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Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)

Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
Country of Origin: United States
Language of Film: English
Released in United States March 29, 1985
Directed by Susan Seidelman
Starring: Rosanna Arquette - Roberta Glass
Madonna - Susan
Aidan Quinn - Dez
Mark Blum - Gary Glass, Roberta's husband
Robert Joy - Jim, the man who placed the "Desperately
Seeking Susan" ad
Laurie Metcalf - Leslie Glass, Roberta's sister-in-law
Anna Levine - Crystal
Will Patton - Wayne Nolan
Peter Maloney - Ian the magician
Steven Wright - Larry Stillman D.D.S.
John Turturro - Ray, the master of ceremonies at the Magic
Club
Anne Carlisle - Victoria
Giancarlo Esposito - Street Vendor
Richard Hell - Bruce Meekr
Ann Magnuson - Cigarette Girl

Awards: Arquette won a BAFTA Award for her portrayal of Roberta
Rosanna Arquette was nominated for a Golden Globe for
Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical.
The film also received a nomination for a
César Award for Best Foreign Film.
The New York Times film critic Vincent Canby named the
film as one of the 10 best films of 1985.


Desperately Seeking Susan was released in 1985 and it was directed Susan Seidelman. This film is unlike other films we've screened during the semester as it is probably the closest film to our generation, and it is a comedy. The film is about a boring housewife who becomes obsessed with a stranger, Susan, who lives very wild and rowdy life. In an effort to escape the normalcy of her everyday life, she starts trying to follow Susan. A man eventually mistakes her for Susan because of her jacket and tries to jump her in the park. She ends up bumping her head and losing her memory. Supported and befriended by another man who believes she really is Susan, she begins to take refuge with him. Her optimistic view of living like Susan eventually takes a couple of wild turns as the film progresses. Maybe she should have been grateful living the life of a Fort-lee housewife.
The biggest film theory present in this movie is feminism. Madonna’s character, Susan, symbolizes female empowerment. She is confident, determined, capable, and strong. All of which are characteristics that feminist theorists believe all women have. The housewife’s effort to drop her current lifestyle for that of Susan's is another example of feminist movement. Roberta was trying to escape the expected roles of being a wife that society placed on women at the time. Her experiences while living as Susan helps her finally feel free. The film also has a little bit of Auteur theory as I feel this was a movie that Seidalman created with a certain direction in mind. Also, this film contains glimpses of the formalist film theory as the music and color was chosen to give the specific feeling of the 80’s.

The two articles I used for this blog entry can be found here and here. The first article notes that the movie is a quarter century old, pokes fun at the stylish clothing, and states that this is Madonna's first lead role in a movie. The latter part of the article consists of an interview with Seidelman, where she jokingly admits that vanity was not a part of the title of the film. She says that the film is about finding who you truly are on the inside. She also points out that the bridge in the film is a metaphor. Jumping the bridge from being a housewife to a rebellious life. Another interesting fact is that the scenes in the film were chosen because she had been there in real life. The second article comes from Roger Ebert. He speaks about how the film is a series of double reversals.
This film was definitely one of the more enjoyable films we watched this semester. It's probably because I tend to enjoy the more modern films over the early classical film eras. The film definitely had its funny moments. It also had a little bit more sex appeal compared to prior films we’ve watched. I would definitely recommend this film to 80’s film buffs as well as those infatuated with Madonna.

Spirit of the Beehive (1973)

Spirit of the Beehive (1973)
Country of Origin: Spain
Language of Film: Spanish
Released in Spain October 8th, 1973
Released in United States September 23, 1976
Directed by Victor Erice
Starring: Fernando Fernán Gómez - Fernando
Teresa Gimpera - Teresa
Ana Torrent - Ana
Isabel Tellería - Isabel
Ketty de la Cámara - Milagros, la criada
Estanis González - Guardia civil
José Villasante - The Frankenstein Monster
Juan Margallo - The Fugitive
Laly Soldevila - Doña Lucía, the teacher
Miguel Picazo - the Doctor


Awards: Chicago International Film Festival: Silver Hugo; 1973
San Sebastián International Film Festival: Golden Seashell, Victor
Erice; 1973.
Cinema Writers Circle Awards, Spain: CEC Award; Best Film; Best
Actor, Fernando Fernán Gómez; Best Director, Víctor Erice; 1974.
Fotogramas de Plata, Madrid, Spain: Best Spanish Movie
Performer, Ana Torrent; 1974.
Association of Latin Entertainment Critics: Premios ACE, Cinema,
Best Actress, Ana Torrent; Cinema, Best Director, Víctor
Erice; 1977.


