia?
2. Do you think the film would be different if John did not have acrophobia?
3. May the love between John and Madeleine cause the death of Madeleine in the end?
4. Why did John have two names, John and “Scottie?”
5. May the Nun at the end symbolize anything towards the movie?
6. Was it luck that John was able to find Madeleine again?
7. How may the camera techniques used in the film portray the twisting mystery?
8. What animation was new used for John’s feeling towards heights?
9. May Vertigo be remade and be successful today?
10. Would the story be different if John was able to make it to the top of the steeple?
by Esteban Almanza
Film Review:
To begin with, throw out the “best film of all time” label out of your mindset. Although this Hitchcock classic is critically acclaimed, viewing this thriller with that mentality is unrealistic because we all have personal tastes and biases that will hinder the pleasure of watching. Therefore, anticipating an almost sixty-year old film to exceed your expectations of being the best movie ever will lead to some level of disappointment. Rather, watching with an open mind is the finest way to realize why Vertigo is highly praised.
To begin with, the plot is truly amazing. Hitchcock misleads the audience many times in the storyline of Vertigo with an exquisite flow. In other words, the change in direction of the plot was not a “forced” one. At first it seems as if the movie revolves around a simple investigation conducted by a retired detective. But then changes into a story of an impermissible relationship between a man with a troubled past and a married woman with a haunted spirit. And leave it to Alfred Hitchcock to twist the plot to an even deeper, complicated level by presenting the suicidal success of the married woman which leaves to many viewers scratching their heads and asking, “Did that really just happen?” And to further the complexity to the extreme, the retired detective discovers with the viewers that his lover never actually killed herself. Rather, she took part in a murderous scheme. The many changes in plot provide lack of clarity of what is to happen in the future of Vertigo. The inability to predict what will occur makes this movie genuine and intriguing. The incapability for the viewers to clearly relate to the many bizarre situations that the protagonist becomes involved with many not aid the idea of making Vertigo a personal favorite, but definitely will naturally mandate a type of relationship with viewers that is a curious experience. In other terms, when a movie is not relatable, such as this one, it naturally forces the viewing of the movie to be an experience for the viewers that will be abnormal and therefore memorable because it is the unfamiliarity that converts into an understandable journey. If a viewer understood exactly what the main character was experiencing it would no longer be an experience but simply a viewing. But I am sure that is not the case in most audiences. Therefore, whether a viewer describes it as a nightmare or a drug-induced hallucination-like structure, the dream sequence was very strange and was like an experience for all of us rather than mere observation.
But the brilliance of Vertigo does not only come from what happens in the plot, but what happens in a less explicit sense. The utilization of the same shots, such as when the main character, John, enters the mission in numerous instances, the side angle of the interior of the church allows the audience to recognize where he is and dispels confusion that would occur if Hitchcock distanced himself from shot repetition. And this repetitive use can be analyzed at a psychological level in which the idea of déjà vu creates a haunting and tormenting atmosphere for Scottie. The utilization of colors is well balanced in which Hitchcock displaces neutral and bright color schemes in appropriate times. Neutral tones are utilized to create a calm ambiance, whereas vivid pallets foreshadow/illuminate important events and the emotion the circumstances carry. Specifically with the color green, such as when there is a wearing of it by a character represents something more than just clothing. For example, when Scottie first meets Madeline, he is wearing green in his apartment to represent a new occurrence. That green, cashmere sweater he wears in that scene marks a critical point in the story. But it also symbolizes their relationship because later on when his lover is Judy, she wears green consistently whenever they spend an evening out together. The green is subtle but plays a larger, symbolic role.
Even though there is a ginormous amount of depth and detail in this movie, to truly appreciate its artistic contribution to film, watching it once does not suffice. It is a desire of mine to be able to view Vertigo for at least a second time because not every aspect was covered in this film review. Therefore, watching this film with an open mind and more than once will lead to much satisfaction and appreciation of this film classic. After all, the Vertigo point of view shot is extremely impressive and the bizarre plot is extremely innovative and worth watching.
by Kimberly Diaz
Comparison Consultant
The classic film Vertigo, directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1958 is a type of movie that can't be remade today. However, it can be similar or inspired from/by other movies. One film that shares many similarities to Alfred Hitchcock's classic suspense film is the movie Laura. directed by Otto Preminger in 1944.
In the movie Vertigo starts off in a rooftop chase where a detective named John Ferguson fails to save his partner's life due to his vertigo problem. He then feels devastated but then is asked by his friend Gavin Elster to follow Elster's wife, Madeleine as she is believed to be possessed. John agrees to follow her. After thinking that Madeleine could be possessed by her great-grandmother Carlotta Elster, who tragically commited suicide, Madeleine attempts suicide but is saved by John. Madeleine claims she doesn't know anything when she awakens. The next day they meet again. They suddenly express their love for each other and Madeleine explains nightmares of her own in a church. They drive to that church and Madeleine runs up the tower and from the top she falls to her death as John couldn't catch up to the top due to his vertigo. John later becomes deeply depressed and breaks down. He then meets a look a like of Madeleine, Judy and goes out to dinner as he thinks of her as Madeleine. Judy is then secretly revealed as a poser of Madeleine as she didn't die when it was the real Madeleine's body that fell off the tower done by Gavin as a murder plot. Judy keeps it a secret because she loves John. John however tries to make Judy look just like Madeleine and realizes the truth. He takes Judy back to the tower so he can relive the incident. Judy asks for forgiveness and John accepts it but then Judy accidently falls of the tower as she dies.
