Run Lola Run, …Roll Semester Credits

Here we are back in Germany to wrap up the semester. I didn’t see us ending in Germany, but it is a good stopping point. The last time we researched into Germany, we were talking about films that promoted the Nazis. Now we are in class watching a very exciting and entertaining film, Run Lola Run, to show were they ended up. The film is full of hidden surprises and sometimes hard things to understand.

On Monday, we got into the directors who revamped the German film industry. Over the course of the 20^th century we saw Germany at the heart of two world wars and in constant financial struggles. This new German cinema come from the post war. It was declared a start in the Oberhausen Manifesto in 1962 by 26 film makers in order to establish new German feature film. From my study of the 20^th century, we have seen issue at the heart of Germany due to the division between East and West Berlin. This lead many to want to be in the free and live by the Western ways in West Berlin. This was one of many conflicts in Europe at the time, a constant battle between communist and capitalism.

We then on Wednesday watched Run Lola Run and it was nothing that I was expecting. The techno beat and the outfits of the filmed screamed late 90s, early 2000s. I saw watching this film confused at first with the opening and having pan over a bunch of people lost in a crowd. Not knowing what it meant until we got into the film. The craziest thing for me was how quickly I thought it was over at. I mean I saw her get shot and just thought wow that was fast. Then the whole thing restarted, and, in my mind, I thought of movies where characters get a do over until they make the right choices or as I said in class the Butterfly Effect. I thought of the Butterfly effect because he would run into the same people, but each time their outcome was changed.

I wish this would work in real life like this because I have lost a lot of money on these tables and have felt like that on the inside. I was very jealous, it is very hard to pick the right number and get it to hit.

With the film I did not understand the transition from cartoon to real life, it just reminded me of the television show Lizzie McGuire. I didn’t get it until I read the article on the movie. In it the author states that “her metamorphosis into a “real” image emphasizes the invention of the character, and her transformation from cartoon to Tom Tykwer’s Run Lola Run and the Usual Suspects “real” image places her firmly in the realm of the imaginary.” This is an interesting take because I wouldn’t put those two films together and to think of how she could manifest into something more.

Over the course of the semester I have seen and heard many different things. I took this class because I know there are a lot of great movies I haven’t seen yet, and boy was I right. I watched films in different languages and countries, both I rarely ever do. It was always an issue to see a film in another language because I felt like I missed something because I am too worried about trying to read the subtitles. The two films of Wild Strawberries and Diva were unaffected by this issue for me. I was too confused during Wild Strawberries because as soon as it started, I felt like it ended abruptly leaving me wondering on so many things. With Diva, I didn’t care about the text, I was too busy listening to the music and seeing the way the director shot the film. It all wasn’t like that in this class, I loved the Rocky Horror Picture Show and found myself struggling to get the music out of my mind.

The class was slow to get going in my mind. I didn’t care too much for the silent movie or the all the Edison clips. I get we needed to start somewhere and why not at the beginning. I don’t this I will ever view these again, but I may use my knowledge from these to better teach other when seeing different camera techniques. We did see a lot of that like in The Great Train Robbery and in the Grand Hotel, we saw how the camera work changed. From displaying an image onto a screen in the back ground to a moving camera on a train or in an elevator. These techniques lead to many other down the road with better technology, but in their time were revolutionary.

With this being the end of the semester and having watched so many films. I can say that my least favorite of them all was the Fly. It was a great film and I did enjoy seeing actors that I knew, but the bodily fluids and the special effects were too much. I was grossed out watching him be fascinated by the way his body would break down food or when his whole face fell apart. Professor warned us about it and man was he right.

I did enjoy discussing this with others and have grown to seeing why they love it.

Now my favorite movie in class was either Bonnie and Clyde or the Poseidon Adventure. Both stared Gene Hackman, but that is not the reason. I enjoyed Bonnie and Clyde for the action and all the fun these two outlaws had. I also liked seeing the comical Gene Wilder get a cameo and making me laugh some more. The Poseidon Adventures was action packed and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The idea of a disaster movie is annoying because you think someone should live while other that you want gone live. It is a constant struggle between your emotions.

Overall, I found the best film to be my movie project of Pit and the Pendulum. I enjoyed it the most and would recommend people to take the hour to watch it. It had everything you could ask for. It involved almost everything the class had to offer and was produced by the great Roger Corman. I think this is a film that should be shown, or you could make a class out of it. A in depth investigate American International Pictures and Roger Corman.