The Spirit of the Beehive centers around an enchanting six-year-old girl named Ana who attends a traveling movie show of James Whale’s classic Frankenstein and becomes haunted by her memory of the film. This memory begins to shape her worldview and affect the way she sees the harsh world around her. The story takes place in 1940 following the Spanish Civil War and offers a deeply moving look at a troubled nation trapped under Franco’s tyranny. Director Víctor Erice bathes the film recurring metaphors that give the film a timeless and delicate quality. Luis de Pablo’s musical focus adds to the somber mood of the film.
This film could be interpreted as a film about blind faith. Ana shields here eyes when watching the movie of Frankenstein, and in the classroom she puts the eyes on the wooden body and Isabel tells Ana to close her eyes and if she believes in the monster he will come. Isabel shares none of the whimsical imaginings of her sister; whereas Ana tries to escape life's harshness. Now, the monster, Frankenstein, is used in this film as a mystery in both image and figure. And even if we don't believe the story being told, it's enough that we believe in Ana's belief.

The film also has a theme of sight. Erice is seemingly conscious of the nature of the cinematic methods as he critiques and at the same time applauds childlike belief in the noticeable. The film opens with a screening of Frankenstein in the town. For a film to begin with a film within certainly acknowledges the interaction occuring, as we see over the heads of numerous Spanish villagers the projected image of Frankenstein’s monster; our view is exactly where the film projector stands, as if the projector and the actual camera are the same unit. Later in the film, the theater, apparently the only public building in town, is used as a makeshift morgue when the convict is brought in dead. Instead of visually hungry children gazing entranced at the screen, there is a corpse. The image is dead, and it has deceived us. The empty square that the projected film filled is a grey box, and the man that Ana believed was the spirit of the beehive is just a dead prisoner. He commends to us that Ana, the pure but non-emotional child whose assumptions propelled her to goodness and generosity.

Spirit of the Beehive is beautifulf or not only depicting a child in her natural element but also leaving the viewer with no choice but to recall what childhood was and should continue to be. The film’s casting couldn’t have been better either. Ana was precious without being precious. Víctor Erice used the curiosity inherent in childhood into the skepticism toward sight. The eyes can’t be trusted. If you enjoy movies that like Pan’s Labyrinth, then this is definitely the film for you. Its definitely a must see.

French New Wave - Band of Outsiders (1964)

Bande a part (Band of Outsiders), filmed in 1964 and directed by Jean-luc Godard, is a loose adaption of the pulp novel ‘Fool’s Gold’ by Dolores Hitchens, in which a trio of cynical and bored youths plan a robbery that is doomed to fail from the start. It is Godard’s homage to the American gangster B-movies. Many critics believe this film to be one of the best introductions to his style and the French New Wave. The plot is more secondary to the characters and mood. It is a film that follows two petty criminals Franz, a shy, hesitant young man and his friend Arthur, a self-assured rogue who hatch a plan to rob loot from the house where Odile (Karina) lives with her aunt. Odile is a confused, insecure girl who they meet through English class and begin a torturous love triangle with. If you’re looking for a film that emphasizes the radical experimentation of the French New Wave, then this is a good film to catch.

Un Chien Andalou

Un Chien Andalou

Un Chien Andalou is a surrealist short film made in France by Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali. It is one of the most well known surrealist films. The film is non linear, and with no plot, although it has some titles which make no sense. Its visual aspects can be described as controversial and groundbreaking for its time. The film is at times potentially offensive, with scenes that attempt to shock the viewer. It also features surprising camera angles and other film tricks. I really didn’t have interest in the film due to its lack of plot, but I found that some of the images and scenes were interesting. To me, the best part of the film was when the straight razor sliced through the eye. If you enjoy watching disturbing films, then this is a must see.

Article Response 2

Film of Paul Bowles Short Story Rediscovered
By RANDY KENNEDY

This is an interesting article about You Are Not I, a film directed by Sara Driver in the 1980s. The film is inspired by a short story written by Paul Bowles. According to the article the film is about a woman who escapes an insane asylum. In an effort to protect herself from being sued, she sent a copy of the film to Bowles, who was living in Turkey at the time. Much to her surprise, Bowles showed great praise for the film. She eventually released the film and it received a great cult following. Unfortunately the one print she owned eventually got damaged. For sometime she thought that the film was gone for good, but a film librarian at the University of Delaware recovered the copy she sent to Bowles. The fact that this film has the allure of uncovered treasure certainly intrigues me. This definitely makes this a flick worthy of watching.

