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 wit
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>.
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