Lola is Gonna Pull a Muscle With All That Running; Saying Goodbye to a Great Semester

This week we watched Run Lola Run and learned about new German Cinema.  We also had a reading to do about Run Lola Run which cleared the air about a few of the questions I had.  First I’ll talk about how I felt about the movie.  This movie was actually really good (and another one that I hadn’t seen too!) and I loved the late 90’s to turn of the century style of editing.  You know how movies were really into that weird blurry flash cut?  Well this movie has plenty of that, but it is so tastefully done.  I couldn’t believe how much I enjoyed looking for all of the changes that happened in the redoes, and that opening line about how a soccer game is broken up is perfect for a three act movie.  Now we’re really getting to what I liked about the movie.  I can’t wrap my head around how a movie that follows a formulaic three act structure can be so rule breaking at the same time.  There were jump cuts everywhere, small flashes of color and faces, and plenty of nods to location and other cinema.  Overall, the movie was beautiful in it’s simplicity, and that’s what really carried me through it.  If you think about it, the plot isn’t really all that original or even new, it’s been used countless times before.  But the execution of it was phenomenal.  Some really smart cinematography was used in this film.  And I obviously can’t talk about what I liked about it without mentioning the amazing score.  That German House music that hadn’t quite caught on fully yet over here at the time really gives a strong feeling of running, like a pulsing beat that everyone needs to move at.

Moving on to the reading for the week, there is so much more to unpack from this film than I thought.  I wrote the first paragraph of my blog post before I read the article and I plan on leaving it unchanged because it’s a much more pure reaction to the film.  Learning about how Germany desperately wanted to get away from the two World Wars it had been part of made sense, and the feeling of starting over, much like Lola and Manni got the chance to do instead of dying.  The will to live is obviously very powerful in these two, and I really like how that can tie into how Germany felt after these wars, this sort of feeling that they won’t let their culture die, especially after the cultural genocide that was sort of occurring with the Allied Powers occupation.  Also I loved the nod to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo with the painting and all of the spirals that you see in the movie, that is so clever and subtle.  The part where it’s mentioned the primary colors that pop out from the phone booth represents the cartoon style for the rest of the scene is really interesting to me and a really cool blend of what is real and what is fantasy.  Lastly, I didn’t even realize that the scream Lola does throughout the movie is representative of a rebellious culture that was brewing in Germany.

Now I’ve come to the hard part.  Saying goodbye to a class that really is so passionate about the movies we’ve watched is tough.  I’ve found myself analyzing movies that I watch with my friends and most of the time when I point out a shot or scene I think looks great my friends give me a weird look.  It’s gonna be hard going back to watching movies just for the sake of watching them and not appreciating them with a group of people.  I think we can all agree that we at the very least got a great experience out of this class.  I used to really hate old movies because I hadn’t really seen any of the good ones, then we watched movies like the Grand Hotel and The Best Years of Our Lives.  Before that, the only movie that was old that I could watch over and over again was It’s a Wonderful Life.  Now I feel so much more informed and can really enjoy older films.  Even though I know I’ll be taking more film based classes in the future, Dr. Schlegel really is right in saying that a class like this isn’t common.  I found that I didn’t even mind commenting on other people’s blog posts because everybody had something new to say about the movies we watched.  It was so refreshing.  Beyond that though, I think I should talk about my favorite movie we watched and leave you guys with one of my favorite movies I hope you all check out.

Out of all the movies we watched, I can confidently say that Diva was my favorite.  I was so into it.  I had no expectations going in, and it blew my mind.  It was amazing, I loved every second of it.  You know it’s a really good movie when you get to the end and you feel like no time has passed at all.  Time flies and all.  I really want to pick up a Bluray for it, but it’s looking like it might be a region locked Bluray which is a bummer.  Something about the way the French language flowed with the style of the movie really spoke to me, and the neo noir vibe is my kryptonite!  I love that so much.

Well that’s pretty much it for me.  Thanks for all being awesome classmates and having really interesting posts to read each week!  I loved being able to see how excited some people were when they experienced a new film for the first time.  Anyway, I know I’ve left you guys with the first Blade Runner trailer before, but it’s actually the sequel movie that I like more.  Blade Runner 2049 is one of my all time favorite movies, and I encourage everyone to give it a watch!  You don’t even need to watch the first one, it stands pretty well as a stand alone movie.  If you like neo noir, this movie is for you.  You guys should leave recommendations for your favorite movies too, either in your blogs or comments.  I’d love to see what everyone likes!

Run Lola Run…In Context

I actually have viewed Run Lola Run before – yet another film that I had the opportunity to see in my high school film class. I decided the first time that I watched it that I didn’t care for it. I didn’t feel attached to the characters the way I like to be and the story felt repetitive…well it IS supposed to be repetitive.