Article Response 1

Brazil’s Best, Restored and Ready for a 21st-Century Audience

By LARRY ROHTER

            This article highlights a recent re-release of Limite, an experimental silent film directed by Mario Peixoto in the 1930’s.  The film has been said to be a compilation of strong imagery.  According to Peixoto, the experience offered by the film cannot be captured by dialogue but rather by the feelings exuded by the images. According to the article, it is said that this film has had a radical cult following. The recent restoration of the film has been said to recreate the film. This article does a good job putting this film on a pedestal. After reading a few descriptions of this film online, it seems as thou Rohter is not the only critic who believes this film belongs on a pedestal. Therefore, It seems like a rather interesting flick to catch.

Joseph Roman
11/4/10

La Belle et La Bete - The Beauty and The Beast (1946)
Country of Origin: France
Language of Film: French
Released in France October 29th, 1946
Released in United States September 23, 1947
Directed by Jean Cocteau
Starring:      Jean Marais — La Bête (The Beast) / The                
                                       Prince/Avenant
                   Josette Day — Belle
                   Mila Parély — Félicie
                   Nane Germon — Adélaïde
                   Michel Auclair — Ludovic
                   Raoul Marco — The Usurer
                   Marcel André — Belle's Father

Awards: Prix Louis Delluc (1946 – won by Jean Cocteau)


La Belle et la Bête, the film which marked Jean Cocteau's return to directing after an interval of 15 years, is a work which continues the vein of fantasy which had characterized his scriptwriting during the wartime years in France. The film is typical of its period, for the early postwar years in France saw no resurgence of realism in comparison with the emergence of surrealism in Italy. But in all other ways the appropriation of a fairy tale to the film maker's own personal mythology is a totally individual work.

I read two articles, http://people.wcsu.edu/mccarneyh/fva/c/La_Belle_et_la_Bete_780.html and http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~lenin/jean_cocteau_batb.html. The first article is gives a thorough explanation of the symbolism in the film. It also highlights the detailed sets of the film. The second article highlights Cocteau’s inspirations.

According to the second article, the film is based on the tale as told by Madame Leprince de Beaumont, but there is evidence in Cocteau's approach of the childlike innocence which the director demands of his audience in his brief introduction to the film. Visually, the film is one of Cocteau's most sophisticated works. The costumes designed by Christian Bérard and the lighting and framing devised by Henri Alekan are decorative rather than functional and take their inspiration from classic Dutch painting, particularly the work of Vermeer. Despite the presence of René Clément as technical supervisor, the film shows none of the reliance on complexity of scripting and use of heavy irony so characteristic of French cinema in the late 1940s. The legend is handled in a dazzlingly eclectic style.

Joseph Roman

10/20/10

Rashomon (1950)

Country of Origin: Japan

Language of Film: Japanese

Released in Japan August 25, 1950

Released in United States December 26, 1951

Directed by Akira Kurosawa

Starring:            Toshirō Mifune – Tajomaru
Masayuki Mori – Samurai (husband)
Machiko Kyō – The wife
Takashi Shimura – The Woodcutter
Minoru Chiaki – The Priest

Awards:          Best Screen Play (1951 Blue Ribbon 

                        Awards)

                        Best Actress (1951 Mainichi Film                      

                        Concours)

                        Golden lion (1951 Venice Film Festival)

                        Best Director (1951 National Board of 

                        Review)

                        Honorary Academy Award (1952 24^th 

                                                                                        Academy Awards)

            The film Rashomon was heavily influenced by silent film and modern art. Kurosawa felt that cinematic sound was never purely an accompaniment to the film. He felt that the real sound added to the images in the film as well as multiplied the effect of the scene. He also practiced a modern art technique known as simplification. Accordingly, there were only three settings of the film: the Rashomon gate, the woods, and the courtyard. Each of these settings were produced in a minimalist fashion satisfying his practice of simplification.

            I read two articles, Judgment by Film: Socio-Legal Functions of Rashomon by Orit Kamir, and http://www.tcm.com/thismonth/article.jsp?

cid=136021&mainArticleId=160926. The first article talks about the evolution of the word Rashomon. The author talks about the words evolution from the title of the movie to an actual legal term. The second article gives some of the background about the film. It talks about how the film was perceived in Japan as well as in the United States.

