The aspect of traditional Hollywood entertainment is presented in the beginning of the sequence. People are dancing, laughing, and drinking, a familiar environment depicted in so many films. There is a sense of Utopianism in the way the party is shown it has more energy and more abundance in character if compared to the day-to-day reality1. In the scene, the camera follows Gilda, who dances with a stranger, and when Johnny alerted her that the husband was showing, flirts with the stranger, gives him her phone number, and leaves swiftly. The camera leads her and Johnny to the table, where Ballin Mundson waited for his wife. In the scene where the three of them are sitting behind the table, the camera shifts its gaze to focus on different participants of the conversation. According to Maltby, the shifting gaze allows viewers not only to explore the space but also understand its meanings through identifications of and with characters 2. This cinematic method is beneficial for letting viewers into the space of the characters and participate in the action that they are experiencing.
In the scene where Gilda is lying on her bed, and her husband Ballin comes in and sits next to her, there is a distinct focus of the camera on the womans emotions. As Gilda lays her head on her husbands lap, the frame is fixed on her face and expressions that she makes. In the nonchalant banter, her face is relaxed, eyes looking down. The good-bad girl is exposed in this short sequence. When she realizes that her husband knows about her knowing Johnny before, her facial expression changes, eyes wide open, glancing in different directions. When she gets up, Gilda looks straight into Ballins eyes but proceeds to lie. Her character has distinct features of the method used in American cinema to use the goodness and the badness in women to make them more appealing3. Playing on her vulnerability, Gilda then falls face down on her plush pillows. As her husband proceeds talking, the camera focuses on Gilda who is riddled by her own feelings
In the casino scene, the movements of the camera translate the erratic behavior and the confusion Gilda experienced. She leaves the casino table after a snarky remark made by a man, and goes on to have a smoke. At the same time, viewers see a short man with a moustache entering, also with a worried expression on his face. Both Gilda and the man are worried and lost in the chaos of the casino, which provokes sympathy among viewers. This aligns with the appeal of Hollywood movies, that along with aesthetic unity and the diversity of characters make audiences live through different emotions4. The sense of confusion follows Gilda and the man. While he is refused from making low bets at the table, she encounters a cleaner who sees her distressed expression and makes and calls her lonely and frustrated. The sequence then shows an angry conversation between Ballin and the man with the moustache. They argue about business, and the sequence uses the space method again, changing shots from Ballins face and his opponents. Notably, Ballin is much taller than the man, and when the camera shows his face, his glance is directed down, showing superiority. When the mans face is shown, he is almost cropped from the camera shot, which underlines his vulnerable position.
Bibliography
Maltby, Richard. Hollywood Cinema. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2003.
Footnotes
Richard Maltby, Hollywood Cinema (Oxford: Blackwell Publishers, 2003), 37.
Magical narratives are stories that happen in two dimensions: the real world and the magical or mysterious world. The second dimension is always full of controversy, as not everyone can perceive it. Magic can often be explained through skeptical analysis and people talking about the mysterious world are often considered psychologically unhealthy. An example of a magical narrative is Nosferatu the Vampyre directed by Herzog (1979) as it offers a tale that includes two dimensions.
One of the most vivid examples of the dualistic narration is the phenomenon of the ghost ship that arrives at Wismar populated only by rats and dead people. From the skeptical point of view, all the crewmembers died from the plague that was brought to the ship by rats.
However, the magical explanation of the matter differs considerably, as it was Count Dracula who killed all the people on board. Lucy was trying to warn the townspeople about the danger, and nobody believed her, as she was considered maddened by death spreading around the town. Therefore, the ship coming to Wismar is a magnificent illustration of the two dimensions in magical narratives.
The second example of the movies dual nature is Draculas death. The vampire dies as the sun touches his skin after a fight with Lucy. Dr. Van Helsing arrives at the house to witness Lucys death and triumph over evil. However, Herzog (1979) lets a careful viewer wonder if the matter was real, as Johnathan blames Van Helsing for his wifes death. In short, the film leaves the question of Lucys death open for discussion.
In conclusion, Nosferatu the Vampyre is a vivid illustration of the dualistic world that includes the magical and the ordinary dimensions that interweave to create a masterpiece.
Reference
Herzog, M. (Producer/Director). (1979). Nosferatu the Vampyre. Germany: Werner Herzog Filmproduktion.
The differences and similarities of the book and movie version of The Blind Side can be understood by looking at how the author Michael Lewis and the director attempted to inform and entertain their respective audiences. It can also be explained by the strengths and limitations of the medium that they used. There is a big difference in how a writer can talk about the details of a particular subject matter and how a movie director can fit everything and tell a good story in just two hours of film.
But when simplified even further the movie version differs from the book because the author wanted to show the evolution of how American football is played and conducted using the story of Michael Oher the protagonist as some sort of a case study while the movie version wanted to showcase the extraordinary story of Michael Oher and how his life can be used as a model to inspire others to live life and reach ones potential even if the odds are stack against that person.
About the Game
The focus of the book was the evolution of the game. The movies focus was on the triumph of the human spirit and understandably so because the movie was marketed as an inspirational movie. It was created to make the audience feel good. This does not mean that the movie completely strayed far from the spirit of the authors work. It is simply about the need to focus on one story.
The author can tackle a major issue and then have enough space to talk about an example of how the game has totally been transformed by including the inspiring and yet true-to-life story of Michael Oher. On the other hand director, John Lee Hancock cannot afford to totally copy the format of the book and adapt everything to the screen because as mentioned it is impossible given the limitations of the medium used.
The book had a lengthy introduction about a football hero named Lawrence Taylor and why he was a terror in the football field (Lewis, p. 16). The author even claimed that Jerry Sizemore, an NFL professional who played for the Philadelphia Eagles quit because of fear as to what Taylor will do to him during an actual game (Lewis, p. 16).
