The use of cinematic time travel in La Jetee is very brilliant. The impact this film had on a lot of viewers is massive. I have seen 12 Monkeys before and I can see where the influence of La Jetee comes in. La Jetee is significant because it showed the impact of a rotten Paris town after World War II. It highlights the absurdity and tragedies of what war is like and how it can destroy a town. Similarly to La Jetee, 12 Monkeys shows what the world is like in a future Earth. It displays the horrible coming of a disease that wipes out more than 90% of the human population. In the movie, James Cole (Bruce Willis’ character) travels back to a World War II time period and injures his leg. I’ve seen a few other time traveling movies like the Terminator, and a classic Back To The Future.
Category Archives: Homework
Homework #9: Endings
It seems fitting to discuss endings as our class draws to a close. For this last homework assignment, please consider the importance of endings to films and discuss one of your favorite endings. Note how the ending to Truffautâs 400 Blows ended with the freeze frame of Antoine facing the camera, an ending that is intentionally ambiguous, forcing the viewer to continue the story. The ending to Truffautâs film is so iconic that it is frequently quoted or parodied. See this short clip that shows how Truffautâs ending was used for the final shot of Nelsonâs film in a Simpsons episode. To complete this homework assignment, please submit your favorite endings in a comment.
Homework #9 is DUE by Friday May 22nd 5:00 PM. â¨Everyone should submit a COMMENT to my post.
Homework #8: Experimental Film â Chris Markerâs “La JetĂŠe” (1962)
In 1962, Chris Marker released an experimental film that he described as a âphoto romanâ (a photo novel), which was comprised of editing together individual photographic stills rather than film shots. The result was La JetĂŠe, a groundbreaking short film of science fiction about time travel in a post-apocalyptic world. Markerâs film inspired Terry Gilliamâs 12 Monkeys (1995) and a recent TV series of the same name. Watch Markerâs film (it is 28 min) and the trailer of Gilliamâs movie, and discuss the use of cinematic time travel. Is it successful in La JetĂŠe? What movies have you seen that deal with time travel?
To watch an English version of La JetĂŠe, you need to watch it in two parts:
Watch the important opening sequence of La JetĂŠe by here (click on World War Three)
Watch the rest of La JetÊe here (this version is missing the  very important first 3 min)
Watch the trailer of Terry Gilliamâs 12 Monkeys here.
If you want to see the whole 12 Monkeys movie, the entire film is temporarily available here.
Homework #8 is DUE by Tuesday May 12th.⨠Diamonds and Spades Post, Clubs and Hearts Comment.
Homework #7: Jump Cuts in Godardâs “Breathless”
Jean-Luc Godardâs extensive use of jump cuts in Breathless (Ă bout de souffle) 1960 was highly influential on the âlookâ of many later films. In a jump cut, two shots of the same subject differ in angle or composition, the disjuncture creates a visual âjumpâ on the screen. The jump cut is an example of discontinuous editing, however, the uneven transition of one shot to another is often described as an amateurish technique. Yet, Godard masterfully uses the jump cut to highlight the urban rhythm of Paris and the whirlwind pace of modern romance. Watch this clip, in which Michel (Jean Paul Belmondo) gives Patricia (Jean Seberg) a ride across town to her appointment. Note the number of jump cuts in the car sequence, in particular, the change in backdrop that frames Patriciaâs head.
For this weekâs homework, please search for the use of jump cuts in a later film. You can watch clips of a movie you like to see if jump cuts are used, or simply âgoogleâ jump cuts. Post a link to the film youâve found and describe the impact of the jump cuts in that film clip.
Watch the car sequence in Breathless here.
To complete this homework assignment, note whether you Post or Comment. For Homework #7, Clubs and Hearts will submit a Post and Diamonds and Spades will Comment (choose any of your classmatesâ posts to comment on).
Homework #7 is DUE by Tuesday April 30th.⨠Clubs and Hearts Post, Diamonds and Spades Comment, note your blog group! Please email me if you forget which group you belong in.
Homework #6: Filming Locations-Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’
In Alfred Hitchcockâs The Birds (1963), a beautiful socialite Melanie Daniels (played by Tippi Hedren in his first film role) takes a trip from San Francisco to Bodega Bay in pursuit of Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor). Although Hitchcock preferred to film on a studio set, there are numerous location shots that highlight his love for the city of San Francisco and the surrounding area. As a hobby, the California architect HervĂŠ Attia produced a film short that revisits many of Hitchcockâs locations for The Birds. Watch Attiaâs short film and a clip of the attack on the children scene. What do you think of âfanâ movies like Attiaâs that deconstruct films and revisit the locations?
Watch Attiaâs film location video here.
Watch the attack on the children sequence here.
To complete this homework assignment, note whether you Post or Comment. For Homework #6, Diamonds and Spades will submit a Post and Clubs and Hearts will Comment (choose any of your classmatesâ posts to comment on).
Homework #6 is DUE by Tuesday April 19th.⨠Diamonds and Spades Post, Clubs and Hearts Comment, note your blog group! Please email me if you forget which group you belong in.
