Bonnie and Clyde

Today American films are full of violence, and have been since 1967.

Bonnie and Clyde was ground breaking in violence, you wouldnt notice it now, but back then film was very different, and this film opened amerias eyes to strong violence that we welocme in films like sin city and kill bill. Take a look at this film and look at the role of woman and the way violence is used in the film as a tool.

Breathless

I never really watched a moive that made me hate the protagonist. This picture to me felt like a picture about character and the protagionist to me was an arse. portrayed in a cool hip jazz way, but in a way you felt you should punch him in the face for the way he treated woman behind there back, so to see him end in such a way was perfect fromt he director. So in a way you think the director really did make the character an arse. So when he died you are glad to see this and you felt happy for the woman in the picture, and the leading lady. You can tell picture are getting quicker and flowing better in story with this film, because it doesnt have the sence that it is a old film, the story can still work in todays audience and have a strong effect. It is the beging of a new french wave of film. I should watch more french films to see if they are any different comapred to the 40's french films.

Persona

I can;t stand this film, didn't understand it. And when you don't understand what you are watching then you don't enjoy it. And Well I didn't enjoy it at all, I couldn't even notice the camera work or editing, or the crap lighting that was taking place. I think this film was a experiment in film making and that experiment failed.

Double Indemnity

An insurance rep lets himself be talked into a murder/insurance fraud scheme that arouses an insurance investigator's suspicions.

I love this film, anything shot in film noir. which this is clearly done in. The voice over, works its magic, the gritty footage, works wounderful, giving entertainment value to the picture. I really focues on the actors. the protagonist Played by Fred MacMurray, adds a real film noir character to this picture, having that classic movie guy sence, and the beauty of taking this character down in levels from his high spot in life, down to this despret insurance rep, having noting left but to poor his soul on tape to his best mate keyes. the director really brought back film noir in this picture, whihc has been lost since world war II began. Watch this movie if you want sex, petrayal, lust, humour, action, and love. This was a suspenceful enetertaining film, that the director really knoew out to make stand out.

Bicycle Thieves

Itialian Neo-Realism has never been so strong in the "Bicycle Thieves". They didn't have sets and they didn't have studios, so they used the real thing. It shows another side of itialian culture like no other. You can real dig into this film, and not even care that you have to read subtitles. The use of natural light out in the streets, gives a strong sence of realism, which just keeps adding to the film. The movement of the camera is perfect, not even noticing you are watching a film, it seems that is is very real, and I got a sence of a documentary style film.

Grand Illusion

Didn't think this impossiable for a picture from the 1930s, but it was funny, not look how crap this is funny, but has humour in it. I think this is "The Great Escape" picture of it's time. It has love, friendship, suspence, humour and adventure.

Besides that, take a look at movement of the camera. it hardly cuts at the start. The camera flows witht he action, keeping it very realistic. Unlike today, with quick cuts and fancy moves. the beauty of not cutting away and keeping up with the one shots is very hard to do. and the director does this brilliantly. Not taking away from the moive. While the actors seem to work of this style very well.

Battleship Potemkin

Okay in class we watched "Battleship Potemkin" my opion was hardly good or bad. But I will shortly talk about this one scene in the picture and it was the baby carriage scene. Which Director Brian De Palma saluted this scene with putting it in his movie "The Untouchables".

The original hads suspence to the scene, with quick cuts and shots of people witnessing the event. You can really see the directors ability with the edit. trying to bring enough level to the picture. I didn't really pay to much attention to the film, it was only when i nocticed the baby goign down the steps, how i thought that was very interesting of Palma to put that same sisutation in his picture.