After watching it again my opinion about Run Lola Run has changed very slightly. As an art major I do appreciate the aesthetics of the animation involved. I also do feel that the driving force of the film is important which I believe is the subtly references towards the Berlin Wall and overall history of Germany. I still don’t feel a lot of attachment to the characters. That got me thinking though about how as viewers we tend to take everything about a movie very personally. I too am guilty of this. You may see a movie you don’t like and feel disgusted or insulted that you wasted an hour and a half of your time watching- but then you have to think that someone else “wasted” well over an hour and a half of their time to make the movie in the first place.

Intention is always something I try to remember that is important to any work. After reading this weeks article by Barbara Kosta I do feel like I have truly had to come face to face with the fact that a good film might not necessarily be one that you love. What I think is important about Run Lola Run is that it’s entertaining yes- but it’s not trying too hard to do anything other than to mean something.

Overall I know that a lot of times you read film analyses and it seems like the author is reaching for something that simply isn’t there- or is pulling apart a detail that is so minute that it can’t possibly really mean anything. Kosta’s article however I really feel isn’t “reaching” for anything other than what is right in front of us but is hard to see with the pace of the film. Kosta tells us that time is significant in this film on page one hundred sixty seven- this much is clear and evident, but she also reminds us that place is significant as well “Twyker insists that the film is a Berlin film- a city that is as much in progress as it is a product of the new millennium and globalization” (Kosta, 3).

To me this film was just a reminder to practice what you preach when it comes to appreciating film. Not liking something doesn’t make it bad, boring or unimportant. Run Lola Run is as full of subtleties as it is full of the obvious, and the subtleties are what I appreciate when I watch this film.

I think this sufficiently brings me to the second part of this weeks blog. I have had the opportunity this semester to see so many amazing movies and to learn even more about film history. A couple years ago I had truly considered going to film school. Movies have been (and always will be) something I am passionate about. I HAVE taken film classes before and they continue to be some of my favorite courses to date. To me what is unique and exciting about this course is how much we learned about film history alone in one semester. It has been very fast paced and hard to keep up with at times- but overall I feel like the speed forces you to contextualize every bit of information that you have learned. To be able to understand contemporary film movements you must be able to understand all of the films and film history that came before.

This is why I get frustrated with people who do not like any movie that was made before 1990. You have to take a film class or you simply won’t understand. I will never get tired of yelling at people to go watch Double Indemnity, Rear Window or even The Shining or A Clockwork Orange. There are too many amazing films out there to enjoy for us to be biased towards movies that are flashy, new and most of the time (as of recently) unimaginative.

Either way- despite poor time management and I really did adore this class this semester. Every film we watched was impressive, fun and exciting and I always feel at a loss when a film class comes to an end because I always think ‘What am I going to watch now without someone to suggest good films?’ but then again I guess I shouldn’t complain. For any of you who never watched The Best Years of Our Lives….please do. Although I detest public speaking- if it were not for our presentation assignment I would have never watched this movie. I loved this film so much I shared it with family and friends back home (they all loved it too). It’s easily in my top three of the films that we have watched in this class. Now it’s just time for this class to be over I guess, and I can’t say that I’m not disappointed.

Curtain closes – Applause and Standing Ovation

Having never seen, or at least not knowing, about German cinema I found Run Lola Run entertaining.  The first thing that caught my eye was the soundtrack.  My children introduced me to Techno music a couple of years ago, and I love it.  This film is full of Techno music that draws you in and flows well with the images.  Images of Lola running past empty lots, weed infested sidewalks, empty streets, then new opulent buildings.  Lola’s bright hair color, techno music and even the way she dresses gives you a picture of pop culture.  This pop culture undertone is in sharp contrast to the romantic tones.  Manni, as the reading suggest, is infantile in nature and dependent on Lola to make his world right.  Lola takes on the role of provider, guardian, and champion.  This role is in contrast to the normal world and the world that the director has portrayed for Lola.  The Barbie and Ken dolls in the movie along with all the pictures and what appear to be souvenirs show a soft femine side to Lola.  Childhood dreams perhaps.  The movie is an endless spiral of images, music, and story line that is forever spinning.  IN one of the first scenes we see Manni in the phone booth and the words “Spirale” are on a building behind him.  It’s as if the director is warning us to hold on, because things are about to Spiral out of control.  The camera work is constantly moving, different angles and lots of juxsupositioning, which helps to keep the action moving but without boring you.  The cartoon scenes at the beginning of each “run” also tells a story.  In the reading I found this statement on the mark. “The Cartoon launches the viewer into a fantasy world in which anything is possible…”

Spirale translates to Spiral

                I found the facial expressions on Lola, played by actress Franka Potente, to be amazing.  Her silent stare at the various individuals throughout the movie were award winning.  Her blank stare at the security guard, aka father, told a story in itself.  You saw her emotions with a blink of the eye.  I enjoyed Franka’s performance very much.

