Review of "Slumdog Millionaire" (Editing)

                Slumdog Millionaire follows the story of Jamal, a former urchin from the slums of India, who has managed to become a contestant on the TV show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and has made it to the final question. However, Jamal is accused of cheating in order to win and is taken in for questioning. As Jamal is asked how he managed to answer all of the questions correctly, we are shown a series of flashbacks that both show what led him to know the answers and provides valuable backstory for Jamal. Through these flashbacks we learn that Jamal’s reason for becoming a contestant on the show was in the hope that Latika, a childhood friend he had spent most of his life looking for, would be watching and would see him. While rather unnoticeable unless you are paying attention, which is, of course, a good thing, the editing used to present Slumdog Millionaire is fantastic. While the film does employ the more common editing techniques of montages, reaction shots, shot/reverse shots, the 180 degree rule, and transitions between shots, it is the use of establishing shots, TV style editing, and overlapping editing that makes the film truly shine.

                Barring a few instances when Slumdog Millionaire is purposefully confusing the viewer by providing little to no context to what is going on onscreen, it is very good about using establishing shots to clearly define where the current action is taking place. Throughout the film we catch glimpses of what Jamal is currently going through as well as flashbacks to his childhood and flashbacks to the time he has already spent participating in the game show, establishing the story piece by piece. As such, there are a great number of different locations shown onscreen. In the present, Jamal is in a local police station, in the recent past Jamal is, of course, on the set of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, and during his childhood and early adolescent years Jamal travels all over India. Once the viewer has figured out the relationship between the flashbacks, the establishing shot becomes a key element in keeping the audience from getting confused, especially during the childhood flashbacks. Through his childhood alone, Jamal travels from the slums, to a camp of children being forced to beg on the streets, to spending life on a train, to the Tajma Hall, to several locations in Mumbai, and so on. Each of these areas is first accompanied by a series of establishing shots, without which keeping up with where the characters are at any given time would be nearly impossible.

During the game show flashbacks and, later, the final night of Jamal’s run on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, TV style editing is used. The viewer feels as though they are actually watching a game show as opposed to a scene in a movie. Throughout these scenes the camera swivels around to show either or both Jamal and the host, the questions and answer choices are constantly present onscreen, and the audience and their reactions are shown occasionally.

Finally, the film employs the use of overlapping editing. As the beginning credits roll, we see a top-down view of someone filling a bathtub with money. This scene seems strange and out of place until it appears later, near the end of the film. As it turns out, this scene is part of the film’s climax. Salim has locked himself in a bathroom with the money in order to distract his boss, the leader of a vicious gang, so that Latika, who had been being held against her will, can escape. Another reoccurring scene that appears throughout the movie from the beginning to almost the very end is that of a woman standing next to a moving train. At first, the viewer does not know who she is or what she has to do with the current situation. However, it is later revealed that this woman is, in fact, Latika and that she is the driving force behind the entire plot. Without the audience even knowing, they have just been shown the answer as to why Jamal was able to correctly answer the questions posed to him during the game show. It was the journey leading up to this scene that taught Jamal everything he needed to know.

                If Slumdog Millionaire had not been edited the way it was, the story would not have unfolded in such an impactful way. The editing allowed the audience to know only as much of the story at a time as the director wanted them to. For its clever combination of plot and editing, I highly recommend Slumdog Millionaire.

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Shot Analysis)

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Lincoln Memorial Sequence

Overview: In this sequence, Mr. Smith has just finished touring Washington DC and is at his last stop of the day, the Lincoln Memorial. The scene begins with Mr. Smith walking up to the building and looking up at it in awe. As he walks through the memorial, sees the statue of Lincoln, and reads the words eternalized in the monument, Smith emanates a sense of respect and reverence. Patriotic yet peaceful music plays throughout the scene.

Shot #1: Medium shot of Smith walking toward the camera. Tourists roam and the Washington Monument is standing tall in the background.

Shot #2: The camera pans across the top of the Lincoln Memorial.

Shot #3: Full body shot of Smith as he ascends the stairs. He takes off his hat.

Shot #4: Side shot. Smith and other tourists enter the monument. Smith slowly walks forward.

