Category: Art

This paper is aimed at discussing the painting Judith and Her Maidservant with the Head of Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi. In particular, it is necessary to show how a dramatic sense is created by the artist. In this case, one can speak primarily about the use of such techniques as chiaroscuro and tenebrism.

They are based on the sharp contrast between light and dark. Much attention should also be paid to the way in which two women are portrayed by the author. Artemisia Gentileschi focuses on Judith’s emotional struggle. In this way, the artist intensified the dramatic effect producing by this picture. These are the main questions that should be examined more closely.

It should be mentioned that this oil-on-canvas picture was painted in 1625. The work of art is based on the story of Judith, a Jewish widow who killed an Assyrian general Holofernes. He was planning to carry out an attack against the Jews, and he had to be stopped (Davies et al. 392). Judith was able to gain his confidence promising to give valuable information about the plans of Israelites. She beheaded Holofernes at the time, when he was drunk (Davies et al. 392).

This information is important for understanding the themes that Artemisia Gentileschi explores in his work. The title of this painting suggests the action takes place right after the decapitation (Davies et al. 392). One can see Judith gesture at her maidservant who packs the head of Holofernes. Thus, the painter tries to show how Judith and her servant live through these difficult moments. This is one of the details that should be singled out.

One can say that the dramatic effect is achieved in several ways. First of all, the painter relies on such as technique a technique as chiaroscuro which is the sharp contrast of dark and light. By looking at the candlelit room, the viewers can see that Judith and her maidservant have to operate in complete secrecy.

Moreover, they can be captured by the soldiers almost at any moment. Apart from that, one should also speak about such a method as tenebrism which means that darkness becomes almost the dominant part of a picture. This is one of the details that can be distinguished.

Moreover, one should speak about the rich palette of Artemisia Gentileschi’s painting. The author uses a vibrant yellow color which intensifies the contrast between light and dark. This approach is emulated by other artists who rely on chiaroscuro technique. It helps Artemisia Gentileschi to underline the sense of insecurity that these women struggle with.

Moreover, Artemisia Gentileschi focuses on the viewer’s attention on the complexity of Judith’s emotions. Her face is half hidden in the shade, and in this way, the painter might have tried to show the intensity of inner struggle within this character. In this way, the artist creates the sense of mystery.

The painters makes the viewers think about the conflicting feelings that could engulf Judith at that moment. On the one hand, she was able to save her people. Yet, at the same time, she had to commit a cold-blooded murder. This is the main ideas that she has to grapple with. It is difficult for her to reconcile these ideas.

Additionally, Artemisia Gentileschi does not want to emphasize the idea that Judith has just killed a person. Moreover, Holofernes’s head is almost hidden from view. However, a person’s glance is inevitably attracted to this horrible object. One can see that the maidservant does not want to look it.

Artemisia Gentileschi does not want to produce a long-lasting impression on viewers by portraying the scenes of violence. Instead, she wants to examine the aftermath of these events. This approach is also important for increasing the dramatic sense. Nevertheless, the image of Holofernes does not occupy the central part in this work of art. This is one of the details that can be identified, and it is important for the analysis of this painting.

It should be mentioned that Judith has been described in various artworks, and many of them were created during the Baroque period. However, Artemisia Gentileschi succeeded in portraying the emotions of this woman who has to sacrifice her moral integrity in order to save the Jewish people. This is one of her main achievements. This is why this painting is often singled out by art critics.

Overall, it is possible to argue that Artemisia Gentileschi’s painting is a great example of the Baroque art. The main strength of this picture is that the author is able to achieve a dramatic sense without focusing on the scene of beheading.

Although Artemisia Gentileschi does not depict the scene of decapitation, she prompts viewers to emphasize with this character who has to struggle with the idea that she has become a murderer. By using such artistic technique as chiaroscuro and tenebrism, the author manages to increase the dramatic effect. These are the main arguments that can be put forward.

Works Cited

Davies, Penelope, Frima Hofrichter, Joseph Jacobs, Ann Roberts, and David Simon. Janson’s Basic History of Western Art, New York: Pearson, 2013. Print.

The essence of the characters – Maggie Fitzgerald in Million Dollar Baby and Betty Ann Waters in Conviction – are completely different. Hilary Swank plays both the characters in the movies. In case of both the films, it seemed that the characters were right for Hilary Swank. The tomboyish character of Maggie is strong both physically and psychologically. On the other hand, Betty Ann is a strong-willed character.

