Film Log- The Birth of a Nation

Movie: The Birth of a Nation
-1915, black and white, 190 min.
-Director: D.W. Griffith
-Actors: Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh

"The Civil War divides friends and destroys families, but that's nothing compared to the anarchy in the black-ruled South after the war. Two brothers, Phil and Ted Stoneman, visit their friends in Piedmont, South Carolina: the family Cameron. This friendship is affected by the Civil War, as the Stonemans and the Camerons must join up opposite armies. The consequences of the War in their lives are shown in connection to major historical events, like the development of the Civil War itself, Lincoln's assassination, and the birth of the Ku Klux Klan." (IMDB)

Q: What is the significance of the disclaimer at the beginning of this film?
A: The film's disclaimer basically emphasizes and promotes the Idea of the KKK-- for many years, D.W. Griffith's film has been, and still is very controversial. The fact that the director put in this disclaimer really shows the personal views of the filmmaker, and the P.O.V the film is made to be in. The racist outlook of the film director himself shows through the movie and strongly reignited the spiteful powers of the KKK

Q: How does makeup/costume play a role in this film?
A: The mise-en-scene was true to the time period despite the time frame it was shot in. The women wore very colonial outfits and the color of their skin was extremely white and bright. The black actors in the film were actually white men with extremely dark make-up and an emphasis on their lips. Griffith obviously did not cast any real black actors to contribute to the film and all of the extremities. However, every actor was dressed in the appropriate costuming to satisfy the time period of the civil war-- these costumes showed wealth, poverty, service to the country, etc.

Film Log- The General

Movie: The General
-1926, black and white, 107 min
-Directors: Clyde Bruckman, Buster Keaton
-Actors: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack

Johnnie (played by Keaton) is a Southerner who has two true loves: Annabelle Lee, and his train. The story follows Johnnie as he is denied a position in the Confederate Army to serve as an engineer. According to filmsite.org The General is a story based on a "Civil War story of the daring raid/seizure by a group of about two-dozen Union spies of a Confederate train near Atlanta." Johnnie must rescue both the train and win back his love Annabelle in this film.

Q: Why is the use of body language so crucial in Keaton's film?
A: During the times of silent films, the use of sound and gesture is crucial to get the point of the story across. Buster Keaton is widely known for his contributions to the world of film, and with that, he really used his body as a comical feature and also to exaggerate emotions in order to justify the story line. His gags are funny because he has a way of working with his body to continually fall and get back up again--a huge addition to the character's personality. The use of facial expressions of every actor in this film is also crucial in order show the attitudes and emotions of the supporting actors-- also, it shows how one's personality reflects off the other--giving that character a dominant position or not.

Q: What is the significance of lighting/ angles in The General?
A: Keaton and Bruckman use the camera in so many great ways at a time of early film development. The camera really shows the difference between the Confederate and Union soldiers by placing the camera at a low shot and capturing the movement of the soldiers. The camera also acts as a focusing tool to guide the viewer to look at certain things (i.e: railroad tracks, costuming, etc). The lighting is also important because the scenes shot on the train are in natural lighting, whereas the indoor scenes use high-key lighting to really emphasize facial expressions and characters.

Film Log- Amelie

Movie: Amelie
-2001, color, 122 min.
-Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
-Actors: Audrey Tautou, Mathieu Kassovitz

Amelie Poulin is a French girl who enjoys the small things in life. Because of the false ideas she has of her childhood, Amelie often finds herself alone and rarely makes deep connections with others. After finding a special book in the train station in paris, Amelie goes on a mission to return it to the owner, through this mission, Amelie finds herself devoting her all to bettering the lives of those around her. In this pre- French New Wave style film, the audience member follows her into her whimsical mind and all of the beauty she finds in life.

Q: How does Amelie's appearance contribute to her character in the film?
A: The whole film is shot in a red scheme. Amelie often wears red, implying that she is blending in with the background, and as the film progresses, Amelie makes several bold steps in her daily fashion to show her character evolving into a more open and confident girl. Her haircut is very bold and dark, which greatly contrasts with her gentle, and pale face. Amelie wears "no-makeup" and sports a very natural look to complement her "purity" and "naiveness."

Q:How does the soundtrack to Amelie set the mood in the film?
A: This film is scored by Yann Tiersen. Jean-Pierre Jeunet chose Tiersen to add his music into the film after hearing the romantic and charming music that captures Parisien culture so powerfully. The film is full of changes in emotion, location, and scenery, the music goes hand in hand with every step of the way to fully embellish the vibrant mood of the film. It certainly captures the roots of Amelie as a child, losing her mother, all the way to her day-time job as a waitress. The constant shift in atmosphere is greatly complimented by Tiersen's score to lead the viewers through the story and to help aid them to understand what Amelie is undergoing internally.

Film Log- Taxi Driver

Movie: Taxi Driver
-1976, color, 113 min.
-Director: Martin Scorsese
-Actors: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster

Travis Bickle is an ex-Marine who works as a nighttime cab driver. He suffers from Insomnia and unfortunately fails to connect to anybody because he is a loner. As a cabbie, Bickle drives all over the downtrodden mid-'70s New York City, "wishing for a real rain to wash the scum off the neon-lit streets." In his isolation, Bickle misjudgingly takes out his anger powerfully and lashes out at the world he lives in by transforming into a violent individual, he hopes to connect to Betsy, a smart office-worker, and to rescue a pre-teenage prostitute, Iris.

Q:How does Scorsese use the camera to imply that Travis Bickle is racist?

A. Although the audience viewer never hears Bickle explicitly make a remark against the blacks in the movie, Scorsese set the movie up in a way to focus the viewer's attention to Bickle's responses toward the black men in the movie. Throughout the story, Travis encounters a few instances where he shares the same hatred against blacks as the people around him. One example is the scene where, in fact, Scorsese acts as a passenger in the cab and tells Bickle to pull up to the apartment where his wife is having an affair with a black man. The other instance is when Travis is in the liquor store and he kills the black man in the store with him. The store-owner tells travis to leave because "he can take care of it" and he immediately begins to beat up the shot man.
Another huge point in Bickle's deep hatred for the blacks is the way the camera reacts toward them. In the film, everytime Bickle lays eyes on a black person, the camera slows down to portray Bickle's way of lingering looks and point of view on this particular race.

Q: How does clothing play a major role in determining the female characters?

A. Costuming plays an enormous role in helping the audience realize the social status of Betsy and Iris.
Through her costuming, one can tell Betsy works in a professional environment. The first time we see her, she is wearing a white dress to show her angelic presence. Throughout the film, Betsy wears a red dress, a blue dress (to show serenity and calmness), and a cream colored coat. Betsy works in a political office and her costuming is crucial in showing her hygiene, beauty, and representation.
Similarly, Iris, the 12-year-old prostitute wears clothes in order to fit into her environment. Though these two characters come from different backgrounds and social statuses, their choice in clothing distinctly defines their role in the film. Iris wears vibrant colors, tight clothes, and heels. From afar, one could not tell she is a 12 year old, however, when she reveals her eyes from her over-sized sunglasses, one is able to tell she is a child. The way she dresses is made to appeal men on the streets to run "Sport's" business.