The Godfather: From Brando to Pacino

                  As the title of the movie suggests, The Godfather is about the Godfather, specifically the Godfather of the Corleone family.  The unique part about the movie being about the Godfather is that it is about two Godfathers.  Don Vito Corleone is the Godfather at the beginning of the movie and by the end of the movie, his son Michael has become the new Godfather.  During this story, the mantle of the Godfather will have passed from one generation to the next and Coppola does this remarkably through the film.

                After the opening sequence we are able to determine that Don Vito is a highly respected and feared man and is known as the man who pulls the strings.  He is a successful figure who got that way by being the Godfather and showing initiative and making smart decisions.  He has three sons and when assessing each son you don’t think any would be on the path to becoming the next Godfather.  The eldest son Santino is prone to fits of rage and letting others know what’s on his mind.  These traits are not good to have as a Godfather and Don Vito calls him out on both of them.  Fredo is a dimwit who can’t deal with the darkness of the family’s dealings as evident when he fumbles the gun and he is not even considered to be the successor to Vito.  The youngest son, Michael is a war hero and shows many traits of his father but is not looking to be involved with the family business but ends up being involved with it anyway.

                After Don Vito is shot and unable to be the Godfather, we see evidence of Michael beginning to take on the role as his father.  Michael goes back to his family for his father and ends up never going back to his old life but being a part of his fathers, a life is father never meant for him.  We see Michael beginning to show his authoritativeness and making decisions while his father is not able to.  Michael secures his new life upon deciding to kill the Turk and McCluskey knowing that his old life will never be possible.  

Michael begins to take the role of Godfather after Sonny is killed and Michael returns from Sicily. In the parallel scenes of the many killings Michael has ordered with the baptism of Connie’s baby, it is known that Michael is taking on the role as the new Godfather, one who can make harsh decisions.  He is taking this role literately to Connie’s baby and figuratively to everyone else.  This scene shows that the transition from Don Vito to Michael has occurred and that Michael has become the new Godfather, and as the door closes in the final scene Michael is securing himself in his father’s footsteps.

                Coppola is able to show the love of a family and the duty one has to their family in his film even if it is in a Mafioso family who don’t obey the law as others do.  The casting of characters in this film was brilliant and Brando shined as the Godfather and seemed like a man all could respect and love.  By the end of the film, with Michael becoming the new Godfather, we are able to see that Michael has earned his respect  and that he will now continue to live on as The Godfather.

-Dillon S.

Music and Psycho

Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho is a movie that has set the bar for any horror and thriller movies after it. The standards aren’t set just within the plot and cinematography, but also in the music composition. Within this post I’ll talk about the use of original compositions for movies. I will also touch on the aspect of the director and music composer relationship and collaboration. The score for Psycho was written by Bernard Herrmann, which Hitchcock insisted upon. According to Christopher Palmer in The Composer in Hollywood (1990) is "perhaps Herrmann's most spectacular Hitchcock achievement." Hitchcock was pleased with the tension and drama the score added to the film later remarking, "33% of the effect of Psycho was due to the music.”  I personally agreed on this aspect whilst watching the movie. That the music definitely does contribute to the tension and suspense especially at the killing scenes. Like where Herrmann used violins for the stabbing scenes in a screeching to add effect. The singular contribution of Herrmann's score may be seen from the film's credit roll, where the composer's name is after the director's own, a distinction unheard of in the annals of commercial cinematic music. Herrmann used the lowered music budget to his advantage by writing for a string orchestra rather than a full symphonic ensemble, disregarding Hitchcock's request for a jazz score. He thought of the single tone color of the all-string soundtrack as a way of reflecting the black-and-white cinematography of the film. Herrmann biographer Steven C. Smith writes that the music for the shower scene is "most likely the most famous (and most imitated) cue in film music," but Hitchock was originally opposed to having music in this scene. When Herrmann played the shower scene cue for Hitchcock, the director approved its use in the film. Herrmann reminded Hitchcock of his instructions not to score this scene, which Hitchcock replied, "Improper suggestion, my boy, improper suggestion."

I feel like this was the start of musical scores truly making the films. Up until this point directors weren’t so specific with the type of music for their films. Which still happens today, most of the time there won’t even really have a lot of scores composed specifically for smaller films. I also feel that if Hitchcock had not been so specific and Herrmann so resilient to make sure that his music was used the way he wanted; the film wouldn’t have been such a true impacting success. This score is studied and analyzed at college level in most music programs. It’s looked at over and over again by different musicologists and theorists. To honor the 50th anniversary of Psycho, in July 2010, the San Francisco Symphony obtained a print of the film with the soundtrack removed, and projected it on a large screen in Davies Symphony Hall while the orchestra performed the score live. You can even hear bits and pieces of the score sampled in R&B, Pop, and Hip Hop songs such as artists like Busta Rhymes. Movies around this time period after Psycho and television had similar collaborations with composer and director. This has made for really amazing effects on movies like Star Wars, Forrest Gump, and Harry Potter.

