This paper will discuss the motif of the double in Strangers on a Train. While the double is a recurring motif in Hitchcock’s work that he routinely employs in order to explore questions of moral responsibility, identity, and guilt, it receives its most overt and thorough treatment in Strangers on a Train. Studies of the film have consistently understood Bruno as a stand in for Guy’s unspoken desire, the chaos held at bay by societal order - Guy does indeed want to ‘get rid of’ his wife, but he transfers this responsibility (and associated guilt) to Bruno (Walker; Wood; Dellolio; Truffaut). As Walker notes, in Hitchcock’s films, the double most often serves as an ‘alter ego’ that enacts the repressed/disavowed/unpermitted desires of another character. Indeed, as Walker points out, There is little ambiguity that this is precisely what Hitchcock meant to communicate in the film, as he has formally stated this in correspondence with Francois Truffaut:
Today movies are one of the prime sources of entertainment. Whether it’s spending time with a significant other, hanging out with friends, or anything else, movies are one of the most versatile forms of entertainment that can satisfy everyone’s unique preferences. Amongst movies, the most popular genres include comedy, action, dramas, and countless more. In 1957, Mike Nichols released The Graduate, a romantic comedy that would remain popular even fifty years after its release. Although the movie is renowned for its engaging plot and distinctive comedic elements, The Graduate tells a story about college graduate Benjamin Braddock’s affair with Mrs. Robinson, a close family friend and the prevalent theme of discovering one’s identity.
Cinematography and filmmaking are art forms completely open to interpretation in many ways such lighting, the camera as angles, tone, expressions, etc. By using cinematic techniques a filmmaker can make a film communicate to the viewer on different levels including emotional and social. Play writes include some stage direction and instruction regarding the visual aspect of the story. In this sense, the filmmaker has the strong basis for adapting a play to the big screen. “A Raisin in the Sun” is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. In the play, “A Raisin in the Sun” we see a lot of arguments and disagreements among the members of the family. After viewing two versions of Act 1, Scene 1 of “A Raisin in the Sun” the 1961 version film most effectively uses cinematic techniques to portray the tension among the members of the Younger family that are evident in the
“Selma” in a perfect world, shows the reality of darker days long since past. In this story, you got a lesson of reassurances that its horrors will no longer be perpetrated, celebrated nor tolerated. This movie beam a spotlight on the stunted growth while shows the evolution of change. This movie is a spine-chilling reminder for those people who forget their history and also offers a blueprint not only of the past, but of the present.
In 1973, the beloved children’s classic, Charlotte’s Web, made its first appearance onto the screen. Over 30 years later, a newer version of the classic hit the big screen. Since both were closely based on the original book written by E. B. White, the movies still hold true to the core values and overall plot. Between the two films, there arose many similarities, but there were still a few variations in the two films. This essay will compare and contrast the ways in which the original animated version of Charlotte’s Web in 1973 and the live-action version of Charlotte’s Web in 2006 on terms of character’s setting, personalities, and plot.
O Brother Where Art Thou? is a film that will take you on a perilous journey with Ulysses Everett McGill and his simpleminded cohorts. This film may be set amidst the early 1930’s Great Depression era, but it still has a Homer’s Odyssey feel to it. Down in the dusty and highly racial south, Everett recruits a couple of dimwitted convicts, Pete Hogwallop and Delmar O’Donnell, to help him retrieve his lost treasure and make it back home before his wife marries another suitor. These three convicts manage to stay one step ahead of the law while finding themselves in all sorts of trouble. It was nominated for 35 other awards, one of which was for best screenwriting. Released in December of 2000, this film won 7 awards, some of which for best soundtrack and score, album of the year, as well as best cinematography.
Since the beginning of American culture, it has been tradition for rich white men to oppress and dominate in order to gain and maintain power and control. This oppression began with the conquering of the United States and continued on for centuries. In the modern world, these men, many generations ahead, seem to be similarly programmed, and are still hungry for the things that fuel their ego: A healthy appearance, powerful social status, superior educational background, and a high-powered profession. These things are key ingredients for modern social superiority, a kind of superiority that seems to be the key for success in American society. And a kind superiority is something that the most power-driven men would kill for. In the film American Psycho, the director uses satire to illustrate the life of Patrick Bateman, a typical Yuppie in the 1980’s who is a monster because of his psychotic tendencies, which are influenced by his destructive male ego.
“Mise-en-scene” is a French expression that was originally a theatrical term that refers to “staging” (Thompson & Bordwell 1999). When this term was transferred to film production, its practices involved the framing of the shots (Hayward 2000). According to Karam (2001), Mise-en-scene involves a choreographed set of visual elements that correspond to a set of ideas.
Rear Window, a 1954 Hitchcock film is deceptively simple on the surface, but contains messages about marriage, class and privacy, to name a few. This essay will explore how attitudes to social standing in the 1950’s are expressed in the film. Lisa displays the attitude that class shouldn't be a factor in determining how she behaves or whom she should get married to. Jeffries is an example of the attitude that because of their material wealth and status, those in the upper echelons of society aren't entirely human and treats them as such. Stella portrays the attitude that class shouldn't be a major consideration in who to marry, but Jeffries would be foolish to not exercise social mobility and marry Lisa to improve his own social standing. Hitchcock's perspective to the attitudes of the characters in Rear Window also
“We conclude that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place.”
The best thing I know is to do exactly what you wish for a while (Roman Holiday):
The movie I chose to write my psychology review was on Girl Interrupted. The movie was based on the writer Susanna Kaysen’s and her eighteen month stay at a mental hospital, but the movie was directed by James Mangold. My reasoning’s for choosing this movie was due to the fact that it carried many psychological concepts to it. The movies main script revolved around Susana’s and with the crazy women in a mental institution. This movie had two main characters and they were Susanna (Winona Ryder) and Lisa (Angelina Jolie).
Is Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window’ an appropriate text for VCE English in 2018? A speech delivered by a young feminist teacher to the Victorian Department of Education Conference on VCE text selection.
Filmmaker Lee Hirsch, in his documentary Bully, claims that bullying needs to stop and that can only be done by the many and not the few. Hirsch’s purpose is to persuade people to fight back against bullying. Bully is directed in a somber and frustrating tone, which creates a depressed mood in the viewer. Lee Hirsch uses pathos as an effective tool in his documentary because the first-hand accounts of victims and their parents further encourages his audience to act on the fight against bullying.
I have always viewed movies as mood boosters. Whenever I watch a movie, I judge how good it is according to how well I understand the story. This is why I never truly understand how critics rate movies. However, upon reading John Berger’s “Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye”, I start to understand how paying attention to the different components of a film helps in understanding the essence of a story. As Berger once said, “There is no film that does not partake of dream. And the great films are dreams that reveal” (Berger 478). Reading these words instantly prompts me to reexamine the highly acclaimed musical, La La Land. The music, editing, and storyline clearly justify what Berger meant by a movie’s ability to transport us into the unknown whilst