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May 7, 2017 at 9:34 pm #1036Emily McClemontParticipant
Melissa, I think that you do an effective job describing and analyzing the “Unpopular Opinion of ‘Georgia.'” I concur with your identification of Sadie (Jennifer Jason Leigh) as “honest,” and found myself wondering if, at times, her honesty stems from being under the influence. Her expression of love for her sister as “the one person [she’ll] miss when [she] leave[s] this earth” depicts an openness that may derive from intoxication, as it seems characteristic of an alcohol induced emotional statement. In this case, especially, I find that Sadie’s addictions aid in developing her character as emotionally honest. You state, “She at times seems to be able to replicate the honesty of a child,” which I connected to our class’s brief discussion of Sadie’s niece, Michelle. I found Michelle’s maturity, depicted through her ability to understand and appropriately react to Sadie’s addictions, to contrast Sadie’s lack of maturity, and am curious to know others’ opinions regarding Michelle’s role in the film. Sadie is an emotionally honest and open character, and her lacking maturity is highlighted by the acceptance she receives from Michelle.
April 22, 2017 at 1:41 pm #1024Emily McClemontParticipantLizzie,
As Kate stated in her response to your post, I, too, “was surprised to find I actually liked Hannibal Lector as a character.” As both you and Kate address in your posts, Lector is one of the only male characters to refrain from sexism within the film; he psychoanalyzes Clarice, and causes her discomfort through his analysis of her childhood, but, as you argue, Lector encourages Clarice to work harder and “semi-inspires” her. I think that our class’ general consensus, in which we seem to be addressing a surprising reluctance to identify Lector as the film’s main villain, comes from his belief in Clarice’s potential. Lector’s willingness to “build the hero up,” allows me to believe that he is perhaps, a mentor figure to Clarice, as opposed to the film’s central villain. I am ultimately arguing my belief that, Lector provides Clarice, the film’s driven and powerful female hero, with support, and although he is cannibalism is criminal, his belief in and support for the likeable Clarice creates our reluctance to classify him as the villain.
April 10, 2017 at 2:31 pm #1006Emily McClemontParticipantMike,
I think that you do an effective job of illustrating the relationships between the central characters of Mike Nichols’ Wit (2001). I find your statement regarding Vivian’s internal struggles particularly interesting, as you state, “the viewer can see that in her final moments Vivian regrets the life she chose and would have, presumably, liked to live a life more similar to that of Evelyn with a better balance of her intellectual life and a real life.” I think that your identification of Vivian’s wish to lead a balanced is accurate, as depicted throughout the film. I find that the moments in which Vivian reflects on her harsh and unaffected demeanor when refusing to allow a student an extension for his paper following his grandmother’s death and her statement, “I wish I had given him an A” in regards to her A- evaluation of Dr. Posner when he was her student, enhance your assertion of Vivian’s desire for a more balanced life. I would also like to point out that the film highlighted the Barnes and Noble bag which Evelyn carried the books for her grandson in as a potential symbol of this desire; the bag of books signified Evelyn’s relation to a life outside of intellectual studies, and when brought into Vivian’s hospital room and placed on her empty nightstand, it emphasized Vivian’s lack of a balanced life.
March 24, 2017 at 9:40 pm #976Emily McClemontParticipantHi Marissa,
I think that you do a nice job of highlighting the rather subjective nature involved in identifying a “hero” figure because, as you state, the very definition “varies from culture to culture and even among individuals.”
I agree with your reluctance to identify the team members immediately killed in Alive’s plane crash as heroes in terms of experiencing a full Campbellian journey, however, I do think that they could be viewed as heroes in terms of aiding the survivors’ rescue; their bodies ultimately provided their teammates with nutrition, energy, and the ability to remain alive.
I am interested in learning more about your identification of Canessa and Parrado as Alive’s sole heroes. While I do think that their position as expeditionaries provided them a higher rank and a further developed Campbellian journey than that of the other survivors, I am curious as to whether you think that Parrado’s persistence and willingness to continue the pair’s expedition and ultimate making contact with the horseman makes him more deserving of the title of “hero” than Canessa and the complaining that characterized his efforts along their journey?
February 20, 2017 at 2:58 pm #953Emily McClemontParticipantHi Kevin,
I think that you do an effective job of outlining Kazan’s On The Waterfront through Campbell’s literature and as a statement regarding Kazan’s naming names during the 1954 HUAC investigations and trials. I am intrigued by your identification of two “belly of the whale moments” evident within the film: the murder of Terry’s brother, a corrupt union leader, himself, and Malloy’s beating by the waterfront. I am interested to know more about your feelings regarding the inclusion of more than one “belly of the whale” moment. Do you feel these moments aimed to emphasize the corruption evident within the union or was worked to highlighted the difficulties inherent in naming names?
February 12, 2017 at 5:38 pm #947Emily McClemontParticipantHi Kevin,
In reading your previous post regarding the similarities between Curtiz’s Casablanca and Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities, I was struck by the numerous structural elements you were able to find similarities within. Your connection between Casablanca and A Tale of Two Cities in terms of its similarly organized “love triangles” left me to wonder, as well “how many different cultures and time periods have this same type of story.” I find it interesting how certain mechanical natures of films and literature are so often comparable and cannot help but return to the original connection between Casablanca and The Hero with a Thousand Faces, yet another example allowing a film’s structural elements to align to literature.
February 12, 2017 at 1:21 pm #944Emily McClemontParticipantHi Mike,
I think you bring up an interesting point regarding the parallels and relationship between Rick Blaine and Victor Laszlo. I think that your statement, “Victor Laszlo being a close to, if not almost the exact same person, as Rick before Ilsa walked out on him” is accurate when comparing the men’s similar affection for Ilsa, and find the comparison between Blaine and Laszlo may reach beyond their shared adoration of Ilsa. Laszlo strikes me as risk-taking; having been rumored dead, escaped concentration camps, and determined to reach America, and I find that Blaine’s risk-taking nature emerges as the movie progresses, as he is willing to aid the Bulgarian couple and more obviously, cause harm to the officials whom stand in the way of Laszlo’s departure, highlighting a second potential comparison between the two. I think your suggestion of Laszlo as a foil to Blaine offers a link to Blaine’s sentimentalist nature, as Laszlo’s dangerous actions and similar care for Ilsa, may enhance Blaine’s eventual heroic action regarding Ilsa and Laszlo’s departure.
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