At the beginning we can read this phrase: “But America stills read Kane newspapers and Kane himself was always news”. And from that we can realize that all the time Cane’s life has gone public, he has always ‘been’ an ‘American’, meaning that he reached the “American dream” a synonym of success but also being on the spot, being watched and never escape from the public eye. But if there’s one thing Kane never told anyone that was “Rosebud” and people saying that they never heard of it give us the impression that was too personal and too related to his own private life that he kept t on the secret.
The reason why Kane never talked about it must be related to his memories going back to his childhood when he was just only a kid and TLD know anything about the future he will have years later. The scene of about 5-10 minutes that show not Kane but Charles Foster Kane, not in a bad mood or showing off but an innocent kid with besides his mother makes us notice the fragility or vulnerability of this character that we won’t see again during the movie in which Kane is represented as a serious, powerful, unsatisfied man.
This cane shows Cane’s mother aim to desire the best for his child, even If he had to leave their town with the purpose of “conquer” the Big City and succeed. At look In detail, the crystal snowball encompasses this whole scene, and the moment he dies and drop this ball let us think that that’s the moment when Kane really leaves or let go everything he had in life, even the most inner kept secret, the most precious, all his memories, his soul. Who really was Kane- people in the movie will never ever know- but we -the audience- have the privilege to see from the outside what’s really
Gabriele going on; and that’s one of the privilege that cinema gives us: the honor to “see more” and we feel fortunate to know what people “Inside the box” would never ever know. 2. At the beginning of the movie, when Eve won the prize of the academy and is about to receive it there’s a pause in the movie that makes possible to see a gun pointing at her behind her arms. This gun may symbolize what “Just/will” happen to Eve. Even if she didn’t commit suicide it will symbolize how she “killed” herself for being famous no matter what.
From this image it will be possible to deduce that something really bad will happen to her, the flower decoration at the very first beginning give also the impression that it’s all about a funeral ceremony and not the academy award. But when Eve receives the prize it is mentioned that her dream came true, making also reference to her as a young lady, gifted with beauty and loyalty, al what Eve appear to be but what in reality she’s not that much beauty inside or had a such gifted life.
By this, Eve can evoke many of the young actresses from that time like Marilyn Monroe which life room an outside perspective seemed to be perfect whereas inside she never felt that way or happy at all. Eve condemned herself for a little bit of fame, she put her life in the hands of Addison DeWitt who will ever take possession of her as being the only man who might know all about her: “All about Eve”. They also mention to talk: “killer to killer” (Addison) [“champion to champion” (Eve), what encloses their relationship and the expectations of each of one.
Addison has the power to kill Eve’s life because he’s the only one who knows the truth about her and she “belongs to him” or Eve belongs o “the price of fame” and she needs to accept that as long she wants to keep living the life she lives she must follow “the rules”. Eve decided to have a life and being someone and that’s why she lies all the time. Fame and no freedom belong to each other as Eve belongs to Addison the both connected by the power of the ambition. One phrase at the end of the film will summarize this relationship when she refuses to play the role that night and finally she does. And she gave the performance of her life and it was a night to remember that night” All about Eve it’s all about: fame and he price of being famous, a life devoted to recognition and ambition of being somebody even in a world of “lies”. 3. Rear Window: The use of details Even if the title makes reference to a window, the especial detail that Hitchcock puts in this movie is amazing. It shows what seems to be a residence with building and lots of apartments and each apartment reveal the life of its resident with all the details that could personify and describe the personality of each one.
From the view of a man sitting in a wheel chair, incapable to move but able to look at every detail room his window, the attention is more focused on seeing what’s happening outside: in the neighborhood, as the real life. Besides of giving the audience the impression of for curiosity guides us as “window shoppers”, in this movie we see through the eyes of the main character and not from the outside what give a different approach and connect us to what the main character feels.
Getting back to the idea that each window “tells a story’, we can see on each scene how the characters interact in the daily life, the use of frames makes a difference between the characters and plays tit stereotypes. Is like a paradox that “Jeff’ cannot move from his chair and at the same time he’s capable to see all the movement around him, from the view of a window he can focus more on each detail and during the night when it gets dark the music that follows each scene and the use of lights and other resources as music and other elements (ex.
Rain) give us the “suspense” sensation about something is going to happen soon but at the same time it’s unpredictable, an imminent future that it’s yet unknown. The man (the neighbor) with dark coat, a hat and a suitcase, the knife, the rope, the airfares, combine all those elements to bring up suspicious; once again every movement to create in this particular case a “criminal view’ .
At the end of the movie the anxiety of being unable to move regarding the imminent possibility that Lisa could be catch looking into the apartment helps create the atmosphere of tension and makes the scene even more suspenseful. Hitchcock knows how to bring and orchestrate all the elements to captivate the audience during all the time taking advantage of different angles and subjective cameras merged with details in order to bring up a completely ewe experience and feelings regarding this ‘kind’ of movie. 4.
The night of the Hunter: Children and God In this movie, children are presented as a strong element and with the characters of John and his younger sister Pearl, they both symbolize in a certain way the innocence and naivety (Imaged reinforced when children giggle and when children sing songs at school or when they are Just playing around) in contrast with the slyness and evil personality of the Reverend Harry Powell. John is “manipulated” by his father to swear and not to tell anyone about the money he gives to him, as said in the movie, e shouldn’t tell even to his mom.
