Throught the film, the concept of good and evil was being played with. However, it seemed as though the major points of good were forced and artificial. From the start, we have the smiling fireman waving to us as the truck drives by in the bright, colorful neighborhood. The kids are playing and the old man is watering the lawn. Suddenly, the old man drops down seemingly dying and we catch a glimpse of reality as we move through the grass finding the writhing bugs underneath. I feel as though this transition describes the movie well. We see all the good that's being brought forward to us until something bad happens which points out all the bad we couldn't see before.
This forced good is brought up again at the end of the movie where we go back to a similar scene. The family is all happy and together, completely ignoring the terror they just experienced and the robin which represented happiness sits right in front of them. The robin is clearly fake which sticks out the fact that all of the happiness is artificial. We see Dorothy happily playing with her son looking completely normal while we apparently ignore the fact that she was recently running around naked looking for her secret lover while her husband was being killed. We end on the same image of the fireman that we started with, using a recycled image so they don't have to recreate the happiness.
The black and white view of good and evil brought on by the Reagan era is looked at by the film in this respect. It forced a label onto things which gave them an artificial view. When the choice is limited to two things, we generalize them and put them into categories we wouldn't necessarily go near. The film really explores this idea with the different characters. With Frank, he is regularly described as being evil and dangerous but it's never explained, only declared. We even see the main character, Jeffery, being labeled as the good guy when he is regularly not acting as good as he should be. It's these clearcut distinctions that mess up views on right and wrong and it starts to carry over into peoples ideas.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
The Stepford Wives
As I watched The Stepford Wives, there was something uncomfortable about the film. Like we discussed in class, it seemed like there was very little action and that it built up very slowly. I thought that this was done on purpose as a way of getting a stronger effect. Generally in horror, we are used to a rise in action as the problems rise. This film never gave us a flow of action but rather just subtly added slight differences which were out of place. It placed an unsettling feeling which added to Joanna's story that finally exploded right at the very end.
I feel like the film used this subtlety as a way of expressing views on feminism and patriarchal society. The major problems were obvious with the clearly patriarchal Men's Association and their housework obsessed wives. However, there were also various other hints that were spread out that also pointed towards the same issues. The main one I picked up on was Joanna's "boss". The fact that it was a man and that it was his opinion that mattered most on her photos perpetuated the patriarchal society. It was also interesting to think about how the photos he finally "liked" differed from those she had taken previously. Before, her photos seemed like they revolved around metaphors for male domination such as the man carrying the female mannequin. The photos that were finally accepted were of her children playing around. In a way, the photos that are accepted are similar to the plot of the story. The pictures that were desired are in a way parallel to the wives that the Men's Association wanted to have. The original pictures were similar to Joanna, defiant of the male dominated society and free of control. The pictures that are accepted can be associated to the Stepford wives, focusing on their family rather than on their own lives. In this way, the pictures can relate to the plot of the film giving another layer to Joanna's fight to escape male domination.
Within the reading, the author mentions the end of history. I thought this was interesting topic to tie in as I have worked with the concept of the end of history before. History is pushed by contradictions of ideas and that the end comes from a universalization of ideas. This further explains the reading's mention of how Stepford seems stuck in time. As the women of the town are replaced by robots, there are fewer contradictions in idea as all of them are focused on housework and cooking. This is why history had ended in Stepford and the town is now stuck in time. Without anything to challenge the ideas in the town, nothing changes and it's stuck in a perpetual sequence of events.
I can see why many women didn't accept the movie as supportive of feminism. Though the film plays with the idea of a patriarchal society, it never really delves into actual society focusing on the fictional domination of women by turning them into robots. It doesn't contribute to feminism as a critical view of society rather just using the idea to give a story. For the most part, it expresses the controlled aspect of housewives but in a completely exaggerated way. I think that is the reason why this doesn't really help the feminist cause. Though it does express actual issues, all of them have been blown out of proportion for the film.