And this framed the introduction as to why the game has evolved football has always been known for the grace and athleticism of the quarterback working in perfect unity with the receiver and the rest of the team. But Lewis pointed out that when Taylor arrived at the scene, he changed the way football was played because of the strength, speed, agility, and violence he brings with him.
The game had to evolve not because of Taylors prowess but due to his effectiveness to disrupt play, intimidate opponents, and most importantly to win games. He was so successful in fact that football coaches began to scout for athletes that have the same profile, height, body weight, etc. Lewis summed it all up by explaining how a defender should play according to Taylors point of view and Taylor said: Ill drive my helmet into him, or, if I can, Ill bring my arm up over my head and try to ax the sonuvabitch into two.
So long as the guy is holding the ball, I intend to hurt him & If I hit the right, Ill hit a nerve and hell feel electrocuted, hell forget for a few seconds that hes on a football field (Lewis, p.17) If not for the word football field at the end of that statement one can be forgiven if he or she thought that the author was talking about martial arts, not the game that America loves.
The brutal language appropriately used to describe the heightened violence in American football could never find its way to the movie because the vision of the director with regards to the target audience and what portion of the material to emphasize in the film version was about the miracle of Michael Ohers rise from extreme poverty to football stardom.
The goal of the author was not only to tell about the inspiring story of Michael Oher but more importantly to tell about the evolution of the game and how it had become one of the most dangerous games in the planet.
While Lewis wrote a great deal about the offense, defense, Lawrence Taylor, and the business side of football in the introductory portion of the book, the movie version spent less time talking about the NFL and even college football, however the director was able to combine everything and provided the backdrop for the story by showing a documentary film about the importance of a good offensive unit because a quarterback can be vulnerable in his blindside.
The short clip provided a much better way to understand what Lewis tried to explain about the so-called blindside. This is one of the few examples why an audio-visual presentation like a movie is much better than reading a book, but in other aspects, the author was able to talk more about the details of football and why Michael Oher was an extraordinary story in the world of American football.
About Michael Oher
Lewis saw the life of Michael Oher as an example of the best and worst of college football, U.S. athletics, and football as a game and as a business. So the book was not all about Michael Oher but also about football. The author wrote several chapters about the marketing of football players, coaches, and how the game is currently being played.
He wanted to use the story of Oher to show that a football scholarship is something that can be seen as a blessing and sometimes a tool used by schemers who do not really care about the welfare and the future of the athletes they recruited, for they simply wanted the glory that is associated with it.
In the book, Lewis highlighted the fact that Briarcrest Christian School looked the other way when they knew without a doubt that Michael Oher could not maintain the high academic standards that the school requires.
They decided to ignore this very important aspect of his enrollment because an athletics coach of Briarcrest saw the potential of Oher to dominate the competition (Lewis, p.331). This, of course, an unethical thing to do, a dilemma that the school had to deal with and provided another backdrop to what would happen next to Ohers life as a football player.
But in the movie version, the ethical problem regarding recruitment was not highlighted, in fact, it can be said that the producer of the movie did not want to get deep into the controversy. What the producer and the director focused on was the struggle that Oher had to face with and deal with as an oversize black student studying in a highly competitive and predominantly white school.
The book also trained the spotlight on how coaches and the staff of some of the most popular college football teams had to employ what can be considered as tactics reserved for the professional leagues. They behaved like pirates in the high seas and treated the recruitment process as if they are on war.
This was also evident in the movie version but it was toned down. The impression of the audience of the selection process was intense but at the same time exhilarating. The movie did not touch on the more controversial aspects of the recruitment process. This is why it is called a feel-good movie.
Similarities
It has now become clear that the movie version was unable to stay one hundred percent true to the original intent of the writer. Nevertheless, there were many similarities and many times the storyline of the movie and the information that one can come across by reading the book has intersected and most of it has something to do with the extraordinary character of Michael Oher and of course the members of the Tuohy family.
The way these peoples lives were celebrated was obvious in the book and in the movie version. The way the movie portrayed the life of Michael Oher and the way the author wrote about him has the same effect on the reader of the book as well as the audience of the film.
The most important feature of the film and the book was in describing how multiple foster homes and the experience of not having to have stability in life has shaped the worldview of Oher. The book also highlighted the fact that Ohers talent and even determination would never be enough without the Tuohy family.
As extraordinary as Oher is, his early failures and troubled past could have brought him to the depths of despair where his physical prowess cannot help him. The book and the movie were able to show very clearly that the poverty and gangs related violence found in inner-city Memphis was like a deathtrap that no orphan can ever conquer.
Conclusion
It must be expected that the movie version can only focus on a small part of the book. The producer and director of the movie had to contend with the limitations of film. The author intended to talk about the evolution of the game, both the good and the bad effects, but the movie was content to talk about the triumph of Oher and the Tuohy family. Nevertheless, there were similarities such as the moving story of how Oher was able to overcome against great odds.
Works Cited
Lewis, Michael. The Blind Side (Movie Tie-In Edition). New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2009.
The Blind Side. Dir. John Lee Hancock. Perf. Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron and Kathy Bates. Warner Brothers Pictures, 2009. Film.
The Hunger Games is a trilogy authored by Suzanne Collins. The author gives a story of a woman who aims at achieving the ultimate prize. The film director, Gary Ross, presents the contents of the book in a film in concise way. Even though some contents are left out, the book presents the ideas of the author in a simple way.
In other words, he simplifies the concepts that are unclear in the book. A number of differences between the book and the movie exit. A brief analysis of the interview that covers Seneca Cranes work on the seventy-fourth general meeting of the Hunger games helps in developing a notion of a moving environment outside Katniss personal feelings. This brings on board the capitol and other key players.
