The Godfather

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

            Mario Puzo’s “The Godfather”, is one of the best films of all time. The Godfather was directed by Francis Ford Cappola in 1972. Francis Cappola first hit was the Godfather.  He came from a very talented family who also happens to own a Vineyard in Napa Valley, California. He is known for the Apocalypse Now, The Conversation, and The Godfather trilogy. The Godfather was nominated for eleven awards and won three for best picture, best actor, and best adapted screenplay. The Godfather II was nominated for eleven awards and won six of them. The main actors were Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, and Talia Shine. This family shows very close family values making one of the themes’ family oriented. Their family values were weddings, baptism, and food. The film had about 50 scenes with food in it. The Godfather made us believe that the criminals and murderers in this film were heroic and the good guy, disregarding everything we originally believed about people like this. There were a total of about 23 murders on scene, this filmed revised the entire Gangster Genre, and actually had an influence on every mob story, like “Good Fellas”, and “Sopranos” etc. This film was one of the highest grossing films of all time in 1972 they totals around $82 million, and in total $244 worldwide. Two most famous lines were “I’ll make him an offer he can’t refuse”, and “you are taking this very personal it is not personal, it is business”.

2)             Find a related article and summarize the content. 

The Godfather is known as one of the best American films ever made, and is also one of the most widely imitated, and quoted films of all time. Marlon Brando and Al Pacino starred as Vito and Corleone. The setting of this film took place in the late 1940’s in New York. Corleone was the head of a mafia family making him the “DON’ or the “Godfather”, causing him to participate in organized crime. After rejecting the family business no one ever expected Michael, Corleon’s youngest son to be the one exact revenge on the men responsible. Michael had enlisted in the Marines to fight in World War II, and when he returned someone attempted to murder his father. After murdering a corrupt police captain, and drug trafficker Michael had no chase but to escape to Sicily to hideout while a gang war erupted in New York. His wife that he married was murdered by family enemies who were attempting to get him t. The sister Connie Husband betrayed Sonny causing him to lose his life. When Michael returned home he convinced his main girlfriend Kay to marry him. The original DON recovered from his injuries, and made peace with rivals. Once Michael was crowned the new DON he led the family to a new era of prosperity. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/20076/The-Godfather/overview

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

            The article touched based on mostly everything that we went over in class except the history of Francis Ford Cappola. The film was basically about the original DON preparing to step down and past his torch to his son Michael who had went to war and showed he was brave and focused enough to take on the job. The article did not change any of my perception of the film.

4)             Write a critical analysis of the film

            In conclusion I think this was a very good move and story. Growing up around crime I can understand many of the stories although I have never experienced the murders and crime in the same way. I did realize all of my favorite movies like New Jack City, Blue Hill Avenue, and Paid in Full all touched base of the Godfather so without this film there would not have been any of my favorite movies in the first place. This rich and enthralling film is characterized by superb acting and choreography authentic recreation of the period and a bittersweet romantic subplot. The Godfather keeps you engaged, and answers all questions you may have had. This is a classical movie that everyone must see at some point in his life.

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.

Name: _Nabilah Smith__  Date: __5/7/2013___

The Graduate

 

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

            The Graduate was directed by Mike Nichol in 1967, He was one of the only twelve people who won all of the major American entertainment awards. Mike Nichols has also directed other movies such as Catch 22, Birdcage, and Closer Angels in America. The graduate was written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham and grossed $40 million at the Box Office. This film was one of the first true youth rebellion movies that came in between the generation gap. The main character Benjamin was trying figure out what to do after graduation. They were able to experiment with camera shots and cutting, and showed awareness of film as intrusive art. The cuts and camera movement were often obvious to the viewer. The director of this film Mike Nichol was very innovative. They were able to connect one scene to another with the use of sound and dialogue. They also showed overlapping action by starting in one scene and ending in another. In the running scene at the end they used long lens which compressed space. They displayed rapid cutting/editing and rolling focus to change the perception. The tight framing is symbolic of uptight Benjamin by showing constrained vocal response, track star, doesn’t smoke, nervous, alienated, people were crowding him and telling him what to do; he was confused about his future.

2)  Find a related article and summarize the content. 

