MYST POST #2: West Side Story

WEST SIDE STORY

West Side Story is an all-time favorite of music-lovers all over the world. It came out in 1961 and was adapted from the 1957 Broadway musical. It starred Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno and George Chakiris. The story is a new version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. It is set in New York City and focuses on 2 different gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. Maria (Natalie Wood)and Tony (Richard Beymer) fall in love, but fight to keep their love alive as their families and friends rival each other. One of the directors of this film was Robert Wise who directed The Sound of Music and Star Trek among many others. Also, Jerome Robbins was the other director and the choreographer. 

I absolutely love this film. I have seen it numerous times and has always been one of my favorite movies. The music is the most important part of the film, every song is beautifully written and sung with passion by the stars of the film. One of my favorite scenes is when Maria and Tony are trying to figure out how they are going to get away together. It includes the song "Somewhere" which is my favorite song. In the scene, Tony holds Maria who is crying and comforts her by saying there is a place for them to be happy somewhere. The lighting in the beginning of the scene is very interesting, there is a dividing line of color between Tony and Maria. I think this symbolizes the division between the two lovers because of their separated lives. The scene is very powerful and sad because it shows the overwhelming hope they both have to be together. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BQMgCy-n6U

The camerawork in this film is very interesting and greatly executed. During the dance numbers they usually film wider shots to show everyone and then there are also shots that are very quiet and intimate between characters. The look of this film is overall pretty dark, it gets darker as the movie progresses to show the sadness and despair. The use of the camera also shows the different lives of both of the gangs. The Jets aren't shown in their homes, but out on the streets with the gang. Then there are the Sharks who are always with their family and other gang members in their small apartments. The camera comes from many different characters perspectives, which is very interesting and keeps the idea of division in play. 

Overall, I adore this movie for the music, the acting and the message. It shows that love is true and even if it seems forbidden it can prevail over all odds. I would rate this movie 5 out of 5 stars. I recommend it to really anyone, but especially people who love music and dancing. 

1935 Movie: High Times, Hard Times

My group's film was called High Times, Hard Times. The movie will be directed by Frank Capra, highly acclaimed director of the time. The basic plot of the film was the lives of two men in the early thirties. James Cagney plays the gangster who lives the high life with money and women, but comes into trouble when his underground speakeasy is found out. Although he has many romantic affairs he has one girl played by Barbara Stanwyck that he always comes back to. The other man who is played by Jimmy Stewart is a classic hardworking family man who loses his job in the crash of 1929. Loretta Young plays his supportive wife who helps him through this difficult point in their lives. The two mens' lives cross paths and they develop an unlikely friendship that teaches them to have hope and make the best of every situation. 

  

We wanted to appeal to our audience of 1935 so we thought a gangster movie with a social issue like the Depression would be a smart choice. We chose to make a smaller budget film because not many people are going to see the big extravagant films, they wanted something more realistic. This is also why we chose Warners Bros. Studios, because we knew they had experience with gangster films and also made lower budget films. 

We chose James Cagney because he has a reputation in his films of being the "bad guy" and had done gangster movies previously. Also, he already was working with Warner Bros. so no trading or dealing was necessary. Jimmy Stewart was casted because he had worked with Frank Capra before in previous films and the role in this movie was the kind of man he always plays. We decided to trade Humphrey Bogart to MGM so we could have him for our movie. 

For the women in the film, we casted Barbara Stanwyck because she was working with Warners Bros. and had worked with Capra as well. Also, she had the look we wanted and was known for being a sex symbol of films. Loretta Young was known for playing sweet nice roles so we thought she would be perfect for the role, also she was loved by Frank Capra. 

We followed the Hays Code very well. Even though it is a gangster film and inappropriate things were going on, we did not show any of it. It was all suggested through the dialogue throughout the film. We did not show violence, sex or alcohol in the film. Also, something we wanted to highlight was the cinematography and lighting in the movie. We used some innovative editing techniques and new camera angles to show off the drastic difference between characters. 

I thought everyone in my group worked very well together and had their own input about actors, studios etc. I was very happy with how everything turned out and I would definitely see this movie if it was out, so overall I wouldn't change anything in our film.

Formal Film Study: Steven Spielberg

The three films directed by Steven Spielberg that I chose to watch were Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Schindler's List. These movies interested me very much and I wanted to analyze them more to see what kind of director Spielberg really is.

The first film I watched was Jaws, made in 1975, this film scared beach goers around the nation. The story of a small summer town Amity Island that is suddenly struck with a disastrous monster on the fourth of July. A great white shark. Now, although I have seen this film before, every time I watch it I find something I haven't before. Each time Spielberg makes it a special and entertaining movie to watch. This movie is one of Spielberg's greatest achievements earning him 260 million.

The second film I watched was Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This movie was compelling, entertaining and mysterious all in one. When supposedly UFO's start to invade and kidnap loved ones, Richard Dreyfuss' character along with many others become obsessed and compelled to find out more about their close encounters. Also, a big pay out at the box office with a total of over 132 million.

The last film I watched was Schindler's List. This is a movie that will stay with you forever. It is a classic film and is popular for the way it makes you feel. It does this because it is real. Historic films such as this one, if executed well can be absolutely fantastic. The true story of the Holocaust and a man that tries with all of his might to safe some of the innocent souls from their determined fate. 

The cinematic elements of all of these movies were all different in their own way. Such as in Jaws, there were lots of underwater scenes and going from above water to under which I thought was clever of Spielberg to do. Another thing he did well in Jaws was to build suspense. There were a few scenes where you didn't know if the shark was going to attack or not and I was always nervous to see what would happen. In Close Encounters there are many cool scenes where the UFO's are invading and trying to capture someone. In these scenes the technology and editing used to make them seem real was incredible. In both of these movies the technology was used to its advantage, for both being made in the mid to late 70's they are very well executed. 

In Schindler's List there are quite a few long shots to show the camp and how Amon Goeth had such power over all of the people there. Also, there are many close up shots of when they are going to kill someone, to show the horror and terror on their faces. 

Also, a element that I noticed was the music. John Williams composed the music for both Jaws and Schindler's List, and even though it is not the biggest aspect of a movie it still plays a role. In both of the  movies the music is an essential part that makes you frightened and makes you cry. 

One message that I got from these movies was that even if you feel like you can't make a difference or change something, if you have the will you can. Such as, in Jaws, Chief Brody is terrified of the water and hesitates with every move he makes, but in the end becomes the reluctant hero. Also in Schindler's List, Schindler enjoys the high life he usually lives, but notices that he has the power to save people and he follows his heart. 

In all three of these films, the discovery I made was that Spielberg created a suspenseful "unknown" in all of these movies.  In Jaws, there is the obvious unknown of who the next victim is and also how are they going to conquer the shark. In Close Encounters, the unknown is who are these aliens and what do they want from us. Lastly, in Schindler's List, the unknown is if you are going to survive and also where are your loved ones if they are alive. 

Overall, I loved all of these movies and would recommend them to anyone who enjoys good movies and wants to see more of Spielberg's work.