The Graduate

the poster for the film

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

            “The Graduate” was released when Hollywood was in a transitional period. It was a funny time for Hollywood. They were in a fierce competition with something new that had come onto the entrainment scene; television. Television changed the name of the game for Hollywood, and it reflected back on the movies that were to be made and shown in theaters. Auidences could get the same entertainment value from television that they could get from the movies, and they even did not have to leave their house. This reflected poorly on the movies that were being produced, so Hollywood had to change, and change it did. Hollywood got rid of the self-regulating production code, and out of it came movies with more adult themes, like “The Graduate”. Television spurred Hollywood into a change and out of it came fantastic movies like “The Graduate”, which changed film history.

2)  Find a related article and summarize the content.  

http://www.wordandfilm.com/2014/09/back-bed-mrs-robinson-5-must-knows-about-the-graduate/

                 This aricle talks about how the film “The Graduate” was made and five must know facts about the making of the film. It talks about how Mike Nichols‘s good friend Buck Henry wrote the script. Then it goes onto talking about the casting for this film. Nichols’s wanted Hoffman to play Ben because he could come off as sort of a loser. While the studio wanted someone like Robert Redford to play Ben, but Nichols could not see someone like Redford as a loser. The article also talks about the soundtrack. Nichols asked Simon and Garfunkel to use their music for the soundtrack because he had cut the whole movie listening to them. Then the article talks about the reception of the film. Rodger Ebert younger audiences loved the film from the get-go, while older audiences did not. That speaks to this film being one of the first youth in revolt movies.

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.  

            The article relates to the film screened in class because almost fifty years after “The Graduate” was made it still hits home with younger audiences like it did when it was released. This film speaks to a younger generation who are stuck going through the motion and have no idea what to do after they graduate college and have to enter the real world. What Nichols did with his casting and Henry’s script, he made a film that will last forever. Not just for its iconic soundtrack or lines, but because it has heart and lets the audience know that it is ok not to know what you are going to do with your life. It is ok to be lost like Ben, but do not take drastic measures to find yourself like he did. The facts about this film give more insight into the mind of the creators and how they wanted the viewer to understand this film and what to take away from it.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film

            “The Graduate” is one of the most influential films ever made, because it spoke to a whole generation who was lost in a transitional phase of their lives. This film spoke to a whole generation, and still speaks to younger generations. It is ok to be lost, being lost when you are young is a part of life. Knowing what you want to do at such a young age is a hard thing to come by. It is ok for one who just graduated college of high school to be lost and not know what they want to do with their life. Ben had no clue what he wanted to do after his college graduation, but he knew that he was disappointing his parents by not doing anything. But he had no clue what to do next. His life was in a confusing period of his life, and he was destructive about it. Someone who is Ben’s age and has it all figured out is one lucky person. Most people who graduate college are lost and confused and have no clue what they next step should be. This is very relevant to those who are graduating college now. Being lost and confused upon graduation is to be expected now, due to the job market. But one most not take to drastic measures and start affairs with married people to find themselves.

Elaine and Ben both not knowing what to do next

When one thinks about what Ben and Mrs. Robinson did, one can view what they did as selfish. They were both being very selfish and doing what they wanted, not thinking about the repercussions of their actions. What happens between them is a gigantic mistake on both their parts. Mrs. Robinson enters this affair because she is bored and knows she can take advantage of this young man and easily manipulate him. While Ben enters this affair because he is confused and needs something tangible to hold onto in this confusing period of his life. When Ben falls for Elaine, both he and Mrs. Robinson know they have made a mistake with their affair. Mrs. Robinson knows that she is being cast as aide for a younger version of herself, and is terribly hurt by that. Causing her to take it out on both Ben and Elaine. Ben ruins Elaine’s life by taking her away from her family and fiancé, without having a plan as to what to do next.  This is the ending shot of the film, maybe love cannot save all, and one needs to think about other before they do something. The ending shot is very poetic because it shows that Ben is still confused, but he had dragged Elaine into his world of confusion now, proving once again how selfish he truly is.