                The Graduate is considered one of the key ground breaking films of the late 1960s. The Graduate paved the way for the future of film making by helping to create a new era of film making. This film was about a college graduate who films himself lost, and alienated after graduating and entering the “real world”. He began to question the values of society and his social and sexual beliefs began to change. This film also expressed the changes taking place in Hollywood. There were new younger directors like Mike Nichols who had only directed one previous film. Mike Nichols had instantly become a major new talent in America Film after winning an academy award for Best Director. This film portrayed the mood for America’s youth of the 1960s during the escalation of Vietnam War. The film was adapted first for the stage at London’s Gielgud Theaters, and then premiered on Broadway in early April of 2002. http://www.filmsite.org/grad.html

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

                The article that I read on http://www.filmsite.org/grad.html was very brief. It discussed everything we went over in class, and it told the story line of the film. This article made it clear that The Graduate helps to set in motion a new era of film making. At that time the main character Benjamin Braddock was not the only college graduate who felt alienated and a drift in the shifting, social, and sexual morals of the 1960s, who were questioning the values of society. This film had the opportunity to premiere on Broadway in early April 20002 with Kathleen Turner as Mrs. Robinson. The things that Benjamin went through displayed a boy who was always put in awkward and ethical situations that you too would have understood why he acted the way that he did. Over all the film was great.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film

                I believed The Graduate was an amazing film with a very interesting, humorous storyline. The Graduate gave Dustin Hoffman who starred as Benjamin, the spotlight and buzz that he needed to help him grow to become one of the greatest actors of his time. Not only was this film entertaining it was also nominated for 8 Oscar awards. Mike Nichols did an amazing job directing The Graduate and that is why he won Best Director at the Oscars. The Graduate charted number 7 on the A.F.I.'s Top 100 Best Films of all time. This film gave us the idea of how the sixties were full of rebellious youth similar to the graduate who went against the norm and felt misunderstood. This film displayed drama, comedy, romance, as well as suspense. The Seductive and manipulative older woman gave the film the witty and intriguing characteristic. I can relate to The Graduate because as I am soon to become a college graduate, I often wonder what is next. I believe this film should have won more awards than it did because it was a really good movie.

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.

Name: _Nabilah Smith  Date: 5/6/13 

Casablanca

 

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

Casablanca was designed by Michael Curtiz in 1942, and was listed top 3 in A.F.I top 100 films of all times. The story was written by Julius J, Philip G. Epstein, and Howard Koch. Casablanca was based on an unpronounced play titled everybody comes to rick's. This film was a balance between comedy, romance, and suspense. Casablanca was nominated for four Academy Awards, but only won three of them. There were different themes of this movie including honor, self-sacrifice in war, and lost love and romance within a crazy world. The film took place in the early 1940s during World War II, at a time when the citizens of French Morocco were trying to escape from war; hoping to gain visas to Lisbon and the United States. The two star characters were Bogart who stared as "Rick", and was the owner of a nightclub/bar. Bergman who stared as IIssa, she was the wife of Victor but the lover of Rick. Casablanca is the exit point to Lisbon and freedom. Everyone is focused on receiving the exit visas. One of the most quoted lines in the film was "of all the gin joints,, in all the towns, in all thr world, she walks into mine", Bogart said this talking about Bergman.

2)  Find a related article and summarize the content.

 

www.mrge.com  referred to Casablanca as one of the MOST beloved American films. The director Michael Curtiz takes you on a crazy adventure of love and romance throughout World War II. This film tells a story about Rick Blaine, a club owner who is very "world - weary", and is also an ex freedom fighter. Not caring about the pressure he was receiving from authorities, he allowed his bar to be a go to place for refugees who were in search of exit visas in hopes to escape war and relocate to America. One day being reunited with the lover of his life Iisa, who walked into his club with her husband Victor because their plans were to escape. However, Iisa suddenly changed her mind and wanted to stay behind so that she could be with Rick. "You must do the thinking for both of us,"(Iisa to Victor). 

http://www.mrqe.com/movie_reviews/casablanca-m100000001
 

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

 This article did not change the way I viewed the film in class. The film highlighted on how Iisa forgot about the love she had with her husband Victor once she came in contact with her former lover Rick. This shows you how much temptation and love can make you do the unthinkable. Also the article spoke about how everyone's main focus was to get the visas necessary for them to get to America. 