Maggie Fitzgerald is a hillbilly who is poor, works as a waiter, and steals food to put together some savings (Swank, Eastwood and Freeman, Million Dollar Baby). Yet, she finds time and strength to train to become a professional boxer. Maggie is destitute, alone, and leads a non-significant life.

She yearns to become something special and so continually pressures Frankie Dunn to be her trainer. Swank plays the character to perfection. Never, for a moment, did she loose control of the reserve and composer of a woman who had faced all the hardships of life. There was no place for emotional outburst in her performance.

Betty Ann is a courageous working class single mother of two, who fights her way through law school to free her brother who, wrongly convicted of murder (Swank, Rockwell and Leo, Conviction). The objective of Betty Ann was to free her brother from being wrongly convicted for life. She shows courage and conviction to exonerate her brother. Her primary obstacles were her incomplete high school degree and her brother’s violent police record.

Her successes were marred with hurdles, all failures in her effort were due to her, and her brother’s past haunted her. She overcame the obstacle of her inefficiency as a person by passing through law school to be legally able to defend her brother. It took her sixteen years to become a lawyer and then petition the evidence to be reexamined. However, the evidence apparently, was destroyed after ten years. This added to the complex nature of the case.

However, after a lot of trouble, Betty managed to get hold of the evidence, and the DNA samples of the perpetrator’s did not match her brothers. However, the euphoria was short-run, as soon the DA’s office declared that there was enough evidence to hold her brother as an accomplice. Nevertheless, Betty’s conviction of her brother’s innocence helps her to fight her way through the system to acquit him.

Maggie as a character is introvert but she communicates strongly with her coach Frankie. She is responsive to the instructions and acts more of a man than a woman in the film. On the other hand, Betty Ann is an emotional person, who is essentially a woman. She laughs, cries, and expresses anger whenever the situation be so. Hilary Swank played two very different characters with equal ease.

Hilary Swank had completely altered her personality and body movements to portray to the roles of Betty Ann and Maggie. In Maggie, she internalized a boxer, who was strong and masculine, with little demonstration of emotions. On the other hand, in Betty Ann she played an emotional sister who loves her brother and sacrifices her life to exonerate him. She changes her voice to suit the characters – Maggie with a husky, masculine tone of speaking and with Betty Ann, a woman soft but strong willed.

In both the character, Swank fitted perfectly well. It almost appeared that two people played the roles rather than one. Her movements, manner of speaking, gestures, and body language altered to suit the need of the characters, never overdoing it.

Works Cited

Conviction. Dir. Tony Goldwyn. Perf. Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell and Melissa Leo.: Omega Entertainment. 2010. DVD.

Million Dollar Baby. Dir. Clint Eastwood. Perf. Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman.: Warner Bros. 2004. DVD.

During the period of the 1950s, the era of the Classical Hollywood Musicals was changed with the era of ‘rockumentaries’ which specific features responded to the needs of the developed society focused on sexuality, love, and freedom of expression. Rock and roll music emerged as the reaction to the social changes, and the development of rockumentaries as the film genre intensified the process.

The Classical Hollywood Musicals satisfied the needs of the audience during a long period of time, while reflecting the aspects of the society’s progress and people’s attitudes to the relations and definite values. Rockumentaries can be discussed as the reflection of the social trends developed during the 1950s-1960s because the focus on rock and roll music resulted in mirroring the elements of the music and musicians’ images in the form of films.

Thus, Michael Wadleigh’s Woodstock (1970) is an example of a successful rockumentary which attracted the audience’s attention because it depicted the aspects of the life interesting and urgent for the public. In spite of the fact that rockumentaries are characterized by their specific features which are different from the elements of musicals, such rockumentaries as Woodstock have the similarities with the Classical-era musicals in relation to the used themes and sources.

Many rockumentaries can be discussed as similar to the Classical-era musicals because of the topics’ choice and the focus on music as the central element of the film. Thus, the Classical-era musicals depicted the development of the people’s relations, their romantic feelings, their hidden sexual desire, and they intended to focus on discussing certain social questions.

All these aspects were presented in the creative musical form in order to illustrate the elements of the plot or the idea of the musical. According to Grant, the films which used rock and roll music were also worked out to answer the discussed problematic topics and to reveal the themes of personal relations, sexuality, and social issues (Grant 197-198).

However, the manner of discussing these aspects in rockumentaries differs significantly from the techniques used in musicals (Sarchett; Weiner). Nevertheless, the sources of these genres are similar, and the role of music in the film is accentuated. Referring to the example of Woodstock, Plasketes states “Michael Wadleigh’s Woodstock (1970) resembles a romantic musical comedy about a 400,000 member rock group that performs in the country and finds (or found) Utopia” (Plasketes 61).

