Homework -- Week 4

DFV 363

Homework Week 4

“Analyzing the Analyzer”

Choose a favorite film from 2011/2010; anything that you’ve seen recently or know well will work. Find three different reviews written by three different critics. This assignment is an exercise is breaking down the content and style of different reviewers to help prepare you to construct your own professional review. Read the three reviews very carefully, it helps to read it twice and find each critic’s take on the following:

Theme and director’s intention

Separate elements and their relationship to the whole

Objective evaluation of the film

Subjective evaluation of the film

The film’s level of ambition

Words you found interesting.

Relationship to film movements/genres/ relation to other filmmakers’ work.

Cite your three reviews in proper format:

Scott, A.O. “Fasten Your Seatbelts, the Chevy is Taking Off” Rev. of Drive, dir. Nicolas   Winding Refn. The New York Times 15 Sept. 2011

Turan, Kenneth. “Drive” Rev. of Drive, dir. Nicolas Winding Refn. The Los Angeles Times 16 Sept. 2011

Mesh, Aaron. “Solitary Bagman” Rev. of Drive, dir. Nicolas Winding Refn. Willamette Week 14 Sept. 2011

Here is a BRIEF example. Yours should have at least three quotes, one from each reviewer in each category.

_______________________________________________________________________________

Theme and director’s intention

“The virtuosity on display is also the director’s, of course, and that, for better and for worse, is pretty much the point of “Drive,” the coolest movie around and therefore the latest proof that cool is never cool enough.” -Scott

Separate elements and their relationship to the whole

“Impeccably shot by Newton Thomas Sigel, "Drive" always looks dressed to kill.” –Turan

“Making fine use of Los Angeles locations, particularly the lonely downtown streets around the L.A. River, "Drive" has a slick, highly romanticized pastel look calculated to win friends and influence people.” -Turan

Objective evaluation of the film

“When boy meets boy in Drive, homicide is inevitable. But first boy meets girl. The boy is Ryan Gosling, a stunt-car driver with illegal sidelines and a stockpile of toothpicks. The girl is Carey Mulligan, a waitress with a young son (Kaden Leos) and a husband (Oscar Isaac) about to get out of jail. Their courtship is as much an act of protection as desire.”-Mesh

“Coolly played by Gosling, the driver is a monosyllabic loner with a monotone voice, a toothpick in his mouth, and a fondness for a silver racing jacket with a giant yellow scorpion on the back. By day he works in a garage on Reseda Boulevard run by hard luck Shannon ("Breaking Bad's" Bryan Cranston) and does stunt driving for the movies. Once the sun goes down, he drives getaway cars for criminal types.” –Turan

Subjective evaluation of the film

“It's a film in love with both traditional noir mythology and ultra-modern violence, a combination that is not ideal.” –Turan

The film’s level of ambition

“It raises the question, finally, of whether a great movie has to be a moral movie. Is it enough that it is true to its own code? What if that code is ultimately tribal and barbaric?” -Mesh

“For fans of director Refn, known among chaos aficionados for made-in-Europe violent fare like "The Pusher" trilogy and "Bronson," this is bloody business as usual. But the mayhem here so clashes with the high style and traditionalism of the rest of the film that when the bloodletting goes into overdrive, so to speak, it throws you out of the picture, diluting the mood rather than enhancing it.”- Turan

Words you found interesting.

Relationship to film movements/genres/ relation to other filmmakers’ work.

“And I have a sliver of justification: The entire history of noir, stretching back to The Maltese Falcon through Drive’s obvious influences like Walter Hill’s The Driver and Michael Mann’s Thief, is a lot of macho, self-pitying poppycock. That does not diminish the power of those movies. If Drive, a deliberate throwback, belongs in their company, it is because it is unreservedly committed to the decadent masochism of its fantasy.” --Mesh

“His own love of movies can hardly be doubted, and there’s nothing wrong with his taste. He likes the stripped-down highway movies of the 1960s and ’70s — the kind that Quentin Tarantino celebrated in “Death Proof” — and also the atmospheric masculine melancholy associated with Michael Mann. You might also catch a hint of Paul Schrader’s “American Gigolo” and, with respect to the story rather than to the visual style, a whole bunch of Clint Eastwood and Sergio Leone westerns.” - Scott

Partial list of archetypes

     Partial list of archetypes.

Remember within each archetype there is room for diversification. For example the classic “Hero” archetype can take on many forms such as:  Willing Hero /Unwilling Hero /Cynical Anti-hero /Tragic Anti-hero /Group-oriented Hero /Loner Hero /Catalyst Hero -- Any mentor.