In the book, District 12 has the right to look after its own affairs. This is not clearly illustrated in the movie as less time is shared with people who live there. The film does not show the family of Gale and at the same time, Peetas father is not shown. This is in spite of the fact that the family relationship between Gale and Katniss is important. This eventually makes it difficult to expose the family ties of Katniss (Collins 37).
Whereas the book illustrates that Katniss is not given the mocking jay pin as a token of appreciation for her tribute to Rue, the movie is different. The relationship between the two sisters is evident when Katniss gives the icon to Prim before her departure. She had bought the pin at the Hob.
She also explains how protective the pin would be to her sister. As much as Peeta is emotionally attached to Katniss, the book develops a balanced strategy between his intellect and prowess. Peeta is willing to do all he can to protect Katniss. The movie portrays Peeta as an individual who does not have the mechanism for personal survival. The time spent by Katniss while in the woods is not given sufficient coverage in the movie.
This means that the movie fails to illustrate her fighting spirit the way it is presented in the novel. Compared to the book, the movie covers Seneca and President Snaw in a better way. The capacity they have concerning what they are capable of doing, as well as showing how life is full of up hills, are some of the issues the movie covers properly (Collins 78).
In an attempt to set the stage for subsequent scenes, District 2 goes against the wishes of Rue yet it is expected that she will be given bread for her effort. This part creates disharmony in the flow of events, especially to a viewer who has not read the whole novel. Irrespective of Gales importance in Katniss life, he is given a very limited coverage in the first scene. The book is clear in creating the triangle of love involving Katniss, Gale, and Peeta.
The film creates a confusing moment in the murder of Cato. Katniss role in Catos death is mild and not well brought out. Though he dies from injuries after he was stabbed with an arrow, Cato had lost hope in life following the realization that his life was worthless. The differences that are seen when a movie and the novel are compared do not indicate failure ineffectiveness in the side of the producer. His efforts are worth appreciating, as the job done was exemplary.
Works Cited
Collins, Suzanne. Catching fire. New York: Scholastic Inc, 2009. Print.
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Inc, 2009. Print.
Twelve Angry Men is a 1957 play set in the court of law in New York City. The play entails an overheated courthouse where an 18-year-old young man faces trial for killing his dad. At the beginning of the film, the panel members talked casually and made it evident that the man was guilty. The first round of voting yielded eleven guilty votes and one non-guilty vote, which came from Juror 8. According to Juror 8, the other Juror ought to intensely discuss facts before making the final decisions. The other judges reacted violently against the dissenting vote leading to a discussion on why the judges thought the Puerto Rican boy was guilty, hoping to convince Juror 8 to adopt similar ideologies. Contrarily, Juror number 8 persuasively allowed the other jurors to review facts logically, leading to a unanimous not guilty verdict. Indeed, the movie revolves around Juror 8s persuasion skills to acquit the young man regardless of his colleagues opposition. Juror 8 got various traits like inductive reasoning, kairos, phronesis, demeanor, and body language, making it easy to persuade the other jurors to analyze facts and make a unanimous, not guilty decision.
Juror 8s Persuasion Skills
Juror 8s intelligence and inductive reasoning helped him overpower other judges decisions and persuaded them to acquit the boy of the criminal charges. Through the keen synthesis of the provided evidence, Juror 8 developed a general principle and influenced their colleagues viewpoints. The Judge stated that he could not send the boy a death sentence without discussing it first and questioned whether he was automatically guilty because the slums were breeding grounds for criminals. An excellent example of inductive reasoning was when Juror 8 brought up the question of the main witness in the case. Although the man had attested that he overheard the boy yell, Im going to kill you, Juror 8 questioned the mans ability to listen to the exact words in an elevated passing train. Juror 8 made brilliant connections and rhetorical questions about the testimonies and proved that the older man could not hear those exact words. Besides, the inductive reasoning led Juror 8 to conclude that the witnesses poor eyesight and physical health could not allow the witness to identify the boy on the train. His logical reasoning led him to discover his practical wisdom (phronesis) by showing that the criminal used a downward stabbing movement, proving that the man who killed him was taller. Hence, Juror 8 is a clever man with more significant inductive reasoning, which made him identify the flaws in the testimonies and convince the jury members that some presented facts may, at times, be wrong.
Juror 8 also uses the right or opportune moment (Kairos) to challenge the witnesses and change the verdict of the other jury members. The Judge used kairos, timeliness, symmetry, balance, etiquette, and awareness of rhetorical circumstances that open moments of opportunity. Juror 8s persuasion skill helped him convince the other judges that the young man was innocent. The talent is evident in the scene where Juror 8 asked about the presentation of the knife, which matched the one he had in his pocket. The other eleven jurors had defined the tool as unusual and rare, and Juror 8 allowed the 4th Judge to open and manipulate the knife at some point. However, Juror 8 used this perfect timing to question the possibility of a similar type of knife. At this moment, he stood up and produced the knife he had in his pocket to expose the pawn in the brokers comments. Although the Juror had a chance to present the knife during another period of the court battle, he used this perfect timing to persuade the judges by creating an emotional and intellectual impact.
