On the Waterfront is a 1954 award-winning drama film directed by Elia Kazan. The black and white film location established on New York’s waterfront docks. While watching the motion picture, the audience learned about the corrupt practices the mob’s “on the waterfront” performed; clandestinely murdering the dockworkers and anyone who stood in the mob’s path. Not until the end of the film, one courageous man, Terry Malloy, took charge and broke the “strangle-hold power of the union boss, Johnny Friendly” (Dirks).
In Elia Kazan`s Pinky, the color of one`s skin is vital in determining his or her social status. The film is packed with characters of all ranks: whites who transcend not only other races but also common law and blacks who aspire to be white. One such character, Dicey Johnson, appears to be content with her race, but through her relationship with Pinky Johnson, she reveals that she too actually craves advantages of whiteness. Although Dicey Johnson is portrayed as a saint for sacrificing her life to send her granddaughter to school, Aunt Dicey sent Pinky to school solely so she could experience whiteness through Pinky.
The novel ‘Heroes’ by Robert Cormier features a young war veteran, Francis Cassavant, who returns to his childhood home of Frenchtown from serving in the Second World War and has suffered severe deformities from a fall “on a grenade” which has led the readers to sympathise him and to believe that he is a “poor boy”. Francis has returned to Frenchtown with a specific purpose of killing Larry LaSalle, who is first portrayed as the glamorous and perfect man with a “smile that revealed dazzling movie-star teeth” and “a touch of Fred Astaire in his walk”. Through Larry’s character, Cormier is able to explore the various themes of the novel: masks, power, heroism, and guilt. Although Larry LaSalle is presented as a “hero” and a “champion”, there is an air of ambiguity about him that suggests that he is wearing a mask, exploring the theme of masks, as it contrasts with his “dazzling movie star” good looks and his “big hero” persona.
On the Waterfront and Twelve Angry Men are a piece of history where the society is seeking justice. In the play script Twelve Angry Men and in the film On the Waterfront, the themes discussed relate to the issue of corruption, power & control. On the waterfront considers the interpretation that power corrupts the innocent. In the film the audience may sympathise with Jonny
To summarize this essay, there are several points that highlight differences between the two films, yet the overall context of the film remains the same. One common theme that tends to drive the force between the reasoning in why the two films have varying aspects is because they were made for slightly different audiences at different times in society. Though both versions of the movie have small portions that vary from one another, the main emphasis is the same and both versions are loved by the
The movie "On the Waterfront" is an example of Film Noir which literally means black or dark film. Movies like this were more serious and explored more realistic and depressing subject matters. The movie was mainly about the struggle of the working longshoremen in Hoboken, New Jersey against the gangsters who bullied and extorted money from them. The protagonist of the movie is Terry Malloy.
The Thin Blue Line" is a 1988 documentary film directed by Errol Morris, which investigates the case of Randall Dale Adams, a man who was sentenced to death for the murder of a police officer in Dallas, Texas. The film presents evidence that suggests Adams was wrongfully convicted and that another man, David Harris, was actually responsible for the crime. The thesis of "The Thin Blue Line" is that the criminal justice system can make mistakes and that the power of the law can sometimes be abused by those who are supposed to uphold it. Morris argues that the investigation and trial of Adams were flawed and biased, and that Harris, who had a history of violence and had been stopped by the police on the night of the murder, was the real perpetrator.
In the background, the audience sees Oscar, anxious and frantic, with uncertainty in his voice as he brings up the topic of his career. He clutches his black beanie in his hands. His eyebrows are knitted, which are tell-tale signs of nervousness and apprehension. Oscar’s eyes grow wide in adornment to his boss as he listens to him. The opinion of his boss matters to him much like his mother’s.
Imagine a proud horse, tied to a small plastic chair, unmoving because it believes escaping is hopeless. This is a psychological condition called learned helplessness, and in Robert Towne’s Chinatown (1974), we see the detective hero Jake Gittes’ descent into this condition. Gittes is defined by his chase after justice, willing to question and arrest enemies, lovers, and even his employers. Polanski and Towne use the dark world of Chinatown, a very loose “first person” view, and Joe Gittes as a relatable tragic hero in order to lead us to the same conclusion Gittes does: The world and future is out of your control, and by trying to you might make it worse. Better to do as little as possible.
Emilio Estevez’s purpose in creating this film was to show how different types of people with different backgrounds can mesh together and motivate each other. In The Way, Emilio Estevez uses the literary devices such as characterization and conflict to get
As a result of this novel, Richard Brooks created his own adaption in order to make the words on the pages truly come alive. While Brooks’ film gives a subtle nod to the text in many ways, he is somewhat hesitant in his representation of the themes presented in the novel. Through
Fruitvale Station is based on a true story that occurred in Oakland, California in 2009. Oscar Grant III was unarmed and lying face down on a subway platform. He was shot by a white Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Officer. This movie is about what we can imagine when we cast our gaze across the longstanding divides in this segregated American society. Oscar Grant was a real 22 - year old man.
Casablanca, a Romantic Propaganda Introduction Casablanca is one the classic Hollywood movie which is one of the most critically acclaimed Hollywood movies of all time and also very famous. Casablanca is a romance story that happens during World War II but the question is does it end there? Is Casablanca just a Romance movie? In this essay, I will be discussing how the movie Casablanca which is one of the most famous and critically acclaimed films of all time is a propaganda movie and what message is sending and the effects that propaganda movies make and why it’s important for governments.
For my costume project, I did the character Eugene from the play Brighton Beach Memoirs. Eugene is a 15 year old boy in the middle lower class. Eugene is sentimental, innocent, and generous. The scene from Brighton Beach Memoirs is about Eugene’s brother, Stan is departing because he has lost his job. The year is 1938, but for this project, it is set in the Elizabethan era.
This essay will discuss how the film uses these two techniques, in reference to the film, and to what ideological and political ends are the techniques used in the films with specific references from the film to support the argument. A Man with a Movie Camera is based around one man who travels around the city to capture various moments and everyday
