Citizen Kane

Citizen Kane is a classic film depicting the life of a very well known wealthy man by the name of Charles Foster Kane. The film begins with Kane himself laying in bed dieing as he mumbles his last word, "Rosebud." From that point on a group of newsmen set out to find the meaning of this famous last word, thinking that it will be quite easy, but very quickly they realize how wrong they are. Throughout the rest of the film we watch the story of Kane get told from a number of point-of-views, but all by people who knew him his whole life and spent all their time with him. The reporters go from person to person are and unlucky in finding the meaning of this word, but are astonished about how much they did not know about the famous man. We learn about the women who have been in and out of his life, the death of his son, the relationship he had with his best friend, and the relationships that he had with the men that helped run his companies, and one that basically owned him. This sad and miserable story of a man who was taken from his home at a young age a never really knew what real love and family was, lived a horribly sad and defeating life. Not enough money in the world could buy him the love that he so wanted from those in his life and the gifts he gave to show that love didn't help either. Charles Foster Kane died a sad and lonely man and that in itself makes this movie extremely enjoyable because we cannot help but have sympathy for a man who has never known the real meaning and feeling of love or family.

Many people say that, "Citizen Kane is the greatest movie ever made," and although I do not agree with this statement I truly can see how so many people would. The reason I say this is because I honestly do not know enough about film and what makes it good to state that it is the best movie ever. I will say though that it is a beautiful work of art, from the cinematography which was flawless in my book, to mise-en-scene, and the editing. This film is beautifully made into something that people have grown to love and watch over and over again, which is a big part in what makes a film great. Even though I wouldn't say that it is the best film ever made I would say that it is in my top ten best films. I really would like to watch it again and again because I think that there are so many things that I missed while watching in class. It had been long day to say the least and I knew that I was going to have a hard time noticing things about the film, but I have to say while I was watching it I couldn't take my eyes off the screen because I really wanted to know what was going to happen next.

Overall I would say that Citizen Kane is a great film, and one that I would most definitely suggest to others. I think that it is a film worth watching just if your curious as well. Many people know about the infamous word "Rosebud" and don't even know what it means or where it comes from. This is a film that is dubbed as the greatest film of all time and that is completely understandable in my book even though I don't agree. The pure artform of this film makes it a masterpiece and a must see.

What is Film Noir?

What is Film Noir is a question I am not sure I can fully answer, because I am not so sure I know what it is. While talking about this in class I was torn about whether or not Film Noir is a style or a genre, and I would have to say that it is both. When film noir was first introduced during the 1940's-1950's. According to Raymond Durgnat, film noir wasn't a genre, but he continued with that statement by saying, "it is not defined, as are the western and gangster genres, by conventions of setting and conflict but rather by the more subtle qualities of tone and mood. It is a film 'noir' as opposed to the possible variants of film 'gray or film 'off-white,'" (Schrader, 230). After I read this I could only help but to agree with what Durgnat was saying but as well continued to talk about this in class I felt conflicted, because I felt beforehand that it was a genre, but after reading the article by Schrader and listening to what everyone had to say in class, and really hearing about all of the numerous aspects of film noir, I decided that I believe that it is both a style and genre, and here is why.

Back in the 1940's-1950's when the beginning of these films labeled film noirs came out I believe that it was a genre of film because everything about a film noir film fit into the decade in which they were produced. From the way that these films were set to portray the lives of people who looked just like everyone in the audience. Some of the key things that were almost always included in these films were; a femme fatale character, a hardboiled man who was usually a detective or officer of some sort, plenty of crime from beginning to end, usually shot at night on the streets while raining or as if just rained, lots of shadowing for contrast and to show the vertical lines that were very common as well, urban type setting, many times the police are the bad guys and the detectives are the good guys, corruption of all sorts, shifting in alliances, moral ambiguity, an expendable character or two just to name a few. Overall these films were filmed to show what people we hiding and many times they were love stories as well, almost always involving the detective and the femme fatale. Overall these were and still are great films, but to our generation now they seem boring at times and just cheesy or funny. We are not able to take them as seriously as they were probably taken back then because we have a very hard time relating to the characters and often the story as well, which leads me into my next point.

Today when I look at the differences between authentic real film noir films and the ones that have been made in the last ten years or so, I cannot help but see an enormous difference. Nowadays these film noir-esque films are just plain unappealing to me. I am all for your traditional shoot-em-up blow-em-up film and some classic crime stories, but these films are just boring and hilarious. They are constantly poking fun at what was once the classic film noir genre, and now when they make these new versions of film noirs they fail miserably, which is why I would also classify this as a style because there is no way to remake these films to actually look like and portray the real film noir type film. You can throw in all of the same elements and it still is not a good interpretation because this generation cannot relate to the kind of dress they wear, how they talk, or even what they do, our world is just way too different now to ever go back to how it used to be in the 1940's-1950's.