Juror 8 has an outstanding appearance and body language that makes it easy to persuade others and avoid intimidation from the majority of judges. While Juror 7 tried to force his opinions and thoughts on Juror 8, the eighth Judge listened respectfully and calmly while stating his own, without returning sevens attitude. Juror 8 practiced greater concession to the comments of Judge 7, whose opinions had annoying accusations. The Judge had more remarkable perseverance and resilience in seeking justice for the young man, making him use rhetorical jiu-jitsu to present his ideas in a rather non-accommodative and hostile environment. For instance, when Juror 3 became highly agitated with eights reasoning and began shouting, raging, screaming, and even lunging when speaking, Judge 8 responded to all the comments with the same tone that he used throughout the film. He showed calmness and more significant volume control in his heated debate with Jurors 7 and 3 since he did not bother to snap back at them but focused on his theory with a clear head. In sum, Juror 8 convinced the other jury members due to his eunoia (good personality) and more incredible soft skills like logic and reasoning, negotiation, emotional intelligence, communication, sense, and reasoning skills.
Notably, his ability to recreate the incident scene made it possible for the jury to recognize their erroneous and dramatic assumption. Juror 8 used phronesis to play the incident set to describe the state of the fathers body after the murder and persuade the judges nearer to an image to illustrate what happened. Using rhetorical jiu-jitsu, Juror 8 showed that it was impossible for the historical man, who claimed to have witnessed the ordeal, to limb to the front door within 15 seconds to catch the boy running down the staircase. The jury members slowly enacted the crime scene to determine how the witnesses offered false testimonies. The re-enactment allowed the jury to analyze how anyone other than the Puerto Rican boy could have killed the man. The re-enactment of the scenes in the case permitted Juror 8 to convince the other judges to evaluate the topic, which made them support his idea that the boy was not guilty.
Conclusion
The movie 12 Angry Men revolves around using Juror 8s persuasion skills like inductive reasoning, kairos, phronesis, demeanor, and body language to persuade the jury to analyze the presented case inductively. The entire film depicts Juror 8 as an excellent influencer due to his enhanced ability to reason as a friendly high leader in making changes to peoples opinions in the jury room. The Judge employs favorable personality traits and skills while defending the accused. He presented his arguments like a lawyer and proved his arguments throughout the play without being personally involved. The lack of Juror 8s Eunoia and persuasive skills would have led to more significant prejudice over the boys case, making him accountable for the offense and preventing justice. The film 12 Angry Men is an educative piece of work that can help elaborate the role of leadership in reducing rivalries and constructively integrating opposing views to develop effective decisions and coalitions.
The differences and similarities of the book and movie version of The Blind Side can be understood by looking at how the author Michael Lewis and the director attempted to inform and entertain their respective audiences. It can also be explained by the strengths and limitations of the medium that they used. There is a big difference in how a writer can talk about the details of a particular subject matter and how a movie director can fit everything and tell a good story in just two hours of film.
But when simplified even further the movie version differs from the book because the author wanted to show the evolution of how American football is played and conducted using the story of Michael Oher the protagonist as some sort of a case study while the movie version wanted to showcase the extraordinary story of Michael Oher and how his life can be used as a model to inspire others to live life and reach ones potential even if the odds are stack against that person.
About the Game
The focus of the book was the evolution of the game. The movies focus was on the triumph of the human spirit and understandably so because the movie was marketed as an inspirational movie. It was created to make the audience feel good. This does not mean that the movie completely strayed far from the spirit of the authors work. It is simply about the need to focus on one story.
The author can tackle a major issue and then have enough space to talk about an example of how the game has totally been transformed by including the inspiring and yet true-to-life story of Michael Oher. On the other hand director, John Lee Hancock cannot afford to totally copy the format of the book and adapt everything to the screen because as mentioned it is impossible given the limitations of the medium used.
The book had a lengthy introduction about a football hero named Lawrence Taylor and why he was a terror in the football field (Lewis, p. 16). The author even claimed that Jerry Sizemore, an NFL professional who played for the Philadelphia Eagles quit because of fear as to what Taylor will do to him during an actual game (Lewis, p. 16).
And this framed the introduction as to why the game has evolved football has always been known for the grace and athleticism of the quarterback working in perfect unity with the receiver and the rest of the team. But Lewis pointed out that when Taylor arrived at the scene, he changed the way football was played because of the strength, speed, agility, and violence he brings with him.
The game had to evolve not because of Taylors prowess but due to his effectiveness to disrupt play, intimidate opponents, and most importantly to win games. He was so successful in fact that football coaches began to scout for athletes that have the same profile, height, body weight, etc. Lewis summed it all up by explaining how a defender should play according to Taylors point of view and Taylor said: Ill drive my helmet into him, or, if I can, Ill bring my arm up over my head and try to ax the sonuvabitch into two.
So long as the guy is holding the ball, I intend to hurt him & If I hit the right, Ill hit a nerve and hell feel electrocuted, hell forget for a few seconds that hes on a football field (Lewis, p.17) If not for the word football field at the end of that statement one can be forgiven if he or she thought that the author was talking about martial arts, not the game that America loves.
The brutal language appropriately used to describe the heightened violence in American football could never find its way to the movie because the vision of the director with regards to the target audience and what portion of the material to emphasize in the film version was about the miracle of Michael Ohers rise from extreme poverty to football stardom.
The goal of the author was not only to tell about the inspiring story of Michael Oher but more importantly to tell about the evolution of the game and how it had become one of the most dangerous games in the planet.
While Lewis wrote a great deal about the offense, defense, Lawrence Taylor, and the business side of football in the introductory portion of the book, the movie version spent less time talking about the NFL and even college football, however the director was able to combine everything and provided the backdrop for the story by showing a documentary film about the importance of a good offensive unit because a quarterback can be vulnerable in his blindside.
The short clip provided a much better way to understand what Lewis tried to explain about the so-called blindside. This is one of the few examples why an audio-visual presentation like a movie is much better than reading a book, but in other aspects, the author was able to talk more about the details of football and why Michael Oher was an extraordinary story in the world of American football.