Ben and Elaine realizing their mistake

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.

Casablanca

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

the poster for the film

“Casablanca” is one of the greatest films ever made because it has everything from romance to action to a hint of a political thriller. This film speaks to audiences all over the world because it shows how people can change because they feel the need to do what is right. At the time of the release of this film World War II was happening. It was right in the middle of the war, and it no one knew who was going to win. It was a scary time for everyone involved, and the characters of this film show that. This film just resonate with the audiences because it has heart and soul. “Casablanca” was released at the perfect time in film history because this was the film that the world needed to keep fighting and keep going, hoping in the end that it was all going to be ok.

2)  Find a related article and summarize the content. 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/movie-news/casablanca-la-marseillaise-shared-paris-attack-terrorism/

Victor Lazlo telling the band to play "La Marseillaise"

The article that I found in relation to the film “Casablanca” talks about the recent Isis attacks on the city of Paris. The article talks about how in response to the attacks people all over the world on social media shared the love and support for Paris by showing the scene in Rick’s café of when the people sing the French national anthem, “La Marseillaise”. This scene showed that the world was there for the city of Paris after these horrific acts committed. The world was with Paris for these attacks, just like in the scene when the whole café gets up and drowns out the German’s song. The whole world, for a moment, were the people in Rick’s café singing “La Marseillaise” showing their love and support for the city of Paris.

 

The scene that was shared all over the world on social media after the attacks on Paris.

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class

Even today the film “Casablanca” resonate with audiences. After the brutal attack on the city of Paris on November 13, the whole world reached out to them by sharing the scene from “Casablanca” where the whole café sings “La Marseillaise”. This scene still effects people today. This scene of the movie shows the resolve for people standing up to bullies like the Germans in the 40’s, and Isis today. This scene was a great one to pick out and share around the world on social media because it shows that people will always band together in times of need. This scene was perfect to share for the support for Paris because, one it was the French National anthem being sung and two it shows how people can band together in times of need and how strong people can be as a group. This scene from the film “Casablanca” will forever be memorialized as to show how people will band together in harsh times, whether it be in the 1940's against the Germans, or now with Isis. 

The end of the film when, where Rick  lets Ilsa go for the good of the resistance

4) Write a critical analysis of the film

The beginning of the film, Rick has no country of  affiliation

The film “Casablanca” is one the greatest films ever made. It is not just the love story between Rick and Ilsa, it is so much more than that. This film is one of the greatest films ever made because it resonates with the human spirt to keep going and fighting, even when it seems like nothing is out there and we feel like giving up. Rick is a prime example of this. He, at first, wants nothing to do with the war and all the bad things going on in Casablanca and the world. He just wants to run his café, and keep to himself. But he sees the light when Ilsa comes back into his life, and gives him something to fight for. This film can be seen as a metaphor for America at the time of World War II. At the beginning of the war America was an isolationist country, as Rick was only out for himself at the beginning of the film. When America was attacked at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, they stopped being isolationists and joined the war. What brought Rick out from being in it only for himself was Ilsa. He wanted to make the world a better place for Ilsa to live in. He was going to fight for the little guy against the big bullies again. He was going to be that brave hero for her again, even if it meant giving her up.  This film is one of the greatest of all time because at first glance it is a romantic film, but when one takes a closer look at it, it has so many layers that one can peal back. This film spoke to audiences when it was first released, and still does today. That is a mark of a truly cinematic masterpiece.

One of the iconic lines from the 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

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

Kane being sent to live with Thatcher

The film “Citizen Kane” is one the greatest films, if not the greatest, of all time. The film was written, directed, and stated Orson Welles, who at the time was only known for radio. This film was a big risk because Welles had so much creative control over the film. The film, when it was first released, was a finical flop. One of the many reasons that it flopped was because this film can be said to be based on the life of newspaper mogul, William Randolph Hearst. Hearst was a huge name in the newspaper game, and when he heard about this movie, he prohibited any sort of promotion of the film in any of his papers. This can be contributed to why the film was not a finical success at first. This film though stands the tests of time because it is a character study and shows how technical and artistic a film can be. This film is one of the films that shows how film can be artistic, not just for entertainment value. “Citizen Kane” is one of America’s greatest films of all time because it transcends time, it can be viewed 100 years from now and people would still get out of it what they get out of it today.