Shot #5:  As Smith walks, the camera pans to the statue of Lincoln. Music transitions to “Glory, Glory, Hallelujah.”

Shot #6: Still shot of Lincoln’s head and the words above it: “IN THIS TEMPLE AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS ENSHRINED FOREVER.” The shot then tilts down to look at the rest of the statue. Music returns to normal.

Shot #7: Medium shot of Smith, turned a quarter away from the camera, looking back. A wall filled with the quotes of Lincoln is in the background. Smith looks back at the wall.

Shot #8: Cut to the wall. The phrase “WITH MALICE TOWARD NONE WITH CHARITY FOR ALL WITH FIRMNESS IN THE RIGHT AS GOD GIVES US TO SEE THE RIGHT LET US STRIVE ON TO FINISH THE WORK WE ARE IN” is highlighted.

Shot #9: Close up of the back of Smith’s head. He turns back to look at Lincoln’s statue.

Shot #10: A side view of the statue.

Shot #11: Medium shot of Smith turning and walking.

Shot #12: A shot of the words on the opposite wall. The camera tilts down and the shot fades into the next.

Shot #13: The shot fades in on the wall. The wall holds Lincoln’s speech that begins, “FOUR SCOUR AND SEVEN YEARS AGO…” The shot fades into the next.

Shot #14: The shot fades in. A full body shot of Smith, a child, and the child’s grandfather with their backs to the camera. They are looking up at the wall. The child is reading, “...that from these honored dead…”

Shot #15: The child continues to read, “…we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave…” A medium close up of Smith looking up while walking forward. He then looks down.

Shot #16: A high angle shot of the boy continuing to read next to his grandfather, who he is holding hands with, “…the last full measure of devotion.”

Shot #17: The boy continues to read, “That we here highly…” When the boy stumbles on a word, his grandfather chimes in to help him, “Resolve.” We see a medium shot from the side of an elderly black man entering. He removes his and places it above his heart.

Shot #18: The boy continues to read, “…resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.” We see a close up of Smith as he looks over at the grandfather.

Shot #19: A close up from the side of the grandfather looking up and smiling at the wall of words. The boy continues, “That this nation, under God…”

Shot #20: A close up of the boy at eye level. He continues to read, “…shall have a new birth of…” He pauses for another word he does not know.

Shot #21: An eye level shot of the grandfather as he says, “Freedom.”

Shot #22: A close up of the black man looking up at the wall as the boy says, “…freedom.”

Shot #23: We see a close up of Smith as he looks back, then up. The boy continues, “…and that government of the people…”

Shot #24: A close up of Lincoln’s face. The boy continues, “…by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.” The scene fades into the next.

Shot #25: The scene transitions into the ringing of the Liberty Bell, then fades to black.

            This sequence of shots was set up to show the quiet respect that Mr. Smith holds for America’s history and those who sacrificed their lives for it. If the music had been too loud or if the shots had progressed too quickly, the scene wouldn’t have had the same effect.

Informal Review of "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" (Mise-en-scene)

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, is based off the classic book by Roald Dahl entitled, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. When Wonka issues a contest allowing people to tour his factory if they are lucky enough to find one of five golden tickets hidden inside Wonka Bars, the world goes wild searching for them. These tickets are found by five lucky children, including Charlie Bucket, a young boy from an impoverished family. When the children and their guardians arrive at the factory, they find that all is not as it seems when they are confronted with both the eccentric Willy Wonka, his small army of Oompa Loompas, and his odd candy making contraptions. When four out of the five children meet with tragedy because they refused to listen to Mr. Willy Wonka’s lackluster warnings, Charlie becomes the heir to Wonka’s factory because he was the only one not willing to sell out Willy Wonka’s candy making secrets. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’s mise-en-scene is incredibly vast, but the main elements that I am going to focus on are theme, setting, and the visual and blocking clues of several main characters.

