Le Mepris- Contempt 1963

Last meeting, we watched a film entitled Le Mepris, which is an adaptation of an Italian novel, II disprezzo. Directed by Jean-Luc Gidard, the film was all about marriage, love and relationship issues between Camile, Paul and Prokosch. The story circulates about Jeremy Prokosch hiring an Aussie director, Fritz Lang, to make an adaptation of Homer's Odyssey. However, Prokosch was not satisfied with Lang's treatment in the film so he hired Paul Javal to do the script again.  As the story goes on, we find that the life of Paul, Camille( his wife) and Paul, corresponds to Penelope, Ulysses and Poseidon patterned to the story of Odyssey itself.

The film started with a scene between Paul and his wife Camille lying in a bed, indicating that they just finished having sex. Camille asked his husband how much he loves her and how much he is willing to give anything for her. From the very start of the movie, I can already say that Camille's behavior can be likened to people with narcissism and bipolar disorder, because there are lot of scenes in the movie wherein she hurts her husband. It revolves around the topic of feminism, which emphasizes Camille as the center point of man's erotic fantasy. Godard sums up the whole film by connecting life and art. 

I enjoyed the whole film because it depicts the reality of life. The story of Odyssey, which was written in the past, is not merely just a fictional love crisis but rather, a story patterned in reality and how much humankind can suffer when entangled up in love affairs. For me, it is a story of sadness and the bitterness of life, wherein people needs to confront their problems and accept the contempt in every individual's life. Problems such as love and marriage issues can really contribute to the misery of life, which no one of us can escape. 

Godard's montage is truly a masterpiece and a legend of his time because of it's state of the art production and script writing. It's a film which involves much revelation and contempt to its characters and shows the reality of life. Godard used many symbolism in this film such as the used of orange and dusky sun-faded shooting location which indicates the sadness and bitterness of life.

I rate this movie 4 out of 5, for its stunning production and much acclaimed plot.

PEE MAK: A "comedy-horror" Thai film

Have you ever watched a horror film where you really screamed and made you jump over the sofa a lot? Well, that's most of my experience when watching a horror film. Except for this movie I recently watched entitled PEE MAK.

Most of Thailand's horror films, especially the ones that Mario Maurer is involved, are the type of horror films with a comedic sense. In his recent horror-comedy films, Phobia and Bangkok Ghost Stories, Maurer acted appropriately to his role, whether it is in a terrifying state or in a comedic way.

The story of Pee Mak is based on a true story, centering on the life of a beautiful ghost named Mae Nak.  But in the movie, they made a twist on it, making it less serious compared to the original story. At first, I thought the movie is really scary because of the way it was edited and filmed, but then as I watched the movie along, I realized that it's not that scary at all.  In fact, it's more of a romantic tragedy film where the both of them can't continue their love story because of unexpected events. The other four characters in the movie were also part of the big success of the film, making the story full of sense. The ending was quite touching for me because it showed the unending love of Mae Nak to his husband, even after death. These are some scenes in the movie that I loved the most.

One thing that I really don't understand in the film is the color of the characters' teeth. Why are they all black? Literally black! Please comment below if you know the answer.

Un Chien Andalou- a surrealist film

This is the first time that I watched a surrealist film, and I didn't know what to expect. I honestly admit that the entire film is kinda confusing to me. I didn't know what is happening in the story, and the characters seemed to be doing things that I really don't understand. The first scene when the man is putting a knife on the eye of the woman, and eventually cutting it, was so shocking to me. I even closed my eyes on that part. It was so bizarre and scary, and then for the rest of the film, I felt so uncomfortable. 

There were many parts in the film where surrealism takes place. For example, the scene where the man is pulling up the piano with animals over it, and two man tied in a rope underneath. I didn't get the meaning of that part but I think it's part of the concept of surrealism. Another thing that I didn't understand in the film is the use of insects such as the butterfly and the ants in the hand of the man. Were they used to symbolize something or it's just the way the director wanted. But anyway, this film is an art. You can see that there are many creative shots and ideas that is done in this. One thing that I may consider beyond reality in the film is the cut hand of a man lying on the streets. Was it the hand of a man that is cut by the woman or something else.  