About Michael Oher
Lewis saw the life of Michael Oher as an example of the best and worst of college football, U.S. athletics, and football as a game and as a business. So the book was not all about Michael Oher but also about football. The author wrote several chapters about the marketing of football players, coaches, and how the game is currently being played.
He wanted to use the story of Oher to show that a football scholarship is something that can be seen as a blessing and sometimes a tool used by schemers who do not really care about the welfare and the future of the athletes they recruited, for they simply wanted the glory that is associated with it.
In the book, Lewis highlighted the fact that Briarcrest Christian School looked the other way when they knew without a doubt that Michael Oher could not maintain the high academic standards that the school requires.
They decided to ignore this very important aspect of his enrollment because an athletics coach of Briarcrest saw the potential of Oher to dominate the competition (Lewis, p.331). This, of course, an unethical thing to do, a dilemma that the school had to deal with and provided another backdrop to what would happen next to Ohers life as a football player.
But in the movie version, the ethical problem regarding recruitment was not highlighted, in fact, it can be said that the producer of the movie did not want to get deep into the controversy. What the producer and the director focused on was the struggle that Oher had to face with and deal with as an oversize black student studying in a highly competitive and predominantly white school.
The book also trained the spotlight on how coaches and the staff of some of the most popular college football teams had to employ what can be considered as tactics reserved for the professional leagues. They behaved like pirates in the high seas and treated the recruitment process as if they are on war.
This was also evident in the movie version but it was toned down. The impression of the audience of the selection process was intense but at the same time exhilarating. The movie did not touch on the more controversial aspects of the recruitment process. This is why it is called a feel-good movie.
Similarities
It has now become clear that the movie version was unable to stay one hundred percent true to the original intent of the writer. Nevertheless, there were many similarities and many times the storyline of the movie and the information that one can come across by reading the book has intersected and most of it has something to do with the extraordinary character of Michael Oher and of course the members of the Tuohy family.
The way these peoples lives were celebrated was obvious in the book and in the movie version. The way the movie portrayed the life of Michael Oher and the way the author wrote about him has the same effect on the reader of the book as well as the audience of the film.
The most important feature of the film and the book was in describing how multiple foster homes and the experience of not having to have stability in life has shaped the worldview of Oher. The book also highlighted the fact that Ohers talent and even determination would never be enough without the Tuohy family.
As extraordinary as Oher is, his early failures and troubled past could have brought him to the depths of despair where his physical prowess cannot help him. The book and the movie were able to show very clearly that the poverty and gangs related violence found in inner-city Memphis was like a deathtrap that no orphan can ever conquer.
Conclusion
It must be expected that the movie version can only focus on a small part of the book. The producer and director of the movie had to contend with the limitations of film. The author intended to talk about the evolution of the game, both the good and the bad effects, but the movie was content to talk about the triumph of Oher and the Tuohy family. Nevertheless, there were similarities such as the moving story of how Oher was able to overcome against great odds.
Works Cited
Lewis, Michael. The Blind Side (Movie Tie-In Edition). New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2009.
The Blind Side. Dir. John Lee Hancock. Perf. Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron and Kathy Bates. Warner Brothers Pictures, 2009. Film.
The Hunger Games is a trilogy authored by Suzanne Collins. The author gives a story of a woman who aims at achieving the ultimate prize. The film director, Gary Ross, presents the contents of the book in a film in concise way. Even though some contents are left out, the book presents the ideas of the author in a simple way.
In other words, he simplifies the concepts that are unclear in the book. A number of differences between the book and the movie exit. A brief analysis of the interview that covers Seneca Cranes work on the seventy-fourth general meeting of the Hunger games helps in developing a notion of a moving environment outside Katniss personal feelings. This brings on board the capitol and other key players.
In the book, District 12 has the right to look after its own affairs. This is not clearly illustrated in the movie as less time is shared with people who live there. The film does not show the family of Gale and at the same time, Peetas father is not shown. This is in spite of the fact that the family relationship between Gale and Katniss is important. This eventually makes it difficult to expose the family ties of Katniss (Collins 37).
Whereas the book illustrates that Katniss is not given the mocking jay pin as a token of appreciation for her tribute to Rue, the movie is different. The relationship between the two sisters is evident when Katniss gives the icon to Prim before her departure. She had bought the pin at the Hob.
She also explains how protective the pin would be to her sister. As much as Peeta is emotionally attached to Katniss, the book develops a balanced strategy between his intellect and prowess. Peeta is willing to do all he can to protect Katniss. The movie portrays Peeta as an individual who does not have the mechanism for personal survival. The time spent by Katniss while in the woods is not given sufficient coverage in the movie.
This means that the movie fails to illustrate her fighting spirit the way it is presented in the novel. Compared to the book, the movie covers Seneca and President Snaw in a better way. The capacity they have concerning what they are capable of doing, as well as showing how life is full of up hills, are some of the issues the movie covers properly (Collins 78).
In an attempt to set the stage for subsequent scenes, District 2 goes against the wishes of Rue yet it is expected that she will be given bread for her effort. This part creates disharmony in the flow of events, especially to a viewer who has not read the whole novel. Irrespective of Gales importance in Katniss life, he is given a very limited coverage in the first scene. The book is clear in creating the triangle of love involving Katniss, Gale, and Peeta.
The film creates a confusing moment in the murder of Cato. Katniss role in Catos death is mild and not well brought out. Though he dies from injuries after he was stabbed with an arrow, Cato had lost hope in life following the realization that his life was worthless. The differences that are seen when a movie and the novel are compared do not indicate failure ineffectiveness in the side of the producer. His efforts are worth appreciating, as the job done was exemplary.
Works Cited
Collins, Suzanne. Catching fire. New York: Scholastic Inc, 2009. Print.
Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Inc, 2009. Print.