I feel like the film used this subtlety as a way of expressing views on feminism and patriarchal society. The major problems were obvious with the clearly patriarchal Men's Association and their housework obsessed wives. However, there were also various other hints that were spread out that also pointed towards the same issues. The main one I picked up on was Joanna's "boss". The fact that it was a man and that it was his opinion that mattered most on her photos perpetuated the patriarchal society. It was also interesting to think about how the photos he finally "liked" differed from those she had taken previously. Before, her photos seemed like they revolved around metaphors for male domination such as the man carrying the female mannequin. The photos that were finally accepted were of her children playing around. In a way, the photos that are accepted are similar to the plot of the story. The pictures that were desired are in a way parallel to the wives that the Men's Association wanted to have. The original pictures were similar to Joanna, defiant of the male dominated society and free of control. The pictures that are accepted can be associated to the Stepford wives, focusing on their family rather than on their own lives. In this way, the pictures can relate to the plot of the film giving another layer to Joanna's fight to escape male domination.
Within the reading, the author mentions the end of history. I thought this was interesting topic to tie in as I have worked with the concept of the end of history before. History is pushed by contradictions of ideas and that the end comes from a universalization of ideas. This further explains the reading's mention of how Stepford seems stuck in time. As the women of the town are replaced by robots, there are fewer contradictions in idea as all of them are focused on housework and cooking. This is why history had ended in Stepford and the town is now stuck in time. Without anything to challenge the ideas in the town, nothing changes and it's stuck in a perpetual sequence of events.
I can see why many women didn't accept the movie as supportive of feminism. Though the film plays with the idea of a patriarchal society, it never really delves into actual society focusing on the fictional domination of women by turning them into robots. It doesn't contribute to feminism as a critical view of society rather just using the idea to give a story. For the most part, it expresses the controlled aspect of housewives but in a completely exaggerated way. I think that is the reason why this doesn't really help the feminist cause. Though it does express actual issues, all of them have been blown out of proportion for the film.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Dr. Strangelove
During this time period, nuclear annihilation was the greatest fear of the majority of people in the world. However, this film was willing to bring forward the potential events in a light that managed to make it humorous as well as eye opening. From simple things such as the personality of the B-52 pilot to mocking the relationships between leaders, this film brought up many different points that raise questions about certain aspects of the nuclear warfare and the Cold War.
Major King Kong, the pilot of the B-52, is made out to be like an American cowboy, which obviously uses that American icon as a way to influence the view of the character. The way he acts along with many of his actions make him out to be what you would normally see as the hero in a movie. However, he is ignorant to the fact that he is about to cause a gigantic blow to the human race. It manages to put people in an awkward position making them wish to root for them to succeed while at the same time hoping they don't, out of the knowledge that it will destroy mankind. Even up to the detonation of the bomb, as he rides it out of the plane, he's seen whooping and cheering like he managed to perform a great deed and is going out a hero. Knowing that he is oblivious to the effect of his actions, the viewer has no choice but to feel good for the character regardless of the fact that we know he's basically ended modern civilization. This double sided view makes people uncomfortable with how to take in a successful nuclear attack from their own side.
Another important aspect of the film to note, is the way that the President speaks with the Russian Premier. The way they speak to one another is like that of old friends completely removing the urgency of the impending nuclear attack. It makes it seem like nuclear destruction isn't all that important and that what really matters is who feels more sorry. Their conversations are so casual that it makes you forget the fact that these two countries are in conflict with one another. It brings to light a view that in the face of impending nuclear annihilation, the leadership of the world is incompetent to deal with it. It makes the relationship between the leaders funny while at the same time horrific in the thought of this occurring during the event in reality.
Something of note that the reading brings up is the success of different technologies in the film. It's true in that everything destructive is successful while anything productive seems to fail when it's needed. The plane is struck by a missile and the only thing that seems readily damaged is the radio which is necessary for calling off the attack. The bomb is initially stuck but is freed when it is needed to be dropped on its target. When Mandrake needs to call the President to relay the code to call off the attack, he is short on change to use the phone. To me, this all points out how non-destructive technology also has an influence in the events that transpire. Had everything worked, the attack would have been called off or unsuccessful and crisis would be averted. It brings to mind what should be in place to make sure that these events could be covered for in an emergency.