            After reading the articles regarding the film, I was able to open up my mind a little bit more considering the fact that I really didn’t like the film much. The articles helped me look beyond the picture and allowed me to process the underlying message of that of the film. For instance, the second article talks about how the Japanese critics of the time showed their displeasure for the film. The Japanese weren’t necessarily proud of the way Kurosawa exercised his liberties as the director. They felt that he took it a little bit too far. All in all, his directorial views helped make this film historic as well as a significant influence on popular culture of its time. After we screened the film, Professor Mirrer talked about how the film’s title was actually being used as a legal term. The first article gave me some background about the development of the word. The word Rashomon is used legally to refer to the relativity of truth. The article covers how the truth changes from person to person regardless of the sincerity of each person. Their views aren’t usually a direct reflection of what happens at the scene of the occurrence.

            Much like 400 Blows, I didn’t really enjoy this film much. This film had a lot more action then the last, but the action scenes lacked the realism that I’m kind of into. Its hard for me to enjoy these films considering I come from a generation where every film pushes the limits of realism and makes fantasy look like it can actually happen. Besides me giving my biased opinions, I’ve got to talk about my gaining respect for the film. If there’s anything positive I can do it’s that I can now respect the film for being groundbreaking. The articles helped solidify that for me. I feel that regardless of the film being boring for me, it was something that was incredibly new for the viewers of its time. This is something I can respect about the film. Overall, I really didn’t like the film, but the fact that it defied its cultural norms, helps solidify itself as a true cult classic for film theory buffs.

The 400 Blows (1959)

Joseph Roman

10/13/10

400 Blows (1959)

Country of Origin: France

Language of Film: French

Released in France May 4, 1959

Released in United States November 16, 1959

Directed by Francois Truffaut

Starring:         Jean-Pierre Leaud – Antoine Doinel

                        Claire Maurier – Gilberte Doinel (Antoine’s Mother)

                        Albery Remy – Julien Doinel (Antoine’s Father)

                        Guy Decomble – School teacher

                        Patrick Auffay – Rene Bigey (Antoine’s best friend)

Awards:         Best Director Award (1959 Cannes Film Festival)

                        Critics Award of 1959 (New York Film Critics’ Circle)

                        Best European Film Award (1960 Bodil Awards)

                        Nominated for Best Original Screenplay (32^nd Academy Awards)

              The film 400 Blows was influential to the development of film-making. Upon the film’s release, it was considered to be the beginning of the French New Wave. Films developed within the frame of the French New Wave are usually proposed with two basic principles, Mise-En-Scene and Auteur Theory. Mise-En-Scene is the work done by director and how he or she gives images to the words on the screenplay. It covers the what is done before shooting; Mainly characters, décor, camera angles, and camera movement. Auteur theory is the idea that a film should be a medium of artistic expression that conveys the director’s personality

              I read two articles “The 400 Blows,” by  Annette Insdorf (http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/528) and ”The 400 Blows Verisimilitude and the (Re)presentation of the city” by Steven Chong (http://knol.google.com/k/the-400-blows). The first article reiterates the fact that a pioneer of the French New Wave developed the film. It talks about how the film was somewhat a semi-autobiographical film in the manner in which it elaborates how Truffaut moves backward and forward in time in recalling his own experience while forging a filmic language. The second article focuses on the details of the French New Wave that can be found in the film. It also covers how the Film was a description of post-war France.

             After the reading the articles regarding the film, I gained a bit of understanding the French New Wave. The first article talks about the film’s semi-autobiographical background. The directors who conveyed the themes of the French New Wave often recalled their own experiences when directing their films. An example of this would the parents of Antoine Doinel. In the film, Antoine’s mother had him when she was a young girl. She then met his soon to be father, right after he was born. This is the exact family background of the Director Truffaut. The second article touches on another French New Wave development in which certain characters lack the professional training to be considered professional actors. It talks about how it helps elaborates a more natural feel to the film, which was certainly groundbreaking for the time in which it was made. An example of this would be the actor Jean-pierre Leaud. He was the actor who played Antoine Doinel. He in his own right had no professional training as an actor, but he exuded the realism necessary to depict a misunderstood child.

 

            I found that the film wasn’t too entertaining, but regardless of the entertainment it provided it helped provide me with information regarding the development of film. During the screening I realized that there were many shots that were similar to the films of today. An example of this would be the opening shot where the camera taped the façade of a city in France. Another would be how the camera usually followed the characters as well as at times gave us a point of view shot of the actual character. This was something that we didn’t see in films shot before this film, and I was surprised to see that this was something that directors of the French New Wave began. Viewing this film may not have been enjoyable but it certainly opened my eyes when I gained some insight in how this film helped influence the direction of films in modern day cinema.