4) Write a critical analysis of the film 

I think that this movie was very good, and that it created an epidemic that would last throughout years. It was very beautiful, engaging, entertaining, touching, and understandable. I believed that this was a very captivating movie on so many different levels. Ilsa's story is so understandable and familiar. She was in love with Victor, but running into old lovers can sometimes always cause old feelings to show up, even the ones you you thought you never had. Causing you to make some unbelievable choices in life. The film had no blemishes or speckle, however there were a lot of staggering in the presentation, which created deep blacks and very bright highlights. Overall this was an amazing film. 

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.

Name: Nabilah Smith   Date: _4/24/2013

                                                                  CITIZEN KANE

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

Citizen Kane was known as the best American Film of all times, crowned by the American Film Institute in1998. This was surprising because in 1941 the film was a commercial failure that almost didn’t occur. Citizen Kane was directed and written by Orsen Wells (Herman Mankiewicz also helped write the film). Orsen Wells started to make Citizen Kane when he was at the age of 24, and was given the opportunity to have complete control over the script. The film was directed by Orsen Wells who also starred in the film as a young man, a middle-aged man, and an old man. He used what is known as “auteur” because he was the one man in charge. The film was nominated for nine Oscars, but only received an award for best screenplay. After so much failure within Citizen Kane, Orsen Wells was never given the opportunity to have that much control over another film. Orsen Wells was mostly known for his 1938 radio broadcast of “War of the Worlds. The main character of the story was Charles Foster Kane and his life was based on the life of William Randolph Hearst. There were many similarities of the two; like they both were newspaper journalist, and both were married. However, there were some differences such as; Susan Alexander Kane leaves Kane later in their life; however, Hurst and Marion never ended their marriage. This film was ahead of its time, and is the reason why it was so badly criticized at the time of its release, but after the industry many changes and growth people started to understand it, making it become known as the best film.

 

2)      Find a related article and summarize the content. 

 

Citizen Kane begins in a deserted Florida estate known as Xanadu. The film was about the life of William Randolph Hearst, and was different from the movies of its time. Mainly because it was made by Orsen Wells, a man who had no previous experience in film making, but had the money to be granted total control of the film. One important key of the film was when he uttered Rosebud at the beginning of the film. This was important because that was his last words before he passed away. After he died, the news reel producer Raulsten sends Jerry Thompson out to discover the reason why those were his last words. The soon found out he was disowned by his parents because instead of choosing the career path they wanted him to, he decided to become the owner of the largest and most influential newspaper chain in America. He married Emily Norton, the niece of a former President of the United States. This film only received an award for Best Screenwriter which was shared with Herman Mankiewicz. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/citizen_kane/

 

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

 

After watching the film I was surprised to know that Orsen Wells was criticized so badly on the movie. It wasn’t my favorite, but I did not think it was bad.  I was not aware that this had been his first time working. For the time of film history back then, they made it seem as though he was overly boring and the film was so horrible, when that wasn’t the case at all. It was a lot of gloomy scenes, but that was the environment of society at the time.  I was interested throughout the entire movie to find out what was the meaning behind Rosebud, and was shocked to know the history behind his family.

 

 

4)     Write a critical analysis of the film

 

This film to me was a good one. The characters are well written and credible. The story was very interesting and easy to comprehend now, although when the film was created, and no one understood the meaning of it. One thing that I did dislike about the film was the way it made time go longer than actual. It was good, but at times it felt like it was so boring and never going to end. The actors played their roles very well and entertaining. I feel like they could have put a little more excitement into the story like to keep the audience enthused by it.

 

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/citizen_kane/

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.

 

Name:     Nabilah Smith             Date: 04.15.13  

Gone With the Wind

Gone With the Wind

 

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

    Gone with the Wind was a 1936 novel that took a whole ten years to write, and it was written by Margaret Mitchell. Afterwards Selznick purchased the rights of the story for 50,000 and that was the last novel Margaret wrote. She wanted nothing to do with story after she sold the rights away. The lead casts of the film were Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh. Then there were Hattie McDaniel, Butterfly McQueen, Olivia De Havilland, and Leslie Howard. This film won nine academy awards. This film was the highest grossing film of all time until 1966. This film was 3hrs and 44 minutes. The premiere was in Atlanta, Georgia on December 15, 1939, and of course segregation was high, so the black cast was not allowed into the premiere. The production estimated a total of 3.9 million. Its actual domestic was 198,676,459. The actual foreign was 400,176,459, and the adjusted for inflation was the all time box office gross was number one.  