The Greenwood Massacre is an event that led to a high number of deaths between the Whites and the African Americans within the region. The riot and violence emerged from a miscommunication regarding an encounter between Dick Rowland and Sarah Page. During Memorial Day on May 30th, 1921, Rowland, a shoeshiner entered an elevator in a nearby building where Page was working to access the restroom on the top floor (Gannon 3). However, while in the elevator, a man working in the building heard a woman scream then a Black person exited the premises. Although Sarah confessed that Dick only grabbed her hand, the press played a vital role in the development of the protests. The media used quotes in the newspapers and reports that portrayed Sarah as violated by Rowland, a situation that led to bloodshed and brutality between the two races. The Whites focused on establishing their superiority while the Blacks sought justice for Rowland. The movie Watchmen articulates the disparities between the two ethnic groups and the tension arising from the essence of superiority and inferiority hence compromising moral justice.
Moral justice is a crucial factor within a community with different races such as the Whites and the African Americans. The movie Watchmen entails the story of vigilantes and superheroes in an attempt to align society under their ideal goals. The plot of the story reflects the Greenwood Massacre mainly due to the victimization of individuals that steered the violence between the two groups. One of the sects is the superheroes living in human disguise within the community. The superheroes participated in the Vietnam War and led America to victory (Snyder 12:07-17-34). However, upon their return to their families and homes, they became alienated due to their social status as super beings. In this case, the marginalization of the group as the inferior erupts from the fear among the people regarding their threat to the nation. As a result, the storyline contributes to the remembrance of the carnage by distinguishing the different groups and the consequences of the segregation based on the atrocities.
In the 1920s, the Greenwood area was known as Black Wall Street since a significant percentage of the wealth was possessed by persons of the race. The wealthy status caused the Whites to resolve to cruelty due to the supremacist concept (Gannon 5). In the film, the supernatural beings feature as people fitting in the society despite their social identity as heroes during the wars; an issue that a population segment considered unusual. However, once one of the individuals with special abilities is murdered, a war emerges due to the existing tension. In an attempt to address the crisis, the violence leads to the loss of lives and properties. It is a reflection of the results of the riots during the Tulsa Massacre.
The plot of the movie focuses on the creative construction of the event based on the ideal differences between African Americans and Whites. On the one hand, the non-Hispanic Whites considered the African Americans as inferior and slaves. On the other hand, African Americans believed in equality as American citizens. Therefore, Snyder artistically frames the murder of The Comedian akin to the incident between Rowland and Sarah. Primarily, both constructs showcase the consequence of the war between individuals from different origins, mainly the death and destruction of property.
The show exclusively includes the historical accounts under a dynamic spectrum of events and interrelations. The major point during the Greenwood Massacre included the interaction between the members of ethnic groups. Both the Whites and the Blacks consider their unity a crucial factor during the fight for justice. On the one hand, the African Americans seek to save one of the members, that is, Rowland from the intentions of lynching by the Whites. On the other hand, the Whites get offended by Rowlands attempt to establish contact with a teenager from their race (Gannon 4). As a result, both groups with a similar objective of defending their social status, resolve to violence as the ultimate measure of the highest-ranking entity. The film portrays the determination of the supernatural beings to establish a position in the community to enhance their security from criminals.
Another issue that the film addresses from the historical event enshrines the involvement of the authority. The account of the Greenwood Massacre establishes that a significant percentage of the police workforce collaborated with the Whites to access weapons and kill the African Americans. According to Snyder, the police cooperate with normal individuals to ensure the security of lives, unlike the proactive measures to protect the existence of the creatures (34:04-47:26). Although the plot of the film fails to address the main role of the sheriff in the negotiations and the prevention of the war, it enhances the influence of the authority on the social order. Snyder focuses on the exploitation of individualism than the authoritarian aspect to determine the core foundation of peace and harmony. In this case, the film must foster self-drive as the ultimate solution to the hindrance of growth and development.
The show suggests that miscommunication and marginalization render the consequence for subsequent historical events. The plot of the movie integrates racial segregation based on past events that address the issue of social injustice. The massacre emerged mainly due to the tension existing between two groups struggling for supremacy. On the one hand, the incident between Sarah and Rowland triggered the violence that led to massive loss of lives and property. On the other hand, the murder of The Comedian rendered the brutality and bloodshed among the participants. Therefore, the Greenwood savagery translated as a consequential phenomenon through the movies reconstruction.
Consequently, the Tulsa Massacre is a reflection of the rivalry between members of a community from different sects. The essence of supremacy is an issue that sparks violence causing death and destruction across a region. People must appreciate diversity and enhance their interrelationships due to the attribution of peace and harmony. Further, the law enforcement authorities must embrace a neutral focus. These practices enhance social justice and the prevention of war among conflicting groups. During the historic event, the police participated in the brutality through the distribution of firearms to the Whites hence causing a significant rampage. Snyder creatively develops the marginal groups as supernatural beings and peoples population. The segregation arises based on the fear among individuals regarding the existence of the creatures within the community. The tension becomes imminent, causing disorder and insecurity within the society. Communication and interdependence play a vital role in the promotion of peace and harmony across a dynamic population.
Most consumers assume that the main objective of filmic endeavors such as animated stories is strictly to entertain the masses. Film certainly does serve to entertain. However, this media also acts as the link between peoples personal lives and events outside what they encounter in their everyday routine. Through entertainment, people are able to make a connection with sometimes very different ideas simply through their identification with the characters depicted on the screen. This connection serves as an important vehicle in the understanding of how society functions at the same time that it strengthens the publics involvement in those decisions that affect their standard of living. The media reflects and, as some speculate, shapes collective societal thought, something that directors such as Hayao Miyazaki are intimately aware of.