The scene that was interesting for me is the scene where the man is touching the boobs of the woman, imagining it naked. There were some kind of masochism and sadism behind the message, and most of the scenes between the man and the woman involves bizarre situations. 

Mysteriously, there was this door in the film where the woman can go in, and then moved  to another place. It was like a magic door, where people can go where ever place they want, without even going there by effort. 

Over all, I can say that the film was mind blowing for me. I needed to think again and find out what the film is all about. Maybe it's one of the characteristics of a surrealist film to make the audience think again in order to see the message behind the film. I think that there are really no clear explanation of the story itself, but it depends on the perspective of the person seeing it. There are many symbolism in the film where one can think what is the connection of it to the story. But like many movie genres, surrealism in film can be really an artistic expression of the director, making it memorable to the viewers. 

Why "3 idiots" is the best Bollywood movie for me

Zoobi doobi zoobi doobi pum paara,  Zoobi doobi param pum
These were the lyrics of a famous song from the movie 3 idiots by Rajkumar Hirani

This is my second time watching a Bollywood film, next to Slumdog Millionaire. I actually enjoyed watching both of these films, but 3 idiots is the one that became remarkable for me. It is a movie with mixed genres including comedy, romance and drama. It shows the life of three engineering students who are enrolled in a premiere university for engineering, facing different circumstances in school and in life.  It was so inspirational and I honestly cried at the end of the movie. This can be considered as one of my favorite movies of all time. Until now, I still can't get over the lessons and scenes that affected me while seeing this. One of my favorite actors in the movie is the school director, (Boman Irani), he delivered his role well and acted professionally in both comedic and dramatic style. In fact, he even won several awards including best actor in making the film.

The story is very unique. It all blends and interconnected with every detail in the movie. I love the story of friendship of Rancho and his friends, the love story between the main actor and Pia, (the leading lady), and the combination of comedy and drama in the entire movie. It was so hilarious and funny in the beginning, but in the later part of the movie, it became serious and dramatic, which for me leaves a great impact for the audience who have watched it.

The funniest scene in the movie for me is the speech of "the silencer". I laughed so hard watching that part because it was totally epic. Translating the entire speech, without Chatur knowing it, is unbelievably funny especially that part when he doesn't know what he is saying in the crowd.

Meanwhile, the most dramatic scene in the movie for me, is the moment when the sister of Pia was delivering a baby. The line " All is well", gave goosebumps in me, because I thought that the baby will die, but by just saying "All is well", the baby lived. It was then when Virus already realized what he is doing to everyone, including the reason of suicide of his own son. The scene when Pia said, that his brother wanted to be a writer someday( not to be an engineer), and the line " He wanted to be a writer but all he can write was his suicidal note", deeply touched my heart. It was like aww. Forcing to do the thing you hate the most is a very difficult situation in an individual's life. But in the end, Virus realized all of this, and to be able to somehow take the guilt, he wanted his grandson to be a soccer player someday. The scene when Virus gave the astronaut's pen to Rancho also is so memorable to me. Imagine for over many years in that institution, only one student was able to get that pen from him, naming him an extraordinary student better than the school director himself. 

The best part for me is the ending, when Chatur found out that Rancho and "The Wangdu" is the same person. Over all, the movie is highly recommended to every one. The whole family can watch this movie without wasting everyone's time. I'm sure you'll not regret watching it!>

The new Hollywood and Independent film making

(Film Art by Bordwell and Thompson)

The New Hollywood

With movies in the 1960s such as The Sound of Music and Dr. Zhivago, Hollywood rose to fame and earned large amounts of profit. However, financial problems hindered the success of some Hollywood firms making expensive studio projects failed miserably. In order to cope up with this, some producers made films for younger audience showing campus revolution and unorthodox lifestyles. But, it was a failure at the box office. And so a movement was made by film school directors to somehow uplift the ongoing crisis at that time. Directors such as Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin, Steven Spielbergs, John Carpenters, George Lucas, Brian De Palma and Martin Scorsese, made films that are aimed at a broader audience. These movie brats became well-known in producing such great films. It was the era of the beginning of the new Hollywood.