One of the last things the film manages to point out, is the absurdity of the competition during the Cold War. The fact that the greatest worry at the end is not the wide-spread destruction that will be caused, but the possibility of a mine shaft gap brings up the point that the competition ignores the consequences of itself. People are so worried of not falling behind that they don't pay attention to the fact that they are putting themselves in greater jeopardy but pushing farther. The arms race was focused on creating the largest nuclear weapons supply but it was this fact that created fear of nuclear destruction. The competition between the two countries is so unnecessary that it brings up the question of why there is the competition in the first place.
This film managed to bring up many touchy subjects of the time and put them forth as humorous while at the same time being realistic. It is in this way that the film can have the greatest influence on peoples' views of the time. Now, we can see the absurdity of everything that occurred but during the time, the possibility of such events made the film have a much greater impact. It was funny then as it is now, but in a different way due to the people watching.
Major King Kong, the pilot of the B-52, is made out to be like an American cowboy, which obviously uses that American icon as a way to influence the view of the character. The way he acts along with many of his actions make him out to be what you would normally see as the hero in a movie. However, he is ignorant to the fact that he is about to cause a gigantic blow to the human race. It manages to put people in an awkward position making them wish to root for them to succeed while at the same time hoping they don't, out of the knowledge that it will destroy mankind. Even up to the detonation of the bomb, as he rides it out of the plane, he's seen whooping and cheering like he managed to perform a great deed and is going out a hero. Knowing that he is oblivious to the effect of his actions, the viewer has no choice but to feel good for the character regardless of the fact that we know he's basically ended modern civilization. This double sided view makes people uncomfortable with how to take in a successful nuclear attack from their own side.
Another important aspect of the film to note, is the way that the President speaks with the Russian Premier. The way they speak to one another is like that of old friends completely removing the urgency of the impending nuclear attack. It makes it seem like nuclear destruction isn't all that important and that what really matters is who feels more sorry. Their conversations are so casual that it makes you forget the fact that these two countries are in conflict with one another. It brings to light a view that in the face of impending nuclear annihilation, the leadership of the world is incompetent to deal with it. It makes the relationship between the leaders funny while at the same time horrific in the thought of this occurring during the event in reality.
Something of note that the reading brings up is the success of different technologies in the film. It's true in that everything destructive is successful while anything productive seems to fail when it's needed. The plane is struck by a missile and the only thing that seems readily damaged is the radio which is necessary for calling off the attack. The bomb is initially stuck but is freed when it is needed to be dropped on its target. When Mandrake needs to call the President to relay the code to call off the attack, he is short on change to use the phone. To me, this all points out how non-destructive technology also has an influence in the events that transpire. Had everything worked, the attack would have been called off or unsuccessful and crisis would be averted. It brings to mind what should be in place to make sure that these events could be covered for in an emergency.
One of the last things the film manages to point out, is the absurdity of the competition during the Cold War. The fact that the greatest worry at the end is not the wide-spread destruction that will be caused, but the possibility of a mine shaft gap brings up the point that the competition ignores the consequences of itself. People are so worried of not falling behind that they don't pay attention to the fact that they are putting themselves in greater jeopardy but pushing farther. The arms race was focused on creating the largest nuclear weapons supply but it was this fact that created fear of nuclear destruction. The competition between the two countries is so unnecessary that it brings up the question of why there is the competition in the first place.
This film managed to bring up many touchy subjects of the time and put them forth as humorous while at the same time being realistic. It is in this way that the film can have the greatest influence on peoples' views of the time. Now, we can see the absurdity of everything that occurred but during the time, the possibility of such events made the film have a much greater impact. It was funny then as it is now, but in a different way due to the people watching.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Atomic Cafe
The film, Atomic Cafe, was interesting to watch and I feel like the film could have a great number of different effects, based on who watches it. As a documentary, I feel like the film does a great job of expressing the thoughts and mood of the time. However, it is this same aspect of the film that will change how different generations view it. The old saying "Knowledge is Power" really fits with the whole situation as we know so much more now as compared to back during that time,that it makes all the stuff they thought back then seem ridiculous and funny. But to those in the time, it was all they had to go by so there really wasn't much choice but for them to believe and hope for the best.