From this point, the main differences are in the ways to present the information when the key topics discussed in musicals and rockumentaries can be explained with references to the basic people’s instincts and feelings which rule their actions and attitudes.

Thus, the question is in the way to represent and illustrate the definite topic or issue. Grant states that sexual themes were presented in musicals, but they became more explicitly discussed in rockumentaries with references to the idea of rock and roll music as free from limitations and oriented to love and peace (Grant 197-198).

The differences are in methods to provide the message for the public. If musicals were directed toward presenting the images of the people’s energy sublimation, rock and roll music and films were directed toward discussing the question openly and even violently.

Moreover, the iconographic images of rock musicians presented in rockumentaries are significantly different from the images of the actors performing in the Classical-era musicals. Thus, there are no actors in Woodstock, but there are charismatic rock musicians who attract more audience’s attention because of their extreme expressiveness than the imaginative characters presented in the musicals (“Woodstock”).

Although the Classical-era musicals are ideological in their nature, the social and political issues are perceived as more influential with references to rockumentaries which intend to reflect the realities with paying much attention to the details of the people’s life at the background of rock and roll music (Hall; Severn).

Nevertheless, the focus on the community is characteristic for both the musicals and rockumentaries (Telotte; Wert). Thus, “the Woodstock festival, as the film also depicts, can be interpreted as a political statement about the vision of the counterculture to establish a socialist society – a nation within a nation”, and moreover, “the music and images blend to illustrate this sense of innocence and the celebration of the rites of the new communal state of sharing” (Plasketes 61).

In this case, the community in musicals is discussed with references to the ideal family and American dream when the community in rockumentaries is the unity of free people oriented to peace and love.

Musicals and rockumentaries can be characterized by a lot of similarities as well as by differences. Following Michael Wadleigh’s Woodstock (1970), it is possible to state that there are many similarities in topics discussed in both film genres because of their importance for people. Nevertheless, the approaches which are used by the filmmakers are rather different as well as the final variants of the messages provided in order to draw the audience’s attention to the definite social or political issues.

Works Cited

Grant, Barry. “The Classical Hollywood Musical and the ‘Problem’ of Rock and Roll”. Journal of Popular Film and Television 13.4 (1986): 195–205. Print.

Hall, Jeanne. “Don’t You Ever Just Watch?’: American Cinema Verite and Dont Look Back”. Documenting the Documentary 1.1 (1998): 223-37. Print.

Plasketes, George. “Rock on Reel: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Culture In America Reflected in a Decade of ‘Rockumentaries’”. Qualitative Sociology 12.1 (1989): 55-71. Print.

Sarchett, Barry. “’Rockumentary” as Metadocumentary: Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltf”. Literature/Film Quarterly 22.1 (1994): 28-35. Print.

Severn, Stephen. “Robbie Robertson’s Big Break: A Reevaluation of Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz.” Film Quarterly 56.2 (2003): 25–31. Print.

Telotte, Jen. “Scorsese’s Last Waltz and the Concert Genre”. Film Criticism 4.2 (1979): 9-20. Print.

Weiner, Thomas. “The Rise and Fall of the Rock Film”. American Film 1.2 (1975): 25–29. Print.

Wert, William. “The Hamlet Complex, or, Performance in the Personality Profile Documentary”. Journal of Popular Film 3.3 (1974): 257-263. Print.

Woodstock. 1970. Web.

Marlon Brando is seen as one of the greatest actors who employed method acting. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) is one of the films where the actor’s performance can be regarded as an example of the effective use of the method acting techniques. This is an emotional story of a man who tries to build his happiness despite his ill temper. Such techniques as emotional memory, substitution and magic “if” help the actor create such a lively and appealing character.

Thus, examples of the use of emotional memory are quite numerous in the film. For instance, the scene where Stanley reveals his dreams to have a son is one of these examples (A Streetcar Named Desire). Notably, it is manageable to act out emotions of a man who is happy to have a son.

The scene where Stanley is playing cards with other men is also suggestive. Stanley gets more and more furious as he does not win (A Streetcar Named Desire). This emotion is also rather easy to act out as each person has witnessed such kind of emotions.

Admittedly, such techniques as substation and magic “if” are a bit more complicated to act out and trace. Nonetheless, these techniques are also employed by Brando in the film. For instance, the scene where Stanley clears the table is one of examples of substitution. It is clear that the situation when someone is telling a man what to do is unpleasant for the male.