Actor, Addict, Alchemist, Anarchists, Artist, Avenger, Bureaucrat, Beggar, Bully, Caregiver, Child, Clown, Companion, Coward, Craftsperson, Crone, Crook, Damsel, Detective, Dictator, Dilettante, Diplomat, Disciple, Diva, Dreamer, Eternal, Boy/ Girl Evangelist, Fool , Gala, Gambler, God, Goddess, Gossip, Gossip, Healer, Herald, Hedonist, Hermit, Historian, Innovator, Judge, Knight, Liberator, Lover, Magician, Martyr, Masochist, Matriarch, Midas, Monk, Muse, Mystic, Nature Boy/Girl, Networker, Nun, Olympian, Poet, Politician, Predator, Priest, prince, Princess, Prophet, Prostitute, Provocateur, Puck, Puppet, Puritan, Rebel, Redeemer, Rescuer, Revolutionary, Robot, Saboteur, Sadist, Sage, Samaritan, Scholar, Scout, Scribe, Seductress, Seeker, Seer, Sidekick, Slave, Spoiler, Storyteller, Student, Teacher, Thief, Tramp, Trickster, Tyrant, Vampire, Visionary, Victim, Warrior, Witch, Wizard, Zombie

Loves of a Blonde by Alexandr Beran

Title/Year: Loves of a Blonde (Lasky Jedne Plavovlasky) / 1960

Director/Birth Country/Year Born: Milos Forman (born Jan Tomas Forman) / Czechoslovakia / 1932 [imdb]


Budget: No info

Gross: No info

Synopsis: A factory head talks the Czech military into sending a troop to his small town with the purpose of giving his young working-girls a morale boost. A girl, Andula, plays hard-to-get but instead falls for the piano player at the large meet-and-greet. Milos Forman introduces the world to a unique and awkward comedy style as we eventually follow Andula to Prague.

Narrative and Visual Keywords: Comedy; Romance; Black-and-white; Czech Foreign

Characterization/ Dialogue: A young awkward stand-offish girl gets wrapped up with a womanizing and desperate piano player. Their dialogue is playful yet almost hostile; the kind of hostility that proves to draw the directed party in closer--a conversational tactic used by lusting males. All others in the film exhibit great self-consciousness to a comedic level.  

Camera/lighting/editing technique: Lots of two-shots and three-shots mixed up with over-the-shoulder for purpose of reactions during conversation; one of the final shots with three members of a family laying in a bed lasts almost five minutes / the locations are evenly lit with the most dynamic being the bedroom where the couple consummates their romance: the blinds go from down to up and the low-light flickers on the vulnerable, naked Andula / Lots of long shots with subjects (some inanimate) directing the camera's movement--cutting on the motion and keeping a steady flow.


Political/ Social Commentary: Small towns in Soviet Czechoslovakia left a lot to be desired when it came to activities for young people. When asked where there is to go at night, the young ladies reply, "to the park or to the woods." Young ladies who worked in factories displayed a jaded nature with a pack mentality--eyes often dead with a dormant passion. Adults had a particular path for their youth, but the young had different plans, and under stringent rule, they act under the radar.
 
Historical Relevance/ Recognition: In a time when all of the young men in a town would be conscripted by the army, the women left to work in the factories had to keep themselves busy outside of work. This film didn't speak literally of Soviet rule, but the insular mentality made Prague the only lively destination for a young Czech woman.

Notable Collaboration: Forman wrote the story and screenplay with Jaroslav Papousek; of whom he also worked with on The Fireman's Ball, further honing their unique brand of comedy. [imdb]

Random fact, Etc.: It was named no. 89 in Empire Magazine 100 top films of World Cinema in 2010. [Wikipedia]

1. What are the characters’ attitudes toward work/ What is their work ethic like?
Characters are dead-eyed at work until another human captures their attention. This is made evident by the two times
you capture Andula in the shoe factory and the two times you see the piano player performing. They are cogs in two different yet similar machines. They do their job just the same but rebel to the fullest when clocked-off.

2. Were you able to distinguish the use of symbols/ What story elements seemed surreal?
A scene where the frumpy soldier loses his ring at the ball and it rolls under the legs of gazing female equivalents is telling of loose sanctity of tradition and shaky state of anything that is deemed permanent. Peoples' futures hang in the balance like loose teeth and young people play away, though guilt proves to be a factor / How exactly did Andula know where the piano player lives in Prague? It was evident they talked off camera when they laid in his hotel room, but a scene where she would gaze at a piece of paper with his address on it would have proved beneficial. She almost willed herself to his parents' house, though, when considering the parents' absurd behavior, I'm very glad she did.

