Crash!

The movie Crash fully validates Wiegman's article "Race, ethnicity, and film", by showing a thorough example of Hollywood's portrayal of stereotypes and racist behavior. There is the Asian "bad driver" who threatens to "deport" the Latin-American cop, the black "thief" who complains about racism yet is racist himself, the "racist" white cop who abuses the black woman, the "crazy" Arab who attacks the innocent, etc... The movie, however, intends to renounce these stereotypes by showing the story behind each character's life and the conclusions they finally come to at the end of the movie. Most of the characters engage in acts which denounce their racist thinking, displaying to the audience the goodness in each character and thus criticizing their initial stereotypes. The new crash scene at the end of the movie, however, presents a saddening conclusion, that racism is inevitable and will always be a part of our lives no matter what we go through and how much we fight against it.

The Transiton to Post- Classical Cinema

With the advent of post-classical cinema, many changes occurred within Hollywood that altered the type of movies made as well as the way in which these movies were presented. During the classical period of Hollywood film making, most of the movies adhered to the traditional image of the mature, active, and stoic male protagonist. Post-classical films often depart from this image and instead favor a more undisciplined, young, and neurotic male protagonist. Instead of mature actors like Gregory Peck and Humphrey Bogart, new, less experienced actors such as Marlon Brando and James Dean were cast as the main protagonist. These ‘new’ heroes were targeted specifically at a young male audience, and unlike their older counterparts often had no logical driving force behind their actions.

At the same time, Hollywood began to develop ‘New Movies’ in an attempt to capture the attention of the more intellectual and educated audience that was becoming more prominent. As more people attended college and received a higher level of education, the general audience that went to see films expected a more artistic, intellectual experience when viewing films. These ‘New Movies’ offered purely visual content coupled with open-ended interpretations that allowed members of the audience to interpret the meaning of the film for themselves instead of being lead to a specific conclusion.

Hill, John and Pamela Church Gibson. The Oxford Guide to Film Studies. New York: Oxford University Press,1998. Print.

-David Zwick

Memento as a post-classical Hollywood thriller

Christopher Nolan’s Memento manipulates chronology and time to piece together Leonard’s distorted memories into a story. Leonard’s short-term memory loss plays a crucial role in the film; the plotline depends largely on Leonard’s handwritten and tattooed notes. The unreliability of Leonard’s memories casts a shadow of ambiguity on the entire film, leaving the audience to interpret the events through a nonlinear narrative (black and white chronological and color reverse chronological sequences). In this aspect, Nolan’s Memento represents the post-classical Hollywood by forcing the audience to analyze the film. Nolan treats the film like a puzzle, weaving subtle clues into each scene. According to Peter Kramer’s “Post-classical Hollywood,” an example of a stylistic change in classical Hollywood filmmaking is the ambiguity that leaves the audience contemplating the film’s meaning. Memento serves as a unique blend of post-classical Hollywood film qualities. Its complex narrative addresses more mature and graphic subject-matter with its themes of memory, perception, and revenge. Leonard struggles with his wife’s rape and death and seeks his vengeance throughout the film, using his notes to guide him to the killer. The violent nature of his revenge reflects the post-classical Hollywood’s new youth-oriented attitude; the film begins and ends with the gruesome deaths of the alleged killers. Leonard’s murderous and vengeful behavior classifies him as the anti-hero of post-classical Hollywood. However, Leonard’s behavior is juxtaposed with the actions of a romantic hero avenging his wife’s murder. The film’s ending leaves the audience with the choice of regarding Leonard’s actions as heroic or antiheroic. Leonard’s choice to burn the evidence of his revenge raises the question of whether his revenge was for the sake of his wife or for his self-deception for a meaning and purpose in his life. Nolan leaves many questions unanswered and ends the film on an ambiguous note. Was Sammy Jankis’ story actually Leonard’s story? Was Sammy Jankis actually Leonard? Because of the uncertainty surrounding the actuality of the plot, Nolan successfully turns Memento into a thought-provoking post-Hollywood film.



-C. Nguyen

Casablanca As A Melodrama

Michael Curtiz's Casablanca is a perfect example of a melodrama in classical Hollywood cinema. A melodrama is a film characterized by its emotional storyline usually involving the struggles of a particular romance. It uses music to punctuate feelings and provoke emotions. In Casablanca the impossible relationship between Ilsa Lund and Rick Blaine is what drives the story. Ilsa was Rick's former love. When they meet again in the movie, they fall for each other while knowingly in the midst of complications, the largest of which being Ilsa's marriage to Laszlo.

The recurring melody of "As Time Goes By" represents the love between Ilsa and Rick because it is reminiscent of the previous times they had together without the current complications. The tune reappears in places through the movie as the pianist Sam plays it.

Another aspect of Casablanca that is characteristic of the melodrama is the recurring theme of fate. Because of World War II and Laszlo's participation as a resistance leader, Ilsa and Laszlo were in Casablanca trying to escape to America. Had the political situation of the war not been a factor, the characters would have never met. In one scene Rick reflects on the role of fate in the situation saying, "Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine."