Bonnie and Clyde Discussion

http://eweaver.umwblogs.org/bonnieandclyde/

Bonnie and Clyde, directed by Arthur Penn in 1967, is a tragic story of two strangers who meet by chance and find out that they are meeting the love of their life. Perhaps the first time that Bonnie and Clyde meet is a foreshadowing to what their life together would actually look like.  A story of captivity, tragic loss and love.

Most people would say that Bonnie and Clyde never lived a life of captivity because the police never caught them. Bonnie and Clyde’s life together was characterized by running. Although the police never caught them, they were held captive to a lifestyle of continually moving places. Even the mom told them that they would never be able to live three miles down because they would be arrested. Running is almost worst than being in prison because there is never an end to running-only stress, fear and anxiety of being caught. Bonnie and Clyde could not be who they wanted to be or do what they wanted because running from the police ruled their lives and they became captives to that lifestyle.

Tragic loss is a trend in this movie-tragic loss of self and of loved ones. From the moment Bonnie joined Clyde, she tragically lost her family to this lifestyle. Clyde lost his brother in this journey as well. Eventually Bonnie and Clyde lost each other. Even before they physically lost each other, they also lost themselves emotionally. They were so held captive in this lifestyle, they lost things that they wanted in their life: freedom, families and in violence. Bonnie and Clyde lost themselves in violence as well. When Clyde killed a “laws,” he had to convince himself that he had to do it. Once he killed the first person, it became much easier to do so the second and third and fourth and so on.

Through all the madness, one thing seems to continually bind Bonnie and Clyde together, love…tragic love. This love was complicated, yet simple. When Bonnie tries to kiss Clyde the first time, he freaks out and tells her that he respects her. It is obvious that they are in love with each other. It seems that in this life full of captivity, loss and confusion it is each other’s love that keeps the other afloat. But this simple love, also experiences much complication. Clyde has intimacy issues which causes Bonnie to doubt his love in general for her. Her frustration continues to build, but trusts that Clyde loves her despite his issues. Bonnie loves the violence aspect part of their relationship, and Clyde finally lets go of his intimacy issues when Bonnie writes a poem of his story he could never write on his own. Even in the last seconds of their lives when they know what is about to happen, for an instance they look into each other’s eyes with a look of tender love and sense of peace that they were thankful for each other. As Clyde desperately tries to crawl to Bonnie, it is too late, but that look gives the other a sign of peace and love before such a violent and vulgar death.

Death Becomes The Seventh Seal

Death is the central figure of Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal. In fact, the oncoming specter thereof and the characterization of Death drive the characters and their actions. Waking up on a beach following a long campaign with The Crusades, Antonius Block sees Death as a tangible character, who informs Block that death has indeed come for him and his squire. In an attempt to delay the inevitable, Block challenges Death to a game of chess.

From here, the characters begin traveling back to the Block's castle, while the knight tries to restore his faith in God before his game with Death is complete, and while this may be the central theme for many who watch this movie, to me, the main theme offered by The Seventh Seal is death is unavoidable, no matter your belief structure, no matter what you do to delay it. Death is still coming for you. For me, the chess game represents a person's struggle to continue life, even though they know death is inevitable.

When watched from this perspective, Block's actions, especially during the movie's finale when he's praying/begging for knowledge and mercy, are those of a person who doesn't accept his ultimate fate, even as it bangs on his castle door. Instead of trying to find peace in his current life, Block's quest is one to that focuses on having his faith validated. While some may argue that restoring Block's faith offers the character purpose and peace of mind, his pleads for mercy during the final scene reflect the actions of someone who is not at peace with his life.

Granted, a desire to live is never a bad thing, but Block understood the circumstances of his agreement with Death, and instead of trying to find inner peace and satisfaction as he delayed Death with a chess game, he focuses, instead, on his crumbling faith. Furthermore, once his faith is restored, after the strawberries and cream scene with Jof and Mia, Block is still resigned to begging for forgiveness and mercy. Compare these actions to that of his squire Jons. Despite having little faith in an afterlife, going as far as to belittle Block's prayers and pleas, he is far more accepting of his fate, perhaps understanding he wasn't supposed to be rewarded with long life following his actions during The Crusades.

Meanwhile, Death plays no favorites and offers no bargains or alternatives. When he comes for you, your time is up. Yes, it is suggested that Block delayed Death with the chess game, but there's also a distinct possibility that Death knew the game was going to happen before he introduced himself to Block, and he allowed it to happen. If Death was indeed acting with such knowledge, and it's not a stretch to believe Death has omniscient awareness, that also indicates there was no delay to begin with. He could have allowed Block to play because Death simply wanted to play a game of chess. It should be noted that while he was being "delayed" by Block, Death continued to work, taking Skat's life by sawing down the tree he was perched in.