3. Does the main character seem in control of his/her own destiny? In relation to the individualist vs. the communist perspective? Does the character have a viewpoint concerning the divine or "God"?
Andula has a certain control over her destiny, but she seems uncertain when she arrives. She is in the driver's seat until the moment she lets another into the car. And again, her jaded and uncertain nature seems derived by the fortunes of her nation; without much to look forward to, she resides inside of her own head and follows almost-primal passions. When it comes to the unnatural, I believe Andula to be naive, judging by the reading of her palm by the piano player. She is ready to believe but has no structure on the matter. 

Loves of a Blonde_George Ilutsik

Title/Year - Loves of a Blonde 1965
Director/Birth Country/Year Born - Milos Forman, Czechoslovakia, 1932
Budget -
Gross -
Synopsis - adolescence
Narrative and Visual Keywords - third person, love, lifestyle, social conventions, soldier, middle class, flirt, sex
Characterization/ Dialogue - the character is not to sure of her self.  she is not confident and wants to trust someone. 
Camera/lighting/editing technique - the shots where mostly static.  Simple and long shots.  The light was mostly natural and particle.  The editing was slow. 
 Political/ Social Commentary - This was showing a side of everyday life.  As where usually there would be a hero who is honorable.  Here you see goverment soldiers who are quirky.  Not a hero. 
Historical Relevance/ Recognition - Communism was prevalent.  Almost all movies where propagandist in favor of the government.  Here they broke the trend.  Now there is a perspective of a person who chases their own wants and values. 
Notable Collaboration -
Random fact, Etc. -

1) The girls work just to work.  There is no goals or reward system.  They work to eat.  So it is no surprise that she just left work to run off with a boy.

2) surreal elements.  The movie spent a lot of time with the goofy soldiers.  The one soldier was asked if he cheated on his wife, he was scared to answer and did not. Also when the parents where arguing when she came over unannounced. 

3) Yes.  Lots of men are telling and asking her to do this and that, but she does what meets her fancy and drifts away from the social go-to action.

George Ilutsik

Loves of a Blonde by Zach Mason

Title/Year:

Loves of a Blonde / 1965

Director/Birth Country/Year Born:

Milos Foreman Caslav / Czechoslovakia / 1932

Budget:

n/a

Gross:

1,000,000 (imdb)

Synopsis:

In a small Czech town called Zruc, a mixer is pulled together for lady workers of a shoe factory by the manager. The reasoning behind this gathering is to keep the young women distracted from the fact they're working long, tenuous days for a communist government that is isolated from a evolving outside world. Andula, a young women at the gathering, does not fall for the pudgy, middle-aged, army reserve decoys brought in by the manager, but yet falls for the handsome pianist. She runs off to find him in his home town of Prague where an awkward dance of love and disillusionment ensues.

Narrative and Visual Keywords:

young love, romance, naive, controversial, political

Characterization/ Dialogue:

The characters in this film seem to be sheltered from what is real. The factory workers are longing for something, anything in there lives. Love is the only thing they might be able to achieve. They are like puppets on strings that are so long they descend up into the darkness where giant hands control them. This also is how the dialogue comes across, naïve and innocent.

Camera/lighting/editing technique:

Camera kept tight in and held framing that seemed to add to the affectionate shots. Lighting was evenly distributed, not distracting from the action on the screen.

Political/ Social Commentary:

This movie had strong commentary about what was going on in Czechoslovakia at that time. It had quite a bit of political satire. The film showed how fake the communist government was and how it tried to cover up that same fact with arbitrary gatherings and promises.

Historical Relevance/ Recognition:

It made quite an impact in America when it premiered at the New York Film Festival in 1966

Notable Collaboration:?

Random fact, Etc.:?

Questions.

1. The women in the factory just seemed like work was mundane and droll. There is an interesting scene where the man in charge is walking through the factory and is so delighted at the work of the women, and the viewer can tell the women hate his enthusiasm.
2. The ring seemed like a symbol to me. When Andula doesn't return the ring and doesn't want to see the man who gave it to her, that seems like she is also rejecting her way of life in that town.. The mother seems surreal to me. She seems way over protective of her son, Milda; kind of like the factory towards the women workers.
3. At the first of the movie Andula seems like there is no way she is going to take control of her life, but at the end she surprises me and leaves the small town. Now that may not get her out of the control of the communist government, but it does give hope to her as an individual. I did not pick up on a view point of divine or God... maybe that in itself is a point.

