Manhattan

Although, I really enjoyed this movie, what I liked best about it was all of the visual effects that were used. The montage of images really stood out and caught my attention. Allen did a fantastic job filming and capturing the beauty of Manhattan. There were many scenes and shots that stood out to me. I thought the director did a marvelous job using the “Rule of Thirds.” This rule is used in any visual art such as photography and film. It’s when an image is separated into thirds and the important compositional elements are placed on these intersections or lines. I thought Woody Allen did a great job using this rule throughout the movie. I especially liked the scene where the two are on a park bench overlooking the bridge. It was such a beautiful scene with the lights and camera angle. Other scenes that stood out to me were the one of the café and most of the outdoor shots that included the skyline, buildings and crowds. I also thought that the director did an exceptional job of using the idea of leading lines. Leading lines are used to lure the viewer’s eye deeper into the picture or to focus their eyes on the importance of that picture or shot. Again there were many scenes and shots that Woody Allen chose to use that followed this style. His use of skylines, streams, rivers and buildings all helped to strengthen his film shots.
Another approach this movie used that I thought was interesting was all of the talking and action that happened off screen. There were many scenes throughout this film that incorporated this. It really made the viewer listen and pay attention to what was going on. All of the conversations that took place off screen during the movie served to enhance the visual aspect as well. At times during these scenes it was easy to lose track of the actors and just really focus in on the rest of the scene. Again this technique of having the actors talk off screen really forced the viewer to concentrate on what the director wanted us to look at.
Overall I thought this movie was very well done. It was very comical and entertaining. This movie also contained many interesting references to very famous philosophers and thinkers. What made this film special was that it was more than a story. Allen captured the heart of Manhattan through his camera and through his creative style. My favorite part of this film was the montage and how the images flowed together. I thought Woody Allen used many interesting techniques to make scenes and shots look appealing. He did a wonderful job of using the Rule of Thirds and leading lines.

The Awful Truth

I thought this was a very funny and clever film. It begins by Jerry lying to his wife Lucy about taking a trip to Florida. He jokes with his friend that what she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. Then in the very next scene his wife was nowhere to be found. She later was discovered with her singing instructor whose car apparently broke down. Jerry gets very suspicious of their story and gets made at her for not telling him the truth. He questions whether or not she was unfaithful to him when he just lied to her about going to Florida. She soon finds out that he had lied about his whereabouts after she finds an orange with a printed label “Fresh from California” in her basket of presents. Jerry seems to contradict himself when he tried to explain where he was. This eventually leads to their divorce, but it also raises the question of marriage itself. Throughout the film, there were a lot of references to what a marriage needs to be successful. Marriage was said to be built on faith and being truthful to your partner. Each character had their suspicions about their spouses. Another aspect of the movie I thought was interesting was the character of the dog, Mr. Smith. Mr. Smith seemed to metaphorically represent a child between Lucy and Jerry. He seemed to be the one thing they had in common and loved. I thought the court scene where they both fought for custody of the dog was very funny. It seemed as though Lucy won the rights to the dog because of her sneaky trick, in which she showed the dog his favorite toy and he came running to her. To me this set up the entire film because after that stunt, I felt that Jerry was trying to get back at her. I also saw the dog playing another important role in the movie. The part when Lucy taught him how to play hide-n-go seek stood out to me. She taught him that game, which in the end hurt Lucy because instead of the dog finding the treat, he found Armani’s hat. This eventually led to Jerry finding out that Lucy was with another guy. To me this also symbolized Jerry teaching Lucy dating ticks. Jerry first played tricks with Lucy during her relationship with Daniel. This eventually led to them breaking up, but like the dog, Lucy learned how to trick Jerry and screw up his relationship with Barbra Vance. The person that taught the tricks (Lucy, then Jerry) eventually got the tricks played on them.