It is also apparent that each man has had loads of such situations (especially in their childhood). Brando refers to all those cases when he was told what to do something to accumulate the fury necessary for the scene. The actor is very emotional when explaining who the king in their kingdom is. The actor’s emotions make the scene very lively and realistic.

As far as the magic “if” is concerned, it can be found in the scene where Stanley confronts Blanche and tells her everything he thinks about her (A Streetcar Named Desire). Brando manages to imagine he is the brutal man who is fed up with the woman’s behavior and lies. He acts out the joy of a man who understands his own flaws, but is eager to reveal the flaws in other people.

The magic “if” can also be traced in the one of the most famous scenes of the film. Stanley calls his wife Stella (A Streetcar Named Desire). He is desperate and he needs his wife badly. Here, the actor puts himself into his character’s shoes. He explores the feelings of a man who can lose the one he truly loves and cares about (in his peculiar way). Stanley is devastated he does not want to listen to anyone else. Only his wife can comfort him and she does come back.

It is necessary to note that this scene is also suggestive as it helps understand the inner conflict in Stanley. On the one hand, he is a brutish man who is accustomed to a working life. He is accustomed to being in charge of his family and he is the boss. He uses his physical strength to dominate in his house. His wife is submissive.

Even though she is trying to protest sometimes, Stanley strives for total control over his wife as well as her sister. Thus, the scene where Stanley is telling the women he is the king is one of the illustrations of this facet of his complicated character (A Streetcar Named Desire). He is often violent and brutish.

On the other, it is clear that he is attached to his wife and he loves her immensely. His despair in the scene with Stanley shouting out Stella’s name is obvious. He understands that he offends his wife too often. However, he can do nothing about his own behavior.

Therefore, his inner struggle is related to his nature and his love to his wife. He wants to be a better person for his Stella, but he is unlikely to become one as his temper will never change. Their marriage is also a reflection of Stanley’s inner struggle. They fight all the time, but they always end up in bed and everything starts over again.

It is necessary to note that the film is one of the cinematographic masterpieces. From an actor’s perspective, the film is a manual to learn by heart. Marlon Brando shows the ways actors should live the lives of their characters and become their characters. Method acting techniques are very effective and the film is the best evidence to support the assumption.

As an actor, I have learnt a lot from Brando and his character Stanley. Being emotional and being another person is rather hard. However, in the film, it is impossible to find an actor Brando as he is totally transformed into Stanley. One of the secrets of such successful acting is that Marlon Brando managed to believe he was Stanley. Therefore, he managed to convince the viewers he was Stanley as well.

On balance, it is possible to note that Marlon Brando is one of the greatest method actors. One of the films where Brando’s brilliant performance is manifested is A Streetcar Named Desire. This film is regarded as one of the most remarkable films and should be a kind of training material for actors who strive for achieving highest results in their career. The film will teach actors how to create a strong, lively and appealing character that will definitely remain in the history of world cinematography.

Works Cited

A Streetcar Named Desire. Ex. Prod. Charles K. Feldman. Burbank, CA: Warner Brothers. 1951. DVD.

Formal Perspective

The Chinese art-piece, which will be discussed in this paper, is the Spouted Ritual Water Vessel from the 7^th-6^th century B.C. (IMG_4028.JPG). The piece’s utilitarian purpose is concerned with its ability to hold liquids. It features a rather elongated spout and richly decorated handle and supporting legs.

The latter resemble of what could have been the legs of some mythical animal. The vessel’s outer sides also feature a fair amount of decorative elements. In its turn, this implies that there is indeed a good rationale to think of this particular art-piece, as such that has been greatly treasured by the affiliates of the concerned historical period in China. The fact that, as it can be seen on the picture, there are no signs of any visible wear on this water vessel, suggests that it has been used on rare occasions.

Technical perspective

Given the actual material, out of which the Spouted Ritual Water Vessel was made (bronze), we can well assume that, in terms of a technological development, the ancient Chinese were not falling behind ancient Greeks, for example. Apparently, in order to be able to produce bronze, people are supposed to possess a certain awareness of what happens when copper is being alloyed with tin.

This, however, can only be the case with those who have evolved to the point of being able to maintain a civilization of their own. The validity of this statement can also be illustrated in regards to the fact that, as the image of the Spouted Ritual Water Vessel points out too, its creators thoroughly mastered the technology of a lost-wax casting.

In essence, this technology is being concerned with artists making a wax-mold of whatever the object that they intend to produce, allowing a gypsum-cast to form around it, and filling the obtained cast with molten bronze. It is understood, of course, that the earlier mentioned technology implies that its affiliates, at the time of an ancient antiquity, were utterly industrious people, fully capable of remaining on the path of progress.

