Selma Media Review 15

Selma is a beautiful film about the struggle of Martin Luther King Jr against prejudice and racism, and it focuses mainly on a protest March from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery. Everyone will talk about its beautiful plot and scenes, but I want to talk about its formalistic qualities. The lighting and costume choice were topnotch, really placing the viewer in the scene. Overall it was very warmly lit, despite its cold content. The sound design was amazing, emphasizing every blow and making the fight for rights truly painful for the viewer. The editing was amazing, especially the timing of the church bomb and the protest scenes. And of course, the story itself was intensely moving. 9/10

Prada FW15 Media Review 14

Prada's FW15 collection at London Fashion Week is decent, and glamorous. Slim cut pants and sleek tailoring stay true to the trends from recent years, accented with high-sheen fabrics (lots of silk) and on trend lack-of-color. There is definitely a lot of black here, which has started to be phased out by designers– even Rick Owens' show had tons of color– but still looked amazing. Prada's take on all-black is a step away from the more natural, draped silhouettes of designers like Rick Owens and Julius_7. Prada uses blocky shirts and structured short sleeves, paired with somewhat traditional outerwear and pants. The shoes are truly stunning, large soles on dressy uppers are a Prada standard. Still, I wish Prada would push the bar further with exciting designs. 6/10

The Maltese Falcon Analysis

• Compare German Expressionism to Film Noir. What visual elements carried over? 

The gritty contrast in black and white is used in both German Expressionism and Film Noir, which was caused by technology limitations at the time, but exaggerated as a visual element. Oblique and vertical lines were preferred over horizontal in both German Expressionism and Film Noir.

• From where did the hardboiled-detective narrative formula emerge? 

This narrative emerged from the film The Maltese Falcon with Bogart as Sam Spade.

In the hardboiled-detective genre, how is crime generally scripted, and how are crimes generally solved? 

• Describe the relationship between Sam Spade, the private detective, and the police officers in The Maltese Falcon.

 Sam Spade is casual with the police, and jokes around with them despite the fact they are usually at odds with him. He has the tone of an experienced professional, and devises plans to deceive and evade the police constantly. He is very two-faced, but both parties are aware of the deception which happens.


Examine the role of crime in the storylines described in the reading, and in The Maltese Falcon. What relationship does the actual crime have to the plot? What are the central criminal acts in The Maltese Falcon?

 

In what ways is a hardboiled-detective different from a detective like Sherlock Holmes?

The "Sherlock Holmes" detective identifies the criminal who has committed an act against the social and moral boundaries set at the time. By solving the crime the status quo is reestablished, and the social world is no longer in tension. In the hardboiled detective genre, the chaotic world which the private investigator lives in has to be fixed (from his perspective), as he feels morally obligated to improve the world as he works to survive. However, films often end with the world still in chaos.

Into the Woods Media Review 13

Into the Woods is a film based on the eponymous musical by Stephen Sondheim. It incorporates his masterful songwriting and retelling of the Grimm fairytales into a feature film with a slew of A+ actors. This film is absolutely incredible in terms of plot; it is an epic, teaching morals not often found in children's stories. I think adults will enjoy this movie much more than children, but the excellent effects and beautiful colors will probably keep them entertained. The sound design is spot-on, and as a musical, is fairly conventional. The themes, such as placing blame, feminism and chivalry, competition, and suffering, make this film stand out. It is intended to subtly teach us that our dreams will never be as amazing as they seem, and that blame and suffering are parts of life for everyone. My favorite song is at the ending of the film: As the remaining characters return to their lives they sing, "Be careful what stories you tell–children will listen," criticizing both traditional fables (or moral teachings) and the parents who took their kids to see this film. 8/10 for what it is

German Expressionism & Synaesthesia in FW Murnau's Sunrise

A few very famous examples of German Expressionism in film:

Metropolis- Fritz Lang


The Golem (1920)



Phantom- FW Murnau (!)


Describe in detail the use of synaesthesia and "unheard sounds" in Sunrise.
Sunrise employs synaesthesia as a means to convey sound through visual information. As Szaloky writes, "synaesthesia is a routine 'synergic' confluence of senses", or stated more simply, the translation of one sense into another. Though we may only be perceiving visual information (as that is the only information available), the brain performs a strange task of creating other information. Synaesthesia is referenced quite often, and is is observable in literature: "he was red with anger" evokes thoughts of a physically red person, but also the sounds of anger and the motion of an angry person. In Sunrise, synaesthesia is used in amazingly creative ways.
Visuals of car horns and sharp knocks lead to an imagined sound, yet the couple ignores these sounds due to their self-absorption. The heightened tension and suspense of the audience is again increased as these shots are repeated, and the audience begins to assume something horrible will happen. Combined with suspenseful visuals is suspenseful music, dramatizing the situation farther. In the storm scene, the boats rocking back and forth and strikes of lightning across the foreground cause the audience to imagine an intense and overpowering sound of the storm. The dire movements of the man as he attempts to save his wife allow for an imagined tense dialogue between them.

In the reading, which shots are discussed and what are the various impacts of these shots toward making the silent medium rich with "sound?" Use examples from the text.
Szaloky describes the tension and sound created by the shot of the City Woman standing outside, and the wife inside. The man stands caught between the two women, and one can perceive a physical tension and awkwardness between the characters.
Szaloky also describes a shot of a dog barking along the same diagonal line as the Man walking, suggesting that the dog is barking at him. By seeing the dog bark, we imagine the sound everyone is familiar with.