                The historical undertones in Run Lola run are evident from the beginning.  In the very beginning we hear how a taxi driver took her to Grunewalk Street in East Berlin.  Manni was at Grunewalk Street in West Berlin.  “The mix-up reflects a postunification confusion owning to the divide that still exists between the eastern and western parts of Berlin.”   The reading opened my eyes to the fact that she ran past several important buildings and/or locations such as the Garnision Cemetery and the Gendarmenmarkt in East Berlin, Oberbaumbrucke (a former border crossing), Friederichsstrasse and Kochstarasse in West Berlin.  These are both border crossing locations as well. Now that I know the significance of these locations I want to go back and rewatch the movie to see the angles of the camera and the speed.  It makes we wonder if they have significance as well.

                This film is a magical ride of sight, sound and emotions that tells three stories in one movie at a lightening pace.  And within this movie within a movie it tells the strife of Germany and their near desperate attempt to reconcile the East and West, as well as their past.  Some will see all the political and social undertones to the movie.  I chose to just enjoy the movie for its entertainment factor.

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                I originally chose to take this course, “History of Motion Pictures” for three reasons.  1) It fit into my work schedule. 2) I needed a Liberal Arts. 3) Professor Schlegel was recommended by fellow students and co-workers.  However, I received more than 4 credits in Liberal Arts.  I received a whole new appreciation for the motion pictures and the industry.

                Back in high school (1980s) I did a report on Thomas Edison and I credited him with the first motion picture, when I really should have credited him with the first public presentation of motion picture.  Of course, Thomas did build the Black Maria, the first studio, so I guess I wasn’t completely wrong in high school.  J 

Thomas Edison National Historical Park

                I had seen Disney’s History of Animation before class and I could very easily watch it again and again.  This documentary does a wonderful job of giving the history of the beginnings of animation.  I also liked the documentary on Industrial Light and Magic.  ILM explains all about the start of the company, growth and impact on the industry.  Where Disney does this with quiet reverence ILM is flashy, comedic and makes you want to keep watching.  I never realized how influential ILM and special effects are in the films until this documentary.  The amount of special effects used in one of my favorite movies, “Forrest Gump” impressed me.  I now find myself looking and trying to figure out what is real, models or CGI.  Thank you ILM for keeping me on my toes and guessing.  ILM is truly an innovating and reinventing company revitalizing an old medium.

                This class also gave me a better appreciation for silent films.  I still wouldn’t watch one unless I had to, but I know have a better understanding of the magnitude they had on society and more importantly the work needed to make one.  I previous viewed silent films as just these visually dark movies where the actors over exaggerated their facial expressions.  This class made me realize that the scenery, sets, lights, music, camera angles, actors’ expressions and movements are all for dramatic effect.  I would never have noticed the size of items, the angle of the camera, or the lightening before this class.

                I think everyone should see Singing In The Rain to truly appreciate the lengths, trauma, and life changing atmosphere Hollywood was when going from silent films to Talkies.  I have never liked musicals but Singing In The Rain is worth it for story line alone.  Also, you should see any of the Universal Horrors as I feel they have a strong German influence with their dark sets, shadows, and lights.  I like to think about a young kid in a movie theater for the first time watching, and how scaring that must have been.

                This course gave me a greater appreciation for all things Motion Picture related.  I believe that although motion pictures have evolved over time to something amazing and entertaining, they are losing some of their appeal.  How many car chases, throat slashing, teenage sex scenes can we watch and be entertained?  Yes, I have watched all the Avenger movies, however with each movie I am slightly more disenchanted.   The bottom line….I love movies and thanks to History of Motion Pictures I can appreciate them much more but also expect more out of them.

Film 101

Throughout this course, we’ve study films from multiple countries and cultures. From early American Hollywood to Communist Russian propaganda, to the French New Wave, we’ve covered a lot of ground in fourteen weeks. However its easy to forget the darker potential to cinema. Starting with World War 1, Germany has used film in multiple ways to convey a variety of messages—everything from ‘mountain movies’ to promoting Nazi propaganda. As Wim Wenders (German film maker) once said “Never before and in no other country have images and language been abused so unscrupulously as here [Germany].” Germany has experienced great change and turmoil in the past century. As such many German film makers struggled to move past their countries tainted past with film. The beginning of ‘New German Cinema’ steams from a country’s strong desire to remain true to its roots while thriving in pop culture.

