Once Upon A Time in Hollywood

In class we discussed the classic Western versus the revisionist Western and ultimately decided that Sergio Leone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" fell in the middle. The mysterious Harmonica serves as the cowboy hero, but many of his behaviors make him a much more psychologically complicated character than most Western heroes. Instead of focusing on what I thought of the film, I wanted to discover what the film originally set out to be. Sergio Leone had great success with the Clint Eastwood starring "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly." This made him a household name in Hollywood and afterwards he vowed never to make another Western, for he thought there was nothing more he could bring to the genre. Hollywood studios thought otherwise. He refused many offers but soon enough Paramount Studios offered Leone a big budget and the opportunity to work with Henry Fonda (Frank), someone who just happened to be one of Leone's favorite actors. He took the offer, enlisted Sergio Donati to make the screen play, cast the actors and set off to Spain and Italy to film. Claudia Cardinale (Jill) was Leone's vision of the character, but Cardinale said she was not confident enough her English or Italian to speak the dialogue so Leone had her lines dubbed. The film and all its characters were initially tributes to other great Westerns, so the story was completely original to the film. Like most Westerns, Leone presents the contrast and arrival of civilization to the Old West. Many of Leone's other films have proven that he likes to exemplify specific sequences with little to no dialogue and focus on the settings or actions. This, in turn, causes the film to flow slowly and allows the viewer to absorb the scene. The film was originally released in Italy and then a year later released in the US, but the critical acclaim did not come at first glance. Although, as we all know now, the film is today regarded as one of the greatest films ever made, and I can see why.
Fun Fact: There is a deleted scene from the beginning of the film where Harmonica gets beaten by a sherriff and his crew at a hotel after arriving in Flagstone. Although this scene does not appear in the final product, Harmonica carries scars on his face from the fight throughout the entire film.

The Classic Western

The truth is, I have never actually seen a western before, except maybe for a minute or two, I'd just get bored after that. Surprisingly, I did not mind John Ford's "My Darling Clementine." Because I was absent, I had to rent the movie and watch it at home, which was nice because I just got to watch it the whole way through without any interruptions (not that class discussions aren't helpful...) The film recounts the story of Wyatt Earp and his rise to Marshall in the town of Tombstone. The film's overall theme is the coming of civilization in to the West, and throughout the film that overlying theme becomes clear very quickly. One of my favorite scenes in the entire movie was when Wyatt takes Clementine to the very first service in the yet to be completed church. Clementine, who represents modern civilization, finally connects with Wyatt, the once scruffy frontiersman. With all the violence thrust in his life, Clementine seems to represent a piece of innocence that is long overdue. I was extremely impressed with Henry Fonda's portrayal of Wyatt Earp. He proves to be a fantastic character actor. Wyatt's transformation from cattle herder to sophisticated lawman does not seem pushed and plays off quite naturally as if it were a right of passage. The film is set in Arizona and I was very surprised to learn that John Ford especially wanted to film in Arizona, on his favorite locale, instead of sets in Hollywood. Once again this gives the film a more realistic tone, which is important when telling a story of a real life man. Native Americans are represented as they always are in Westerns, uncivilized, trouble making Indians, but it was the mind set of settlers during that time period. The tension that grows between Wyatt, Doc Holliday and the Clantons is build up nicely but the finaly fight at the OK Corral was not as climactic as I would have expected. It was honestly one of my least favorite sequences in the movie. Although, during this sequence was the first time I noticed that Wyatt was being shown by a low angle camera, possibly representing his new found power. Towards the end of the sequence when many have been killed, Wyatt chooses not to shoot Old man Clanton; a clear representation of the honorable man that he is, and everything a Western hero is supposed to be.

