French Impressionism and Surrealism (According to the book Film Art by David Bordwell and Kristen Thompson)

IMPRESSIONISM

                      Impressionism was one of the French alternative movement during the period of silent films. It included a style where people had new strategies and techniques that were operated mainly in large firms.

        World War I brought French Film Industry almost to a downfall. However, there were large firms who continued in controlling circuit of theaters by the use of some American film. By then, Hollywood cinema invaded every movie houses in France. French film industry tried to recapture the market through the imitation of American films. But one thing that made a great impact in this movement was the encouragement of younger French directors, such as Abel Gance, Louis Delluc, Germaine Dulac, Marcel L' Herbier, and Jean Epstein. 

Abel Gance 

Louis Delluc

Germain Dulac

Marcel L' Herbier

Jean Epstein

                         These young directors made essays to proclaim that cinema is worthy of comparison to poetry, painting, and music, for all these things fall under art. In bringing French film industry back to life, they made films emphasizing mainly personal emotions, thus leading to psychological narratives. Examples of this are love triangles, human fantasies, and depicting memories through flashbacks. These were also experimented by young directors through cinematography and editing. Impressionists also required a lot of innovations in film technology. Gance was noted for using new lenses, multiple frame images, and widescreen ratio. He used it for his epic Napoleon. 

                     These different innovations made by Impressionists gave French filmmakers the hope to grant their films popularity in Hollywood. Some succeeded, but some did not. Some young directors stopped pursuing their careers, while some were absorbed by big production companies.

                    It was year 1929 when Impressionist movement was put to an end, but the stylistic and conceptual influence of this movement can still be seen in present-day films.

SURREALISM

                       Surrealism was another alternative movement during the silent era. It was mainly focused outside the film industry. French filmmakers in this movement relied on their own and private patronage.

                      Painters like Man Ray and Salvador Dali, and writers like Antonin Artaud, began experimenting and investigating the art of cinema, but the young Spaniard Luis Bunuel became the most famous filmmaker. 

Luis Bunuel

                      Surrealist cinema deeply emphasized the causality of events, and not merely about narratives. These films were about violence, sexual desires, and blasphemy. The main purpose of these films is to let their viewer's impulses engage to them in a way that they could feel they are present in the movie. Surrealist paintings influenced films' mise-en-scene. Some paintings by great artists were featured on scenes of certain film.

                        It was dated year 1930 when Surrealism movement was ceased. Some filmmakers continued working on their own. The most famous filmmaker, Bunuel, continued making films in Surrealist style, that lasted for 50 years.

- ClarissaAlimot

German Expressionism (According to the book Film Art by David Bordwell and Kristen Thompson)

                    German film industry greatly struggled in making its own name during the World War I. The German Expressionist movement was then established due to the isolation of the country during the war. The country imported foreign films, which includes films from France, USA, Italy, and Denmark. It was hard to ban the importation of these international films because they're afraid that those movie houses in Germany would only have little movies to show. But when the German government raised their support to its film industry, acquiring international films was stopped, and local production companies started producing their own films. Germans rose in film making, they even made their stylistic influence abroad.

Alfred Hitchcock

                     The young Alfred Hitchcock was just one of those foreign film makers who got attracted on studios built in Europe by Universum Film Aktiengesellschaft (UFA). He was an English film producer and director. He founded vast techniques in terms of suspense and thriller films. He was even noted as The Master of Suspense.

                     At the end of the war, German film industry mainly focused on three genres, including the popular adventure serial which features spy rings, clever detectives, and exotic settings; sex exploitation cycle, which dealt educationally with such topics as homosexuality and prostitution; and also the popular Italian historical epics of the prewar period.

Ernst Lubitsch

                Ernst Lubitsch brought the name of Germany in film industry for he was the first German director to be hired by Hollywood. It was mainly because of his extremely popular film Madame Dubarry, a German silent film about the life of Madame Dubarry, the chief mistress of Louis XV of France. This film paved the way for Lubitsch to reach Hollywood.

                

(Official trailer of the 1920 film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari)

                   The 1920 film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari also served as a stepping stone for other films in Expressionist style to be known. It created sensation first in Berlin, then in different countries like France and United States. Big companies like UFA relied on Expressionist films which could already compete with other countries' films. This was the first film of the movement.

                  German Expressionism greatly depends on mise-en-scene, which includes the shape present in the scene, as well as the actors. All the elements in a scene of German films must deeply interact with each other to create an overall composition. Expressionist films depended heavily as well on their designers. These film designers received relatively high salary and often mentioned on advertisements, that's why expressionist films' budget were climbing.

