I totally agree with Kristen—I was actually a big of Luhrmann’s soundtrack. I don’t think the juxtaposition of modern music with the historical context of the 1920s was meant to be disorienting or confusing. Instead, I think Luhrmann chose contemporary music in an attempt to convey to modern audiences what it was like to live in the roaring twent…[Read more]

I thought there was a really interesting dynamic in this movie concerning violence, as it mashed together two worlds on completely different ends of the spectrum: a drug-selling, blood-thirsty, corruption-rotted police force and a pacifist Amish community. I think that playing out violence against the peaceful backdrop of Amish…[Read more]

I thought it was interesting how much of a presence religion had in this film, particularly because that is not a topic I expect to see pop up in a mob movie. The most obviously religious presence is Father Barry, who encourages the men to stand up to the mob and gives a speech talking about crucifixions: “Some people think the Crucifixion only…[Read more]

One of the things that threw me off was the ending of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Not necessarily in terms of content, but rather in how abruptly it ended. It cut off immediately after the plot’s climax, right after Mr. Smith collapses and Senator Paine confesses his guilt. While the major conflict of the film had been addressed, most films…[Read more]

One of the things that (pleasantly) surprised me about The General is how unimportant words and dialogue became. I had never seen a silent movie before, so I was a bit wary of how well the story would be conveyed, how characters’ personalities would translate, and how well the film would captivate its audience without conversation to establish…[Read more]