A film like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory has so much mise-en-scene that it’s hard to know where to begin. For starters, I’ll mention the main theme of the film, which should not be confused with the lesson it is trying to teach. The theme of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is one of hope. Throughout the earlier sections of the film we see Charlie working hard, pushing forward and waiting for better times to come along. The feel of the film is also set by the three types of lives we see. First, we see Charlie’s bleak yet hopeful life. He lives in a cramped, dingy shack that is far too small and cluttered to properly accommodate the number of people living there. Charlie’s mother, messy and worn out in appearance, works washing laundry to support her son, her parents, and, presumably, her in-laws. Charlie also does his best to support his family, who seems to make sacrifices to give him the best life they can provide, by working as a paper boy. In contrast to Charlie’s difficult life, we see the average lives of those around him. Homes and clothing are nicer and cleaner, children are given enough pocket money to buy extra amounts of sweets from the candy store, and everyone seems to take things for granted. In even more contrast we see the magical factory of the whimsical Willy Wonka. The factory is the type of life that many would dream of, but could never have. Inside we see bright colorful candy in contrast with metal contraptions and brick walls.

While those three types of lives present the setting, it is the characters that present the film’s lesson. Thinking back on the book upon which the film is based, it is obvious that the story is, in part, a commentary on the effects of poor parenting decisions on children. The mise-en-scene of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory helps to establish these characters before they even have a chance to open their mouths. Since I’ve already mentioned Charlie and his family to an extent, I will focus on the other children and their parents. Let’s go in order of appearance. First, we see Augustus Gloop. Our first glimpse of the Gloop family is in a restaurant where they sit at a table, surrounded by plates of food. The whole family is rather plump and are wearing stereotypically German clothing. In fact, the very first time we hear Augustus speak he has his mouth full of food. Even without hearing about Augustus’ eating habits, we can already tell that he is a glutton.

 Next, we have the Salt family. Mr. Salt is fat, balding and frantic. Mrs. Salt is stiff, formal, and seems content to stay out of any spats between her husband and daughter. Veruca, besides being very well dressed, shows just how spoiled she is through her unspoken agitation by wildly spinning back and forth in her father’s chair. Her hair is also wild and raggedy, suggesting that perhaps she had refused to have it brushed.

Then we have the Beauregardes, the rude and overly talkative family. Mr. Beauregarde, a car salesman, wears his greasy hair slicked back and wears a stereotypical sleazebag salesman plaid jacket. Even before she speaks, we can tell that Violet, his daughter, likes to gab just as much as her father does. Her jaw gets a constant workout from her non-stop gum chewing, showing that she likes to run her mouth in more ways than one. In fact, both she and her father continue to display this trait as the both vie for the attention of the camera, constantly interrupting each other.

Finally, we come to Mike Teevee, who is so wrapped up in watching TV that, not only does he almost completely ignore the reporters, he basically tells his mother to shut-up. He is so obsessed with his television program that he dresses up like the cowboys he is watching. In fact, he is wearing the exact same costume when he arrives at the factory days later, suggesting that he does not get up from the TV very often. Further suggesting this is the setup of the Teevee family living room. The coffee table in front of the couch is full to bursting from clutter. An ash tray completely full of used cigarettes further proves that the family does not leave the couch very often. I could go on to talk about Mr. Wonka himself, but that could be a novel in and of itself. For its wonderful story, message, and visuals I highly recommend this classic film.

"Mr. Smith Goes to Washington"- A Film For All Generations

“Did you ever have so much to say, you don’t know how to say it?” uttered Jefferson Smith to his secretary as he paced about his office, trying to formulate his very first bill to present to the Senate. That very sentence popped into my head the moment I sat down to write this review. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington holds so many powerful aspects that choosing which to write about was an extremely daunting task. Eventually, I was able to dig into what I believe to be the heart of the film, and that is what I present you with today.