                When German began to imitate films produced by America, expressionism as a movement had died out. Films produced after this fact diluted the unique qualities of expressionist style. But there were German film makers who came to the United States, having the tendency to make Hollywood films feature the style of expressionist.

               German movement may have lasted for only seven years, but its still alive in some of the films produced today.

- ClarissaAlimot

Morning Glory Film (Movie Review)

(Here's the official trailer of the film Morning Glory)

             Morning Glory is a film released in the year 2010, starred by Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, and Diane Keaton. It’s about the story of Becky Fuller, an aspiring executive producer, who had been through ups and downs in her job. Becky was successful in fulfilling her dreams as she went along many obstacles being the EP of a morning show titled “Daybreak”.

            Morning news programming is important in a way that they provide early massive information. In the Philippines, the sentimentality of breakfast television is that it captivates the Filipinos on what is merely going to be talked about for the whole day. In the United States, as I have seen in the movie, the significance of morning shows is on how it brings an entertaining morning for their viewers. Meaning, morning news programming is vital because, just like what the title of the movie suggests, it gives us morning glory which may be helpful as we face a great day ahead.


          The movie showed some specific aspects about the different communication theories. There were three being emphasized: Cultural Approach to Organization, Semiotics, and the Face Negotiation Theory.

            For cultural approach to organization, which Clifford Geertz and Michael Pacanowsky describe that organizations have their own culture, I think it’s more obvious on the part when Becky met her staffs on her first day as the new executive producer of Daybreak. She was not familiar with the culture of that new environment she’s into. Being an excellent new member, she was able to cope up with non-stop questions and suggestions from her staffs. With enough time handed, she was even able to turn the group into more like of a family. Having their corporate culture, the organization was able to have its corporate, personal, and collegiate stories.

         In Semiotics, which is merely about messages interpreted through signs and symbols, I think the movie portrayed it on the doorknob. Becky in her first day saw the broken doorknob being held by Leny Bergman, the senior producer of Daybreak. I think it’s a sign that something might get broken, not literally, or something bad might happen to Becky’s new life in Daybreak, which really happened. It’s when the show has low ratings the reason why the channel would like to cancel Daybreak in six weeks. It was of great phenomenon for Becky being the EP of the show. And when Leny decided to get a new doorknob, I think it already pertains to new opportunities that may come their way, especially to Becky. And then, as what the sign suggests, there was a chance given to Becky from the NBC who wants to work on The Today’s Show, which is actually her dream.

            According to Toomey, the basic concept of Face Negotiation Theory is the idea that each person’s identity is represented by a face that he/she shows to others. There were lots of scenes emphasizing how face acts an important role in the movie, from Mike Pomeroy’s way of showing his mysterious identity through his face to Ernie Appleby’s jolly personality. The character’s individuality was clearly revealed on how they represented their selves through their faces.

            The movie was indeed great and inspiring. Morning Glory showed lots of lessons to be learned and values to be earned. I'm glad to be introduced to this movie because it’s completely of great help for me as I go along my journey in the media industry someday.

-ClarissaAlimot

HIGANTI (REVENGE) "Short Film"

Short film requirement for our Humanities subject. I was one of the actors, and the film editor as well. The film is about a girl who is a victim of bully harassment. She then later realized on defending herself in the name of every girl who has ever experienced the senseless cruelty of other people. She did it by pushing around weaker people.

- ClarissaAlimot

NSTP FILM (FORTITUDE, EXCELLENCE, UPRIGHTNESS) - MC1122

(Film requirement for NSTP. I was one of the actors on this film.)

           Having the FORTITUDE to face problems, showing EXCELLENCE in all you do, and devouring UPRIGHTNESS in every single way completes each successful person’s journey.

            With enough preparation and teamwork, we were able to produce our very own film for NSTP. This film comprises four stories, each of which has its own value to portray.

            First is the FORTITUDE. In the story, the main character faced her problem with enough strength and courage.

            Second is the EXCELLENCE. Camy, acting as the main character, showed his excellence despite those hindrances that almost blocked his way to achieve his goals.

            Third is UPRIGHTNESS. The character with main role showed her honesty by telling her friend that there is negotiation that is happening between her and the drug pusher.

            Fourth film showed those three values in one entry. Kevin as the main cast, does everything with enough fortitude, he showed great excellence, and he was always being upright no matter what.

            This requirement was made not just for compliance, but to learn and apply it to ourselves as well. I know we did a great job because everybody has contributed their potentials. Time, money, and effort will never be put into waste because we know that after this film was produced, each of us had our own different learning to apply in our daily lives.