Hill, John and Pamela Church Gibson. The Oxford Guide to Film Studies. New York: Oxford University Press,1998. Print.

Jaws!

In the movie Jaws the shark not only has a physical effect on the habitants of the island, but also a psychological and economic effect. Jaws seems to be the anti-thesis of happiness and prosperity. Throughout the movie, Jaws tends to appear whenever people are joyful and peaceful. The shark first appears during a party while a girl and guy are trying to have a good time by swimming in the ocean. The second time, people are at the beach, enjoying themselves. There is laughter everywhere as children run into the water to play. A third time, the shark strikes in the middle of the night, as Martin, Quint, and Matt are telling jokes and laughing on the boat. In all three instances, as soon as Jaws appears the laughter dies out while people start panicking. Jaws therefore, acts as the destroyer of the citizens peace of mind, and his psychological influence becomes overwhelming. One can notice the psychological affect the shark has on the town by studying Martin while he is at the beach. Martin is very tense and worked up, while the rest of the people around him are enjoying themselves. He panics at even the slightest scream or unusual movement in the water. Later in the movie, even the mayor breaks down psychologically, as he finally asks Martin for help.

Jaws, however, not only affects the town physically, by killing, and psychologically, by stirring panic in the town, but he also has the ability to affect the town economically. Because the beach offers the greatest revenue to the town, due to tourism, the appearance of Jaws places the town in an economic dilemma. Amity Island is forced to shut down its beaches, signifying the economic disaster that will envelop the island if Jaws continues to live.
Jaws therefore has a profound effect on the town, far greater and more destructive than a normal shark should have. His overwhelming influence is symbolized in two scenes during the movie. One of the scenes involves Jaws’ attack on the pier, a supposed safeguard for the fishermen, and the other scene involves Jaws ability to break through Matt’s shark cage, another supposed safeguard. These two scenes symbolize that Jaws ability to hurt others is infinite leaving the town with a staggering revelation, either kill or be killed.

The Link between Film and Culture

The study of film and the study of culture have become very connected as film increasingly influences the way culture develops. Indeed film and culture have been connected since cinema began in 1895. Films have often been based on the perspective of its culture of origin, and culture likewise has been influenced over the past century as film has become more prevalent. Although the increasing importance of cinema in our world has lead to accusations of cultural imperialism, especially for movies made in the U.S., the true effect is one of globalization. Globalization has been a constant phenomenon ever since humans began spreading out and communicating their ideas with one another.


While the advent of modern technology has certainly accelerated things, globalization is a naturally occurring process that allows us to gain balance. Even though it may seem movies are causing cultures around the world to become gradually “Americanized”, the true cause of this change is that people inevitably accept tendencies that allow them to be more successful. Not to say movies aren’t a powerful influencing factor. They are. However we have take into account the fact that people have been imitating success for centuries. We must realize that while movies are an important part of globalization today, cinema has only been around for a fraction of the existence of globalization. Globalization goes back to when nomadic tribes began learning each other’s language in order trade. Most of the world knows at least a little bit of English and while this is largely a part of technological influence, it is a trend started centuries ago by Britain, not a recent development resulting from cinema.

Globalization has been around since civilization began. People have been attempting to create binding relationships between their separate cultures as they advance and grow since they first formed hunter and gatherer communities. These relationships range from simple agreements of mutual protection to complex trade treaties. While technology, especially cinema, has created a situation where cultures are easily able to develop traits of others, we must realize that globalization is naturally occurring in society. In his book, Cultural Imperialism: A Critical Introduction, John Tomlinson states that “unlike cultural imperialism, globalization allows for incoherent, multi-lateral forms and directions of power” (Tomlinson, 197). This means that globalization doesn’t direct the power of cultural shifting in anyone’s favor. It simply allows a natural equilibrium to emerge that takes ideal aspects of different cultures and fuses them together. This fusing of cultures is the best way for the world as a whole to come closer together. Essentially it could be the quickest way to finally creating a lasting and meaningful world peace. For this reason people must understand that globalization through movies is not a threat. It could be the movies that save us in the end.

Hill, John, and Pamela Gibson. The Oxford Guide to Film Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Print.

-David Zwick

Hollywood

The media industry, particularly the companies based in Hollywood, has grown exponentially and overcome any obstacle thrown its way; its irrepressible growth was barely stunted by the US government's antitrust decrees, which forced the major studios to sell their theaters, a large source of their income (Hill and Gibson 247). The area considered to be Hollywood represents an industry that ruthlessly adapts and reforms itself in order to continue to turn larger profits and expand into other forms of communication. The leaders of these companies consistently undermine the creativity of the directors and writers in order to make a slightly larger profit, rather than allowing the public to experience truly original works of cinema or any other form of media they might control, i.e. magazines, music, or novels. The conglomerates cling to their outdated plots and predictable actions, things they deem essential to a profitable film, but Erich Fromm stated it best, “Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” The decision to forego originality in favor of profitability represents a fundamental wrong in the society in which it exists.

Hill, John, and Pamela Gibson. The Oxford Guide to Film Studies. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. Print.

-David Zabriskie