Casablanca

Casablanca

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

In our last class, we discussed one of the most popular films of all time, Casablanca. It was number 3 on AFI Top 100 Films of all time, right below Citizen Kane and The Godfather. It was nominated for 8 Academy Awards and took home 3 for Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best Picture. It starred leads Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. The film is based on the play: "Everybody Comes to Rick's" By Murray Burnett and Joan Alison.

2) Find a related article (on the film, directed, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, ect.) You can use the library or the internet. Cite the article or copy the url to your journal entry. Summarize in your own words the related article but do not plagiarize any content.

The article I found about when the world found out Casablanca star, Ingrid Bergman, was having an affair with playboy Roberto Rossellini and many other famous friends. At the time, Ingrid was married  had a young daughters. Even on the set of Casablanca, Humphrey Bogart’s then-wife Mayo Methot accused him of cheating with Ingrid while making the film, which led to their divorce. It started in 1949 when Ingrid, penned a "fan" letter to Rossellini. The romance grew and Rossellini even fired his other lover, Anna Magnani, from his next production, Stromboli, and re-wrote the lead role for Ingrid. When the news was out, Ingrid left her family in America to join her new love in Italy, both ending their other marriages. The affair and then marriage with Rossellini created a scandal that forced her to remain in Europe until 1956, when she made a successful Hollywood return in Anastasia for which she won her second Academy Award, as well as the forgiveness of her fans.

http://www.nationalenquirer.com/from-saint-to-whore-ingrid-bergman-cheating-scandal

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.

It's funny that this movie centers around a relationship that was essentially an affair because Ingrid's character was still married and loved another man. That was her real life issues played out on film, excluding the war. She was a woman who loved love and I think that was shown well in the film. She fought for her love although it did not work out in the end.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film , including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text materials and the article.

I always heard the title of this film when I was little and I was excited to finally seeing this highly praised movie. But in honesty, I was not overly impressed with it. I was very happy to hear the most memorable and reused quotes, though. And many of the minor characters were very enjoyable to watch. The ending of the film was the best part and I was pleased about how the film went, even though I can't agree with the hype it got. 

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) (x) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class. 



2) (x) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) (x) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text. 



4) (x) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper. 



5) (x) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read. 



6) (x) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography. 



7) (x) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality. 



8) (x) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.

Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane

 1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

In our last class, we discussed the motion picture Citizen Kane. When Citizen Kane was viewed as a bomb when it first came out and the production company, RKO Pictures, was close to burning the films negative because of how bad the film turned out. After several months, Citizen Kane became a hit. It had a huge following do to the star, writer and director of Citizen Kane, Orson Welles. At only 24, RKO Pictures gave Welles all control of this movie. 

2) Find a related article (on the film, directed, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, ect.) You can use the library or the internet. Cite the article or copy the url to your journal entry. Summarize in your own words the related article but do not plagiarize any content.

The article I found on the film is about the death of Richard Collins, the late husband of Dorothy Comingore, the actress who played Susan. It was a discussion of both the blacklisting of Dorothy and Richard.  After the shot of fame, Dorothy felt ill for a short time. She stop showing up to work and RKO suspended her. Dorothy had hoped to star in many films, but upon returning to work, she found nothing to do. Her career shortly ended in 1951. Soon after, she was accused of heavy drinking in custody hearings for her children, and on March 19, 1953, she was arrested for prostitution in West Hollywood. She, and many fans believed that is was part of scheme to make her seem that she was part of the Communism Movement. After that she moved to Connecticut and died at the age of 58, due to her alcohol problem and died of pulmonary disease. Her late husband Richard Collins has been in hiding up to his death because of the harsh things that was done to Dorothy.

http://www.avclub.com/article/rip-richard-collins-blacklisted-screenwriter-92610

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.

 Citizen Kane itself is well known as the most controversial movie to date. The movie itself was rumored for being communism propaganda. Any movie with Hitler in it in the very beginning is a movie that will be up for speculation. Welles never speculated that Comingore was a Communist and he would always answer questions about the rumors, stating it was no such thing.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film , including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text materials and the article.

 Although this film is considered one of, if not the, greatest movie of all time, I did not particularly understand the significance of it. The story had so many flashbacks for this average man. I didn't understand the importance of this character's life that it needed to be documented by this reporter. I will say that the concept of "Rosebud" was a nice mystery, but to be quite honest, halfway through the movie, I had already figured out the importance of him not having a childhood would lead to a path of destruction. I believe that because this movie was the first movie with this concept, that it is a brilliant idea. But because of so many movies I have seen that have been inspired by this film, it lost its "wow" factor for me.

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) (x) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class. 



2) (x) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) (x) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text. 



4) (x) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper. 



5) (x) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read. 



6) (x) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography. 



7) (x) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality. 



8) (x) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.

Gone with the Wind

Gone with the Wind

 1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

In class, we discussed Black Cinema and Gone with the Wind. In mainstream Hollywood, black actors were mostly cast as extras, the help, or happy/funny characters. They were never given serious and were rarely cast as a main character in films.They were usually only cast in musicals or comedies. Blackface was a major thing white actors would use to portray black characters. Several films with black casts were made between the years of 1915 and 1950, which were funded by black producers or white supporters. Gone with the Wind gave black actors an opportunity to have major roles in a dramatic film. Actress Hattie McDaniel was the first African American to win an Academy Award, which she won for best supporting actress in the film, Gone with the Wind.

2) Find a related article (on the film, directed, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, ect.) You can use the library or the internet. Cite the article or copy the url to your journal entry. Summarize in your own words the related article but do not plagiarize any content.

The article I found expresses how racist the film was. The New York Post film critic Lou Lumenick states that the film romanticizes slavery and the confederate south. If we continue to celebrate the film, then we are giving an okay to slavery and not addressing it as a serious issue.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/25/us-critic-deniably-racist-gone-with-the-wind-should-be-banned-from-cinemas

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class. 

With the discussion in class about black cinema, I do agree with the article. Although this movie is considered the "greatest movie ever made" by almost ever critic and viewer, Gone with the Wind does romanticized the portrayal of the South during and after the Civil War. The depiction of black people in the film make it seem as if they were happy to serve white people and did not want to be free after the Civil War. 

4) Write a critical analysis of the film , including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text materials and the article.

Despite the film being nearly four hours long, Gone with the Wind is an epic tale of love and loss. The plot is what catches the attention of the audience. You go through all these phases of each character's life and it is such a personal touch that you feel like you know these characters and they are actual people. I have to admit, I did not follow along at the beginning, but by the end of the first act, I was hooked. I could not wait to continue the story line of Scarlett. I do not enjoy viewing the depiction of slaves or the glorification rape in Rhett and Scarlett's marriage, but I do understand that this was filmed in a completely different time frame than where the world is in today.

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) (x) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class. 



2) (x) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) (x) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text. 



4) (x) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper. 



5) (x) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read. 



6) (x) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography. 



7) (x) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality. 



8) (x) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.