Frank Capra’s Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), starring Jimmy Stewart, Jean Arthur, Claude Rains, and Edward Arnold, is a timeless example of American patriotism. When the senator of an unnamed state dies suddenly, a replacement must be found. Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold), the leader of a political machine, and Senator Joseph Paine (Claude Rains) want to choose someone whose vote they can easily manipulate. Taylor and Paine, along with several other corrupt politicians have cooked up a plan to make money off of the upcoming construction of a dam. When the most unlikely of candidates, the leader of The Boy Rangers named Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart), is chosen, Taylor and Paine believe they have found the easily manipulated man they are looking for. However, Smith proves to be no simpleton when he presents a bill suggesting that a boys’ camp be built in the very area that Taylor and his cohorts have chosen for their dam. When Smith refuses to back down, Taylor and Paine frame him, accusing him of the very crime they themselves were about to commit. The Senate calls for the removal of Smith, but, before he can be removed, Smith creates a filibuster in order to get the truth out to his state and raise the public’s opinion of him. After nearly 24 hours of standing and speaking non-stop Smith passes out. In what can only be described as a miracle, Senator Paine, driven mad, confesses everything and Smith’s name is cleared. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a movie that emphasizes its message above all else. As such, it draws careful attention to its dialogue and uses music only to invoke emotion and a sense of patriotism.

                The area where Mr. Smith Goes to Washington truly shines is in the message it presents. To take full advantage of this strength, music is very rarely used. Naturally, music is present for both the opening and closing credits. In the opening credits, songs such as Yankee Doodle and My country Tis of Thee are used to set the patriotic feel of the film. In the ending credits, it uses the same types of songs to emphasize Smith’s triumph. Other than a few other patriotic or emotional scenes, music is mainly used in scenes where little to no dialogue is present. For instance, when Mr. Smith visits several monuments in Washington loud, upbeat patriotic music plays throughout the montage until Smith finally arrives at the Lincoln Memorial. Upon his arrival, the music lowers and becomes more reverent. Because the music is down-played in this scene we can turn our attention to reading the recorded words of Abraham Lincoln as well as listening to those same words being read by a child, looking up in awe at the words laid out before him.

                Without the constant distraction of music and other non-diegetic sounds we are able to focus not only on the words being spoken, but also on the meaning behind those words. Shortly after Smith is appointed Senator we witness a conversation between Mr. Smith and Senator Paine about Smith’s father. Upon seeing Smith wearing his hat, Paine makes the remark that Smith is just like his late father. He goes on to say that Smith’s father always kept his hat on so that he could jump into action whenever a lost cause came his way. Even after being murdered for not backing down on a case he believed in, Smith’s father still wore his hat. Despite the fact that Smith’s father and Senator Paine had been called the “Champions of Lost Causes” back in their day, the Senator expresses his current lack of faith in fighting for those causes. It is here that Smith makes the statement that will carry the entire film, “Dad always said the only causes worth fighting for were the lost causes.”

Throughout the film we see the influence that Smith’s father had on his son’s life. Not only does Mr. Smith display an impressive amount of knowledge and passion for American history, but he does his best to extend that passion to the next generation. While trying to write a bill to present to the Senate about his boys’ camp, Smith describes to his secretary, Saunders (played by Jean Arthur) the purpose behind his camp:

You see, boys forget what it really means, just reading about the land of the free in history books. Then they get to be men and forget even more. Liberty’s too precious a thing to get to be buried in books, Miss Saunders. Men should hold it up in front of them every single day of their lives and say, “I’m free to think and to speak. My ancestors couldn’t, I can, and my children will.” Boys oughta grow up remembering that.

Mr. Smith believes so strongly in these principles and those like them that he risks absolutely everything to fight for what’s right. In a rousing speech, which he gives right before fainting at the end of the film, Mr. Smith croaks out these last words, which are the final message of the film:

I guess this is just another lost cause, Mr. Paine. All you people don’t know about lost causes. Mr. Pain does. He said once they were the only causes worth fighting for, and he fought for them once; for the only reason any man fights for them, because of one plain, simple rule: love thy neighbor. And in this world today full of hatred, a man who knows that one rule has a great trust. You know that rule, Mr. Paine, and I love you for it just as my father did. And you know that you fight for the lost causes harder than any others. Yes, you even die for them, like a man we both knew, Mr. Paine. You think I’m licked! You all think I’m licked! Well I’m not licked, and I’m gonna stay right here and fight for this lost cause! Even if this room gets filled with lies like these, and the Taylors and all their armies come marching into this place! Somebody’ll listen to me.