Tom Tykwer’s Run Lola Run (1998) is fast paced, inventive, and really, really fun to watch. The moment I heard the music, and that clock started ticking I thought to myself “Yeah, this is gonna be fun.” And I was not disappointed. But I had questions after the film. Questions Barbara Kosta answered in her paper “Tom Tykwer’s Run Lola Run and the Usual Suspects: The Avert-Garde, Popular Culture and History.” The concept for ‘redoes’ or start-over scenarios is not unheard of, but the execution of Lola’s three attempts is down right fantastic. What I loved about the film was how some events were fated (the two cars crashing) and how others were by chance (the woman losing her baby, winning the lottery, or becoming an evangelist). And those running scenes! God, I wanted to get up and run too. Franka Potente really played her role well as Lola. She’s a strong character, a woman hero who is badass just as herself and kinda inspiring. Even though her and Mannie aren’t the purest of people, I wanted them to succeed (hell, at least live).

Barbara’s paper went into get depth about Run Lola run, but some points that I found most interests were her explanation of Lola’s scream and the reason for the redo scenarios. Run Lola Run is a movie full of Pop culture—and yet does not feel out dated. As stated by Kosta, “The film incorporates the elements of popular culture that are non-conformist, rebellious (Lola’s scream) and subversive and that test mainstream forms of representation.” Even the setting, Berlin, is a place full of history. Sent in post Berlin Wall Germany, small details in the film hint at the city’s turbulent past. Like Lola and Mannie, the German people want to move forward. They want to run to a solution, and most of all, they want a chance to start over. Just as Lola and Mannie eventual find their happy ending, Kosta theorizes that the German too wishes for a chance to set things right.

While I may have started this class thinking film was only a form of entertainment, I now know better. Film captures the values, culture, and history of countries and its citizens. It’s incredible just how quickly cinema has evolved in only a century, and how quickly technology has advanced in the pursuit to put bigger, grander, more fantastical stories on theater screens. So, now that the semester is nearly over, its time to talk about my highlights of the class!

Can we start off by talking about how crazy fast film evolved over time? And it all traces back to some British photographer trying to capture motion in a picture! Eadweard Muybridge’s simple fascination with capturing a horse in motion eventually led to the first film studios, led by Thomas Edison, the Lumiere Brothers, and Georges Melies. By the early 1900s nickelodeons and early films like “The Great Train Robbery” fascinated audiences around the world. And so, the story continues!

The first movie that made me appreciate film history was “Grand Hotel”. I’m still amazed that the first star cast talkie film could be so similar to many modern films of a similar nature. I remember many of my first impressions of the film and its characters being proved wrong by the end of the story. Watching all those stars interacting in the hotel, overcoming their own problems that weaved together to lead up to the film’s conclusion was quite enjoyable. Although I can’t say that Grand Hotel holds up too many movies today, its clear to see how MGM set high standers for the Big Five Studios during the early years of sound Hollywood.

One of my favorite weeks was when we discussed the early 40s. Film during the World Wars was used so differently by many countries, but all to further the same end—to influence audiences. In the aftermath of WWII, it was film that captured the real horrors of the Holocaust. A Documentary of World War II in Color showed by far the most powerful and terrifying images of concentration camps. Watching the German citizens, who up to that point were unaware of what was happening in those camps, see the bodies of people piled up like kindling beside furnaces was just…wow. And that was capture on film. Film captures and preserves these moments in history far better than a single picture or autobiography can. And that’s incredible. As a result, people lost their innocence and naïve. Suddenly no

one wanted musicals and slap stick humor—and so Film Noir took the 40’s by storm. This genre, born and breed off sense of hopelessness that came after WWII, had its

main character struggle for a dream that in the end led to the “protagonist’s” death by the law. Rather depressing, really. However, Casablanca, while sharing many themes of Film Noir, isn’t a Film Noir. I watched Casablanca in another film class last spring, and loved it. History has marked it as a classic, and I agree. Rick and Ilsa’s doomed romance set in the back drop of a world torn by war worked so well on so many levels. And while Rick doesn’t get the girl, he gets something arguably more important back—his moral code. Seeing him and the Captain walk off in that ending scene is just so iconic—two men once just trying to survive now off to fight for the greater good. Rick gives audiences hope of not just redemption, but hope back in the common man, and in the decisions, we make to stand up for something greater than ourselves—even if it means letting our own happiness go.

While America and France were gushing over Film Noir, other countries were experiencing a change in film as well.  From 1945-1954, directors like Roberto Rossellini and Luchino Visconti used the power of film to influence postwar Italians to repel the fascist views of Germany after the war, which would later lead to a new genre of post-Italian WWII, called Italian Neo Realism. We watched Wild Strawberries by Ingmar Bergman, and looking back I’m glad we did. Although it was one of my least favorite movies we watched, I appreciate what the film did in way of story telling and technique. The characters were incredibly real and relatable…maybe even too real. Bergman films are definitely a required taste, one that sadly I do not have at this time in my life. Another film style that I respect but am not totally in love with is Cinema Du Look. I didn’t say this in my last blog, but I’ll be perfectly honest here—I did not care about anything in that movie except the music. Was it gorgeous? Yes. Was that chase scene really fun and inventive? Totally. Did I silently chant “Do it” when the two gang members were about to kill the main character? Yup. BUT—Cinema Du Look isn’t about plot, good characters, or even making sense. Its about looking good and being stylish. Which, Diva is. I understand why we had to learn about, even if genre isn’t for me.