- CLarissaAlimot

Macbeth

                

                  Macbeth is a tragic play written by William Shakespeare which centers the evilness of Macbeth as he wanted to conquer power through immorality. The play is considered one of Shakespeare’s darkest and most powerful tragedies. According to Wikipedia, the play dramatizes the corroding psychological and political effects produced when its protagonist, the Scottish lord Macbeth, chooses evil as the way to fulfill his ambition for power. He commits regicide or the killing of the monarch, to become king and then furthers his moral descent with a reign of murderous terror to stay in power, eventually plunging the country into civil war. In the end, he loses everything that gives meaning and purpose to his life before losing his life itself.

(Here is the animated version of Macbeth. Clip from YouTube)

                   The animated film version on Youtube summarizes the story of Macbeth. The story can be well understood although there were some missing characters which is of great disadvantage especially to those who have seen the story for the first time, like me. As always, the story written in the books is always better than those in the film versions wherein some details are omitted. But the advantage of seeing the film first, there will be no hard time in visualizing the events that is happening inside the story. No need in imagining how a character does this or that because it is already given. So when it comes to the book version, it can already be easily understood.

                     I consider Macbeth as both moral and immoral play. The play somehow depicts how actions for self-indulgence and insecurity bring no good to a man. There would always be an event that will make you pay for everything that you have done wrong to someone. Just like what happened to Macbeth. At the end of the day, he still paid what he has done to those people that he killed. The immorality of the story comes when ambitions go beyond moral constraints. Macbeth’s desires made him kill so many people that lead him to success in achieving his goals, to be the king. His uncontrollable desires made him kill Duncan, Duncan’s son, Lady Macduff, and Macduff’s son. As a return for what he has done to those people, Lady Macbeth was killed as well. And then at the end of the story, as a payment for every sin Macbeth did, he lost his own life.

            Violence will never be a solution to a problem. No matter what happens, there would always be an occurrence that will make you pay for everything. Desires can never be achieved through mercy-killing. If it’s meant to be, it will happen. We don’t have to rush God for whatever plans he have for us. Let go, and let God be our way as we achieve everything we want. For us, many are impossible, but for Him, the one and only Him, everything is possible.

-ClarissaAlimot

Film Noir

           Film Noir, which literally translates “black film’, is a film that presents dark and violent theme, sometimes referred to as stylish Hollywood crime drama. It features the different struggles of a certain person in finding himself. These struggles are the reason why this person becomes deeper and deeper to the point of making the film showing the dark and violent side of the character. Basically, this film is about the darker side of human nature.

               According to the clip of PBS American Cinema, noir is a film of error and confusion. In film noir, men are always in danger by a strong, sexual female. They are extremely driven selfish ambitious character, which are generally the characteristics associated with male characters. This woman is sometimes referred to as the spiderwoman in film noir. They can be distinguished through their sexuality which includes their long hair, tight clothes, claw nails, and often smoking. According to the actress Marrie Windsor, the usual femme fatale is the woman who gets the man in bed and in trouble.

                      Light and shadow became a useful element for film noir, because those elements helped define a certain scene, they are always present as a content of the film.

                      Example films of film noir provided in the video clip of PBS American Cinema: the 1977 TV Movie The Force Evil directed by Richard Lang, which was about a lawyer, working for a powerful gangster, who wishes to consolidate and control the numbers game in New York; the 1945 film Detour which starred Tom Neal and Ann Savage; the 1947 film Crossfire which deals with the theme of Anti-Semitism; the 1995 film Kiss Me Deadly directed Robert Aldrich which was about a female hitchhiker who pulled a tough Los Angeles private eye into a deadly whirlpool of intrigue revolving around a mysterious great whatsit.

- ClarissaAlimot

Classical Hollywood Style

           Classical Hollywood style arose between 1927 and 1963 in the American Film Industry. Classical style mainly focuses on how the camera and sound recording should never call attention to themselves. This cinematic style has truly contributed a lot for the film's being released today.

              Ideas from Renaissance period heavily influenced Classical Hollywood Style, as elaborated by David Bordwell. Renaissance period, as we all know, is the period of birth for a more free and creative ideas, which is still obvious in today's art forms, including films. 

                  During our Cinema class, different American old silent films were shown to us including the Lion’s Cage of Charlie Chaplin, who rose to fame in the silent film era; Harold Lloyd, most famous for his silent comedies; and those of Lumierre Brothers, who were the earliest filmmakers in history.

                      Films of today can still show the different contributions of Classical Hollywood films to the modern industry of filmmaking.

- ClarissaAlimot

Trainspotting

Here is the official trailer of the 1996 film Trainspotting.

Trainspotting is a comedy/drama film directed Danny Boyle, in the year 1996. It is a film that shows something about drug addiction, exploration of urban poverty, and the portrayals of the culturally rich Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland.