2)   Find a related article and summarize the content.

    What’s a girl to do when the man she loves is marrying another woman? Why is it that she is not good enough to be his wife but his own cousin is? Scarlett is from the old south back when it was the beginning of the civil war. She was a young beauty who could have anyone but Ashley Wilkes. Making her question herself, and love him harder she was mad about the circumstances. She had anticipations of attending his family barbeque so that she could be reunited with the man of her dreams, but was shortly warned not to go there acting a fool. She then married three men, and the first being Ashley’s wife brother Rhett Butler. This was a love story between Scarlett O’Hara, Ashley Wilkes, and Rhett Butler.

 

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

This article explained the story very well, and gave a perfect summary of the plot. It made me understand that the way that I understood the film was correct. Although the article did not touch base on the actual characters and directing of the film I think that production was really good for this film. However I believe that if this film would have been portrayed by the person who wrote it, I would have enjoyed it much more.

 

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

This was an amazing film. The story behind the film is what saved it, this was captivating because all girls can relate to this. I believe there would have been a deeper connection, had the original author took part in it. This film deserved all of the success that it received, I really enjoyed this moving.

Bibliography

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031381/plotsummary

 

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.

Name: Nabilah Smith___  Date: 3/27/2013__

 

Stage Coach

 

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

    Stagecoach was directed by John Ford in 1939. At this time American Movie Making was at its greatest times. The trend of the time was serious and ambitious films. Popular movies were Citizen Kane; Gone with the Wind, and Wizard of Oz. John Ford specialized in Westerns, Social/ Protest Dramas, and Military; which is why he was told he would ruin his career because those were not the movies the people wanted to see at the time. Then came John Wayne who was a B-movie actor. He didn’t reach his fame until after Stagecoach. Beating out the expectations, Stagecoach brought back the relevance of westerns. This film was set in 1880 and consists of trips from Tonto to Lordsburgh. We spoke about the background of John ford. The structure of this film was the four scenes of action, which were short prologue, first part of trip, second part of trip, and the third part of trip. Then there were the four scenes of character interaction, which were the scene in Tonto, Dry Fork Way Station, Apache Wells Outpost, and Town of Lordsburgh. This film won best supporting actor (Thomas Mitchell), and received the best score for picture, director, black and white cinematography, interior decoration, and editing.  

 

2)    Find a related article and summarize the content.

    Stagecoach beat out all the gossip stagecoach and beliefs of Westerns after reinventing the western. Giving it a moral serious and durable form which changed the way westerns were portrayed for decades known as the first greatest western. The film had one of the greatest directors, John Ford and the most iconic star John Wayne. This film was about characterization, social commentary, and moral drama. This filmed was based on nine characters who came from all different backgrounds and played different roles in life, who were all on a bus traveling through a hostile Indian territory. The passengers of the bus consist of a prostitute, alcoholic doctor, whiskey salesman, and a pregnant woman. Although commonly they would have been criticized, these individuals were viewed in a more sympathetic and noble light.

 

 

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

     As the movie started I thought that I wouldn’t make it through the film. After learning John Ford didn’t like the way John Wayne displayed his acting skills, I thought it was going to be a horrible film. The film however had its parts, some were good, and some were bad. The action scenes had me indulged, the way they were moving around I didn’t expect that so early in the film industry right then. The way that they directed this film was excellent, something different then what we were used to, but still good. The film displayed many cliché’s which I found interesting, one in particular, was the hooker who had the heart of gold and the lovable rummy; what I found funny.

 

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

    The film was not my favorite, as I am not interested in westerns. Although I did not like the film I have to say the production of the film was well put together, as well as the story line. The way that they put the different characters together was clever, it reminded me of when I take road trips on greyhound; you are on a bus with many people of different backgrounds. It was also funny how the prostitute had a heart, that is something seen a lot in film, and reality.

 

Bibliography

http://decentfilms.com/reviews/stagecoach

 

 

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.

Name:_Nabilah Smith__ Date:__3/26/2013_