Finally, I want to go over my favorite parts of the class as well as favorite movies. First, I like the blogs. Writing a few pages about what I learned made me look up cool movie facts that I never would have known otherwise. Second, I like the energy of the class. Its laid back and fun, not too demanding and enjoyable to go to. Prof. Schlegels’s enthusiasm is contagious, and I genuinely liked learning about film. Now, my favorite movies for this semester were The Fly, The Poseidon Adventures (which should really be called Poseidon’s massacre but hey what do I know), Bonnie and Claude, and 39 Steps. And these are all movies that I never would have watched if not for this class. 39 Steps was a fun, quirky spy thriller full of whit and likeable characters. The Fly was a beautifully tragic and gory sci-fi tale gone wrong, and Poseidon Adventures was way more emotional for me than I was expecting. Hell, I thought we would be watching a retelling of the Odyssey or something! But no, I got to watch Grandma die a heroic

death along with Pastor Badass. Seriously how can a movie so cheesy be so good? Lastly, Bonnie and Claude was just incredible. So many conflicting emotions—their criminals, but likeable. Their romance was both touching and tragic, and I felt like I was on that crazy ride with them. And that ending…God talk about intense.

I can say that I am waking away from this class with a more open mind towards movies of all genres. The skill behind making a film, the technques that have grown and changed, and watching how film has both guided and mirrored modern culture is fascinating. And I’m excited to take another film class next semester!

Cinema Du look

Cinema Du Look was a French film movement in the 80s-90s, also called the “New New French wave”. Implied in the movements name, the films focus more on look more than the content of the movie, saturated colors, grainy grungy aesthetic, high production cinematography, great scored and overall a very stylistic look. Luc Besson, making films like Leon: The Professional (A sad great movie) Jean-Jacques Beineix with Diva our screening this week, and Leos Carax, Boy Meets Girl(1984) were the main directors headed this movement Many of the main characters in these films were young, lower to middle-class people, themes revolve around, love, youth, rebellion ect.. (themes we see in American 80s coming of age films at the time). Ideas of alienation, loneliness, separation from society, doomed love are what you will see when watching these type of films. The filmmakers were inspired by American New Hollywood films.

The first film i would like to talk about from this movement is Luc Besson’s Leon: The Professional (1994). The film has all of the key characteristics and themes present in a Cinema Du Look Film. The film revolves around two outcasts in society, Leon, a quiet hitman and Mathilda, a young girl whose family was just murdered. Leon takes Mathilda under his wing and shows her (reluctantly) the skills of his trade, you watch them develop a special bond as they are both scorned from past bad relationships (Leon with his ex-lover, Mathilda with her dysfunctional family) They relate to each other and help each other in that aspect. The film has a sad but lightly optimistic ending which I will not spoil. This film is very stylistic, shot with a slight sepia tone, there is a contrast of innocence and corruption that we see in Mathilda, themes of alienation, isolation, this is what makes it a main film in the cinema Du Look movement. It is overall a very interesting film with a weird love story that really pulls you in.

The next film is Diva (1981) which might be the best and most popular example of a cinema du look film. I watched this film on Thursday, it is about a postman who gets mixed up in a TON of stuff, there was actually a lot jammed into this plot, many stories, characters, anyways, basically there are two tapes, one, a recording of a famous opera singer who refuses to be recorded, as she has never heard her voice. The second he got in a passing interaction which incriminates a higher up police chief. Both of these tapes have people after them ready to kill to get them. We watch as all of these stories pan out over the span of the film. Ultimately it ends, the bad guys die, and we see Cynthia, hearing herself sing for the first time while embracing Jules. I enjoyed the look of this film very much, I liked the story, it was interesting but I definitely found the visual aspects of it to be what I was drawn too more than the plot, which, after reading about this movement is what it’s all about. The aesthetics were dark, murky, dirty lighting, colorful, it was refreshing to see, Some of the scenes reminded me a bit of Wong Kar Wai films, a director who started making films a few years after diva came out, they have that same grit to them, although I believe Wong Kar Wai can not only portray that stylistic type of film and one that is heavy on the visual stuff, he does a good job at also adding depth to the story being told, heavy emotions. Anyways, I liked this movie a lot and want to explore the movement further! The shots below are a still from the film Diva and a still from the film Fallen Angels (1995). When seeing that scene in diva the look reminded me so much of the scene from Wong Kar Wais fallen angels.