Mr. Smith fought until the end for what he believed was right, for American ideals and for justice. No matter the time and no matter the problems we as a country face, we need more people like Jefferson Smith. We need people who will teach and prepare the next generation. We need people who will ensure that our government continues to run by the standards set by our forefathers. We need good, honest folk, who will fight against corruption. I wholeheartedly believe that the purpose of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is to inspire people to love and fight for their country again in a way that will remain applicable throughout the generations. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington has both inspired me and become one of my favorite movies of all time. I highly recommend this film not only to Americans, but to everyone, because everyone could learn a thing or two from the ideals presented in this film.

                                

Informal Review of "Dead Poets Society" (With an emphasis on camera angles.)

                Dead Poets Society is, perhaps, one of the most influential films I have ever seen. When the oppressed boys of Welton Academy get a new and rather unconventional English teacher their way of thinking is forever changed. The new English teacher, John Keating, was once a student at Welton himself, and had also been a member of a secret group of poets and free thinkers called The Dead Poets Society. Following Keating’s example, the boys reinstate the society and even begin pursuing goals they had feared to before. However, when one student commits suicide because of his over-controlling father, Keating is blamed for the event and is fired from his position at the academy, despite his complete innocence in the event. While the plot and ideals presented by the film would have been amazing on their own, they were given even greater power by the camera angles used to present them.

                The shots and angles used in Dead Poets Society had two main effects: making the viewer feel as though they were present for the actions taking place in the film and to add greater emotional impact to those scenes. The former was shown mostly through eye-level shots. In almost any conversation that took place, I felt as though I was there, standing with the boys as they joked, fought, and conducted their secret meetings. As a result I became more invested in and was able to more easily empathize with the characters. The film used other tools to cause this kind of immersion as well. One of these methods was disorientation. For instance, when Knox got drunk at Chris’ party the camera blurred and sped up the action taking place, mimicking his intoxication. In another example, as Todd was being spun around by Keating in order to inspire boldness as well as some impromptu poetry, the camera spun along with him. As it spun, I felt Todd’s nervousness and confusion, and when the camera stopped I felt his joy and surprise at his success.

The latter, shots that cause greater emotional impact, is caused by dynamic or otherwise unusual shots. For example, some of the scenes before and after Neil committed suicide used a series of dynamic shots. Rather than seeing Neil remove his shirt directly, I watched his shadow, cast on the wall behind him, perform the action instead. I felt the impact of his lost ambitions as I looked up at him from a low angle shot through the open, snowy window as he put on the crown he wore as Puck in the school play. After being awakened by the shot of the gun that Neil used to take his own life, Neil’s father started investigating the house and, upon finding him missing from his room, began searching for his son. Right before he entered the office in which Neil shot himself, Neil’s father is seen through the cracked door of the office. When he first entered the office, Neil’s body was not visible until the camera panned over to a shot of his hand, on the floor, peeking out from behind the desk.

Another instance where dynamic shots were implemented was in the ending scene where the students who had been most impacted by Keating stood up on their desks, reciting the lines “Oh, Captain, my captain” to show him their continued support in the only way they could. Not only did this scene use low angle shots to show the boys through Keating’s eyes, but it also used a particularly dynamic angle for the closing shot. In the final shot, Todd, standing on his desk, is seen through the legs of another student, who is also standing on his own desk. Not only did I see Todd as Keating saw him, but the cone-like shape that allowed the audience to see Todd also created an almost spotlight like effect as the scene faded to black.

                Without both its compelling story and its clever use of camera angles, Dead Poets Society would not have had as much power as a film. It could have had one without the other, but, in this case, neither would have had as much of an impact without the other. However, because it does have both, Dead Poets Society is an amazing film and I regret not watching it sooner. I highly recommend this film.

Informal Review of Alfred Hitchcock's "Number 17"

Alfred Hitchcock’s Number 17 is about a group of individuals who are searching an old abandoned house for various reasons. Among our cast of characters we have a detective, a homeless man, a father-daughter duo, a supposedly deaf woman, and three other shady men. Through a series of events it is discovered that diamonds have been hidden in the house, which is appropriately numbered “17,” and that most of these characters have come to the house for the sole purpose of finding them. They are also to make their getaway on a train that is also numbered “17.” The film ends with a series of chase scenes involving the number 17 train and a bus, with the villains getting their just deserts, and with the diamonds being recovered and, supposedly, turned in to the authorities. While Number 17 had great visuals for a black and white film, it suffered greatly in terms of sound and storytelling.

