ZULU (1964): British Imperialism & Movie Making!

The extras in this film that played the Zulu warriors were native South Africans who were descended from the same Zulu tribes that had attacked the 24th Company originally and most of them had no concept of what a film was. Stanley Baker, the lead actor (and consequently, the producer of the film), held a screening of a Gene Autry movie for the extras so that they could have some idea about what they would be doing. 

Also, because of Apartheid in South Africa, the black extras could not be paid an equivalent rate as their white counterpart extras. I think that these are especially interesting when we're thinking about the film in the context of the question I posed to you all yesterday: 

-If we take this film as a microcosm of the world, where the British 24th Company represents Great Britain and the Zulu tribes represent any and every foreign country that the UK had occupied during their Imperialistic expansion, what implications do we see about Colonialism? Citing specific examples from the film, explain how "Zulu" portrays the "us vs. them" between the UK & other nations? What are the implications of Imperialism? The good & the bad?

So even outside of the narrative of the film, the production of "Zulu" showcases some of the overreaching effects of foreign influence. What do you guys think?

KIND HEARTS & CORONETS (1949): Class Distinction

Ealing Studios produced several terrific films over the years. As the oldest film studio that's still in operation (opened in 1902), it's importance and influence on the filmmaking world cannot be understated. During it's "Golden Years", after WWII, some incredible films, such as "Kind Hearts & Coronets", were cranked out. If you liked this film, you should definitely check out "The Ladykillers", "The Lavender Hill Mob", "The Man in the White Suit", and "Dead of Night". 

For out purposes, we looked at the film through the lens of Class Distinction. The Caste System is something a little unfamiliar to us here in the United States but Louis' passion and feeling of revenge is something that I think we can all relate to. 

- If you had to remake this film and set it here in America, how would you translate the plots points of being a disinherited relative of a Dukedom into the American experience? (I'm looking for concrete & specific ideas, ie - when would you set this, where would set it, since we don't have Dukes and other such royalty what would you replace it with and why?)

Thanks!

David

SEVEN UP (1964): Response & Intro. to British Cinema

Hey guys, thanks for your participation today! I'm excited to explore the British Isles with you guys this week. Tonight (and tomorrow), I want you to think about "Seven Up" and respond to this question:

- What did you learn about British culture from these 7 year olds that surprised you?

- What do you have in common with these children who were born 60 years ago in a foreign country?

- How do you think culture (class differences, racial views, economy, religion, etc) affects filmmaking? How can we see a country's culture in the films we watch?

Thanks! Respond to this by tomorrow and we'll have more high fives!

David

Sundance Screenings!

This is an ubber-fun week for us filmophiles at East Hollywood High School because we get to go to Sundance! It's cool to be some of the first audiences to see these great films. It's also great to meet all the gracious filmmakers and talk with them and take pictures with them and what not.

The fine people at Sundance were kind enough to let us attend two screenings this year: Dinosaur 13 and Web Junkie. Let's help them out by filling out the online survey found at the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SFF2014-HSS-Student

We can also give them lots of shout out's via social media. Get on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and post pictures and comments that make it clear to people just how great a thing these screenings are. When you do so, please use the following tags:

• Facebook: @ Sundance Film Festival.
• Twitter: #sundance.
• Instagram: #sundance or @ Sundance Institute.

Also, please comment on this post and answer at least two of the following questions to earn some extra credit in Josh Wagner's or Will McAllister's classes. Remember, you have to answer at least two of the questions and your response to each question should be at least a paragraph long:

• Did you enjoy or not enjoy the film you saw? Explain in detail why.
• What did you learn from the Q&A and you found most valuable? Why was this information valuable to you?
• What did you learn from your experience that will help you make stronger films? Please explain in detail.
• If you saw both films, you can answer any of these questions:
• Which film did you personally like more? Why? 
• Which film do you think is most important for people to see? Why? 
• Which film do you feel is most likely to succeed commercially (through movie theater ticket sales, DVD sales, and netflix views)? Why?

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

One of my favorite movies of all time, Jacque Demy's bittersweet love story is a audial and visual feast. Most famous for its use of music (every line is sung), we discussed in class how the film also masterfully utilizes color to tell its story about the choice to follow one's heart in the rain or put up an umbrella and play it safe.

As we discuss this film, let's begin with the following questions:

• What did notice about how the film uses color? Do you have any ideas about what any of the color choices symbolize? Please explain.
• What did you think about how the film uses music? Did you like or dislike how all the lines were sung? Why?
• Which characters do you most relate with? Why? Which characters do you dislike? Why?
• If this film were made in Hollywood, how would it be different?
• What do you feel the theme of this film is? Please back up your opinion with specific examples from the narrative? How do you feel the use of color or other film tools relates to the theme? Does your theme statement at all explain why the title is what it is?
• How did this film help you connect with French culture? What questions did this film raise for you about French culture?