Diva du Look

This week, we were exposed to a side of 80’s cinema that I can confidently say, I have not been exposed to before. We looked at the 1980’s era of Cinema du look and the Digital Revolution.

At this point in films’ history, international cinema was still differing significantly compared to Hollywood. The main difference was perhaps the structure of it all. Hollywood was still continuing to conglomerate and shift its focus to making the “Blockbuster.”

The documentary featuring Industrial Light and Magic (ILM), was one of my favorite ones that we have watched throughout this class. I found it so interesting to see how films that I grew up watching, came to life. I also believe that if the company was not founded for the purpose it served, the CGI scene might not be as fully developed as we see it today, and simply put, many of the movies that came out with ILM’s stamp might not have been made.

The reading this week gave me a lot of insight on the screening, especially Danny Peary’s entry on Diva. The one thing I was not expecting to read about after watching Diva, was controversy. Peary writes that Beineix’s second feature “Moon in the Gutter,” released in 1983 received a merciless attack from many French critics. Beineix viewed this criticism as a sort of revenge for Diva’s impressive achievements and vast success, even though it too, was unfavorably reviewed.

Watching Diva this week, was truly a great treat. It was another film that I had small expectations for. The cult score within this film fits every image and scene to a “T” and certainly represents the film well. In my notes for this film I was for obvious reason drawn to the cinematography. This film is beautiful on a whole other level. It speaks volumes of its cinematographer, and everyone involved in the making of this movie. I believe this is one of the best examples of Cinema du Look, and I feel that it alone represents what this era stands for.

As Peary quotes Beineix, the plot of the movie really has no other relevance than being a series of events that the audience can follow, and a story line that is “goofy,” but engaging none the less. The true story in this film, and the era of Cinema du Look, is the images. The beautiful scenes are unlike any other film I have see from a film of this point in time.

The scene that caught my attention was the shot of the diva, and the postman walking under the aqueduct. The way the camera captures not only the continuation of the developing relationship between the postman and the diva, but also the rich scenery and magnificent abilities of the cinematographer.

One of the goofy parts of this movie comes when the postman is at Gorodish’s loft, and he is cooking dinner. Gorordish has a snorkel mask on when the scene begins, and it seemed out of place and very odd to me, until I realized that he was cutting onions. However, even though he was wearing for the purpose of not crying, the mask seems a little over the top to me but adds in that dash of goofiness for which Peary quoted Beineix for having in this film.

I am truly marveled to have witness all that this film has to offer, and I can assure you, I will pursue the Cinema du Look era further.

Cinéma du look and Diva

This week in class we talked about Cinéma du look, which is a French Film movement in which the by and large look or style of a film takes priority or is progressively important, over the plot line or story of a film. Luc Besson, Jean-Jacques Beineix and Leos Carax, these directors were said to support style over substance, display over story. It alluded to films that had a smooth, dazzling visual style. It’s primary spotlight is on youthful minimized/estranged youth, destined relationships, skeptical perspective on police, films in which youngsters lean toward friend bunch alliance, rather than familial connection and utilization of scenes in Paris Metro, the utilization of underground transport to symbolize elective underground society. French movie producers were motivated by New Hollywood movies, late Fassbinder films just as, television commercials music recordings, and design photography.

https://rachelweavercinemadulook.wordpress.com/

On wednesday we watched Diva. Diva has so much plot that I don’t even know where to start. Perhaps I’ll start with the two tapes the film is about. Tape one is the contraband record of the wonderful aria Ebben ne andro lontana from Alfredo Catalani’s musical drama La Wally, taped during the recital of the renowned musical show vocalist Cynthia Hawkins. On tape two Nadja, a prostitute, unveils who is the man behind a prostitution ring. The man who has these two tapes is Jules, who is a mailman. He has tape one because tape one because he’s the one who recorded it. He has tape two because Nadja slipped it into his bag just seconds before she’s killed. Not knowing why, Jules winds up escaping from the police and from the mob as a result of the last tape. Since Cynthia Hawkins dependably would not make tape recordings of her voice, two folks from the Taiwanese mafia, who sat simply behind Jules when he recorded his contraband, see their opportunity to make a fortune with it. Meanwhile, Jule progresses toward becoming companions with Cynthia Hawkins when he brings her back a dress he stole after her recital and they spend the day together. He also encounters Alba who is a nice, slick girl with a talent for shoplifting. All this is handled by director Jean-Jacques Beineix with great skill. It is its pop-art style it is it’s one of a kind classification blend of thriller and romance. It is Jules’ loft, which resembles blend of a studio and a garage, it is that magnificent pursue scene where Jules drives down the stairs and takes the Métro with his moped. The list goes on forever. Diva has a diverting story, delightful pictures, abnormal characters and joyous direction. Overall, Diva is an exercise in pure style, combining exciting “hip” visuals with extraordinary music. There are many movies like that, but what makes Diva so memorable is the manner in which it consolidates this smart realistic sight to behold with a dramatic plot, great acting, a dash of sentiment and sex, and even a sprinkling of philosophy. This is a film where the excitement never fails.