Culture Clash

"Babel" is a film that was released in 2006, and gained great critical praise from the day it was released at the Cannes film festival. "Babel" combines four stories from Morocco, Mexico, Japan, and the US. All the stories are in some way connected and show that no matter how far away people are physically, no matter how different our cultures, we are (in some way) the same. The film is a drama that begins in Morocco where only a few of the main characters are introduced. Abdullah, a goatherder, is tired of jackals eating his goats and decides to buy a rifle from a friend to solve the problem. He gives this rifle to his two teenage sons, whom he believes will be responsible. Despite this thought, the boys, Yussef and Ahmed, decide to try it out. At first they shoot at rocks, and unbeknownst to the range of the rifle, they shoot at a tourist bus. The bullet hits a tourist, Susan Jones played by Cate Blanchett. Her husband Richard, played effortlessly by Brad Pitt, is more than distraught by this because he knows Susan did not want to be in Morocco in the first place. Simultaneously, two other stories are being told, that of Amelia a Mexican nanny, and Chieko, a Japanese deaf girl who refuses to speak traumatized after her mother's suicide. Amelia is taking care of two children, and for some reason the parents are delayed from coming back from their trip. Amelia's son's wedding happens to be that weekend so she decides to take the children with her, without the parents' consent. Problems ensue, along with Chieko's situation which proves just as morbid. Chieko's father is being investigated for a rifle, registered in his name, being involved in an attempted murder.
Starting to get the picture?
While watching this film I became increasingly interested in how and why the story was told as it was. The events are, obviously, told out of order and jump from location to location. Issues within the issues begin to present themselves and it is clear that the director intended for much more to be taken out of the film then just the surface information. "Babel" was directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu (pictured above with Brad Pitt), a Mexican director best known in the US for his film "21 Grams" which he has said is, in a way, a prequel to "Babel." Inarritu made it clear that he wanted all the locations in the film to actually be shot on location, so the film was shot in each of the four countries. In terms of directing the actors, Inarritu believed that in order for the characters to be presented as realistically as possible the actors needed to be placed directly in their shoes. He felt this could not be achieved filming only in California. Inarritu also decided that instead of having the characters who came from different countries speak English, he would have them speak their native language and add subtitles, which meant a majority of the film would have to be read. This decision was extremely important, and well made. By having the Japanese characters speak Japanese, and the Mexican characters speak Spanish, the film is given a certain authenticity that would not have been achieved otherwise. Being foreign himself, he had a better idea of how to make the film multi cultural, and it helped with the overall presentation of the film. Inarritu did not record a commentary for this film, like all the others he has made, and he explains why in an interview with a newspaper; “I don't like them. I feel that if you have to explain something it loses strength. It's like a magician trying to explain his magic, in a way. Those kind of things make me feel like I've lost something special about the film. The film should explain itself.” Inarritu tends not to explain everything in his films. In many cases the viewer has to infer what happens to the characters. This definetly gives the film a thought provoking edge and keeps you thinking and imagining long after having seen it, yet another trait of Inarritu's films. The name "Babel" for the film was not random, Inarritu is said to have chosen it carefully. Babel in the dictionary is defined as a confusion of voices or sounds. Throughout the film there are so many languages spoken, and a clear confusion is presented. A lot of translation is needed (hence the subtitles) but as Stuart Levine of MSNBC explains, "What unites them is a unifying voice, however. One which speaks universal truths in understanding the harsh realism of humanity."

Citizen Kane Reflection

"Citizen Kane" is rendered by many as one of the greatest films ever made, if not the best of all time. It is easy to see why once you examine the film techniques incorporated during a period when sound was just being introduced into film making. What I found most interesting about the film was what seems to gain my attention the most in modern films; mise en scene. Because this was Orson Welles' first film, and directorial debut I was extremely impressed with his control over what appeared on film. Much of mise en scene overlaps with theater, which explains why Welles was able to control the aspects so well, considering his theater background. The overall combination of all the film techniques created a film that was not only groundbreaking, but also entertaining to watch.

The first sequence in "Citizen Kane" introduces the viewer to a setting that proves extremely important throughout the film, his massive getaway towards the end of his life- Xanadu. Xanadu is shot beautifully in various different angles, and it is almost hard to believe that Xanadu was actually a painting. Xanadu seemed like a very stylized setting for Kane's refuge. The first clue is the "No Trespassing" sign hanging on the fence, but also the secluded nature of the structure shows just how alone Kane was at the end of his life. I was extremely impressed how through all the shots, the window, where Kane was lying when he spoke his last words, stayed in the same place through every angle. Throughout the entire film, Welles alternates between built artificial sets and paintings for the setting. For the newspaper building, the neighborhood was portrayed through a painting but the close ups on various buildings were built sets on the studio lot. Paintings were not only used to imitate large buildings in the film. In one scene, Kane is giving a speech in front of a huge crowd during his run for Governor of New York. At first, a viewer could be fooled into thinking that there are a lot of extras, but once you look closer it is easy to see that the people are in fact not real. Welles placed a flashlight behind the painting to give the illusion of people moving in the crowd. There are very important utilizations of props in the movie, including the snow globe which Kane is holding in his death bed, his childhood sled, and the puzzles that Susan is working on through many sequences. Each prop is employed not only to have something for the actors to hold but each one also has symbolic meaning. The snow globe and sled remind Kane of his childhood and the life he once had, where as the puzzles not only help shift the film through the seasons but also serve as a metaphor for Kane's life as being told by those he knew; the viewer has to piece the events together along the way, and even with one missing piece, the story would be incomplete. But setting is far from being the only part of the film which is applied to change prospective.