Social perspective

The Spouted Ritual Water Vessel has been mainly used for a variety of ritual purposes, such as symbolizing the fluidity of one’s life, during the course of religious ceremonies. The item’s rich ornamentation validates the legitimacy of this suggestion, as it implies the vessel’s high value, which in turn sheds doubts on the idea that the concerned art-piece could have been used as an ordinary household article.

The earlier provided suggestion presupposes that it was primarily the members of the China’s ruling class/nobility, for whom the Spouted Ritual Water Vessel was meant to serve initially. This is because the item’s rich decorations imply that, along with having been considered ‘sacred’, it has also been deemed utterly expensive.

Given the fact that there can be only a few doubts, in regards to the vessel’s significance, as a ritual item, we can well assume that it was primarily during the time of a religious worshiping that this art-piece used to be put in a practical use.

The vessel’s another use could have been concerned with helping diseased people to feel thoroughly ‘accommodated’ in the afterlife. For this purpose, the item would have been placed in the coffin along with the diseased individual. The soundness of this statement can be shown, in regards to how the ancient Chinese used to reflect upon the meaning of death.

Subcultures can be regarded as byproducts of development of certain trends in the society. At the same time, they also shape the development of the entire society. The films The Wild One (1954) and Quadrophenia (1979) reveal the impact certain subcultures have on the society and individuals.

It is necessary to note that the protagonists of the two films are very similar as they are lost and become members of gangs but they are also different in many respects. Notably, the two protagonists are shown from different perspectives and this helps to understand the major differences between the two young rebels.

Admittedly, it is impossible to claim that the two protagonists are totally different as they share a lot in common. First of all, they are young and they are trying to find their own paths. Young people tend to reject the conventions that rule in the world of their parents.

The 1950s and 1960s were the times of the development of new subcultures, the cultures of jazz and rock ‘n’ roll. These were the times when young men accumulated their angst and tried to rebel in many ways (Hebdige 51). Johnny and Jimmy are two rebellious teenagers who join gangs to find themselves.

It is necessary to note that both Johnny and Jimmy engage themselves in a variety of fights and really anti-social activities. More so, they also truly believe the way they behave is the right way to live. They also share their passion for their vehicles. The two protagonists play quite significant roles in their gangs (at least at some period of time). The two young men also learn how to develop relationships with girls as well as the outside world.

Nonetheless, there are more differences between the two protagonists than similarities. These differences can be accounted for the different angles the directors focus on. Notably, the issues of rebellious youth became common for cinematography only in the 1940-1950s (Doherty 73).

These films became very popular as they reflected the rebellious spirit of the youth of that era. It is also important to add that filmmakers tended to focus on different facets of the issue. Thus, Laszlo Benedek uses an emic approach. The relationships between different members of the gang are central to the film. Johnny has to handle issues within his gang. He is searching for his path. However, it is clear that this path is still within his gang.

Nonetheless, Franc Roddam takes an etic approach since he focuses on the interaction between the two worlds. The protagonist of the film interacts with the society (as he works in a company) and the gang. Jimmy stresses he does not want to be like the rest (Quadrophenia). Thus, Jimmy rejects the society and tries to become a part of a rebellious group. Though, it is not clear which side he will take. The ending is rather ambiguous and viewers have to develop their own options for Jimmy.

The different focuses of the films reveal the differences between the protagonists. One of the major differences is the character of the two young men. It seems that Johnny does not confront himself with the rest of the world as he only tries to live within his new reality. He is a well-natured man who means no harm to people.

He also tends to take care about those in need. His night ride with Kathy shows his respect and his values as he does not take advantage of the young girl (The Wild One). At the end of the film, Johnny reveals his best qualities and it is clear that he is a good person who simply has his own path.

Nonetheless, the focus on the confrontation between the two cultures (the society and the gang) reveals Jimmy’s restless and somewhat mean nature. He often gets into trouble and he has no respect for his parents. He abuses moral norms and tries to prove he is worthy in the gang (Savage 17).

When Jimmy understands that he is an outcast as he is not wanted in the gang, he happens to understand that gang is not for real. He manages to see that other member of the gang live within the society and adhere to major rules (Savage 17). However, he does not abandon the gang to become an effective member of the society. He only makes another mischievous thing and goes somewhere. Clearly, this confrontation resulted in Jimmy’s reluctance to live in the society, so he is still on his way looking for his path.