Film noir is to me a genre and a style. Maybe that just sounds like I am copping out on this question but it truly is what I think, and who can really argue with that? Well I guess some can and thats okay we are all entitled to our own opinion and ideas.

Notorious

Notorious is yet again another great film by Alfred Hitchcock. Notorious is a film full of crime, lies, deceit, and love. The main character is Alicia whose father has recently been arrested for treason and has committed suicide in prison. Alicia is approached with an offer she cannot refuse, one that could clear her families name forever. She is approached by an agent by the name of Devlin who gives her the details on what exactly she would be doing to help the government, Alicia agrees to help him out and work to clear her families name. Alicia has quite the reputation with boos and men, and she used that reputation to get Devlin, who of course falls in love with her. Throughout the rest of the film Alicia and Devlin play around with their secret love affair, or well lack there of, and work to figure out what a man by the name of Sebastian is up to down in Rio de Janeiro. Alicia has had dealings with him in the past and uses them to get inside his home and quite quickly into his heart. Alicia and Devlin are forced to sneak around to talk to one another and to look for clues into what Sebastian is hiding. The classic traits are all here especially lies and deceit. Alicia works to clear her name but also to be the one she loves in the end. Unfortunately and fortunately I was surprised by the ending of this film, I won't give it away which means you will just have to see it. It is a great film with twists and turns that even surprised me. Notorious is not just a great film noir classic, but an Alfred Hitchcock classic in itself.

Chinatown

Chinatown is yet again another film noir classic. This film is about a private detective who goes by the name JJ Gittes who is hired to mostly find out whether or not spouses are being faithful to one another. JJ is hired by a woman posing to be one mans wife, but turns out not to be. When JJ's story goes public about the affair the real wife comes forward and everything goes crazy. A murder takes place early on in the film and JJ is determined to get to the bottom of the crime that turns out to go back a number of years, and includes a number of unexpected people. Throughout the film JJ learns of all the wrongdoings that have been going on with the water the supplies the town and surrounding areas. The film is full of lies and sexual tension, that of course gets released like every other film, but in the end the twists and turns that are revealed are shocking and questioning enough for this film to be a film noir.

This film overall is a great film. Throughout the whole time watching it I couldn't help but wonder what was going to happen next, and what crazy story was about to unfold. This is not a only a must see film noir film, but a must see in itself. All of the classic film noir pieces are there in one way or another and they way he film ends in itself makes it a must see.

Touch of Evil

Touch of Evil is another film under the genre or style(who really knows which) of Film Noir. It is a film full of lies, deceit, murder, drugs, police corruption, and crime. The film is about a newlywed couple who are out celebrating their marriage along the US/Mexico border, when something terrible happens and Mike chooses to investigate the crime and send his new wife back to their hotel. Mike instantly goes to the crime scene and talks to a few of the other officials and then Hank shows up and the atmosphere changes. As the story unfolds throughout the film we witness the the extreme pressure and angst that some of these officials go through. We also get to witness a number of criminal acts throughout the film which call into question the morality, right and wrong, good and bad of certain individuals. Throughout the whole film there is the questions of who you can trust as well, and that in itself brings up a lot of unanswered questions, whether or not individuals have been honest in the past about what they have witnessed, and the struggle of friendship among partners who have worked together and saved each others backs for a number of years. Throughout the whole film Mike is trying to get to the bottom of the crime that was committed in the beginning of the film and he sets out to prove that person accused of the crime is not the person who committed the crime, but that Hank himself framed him for it.

This specific film is very much a film noir for a number of reasons. Most of them being the same reasons The Maltese Falcon was a film noir. The story is full of criminal acts, much of it takes place at night, the typical femme fatale (although very different from the femme fatale in Maltese Falcon), and a number of other reasons. This was a very thought provoking film, but not one that I would necessarily watch again. I found parts of it enticing, but other parts boring and repetitive. Although I may not recommend it to someone else to watch for kicks and giggles, I would have to say though that I would recommend it if someone wanted to watch a film noir film.

The Maltese Falcon

The Maltese Falcon is a film from 1941 and is a film noir classic. The film is about a private detective Sam Spade who helps people find what they are looking for. He has a partner Miles who is not too fond of as well. In the beginning of the film Sam is hired by a gorgeous woman by the name of Miss Wonderly, who needs his help initially needs his help to find her "sister." When Sam helps her that evening everything falls apart with his partner being killed, along with the man that Miss Wonderly wanted watched. Sam knows that instantly something is wrong and starts his search to figure out the reasoning behind all that had happened.