“Diva (1981): Jean-Jacques Beineix’s Delirious Debut.” Emanuel Levy, emanuellevy.com/review/diva-1981-9/.

Gibron, Bill. “Style Over Substance: Diva (1981)/ The Red Violin (1998).” PopMatters, PopMatters, 25 Feb. 2018, http://www.popmatters.com/style-over-substance-diva-1981-the-red-violin-1998-2496148056.html.

ILM, Cinema de Look, and Diva

In May 1975, George Lucas founded Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), a motion picture visual effects company. ILM was originally created when Lucas wanted to include special effects in his film Star Wars (1977) which had not yet been used in film. ILM started up in a warehouse in Van Nuys, California, where a collective of college students, artists and engineers came together to start a team which revolutionized film, and moulded it into what we know it as today.

Lucas made ILM’s services available to production companies all over, and this greatly benefited the film industry. In fact, Jar Jar Binks was the first CGI generated character in the history of film to fully interact with other characters played by live actors. ILM went on to work on major projects, such as Raiders of The Lost Ark (1981), Dragonslayer (1981), Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) and more recently, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018), and Bird Box (2018).

Jar Jar Brinks

Next, we learnt about the French cinema movement, Cinema du Look. Cinema du Look was prominent in the ‘80s. The directors who were prominent during the Cinema du Look movement—Luc Besson, Jean-Jaques Beineix and Leos Carax—were said to focus more on style, as opposed to substance. What this movement gets criticized for in hard-to-follow, or two-dimensional plots, it makes up for in gorgeous visual style.

On Wednesday, we watched the movie that launched the Cinema du Look movement—Diva (1981). Diva follows the story of a young postman, Jules, with a passion for classical music, and an obsession for opera singer Cynthia Hawkins. Jules soon finds himself in the midst of a messy police investigation revolving around drug trafficking and prostitution. With the help of his new found friends—a mysterious man named Serge and his muse Alba—he evades the impending doom that follows him throughout the movie. The film is thrilling, it is romantic, and it is beautiful in both cinematography, and musical score.

I think that the plot of the story got lost in the translation of captions. At the end of the screening, a few people mentioned that the plot was difficult to follow, but taking it in in French, I was immediately pulled into the story. I think it flowed seamlessly. 

Diva is a feast to the eyes. I had goosebumps throughout the screening—the shots were gorgeous, the colors were electric, and the overall aesthetic was to die for. The film was drenched in french class and groove. The musical score was heartbreakingly beautiful, it’s not hard to see why it’s such a cult score. 

I really enjoyed learning about Cinema de Look this week, it’s definitely my favorite content we’ve covered in class so far. Diva conquered my heart, and has definitely made it onto my favorites list. I look forward to watching many more films from the Cinema du Look era in the future.

Cinema Du Look and ILM

Dear Professor Schlegal and classmates:  I am going to be straightforward and honest….I am thoroughly distracted and having a hard time concentrating so I apologize beforehand for the short and somewhat rambling of this blog.

Monday we watched a documentary on Industrial, Light and Magic which was a special effects company started by George Lucas.  I have enjoyed many of Lucas’s films and I realized as I watched this documentary that he was a brilliant business man.  The way he hired his crew and then made an atmosphere of free spirited, open minds was equally brilliant.  He saw that film and special effects are an art and therefore, you had to hire and have an art like atmosphere.  By also starting a company not tied to any movie production house, he was actually able to expand.  This expansion happened because any one could come to him and bring their unique situation, which needed unique answers.  Thus ILM has made huge leaps and bounds in the special effects industry and created a new type of art, and a new way of filming.  In this documentary they talked about “creating the Impossible” and “from the sublime to the ridiculous.”  I also didn’t realize that so many special effect went into a movie like Forrest Gump.  If they had not pointed out in the documentary that they had changed the sky color, removed limps, and the ping pong shots I would never had known.  I would have gone on believing that Tom Hanks was a champion ping pong player.  😊

I made a mistake of sitting in the back to watch Diva and unfortunately my eyes are not what they use to be so between my distraction and having trouble reading the subtitles, I did not understand the movie.  What I can say is it was definitely in the Cinema de luc genre.  The different scenes of statues, people walking, skylines, sunsets and such was wonderful, especially with the powerful, mood enhancing music.  I consider Cinema De Look to simply be Eye appeal not mind appeal.  Beautiful to watch and the story really doesn’t matter.