In the film Laura, detective Mark McPherson is investigating a murder of a beautiful advertising executive named Laura Hunt as she was shot. He interview Laura's friends and family and a man named Waldo Lydecker who also knew Laura in her apartment. Through the facts and letters from her diary he had come to know Laura and the became obsessed with her. Lydecker accuses him of falling in love with the dead girl. Then one night the detective falls asleep inher apartment and finds Laura come inside alive. She finds a dress in her closet that belonged to a model, Diane Redfern and Mark concludes Diane is the victim and arrests Laura. She convinces him that she is innocent and then goes to Lydecker's apartment. Mark finds a gun in a clock which he saw in Laura's apartment and finds out that Lydecker is the killer. As Mark runs out to find him, Lydecker comes and tries to kill Laura as he wants no one else to have her if she can't. But Lydecker then gets shot by a sereant(kind of like how the Nun in Vertigo caused the death of Judy).
This movie is similar to Vertigo because the same thing happens about obsession and death but in different orders and in somewhat different ways like in Vertigo, John became obsessed with Madeleine after her "death" just like when Mark became obsessed with Laura after her death. Also Judy turned out to be alive not Madeleine just like when Laura came back. The the death of Judy at the end of the film was similar to Lydecker's death as it was caused by a random character. Both films also put a mystery to one's death and put a twist at the end. Laura is probably one of the movies that inspired Alfred Hitchcock to make Vertigo. Any film can be inspired by or inspired from possibly just like Vertigo and Laura.
by William Butiu
Essay:
Vertigo is a great film it is full of suspense throughout the film. Hitchcock went beyond his limitation to create a new type of illusion that has never been done in films it also affected many films to come. This movie would have appealed to me more if it wasn’t so slow in the beginning. Hitchcock made up for it with amazing acting, story and affects. This film starts out very slow but its starts to build after Madeleine jumps into the San Francisco bay which the story starts to unfold and the characters start to change.
One of the most suspenseful scenes was when Scottie was chasing Madeleine up the stairs to stop her from jumping off the bell tower. The film takes a lot of turns and twists in the story line to keep it suspenseful typical of a Hitchcock movie. The music is a huge part in the Hitchcock movie it adds on to the suspense. The location in a film is a huge factor in movies. Vertigo takes place in San Francisco the city by bay which is perfect for suspense and romance.
At the beginning of the film it started out slow than it moved into suspense and by then I was captivated. Is it better to start a movie out slow and build up into suspense captivating the audience or starting right away with suspense and taking a risk of losing the audience by the end of the movie? I really liked this film for the story and suspense which are the elements to a successful Hitchcock film.
by Joseph Lorusso
Vertigo is a twisting mystery about a retired San Francisco detective, John Ferguson, who finds himself in a dizzy situation. The film begins with a police chase ending in a terrible accident that causes John to suffer Acrophobia, the fear of heights. After trying to get over his terrible fear, an old friend of his, Galvin Elster, assigns John or “Scottie” to investigate his wife, Madeleine Elster. Every day John follows her to different locations where she would stop by to rest or be around. It almost seemed normal until she began to repeat this cycle every day. As John try’s to analyze the situation, he begins to come up with conclusions that Madeleine is crazy and suicidal, after trying to jump into the San Francisco Bay. Gavin Elster explains to John about the locations where Madeleine goes every day. It seems that Madeleine is taken to believe that she is the reincarnation of a woman who died many years ago. However, John begins to know Madeleine and falls in love with her. One day, they both go to an old mission church in Santa Barbara and he is unable to stop her from climbing to the top of the steeple, owing to his vertigo, where she jumps to her death. Then several months later, John luckily meets Judy Barton, a woman who is the spitting image of Madeleine. He can't explain it, but she is identical to the woman who died and tries to re-make the image of Madeleine in her. However, he finds out that Judy is Madeleine the whole entire time after seeing the same necklace Judy wore one night. The whole thing is a set up after all, Madeleine is hired by Galvin to act as his suicidal wife trying to commit suicide while Galvin is able to kill his original wife. In the end, everything ends tragically and Judy then plummets to her death as the murder is unsolved. Questions:
1. What had caused John to have Acrophobia?
2. Do you think the film would be different if John did not have acrophobia?
3. May the love between John and Madeleine cause the death of Madeleine in the end?
4. Why did John have two names, John and “Scottie?”
5. May the Nun at the end symbolize anything towards the movie?
6. Was it luck that John was able to find Madeleine again?
7. How may the camera techniques used in the film portray the twisting mystery?
8. What animation was new used for John’s feeling towards heights?
9. May Vertigo be remade and be successful today?
10. Would the story be different if John was able to make it to the top of the steeple?
by Esteban Almanza
Film Review:
To begin with, throw out the “best film of all time” label out of your mindset. Although this Hitchcock classic is critically acclaimed, viewing this thriller with that mentality is unrealistic because we all have personal tastes and biases that will hinder the pleasure of watching. Therefore, anticipating an almost sixty-year old film to exceed your expectations of being the best movie ever will lead to some level of disappointment. Rather, watching with an open mind is the finest way to realize why Vertigo is highly praised.