Valentín (2002)

I find it interesting that the poster to the right bears the tagline "Cupid Just Turned Eight". It is evident that the filmmakers intended for Valentín to be a matchmaker character (his name means "Valentine" as in St. Valentine's Day) but I am not completely sure if I am confident that the matchmaker element of the story is really the center and heart of this film. I am curious to know what all of you think. Please answer two of the questions below:

• Do you feel the tagline "Cupid Just Turned Eight" really describes the film's plot well? Why or why not?
• If you had to pick a genre for this film, what would it be? Is it a mixture of genres?
• What did you like most and/or least about this film? Please explain in detail.
• What do you think the theme of this film is? Please justify your theme statement with at least three examples from the film.
• What observations did you make about Argentina while watching this film? What questions about Argentina did the film raise for you?

And, as always, extra credit to anyone who does research to answer the questions the film raised for them if they post the answers here.

NOTE: This film is on Netflix instant view.

The Secret of Kells (2009)

There are many things I love about The Secret of Kells. I love its innovative animation style which is inspired by the monastic Bible illustration tradition. I love its story about relationships and maturity and the things we leave behind as we come of age. I love its mythic feel. I love how informed it is by the history of the Book of Kells, the history of the Vikings (this film depicts better than any I've ever seen just what sort of threat the vikings were to the people of Europe in the middle ages), and the transition of the Celtic people from a Pagan nation to a Christian nation while still maintaining some of their fondness for elements of Paganism.

As you write about this film, please answer two of the following questions:

• What did you like most about this film? Why? (Or, if you disliked it, tell us about that instead.)
• How did this film help you better understand historical or cultural things you didn't know about before?
• What did you think of the films ending? Did you work for you? 
• What did you make of the moment when our protagonist, as an adult, met Ashleigh the last time and there was a barrier between them?

NOTE: This film is on Netflix instant view.

The Studio Sin of Chopping up Films from Other Countries: Free Snowpiercer!

(Images are from the acclaimed Korean action film Snowpiecer. If we are lucky, we may get to see this film in the USA.  You can make a difference in if and how this happens.)

Hello my dear friends,

All ye privileged enough to be in Josh Wager's International Cinema class (I envy you), what I'm about to write you is shocking.  And scary.  And terrifying.  And awful.  And just plain not cool.

But, before I get into it, I want to make sure you understand what I'm posting here is merely to enlighten you on a subject that isn't at all an old one - it is a long running and horrific habit of Hollywood's - and, to extend an invitation.  This is not an assignment, my young film watching friends.  But, please take the time to read on.


From the dawn of time, or well, the dawn of film, other countries have made really cool movies that would get American Studios to go, "hmmmmm, maybe we can make a buck or two off this!  Or maybe one or two million!!!  Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!"  Then they would look at the film and go, "What?  American audiences are dumb, they won't understand this film.  We've got to cut, tweak, change, trim, chop, slaughter, slice, and butcher this film.  Leave in the action and explosions, take out the depth!  No body likes depth!  Cut this thing down, slap a price tag on it, and sell it!"  This happened back in the silent film era with Metropolis (sweet German film), it happened in the fifties with Seven Samurai (the first American cut was viciously shorter than the masterpiece you saw), and it's happened countless more times than that.

Even Chariots of Fire, a British movie, ALL in English for crying out loud, was edited because they feared American audiences wouldn't get the "Britishness" of the film.  You know what I say to that?  Boo hoo to you, American studios, boo hoo to you!  I may not understand every cultural reference, I may not get every political joke, I may not understand every nod to moments from that country's history, but that is part of the point!  I WANT to be exposed to the things of the culture that make it the culture what it is.  I want to have questions, so that I can research and learn about the country, so I can get a great introduction into what makes the country tick.  I want to learn cool things about the goldfish symbolism in Iran because they didn't cut the goldfish out of the film (á la Children of Heaven).

I feel strongly that we, the film watching and art loving people of the nation, have both the power to tell the studios "don't do that", and the responsibility of doing so.  We need to keep our foreign films pure.

Below is a petition for an AWESOME sounding Korean film, deep with character development, powerful themes and meaning, one that an American film studio wants to release here, but only if the director is willing to chop it down viciously - the studio wants it  25 minutes shorter, and they want the director to add in unneeded voice-overs to essentially "dumb" down the movie for American audiences.  This is a film made by a brilliant filmmaker.  Joon-ho Bong made one of the best monster movies of all time, The Host (no, not the recent one by Stephanie Meyers), a movie that is so wonderful because it is not just about the cool monster - it is mainly about the people whose lives are thrown into chaos because of this monster - it is mainly about a family coming together to save a lost daughter, it is mainly about the character growth.  It is a movie about family.  It is brilliant.  So, I'm certain this new film of his, which has already received tons of acclaim internationally, is going to be brilliant as well.  Weinstein studios bought the rights to distribute it here, but now they are demanding the severe edits and changes... "to make sure this film will be understood in Iowa... and Oklahoma," as the Weinstein company put it.  Hey, Weinstein Studios, we're smart enough to handle this film as it is.  We can totally handle movies from other countries.  In fact, we like them.

