Coincidence? I Think Not!

I have to say that taking this Film class is a real pleasure and I can honestly say that I watch films differently now. Before I used to watch movies by simply staring at the screen taking everything in and in the end search for some moral to the story. All this has changed. Now I watch films with great intent and search for meanings in every scene looking for clues that the director might have left for the audience. Over the weekend I was flipping through the channels and noticed The Shawshank Redemption was on and i decided to watch it again. Yes I know we have all seen this film about a hundred times combined it is a good film who cares. But I decided to watch it again because this would be the first time I've seen it since film class started. As I was watching one scene stood out in particular. When Andy Dufresne escapes he tunnels out through his cell wall, covering the hole with the poster of several lovely ladies over the years of its construction. Andy's cell is lined with the pictures of celebrities and beautiful landscapes, things he thought were worthy of a place on his wall. The next morning after Andy's escape there is a roll call in which all the prisoners have to step outside their cells and be counted as present. After it is realized that Andy is gone the infamous Warden Norton is called down to his cell along with the unscrupulous  Captain Hadley and they begin to question the guard responsible for the roll call. The Warden becomes extremely angry at the thought of an escape from his prison and more importantly the one person who can put him in the very place he commands. What I thought was interesting was Captain Hadley was nose to nose with this guard really intimidating him as the Warden continued his fury which was directed at this innocent guard, behind the captain and the guard was a picture of Albert Einstein. This was not just any picture of the acclaimed physicist but the one with his tongue out and eyes wide. I thought to myself could this be symbolic of Andy's genius triumphing over the brutal yet unintelligent Cpt. Hadley and the tyranny of Warden Norton? I could even argue that this would be the perfect figure to show this triumph in that Einstein escaped the Nazi's tyranny (Warden Norton) during World War Two, fleeing to America a place of freedom and equality. Andy used his intellect (genius of Einstein) to escape the prison taking along with him the documents of the Warden's bribery and dirty money. Not to mention the mocking face Einstein has on in the picture clearly mocking the men he is staring at. Maybe I'm being a bit pretentious, but the evidence is overwhelming..

You decide, here is the link to the scene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElxGBKi7jMo

I would just like to thank Mr. Bennett for this new approach to film. You have truly revolutionized the way I watch movies and for this I cannot thank you enough. 

SEX SEX SEX

Sex seems to be the prevailing theme of Midnight Cowboy, to the uneducated film viewer of course. However I believe the sex in the movie was used only to peak one's interest in the film as I have done with the title of my blog. Now how many of you clicked on the link to actually read my views on film? Thats what I thought. Its a well known fact that sex sells. I did my home work this time and watched the original 1969 trailer for this movie looking to see if the trailer portrays the movie in the light that we have seen it in in class. After watching the trailer and comparing it to the Midnight Cowboy that we watched and understood in class it seemed the trailer was setting the stage for a completely different movie. The trailer is edited together to include all the double entendres we saw in the film but knew weren't always referring to sex in the movie. For example in the trailer they show Joe talking to Ratso about how he hasn't really scored since he has been in New York and he tells Ratso he "needs management." One can infer here what this movie is going to be about already. Then in the next scene you see the two of them walking across the street and Ratso belts his infamous line "Hey I'm walkin' here!" as soon as he says this the trailer cuts to the woman in the penthouse who says "You were gonna ask me for money?" followed very quickly by the religious fanatic slapping Joe's "strong back" followed by even more scenes from the movie implying Joe's sexcapades as the main focus of the movie. Later in the trailer the preacher is seen saying "I'm gonna use ya! I'm gonna run ya ragged!" followed by Joe's "Woooooo Eeeeee." What is even more disturbing is immediately after the onomatopoeia I poorly tried to describe is the scene where Ratso tells Joe "Listen don't get sore on me." The trailer for Midnight Cowboy makes the movie seem like it really is going to be a true rated X picture without any message and tons of sex. I believe that the trailer for the movie, which is supposed to entice a viewer to go see a movie, was edited the way it was to sell the movie before showing the viewer the true side of the film. The side of the film that tries to display some sense of morality and message. Needless to say I think a lot of young men were pretty disappointed when they went to go see this film in 1969.

I have enclosed a link to the original 1969 trailer below, watch it and tell me what you think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnFoaj8utio

Citizen Jones

Upon seeing the end of Citizen Kane and learning the true meaning of Rosebud I have to say as much as Mr. Bennett led us to believe that it was going to be disappointing, I wasn't too disappointed. It was definitely nothing I expected Rosebud to be but I don't think it took anything away from the movie by making Rosebud such a simple object. However I don't think it was such a simple object to Kane. The sled was a beloved childhood item, and it was left behind with the rest of Kane's childhood and parents. If you remember Kane's first Christmas with his new guardian he is given a new sled, one which he didn't seem too keen on receiving. I think he missed his old sled and even his parents. But as Kane grew up he became hardened by the world and his cold guardian forgetting his parents and sled until his mother's death. But even after his mother died Kane is distracted by the musically uninclined Miss Alexander. The only other time the sled is mentioned is when Kane is on his deathbed. Must have been pretty important to him if it was his last thought.

Anyway now to the improbable assertion that there is a correlation between Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Arc and Citizen Kane. Now please keep an open mind while reading this and don't be afraid to tell me if I'm being pretensous Mr. Bennet. Now if you all remember at the end of Citizen Kane the reporters are walking through a maze of wooden crates and various artifacts which is the collection Kane has accumulated throughout his years much of it in the original packing because he never cared enough to open them. Kane bought these items just because he could and did not really care for them. The all important Rosebud was carelessly mixed in with the rest of the artifacts and was ultimately destroyed. Now in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Arc the Arc of the Covenant an artifact so sought after and powerful that it could change the way the world views religion was also mixed in with countless artifacts. The Arc is boxed removing any trace of what is actually contained inside the pine panels and is merely stamped with a catalogue number and wheeled by some clueless government lackey to rest among all the other boxes. See my connection? Both items are lost among a sea of artifacts considered unimportant by their owners (in the case of the warehouse the U.S. Government). I was completely enraged the first time I saw this movie. I thought how can the Arc of the Covenant something so holy and important to so many people be boxed and placed in a warehouse full of other pine boxes?! But then I thought about the movie's message which was that the power the Arc possessed was too much for any one man. So maybe it is better off lost in a warehouse safe from the greedy hands of men.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFwhRT49D84

Gotta Love Fios

Recently i have had the pleasure of enjoying many movies through my new television provider. We all know that when you sign up you get the full deluxe package used to suck potential buyers in and I have to say that I've been milking my free year to the last drop. The movie channels are my favorite and through them I have seen many feature films. My favorites recently have been The Deer Hunter, Apocalypse Now, Enter the Dragon and many more. The Deer Hunter is a powerful film regarding the horrors of war and strength of friendships. The drama and suspense created from the age old game of Russian Roulette in the film kept me on the edge of my seat. Truly one of my favorite movies and the fact that Robert DeNiro and Christopher Walken were in the movie didn't hurt either.