To begin with, the plot is truly amazing. Hitchcock misleads the audience many times in the storyline of Vertigo with an exquisite flow. In other words, the change in direction of the plot was not a “forced” one. At first it seems as if the movie revolves around a simple investigation conducted by a retired detective. But then changes into a story of an impermissible relationship between a man with a troubled past and a married woman with a haunted spirit. And leave it to Alfred Hitchcock to twist the plot to an even deeper, complicated level by presenting the suicidal success of the married woman which leaves to many viewers scratching their heads and asking, “Did that really just happen?” And to further the complexity to the extreme, the retired detective discovers with the viewers that his lover never actually killed herself. Rather, she took part in a murderous scheme. The many changes in plot provide lack of clarity of what is to happen in the future of Vertigo. The inability to predict what will occur makes this movie genuine and intriguing. The incapability for the viewers to clearly relate to the many bizarre situations that the protagonist becomes involved with many not aid the idea of making Vertigo a personal favorite, but definitely will naturally mandate a type of relationship with viewers that is a curious experience. In other terms, when a movie is not relatable, such as this one, it naturally forces the viewing of the movie to be an experience for the viewers that will be abnormal and therefore memorable because it is the unfamiliarity that converts into an understandable journey. If a viewer understood exactly what the main character was experiencing it would no longer be an experience but simply a viewing. But I am sure that is not the case in most audiences. Therefore, whether a viewer describes it as a nightmare or a drug-induced hallucination-like structure, the dream sequence was very strange and was like an experience for all of us rather than mere observation.
But the brilliance of Vertigo does not only come from what happens in the plot, but what happens in a less explicit sense. The utilization of the same shots, such as when the main character, John, enters the mission in numerous instances, the side angle of the interior of the church allows the audience to recognize where he is and dispels confusion that would occur if Hitchcock distanced himself from shot repetition. And this repetitive use can be analyzed at a psychological level in which the idea of déjà vu creates a haunting and tormenting atmosphere for Scottie. The utilization of colors is well balanced in which Hitchcock displaces neutral and bright color schemes in appropriate times. Neutral tones are utilized to create a calm ambiance, whereas vivid pallets foreshadow/illuminate important events and the emotion the circumstances carry. Specifically with the color green, such as when there is a wearing of it by a character represents something more than just clothing. For example, when Scottie first meets Madeline, he is wearing green in his apartment to represent a new occurrence. That green, cashmere sweater he wears in that scene marks a critical point in the story. But it also symbolizes their relationship because later on when his lover is Judy, she wears green consistently whenever they spend an evening out together. The green is subtle but plays a larger, symbolic role.
Even though there is a ginormous amount of depth and detail in this movie, to truly appreciate its artistic contribution to film, watching it once does not suffice. It is a desire of mine to be able to view Vertigo for at least a second time because not every aspect was covered in this film review. Therefore, watching this film with an open mind and more than once will lead to much satisfaction and appreciation of this film classic. After all, the Vertigo point of view shot is extremely impressive and the bizarre plot is extremely innovative and worth watching.
by Kimberly Diaz
Comparison Consultant
The classic film Vertigo, directed by Alfred Hitchcock in 1958 is a type of movie that can't be remade today. However, it can be similar or inspired from/by other movies. One film that shares many similarities to Alfred Hitchcock's classic suspense film is the movie Laura. directed by Otto Preminger in 1944.
In the movie Vertigo starts off in a rooftop chase where a detective named John Ferguson fails to save his partner's life due to his vertigo problem. He then feels devastated but then is asked by his friend Gavin Elster to follow Elster's wife, Madeleine as she is believed to be possessed. John agrees to follow her. After thinking that Madeleine could be possessed by her great-grandmother Carlotta Elster, who tragically commited suicide, Madeleine attempts suicide but is saved by John. Madeleine claims she doesn't know anything when she awakens. The next day they meet again. They suddenly express their love for each other and Madeleine explains nightmares of her own in a church. They drive to that church and Madeleine runs up the tower and from the top she falls to her death as John couldn't catch up to the top due to his vertigo. John later becomes deeply depressed and breaks down. He then meets a look a like of Madeleine, Judy and goes out to dinner as he thinks of her as Madeleine. Judy is then secretly revealed as a poser of Madeleine as she didn't die when it was the real Madeleine's body that fell off the tower done by Gavin as a murder plot. Judy keeps it a secret because she loves John. John however tries to make Judy look just like Madeleine and realizes the truth. He takes Judy back to the tower so he can relive the incident. Judy asks for forgiveness and John accepts it but then Judy accidently falls of the tower as she dies.
In the film Laura, detective Mark McPherson is investigating a murder of a beautiful advertising executive named Laura Hunt as she was shot. He interview Laura's friends and family and a man named Waldo Lydecker who also knew Laura in her apartment. Through the facts and letters from her diary he had come to know Laura and the became obsessed with her. Lydecker accuses him of falling in love with the dead girl. Then one night the detective falls asleep inher apartment and finds Laura come inside alive. She finds a dress in her closet that belonged to a model, Diane Redfern and Mark concludes Diane is the victim and arrests Laura. She convinces him that she is innocent and then goes to Lydecker's apartment. Mark finds a gun in a clock which he saw in Laura's apartment and finds out that Lydecker is the killer. As Mark runs out to find him, Lydecker comes and tries to kill Laura as he wants no one else to have her if she can't. But Lydecker then gets shot by a sereant(kind of like how the Nun in Vertigo caused the death of Judy).
