The Godfather: Screening Report

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

Throughout its history, film has been an ever-changing industry.  Every couple years there is a new that changes it all.  From Disney and animation to Welles and Citizen Kane, the film industry has undergone many changes.  In the sixties we saw a younger generation stand up and make movies that spoke for them, movies that dealt with freedom of the young, like the Graduate.  Now the turn of the decade brought a new change in the film industry.

A new sense of freedom was welcomed in the art of filmmaking.  Directors were free to create movies they felt were socially responsible.  Topics for the “real people”, more realistic movies were being made at the turn of the century.  That includes more graphic violent scenes are more frequent and graphic sexual scenery.  This created more mature movies and a new way of rating movies.

New forms of ratings include PG, PG-13, PG-17, and Rated R.  These ratings took into a count content material, language, violence and sexual content.  The Godfather was released in 1972, during the beginning of the changes.  At time for it’s release it was rated R, for its violence, crime, language and sexual content.  This movie was one of the first films to include an “anti-hero”. Even though the Corleones plotted and executed murder on others, and partakes in other criminal activity you could not help but root for them and root for their safety.  You begin to dislike the other “families” for all their low blows and intrusions and begin to liken the Corleones for their loyalty and family orientation.  The movie traps you in and won’t let go until 175 minutes later, no wonder it is one of the best, winning 3 Academy Awards.

2)            Find a related article (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) and summarize the content.  You may use the library or the Internet.

This movie is a movie you cannot refuse! The Godfather, although fictional, was based on the real life mafia of New York.  It makes a lot of sense for people to draw comparisons between the movie and a real life cooperation.  According to Justin Moore, the CEO and founder of Axcient, there is a lot in common between CEO’s and the fictitious characters in The Godfather.  Moore had noticed that “there are some universal themes in the movie [The Godfather] I can relate to as a CEO” (Dishman, Fastcompany, 2012).  In his opinion, the characteristics the mob leaders in the film and the CEOs of America have in common is their ability to build a strong community, hold people accountable, don’t get emotional, and always having time to spend with your family (Dishman, Fastcompany, 2012).   According to Moore, a leader has to have these qualities something that mob leaders and CEOs have in common.  In the movie Don Corleone saw everything as a business even though they called it a family.  His business was important to him and he did not hold his tongue when he feels his business in compromised.

Since its release “The Godfather” has been praised for is movie editing effects to the way it tells the story.  The way the story it is told, it feels real. It is a film that drags you in, and you are invested in the business, and you want them to succeed. In his review of the movie, Roger Ebert, he notices how even though the movie is a bit long, one if engulfed in the story.  You can’t help but just stay and watch the rest of the movie.  It has the suspense of a thriller, the romance of a love story and the gruesome of a horror movie all in one.  Ebert points out “it absorbs us so effectively it never has to hurry” (Ebert, 1972).  He compliments the graphic and detailed visuals of the movie, and commend for staying true to the book it is based of.  Including all the car bombs, murders, shots and back stabbings.  It is a movie that although hardcore, kind of stays true to life.  The Mob is a business, a deadly one, but a business nonetheless.   You have to make decisions that one feels is good for business, or money.  And the movie depicts that.

3)             Apply the article to the film screened in class.   How did the article support or change the way you thought about the film, director, content, etc.?

Both of these articles supported the “anti-hero” idea that followed the movie.  These guys are not the greatest guys in the worlds, they cheat, hurt, plot and kill.  Some of the scenes that were shown in the movie were really gruesome, it has all the qualities to make you hate these men who kill for the sake of money. But in the movie you rooted for them.  With comparisons to real life CEOs, you really see the mob leaders in a new light.  They might not be your conventional businessmen, but they are.

Money does make the world go around for these “businessmen”, in the film you see Don Corleone reject working with a drug salesman because of the negative attention that might bring to his “business”, and the replications that followed that decision like being shot and almost getting killed. 

The emotion and loyalty behind every family member really makes you even root for them even more.  The care of Michael, his youngest son, and how devoted he was to his father’s well being, saving him that one night in the hospital.  Also Sonny, even though hot tempered, he did it all because he wanted to avenge his father’s shooting.  It was all in the name of family, something we can all relate to.  To Michael and Sonny Corleone, family was number one, and to most of us, family is on top and we can all relate to the characters in the movie. 