To sum up, it is possible to state that the two protagonists are very similar and different at the same time. They are both young and rebellious. However, they differ in terms of their personalities and the filmmakers stress the differences focusing on different angles. Hence, Johnny accepts his being a part of a subculture and remains a good person when interacting with the outer world. However, Jimmy’s confrontation with the society is only beginning and he is ready to be mean and violent while looking for his way in his life.

Works Cited

Doherty, Thomas. Teenagers and Teenpics: Juvenilization of American Movies. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 2010. Print.

Hebdige, Dick. Subculture: The Meaning of Style. New York: Routledge, 1979. Print.

Quadrophenia. Dir. Franc Roddam. London: The Who Films. 1979. DVD.

Savage, Jon. “I Don’t Wanna Be like Everybody Else.” Sight and Sound 7.2 (1997): 16-17. Print.

The Wild One. Dir. Laszlo Benedek. Culver City, CA: Columbia Pictures. 1954. DVD.

Gone with the wind is an American film that illustrates the life of young American residents during the civil war period. The main players in this movie include Ashley and Scarlett.

Both Ashley and Scarlett’s families are badly affected by the civil war, which forces men to leave their families to go and fight. Scarlett loses her spouse Charles curtly after their marriage. Charles dies in the civil war, and it is during this mourning period that Scarlett meets Rhett at a charity bazaar. Rhett discloses to Scarlett his desire for her during a dance, which she refutes.

Many men from Tara die as war twirls against the federation. Scarlett assists Melanie during her delivery without any medical assistance as a way to keep her pledge to Ashley. Afterwards, they return to Tara with the help of Rhett where Scarlett learns of her mother’s death and the deteriorating mental ability of her father. This makes her vow to protect and take care of herself and the rest of the family at all cost^[1].

After her father’s death, Scarlett finds herself in a very tricky situation where she cannot afford to pay her bills as required. She tries to convince Ashley to elope with her, but he cannot run away from his wife Melanie. As a result, Scarlett goes to Atlanta to ask Rhett for financial assistance, which he is not in a position to because his accounts have been blocked. In the process, Scarlett convenes Frank, and she persuades him to wed her.

According to this movie, civil war had both social and economic impacts on Americans. Economically, Scarlett finds herself in a position where she cannot pay taxes as expected. This is because economical operations were disrupted by the war were men had to leave their normal duties and operations to go to war^[2]. Social amenities like hospitals could not be easily accessible at this time. As a result, we find Melanie delivering her baby without any medical attention. This left those who survived on such an income in a devastating state.

Social disharmony was the greatest, and the most adverse effect that civil war had on Americans. Many young families where broken during this period. Men did not have time to stay close to their loved ones as the government expected them to be at war. In addition, the young populace lost subsists in the fight. As seen in the movie, Scarlett loses her first husband at war, and many other men from her region die at the war break out. Social misconducts such as rape grow sore during this period^[3].

As recorded in the movie, Scarlett escapes rape twice something that results to death of two different people one on each incidence. Accordingly, many natives became destitute or without any family connection. At the last part of the movie, Scarlett is not only an urchin, but also a widow. Such combinations of occurrences are a big blow on an individual’s social life. Ashley’s life is left in turmoil too; when his wife, the only family he had dies.

Bibliography

Foner, Eric. Give me liberty! : An American history. New York: W.W. Norton, 2013.

O’Hara, Scarlet, and Rhett Butler.”Gone with the wind”. A Civil War Epic. 2013. Web.

Footnotes

1. Scarlet O’Hara, and Rhett Butler, “Gone with the wind”, A Civil War Epic.
2. Eric Foner, Give me liberty! : An American history (New York: W.W. Norton, 2013), 27-37.
3. Ibid., 38-45.

A rock band called “Bloc Party” with a CD titled “Four” has already received several reviews. Most are positive but some are negative. The positive ones comment on the distinctly sounding melodies and riffs while other people would say that the band has nothing special. In reality, the specificity and the unique sound that the band produces can be seen as a somewhat new direction and a great variation to everything that was created before (Four [Deluxe Edition] 2013).

The style is a mixture of old and modern rock where the band does not try to copy some sort of style but has their own. Some places can be closer to the heart of classical rock listeners and other parts are more dense and modern. The interchange between upbeats, pauses and the increasing, as well as slowing down tempo create a perspective that can be noticed throughout.

The drumming can be said to be one of key features of the band’s style because it gives the songs a new and more aggressive sounding, connecting with a larger audience of fast pace and variant drumming. It also caters to the public that is focused on leaving a “reckless” life and wants to jam to the beats. Some critics might say that there is too much effort to make the sounding different but it is just enough to provide a refreshing sound that is original from the songs written previously.