This movie is similar to Vertigo because the same thing happens about obsession and death but in different orders and in somewhat different ways like in Vertigo, John became obsessed with Madeleine after her "death" just like when Mark became obsessed with Laura after her death. Also Judy turned out to be alive not Madeleine just like when Laura came back. The the death of Judy at the end of the film was similar to Lydecker's death as it was caused by a random character. Both films also put a mystery to one's death and put a twist at the end. Laura is probably one of the movies that inspired Alfred Hitchcock to make Vertigo. Any film can be inspired by or inspired from possibly just like Vertigo and Laura.
by William Butiu
Essay:
Vertigo is a great film it is full of suspense throughout the film. Hitchcock went beyond his limitation to create a new type of illusion that has never been done in films it also affected many films to come. This movie would have appealed to me more if it wasn’t so slow in the beginning. Hitchcock made up for it with amazing acting, story and affects. This film starts out very slow but its starts to build after Madeleine jumps into the San Francisco bay which the story starts to unfold and the characters start to change.
One of the most suspenseful scenes was when Scottie was chasing Madeleine up the stairs to stop her from jumping off the bell tower. The film takes a lot of turns and twists in the story line to keep it suspenseful typical of a Hitchcock movie. The music is a huge part in the Hitchcock movie it adds on to the suspense. The location in a film is a huge factor in movies. Vertigo takes place in San Francisco the city by bay which is perfect for suspense and romance.
At the beginning of the film it started out slow than it moved into suspense and by then I was captivated. Is it better to start a movie out slow and build up into suspense captivating the audience or starting right away with suspense and taking a risk of losing the audience by the end of the movie? I really liked this film for the story and suspense which are the elements to a successful Hitchcock film.
by Joseph Lorusso
Wild Strawberries (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)
Summary/Questions:
In the 1957 Swedish film Wild strawberries, shows of an old man reminiscing through his past as well as reliving through dark and sorrowful memories.
Isak Borg, an elder widow, is awarded with an honorary degree at a university or college. He goes on a small road trip with his daughter in law all while stopping at his childhood summertime house. During his visit, images fill his mind of beautiful girl at the wild strawberry patch that was on the that piece of land. A girl whom he once was supposed to marry. But then a teenage girl snaps him out of his memory and asks if she and her two friends can tag along on the trip. Along the way Isak dreams about his deceased wife, recalling the whole memory of her supposedly affair with another man. As he wakes up he tells his daughter in law that he is alive, but he feels as if he is dead. Isak has one final dream before he wakes up and finally is at rest.
1) What was the bumping sound in the beginning?
2) Why did Sara want to go home?
3) Why did Sara saw she would hate to depend on him in the car?
4) Why didn’t Isak tell Sara about the dream he had?
5) How many years did Isak live in the house out in the woods?
6) How many brothers and sisters did Isak have?
7) In the flashback why did the girl get up from the table and start crying?
8) What happened to Sten and Berits car (people on the road)?
9) How many years had Isak been a doctor?
10) How did the movie end?
by Robert Giles
Film Review:
In Wild Strawberries, a man, Isak Borg is a physician who is always grouchy, and stubborn. During the movie, Borg travels with his daughter-in-law Marianne through his memorable landmarks of his past. The way Borg travels back to his past and looking back on memories is through his constant dreams or daydreams. While traveling through his dreams he sees a lot of memories of his family and his lover, Sarah. Also watching this movie can be quite confusing while we are traveling through Isak Borgs dreams because you can’t tell whether or not he is dreaming or he is in reality. Ingmar Bergman the director of the movie, does a great job showing and explaining how Isak Borg’s life was by bringing us to the past by viewing Borg’s dreams and flashbacks. This film can create a lot of suspense in a way by going through Borgs dreams and showing all of the suspenseful situations he was in. Traveling back through his dreams not only shows the bad sides of his life when he was younger but it also shows the great times he had with his spouse back then. Bergman made the film interesting by giving lots of hints for the audience to solve, and make the audience think more about the film towards the end of the film. He made the movie confusing towards the middle so that the audience will keep watching so that when they get to the end of the movie everything will come together and will all make sense. Also, the film was great by introducing many of the characters. They were introduced in an interesting way which also made this film more interesting. Bergman not only made the story of the movie great, but the way he showed his audience the story by putting some hints in the film and making the film so that the towards the end it would be interesting makes the film great and makes Ingmar Bergman a great director.
by Aaron Fronda
Analysis of Film Elements Image and Sound:
Wild Strawberries, directed by Ingmar Bergman in 1957, featured some realistic features in the its sound and image. Bergman did a fine job putting these elements in this film. The film's elements of sound and image brought the film to life and makes the film believable.
Throughout the film(Wild Strawberries) the effects of sound was all over the place. Bergman really focused on the background by putting sound effects. In scenes when Isak is in the forest, you can hear the trees waving, and the birds tweeting. When Isak was in a room with his mom you would hear clocks ticking. Sound is even put to scenes that are not related to what the camera is focusing on. In a scene where Marianne is talking to Isak, the other characters' businesses or doings can be heard though the scene is not focused on them. There are also scenes where it is absolute silence. In one scene all there is to hear are footsteps, horses running, and a carriage making noices. Bergman put a fair amount of sound effects in this film, which is one way this film is realistic.
Ingmar Bergman showed a clear image of the film as well. Though it was black and white the picture of this film was very clear. The level of lighting was well captured in a scene's settings. Some scenes would be bright when a scene is taken place outside. For example, when Isak was dreaming he was outside near some buildings finding a man with a weird face, the image was fairly bright you can see the light shining upon Isak's white head which gave us a good telling how the setting is like. The lighting was also well reduced when the setting is taken inside. The setting of the story also had help with the background. Sometimes the background will be a screen as nothing will be moving at the back. Sometimes the background is real as the scene is set somewhere real. With Bergman's perfect lighting the setting and background was able to pull off such a great image.