This movie is also one of the “quotable” movies.  Some of the most famous movie quotes come from this film including “I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse.” And “Revenge is a dish best served cold,” “ I have a sentimental weakness for my children and I spoil them, as you can see. They talk when they should listen”, and “that's a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.” And so much more, it is always fun to see the original context of some quotes that you have everywhere else except its origin.

4)            Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article. 

As we have seen the film industry has undergone major changes in history.  Starting out with black and white silent movies, then adding sound, then color, then animation, the film industry has been an ever-changing one.  The Godfather continues this trend of movies that are different than the ones in the past.  By time the seventies rolled around more people we open minded (see the 1960s), they were willing to try and see it all.  Movies were beginning to be less restricted and filmmakers wanted to make movies that mirrored real lives, including sex and violence.

The Godfather is a long movie, but it does not feel long at all.  You become invested in each character, you go through every emotion they do.   Marlon Brado’s portrayal of the Don I think was perfect, a man who has earned the respect from everyone.  The way he talked, slow and concise, to the way he walked, slow and upright, the viewer can tell he is a man of power.  To the cockiness of Michael because of his father, it is all believable because it happens in real life.  The Godfather is a dark movie and the lighting helps the mood of the film.  It is mostly entirely in dark lighting and it gives you the mood that you feel like something is going to happen, soon.  The Godfather has all the makings of a classic, it is a movie too good to refuse!

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. 



Name: ______________Juan Ortiz___________________  Date: ______4/27/14____________

Reference:

Dishman, Lydia. "An Offer You Can't Refuse: Leadership Lessons From "The Godfather"." Fast Company. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.            <http://www.fastcompany.com/1826672/offer-you-cant-refuse-leadership- lessons-godfather>.

Ebert, Roger. "The Godfather Movie Review & Film Summary (1972) | Roger Ebert." All Content. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2014.            <http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-godfather-1972>.

The Graduate- Screening Report

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

The sixties are an interesting era, everything in society, as they knew it, was flipped 180 degrees. Values were revaluated, protests were constructed and the younger generations were making their voice heard. The sixties were a time of change and the culture surrounding the movement was the first to be affected. 

In the film industry that change could be more apparent.  Prior to the sixties movies rarely had sex play an important role in the movie or have it as a recurring theme.  Movies like It Happened One Night and Vertigo rarely had sex plot line they might have had innuendos as jokes but did not actually let sex play an important role in the movie.  But after the sixties filmmakers were no longer scared to have characters have sex appeal, actually from then until now they prefer characters with strong sex appeal.  The Graduate directed by Mike Nichols was a movie about a young recent college graduate, Benjamin who ends up having a sexual affair with an older married woman, Mrs. Robinson.  Mrs. Robinson just happens to be married to Benjamin’s father’s friend.  Benjamin then falls for the Robinsons daughter, Elaine.  A twisted plot, yes.

The Graduate released in 1967 represented or summarized what the sixties were all about and reflected young adults of that time.  Upon its release The Graduate received critical praise for its humor and drama.  It also managed to earn over $100 million in the box office in the 40 plus years since its original release.

2.  Find a related article (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) and summarize the content.  You may use the library or the internet.

 Since its release critics have been divided on whether Benjamin in The Graduate accurately portrays the youth of the sixties or if it stands alone in an era that was all about change.  According to Mehara Bonner of Popmatters Benjamin played by Dustin Hoffman can be relevant today as much as it was in 1967. IN a primary example of timeless themse in the movie Bonner states:

“ The story of the film easily appeals today’s audience because A) we have all at one point questioned the direction that our lives are leading.”

                                                                                    (Bonner, 2007)

And it’s true, every college student after they graduate ponders the decision of what to do next with their lives.  After four years of having a safety net, college, now one has to face life and actually be an adult.  In the one montage you can see that all Ben does is lounge by and in the pool and go to the hotel to meet and greet and have sex with Mrs. Robinson and that I about it.  In this generation most kids just lounge around and go partying, delaying moving on with their life.

            Many critics like Bonner also noted the difference between Benjamin and other male lead characters in other movies from the same period.  The sixties were all about protest and anti-war propaganda, but no war was ever mention in the movie and there was also the hippy movement of the sixties, another of which was not mentioned in the movie.  “Ben is neither a soldier in the war, nor is he outspokenly against the war, and he certainly doesn’t fit the peace-loving hippie type.” (Bonner 2007)  Benjamin was a universal young man.  This movie could have easily taken place in any decade from the sixties until now.  But even though it is a movie that can be placed at any decade for any generation it has a movie that can best represent the social reform of the sixties.  Especially during the final scene where even though the wedding is over he still steals the bride and runs away with Elaine. That scene shows their dismay of social norms.

