Using movies as a way of teaching a specific time period is an entertaining but often fictitious method to education. Especially, when Hollywood blockbusters like Gladiator (2000) are involved. However, some Hollywood pictures that do a sufficient job of showcasing a time in history. Ron Howard’s Cinderella Man, also starring Russell Crowe, is a rarity in the world of historical fiction film. While it is still not 100% factual, it does do a fantastic job of featuring the atmosphere of the early 1930’s. This atmosphere is best characterised by a fervent devotion to faith, the desperation of the unemployed, and the amazing resilience of the American people.
Henry Fleming, a teenager who is a soldier of the Union Army, fights along other soldiers in his first battle. Henry has hopes of achieving his dreams of glory but after enlisting into the army, reality sets him back. The first battle was new territory for him, Henry not knowing what to expect. As the battle becomes more frightening for him, the fears crept into his mind and death. The army is not as glorious as he thought it was when he first joined.
Accordingly, another notable movie belonging to the ‘border film tradition’ is Lone Star: an acclaimed 1996 hybrid of western and mystery film conventions, directed and written by independent filmmaker John Sayles. The picture recounts the story of a murder investigation, which leads the main character, Sheriff Sam
Throughout life we are told to express our individuality and swim against the stream of the general population to put emphasis on the characteristics that make us, in short, individuals. Cherishing what makes an individual special and different is what establishes roots in creativity and self expression, however there is a forced false sense of comradery in today’s society that takes the form of involvement with the masses; peer pressure forces many people to fall into the mold of an average character. The Academy award winning film, “The Incredibles” displays the themes of expressing one’s true self and special qualities, and in contrast repression by society to fit a basic mold. These themes are elaborated on through the development of the main characters and expressed further through the supporting roles and their dialogue and endeavors.
The movie and the story “The ransom of Red Chief” is alike in many ways. It is also different. In the storybook and the movie the kidnappers need 2,000 dollars. So they set off to find Johnny. Also in the movie and story the kidnappers’ names were Bill and Sam. Red Chief gave them both nicknames which were Old Hank and Snake Eye. Bill’s name was Old Hank and Sam’s name was Snake Eye, the spy. The kidnappers had to pay Johnny’s father 250 dollars, in both the movie and in the book. Another Similarity is Bill had to ride little Johnny 90 miles, while Sam goes into town.
The literary movement of realism developed shortly after the end of the civil war, a time period that is central to the plot of An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. As a man from Northern Alabama is about to be hung, his executioners are described as, “Two private soldiers of the Federal army, directed by a sergeant, who in civil life may have been a deputy sheriff. At a short remove upon the same temporary platform was an officer in the uniform of his rank armed. He was a captain” (Bierce, 318). This description makes clear that the story takes place during the civil war, and that some of the most important characters are soldiers, sergeants, and a captain. These characters play a prominent role in the story in which the two sides of the civil
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.
When I was asked to do a movie review of the film entitled Antwone Fisher I was hesitant as to what to write. However, as I watched the movie there was a flood of emotions and thoughts that entered my mind. Antwone Fisher the movie was based on a true story of a man, who ended up writing a screenplay about his experience. The movie was based on Antwone Fisher’s life who is an African-American in the United States Navy that was stationed in California. The film was released in 2002; it was directed and produced by Denzel Washington who played the Psychologist in the film along with two other producers Randa Haines and Todd Black. The movie began with a young man that was dreaming that he was being recognized and accepted by a large group of
Death of a Salesman has been extremely influential in regards to theatrical performance and it has been performed by multiple different theatre groups. It has also been made into a movie, which has actors such as Dustin Hoffman as Willy Loman, John Malkovich as Biff Loman, and Kate Reid as Linda Loman. All of these actors’ performances were true to the character and were extremely realistic. It was easy for the audience to get caught up in the characters that these actors portrayed. Throughout the movie, Dustin Hoffman, John Malkovich, and Kate Reid all provided an outstanding performance by ensuring that their facial expressions, body language, and emotions always shined through all the while they were creating realistic characters that were easily believable by the audience.
This essay is an attempt to investigate how Leone, in his film Once upon a Time in America, created a narrative that involves the spectator, gives more impact, tells a number of stories, and moves between time frames. Leone claimed that under the influence of opium people rather dream about the future than about the past. And in an interview added that the finale may equally well occur in a hazy drug consciousness that in reality, and everyone can understand him as he wants.
The former chapter was about individual models which make Travis Bickle and his loneliness, but this chapter is about the society which alienated him. Taxi Driver was released in 1976, and behind it, there is the social background of the United States from 1960s to 1970s.
“My true disability is not having to be in a wheel chair. It’s having to be without her.” (The Intouchables). Lines like that are just a piece of the great undertaking directors Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano took when they decided to be part of The Intouchables. Adapted from real-life events, this French biography was applauded for succeeding in painting a touching and resonating picture of the events that led to the birth of a strong relationship between the two protagonists, Driss and Philippe. Winning multiple awards, this movie has achieved the status of being one of the greatest French movies ever made. Throughout this entire movie, the effects of adversity on an individual’s decisions, lifestyles, perception, and so on have been emphasized. For these reasons and more, this movie has managed to capture the hearts and minds of a wide demographic. More than just a simple made-for-money film biography, The Intouchables, presents and effectively portrays the real-world forms of and responses to adversity, specifically in terms of handicaps, loss of family, and depression.
The breakfast club came out in 1985; a movie about 5 different kids that end up in Saturday detention together and have to spend the day locked up in a library. It’s written by the infamous John Hughes, who also directs the much talked about movie. His cast of choice was no less but the most famous young people in Hollywood. To fill his library of trouble makers he looked to the people who were the best of the best. Ally Sheedy, Molly Ringwald, Judd Nelson, Anthony Michael Hall and Emilio Estevez. All young stars that where at the top of their game. Ally plays the basket case, Allison Reynolds. Allison is that girl that never fit in, she isn’t like all the other kids so they avoid her. As for Molly Ringwald her character
The story “Seabiscuit” was first written by Laura Hillenbrand in 2001. It was so well received; the story was adapted into a major motion picture; starring Jeff Bridges and Toby McGuire in 2003. Both the book and the movie tell the story of a odd horse, who was given up on until three men came together and made him a winner. The relationship that grew from chance. These three men, Charles Howard, Tom Smith, and Red Pollard are central to Seabiscuit’s story. Although the methods of telling the story are essentially the same; the book and the movie are different in the ways that they convey this trio’s relationship. Whereas the book conveys the relationships in vivid historical detail; the movie graces over character descriptions,
Bob Rainsford, the passenger of a luxury yacht, finds himself deserted on a remote island after his vessel crashes on a reef. He stumbles upon a mysterious fortress-like home owned by the welcoming Count Zaroff. Also staying at the compound are Eve and Martin, who have landed on the island due to their own shipwreck.