Costume and make up were used to their fullest potential in this film. They proved to be functional as well as symbolic. Make up is obviously important in the portrayal of Kane through all his life stages, especially when played by the same actor the entire film. The use of the face mask helped make Welles' portrayal much more realistic, even causing the viewer not to recognize him by the end. Costume helped exemplify the time period while also highlighting changes in attitude. For example, through the progression of Kane's marriage to his first wife, Emily, the costumes and make up change in the sequence to portray a more tense, uneasy marriage. Emily's make up was also incorporated to contrast with that of Susan, who was much more laid back to say the least. Costume and make up helped demonstrate changes in characters as well as distinguish the time in which that scene is occurring.

Finally, and possibly the most innovative technique for the time period, was the use of lighting. Low key lighting was used in many scenes including the scene where a younger Charles Foster Kane signs the declaration of principles, where he promises to only publish honest news. While signing, due to the low key lighting, Kane's face is in the dark causing the declaration to be the main focus of the scene. The low key lighting throughout provides Welles with the power to control what the viewer focuses on, and surprisingly it is rarely Kane. Welles provides the viewer with a much more intelligent view of the movie by guiding eyes to what he feels are much more symbolic and meaningful to the story.

Mise en scene is a very important aspect of film making, especially in "Citizen Kane." Each time Welles exercises a technique within mise en scene, it creates a scene (and overall, a film) way beyond its time.

Film Review

Batman has to be my favorite super hero, not as sad and weak as Spider man, and not an alien like Superman. With no particular super power, he uses his riches to make a difference in his city. Batman began in film a very long time ago; the first Batman movie was made in 1966 starring Adam West as the black knight. The film was quite comical, and not nearly as dark as the newest version starring Christian Bale. Bale is mostly known for his very eclectic roles in films such as "American Psycho" and "The Machinist" where he lost 64 pounds to reduce to a 120 pound figure. His portrayal of Batman was far from any other character Bale has depicted, but by inserting his subsequently dark demeanor, he adds a significant amount of mystery to a character that, let's admit, has never truly been developed from the ground up.
"Batman Begins" tells the tale of, of course, Bruce Wayne. Bruce is first introduced in his childhood years; the first sequence is actually a young Bruce Wayne trapped at the bottom of a well type structure, which marks his first encounter with bats; and it is not a very good one. This experience scars him, and proves extremely important throughout the entire film as the basis of many of his decisions. Like his decision to run away and find refuge in the far east, where he learns not only to fight, but also how crime is handled in various societies. When he finally returns, he discovers a broken Gotham, torn by those who believe in good, and those who exploit it. Through Bruce's own expedition into becoming Batman the audience is also taken on a psychological journey that exemplifies just how fear can affect an individual as well as a society. Who would have thought a super hero movie could be so deep?
The film is beautifully directed by Christopher Nolan, who directed "Memento" and also directed Bale and Hugh Jackman in "The Prestige," which came out just last year. His films are known as being extremely 'cultish' so his choice to create a Batman film was surprising to many. Overall his presentation of Gotham as a crumbling, crime infested empire, instead of just a big city shows just how much Batman is needed. Nolan also wrote the screenplay alongside David S. Goyer, which just seems to flow throughout. The screen play allows for other characters to shine brightly as well, like veteran actor Micheal Caine's Alfred. Who would have thought that Bruce Wayne's old butler would have so much to contribute? Not to mention Morgan Freeman, who just seems to add greatness to every project he participates in. Katie Holmes plays Rachel, a district attorney in Gotham and Bruce's childhood girl friend. Rachel is a character who could be so much more effective if she weren't played by Katie Holmes. It could be just me, but I can't seem to picture her in anything aside from Dawson's Creek and tween movies like "First Daughter."
Overall, the film is fantastic. Bale's portrayal of Batman has just enough seriousness and charm to make anyone cheer for him. The new Batman does not fight crime to gain praise, because he rarely recieves any in this adaption, but instead does it to restore hope in the people. The story is structured and filmed so differently from other Batman films, that you could almost believe this is happening somewhere; and I would like to think that maybe it is.