Sam confronts Miss Wonderly, who he finds out has been lying all along not just about her name, but about what she was really looking for. Her real name is Brigid O'Shaughnessy, and she explains the story of the Maltese falcon and that she us really on the search for that and not her sister. In the search for this falcon Sam runs into other characters such is Joel Cairo and Casper Gutman who are also after the falcon, and Sam ends up working with all them for a number of different money offers to find the falcon that is so desired by all of these different characters. By the end of the film Sam is doing everything that he can to figure out the number of murders and other crimes that have happened throughout the film, and he realizes how many people have tried to fool him as well, and when he figures out who is behind all of the scandal he has a number of mixed feelings about the outcome of the story.

The entire film is run by murder, money, sex, and greed. It is a classic film noir film because of its entire plot and setting. From the majority of the movie being shot at night on the rain soaked streets of San Fransisco, the classic 1940's wardrobe, the femme fatale because she is a damsel in distress but she is also dangerous and using her feminine mystique to get her way at times as well, with the overwhelming amount of crime and murder that is throughout the entire film as well, and the morale ambiguity that is present in each and every scene of this film.

For me personally I really enjoyed this film, it may have had something to do with Humphrey Bogart as the main character, but I really enjoyed it because there was such a pull between what was right and what was wrong for these characters, and even though most of the time they chose wrong, they knew what they were doing and that in itself was what drew me into each of the individual relationships that each character had with Sam. This film is a great film to demonstrate the classic Film Noir Style in a number of ways, and it is a film that is not only about the search for something that you desire, but about the moral pull within oneself to do what is right versus what is wrong.

Analysis of the narrative styles of Casablanca, Daughters of the Dust, and Monsoon Wedding

These three films, Casablanca, Daughters of the Dust, and Monsoon Wedding are all films that play into the importance of film narrative. There are different styles of film narrative and I will focus on the differences between the three films in the Classic Hollywood Narrative and the Alternative Narrative.

Casablanca is a film that focuses mainly on the life of Rick

Blaine. Rick is living in Casablan

ca during WWII. He owns his own cafe and has a good reputation in the town. Rick's story turns into a classic love story when he former love comes to Casablanca with her husband and everything Rick had tried so hard to forget came rushing back to him with a few notes on the piano.

Daughters of the Dust is a film that focuses mainly on a group of people, or well in this case a family of African Americans who are living in North Carolina and preparing for a big move the day after. The family has to make a decision that will in the end effect everyone, whether to move off the island or stay with the others

and the ones they love. The stories of this film are mainly told through the baby girl who is yet to be born, the grandmother, and the other women on the island.

Monsoon Wedding is a film that depicts a typical Indian family preparing for their daughters wedding day. This film is adapted from the original Bollywood style and is made to showcase all of the normal traditions that an Indian family goes through while planning a wedding. The difference in this film though is that the stories of the family are told through the majority of the characters in the film, with a small side story about the family maid and the wedding planner. This family has a lot of secrets that must come out and are told in ways that only real families can understand.

There are a number of differences among these three films that we could really get into, but then we would be here all day, so I will just point out the ones that are very important in explaining the differences in narrative styles. The main difference that stuck out to me throughout watching these three films and reading about the narrative styles is that in a classic hollywood narrative film there is usually one or two main characters that the film is focused on and that the audience really gets to know, and when watching Casablanca this was completely noticeable because the story was mainly about Rick but also at times about his past love. In Daughters of the Dust the stories of the family are told by the women of the family and a soon to be baby girl, so this film was different in how it was narrated and told by a number of women instead of just on or two. In Monsoon Wedding we run into the same issue because the stories of the Verma family are told by more than one of the characters, but instead they are told by all members of the family. These two films are both similar to one another in how they both focus on the importance of family and the number of troubles and issues that families run into on a day to day basis, without giving away too much that is. Casablanca is different from these two films and follows the Classic Hollywood Narrative styles in a number of ways.

Although these three films are so different, I cannot help but wonder why wouldn't they be so different. Not only are they all filmed at different points throughout history, but they are all depicting different cultures and beliefs. There is no question in my mind that these three films are crazy different in pretty much every way. We have the classic Americans, African Americans descended from Africa, and Indians all three are so different and focus on different things in their cultures. In Casablanca it is nothing new that yet again there was another love story it is what Americans seem to live for anymore when they go to the movies. And in the African American culture there is a great emphasis on family and having generations and generations of their family members living with them or near them always. In the Indian culture it is very typical for the family to be very close for life. That is why the arrangement of marriage is so important and common in their culture because whole families are involved in the decision of who can and will marry who.

Overall I think that after looking at these three films in a narrative way I can see the difference between classic hollywood narrative and alternative narrative. It is more common in the classic hollywood narrative to focus on an individuals story and life, and in the alternative narrative it is more common for the film to focus on groups and families and different cultures as well. These two narratives are very different in themselves and both are very important in the making of different kinds of films. The two styles that were used in these three films truly make the movies what they are.