Le Mepris

Googled from: http://www.jointhestylehighclub.com/tag/60s-hair/

              Good day my dear readers! Break from all the in depth study on film movements. Here is another movie review we are fortunate enough to watch. Le Mepris is an Italian 1963 movie directed by Jean Luc Godard. Just with a short preview about the plot of the film as to my understanding, it is about a writer who is hired to work with the director Fritz Lang himself, producer who wants to changed the script and a problem with her wife falling out of love to him. I face two problems with watching the film first for those who have been faithfully reading or have read my previous post I have a margin of not to look at scenes which I feel would trigger a struggle to me mentally. The movie started with man and a woman in bed, in which the woman is naked and the man is not. Usually when previous scenes would tell if something like this or particularly sex scenes I would close my eyes and listen to the script but in this movie I can't, so inside I ask for guidance. Second, due to lack of time our professor needs to skip some scenes. However, I appreciate lots of things about the film. In fact, I would say it is a great film and I hope I would remember to re watch this when I get married. :) 

Actress Brigitte Bardot as
Googled from: http://babayaganyc.wordpress.com/2011/04/09/le-mepris-contempt-1963/

              With the second problem that I did face, I had to research information about the film and tempted to read other critique's analysis but the Spirit won and here I am telling you this is my pure reaction and understanding of it (hope it would be helpful for you). I learned that the movie is as old as my mom's but as I watch I have felt the timelessness with the way the movie is created. Especially the beauty of the lead actress. Little things like their fashion who are being repeated to be don this year are the few little things that I enjoyed. It talks about many stuff like love, profession and reality of life. 

In love, profession and reality of life. 

Googled from: http://paszcza.blogspot.com/2011/10/le-mepris-jean-luc-godard-1963-pogarda.html

          The movie how a good script and the way the throwing of lines makes me as an audience hook. As I said in the first paragraph it started with the couple on the bed the where the woman is confirming the man's love for her. But later on when I saw that the man allows her wife to ride a car alone with the producer, arrive 30 minutes late, told her wife that he'll wash his hands but end up comforting the crying interpreter (the writer and his wife are Italian while the producer is American so they need the girl interpreter) and his wife saw him tapping the but of the girl; and he hurts his wife. But when the wife finally stands to her decision that she doesn't love him anymore; he goes and give up his job to get her wife back. This is the timelessness of the film, it is still a problem up to the present date. A man who doesn't know what he really wants, ends up making the wrong priorities. But of course, I admire the man's desire to give a better house for his wife. The wife on my perspective doesn't love his husband that much too. I feel that she too doesn't know what she wants and just like the lies many of us women are blinded to believe; a man who would appreciate our beauty and would give us what we want and if are not happy a woman because of the modern world now can live his husband just like that. I believe God didn't design marriage to be like that. 

        Being guided with our Prof. Jamal Ashley Abbas as we watch the movie; a particular scene wher Fritz Lang talked to the leading man and wittingly relate the story of Odyssey to the his (the leading man; writer) present problem gave me a deeper understanding of the story. I still feel the lapses inside of not finishing the movie and the skips but hearing the lines in the scene brought understanding that a man leaves or escape like in what Odyssey did prolonging his return to his wife means he is no longer happy or look forward to seeing his wife. Here is us, like in the story of odyssey and the film living a life out of direction. So we end up following the usual the way to fame; money and search of love. The way which would not require pain and discomfort. If at some point of the way we are hurt we immediately look for escape. I've been there. I give all the credit to the Almighty for a renewed direction in life. One that might be rocky but sure. 

