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_

 

 

 

Bella - It Happened One Night

Nabilah Smith
Journal # 2
It Happened One Night

It Happened One Night

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

Dated back to the very early 1900s was the development of film. Throughout the years this form of

entertainment progressed every chance that it was given. Around the 1929/1930 film makers were

finally able to develop films with sound, and say goodbye to silent films. Early sound was

characterized by inert camera encased in sound proof glass. Of course with the new development,

came issues. There were limited or no mobility, the sound quality was muffled, microphone

placement, the mixing of sound realism, and many of issues came to trouble the film makers.

However this was something so exciting for citizens. This brought along a major change in industry.

Now that film was progressing the sounds became expensive and the need for equipment was at a

high. In 1029 Paramount, Warner’s, and Fox all received nice come ups from what they were

originally making. Along with sound came the Hollywood scandals, as well as censorship and self-

regulation in Hollywood. Popular Sennett star Fatty Arbuckle was accused of murdering Virginia

Rappe, three days after he received a $1million contract with paramount pictures. Although he was

found not guilty on all charges, his career was over. The Hays Office banned him from all films for

the time. There were many cases similar to this. Eventually the Motion Picture Producers and

Distributors of America (MPPDA) were created. They were in charge of following the many different

state and local censorship boards rule or set of standards

Along came new days for women in film. They were now allowed to have sexual desire, talking

“vulgar”, smoking drinking, and living the party night life, there were even times when they would be

nude. Some of the popular names were Jean Harlow, Theda Bara, Clara Bow, and Mae West. As if

that wasn’t the image women wanted portrayed, film started to bring more sophisticated women to

the screens. You started to see women dressed in tailored suits, with professional jobs. This change

was during the post-code era around 1934. These beautiful, intelligent, masculine women wanted to

show how there were more than life than a party to women.

Then came along “Screwball Comedy.” Bringing the war of the sexes, portraying women as equal as

or better than men. This style of comedy was now challenging the traditional roles or conventions of

women. Displaying women who did not take no for an answer, women who were in charge of their

lives, and did not live any room for a man could not control her. Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert

were the stars of It Happened One Night, a film directed by Frank Capra in February 1934. In this

film Claudette was the female who did not take no for an answer, as she ran away from her father to

prove to herself and everyone that she could survive on her own. Only it was that easy for her, and

luckily she had Clark there to guide her through it no matter how much she tried to fight him off.

Eventually falling in love with him, this film displayed a little bit of everything. From screwball

comedy, vulgar language, nudity, and the possibility to sexual activity taking place (although it was

never shown). Film developed a lot from The Gold Rush days.

2. Find a related article and summarize it.

The article that I read about It Happened One Night was a great one. Here is how I can

summarize it. It Happened One Night was not only the best, but the first “Screwball

Comedy”. The film is about a runaway heiress who has goals to running to New York City.

She meets a reporter who makes her fall in love with him after a whole bunch of disagreeing

and pretending. Despite the film's success, this film could have easily been a disaster, and

that's what many people expected it to be.In the early 1930s, Columbia Pictures was not

really favored, infact they were known as th "Poverty Row" studio. People felt like they made

cheap B-movies. No female Actresses wanted to take part in the film and the male actors

were spoiled. The only reason they were able to get Claudette Colbert was because she

already had a deal with the company, and they offered her more money for the weeks to film

the movie than she received per movie on a regular basis. However she refused to be apart

any sex scenes, and it almost took them using an extra’s leg (in the scene when they were

hitch hiking and trying to pick up a ride). Nobody expected this movie to be good, especially

Claudette, since she had previously filmed with Frank Capra and it turned out to be horrible.

Surprisingly the film caught everyone by surprise, as word of mouth created a buzz about

the movie. It did not take long for the film to do great on the box office charts. So great that it

won a numerous amount of awards.

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/12648/It-Happened-One-Night/articles.html

3. Apply the article to the film reviewed in class

I found this article to be perfect when it comes to summarizing the film. It briefly explained

the main scenes in the movie, and the important aspects of the film. For example how the

film was the best Screwball Comedy of the time, and how sex appeal was the thing back

then. What i found to be very interesting is the facts it stated about Columbia Pictures, and

how Claudette disagreed with the scenes women were expected to play. Columbia Pictures

are now one of the best, but back then they were known for being a Poverty row. The film

however was extremely funny to me even though it was filmed in a different age. Claudette

did not want to take apart of any sexual scenes which gives an understanding as to why

they had to put the “walls of jericho” up when they were in the hotels. I would have never

expected she did not want to lift her skirt up, that only shows how great of an actress

Claudette was. Also realized that advertising and promoting went far back, how Clark was

basically modeling men shirts and trench coats making them fashion trends. this article was

perfect.

4. Write a critical analysis of the film.

I believe that this film was excellent for its time period. This was the beginning of sound, and

the sound was great. the production of the film was very good for its time, meaning back

then they didn't have the advances in technology as we do now, so you obviously can't

expect it to be out of this world great. They did an amazing job keeping the audience of

college students in the year of 2013 entertained so i can only imagine how much their

original audience loved it.The storyline was awesome as well. A young girl running away

from home, only to realize she couldn’t do it alone. Then comes along a boy who later steals

her heart. This is a movie every one could find to be amazing and hilarious at the same

time.

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

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

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

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

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

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

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

8) ( *) 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: _2/26/2013______