“The complete rejection of social norms that occurs at the end of the film sent a message to the youth of the 1960s that is still relevant today: it is time for a new generation to come into their own.”

                                                                                          (Boner, 2007)

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.   How did the article support or change the way you thought about the film, director, content, etc.?

            The movie and the article both kind of supported my opinion of the film.  From the beginning I thought the film was just funny, it had very good humorous and awkward moment that worked well.  But watching the movie I could totally agree with the thought that Ben does represent youth from the sixties but also can represent youth from generations then and now.

            The Graduate has so much of today as much as it has of the sixties.  It is a rebellion story, Ben went against all the adults in his life and did what he felt was right for him.  The film was all about rebellion, rebellion from the youth and society but also rebellion within the film industry.  The Graduate is a movie that is kind of solely based on a sexual relationship.  Sex was a major theme and premise for Ben’s plotline. But also was the idea of being lost after graduating college.

            Many young adults don’t know what to do with their lives after graduating either college or high school.  Should they continue with their education, or jump into the workforce or do something else like get married start a family, its a lot of thinking that goes into a decision that affects your entire life.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article. 

            The Graduate is a movie that does what it intends to do, entertain you.  It is a funny movie.  It is one of those real movies that have awkward moments that are so funny, that it works.  But it also shows the uncertainty and the downfall of not being decisive in your life and letting others tell you what to do.

            The sole reason why Ben began his affair with Mrs. Robinson was because she told him to.  He was forced to tell Elaine because Mrs. Robinson said she would.  It wasn’t until after he met and started chasing Elaine that he began making his own decisions.

            The movie made its mark in our culture because it does depict the though process of a young adult.  But the music also had a cultural impact; Mrs. Robinson the lead single from the soundtrack by Simon and Garfunkel peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.  The music fit so well with the actions going on in the movie, it sets the mood for what is going on.  It is also a different way of doing a movie, sometimes one scene will start while another scene is still on the screen but it gives it a sense of melodrama or realness to it.

            The Graduate is a funny dramatic movie; it goes through every emotion by almost all the characters.  You get to see how quick characters and people can quickly change by a sudden change in feeling or a sudden event makes one grow up.  Benjamin goes from being told what to do and being uptight to being literally a free for all and learning that he has to make his own decisions and not rely on others.  It is a lesson that we all have to learn at one point or another.

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. 



Name: ______________Juan Ortiz___________________  Date: ______4/12/14____________

Reference:

Bonner, Mehera. "The Graduate." PopMatters. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. <http://www.popmatters.com/review/the-graduate/>.

Vertigo: Screening Report

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

            Have you ever watched a movie or TV show and you felt like it was making you crazy? A movie that you thought you knew what was going on and then it surprises you with a left-field move?  Well if you have, then you have probably watched Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 “masterpiece” Vertigo.  Vertigo is a film that throughout makes you feel like the disease that it is talking about with all the circles it makes trying to explain or as it develops the plot.

During its release the film industry was starting to go through major changes. The studio system of film was on its way out and a new system of producing and releasing films would be established.  Before the 1950s films were more often produced, released and distributed by one of the major studios (Paramount, MGM, Warner Bros., RKO, Fox Films etc..).  Each of these studios would also own a chain of movie theatres that would show these films.  Often theatres would want to show and Paramount picture, for example, and Paramount would agree to allow the theatre to show the A-list film but would also force them to show their B-list or less stellar pictures. This would create a monopoly in the film industry.

In 1948 the government was inserting itself and creating guideline for the film industry and decided to sue Paramount picture in a step that they hope would destroy the monopoly that film studios have created.  By 1954 the studios had lost. Studios were forced to sell their many theatres and had to actually sell their movies in order to get them played.  But the problems for the film industry did not end there.