Some of the films that were successful in the 1970s were as follows:

The Godfather by Francis Ford Coppola (1972)

The Exorcist by William Friedkin (1973)

Jaws By Steven Spielberg (1975)

The Halloween by John Carpenters (1978)

American Graffiti by George Lucas (1973)

Star Wars by George Lucas (1977)

Obsession by Brian De Palma (1976)

Taxi Driver by Martin Scorsese (1976)

Independent Film making

Lucas and Spielberg became the most successful directors among these movie brats. Another generation of younger directors came in to an independent film making such as James Cameron, Tim Burton, Robert Zemackis and many others. Many of successful films of the 1990s were directed by Spielberg, De Palma and Lucas. Until now movies such as Jurassic Park, Mission Impossible, Forest Gump and Titanic are still famous today.

Short summary about the French Impressionism and Surrealism

(Film Art by Bordwell and Thompson)

For the introduction about French Impressionism, here is a quick video that shows many impressionist films in France.

 French Impressionism, is a form of an avant garde style in film making , which focuses in giving narration considerable psychological depth, revealing the play of a character's consciousness. 

History

During the World War I, film studios in France shifted to wartime uses, most of which were shutdown and corrupted. Only two major firms remained, the Pathe Freres and Leon Gaumont. In order to fill vacant screens after the war, France was invaded with many American films. French film making never fully recovered and so, they began to produce films that is an imitation of American Hollywood genres. However, notable French directors such as Abel Gance, Lous Delluc, Germaine Dulac, Marcel L'Herbier, and Jean Epstein, paved way to a different style from their predecessors. In contrast to the belief of older directors, these young directors believed that Cinema is an art comparable from music and poetry, and it should be purely itself and not borrowed from theater or literature.

These younger directors experimented with cinema in ways that posed an alternative to Hollywood style. Aside from using emotion as its center, Impressionist films dominated psychological narration in its film making practice.

Characteristics

Impressionist films falls not on external physical behavior but on the inner action, it manipulates plot time and subjectivity. In order to depict memories, flashbacks were common, making the entire film sometimes  a series or a bulk of flashbacks. It also exaggerates the character's dreams, fantasies and mental states. Impressionism's emphasis on personal emotion gives the film's narratives an intensely psychological focus.

Here is an example of a French Impressionist film entitled, La Roue by Abel Gance (1922)

Mental states in an impressionism films is done through its cinematography and editing. Details including irises, masks, and super impositions function as traces of character's thoughts and feelings. 

Emotion of a female character showing her mental state

We can also see in an Impressionists' cinematography and editing the presentation of character's perceptual experience, their optical impressions. When a character in an Impressionist film gets drunk or dizzy, the filmmaker renders that experience through distorted or filtered shots or dizzy camera movements. Aside from this, impressionist films also used rhythmic editing to suggest the pace of an experience as a character feels it, moment by moment. When there is a scene of violence or turmoil, the rhythm accelerates. Other films include dance to emphasize an accelerated cutting rhythm.

Example of a rhythmic pattern in an Impressionism

End of French Impressionism?

Impressionism as a distinct movement may be said to have ceased by 1929. But the influences of Impressionist form-the psychological narrative, subjective camera work, and editing-were more long-lived. They continued to operate, for example, in the work of Alfred Hitchcock and Maya Deren, in Hollywood montage sequences, and in certain American genres and styles (the horror film, film noir).

 Example of a modern French Impressionist film for me is Shutter Island by Martin Scorsese.

Quick notes about German Expressionism (1919-1926)

(German Expressionism from Film Art by Bordwell and Thomson)

Recap

         In painting we have what we called, expressionism- a  movement in the arts in the early days that emphasized subjective expression of the artist' inner experiences. Likewise in films, we can also apply expressionist styles. Take a look on the German Expressionism that happened from 1919 to 1926. In this kind of style, graphic images in films are distorted and exaggerated unrealistically for expressive purposes. Actors wore heavy make up and moved in jerky, slow patterns. But the most important element in German expressionist style is the element of mise-en-scene. Characters do not simply exist within a setting but rather form visual elements that merge with the setting. German expressionist films were created to combat Hollywood films imported into Germany, and for the purpose of making German films to break international market.