Googled from: http://thefunambulist.net/2011/05/21/cinema-the-paradigm-of-modern-cinema-the-cinematographic-introspection-godard-fellini-truffaut-assayas-hansen-love/

Editing and Shooting

Googled from: http://films7.com/art/film/godard-mepris-ile-mystere-verite

           I feel that the way the movie what shoot and edit contribute a lot of me being in love with it. The on location scenes, of the sea, the house, a vacation house that have stairs reaching the roof, the way the couple was shot as they throw their lines in the house location where they will be both seen but a barrier like column would signify separation. Plus the right timing of putting single scenes the woman going her head up from water in earlier scenes then later on in the movie she would be swimming makes me go 'ohhhh. that's it' moments. One thing, I notice that there is just one (so, I think) musical score used when there are shifting scenes; it currently plays in my head now as I write this (lol). I found it unique and beautiful. Maybe one of Godard's auteur. 

All in all the movie is worth watching given the guidance of an open mind, heart to relate and understand for the betterment of one's life. 

The New Hollywood and Independent Film Making 

photo from: http://www.unitedliberty.org/articles/14185-hollywood-full-time-employees-physicians-brace-for-obamacare

           Hello readers! After a few post we are back to Hollywood. For this post I want to do another approach. I want to share to you how I really do my notes! :) I learn this from a high school classmate and saw how an organize notes can help in reviewing. And in this post we will also do a lot of reviewing. Bare with me guys. :) We are ask to read pp. 463 – 468 OF Film Art by Bordwell and Thompson (same book we read for German Expressionism, French Impressionism and Surrealism)

I. The New Hollywood and Independent Film Making
  A. Hollywood started to decline in 1960's because of falling to attract the american audience.
    * Remember this post The Hollywood Style this is the before the decline.

  B. They go to independent film directors called the movie brats who created films for the young generation.
    * More on this from my post The Film School Generation

Film Brats
photo from: http://www.angelfire.com/de/palma/blog/index.blog?topic_id=1058991

        When I'm reading the text it makes me smile how helpful the connection of our lessons are. It is really important to understand the basics to be able to understand the latter.

 C. The directors who have gone to film school's have highly respect for the older directors by being verbal in telling their admiration and making films inspired by the works of the former holly wood film makers.
      1. Steven Spielberg - "l love the idea of not being an independent filmmaker. I've liked working within the system. And l've admired a lot of the older directors who were sort of 'directors for hire.' Like Victor Fleming was in a contract all those years to Metro and Selznick and Mayer . . . he made Captains Courageous. And you know, his most famous films: Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind."
     2. ex.Brian de Palma's 1980 film (Dress to Kill) were influence by Hitchcock's Psycho as said in the book.

 D.  "The movie brats worked in traditional genres, but they also tried to give them an autobiographical coloring." Quoted in the book, as to my understanding they applied what they learned in film school and but personal factors ad up to the mix in their movies influence (I use this word because the book use the words film buff directors) by the french new wave.
     ex. (given in the book)
         1. American Graffiti by George Lucas - I learn that it is not only a teenage musical but also the director's way of showing how he perceive about living in California.
                                           American Graffiti trailer
         2. Mean Streets by Martin Scorsese - of him living in New York
                                     Mean Streets theatrical trailer
         3. Godfather by Francis Coppola - about Italian American Family
                                              Godfather trailer

 E. High respect for European film tradition.
     1. Directors like:
        a. Martin Scorsese -  who are said to be influence by Luchino Visconti and British director Michael Powell on the visual aspect.
        b. Francis Coppola's 1974 film The Conversation influence by Antonioni's BIow-Up (1966)

 F. There are directors from abroad like the examples given in the book in britai
 Britain (Tony and Ridley Scott)
 Australia (Peter Weir, Fred Schepisi)
 Germany (Wolfgang Peterson)the Netherlands (Paul Verhoeven), and Finland (Rennie Harlin).  came to Hollywood

G. There are women directors who arise during this era.
          examples in the book although I may not know them are:
      1. Amy Heckerling (Fost Times at Riclgemont High, 1982)
      2. Martha Coolidge (Valley Girl, 1983)
      3. Penelope Spheeris (Wavne's Worlcl, 1992).