Ingmar Bergman put a fair amount of elements of sound and image in this film. They made the film believable and realistic.
by William Butiu
Analysis of mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing:
In the film "Wild Strawberries," directed by Ingmar Bergman, it starts off with an establishing shot of Dr. Isak Borgs home office along with the Professor himself seated at his desk. He begins giving a short yet enlightening look into his previous life history. He reveals that he has resigned from being in relations with people; he had a son with his now deceased wife Karin who has also become a doctor and got married. As he explains pieces of his life and the people in it the camera moves from picture frame to picture frame around the office, allowing the audience to get a tangible image. During this time he also reveals that he will be celebrating his fiftieth anniversary as a doctor.
The film takes off from that point with a whirlwind of dreams and reality, we soon realize these dreams revolve around Borg's past and memories. This is confirmed when he states, "If I have been feeling worried or sad during the day, I have a habit of recalling scenes from childhood to calm me." The director's choice to involve actual scenes that were recreated from Borg's past creates a very odd sensation for the audience, especially when Borg himself is watching the memory play as if he were there. The editing is spot on and the cinematography could not be better. This film was extremely interesting and will not be easily forgotten.
by Kaitlyn Ellison
Analysis of Literary Elements: Point of view, Character, and Theme
In the film Wild Strawberries directed by Ingmar Bergman point of view is displayed several times throughout the film. One of them being when he thinks of his past at the old house where his love lived. It mostly showed what Isak remembered the most. And sometimes fantasized about how the he loved was talking to him at the same time he was recalling the past. Another way they displayed point of view was the scene where Isak and Sara were in the car talking. When Sara described Isak to him the camera would focus on Sara. And when Isak responded to her it would show him.
The characters produced in Wild Strawberries were very unique in many ways. The most unique would have to be Isak just because of how he never accepts the truth about himself. And if you said something unpleasant to him he would take it lightly and disregard it. Another unique character would be his niece, she has a very cheerful personality to help break the depressing story of the film. Sara also has a very unique character as well because she is the one who blankly admits the truth about what people think of Isak and yet still treats him kindly.
There are several themes in Wild Strawberries like self-discovery. This theme is displayed when Isak eventually discovers his true nature at the climax of the film. The fact that he ignores what his nature is what he learns at the end. The film is tragic in order to show self discovery, it is tragic because Isak must learn the hard way about his true nature. But the theme sends a powerful message to the audience in this more emotional way.
by Richie Gov
Film Comparison:
The films Wild Strawberries by Ingmar Berman and Bicycle Thieves by Vittorio de Sica are both made by two of the most renowned directors of all time. Wild Strawberries tells the story of an old Swedish man reliving memories of his youth and meeting people throughout the movie that inspire closure of his very long life. The movie Bicycle Thieves tells a different story about a man who is desperate for work and must rely on a bicycle to support his family. When the bicycle is stolen from him he must set out to find the thief who took it. Although the films consist of different story lines both of the main characters set out on a journey and the outcome of that journey will reflect greatly on their lives.
In Wild Strawberries the main character, Isak, is able to find closure at the end of the movie because he met people along the way who were able to dredge up past memories and relationships. At the end of Wild Strawberries Isak is content and peaceful as he drifts off, possibly into death. In Bicycle Thieves Antonio is unable to recover the bicycle from the thief and is mournful as he realizes his family’s future is bleak. Both films reach the end by taking the audience through a depressing yet satisfying journey.
by Ashley Simpson
In the 1957 Swedish film Wild strawberries, shows of an old man reminiscing through his past as well as reliving through dark and sorrowful memories.
Isak Borg, an elder widow, is awarded with an honorary degree at a university or college. He goes on a small road trip with his daughter in law all while stopping at his childhood summertime house. During his visit, images fill his mind of beautiful girl at the wild strawberry patch that was on the that piece of land. A girl whom he once was supposed to marry. But then a teenage girl snaps him out of his memory and asks if she and her two friends can tag along on the trip. Along the way Isak dreams about his deceased wife, recalling the whole memory of her supposedly affair with another man. As he wakes up he tells his daughter in law that he is alive, but he feels as if he is dead. Isak has one final dream before he wakes up and finally is at rest.
1) What was the bumping sound in the beginning?
2) Why did Sara want to go home?
3) Why did Sara saw she would hate to depend on him in the car?
4) Why didn’t Isak tell Sara about the dream he had?
5) How many years did Isak live in the house out in the woods?
6) How many brothers and sisters did Isak have?
7) In the flashback why did the girl get up from the table and start crying?
8) What happened to Sten and Berits car (people on the road)?
9) How many years had Isak been a doctor?