Miyazaki is a Tokyo native who was born on January 5, 1941, only four years before his nation became the worlds object lesson for ridding the globe of nuclear weapons. His animation work has been largely dedicated to delivering a strongly environmentally-friendly, anti-war message to his audience. His characters are malleable, sometimes tending to the good, sometimes tending to the bad and frequently retaining the capability of switching sides mid-movie. Having already achieved a great deal of success in Japan and Central Asia, Miyazakis work was finally introduced to the Western world with Princess Mononoke in 1997. Since then, his films have continued to deliver these messages of malleable nature, pacifist means of solving disputes and environmental responsibility. Miyazakis themes, heavily influenced by his own life experiences, can be discovered through a close analysis of several of his films, such as Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa and the Four Winds and Laputa: Castle in the Sky as they begin to influence the way the next generation thinks about their involvement with the world.
Hayao Miyazaki was born on January 5, 1941, the second of four sons, to an affluent family of Akebono-cho, a province of Tokyo. His father was Katsuii, who worked as director of Miyazaki Airplane which belonged to his brother and manufactured rudders for the Japanese fighter planes during World War II. Miyazakis early love for flight was engendered here as was his sense of guilt regarding his familys profits from war at the price of the populace (McCarthy, 1999). Throughout his early years, the family found it necessary to move often, both as a result of his mothers need for treatment for her spinal tuberculosis and as a result of frequent evacuations as a result of the war. His interest in anime film was sparked when he saw the film Hakujaden, the first Japanese anime film to be produced in full length color images; however, he pursued an education in political science and economics at Gakushuin University before seeking employment as an animator (Feldman, 1994).
His professional career began at Toei Animation the spring of his graduating year from Gakushuin as he worked on the anime film Watchdog Dow Wow. He worked on a number of projects at this corporation until 1971 when he left to join Takahata and Yoichi Otabe at A-pro. From here, he moved relatively quickly to Zuiyo Pictures in 1973 and then on again to take a position as animator instructor for Telecom in 1980 (Feldman, 1994). Work on his first original feature film, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, started in 1983 and he had co-founded his own studio, Studio Ghibli, by 1985. In addition to his own life experiences and influences in the East, Miyazaki has acknowledged a number of Western influences as well, including writers Ursula K Le Guin, Lewis Carroll, Diana Wynne Jones and Antoine de Saint-Exupery among others (Shimbun, 2005). Artistic influences have included Jean Giraud, Yuriy Norshteyn and Aardman Studios.
Princess Mononoke
The film that brought Miyazaki to public notice in the West was the animated feature Princess Mononoke released in 1997 although he had already enjoyed a great deal of success on previous films in Japan. The film features several elements through which Miyazaki conveys his anti-war message. It starts as Ashitaka attempts to defend his village from a demonic god in the form of a giant boar who injures Ashitaka and curses him with a festering wound that gives him great strength but will eventually kill him. However, the main section of the film centers upon Ashitakas attempts to broker peace between Irontown and the forest spirits who have been warring against each other. This is most eloquently illustrated through his intervention between San, the female symbolic of the forest, and Eboshi, the female symbolic of Irontown, on the night San sneaks into the city. This is in spite of his own rage at hearing of Eboshis unfair treatment of the forest gods and the degree to which she is responsible for the misfortunes that have occurred in his own village after her attack on Nago caused his insanity.
This war between the city and the forest is strongly symbolic of the war that humanity is waging currently with the natural world. Irontown has drawn the anger of the forest spirits upon itself by its wanton destruction of the wilderness. Although the film starts with nature bringing the war to Ashitakas village, it becomes clear later that this war was started by Irontown when Eboshi shot Nago with an arrow and drove him mad. While the town is seen to win over nature as Eboshi succeeds in taking the Forest Spirits head, the forest is quickly seen to win over the town as the Forest Spirits body turns everything its ooze touches into death. The only way for the town to survive is to return the Forest Spirits head and to agree to work in greater partnership with nature in the future. This element is also symbolized through the union of San, representing the forest, and Ashitaka representing the city as they agree to continue seeing each other but nothing is fully settled between them yet and neither is determined to be dominant.
Finally, Miyazakis recurring theme of the humans capacity for change is discovered in all three of these main characters. Ashitaka sets off from his village with the sole intention of finding a cure for the curse that Nago put upon him but quickly becomes involved with the problems facing Irontown. Although he is aligned with the city, he finds himself pulled strongly to the forest in the figure of San and his greater understanding of what has occurred. San is highly mistrustful of all humans and prefers to remain in the company of the wolf forest god Moro. In spite of her mistrust and his interference in her attempt on Eboshis life, she begins to care for Ashitaka and agrees to work with him in the future. Eboshi, the character most placed within the role of villain in the film, is the character most able to change. It was her arrow that drove Nago insane, causing him to attack Ashitakas village, but she is not entirely evil as she has provided lepers with jobs within her ammunitions plant and given prostitutes an option to work in the ironworks instead of in the brothels. This is what keeps Ashitaka from attacking her and causes him to interfere in Sans attempt. Miyazaki rewards this faith in the human capacity for change by allowing Eboshi to survive to the end, acknowledging the importance of nature by returning the Forest Spirits head and agreeing to seek a more harmonious balance in the new Irontown.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
These same themes of anti-war, responsibility for nature and the capacity of the human to change can be easily discerned in Miyazakis earlier film Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984). From the very opening of the film, Miyazaki hits his audience with the anti-war message as he presents a world 1,000 years into the future that remains devastated by the seven days of fire that destroyed the ecosystem and most of civilization in the process. The depth of this destruction goes so deep that the plants are still toxic, giving off toxic fumes into the atmosphere and the insects have become giant creatures with deadly possibilities. However, it isnt long before he also illustrates that humans still havent learned the lesson of avoiding war as the war between the Peijte and the Tolmekians crashes into Nausicaas valley, bringing with them the embryo of the controversial biological weapon known as the Great Warrior. While one side feels it should be destroyed and has been attempting to do so, the other plans to awaken it and lead it against the creatures in the toxic forest. Many people are killed unnecessarily before Nausicaa is able to prove that the toxic forest is actually working to clean the environment and return it to something humans can tolerate.