1.Balio, Tino. The Foreign Film Renaissance on American Screens, 1946-1973. Madison: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2010..

2. http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/188-loves-of-a-blonde

Loves of a Blonde by Anthoney Baker

Title/Year: Loves of a Blonde / 1965
Director/Birth Country/Year Born Milos Forman, Czech, 1932
Budget: Unlisted
Gross: Unlisted
Synopsis: Andula is a young working class girl in a Czech factory town. She falls in love with a young pianist who comes to her town for a performance. She leaves her small town behind to go stay with the pianist but is unwelcome when she arrives at his parents house.
Narrative and Visual Keywords: Social commentary on Soviet Union life, factory workers, working class, small town, young love,
Characterization/ Dialogue: The dialogue is very subtle as there is not a lot of story driven speaking parts. The love scenes are pure and don't rely on dialogue for communication.
Camera/lighting/editing technique: This film is shot in a very classical style way. The camera seldom moves and the shot lengths can be extensive. Evenly lit locations make this feel more like a play at times.
Political/ Social Commentary: The Soviet Soldiers are frumpy and old when they arrive to Andula's town. The pianist parents have little to no possessions in their home. The factory girls live in a dormitory that is very small.
Random fact, Etc: Jan Forman went on to make films in America in 1977. His film, "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" won 5 Oscars.

1. What are the characters’ attitudes toward work/ What is their work ethic like?

The characters in Loves of a Blonde seem disenfranchised by the working class factory life. They never outright speak out against their work, but they seem crestfallen when they are shown in the factory. The work ethic some of the girls show is actually quite involved. The last shot is of Andula airbrushing a shoe. It shows her doing something that actually involves some sort of artistry and not mindless machine work.

2. Were you able to distinguish the use of symbols/ What story elements seemed surreal?

When Andula is given a diamond ring by her former boyfriend she holds it very dear. However, when the love it represents does not show up for month she abandons hope on her boyfriend and turns her attention to the pianist. This shows us that his young girl would rather have love over possessions. When we see the two lovers together is is easy to forget that the oppressive factory working class life is just outside the door.

3. Does the main character seem in control of his/her own destiny? In relation to the individualist vs. the communist perspective? Does the character have a viewpoint concerning the divine or "God"?

Andula is a young girl who is in love. She breaks away from the mold of her factory life by abandoning her dormitory and showing up at the home of Milda, the pianist. Ultimately she is unable to escape the factory life and she must return to the dormitory and tell stories of her young love. The thought of a young girl breaking out of the mold is very dangerous to the ideas of Soviet Russia. Her actions are as if to say, "if your life is going no-where then run away when you're in love." Her "decision" to go to Milda's house shows signs of individuality and the want to control her own destiny. This desire is lost when she realizes that she is unwelcome when she arrives at Milda's house.

The Joke by Michael Tunes

Title/Year:                 The Joke / 1969
Director/Birth Country/Year Born:     Jaromil Jires / Czechoslovakia / 1935
Budget: unknown
Gross: unknown
Synopsis: Ludvik a former member of the Communist Party was expelled from the University by some colleagues. He sent a letter to his girlfriend, with jokes that were politically incorrect and were seen by the committee that was used against him. Fifteen years later he is trying to seek revenge on one of his accusers by seducing his wife.
Narrative and Visual Keywords: Historic, culture, political, bright, calm,
Characterization/ Dialogue:  Ludvik Jahn, an isolated man, researcher who is obsessed with the past and is revenge driven.
Camera/lighting/editing technique: The past is shot in P.O.V. with his narrative in both past and in the present. As if his mind is dwelling in the past.
 Political/ Social Commentary:  The film shows the life a decision from just a letter with jokes can lead you down a different past. Treated non-communist and belittled.
Historical Relevance/ Recognition: The viewpoint of Communist Party, who should be inside and removed. The think people who are anti communist need to be reformed by joining the army.

1. Ludvik attitude is a strong worker, the film mostly shows his time in the military. The commanders are really pushy trying to discipline the men to become reformed.

2. Ludvik has what you can call flash backs of the past, that tie together with the present as if he is reminded of it, in return it’s adding more to his drive to seek revenge.

3. The main character doesn’t seem in control of his destiny, being pushed away from the life and woman he wanted. The viewpoint of the character changed over the time. He has become very cynical but still in support of the communist party just unpleased with the ways to reform or accuse people.