If Death was truly delayed by Block, he wouldn't have time to take another's life. This also suggests he could've taken Block's life at any time. With that in mind, the The Seventh Seal suggests the concept and the character of Death waits for no man. The personification of Death is also responsible for the movie's breath-taking closing scene, the danse macabre:



Does such a moving scene suggest Death is not the awful end we think it is, and that perhaps it's something beautiful? Questions for another time...

Group 8 Commentary

Group 8 Director's Commentary

We chose black and white because we decided to go with the horror theme, how fitting, its the end of October/beginning of November.  It also helps with contrasting.  The beginning is the establishing shots, where it lets you know that this takes place at William T. Young Library.  It is showing you some of the characters such as the victims and the foot stabber who you don’t really get to see throughout the film.  We got the stabbers shadow, which was an interesting shot.  The shots of the stabber in the library lets the audience know that he’s walking around stalking people.
We used sequence shooting to show the stabber outside the library, then near the entrance, and finally inside where the rest of the action will take place.  For some of the shots we used the stabbers point of view to see how he creeps on people in the library.  We also used over the shoulder as to put him in the environment as if a regular person was watching this go on.  He fondles the books in one scene to show how creepy he actually can be going throughout the aisles in the library.  This scene is building up to all the creepy things that  the stabber is doing and what he will do by the films end.
The girl studying is oblivious to the stabbers presence and is just going on with her schoolwork as the stabber watches and plays tricks on her, showing how the stabbers character gets enjoyment out of what the stabber is doing.  We used a lot of suspense throughout the film and the music helped a lot with this as it builds up tension in various parts of the movie.  In the shot with the girl looking at her emails we showed an actual email from the university about the foot stabber to show factual evidence to make are film more realistic and all the more creepy/suspenseful.
The scene with the stabber walking around the aisles to reach the victim is one single shot to build up as much tension as possible which the music helped with.  We left the guy in the shot that walked out of the aisle in the final edited film because we felt it helped with the realness factor of the movie since the stabber is in a populated place.
Contrasting in many of the scenes was edited in Final Cut to put the stabber more in the dark as that character is a dark and mysterious figure and the girl needed to be more visible while studying.  The stabber is in the dark right on the other side of her without her knowing and the contrast helped establish each scene’s mood.
The music was built up to the climax scene where the victim’s foot is stabbed, actually poked.  In editing the stabber’s escape we used quick cuts of the stabber running which helped with showing the quickness of the scene and the action taking place.
We put in the reveal at the end of who the foot stabber actually is to get surprised reactions from the viewers.  Since the foot stabber is actually a real case and our silent movie is inspired from true events, the reveal at the end is to shock the audience into thinking who can actually be the foot stabber?
As the stabber walks away and waves at someone we used this in the final edited product for more of a realness factor.

Group 8 presents...

The truth about the Willy T Foot Stabber is finally revealed...

Singin' in the Rain

From song to dance to colors, this musical kept me tapping my foot the whole time I was watching. This was the first time I had ever watched Singin' in the Rain, and it certainly lived up to everything that I had heard of. While so many aspects of this movie struck me as profound and amazing there are two that I want to focus on: the first is the film technology of the movie and the second is the undeniable comedy this musical is known for.

Singin' in the Rain not only tells the story of the radical change in film technology in the 1920's, but also shows the advancement of film technology in the movie itself. Anyone who watches this movie, will say how the colors of this movie are one of things that strikes a viewer first, and is simply so hard to forget. The movie itself, shows the drastic journey Hollywood was on, when their world was rocked as "talkies" were being introduced. It shows the obstacles that must be faced to make a movie with sound, and soon realized the voicing coaches were needed to make this movie successful. However, this musical is not only known for the technology that was displayed in the story line of the film, but the film itself. Singin' in the Rain was filmed in Technicolor which is what made the colors of the picture pop and really stand out. The directors of this movie went to far lengths to make sure that this film would be shown in the best film technology that it could be in 1952. Not only did the colors of the film make the movie stand out, but so did their costumes, sets, effects and sound. All these aspects were the best of its kind at this point, and each contributed to making this one of the best, if not the best, musical ever.

Another thing that made this movie great was the not only the singing and dancing talent, but the fact that this musical was also a comedy. One of the most impressive things about this film is the fact that it was not based off a Broadway play at first. It was quickly written and turned into a movie, then following a Broadway play. To add to this, the amazing singing and unbelievable dancing, this musical was also funny! The screenwriters  Comden and Green found a way to take serious issues of Hollywood in the 20's and turn them into a way to laugh about everything. This script is known for its wittiness and one-liners...one of the funniest scenes is when Lina can never find the microphone in the flowers. This musical would not be where it is without its ability to bring comedy relief to such a stressful time for Hollywood. This musical should not be underestimated, and will continue to be know for its hysterical one-liners, and wittiness between the characters.

This musical brings joy to the heart, a kick to your step and keeps you humming the songs throughout the day. The dancing, singing, comedy and film technology truly make the movie what it is today. Singin' in the Rain has stolen my heart by the sweet and witty script, and is sure to steal yours too!