10) How did the movie end?
by Robert Giles
Film Review:
In Wild Strawberries, a man, Isak Borg is a physician who is always grouchy, and stubborn. During the movie, Borg travels with his daughter-in-law Marianne through his memorable landmarks of his past. The way Borg travels back to his past and looking back on memories is through his constant dreams or daydreams. While traveling through his dreams he sees a lot of memories of his family and his lover, Sarah. Also watching this movie can be quite confusing while we are traveling through Isak Borgs dreams because you can’t tell whether or not he is dreaming or he is in reality. Ingmar Bergman the director of the movie, does a great job showing and explaining how Isak Borg’s life was by bringing us to the past by viewing Borg’s dreams and flashbacks. This film can create a lot of suspense in a way by going through Borgs dreams and showing all of the suspenseful situations he was in. Traveling back through his dreams not only shows the bad sides of his life when he was younger but it also shows the great times he had with his spouse back then. Bergman made the film interesting by giving lots of hints for the audience to solve, and make the audience think more about the film towards the end of the film. He made the movie confusing towards the middle so that the audience will keep watching so that when they get to the end of the movie everything will come together and will all make sense. Also, the film was great by introducing many of the characters. They were introduced in an interesting way which also made this film more interesting. Bergman not only made the story of the movie great, but the way he showed his audience the story by putting some hints in the film and making the film so that the towards the end it would be interesting makes the film great and makes Ingmar Bergman a great director.
by Aaron Fronda
Analysis of Film Elements Image and Sound:
Wild Strawberries, directed by Ingmar Bergman in 1957, featured some realistic features in the its sound and image. Bergman did a fine job putting these elements in this film. The film's elements of sound and image brought the film to life and makes the film believable.
Throughout the film(Wild Strawberries) the effects of sound was all over the place. Bergman really focused on the background by putting sound effects. In scenes when Isak is in the forest, you can hear the trees waving, and the birds tweeting. When Isak was in a room with his mom you would hear clocks ticking. Sound is even put to scenes that are not related to what the camera is focusing on. In a scene where Marianne is talking to Isak, the other characters' businesses or doings can be heard though the scene is not focused on them. There are also scenes where it is absolute silence. In one scene all there is to hear are footsteps, horses running, and a carriage making noices. Bergman put a fair amount of sound effects in this film, which is one way this film is realistic.
Ingmar Bergman showed a clear image of the film as well. Though it was black and white the picture of this film was very clear. The level of lighting was well captured in a scene's settings. Some scenes would be bright when a scene is taken place outside. For example, when Isak was dreaming he was outside near some buildings finding a man with a weird face, the image was fairly bright you can see the light shining upon Isak's white head which gave us a good telling how the setting is like. The lighting was also well reduced when the setting is taken inside. The setting of the story also had help with the background. Sometimes the background will be a screen as nothing will be moving at the back. Sometimes the background is real as the scene is set somewhere real. With Bergman's perfect lighting the setting and background was able to pull off such a great image.
Ingmar Bergman put a fair amount of elements of sound and image in this film. They made the film believable and realistic.
by William Butiu
Analysis of mise-en-scene, cinematography, editing:
In the film "Wild Strawberries," directed by Ingmar Bergman, it starts off with an establishing shot of Dr. Isak Borgs home office along with the Professor himself seated at his desk. He begins giving a short yet enlightening look into his previous life history. He reveals that he has resigned from being in relations with people; he had a son with his now deceased wife Karin who has also become a doctor and got married. As he explains pieces of his life and the people in it the camera moves from picture frame to picture frame around the office, allowing the audience to get a tangible image. During this time he also reveals that he will be celebrating his fiftieth anniversary as a doctor.
The film takes off from that point with a whirlwind of dreams and reality, we soon realize these dreams revolve around Borg's past and memories. This is confirmed when he states, "If I have been feeling worried or sad during the day, I have a habit of recalling scenes from childhood to calm me." The director's choice to involve actual scenes that were recreated from Borg's past creates a very odd sensation for the audience, especially when Borg himself is watching the memory play as if he were there. The editing is spot on and the cinematography could not be better. This film was extremely interesting and will not be easily forgotten.
by Kaitlyn Ellison
Analysis of Literary Elements: Point of view, Character, and Theme
In the film Wild Strawberries directed by Ingmar Bergman point of view is displayed several times throughout the film. One of them being when he thinks of his past at the old house where his love lived. It mostly showed what Isak remembered the most. And sometimes fantasized about how the he loved was talking to him at the same time he was recalling the past. Another way they displayed point of view was the scene where Isak and Sara were in the car talking. When Sara described Isak to him the camera would focus on Sara. And when Isak responded to her it would show him.
The characters produced in Wild Strawberries were very unique in many ways. The most unique would have to be Isak just because of how he never accepts the truth about himself. And if you said something unpleasant to him he would take it lightly and disregard it. Another unique character would be his niece, she has a very cheerful personality to help break the depressing story of the film. Sara also has a very unique character as well because she is the one who blankly admits the truth about what people think of Isak and yet still treats him kindly.
There are several themes in Wild Strawberries like self-discovery. This theme is displayed when Isak eventually discovers his true nature at the climax of the film. The fact that he ignores what his nature is what he learns at the end. The film is tragic in order to show self discovery, it is tragic because Isak must learn the hard way about his true nature. But the theme sends a powerful message to the audience in this more emotional way.
by Richie Gov
Film Comparison:
The films Wild Strawberries by Ingmar Berman and Bicycle Thieves by Vittorio de Sica are both made by two of the most renowned directors of all time. Wild Strawberries tells the story of an old Swedish man reliving memories of his youth and meeting people throughout the movie that inspire closure of his very long life. The movie Bicycle Thieves tells a different story about a man who is desperate for work and must rely on a bicycle to support his family. When the bicycle is stolen from him he must set out to find the thief who took it. Although the films consist of different story lines both of the main characters set out on a journey and the outcome of that journey will reflect greatly on their lives.