History

       At the start of World War I, only imported films from America, France, Italy and Denmark are shown mostly in theaters in Germany. There is only a small number of German films shown in theaters, that is why the government made a movement which will increase German film productions and combat film imports from other countries. From this, the company UFA ( Universum Filmn Aktiengesellschaft) existed, which comprises of the German government, the Deutsche Bank and several small film firms. This company was established to help increase German film production in the country and also to spread German influence abroad.

Madame Du Barry (1934) by Ernst Lubitsch

                The film Madame Dubarry by Ernst Lubitsch helped reopen the world film market to Germany. It was a huge success.  With the film Madame Dubarry, the UFA finally was able to break into the international market.It was shown in the United States, but not enthusiastically in France because it was considered as anti-French propaganda. In 1919, the firm paved way to produce unconventional script by two unknowns, Carl Meyer and Hans Janowitz. They wanted to produce a film in an unusually stylized way. They wanted it to be done in an Expressionist style, believing that this might be a selling point in the international market.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

                 And so the inexpensive film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari was produced. It was a sensation in Berlin, the United States, France and other countries. It was a huge success.

The insane asylum set in the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

                                                     

                 Through this, in the mid 1920's, German films were widely regarded as the best in the world. Big firms such as UFA, as well as small companies invested in Expressionist films because these films could combat with those of America. In Caligari, the Expressionist stylization functions to convey the distorted viewpoint of a madman.The world of the film is literally a projection of the hero's vision.

Scenes in German Expressionist style are distorted and unrealistic

End of German Expressionism?

             Because of the inflation in the early 1920's in Germany, the tumbling exchange rate of the mark made foreign purchases expensive. The last major films drive UFA deeper into financial difficulty, leading many German directors quit and try their luck in America. Because many German directors moved into America, Hollywood films also displayed expressionist style. Though German expressionist movement ended already, expressionism has never entirely died out as a trend in film style.

Film Noir: What is it?

            Last meeting we watched a documentary about Film Noir. As what I’ve learned from the video, Film Noir is a black film which usually focuses about the difficult circumstances and struggles that humans experience in their lives. Mostly, the theme is dark and mysterious, it centers on the jeopardy of life. It shows what really life in the world is, and often reveals dark secrets of human nature. The setting happens in urban area, particularly on the streets, where most crimes happen. As the story goes along in Film Noir, circumstances become harder to endure. We do not know what’s going on, but we know that something bad is coming. Characters become entwined in bad situations. When we see a film noir, we witness the character’s tales of survival. The story circulates on the character experiencing bad circumstances, and as one problem occurs, another problem will happen at the same time, until the character is in a downward spiral position.

Females in Film Noir (Femme Fatale)

            Emergence of male characters wanting sex is also a part of Film Noir. Females are often portrayed as extremely sexual, smart and powerful. She uses her sexuality not after the man, but after what she wants, something for herself. Female characters in Film noir can be seen with long hairs, long fingernails and often smokes, signs of a woman without morals. Sexual scenes are prominent in Film Noir, women getting a man into a bed, then into trouble. There is what we called “male fantasy” where women become uncontrollable. Sometimes you see an innocent young lady who is a demon. Love in Film Noir becomes obsession, it becomes more deadly.

Lights

          Lights are important element of Film Noir, it allows the film to be more dramatic.  Lighting technique is effective in creating mystery in the film. Usually, the lights are a part of the story in Film Noir. One uses of lights in Film Noir is altering the space through the lights to make the scene more interesting. Lights creates mood in the story. It gives emotion to the flow of the story and impresses the audience with its ambiance. A scene in Film Noir usually involves characters in a dark place where only lights and shadow are visible. This effect adds drama to the story, and at the same time, gives more life to the film.

Conclusion

            As mentioned in the video, Film Noir ended because color films already emerged in modern generation. It is considered a historical genre. But even though we cannot watch Film Noir every day, basic human problems are still the same whether it is portrayed in colored or black and white films. Film noir can be relived, not only in a black film, but also in a colored film.

It is the story and elements of Film noir that makes it unique to any other movie genre.