Over the course of the film, we see various events involving atomic weaponry and the results that came from them. Many of these were news reports that people during the time saw and reacted to. Imagining an enemy in possession of the same weapon that could cause the destruction these people saw could easily cause people to be afraid and worried for their lives. People needed to look to others for protection which is why they were so susceptible to the ridiculous ideas put forth by the government and salespeople. If you have nothing else, you gotta take what's there.
During discussion, someone mentioned that the ideas about nuclear war and the measures to protect one's self became the culture of the time. This certainly fits with the film in many ways and is supported by all kinds of aspects that are seen. It seemed like everything of the time referenced to the atomic bomb in some way. Names of restaurants and products using atomic, music talking about the bomb, talk shows asking about nuclear warfare, everywhere you went you would see or hear something about the atomic bomb and war. Constantly seeing it like this also fueled people to continue feeling the same way over time. Like the film showed similar clips over and over again, people of the time were bombarded with the same ideas constantly.
The film also demonstrated how the threat of atomic war created a desire for products. Bomb shelters, hazard suits, all kinds of things people wouldn't need, and in many cases wouldn't even work, became more appealing to consumers. This caused a rush to buy these things so the atomic bomb helped to fuel what popular products were bought. The atomic bomb was also used to help sell normal products, like in the reading. Women were compared to atomic bombs so products were bought to make yourself into a real "bombshell". Bikini's were sold cause you'd be a bigger hit than what hit Bikini Atol.
Even the development of entire cities were affected by nuclear threat. Many cities are built with highways running through them, which though inconvenient at times, would have provided a quick escape during an attack. As shown through the reading, giant cities built around circular road patterns were designed for the same reason. The entirety of the nation was affected by the paranoia of the atom bomb, from cities, to homes, to even people themselves.
Looking back today, all of it seems ridiculous and unreasonable. But what we see as irrational today, was all people had to believe back then. The more we understand of something, the less afraid of it we are. Today, the knowledge of nuclear weapons is fairly wide-spread so even though they exist, we are less inclined to let the fear of them affect our lives.
Over the course of the film, we see various events involving atomic weaponry and the results that came from them. Many of these were news reports that people during the time saw and reacted to. Imagining an enemy in possession of the same weapon that could cause the destruction these people saw could easily cause people to be afraid and worried for their lives. People needed to look to others for protection which is why they were so susceptible to the ridiculous ideas put forth by the government and salespeople. If you have nothing else, you gotta take what's there.
During discussion, someone mentioned that the ideas about nuclear war and the measures to protect one's self became the culture of the time. This certainly fits with the film in many ways and is supported by all kinds of aspects that are seen. It seemed like everything of the time referenced to the atomic bomb in some way. Names of restaurants and products using atomic, music talking about the bomb, talk shows asking about nuclear warfare, everywhere you went you would see or hear something about the atomic bomb and war. Constantly seeing it like this also fueled people to continue feeling the same way over time. Like the film showed similar clips over and over again, people of the time were bombarded with the same ideas constantly.
The film also demonstrated how the threat of atomic war created a desire for products. Bomb shelters, hazard suits, all kinds of things people wouldn't need, and in many cases wouldn't even work, became more appealing to consumers. This caused a rush to buy these things so the atomic bomb helped to fuel what popular products were bought. The atomic bomb was also used to help sell normal products, like in the reading. Women were compared to atomic bombs so products were bought to make yourself into a real "bombshell". Bikini's were sold cause you'd be a bigger hit than what hit Bikini Atol.
Even the development of entire cities were affected by nuclear threat. Many cities are built with highways running through them, which though inconvenient at times, would have provided a quick escape during an attack. As shown through the reading, giant cities built around circular road patterns were designed for the same reason. The entirety of the nation was affected by the paranoia of the atom bomb, from cities, to homes, to even people themselves.
Looking back today, all of it seems ridiculous and unreasonable. But what we see as irrational today, was all people had to believe back then. The more we understand of something, the less afraid of it we are. Today, the knowledge of nuclear weapons is fairly wide-spread so even though they exist, we are less inclined to let the fear of them affect our lives.
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