In Wild Strawberries the main character, Isak, is able to find closure at the end of the movie because he met people along the way who were able to dredge up past memories and relationships. At the end of Wild Strawberries Isak is content and peaceful as he drifts off, possibly into death. In Bicycle Thieves Antonio is unable to recover the bicycle from the thief and is mournful as he realizes his family’s future is bleak. Both films reach the end by taking the audience through a depressing yet satisfying journey.
by Ashley Simpson
400 Blows (François Truffaut, 1959)
Summary/Questions:
The 1959 film by Francois Truffaut The 400 Blows has an entertaining plot, characters, and setting. This story takes place in France during the mid-1950’s. It begins in the suburbs of France, where a young boy named Antoine Doinel lives and goes to school. At first the setting switches back and forth between Antoine’s school and his home in the town. Antoine is in a very troublesome situation: He is unhappy at home and at school and does very poorly in class and often gets in trouble; he dislikes his parents, especially his mother, and he simply wishes to be anywhere else than where he is. Eventually, he can’t stand any more of his teacher, particularly after he discovers a rather conniving lie told by Antoine, and he is fed up with his parents as well. He takes a typewriter from his father and uses it to figure out how much money he will need to survive on his own, but he is caught in the act. His stepfather very angrily brings him to the police. Here, a new setting is introduced: a run-down prison cell filled with scantily-clad women and burglars. Antoine is forced to spend the night in this atrocious place, and then he has to face the judge in the morning. Overall, he ends up in a correctional facility for children and speaks about his feelings day by day to a psychiatrist. One day, while all the boys are outside playing soccer, he simply runs to a breach in the nearest fence and escapes. He goes on a rather long run to the ocean, and the movie ends with a zooming close-up of his face while he is on the beach. There are five main characters in the film, all of which (including Antoine Doinel) had some biological significance to Francois Truffaut’s life. The first is Antoine himself, the troubled child protagonist who lives in the poorer part of France – his life is miserable at school and at home; his only escape from his life is his best friend. Antoine’s best friend is a troublesome boy, even more so than Antoine. He is often the reason that Antoine skips school or does something he’s not supposed to that will eventually get him into trouble. Also, there are Antoine’s parents. His stepdad is friendly and joking but can become very serious and mean when Antoine does something bad; he tries to defend Antoine against his harsh mother. Antoine’s mother is very strict on Antoine all the time and yells at him constantly. She won’t let him make the smallest mistake without her noticing it and punishing him for it. Finally, there is Antoine’s school teacher (It could be disputed that he is simply a subordinate character.) His teacher is one of the reasons Antoine tries to run away: He is very mean and stern, and he won’t let any of his rules be broken. Also, it seems as if he is extra hard on Antoine for some reason and makes him do extra work or gets him into more trouble whenever the opportunity arises.
Questions for The 400 Blows
by Nick Sichau
Analysis of Literary Elements of Character, Point of View, and Theme:
In 400 blows the main character of the film is Antoine Doinel who is a misunderstood boy that doesn’t fit into school and always finds himself in trouble. He is constantly running from both places in which cause him trouble which are his mother and teacher. He constantly fights authority which hurts him and forces him to places such as jail. He constantly does something wrong and seems to have too many things to do and couldn’t focus on school work. There always seems to be something pushing him away from trying to become a good student such as his parents, teacher, and friends. His mother doesn’t want him around and pretends to like him. She does everything she can to push him away and eventually does when putting him in an observation center. The father who isn’t his biological father seems to like him more than his mother and certain times in the movie connects with him but Antoine getting in trouble pushes them apart. The teacher is the final character and is constantly punishing Antione. Even when he does something right the teacher finds a way to get him into trouble.
In this film the point of view is from the boy’s point of view. You see his daily life and the struggles he goes through from both his school and his home. You hear his thoughts when he talks to his friend but throughout the movie you see how he feels and how the other characters feel towards him. When at school he lies and says his mother died to excuse an absence shows that he knows she doesn’t like him and expresses his feelings towards him.
In 400 blows it is the story of Antoine’s life and the trouble he goes through. The theme of the film is to always follow your heart. This is the theme because as we see in the movie Antoine does what he always wanted to do which was goes to the beach. Although it doesn’t seem as that’s the way he wanted to accomplish his goal by getting put into an observation center. The end of the movie shows him going to the beach by running from the observation center in the last scene.
by Anthony Rizo
Film Comparison:
Antoine has a bad relationship with his parents, just like Veda has a bad relationship with her mom in Mildred pierce. These two movies are alike because of the bad relationship the kids have with their parents. I think both Veda and Antoine don’t have good relationships with their parents because they both disobey their parents.
I think that Antoine has a bad relationship with his mom because he gets in trouble at school, he doesn’t get good grades at school, and because he ditched school. Because Antoine breaks all these rules his mother has to deal with it. They have a bad relationship because his mother has to deal with all the consequences Antoine gets and Antoine just doesn’t learn from all his mistakes.
I also think Veda has a bad relationship with Mildred because Veda was trying to steal Monty from Mildred. Even though Veda is Mildred’s daughter she still tried to steal Mildred’s boyfriend Monty from her own mom. Because of this Veda and Mildred do not have a good relationship with each other.