Trainspotting Reflection

Trainspotting is a 1996 British black comedy/drama film directed by Danny Boyle based on the novel of the same name by Irvine Welsh

Short Summary
(Based from http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/trainspotting/)

        Trainspotting is a film about drug addiction. It centers on the life of Mark Renton, a young man with a little less objectives in life. Mark is a heroin addict, who loves the drug's blissful effect. For him, drugs provide excitement and challenges that his life lacks. He spends high amount of money just to satisfy his cravings on heroine. He lives in the city of Edinburgh where he is accompanied with his fellow drug addict friends, Sick Boy and Spud. The three of them usually hangs out with Begbie, a borderline psychotic who loathes mark and his friends, but is a heavy drunkard. After being rehabilitated by his parents, Mark left heroine and moves to London where he finds a job, a flat, and something close to peace of mind. However, Begbie, went to him in London and later on followed by Sick boy and Spud. He then was introduced to drugs again and lived like his past life. When the moment Mark and his pals earned money from drugs, something unexpected happened. Begbie became selfish and forgot their friendship. In the end, Mark realized that nothing can be achieved with drugs. He took the money for himself and ended up choosing life.

Reflection

       The movie has a great impact for me because it showed me the consequences of drugs on people. Young people are often the subject of drugs. They think that their life is too bland and boring so they would rather take drugs to escape the reality of life. Mark is the example of this. In the first part of the scene, he asked himself “why would you choose life?” He is afraid of being part of the world, afraid of facing circumstances and difficulties of life. He chose to take heroine to experience pleasure and delight, which his life lacks. Drugs are the ones which destroy young people’s lives. It makes them self-centered and makes them living in an imaginary world. Through drugs, different crimes can take place. Stealing money is one of them. In the movie, money is used to trade drugs. It even is the reason why Mark and his friends broke their friendship. Drugs also make you neglect yourself and the people around you. There is a scene in the movie where the baby died in hunger because his parents were addicted to drugs. Dirty surroundings and evil temptations are part of this drug addiction. However, one can make himself out of this trouble by rejecting drugs. Mark was rehabilitated by his parents. It was not easy for him to withdraw drugs because you can experience hallucinations from drug withdrawal. But he managed to get through this. Later on he was tempted again to take drugs. But in this part of his life, he realized that taking drug is not life, rather, it is death. He compared the Mark who has a job in London from the Mark who is addicted in drugs. In the end he chose life. And that life I mean is having a job, a wife, a family, a son, and everything that is the source of happiness. That is what Mark wants be. He neglected drugs and chose life. Life is not something which you escape from, life is a man’s most peculiar gift and something to be thankful of. The moral in the story is, reject drugs and choose life.

Film School Generation

    There are two types of directors in film school generation, the one who minds the public when they make their own films and the one who doesn't mind the public at all. Some of the major directors of all time include Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, George Lucas and many others, which are known from producing remarkable films. But what kind of directors are they? Do they mind the public or not when they produce their own film?

             Directors such as Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Francis Coppola, Paul Schrader, John Milius, Brian De Palma, Kathryn Bigelow, Robert Zemeckis, Spike Lee, David Lynch, John Carpenter, Martin Brest, George Miller, Martha Coolidge, Joel Coen, and Edward Zwick all studied film in college and/or graduate school.  They are the types of directors who mind their own perspective, and not the public when they make movies. Star Wars (Lucas), Jaws (Spielberg), and The Godfather saga (Coppola) to smaller, quirkier films such as The Comfort of Strangers (Schrader), Strange Days (Bigelow), and Barton Fink (Coen), these films reflect the tastes and worldviews of the individuals who directed them.

             However, directors such as Michaelangelo Antonioni, Francis Coppola and Brian De Palma focused in the theme of postmodernism when they made films like Blow up, The Conversation and others which are about the problems of understanding and connecting with the world.  They are the directors who consider the public when making films. These directors may be understood in terms of postmodernism, a cultural phenomenon that spans the arts from architecture to MTV. Broadly defined, postmodernism is an artistic style that seeks both to appropriate and dismantle the conventions of earlier periods.  Seen in the light of postmodernism, then, the film school generation’s adaptation of classical Hollywood references toward their own ends is part of a much wider cultural phenomenon of the late 20th century. To use a favorite postmodern term, they deconstruct not only the world they explore through art but the art itself, not to mention the consciousness of the listener, reader, or spectator.