Gone With the Wind

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

African Americans in Hollywood didn't get main stream roles, they were casted as extras and rarely given leading roles.  Instead of casting black actors, they would hire white actors and paint them in Blackface.  The roles that the black actors did get were never serious. For example, Bojangles, who was a dancing character in the Shirley Temple  films.  Gone with the Wind was a epic Civil War drama, about a southern belle on a plantation and her love affairs.  Gone With the Wind is considered to be one of the most beloved popular films of all time. Gone With the Wind won ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress (Vivien Leigh), and Best Supporting Actress (Hattie McDaniel, the first African-American to win an Oscar).

2)  Find a related article and summarize the content.  

http://www.npr.org/2014/09/25/351437425/when-it-comes-to-gone-with-the-wind-do-kids-today-give-a-damn

I loved this article so much because as a child, i seen Gone With the Wind multiple times. My mother is a lover of old classic movies which was the result of me seeing the movie so many times. Everyone who watches movies and has a love for them knows how special this particular film is to American Film and African American.  Gone with The Wind is a timeless classic. This article explains how children of this generation lack the knowledge of the significance of this film. The writer quotes, " hen I asked 13 students in a Georgetown University film class if they'd seen it, most either hadn't seen the film or had seen only parts of it. These students are serious about movies. But a lot of them sided with Mike Minahan, 20, who said when it comes to Gone with the Wind — frankly, he doesn't give a damn."  The movie made sense then, it surrounded, slavery, food, security, and love; these are all themes that our generation has trouble comprehending. 

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

Gone With the Wind is the famous and controversial American novel by American writer, Margaret Mitchell. The novel took 10 years to write. Like the classic, Romeo and Juliet, Mitchell creates a story about two star crossed lovers. The themes are also similar, the story is about catastrophies and how strong they are to go through them. I believe this is the greatest love to ever be told, because it is realistic. It is a struggle between selfishness and prosperity , morals and aristocracy, war and destruction, mercenaries and old maids. Still, they are honest characters. They are believable and independent from one another, equally dislikeable, but each in his or her own way. 

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, 

 Scarlett O'Hara is a headstrong sixteen-year-old and the daughter of wealthy Georgia plantation-owner Gerald O'Hara, is sick of hearing talk about going to war with the North. Hearing the news of Ashley’s engagement to Melanie, Scarlett O’Hara tricks Charles Hamilton into marrying her. This classic film narrates the love between Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler during the American civil war. It's the history of a selfish woman who doesn't want to admit her feelings about the man she loves, and finally loses him.

Stage Coach

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

Stage Coach is an American Western filmed by John Ford , starring Claire Trevor and John Wayne.  The film's dynamic is that a group of strangers are riding on a stagecoach in the dangerous territories of Apache.  The people who are traveling on the stagecoach find it difficult because they are threatened by Geronimo. Stage Coach was set in 1880 and was elevated to "A" movie status. The cost to create the movie was about $400,00 and once created grossed over $1 million.  At the time John Ford was a B movie actor but the creation of Stage Coach launched his career and made him famous. 

2)  Find a related article and summarize the content.

http://www.seattlepi.com/ae/movies/article/What-s-the-Big-Deal-Stagecoach-1939-899179.php

The article expresses how John Wayne played a huge role on American Western films. As talked about in class, John Wayne and John Ford go hand in hand. Eric D. Snider writes, " For movie-history enthusiasts, it goes further: You can't think of John Wayne without thinking of director John Ford, and if you think of John Ford you gotta think of Stagecoach. The 1939 film is still considered a classic of the genre."  John Ford was always a creator but the creation of Stage Coach brought his career back to life, that one film was respected because it brought realism and respectability back to Western films.  Stage Coach made John Wayne a star. 

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

The structure of the film is simple and classic. If one is paying attention, they will notice that ford uses close ups in  this film which says he is trying to display something. The characters in the film play a huge role in Stage Coach because they all are the subject of the film. The film's dynamic is about the strangers riding on the stagecoach. The movie is so special because it had no clear cut main character. 

4) Write a critical analysis of the film

Seven strangers board a stagecoach bound to Lordsburg, New Mexico.  Each one is either running away from their past or trying to catch up with it. he film is contextual to the events of the Depression Era and becomes representational of the situation at hand.  As the stagecoach comes under fire from the Indians, the passengers whom have had disagreements before, bond together against a common foe. 

It happened one night

Relate what was discussed in class or the text screening.

1) This was honestly one of the best films I've ever seen. I have always been a little skeptical about black and white films, but this particular film kept me interested the whole time. It happened one Night is one of the greatest romantic comedies in film history. Ellie, the main character was a brilliant add to the film because she was independent during a time which wasn't likely for women to be. Opposites attract in this film, where a spoiled brat falls in love with a not so classy reporter. 







Find a related article and summarize the content.

2) http://www.rogerebert.com/far-flung-correspondents/looking-back-at-it-happened-one-night

This movie is one of the easiest movies to love and the hardest to think of as a work of art.  Ellie's character is a master piece, she is smart and naive, conceited yet caring, stubborn yet willing to take chances. The run away bride theme is used heavily in this film. At the end of the film she once again elopes, but not with King. It is wonderful seeing how two people coming from opposite upbringings fall in love with one another, yet the love seems so organic. The film is described for its "sexiness and wisdom."






 Apply the article to the film screened in class.

3) It was revealed in class that this wonderful film was created 81 years ago. In the article written by Michael Oleszczyk he writes, " Eighty years after being made, "It Happened One Night" remains a mirror and a measuring stick—not only for all subsequent romantic comedies, but also (perhaps more significantly) for all lovers who came after Peter and Ellie and dream of a similar union of bodies, wits and fates." Although this film was created so long ago, its wit and theme is something that we can see now in films. It was created some beautifully and thoughtfully.





Write a critical analysis of the film.

4) Ellie just tied the knot with King Westley and her father whisked her away from him and held her captive on his yacht. Her father strongly disapproves of her marriage to King and tries to keep her away from him by any means necessary.  After arguing with her father, she jumps ship to find herself at a bus station to be with her husband. On her way back to her husband, she sits next to a loud obnoxious man, a out of work reporter, Peter Waryne.  Ellie is trying to keep a low profile, so when he purse gets stolen she doesn't report it.  The next day, the two seat mates decide to go to breakfast which results in them missing their bus. Peter reveals that he knows who Ellie is but surprisingly he isn't interested in what she has to offer. Peter and Ellie eventually travel North and engage in numerous adventures and fall in love with each other.