This scene shows for example the strong believe that children are loyal and seen as innocent that “won’t lie”- in this case it is supposed that John hide the truth about the money his dad gave to him an avoid been discovered by other people that would trust him when he says “he knows nothing about the money’. On the other hand, there’s another scene in which Rev. Harry Powell wants to persuade Pearl to tell him the truth about the money claiming that there shouldn’t be any secret kept between of them as Pearl’s dad “suggested” ND emphasizing the image that children “shouldn’t lie” and tell the truth.
Besides the innocence of children at the end the movie wants it is said that children abide evolution of the characters – particularly John (the main character) who has growth from being a little children too little man who stands up for what has been entrusted no matter what. God is also a pillar in the movie, from the beginning all the characters are condemned to talk to God and confess their selves and God is regard as the only one who knows the truth. Each time the characters talk to God look up ND hold also a prayer position: as confessing.
The use of the lights enhances this image of God -who is the only one who knows why things are meant to be. (Ex. The widow of Harper, Will. When she prays and says that God made them to marry so that Harry show him the way to salvation). The use of some elements like a Bible also wants to show that the character is in God’s presence and hides its bad intentions, that’s Rev. Harry is holding a Bible after killing Will Just to give an image off man with good intentions.
At the same time the Bible represent itself God and that the truth can’t be hidden. Lord, save little children. The wind blows and the rain’s a-cold. Yet they abide… They abide and they endured” says at the end Mrs.. Cooper in a talk to God. 5. Annie Hall: From the beginning we can see the main character talking directly to the audience and creates a more interesting relation and captivates the attention instantly as it seems to be a conversation with the main character Alva Singer all the time.
What impress me the most is how during the film we go through the life of the main character and we can hear comments from him about what’s happening, it makes the elm more attractive and the acting is fresh and natural and personally that’s what make this film more eye-catching. Also, in contrast with other movies in this one, the character tends to talk too much and express his feelings and thoughts more with words than concrete actions that’s why we’ll see Alva talking and talking, discussing, arguing and complaining every time.
However, emotions are transmitted in a personal way with what may be classified as “intelligent humor”, even if the movie is telling the story about a love story and drama it addresses the emotions without exaggerating. Woody Allen also uses to take the characters out of the frame and combines reality with fiction when bringing characters from the outside or the past to intervene in the scene (Ex. The intervention of Mr.. Mclean and flashbacks).
Additionally, the characters, the backgrounds (indoors and outdoors switching all the time) , the scenes are always changing and it’s difficult to see a repeated setting, the look into details and words said enrich the development of the film but it never gets boring and the scenes keeps a steady pace that keeps the attention all the time. Finally, at the end a series of flashbacks will recount the story and will be accompanied with Laws voice as usual but this time it will be using the Voice-off/ over’ technique to resume the whole story and adds ‘drama’ to this film without a in his article entitled “Has Hollywood murdered the movies? (10 pets. ) The Night of the Hunter (film) http://en. Hokiest. Org/wick/ The_Night_of_the_Hunter_(film) Personally, I think that Hollywood has not murdered the movies yet but it has been a tremendous change in how to make films and how to address the audience, engendering the changes in the environment and the inclusion of new technologies and entertainment media that did not exist before. It is completely certain that Hollywood has changed a lot from the past decades. As David Denny says, TV, Internet and Computers offer now new ways of entertainment besides going to the movies.
It is important to remind that in these days moviegoers are comprised of young audiences and also families that have influenced the cinema industry as it has to fit with their interests and expectations regarding the strong influence of technologist’s why more animated pictures for families have been rated in the past years. That’s the reason why more attention is paid to high digital movies showing a great display of visual effects and fights very well set up for the public that eager to see this, also called a “frivolous pleasure” or a new trend.
Technology has set a change in how to make films and more and more visual effects have been deployed to catch the attention of the audience, even if that means that we will see more effects than film content or films drained of sense, also the emotional framework has changed as more films are focus on “effects” than acting ND taking care of the emotions transmitted by the actors and actresses than those which could be addressed by fantastic AD illusions or visual allure, now it seems to be more a spectacle of visual arts and superheroes than telling a story of real life.
The author mentions the case of “The Avengers, Airwoman, Captain America and so on as “triumphs of craft and cynical marketing”. As well, he criticized the enormous use of technologies and the building of new franchises around these movies, without missing “promotional partners” and media alliances as well.
It is certain that the focus is now on other films and the efforts to make good films represent a risk to the movie studios because then, they are immediately classified as “execution dependent” and cannot battle against huge franchises as sequels even if they represent real “art” movies, the eye is put in other movies and the good ones don’t receive either the support to get money easily (Ex. Bennett Miller, Alexander Payne, Guillemot del Tort, etc. And in some cases they Just have to remain with very small budgets. As I said before, movies nowadays are more related to a spectacle, a game an entertainment more than an art and people goes to the movies to merely have fun or to distract their selves a little and that’s why the they want to have fun and laugh- being satisfied or not the movies are always there and remain as an option to have fun – and they are less interested on films with a more analytical or profound content.
Times have changed and Hollywood strategy to survive too. Some people may affirm that movies from now have less sense and grow around advertising and marketing, but without them they couldn’t address more fans and keep building the industry- and as an industry they want to ensure the continuity of their business with new production and marketing approaches.
Somehow this is how Hollywood tends to survive with a new approach or strategy but in some particularly cases it seems to be like a suicide when giving more focus on attract attention from outside that through the quality of the films that shouldn’t be put aside. But however there is still an eye and hope in new directors who can keep the art of Hollywood still alive, so personally, I don’t think that Hollywood has murdered its movies yet.