 H. Familiar directors of today arise during 1980's who are describe as the a part of the new new Hollywood like:
     1. James Cameron (Titanic)
     2. Tim Burton (I thing he is the director often collaborating with Johnny Deep's films like 1990's Edward Scissorhands)
     3. Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future) - one of my most favorite movies of all time. :D

 I. Style: Continuity Editing still continues but the directors played up and introduced different techniques in shooting and editing. I learn that most of them played up with the visual techniques and challenging the narrative to have a parallelism of themes like drama and psychological aspects in one film.

J. Studios are starting to buy independent films to be remake as mainstream. One good example if you are familiar, I learned in the book that Sundance Film Festival somehow became a place where mainstream producers choose independent films or even actors for the mainstream movies.

Summarize: All in all there are three main points that I understood in the text.
                   1. There is no comparison or even a contest to which is better the classical or the film brats, the                     Americans or the one's in abroad; male or female directors. They all get inspiration from each                       other and it produces great films that we are now able to watch.
                   2. The Independent and New Hollywood directors have somehow personalize their works by                        creating movies in connection to their experiences and to what their target audience are                                  experiencing at the present.
                   3. In their filming and editing style two things: narrative and continuity editing will always be                              present. Although as time past the directors played up in their techniques to continue what the I                      first learn the Hollywood aims which is to make the audience believe they are involve in the and                      present in the film.

Reaction: 1928 Surrealism Film Un Chien Andalou

slashing of  the eye scene in Un Chien Andalou
phoro from: http://doubleexposurejournal.com/blog/un-chien-andalou/

            The short film was shown to us right after the discussion. After watching the whole film I came to realization that it is true Surrealism is dream like. 

             

              Honestly speaking being a cinema student I have that 'margin' not to look at anticipating scenes that would make me struggle in mind like those that would promote lust and like that particular scene who is for me horrifying. And I wouldn't share this without relating to my blog post of course. ;) In the film there is no sequence and blissfully enough I was able to grasped our lesson that surrealism film being dream like means there is no real narrative so I didn't even attempt to analyze it. What I did feel is like I'm watching someone else's dream. There is no direct story but I can understand some of it's factors or rather symbolism. The main mood of the film for me is fear. Has anyone of you experience this - one person is trying to harm you, open the door you end up to another room again. Then the next part of your dream is another theme where someone will do this to you, or that you are running. And the part where lustful dreams play maybe out of what you saw before you sleep or what you've been thinking on your mind (I have struggled with this for years and I feel in it is not healthy for my relationship with my Savior this is the reason of my margin hope you get it. :) ) Then you wake up being in the arms of your love one. Remember those who says what is in your dream is the opposite of what will be in the reality, in my own understanding I believe this is what the film is trying to suggest. 

For more film reviews and good stuff visit: Post Prandial Musing's blog - http://jamalashley.blog.com/

Follow Up Notes for French Impressionism and Surrealism

       Good day my dear readers! As Promise from my previous post here are some of my notes in our lecture that I want to share. These are the things that I learn:

(Menilmontant: short movie given to us during our lecture. Must watch!)

• French Impressionism: 
• "Force the audience to experience" through focusing on special effects like superimposition one image and blurring or distorting some image. 
• Trivia from our professor: the movement was the first one to 
• use wide screen 
• point of view scenes or as what I understood they shoot it in the way our human eyes can see for example given to us the camera is inside the car so what the driver sees is what the audience sees


• started the dollying - a small wheeled platform, usu. having a short boom, on which a movie or television camera can be mounted for making moving shots. (definition from:http://www.thefreedictionary.com/dolly)


• to use the Handheld Camera
• putting tints
• 1929, sound came to cinema, films become expensive and impressionist directors had lost in financial banking 
• Surrealism 
• Andre Breton - I learn that he is the spokesman of the movement. He is the guy that I read on the book who join a communist party that's why many suspect that surrealism promotes communism. 
• It is dream like, and as to our class discussion in dreams there are no cause and effect.
• Problem for the viewers of surrealism is that we might search for the narrative that is not really present. Because again it is confirmed that it is anti-narrative. 

Thank you for checking out my blog. Stay tune for another review about surrealism. :) 

To God be the Glory!