Just as any band, there are songs that are superb and become instant hits, and there are those that require a person to listen in closely and find something in the song that resonates with the deeper thoughts and emotions. In the end, it would be impossible to make sure that everyone likes the band equally or at all, as there is no arguing tastes and preferences.

Works Cited

Four [Deluxe Edition] 2013. Web.

Showing a political conflict through a personal drama is not an easy task, especially when introducing a period in history of a state whose culture and traditions are exotic to Europe and the U.S. However, Zhang Yimou has managed to do a very decent job of portraying the history of the Great Leap Forward period by telling a story of a typical Chinese family and the relationships between typical people.

By incorporating impressive and very realistic visuals, that allow for sinking into the Chinese culture, together with the description of the Chinese family values and traditions shown through the interaction between Fugui, Jiazhen, and their children, as well as the elements pointing at the obvious political conflict (i.e., the striking contrast between Fugui’s poverty and the wealth of Long’er), Yimou has managed to create a unique and very vivid interpretation of the Great Leap Forward and its effect on the Chinese people.

The movie has a very distinct relation to the Confucian philosophy. As a matter of fact, the environment in which the lead characters live is pretty close to the ones in which the Confucian teaching was started. According to the existing historical accounts, Confucianism was started in the so-called Spring and Autumn Period (Wang 253), when the whole state was literally torn apart by the discrepancies in the foreign and domestic policies due to the atomism of the state.

Offering family and religion as the stronghold of China, Confucianism, therefore, stressed the importance of family and its values, which is nowhere shown as graphically as in To Live. Though Fugui starts out as a gambler, he finally realizes the true value of a family: “’What did you name our son?’ – ‘Don’t Gamble’” (To Live). As his son dies due to a freak accident, he comforts his wife and turns into a real head of the family, therefore, seeing its members through the crisis.

The movie also renders a number of issues concerning the movements in China of the time. To Live portrays the independent movement in a very efficient manner. Yimou makes it clear that people were fighting for a cause: “If I weren’t looking for my brother, I wouldn’t be wearing this uniform” (To Live).

Another great scene, in which Fugui talks to his son about the way in which every single element of life is intertwined, should be mentioned. Speaking of what happens to the chickens when they grow up, Fugui actually creates a big metaphor for Chin: “Little Bun won’t ride on an ox…he’ll ride trains and planes… and life will get better and better” (To Live).

This scene summarizes the transformation of China in a nutshell. Though the state had to pass through a number of painful moments, it still needed this war to claim its rights for freedom.

By far one of the greatest films ever produced to show a historical drama through a personal conflict, To Live might seem a rather dark and depressing story that views life ad a cadence of pointless events, unfair rules and death as a relatively merciful way to leave. However, it is rather a manifestation of the need to struggle to survive.

As it has been mentioned above, Long’er’s wife’s suicide can be viewed as her inability to handle the complexities of live, whereas the strength of Fugui’s family proves that with a decent moral standpoint and enough faith, a human can survive the worst times in history.

Works Cited

To Live. Dir. Zhang Yimou. Perf. Ge You, Gong Li and Nu Ben. Samuel Godwyn/Era International Film Studios. 1994. DVD.

“The Last Emperor” is a Chinese 1987 epic film, directed by Bertolucci Bernardo. The film is based on the life of Emperor Pu Yi, who was the last individual to reign as Emperor in China. It derives most of its narrative from Pu Yi’s autobiography titled “From Emperor to Citizen: The Autobiography of Aisin-Gioro Pu Yi”.

In this book, the former emperor documents his journey from being an Emperor to an ordinary Chinese citizen. The movie depicts events that took place over a period of 60 years. During this time, China underwent radical transformation due to the significant social-political events that occurred over the time span.

The film begins in 1950 in a Chinese Prison, where Pu Yi has been taken as a political prisoner. After a failed attempt to end his life, the Emperor begins to have flashbacks of his earlier years. His first memories are of how he became the Emperor after being named successor to Empress Dowager Ciwi who was dying. This was in the year 1908 and Pu Yi was only 2 years old. Following this declaration, the young Pu Yi moved to the Forbidden City, which was the official home of the emperor.

The film shows Pu Yi’s early life where many eunuchs and private tutors served him. It then illustrates how Pu Yi was forced to give up power after the Chinese Revolution of 1911. After this, he continued to serve as a figurehead and was allowed to maintain his luxurious lifestyle in the Forbidden City. However, a warlord banished the Emperor from the Forbidden City in 1924 forcing him to live in exile.