2)  Find a related article and summarize the content. 

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/orson-welles-wrote-sequel-citizen-kane-180956903/?no-ist

Kane is remembering the only time he was happy; his childhood

This article talks about Orson Welles and his almost sequel to “Citizen Kane”. The article talks about how Welles has total creative control over the film and how the film is one of the greatest in film history. The article also talks about how Welles never really got the critical acclaim he deserved after this film, but he did try. The article says how this new film would have been a spiritual sequel to Kane, because Charles Foster Kane died in the opening shots of the film.

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class

poster for the film

“Citizen Kane” is one of those films where there cannot be a sequel. Even though Welles said that it would be a “spiritual sequel” to the film, people would still see it as a sequel and compare it to the first. “Citizen Kane” is one of the greatest films ever made, for it to have a sequel is just ludicrous. Welles never lived up to his potential after this film was made. He never had that much creative control over a movie again and one can see that his career suffered from that. If Welles was given that much control over the rest of his movies, there may have been several more “Citizen Kane” like films given to us by Welles, but the studio never gave him that much control again. Welles was never given that much control over a film again because “Citizen Kane” was not a finical success. The film did not, in the time of its theatrical release, have a large box office income. It was a finical flop, and RKO almost burned the negative of the film so it could never be screened again. If Welles was given that much control over a movie again, just think of all the possibilities and places he could have taken film art. He could have invented and given film art new meaning. He would have made films that have depth in not just physical storytelling, but also the symbolic nature of storytelling. If one looks at “Citizen Kane” at face value, it is a great character story. But if one takes a closer look into visual and symbolic storytelling that Welles did with “Citizen Kane”, one could talk for hours about it. The depth of this film and the visual character progression that Welles used, was and is one of the greatest uses of film as a visual medium for art.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film

The sled of Kane's childhood, his only happy memories

“Citizen Kane” is one of the greatest films ever made, not just because it was a great character study and development, but because Welles used the visual medium of film to show that transition of a character from an innocent young boy, to a grumpy regret filled old man. Welles used so many different styles to show the transformation of Charles Foster Kane. This film uses shadows and close up angles to show the transformation of Kane. Upon the viewing of this film one can see the physical transformation of Kane from a young handsome man, to a grumpy and pessimistic old man. Kane’s transformation is not only physical it is emotional also. All he wants is to be loved for who he is, not what he has. But one of his tragic flaws is that he does not know how to love another person without giving them physical things, he does not know how to give himself wholly as a person. He only know how to love with monetary value. All Charles Foster Kane wants is the love and freedom of his childhood. It is when he was happiest. After the day his mother pretty much sold him to his new guardian, he was never truly happy again. With his dying breath Kane wishes he was back in his childhood happy again, playing with his sled “rosebud”.  Love and Power are two of the main themes of this film, because Charles Foster Kane is always searching for both. He doesn’t understand for a man like him who had power, love will always be hard to find. Finding someone who loves you for you when you have that much money is hard. He does find someone who could almost love him for him, but he forces his dreams for her onto her and gives her gifts, which is not real love. He doesn’t truly understand love because he was never shown what real love is. His mother did love him, but by giving him away she thought she was doing what was best. That’s what a mother does, what she thinks is best for her child, but in the end she gives Charles a complex that can never be fulfilled or understood.  Charles Foster Kane is one of the most complex yet simple characters in film history. All he wants is love and power, but he does not know how to balance it, and that is one of his biggest flaws.

This is like the home Kane grew up in, the only time he was happy

Clapping for one of the greatest films of all time

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.