Thus, the film also manages to illustrate how a responsibility for nature is repaid in kind by natures responsibility to humanity as well as the humans capacity for change. Nausicaa spends her early life studying the nature of the toxic forest and comes to realize a special relationship with the creatures that live in it, particularly the intelligent Ohmu. Through this relationship, she is able to discover how the forest is cleaning the land and making it available for new growth that would be beneficial for humans, thus demonstrating how destruction of the forest would actually be self-destruction on the part of the humans. At the same time, her relationship with the Ohmu, particularly as they work to save her life at the end, demonstrates natures willingness to work with people toward a better future. Kushana and the other people are then able to change their minds regarding the toxic forest and begin learning how to live in harmony with the giant insects that share their home.
Laputa: Castle in the Sky
The message of war is not as strong in Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986), choosing instead to illustrate the potential for change and the human responsibility to nature instead. The conflict in this film is primarily between Muska, the colonel in charge of the sky-ship Sheeta is first seen on, and Dola, a female sky-pirate whose attack frees Sheeta from her captor and accidentally reveals the power inherent in the blue crystal pendant that is Sheetas legacy from her grandmother. In this battle, the sky-pirates, supposedly evil creatures, are actually seen to be merely survivors, doing what they must to live but not evil on a fundamental level as they take a liking to the children Sheeta and Paku and do what they can to help them. The Colonel, however, is discovered to be highly greedy and unable to achieve change for the better. The primary message of this film focuses on Sheetas responsibility as heir of Laputa, the floating city, to ensure it is not used in a harmful way against the cities on the land. This is, of course, exactly the purpose the colonel intends to put it to. Once arriving on Laputa, the children discover only one animated element in the form of a single robot that has seemingly dedicated its life to caring forever for the plant life and having made friends with the tiny birds that come to visit.
Conclusion
Hayao Miyazaki has proven through his several full-length animated films that important themes such as responsibility for nature and the human capacity for change can be conveyed in an entertaining way to the youth of the world. His anti-war message emerges as an offshoot of the responsibility we have toward our environment as war necessarily becomes equated with the destruction of the environment, whether it is in the form of an ironworks that must continuously cut down forests in order to function or a devastating fire storm that wastes the environment for eons to come, he makes it clear that war should be avoided at all costs. This is a message that is reinforced by his continuous portrayal of characters that are able to change. Villains are not always villains and they are not always villains all the way through. Good guys are not always good guys but sometimes experience doubt, fear and weakness. Throughout it all, adhering to a strong sense of responsibility for the surrounding environment seems to be the answer as to how to avoid some of the greater mistakes that people make that cause the problems. People who care about the environment are interested in working things out to act in a way that preserves it whether it is by changing their attitude or avoiding warfare or some other means.
The Movie GLORY 1989 is the first movie in the United States that explains the nations civil war. The movie makes use of fiction devices to pass its information and this makes it to be interesting to the audience compared to the other films focusing on the civil war. In my opinion, the movie is an ensemble piece that gives more information on the time of the civil war as well as the circumstances that led to the war. It, however, does not concentrate on the personalities of the characters and the characters only serve to demonstrate a glorious time in Americas history, a role they play with constant conviction.
I love the way the movie begins. It starts in an interesting manner with local citizens dressed in costumes that are alike, clean, and well pressed. The film opens with a charge at Antietam where the faces of the characters appear to be charmingly smudged as if done by a volunteer artist. It unfolds in a series of brilliantly recognized vignettes following the 54th organization and I find it interesting that it idiosyncrasies of the characters emerge at this point.
The character, searles, who is an intellectual, makes the movie colorful. He is a black man in his youth and it is quite surprising how he makes sleeping with his glasses on. The fact that the film keeps its focus short is amusing. One of the movies least efficient sequences is traditionally true. For instance, the movie talks of an incursion to the village of South Carolina whereby, Shaw, the village head, is ordered by one of the officers to command his people to destroy and burn all the buildings in the village. I could not resist watching the movie since it is at this point that it adds a little raping to the series and quickly becomes more hilarious and melodramatic.
I feel like the Fort Wagner attack is the climax of the film. This part of the film cannot be compared to any other film have ever watched on screen. At this point, the film clearly illustrates the chaos and violence that were specific to the civil war scuffle. It is surprising the way weapons maimed during murder and how the Territorial Army was behaved up to the extent that they marched in straight lines into the scenes of weapons shot at a direct distance.
The movie talks of enormous tolls being taken in each combat. It is interesting that despite these vast tolls, the men continued to proceed and trusted their actions. Though the civil war involved much killing and suffering, it was a time of unlimited optimism for many American citizens. The Movie GLORY 1989 is good, interesting, and complicated. I love the fact that though it is a celebratory movie, it does this in a manner that acknowledges the grief involved. It is a good example of what occurs when studio gloss is faced with open art based narrations. The movie attempts to achieve fundamental truths concerning men, political movements, and personalities.
Although the film is one of the best films, which clearly demonstrate the civil war in America, I realized numerous historical inaccuracies especially in relation to racial associations. For instance, the 54th is depicted in the film as constituting of runaway slaves and this was actually a troop of free men. By inaccurately portraying the 54th as a regiment of runaway slaves, the movie reveals that black men were not the free slaves as believed by the people from the southern part of America.