Adam’s Rib

Adam’s Rib had a different plot then the rest of the movies we have seen. This movie was different in several of ways. The married couple had a stable life; both had jobs and owned an apartment together. Their life (marriage) felt more realistic then relationships portrayed in the other movies we’ve watched. The biggest difference that I saw in this movie was the idea of equality. This was the first movie that addressed the notion of equality between men and women. It not only addressed the issue, but also made it the focal point of the movie. The story line was centered on a trial where the defense lawyer used equality for women as their argument. The movie was filled with symbolism which pointed to the subject of equality. The movie raised the question of whether or not men and women can be truly equal. The symbolism used to portray equality was plentiful. It starts with the main characters happily married and sharing the same career. They were both successful lawyers. More subtle symbols were the fact that they both had the same nickname, “pinky.” This showed oneness and equality between the two. Another symbol of equality seen within this movie was the make-up of their bedroom. If split in half, one side would be the mirror image of the other. There were two beds, two closets, and two bathrooms. Again this symbolized the equality between the two characters. Amanda and Adam had made the decision to make up their own rules regarding their marriage and not follow society’s norms. They not only respected each other but their marriage was balanced and based on sharing everything. An interesting scene that questions the rules that society makes between men and women is at the very beginning of the movie. Amanda is in her office with her assistant discussing the morning headlines, which were about a woman who shot her husband due to his adultery. This led to Amanda asking the question, when a man has an affair, what do you think of the man? The assistant replied, “he is not so nice.” Amanda then asked what do you think of a woman who has an affair? The assistant replied, “its terrible.” Amanda questions why the difference of opinion between men and women. The assistant answered, “I don’t know, it’s just the rules.” Amanda points out the fact that we, “society”, makes the rules. This exchange is one of several conversations that raise the question of why society has decided that men and women aren’t equal and could they be wrong. Another scene that raises this question was when Adam cried. Earlier in the movie Amanda and Adam were fighting and she began to cry. Adam responded that he hates it when she cries because he gives into her. He implies that her tears are just a ploy to get what she wants and are not real emotions. Later, Adam uses tears to get what he wanted and then after revealed to Amanda that he faked his tears to get what he wanted. Thus questioning the social norm that says women are more emotional than men and use that to get their way and that men are not supposed to cry or show emotion. Although Amanda wins the case and therefore proves to the court that women deserve equality, she learns through her separation with Adam that the issue of equality is not black and white or as simple as she thought it was.

The work of Art in the Age of Its Technological Reproducibility

I. The development of art was first used for cult value, but overtime changed due to religious and political force.
II. Some believe that technological advances have improved the art of making art, but it can also be argued that all of these advances have made it easier for art to be reproduced.
III. By the use of technology, mass production masked the unique aspect of art of few copies of original authentic art.
IV. Over time, nature and history condition human perceptions.
V. Art became revolutionized from originally being used for cult or ritual purposes to being used for political reasons.
VI. Cult artwork began as artwork that was not viewable to the public, but through time, art work whether in film, photos, painting are viewable to the masses and makes it possible for people to see and learn about things they may have never had the opportunity to.
VII. Humans show more interest in the exhibition value, which overtime decreases the importance to the original cult value art.
VIII. Film is the first type of art that’s success is based largely on its reproducibility. The more a film is reproduced the greater the value of the film.
IX. Technological reproducibility allowed the foundation of cult art to disconnect from the development of new art.
X. The work of art is constructed by the component of montage.
XI. Technological advances such as, the use of film editing, has taken away from the original idea of art. Due to the ability to edit and splice film, a film actor has to only be in character for short takes while the stage actor starts at the beginning of the story and goes all the way through to the end. There are no re-dos.
XII. Being an actor is a unique profession. An actor must become someone that they are not and how well they become another character impacts the success of the film. It is also unique in the fact that your success is based upon an audience that has contributed nothing to the making of the film.
XIII. The technological progressions allowed for more and more individuals to be exposed to art, therefore allowing them to take part in it. It gives many people a voice who may have never had one..
XIV. The way art is interpreted can be significantly impacted by the different uses of new technology used by the film studio. Editing and special effects help to create images that could have never been filmed and stories that could have never been told without their help.
XV. Due to the technological reproducibility, film is being viewed by a great mass of people while original artwork was meant to be seen by few people.
XVI. Film tries to connect humans to the apparatus by tapping into the unconscious mind and presenting man in various ways. It gives people the opportunity to see, experience and think about things they may have never had the chance to.
XVII. Dadaism was a post World War 1 cultural movement that took place in all areas of art. It rejected the war and its statement was radical and meant to stir the public. It was considered by some to be anti-art. Film is now considered to be a vehicle used to make similar statements. Film and other expressions of art expose the public to issues that they may have no knowledge or understanding of.
XVIII. Art has changed from being valued by its quantity or quality to being valued most by its content.
XIX. This section discusses the potential effect and control that art has on the public. Much like fascism, art has the capability of selecting, manipulating and creating a message that is the viewpoint of the artist. The artist is much like the dictator. It also talks about the fact that life imitates art and conveys the theory that politics are a form of art.