The Graduate

            During our class period we talked about how there was a lot of humor involved in this movie.  I think that this film  had the perfect amount of drama and humor.  The humor never took away from the seriousness of the plot.  You were very  aware that Ben is seriously in a rock and a hard place.  The movie has good recurring jokes such as the scotch one.  I think the jokes were good but not uproarious, and that was good because it kept the movie in the exact spot it needed to be in.  I also definitely think that it embodies the the young people who graduate and really have no idea what to do. 

            The Graduate is a groundbreaking movie that follows a boy who is finding it difficult to adjust to life after college.  The themes of the movie also related to what was happening in Hollywood.  New younger directors were creating films.  The film was just as relatable then as it is now.  Both the older and younger audiences were part of the movie with the young soft Benn and Elaine and the older  harder Mrs. Robinson.  During the 60's American youth were growing tired of the rules and standards of their middle class parents.  The soundtrack of Simon and Garfunkel added to the mood and relatability of the movie to college students.  The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won best director.  Short-statured Jewish actor Dustin Hoffman was already cast as Nazi playwright Franz Liebkind in The Producers.  He decided to bow out and took the role of bumbling graduate Benjamin Braddock.  In 2002 The Graduate went to Broadway.  This movie was definitely groundbreaking.  Usually when a movie doesn't get outdated decades after it is created, it is something special.  People could relate to the movie In 1967 and they still can now.  Weather they are a parent of a college student or a student themselves.  This article only supported the way I felt about the film.  I had already seen the film and liked it very much.   Ben is a very relatable character and will always be as long as young people have to make a step into adulthood. 
http://www.filmsite.org/grad.html

            Seeing that the director won an Academy Award for the film, it is obvious that The Graduate really is special.  The situation of Ben is not original but many college students feel and felt what he did.  It was something that everyone felt, but never actually talked about.  I think the film is simple, but gets very outrageous with the affair and the marriage.  The affair and the wedding crash took the film away from just a bored kid who is confused and made the movie very exciting.  The viewer could be anxious with Ben as he tries to keep his secret and his love, Elaine.  The movie was so simple with Ben's confusion, and so unique with his affair and love life.  That is why The Graduate is such and excellent film.    

            

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM 
1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) (  x) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) (  x) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) (  x) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) (  x) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) (  x) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) (  x) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.

8) (  x) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.

Citizen Kane

           In Citizen Kane, as we discussed in class, the shots in the movie showed a lot of depth.  I noticed that many shots did have a lot of depth, and I feel like that added to the movie a lot.  I think it added a lot of room to the shots and I never felt like a shot had too much action or was cramped.  Almost every shot Incorporated more than just the main characters of that scene.  Some shots showed things through windows or even the ceiling of a room.  I also liked how shots panned extremely long distances.  The very first shot, and the very last shot of Kane's mansion I liked very much.  In one shot you could see much more than even in an extreme long shot.  The depth made it very easy to watch and enjoy.
           Citizen Kane was directed, produced, and co-written by Orson Welles, he also played the lead role.  Citizen Kane proved to be his most important and influential film, it was a drama loosely based off of the life of William Randolph Hearst.  Citizen Kane is frequently cited as the best American film in history.  Foster Kane dies in his massive Florida estate uttering he last words, "Rosebud."  Reporter Jerry Thompson tries to uncover the meaning of his final words.  While the reporter interviews Kane's friends and family the viewer learns of Kane's accomplishments and pitfalls of his fantastic life.  Everything goes downhill when he runs for office and his opponent reveals that Kane is having an affair with a vocalist.  After forcing his now wife (Susan Alexander the vocalist) to be an opera signer he begins filling his massive estate called Xanadu with statues and novelties.  The only award that this film received was best original screenplay due to its controversy with William Randolph Hearst. 
           This article supported what I knew about the article.  We learned in class how Orson Welles based the film on William Randolph Hearst's like.  That it also did not receive very much recognition when it was first released and was almost destroyed.  I think it is awesome how Orson Welles can create such a fantastic movie and still play a main character. 
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/citizen_kane/
            I think that the cinematography of this movie was very well done.  I think that and movie director can learn from this movie.  Every shot was planned and done perfectly.  Every object located in each shot was put there intentionally and played a part in that scene.  Not only were the people involved, but the props also played an important role.  This movie was very easy to watch due to the planning of shots.  Every direcor can take lessons from this movie in order to learn how to set up every scene to make it count.
   
1) (x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) ( x) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) ( x) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) ( x) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) ( x) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) ( x) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) ( x) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.

8) ( x) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.

Name: ______________________________________ Date: ____________________________

Gone With the Wind

The movie gone with the wind reflected what happened in the south in an historically correct manner.  It showed how the Northern forces destroyed everything they could, and how during a war there are less laws.  The northern military men disrespected the southerners after the war was over and Scarlett had to cope with the dramatic changes to her formerly posh lifestyle.  Clark Gable's role in this movie was different from his role in "It Happened one Night."  He was much more successful monetarily, and with women in "Gone With the Wind".  He still went after a particular female in both movies, but socially he was very different.

Many people assume that at least some of "Gone With the Wind" was filmed in Georgia.  Nearly the entire movie was filmed in what was then the Selznick International Studios.  The studio was built by D.W Griffith in 1916, but changed hands many times over the years.  In the very first scene of the movie where "Atlanta" is burning, you can see the giant gates of skull Island from "King Kong."  The movie was shot from Bush Gardens in Pasadena, to Bear Lake in San Bernardino, to even 80 miles north of Sacramento at Paradise Apple Orchard.  The House was based on a house in Louisiana while the plantation was based on the Boone Hall Plantation in South Carolina.  My viewing did not really change after reading the article.  I am impressed how the movie really captured the south and the plantation without ever literally capturing the south on film for the movie.  It was a very good representation without ever leaving California.  My opinion on the content of the movie did not change, but I am impressed. 
http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/g/gwtw.html

I did enjoy the movie "Gone With the Wind."  I think that despite how long it was it could still keep people interested.  The acting, the plot, and the cinematography never let the movie get boring.  The fact that it was never shot in Georgia is very interesting.  It is amazing how an entire movie is based upon an single area and that area was never filmed in once.  I did feel that towards the end they push the plot along too quickly.  After the movie only focused on Rhett and Scarlett every other scene faded in and out to later and later in the story.  Then the daughter died in a very short scene where it basically fades in, she dies and then fades out.  I do think that this movie is a good representation of what was happening then and really zeroed in on a single family and even a single character's struggle through it.  I think this movie is valuable in film history because it tells a believable love story that has everything you need. Cinematography, good acting, humor, drama, and all done on a grand scale.

Plagiarism Statement:  Attach this statement to the end of each journal assignment. CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2) ( x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3) (x  ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4) (x  ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5) (x  ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6) (x  ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7) (x  ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.

8) (x  ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.

Name: ______________________________________  Date: ____________________________