Number 17’s strong point was its dark, creepy imagery, especially its use of shadows. The house that most of the film takes place in was so dark that the characters constantly had use matches or candlesticks in order to see. This resulted in numerous shadows being present for most of the film. These shadows were used in several ways. They were used to further the plot in some instances, such as when the detective saw a large shadow of a hand on the wall, which belonged to a (supposed) corpse on one of the upper floors. However, shadows were mainly used to provide atmosphere and to help the audience keep track of where characters were at any given moment, even if they were not in the room that the audience was currently viewing. Unfortunately, for as great as the imagery was, the sound was terrible. Due to the poor quality of older sound, a constant whirring sound in the background, and the hard to understand accents of the characters, I couldn’t understand what was being said most of the time. However, my main qualm with Number 17 was that the movie could not set a constant tone. Did it want to be a serious mystery or a gut-busting comedy? It tried so hard to be both, that it was neither. The serious moments were fantastic, but were often interrupted by humor that seemed shoe-horned in. Some scenes that should have been serious were made unintentionally comical because they were sped up and were choppily edited or by what I like to call Ben’s “bug-eye” face. By the time we were half way through the film I was bored out of my mind. Put simply, Hitchcock’s Number 17 had the potential to be a good film, but failed because the film did not know what it wanted to be. I give this movie a big thumbs down.

Informal Review of Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing"

                Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing gives the viewer a glimpse into the inner workings and racial tensions within a specific New York neighborhood. Although there is no apparent plot, the film focuses instead on the daily lives of its characters and the relationships between them. However, the community we are shown is not a happy one, as racism and prejudices between different social classes abound. Throughout the film there are several people who view themselves as victims and raise a fuss over matters most would consider trivial. In the climax of the film, Buggin’ Out and Radio, two African American teenagers, along with Smiley, a mentally disabled white man, storm Sal’s Pizzeria causing a fight to break out. When the police arrive to break up the fight, Radio is killed, causing the black community to riot.

                If you are looking for a movie with a happy ending, Do the Right Thing is not the film for you. The purpose of the film is to show the ugliness as well as the consequences of different kinds of hatred, especially racism. Throughout the film we see tension between several different ethnicities: Caucasians, Latinos, Asians, African Americans, and Italians. However, much of the film focuses on the racial tension between Sal and his two sons, an Italian family that owns and runs a local pizzeria, and a few members of the African American community, specifically Buggin’ Out, Radio, and Mookie, Sal’s delivery boy. Generally, Sal and his two sons, Pino and Vito, get along very well with the rest of the community. However, Sal’s oldest son, Pino, shows a general distrust of the black community and often mistreats Mookie, Vito, Smiley, and an old, black drunk referred to as “Da Mayor,” who is a drunk, but is also generally a kind man.  As a result, we see not only racism, but hostility between people who belong to the same social groups as well. Pino constantly mistreats Vito, Mookie is part of an extremely dysfunctional family, the community seems to view Smiley as nothing more than annoyance, and nearly everyone mistreats Da Mayor. In short, the members of the community tend to treat each other poorly on a regular basis. This general lack of peace in addition to close quarters and a heat wave leaves the community on edge. All they need is a push for disaster to strike. This “push” just so happens to be appropriately named, “Buggin’ Out.”

                Buggin’ Out is what I like to call an Instigator. An Instigator is someone who takes everything personally and raises a fuss over every little thing. They are someone who feels so victimized that they begin to feel the need to victimize others and gain revenge in order to right the “wrong” they feel was committed against them.