Petitions make a difference.  I know it is easy to say they don't, but this website, Change.org, has countless success stories.  In order for petitions to work, people need to sign them.  Lots of people.  I've proudly signed it.  If this is a cause you believe in, I invite you to do the same, and to spread the word to other like-minded film friends, or people who simply believe in experiencing art from other countries, who may be interested in signing it as well.


 I want to see this movie, as it is meant to be seen.  And, I want this film's release to be a success story for international films from all over the world.  I want to see a change in the mindset of American Studios all around.  If you would like to learn more, and would like to sign the petition, click the link here: Free Snowpiercer!

Steampunk Production Class Final

Internation Cinema Class: Ignore this.

Steampunk Production Class: follow this link to take the self evaluation you need to complete: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1GzeD0qRAk7KFAjPI2cwpIdWtwRNEZzrjR4pnbCfDgWE/viewform

Term Project Presentation

In class today (Tuesday), we signed up for times to present to the class what we learned by doing the term projects. We also agreed upon the following standards for the term project:

• Present a basic understanding of the history and style of the country’s cinema.
• Show at least two clips from movies from the country. Have a reason to show this clips. What’s the point?
• Tell the important things you learned from the interview.
• Organize your thoughts ahead of time by writing an outline or creating a PowerPoint.

The Naked Prey (1966)

Well, now I can saw I have seen a movie produced by Africans. It feels good to be able to say that and it is a small step toward seeing many movies made in that giant continent.

The Naked Prey was produced in South Africa, a country inhabited by both white and black folk. Since white people came to South Africa, the country has experienced strong racial divides with a lot of hate being passed back and forth. Keep in mind, as you comment on the film, that some people have criticized it as being racist against the black people who live in South Africa.

Answer two of the of the following bulleted questions:

• Do you feel this film is racist against black people? Why or why not?
• What do you feel is the theme of the film? Back up your opinion with examples.
• When I was watching the film, I noticed that there are lots of shots that were not pertinent to the story line of animals. It was documentary-like in the way it would, between scenes or sometimes in the middle of scenes, cut to shots of animals doing their thing in the savanna. Many times, these were shots of random animals killing each other. What do you think was the purpose of these shots? Why did the director choose to include them?

Seven Samurai (1954) Vs. The Magnificent Seven (1960)

In class, we watched Japanese director Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and then Hollywood director John Sturges' The Magnificent Seven. The latter was an adaptation of the first. They are the same story, only one is set in Samurai-era Japan and the other in the American West. By watching how the same concept and story were produced differently in Japan and Hollywood, I hope you gained a stronger sense of what sets Japanese culture and cinema apart from our own and that this helped you understand each local's characteristics better.

So, all of the questions in this blog post require you to compare the two films. Since you have to watch them both to do the post, this one is worth 20 points instead of 10.

Without further ado, answer both of the following bulleted questions:

• What differences did you notice between Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven? What was the same? 
• When answer the above, please be more specific than the obvious stuff like "one was in Japan and the other had cowboys. Think about things
  
  
  like which plot points stayed the same and which were different, which characters in each film corresponded to the characters in the other film, in what ways were the character different, how the change of locale made it necessary to change plot points or themes, etc.
• How do the differences and similarities between the two films help you understand the Japanese's culture and/or cinematic style better? How does it help you understand our own culture and/or cinematic style better?

Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)

As I said in class before starting the film, Jiro Dreams of Sushi is an enigma to me. I don't completely understand why this profile doc about a man who makes sushi is so engaging for me but it is! I love watching this movie. I hope you did too.

After watching the film, I'd like you to answer the following questions in two of the following bullet points:

• Did you find this film engaging? If so, what about it do you think makes it so engaging? If not, tell us what about the film made it hard for you to be engaged with it.
• This is the first documentary we've watched in class. Did you find that the documentary form helped you understand the Japanese culture in ways that a fiction film (e.g. Seven Samurai) could not? Explain. Why is it good to watch documentaries?
• What did you learn about Japanese culture by watching this film? You might write about what the film showed about father-son relationships or the idea of family honor (the father-son relationships and sense of family honor depicted in this film are very characteristic of the way things are in Japan).

Term Project

We decided in class today that it would be easier, instead of having a bunch of little deadlines, to have one term project deadline to complete all five of the parts of it. So, the deadline we decided on is Monday, January 13.

So, that means that by Monday, January 13, you need to have completed the following:

• Watch three movies from your country of choice.
• Do two hours of research using books or the internet on your country of choice.
• Do a 30 minute interview (or longer) with someone who has lived for at least a year in your country of choice.

When you have completed all of these things then answer all of the following questions in a comment on this post:

• Which three movies did you watch. Which did you like the most? Why? Which did you like the least? Why?
• What were the three most important things you learned in your two hours of research?
• What were the three most important things you learned while doing your interview?