             The film spins in the journey of the heroin addict Mark Renton, played by Ewan McGregor, together with Johnny Lee Miller as the Amoral band artist Sick Boy; Ewen Bremner as the simple-minded, good natured Spud – both heroin addicts as well; Kevin McKidd as the clean-cut athlete; and Robert Carlyle as Begbie, who fights with whoever gets in his way. The story just flows on hitting, then quitting, then hitting drugs again by the aforementioned drug addicts. But in the end, Mark Renton was able to live a stable and traditional life, while Spud found a 2000$ Renton left for him.

                  The film occurred on several settings, each of which having its own characteristic in the film. Several types of shot were also observed. The opening of the film showed already a tracking shot, when Renton and Spud was being chased by store detectives; high-angle shot, when Renton was looking at the baby on the ceiling when he was hallucinating, close-up shot, when the director showed through Renton’s face the effect of the drugs to him. The film’s mise-en-scene has truly made something to make the film the best Scottish film of all time, in a general public poll, and garner almost universal praise from critics.

            In 1995, Trainspotting was nominated for three British Academy Film Awards. According to Danny Boyle, the sequel of the film may be released nine years after the original film.

- ClarissaAlimot

Movie Brats! (New Hollywood)

(Left to Right: Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, George Lucas, Francis Coppola)

Early 1970’s, generation of young directors, sometimes called the movie brats made some successful films of all time. They are Francis Coppola, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese, Brian De Palma, and Steven Spielberg.

There are two kinds of directors: those who have the public in mind when they conceive and make their films, and those who don’t consider the public at all.

Francis Ford Coppola is the director of the award-winning film The Godfather who brought him several nominations and awards as well. According to Gary Kurtz, a producer of films, movies that Coppola produced was always aired no matter what it was all about, as long as it was long enough. Being said like that, I consider Coppola as a director who doesn't consider public in making films.

George Lucas is the creator of the blockbuster hit Star Wars. He mentioned in the documentary film of the film school generation that he once took the opportunity of a lifetime in making the THX 1138 without even considering if he’s career may be destroyed, which puts him on the idea of being a director who doesn’t consider the public at all. But according to Jonathan Taplin, a film producer, George Lucas came from a Middle American point-of-view which wanted to make movies that would move everybody, which also puts him on the contradicting type of director who considers the public in making films.

Steven Spielberg’s films include the three highest-grossing film made at the time – Jaws (1975), E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and Jurassic Park (1993). Like George Lucas, Jonathan Taplin considers Spielberg as a director who wanted to make movies that would move everybody, which is I guess obvious already because he owns those three highest-grossing films, so no doubt he makes films that considers the public.

Those three directors were the only emphasized filmmakers that may belong to any of the two kinds of directors.

In my own point of view, Martin Scorsese is a director who considers the public because he made films that reflects some Hollywood typical arrogance. Brian De Palma is known for his suspense and crime thriller films, which I consider a director who considers public as well because he makes films that everybody would get their emotions attached to the film.

- ClarissaAlimot

Iron Man 3: Mi Película Favorita! (My Favorite Film)

I love watching movies, I've seen several already. Just when I’m bored, I watch. Some of it made me yawn while watching, but this one, Iron Man 3, it’s different. With the three films of Iron Man, the recent one is my favorite!

Iron Man is an American superhero film series based on Marvel Comics character of the same name. Last May 24, 2013, the latest among the three series was released here in the Philippines. The movies main point being emphasized heavily is that how Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has created his own devil.

Robert Downey Jr. was cast as the title character of the film Iron Man. One of the main reasons why I like Iron Man 3 so much is that I love how RDJ played the role effortlessly and act in every scene naturally. I love him way too much, coolness overload!

It’s amazing how such mind can come up with such story like that, truly unbelievable, and yes indeed gifted. The actors have gracefully done their jobs as well. What makes it different from any other films is that, Iron Man has provided:

 Romance, for Tony Stark and Pepper Potts;

Thrill, during the fight scenes of Iron Man and the true Mandarin;

• Comedy, Tony Stark’s sense of humor; 

Tragedy, when the security chief of Stark Industries, Happy Hogan, was badly injured in a bombing. 

It’s basically an all-in-one movie. Iron Man 3 was so successful it became the fifth highest grossing film of all time.

The part of the film that truly got me was the ending, where Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) saved Tony Stark from the attack of the Mandarin, it was really a breathtaking moment! Every scene was so intense I didn't even notice if I was still blinking for a second or two. Bright Shane Black has done a great movie! I’m hoping and excited for Iron Man 4. It would be definitely awesome.  

- ClarissaAlimot