Both Veda and Mildred don’t have good relationships with their parents because they didn’t respect their parents enough to not do the disrespectful things they did. Since they both disobeyed the rules, they both got the consequences they deserved.
by Harrison Difuntorum
The 1959 film by Francois Truffaut The 400 Blows has an entertaining plot, characters, and setting. This story takes place in France during the mid-1950’s. It begins in the suburbs of France, where a young boy named Antoine Doinel lives and goes to school. At first the setting switches back and forth between Antoine’s school and his home in the town. Antoine is in a very troublesome situation: He is unhappy at home and at school and does very poorly in class and often gets in trouble; he dislikes his parents, especially his mother, and he simply wishes to be anywhere else than where he is. Eventually, he can’t stand any more of his teacher, particularly after he discovers a rather conniving lie told by Antoine, and he is fed up with his parents as well. He takes a typewriter from his father and uses it to figure out how much money he will need to survive on his own, but he is caught in the act. His stepfather very angrily brings him to the police. Here, a new setting is introduced: a run-down prison cell filled with scantily-clad women and burglars. Antoine is forced to spend the night in this atrocious place, and then he has to face the judge in the morning. Overall, he ends up in a correctional facility for children and speaks about his feelings day by day to a psychiatrist. One day, while all the boys are outside playing soccer, he simply runs to a breach in the nearest fence and escapes. He goes on a rather long run to the ocean, and the movie ends with a zooming close-up of his face while he is on the beach. There are five main characters in the film, all of which (including Antoine Doinel) had some biological significance to Francois Truffaut’s life. The first is Antoine himself, the troubled child protagonist who lives in the poorer part of France – his life is miserable at school and at home; his only escape from his life is his best friend. Antoine’s best friend is a troublesome boy, even more so than Antoine. He is often the reason that Antoine skips school or does something he’s not supposed to that will eventually get him into trouble. Also, there are Antoine’s parents. His stepdad is friendly and joking but can become very serious and mean when Antoine does something bad; he tries to defend Antoine against his harsh mother. Antoine’s mother is very strict on Antoine all the time and yells at him constantly. She won’t let him make the smallest mistake without her noticing it and punishing him for it. Finally, there is Antoine’s school teacher (It could be disputed that he is simply a subordinate character.) His teacher is one of the reasons Antoine tries to run away: He is very mean and stern, and he won’t let any of his rules be broken. Also, it seems as if he is extra hard on Antoine for some reason and makes him do extra work or gets him into more trouble whenever the opportunity arises.
Questions for The 400 Blows
- Why doesn’t Antoine Doinel tell his stepfather that his wife, Antoine’s mother, is seeing another man?
- Why is the scene that follows Antoine running along a road so long and drawn-out?
- Why does the film end the way it does?
- How do the characters in the film relate to people in Truffaut’s life?
- Does Antoine Doinel actually run away?
- Why does Antoine run to the beach at the end of the film – where would he go from there? The answer to this question is that the director wanted us to use our imaginations. It is left up to us to predict what he will do next.
- Who is Antoine’s biological father?
by Nick Sichau
Analysis of Literary Elements of Character, Point of View, and Theme:
In 400 blows the main character of the film is Antoine Doinel who is a misunderstood boy that doesn’t fit into school and always finds himself in trouble. He is constantly running from both places in which cause him trouble which are his mother and teacher. He constantly fights authority which hurts him and forces him to places such as jail. He constantly does something wrong and seems to have too many things to do and couldn’t focus on school work. There always seems to be something pushing him away from trying to become a good student such as his parents, teacher, and friends. His mother doesn’t want him around and pretends to like him. She does everything she can to push him away and eventually does when putting him in an observation center. The father who isn’t his biological father seems to like him more than his mother and certain times in the movie connects with him but Antoine getting in trouble pushes them apart. The teacher is the final character and is constantly punishing Antione. Even when he does something right the teacher finds a way to get him into trouble.
In this film the point of view is from the boy’s point of view. You see his daily life and the struggles he goes through from both his school and his home. You hear his thoughts when he talks to his friend but throughout the movie you see how he feels and how the other characters feel towards him. When at school he lies and says his mother died to excuse an absence shows that he knows she doesn’t like him and expresses his feelings towards him.
In 400 blows it is the story of Antoine’s life and the trouble he goes through. The theme of the film is to always follow your heart. This is the theme because as we see in the movie Antoine does what he always wanted to do which was goes to the beach. Although it doesn’t seem as that’s the way he wanted to accomplish his goal by getting put into an observation center. The end of the movie shows him going to the beach by running from the observation center in the last scene.
by Anthony Rizo
Film Comparison:
Antoine has a bad relationship with his parents, just like Veda has a bad relationship with her mom in Mildred pierce. These two movies are alike because of the bad relationship the kids have with their parents. I think both Veda and Antoine don’t have good relationships with their parents because they both disobey their parents.
I think that Antoine has a bad relationship with his mom because he gets in trouble at school, he doesn’t get good grades at school, and because he ditched school. Because Antoine breaks all these rules his mother has to deal with it. They have a bad relationship because his mother has to deal with all the consequences Antoine gets and Antoine just doesn’t learn from all his mistakes.
I also think Veda has a bad relationship with Mildred because Veda was trying to steal Monty from Mildred. Even though Veda is Mildred’s daughter she still tried to steal Mildred’s boyfriend Monty from her own mom. Because of this Veda and Mildred do not have a good relationship with each other.
Both Veda and Mildred don’t have good relationships with their parents because they didn’t respect their parents enough to not do the disrespectful things they did. Since they both disobeyed the rules, they both got the consequences they deserved.
by Harrison Difuntorum