Homework #5: The Animated Sequence
In Orson Wellesâ Citizen Kane (1941) there is a scene in which a photograph comes to life. The scene comes during Kaneâs announcement that his has hired the group of star journalists from a rival newspaper to write for his own paper, The Inquirer. This sequence recalls the increasing popularity of animation in this period. As we learned, Snow White and the Seven Dwarf (1937) was the first feature-length animated film.
In class, there was a question about Walt Disneyâs first animated film shorts that featured Virginia Davis (not a mouse!). The little girl is seen interacting with cartoon characters. Live shots and animated sequences were filmed separately and combined in the editing room. Watch Disneyâs film short Aliceâs Wonderland that was produced in the Laugh-O-Gram studio in Kansas City, which led to a series called Aliceâs Comedies that he produced in Los Angeles, and post your thoughts on early animation.
Watch the photograph come to life in Citizen Kane here.
Watch Aliceâs Wonderland here.
To complete this homework assignment, note whether you Post or Comment. For Homework #5, Clubs and Hearts will submit a Post and Diamonds and Spades will Comment (choose any of your classmatesâ posts to comment on).
Homework #5 is DUE by Thursday March 26th.⨠Clubs and Hearts Post, Diamonds and Spades Comment, note your blog group! Email me if you forget.
Homework #4-Interstellar
Interstellar is a shinning example of a large budget movie that evokes the imagination through the movies elaborate folds. Directed by the exuberant Christopher Nolan who also co-wrote the script, tells the story of a dying humane race whose only option for survival is elsewhere in the vast cosmic space of the universe. The films budget is aproximately $165,000,000 which is an enormous budget, but the budget was so well used, and is evident throughout films story. The films use of breathtaking cinematic views, the presence of actors such as Matthew McConaughey who give the film such convincing performances, and the films overall intricacies puts its large budget to good use. Interstellar protrudes what is is to be a Hollywood spectacle. Although the budget isn’t on par with the top contenders of the Hollywood big budgets, it does stand far above most film budgets. I chose this film because of the absolute breath taking images presented, the well founded science that backs up most of the movie’s premise, and its overall ability to immerse myself into another world. This film was also able to achieve large box office figures without being a rehashed film based on previous films or based on other media. Interstellar is an original film and was able to stand along side other big budget movie with less originality, although aspects of the film due hold a close resemblance to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 a space odyssey.
Homework #4: Spectacular Cinema
Hollywood in the 1930s was filled with spectacles, from the musical fantasies of Busby Berkleey to surreal costumes and sets in The Wizard of Oz and the attention to historical accuracy in Gone with the Wind. These large budget films (the Oz budget was 2.77M and Gone with the Wind cost approx. 3.9M) demonstrate the desire to create an immersive cinema that transported audiences from the somber realities of the Great Depression. Listen to the short NPR news story on the making of Gone with the Wind and note the grand scale of the production, from the long casting process to the interest in historical accuracy as well as the subsequent controversies.
Share with your classmates examples of films that function like spectacles. What big-budget movies have produced similar spectacular settings to captivate audiences?
Listen to the NPR Gone with the Wind Story here.
To complete this homework assignment, note whether you Post or Comment. For Homework #4, Diamonds and Spades will submit a Post and Clubs and Hearts will Comment (choose any of your classmatesâ posts to comment on).
Homework #4 is DUE by Thursday March 10th.⨠Diamonds and Spades Post, Clubs and Hearts Comment, note your blog group! Email me if you forget.
SELMA Homework #3
The absolutely phenomenal, but controversial, film “Selma” was directed by Ava DuVernay. The film debuted during a tumultuous time in the country when race and equality were coming to light . For instance, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, etc. It basically depicted something that happened 50 years ago and made people realize that it is still happening now. Then the film was snubbed by the Oscars and not one person of color was nominated from the movie. That alone sparked protest. It was mostly an all black cast which is rare in a movie of its scale. And on that note, the all black cast was not nominated for best picture when countless other award shows nominated them. Instead, the media chose to focus more on American Sniper than a black film that was more prominent. But hey, let’s all care more about a guy that killed countless people in the Middle East and said he’d kill more. Plus, the American sniper was a movie that didn’t even depict the real life of a soldier and he also refers to Iraqis and as ” savages” and this is what people chose to nominate instead of a film about Martin Luther King Jr. and the whole movement that’s still going  on today.
Homework #3: Controversial Films
We watched excerpts of D.W. Griffithâs The Birth of a Nation in class, a movie that was first screened 100 years ago. As noted in class, the racist content of the film invoked protests across the nation, led primarily by the newly formed National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). The combination of Griffithâs remarkable artistry, distorted historical account, and overt racism produced sickening propaganda for the Ku Klux Klan. Listen to a short NPR report on the legacy of The Birth of a Nation. Â For an example of the impact of Griffithâs film on a recent movie, see Henry Louis Gatesâ interview of Quentin Tarantino on Django Unchained (2012).
Share with your classmates other examples of controversial films that have evoked protests. Do you know of movies that have caused similar demonstrations or complaints about content?
To complete this homework assignment, note whether you Post or Comment. For Homework #3, Clubs and Hearts will submit a Post and Diamonds and Spades will Comment (choose any of your classmatesâ posts to comment on).
Homework #3 is DUE by Thursday February 26th.⨠Clubs and Hearts Post, Diamonds and Spades Comment, note your blog group! Email me if you forget.