After 6 years in exile, Pu Yi moved to Manchuria, which was his native land. While in this region, the Japanese occupational forces reinstated him as a puppet head. His reign ended when Russian forces captured him at the end of the Second World War. The Russians kept him under arrest up to 1950 when he is returned to communist China.

Here Pu Yi underwent reeducation under Mao’s reign. At the end of the reeducation efforts, he took up the occupation of a gardener and lived a humble life. While living the life of a simple gardener, Pu Yi was able to visit the Forbidden City as a tourist and he looked at the Dragon Throne, where he once reigned from, with mixed emotions.

The film has a number of major characters: Emperor Pu Yi, who is the film’s central figure; Emperor’s wife, Wanrong Gobulo, who comes from a royal background and stays with Pu Yi until the end of World War II; Scottish Reginald Fleming, who served as the tutor to the young emperor and provided Pu Yi with knowledge about the outside world and inspired the young emperor to travel outside the Forbidden City; and Chen Baochen, the emperor’s personal advisor and tutor, who remained loyal to the Qing dynasty even after it collapses.

The film covers events that took place between 1908 and 1967. This gives the film major social-historical dimensions, since China underwent a number of significant changes in this turbulent period.

The first major event covered by the film is the succession of Empress Dowager Cixi by the 2-year-old Pu Yi. The film then addressed the 1911 revolution that marked the start of modern China as it abolished the monarchy and established a republic under president Dr. Sun Yat Sen. This event led to Emperor Pu Yi being forced to give up his official powers.

The film then records that the emperor was forced out of the Forbidden City in 1924. At around this time, the 13-year-old Chinese Republic was experiencing some problems as the ruling party was becoming more authoritarian in nature.

The problems experienced by the state escalated when the ruling Kuomintang party split with the Communist Party. The Kuomintang banned the Communist Party and imprisoned most of its top leaders. This led to the Communist Party making plans to overthrow the Kuomintang and bring about a Communist Revolution in China.

The realities of Japanese expansionist trends in Asia during the 1930s are highlighted in the film. It documents how Japan was able to take over the region of Manchuria and govern over it from 1931 to 1945. Emperor Pu Yi was installed as the puppet ruler in order to add legitimacy to Japanese rule. Pu Yi was responsible for signing a number of treaties that increased Japanese power in the occupied territory. This puppet state ended after the Allied forces defeated Japan and the Second World War came to an end.

Another significant period covered by the movie is the Cultural Revolution under Mao Zedong. Mao took leadership of China in 1949 and set out to eliminate the old establishment and replace it with a strong Communist State. During the first years of his rule, China experienced the Cultural Revolution that had a major impact on the social and political environment in the country.

The revolution was started by peasants in the countryside who wanted to do away with the decadence of the rich. One of the ways in which the new order was brought about was by destroying the property owner class and re-educating the upper class. The Emperor was one of the individuals who underwent reeducation in Mao’s China.

In my opinion, the film succeeds in capturing the social and political environment in China during the lifetime of Pu Yi. It succeeds in demonstrating how the country underwent a transformation due to significant events including the 1911 revolution, the Japanese invasion, the Second World War, and the Chinese Communist Revolution in 1949.

The film effectively highlights the dramatic changes that China underwent from monarchy to republic. This transformation is best exemplified by the Forbidden City, which was once owned by the Emperor, but later becomes a public area.

The film does not place equal weight on all the important issues it addresses. An issue that emerged strongly in the film was the wastefulness of the imperial era. The film demonstrates that the emperor never performed any activity for himself. Pu Yi was forced to learn how to perform basic tasks for himself through reeducation.

The issues that are not well demonstrated by the film are the negative aspects of the reeducation that took place during the Cultural Revolution. The film does not make it clear that during this period, hundreds of thousands of landowners were disposed or executed. Many intellectuals in the country were sent to the rural areas where they engaged in hard labor as a form of reeducation.

The most important thing that I learnt about China from this film was that there was an extreme level of extravagance by the Emperor during the monarchy days. The film clearly displays the lavishness of the Forbidden City, where Pu Yi lived. The palace is enormous in size, and it is filled with expensive furniture and ornaments.

We are shown hundreds of servants who do everything for the Emperor and kneel before him in respect. This information made me understand why the Chinese people carried out a revolution against the monarchy and formed a republic, which later on became the Communist State of China. The oppressive socio-political environment advanced by the monarchy fueled the revolution that made Pu Yi the last emperor.