What offense pushed Buggin’ Out over the edge so that he began to cause trouble? The fact that there were no pictures of African Americans on a wall of pictures in Sal’s privately owned business. As time goes on, Buggin’ Out attempts to find people to boycott Sal’s over this matter. When he finds out that he is the only one who cares about the wall, he instigates feelings of anger in other people toward Sal. He digs into them, finds small matters that happened between them and Sal, and blows them out of proportion in order to stir up anger against Sal. These people are what I call “Responders” because they allowed themselves to be affected by Buggin’ Out’s ploys. Once they take action, the Responders become Instigators, creating a vicious cycle. The cycle spins out of control when Sal, instigated by Radio, destroys Radio’s boom box, causing a fight to break out. After the fight is broken up by the police and Radio is accidentally killed, Buggin’ Out instigates the crowd of onlookers, and, once again, the Responders become Instigators when they burn down Sal’s restaurant. Some of these people had little to no idea what had happened. They merely used the incident to justify their feelings of victimization and as an excuse to act on those feelings.

                Throughout Do the Right Thing, we only see one person who does not respond to the Instigators: Da Mayor. Although he is put down frequently and has every right to be bitter and unkind, he always responds to his Instigators with kindness. Despite his faults and his affinity for alcohol, Da Mayor proves to be a very wise man, who only wants to help his community. He shared wisdom with a group of teenagers who were harassing him, he saved the life of a very ungrateful child who was almost hit by a car, and even showed constant kindness to Mother Sister, and elderly woman who seems to live alone. Mayor serves as our moral compass and as an example of how we should react when faced with hatred.

                My viewing of Do the Right Thing could not have come at a better time. The riot at the end of the film was very similar to those going on right now as a result of the Michael Brown case. Those who respond to the news in a violent manner have turned from Responders to Instigators, even though only a handful of people know for sure what actually happened. Now is the perfect time for this film to resurface. It is important historically in that it reminds us of events likes these and warns against them. However, it may be even more important to the history of film because it allows us to view ourselves and our actions from the outside. Sometimes we can’t see our own ugliness. Sometimes we need an outside source, one that is unrelated to us, to show us the truth. Do the Right Thing does just that; it shows us the truth. Ultimately, Do the Right Thing, serves as a powerful example of the consequences of hatred. The only qualm I have with the film is its somewhat graphic nature, as things such as profanity and nudity are simply not my taste. Otherwise, I highly recommend this film and the message it sends. 

"The Goat" Informal Review

The Goat, directed, produced, and starring Buster Keaton in 1921, focuses on an innocent man who accidentally poses for the mug shot of a convicted murderer. After his face ends up on wanted posters all over town, the police begin chasing him and the locals run away at the sight of him. The ensuing chase scenes make up the majority of the film. In the end, the innocent man, aided by a young woman, manages to get away. Although the film contains no spoken words, it still manages to tell its story effectively through visuals.

As a silent film, The Goat must show the audience its story, rather than telling them through spoken dialogue. A combination of different camera angles, exaggerated character movements, and the occasional screen of text helps to communicate what’s going on to the audience. For example, when the viewer is supposed to see something from a character’s point of view the scene is seen through a circle as opposed to being watched as normal. The viewer doesn’t need to be told what this change means because it is presented in such a natural way. Other cues such a clearly labeled signs, over exaggerated acting, and visual gags clearly communicate the story of The Goat to the audience. In addition, the film manages to keep the attention of its audience through its clever use of comedy and an overabundance of slapstick. This kind of comedy is classic for a reason, as it manages to entertain audiences even today. Even without the use of the spoken word, The Goat uses both visuals and comedy to its advantage, resulting in a film that even modern audiences will enjoy. I give this movie a thumbs up.

What Is This Blog??

Well, my dear reader, the answer to the question above is rather simple. Keeping Things Classic (Yes, I did just italicize my own blog title.) is meant to be a portfolio of the work I will be doing for the Film Appreciation class I am enrolled in at my community college. In fact, that is all it will probably ever be unless, by some odd chance, I decide to keep up with it after the semester is over. All of my posts will be related to film in some way, shape, or form, and most of them will focus on classic films. How do I define a classic? Well, I'm not entirely sure myself. I am certain that it is not restricted to old black and white movies from decades past, but I wouldn't go so far as to say that, say, the Harry Potter films are classics just yet either. (Modern classics, maybe, but not classic classics.)

Regardless, I hope you enjoy this blog, my fellow classmate, teacher, or random reader!