With the end of the studio system, competition was created which is now the root of the business world. A competition that the film industry did not expect, television.  In the 50s television was gaining popularity.  Audiences would now prefer to stay at home and watch TV rather than go out to a movie theatre and watch one movie.  Film studios were aware so they had to come up with something to rival the television.  Early televisions were made mostly in black and white so the first tactic studios used to compete with TV was movies in color, like Vertigo. Vertigo was full of color and the scenery was made more beautiful shots.  Also the effects that Hitchcock used makes the film even more interesting and cool.  Other “gimmicks”, like cinemascope, were also used to make movies more interactive to attract more audiences, but TV was too much of a strong opponent that studios caved in and would later start making movies for TV.

2) Find a related article (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) and summarize the content.  You may use the library or the internet.

            In 2012 Vertigo did something that up until then seem unobtainable; it dethroned Citizen Kane in “Sight & Sound’s esteemed 10-yearly poll of critical favorites” (Robey, 2012).  Up to that Vertigo had been number two on the list. So the critics do love the movie, but now it is the best film of all time. “We have a new Best Film of All Time, and it could well be here to stay” (Robey, 2012). The film’s plot although confusing and strange, it is very interesting.

            Like most classic movies that today are applauded, when it was first released Vertigo did not get that much approval from the critics and was considered “a dismaying flop when it came out in 1958” and that the “reviews were all that appreciative” (Robey, 2012).  The movie comes at a time that Hitchcock’s work and life has been reviewed and recreated, with movies like Hitchcock and The Girl who both portray Hitchcock in different lights.

            Although “lots of people own up to favorite Hitchcock films that aren’t Vertigo”, one cannot deny the immense plot twists that the movie is filled with. It was and is masterpiece.  There is a thing about the movie that just keeps you drawn in, “there’s a special intensity to Vertigo, and a very personal kind of power” (Robey, 2012).  There is something about Vertigo that just entices people and it is not his best film but yet it is a film that with a combination of great characteristics makes for a great movie that one cannot forget,

“He made scarier films (Psycho), more playful ones (Rear Window),

more suspenseful ones (Strangers on a Train), and a very great

number that are easier to watch.”

                                                                                    (Robey, 2012)

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.   How did the article support or change the way you thought about the film, director, content, etc.?

            Vertigo is a hard movie to follow, you have to pay close attention to not loose yourself and get vertigo from watching the movie. It is a strong movie about deceit, disorder, and obsession and ultimately love and how dark love can be.  It is a movie that, once you think you have it down pack and know what is going to happen or what it is about, it throws you a curve ball and keeps you guessing although in the end it all makes sense.

            The effect of the movie and the color show off how badly the studios wanted to beat their arch rival, television.  The cool vertigo effect although, can give the audience vertigo, but it does help the audience understand the disorder and what Johnny see through his eyes when he gets his dizzy spells.  It’s a very nice effect although dizzying it makes the movie all the much more interesting.  Like you can tell the over the top plot line, special effects and twists and turns were made specifically just to attract viewers who all love to solve a great mystery.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article. 

            Released during a time of much change, Vertigo stands out.  A movie not only full of color and special effects, but also great acting.  Vertigo’s plot is hard to follow and understand and if you are not careful you can easily get lost.  There is many twists and turns in this film that could possibly give you vertigo.  At times the film feels like two different pictures meshed into one.  And even though it may not be a crowd favorite, it is a critics favorite as it is at the top of Sight and Sound’s best film list. 

            In my opinion, I did like the movie.  At first you see it as a normal psychological thriller movie but it goes completely left field with the last part and especially the ending.  The way Johnny becomes so obsessed with Madeline or the girl he thinks resembles Madeline who turns out to be a girl who pretended to be Madeline so his high school friend, Gavin Elster to actually kill his wife, so just by reading that small summary you can tell that this is no easy movie to watch. The most memorable character in my opinion was his friend, she was real supportive of him, and showed to really care and love him.

            Alfred Hitchcock is one of the most important and influential directors in American film.  His most famous film is noted as one of the scariest films of all time, Psycho and has been a topic of conversation in recent years with recreations and movies about what happened during filming of the picture.  Hitchcock has produced many films that have passed through the test of time and Vertigo is one, almost fifty years later it is now the best film 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. 



Name: ______________Juan Ortiz___________________  Date: ______4/5/14____________

Reference:

Robey, Tim. "Is Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller Vertigo really the best film ever made?." The Telegraph.             Telegraph Media Group, 2 Aug. 2012. Web. 5 Apr. 2014.             <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/9446844/Is-Alfred-Hitchcocks-thriller-Vertigo-really-            the-best-film-ever-made.html>.