No Women Allowed: Segregation within The Godfather

Gang life, family loyalty, justice, and power--these are all themes that are present in The Godfather. The theme that I'm going to discuss, however, is the segregation of certain people from the family business, particularly women. Don Corleone states in the opening sequence that "a man that never spends time with his family can never be a real man". So, a man should devote himself to his family, but should also maintain a certain level of secrecy in order to keep the family together. This will be evident in my final point later on. I'm going to focus on Kay Adams' perspective because she offers the most accessible, due to the social differentiation between her and the other characters she interacts with.

This movie is about a family that is working tirelessly to preserve itself and make clear the often blurry line between family and business. But, in order to keep the family alive, it's imperative that certain information not be spoken to certain parties. This often leads certain family members to commit brutal acts of murder. 

The scene after the shooting of the Don, when Michael and Kay are walking by Radio City Music Hall and Kay sees the paper about the shooting, provides visible insight into this idea of segregation of outsiders from knowing certain personal business. The shot of Michael inside the phone booth and Kay on the outside looking in reinforces this idea. Not only is Kay watching Michael, but we are as well, from the other side, in the booth. What this means for us is that we are not outsiders. The same cannot be said about Kay. We are allowed the privilege of listening to the critical conversations, although it’s merely in a passive capacity; we are powerless to stop violent acts when they arise.

Another key example of this separation and segregation is the final scene, when Michael deceives Kay into thinking that he's innocent in the killing of Connie's husband Carlo. When she leaves the room to go get drinks, she turns to look down the hallway and back into the room. What the camera is focused on are the three guys in the office (who just killed a plethora of powerful people in scenes prior). They are essentially pledging allegiance to the new Don. The camera, throughout the whole movie, has shown us the true nature of all of these characters. Moreover, in times of deception, such as this, the camera continues to show us the truth, while leaving those who have been deceived in the dark. In this instance, Kay is out of focus because we are supposed to see what's really going on while it's still unclear to her just what it is her husband does.

The final shot in the scene, of Kay's confused facial expression being shut out by the door, along with the last musical notes ending on a tritone instead of resolving, is affirmation that women are not allowed within the family business, even if she is the wife of the leader of the family.

This idea of segregation works on different levels, but is most obvious through Kay. Her curiosity is piqued from the beginning, but what is it that keeps Kay out? Is it an inability or unwillingness for her to understand what the family is about?

Bonnie and Clyde

            When someone mentions "Bonnie and Clyde," one most likely think of outlaws. You automatically link them to crime. Although the center focus is about them breaking the law, I found that there is an underlying theme of Bonnie and Clyde striving to be famous, mainly Clyde. Clyde wants to be like Robin Hood, famous and helping the innocent and poor. Even though that doesn't sound like your typical criminal, it works for Clyde well until the end; we get a foreshadowing of that from the very beginning when the title goes from white to red, meaning something bad will end up happening, some blood will be shed. 

             Based on a true story, Bonnie and Clyde is like the real life Robin Hood. In contrast to your usual criminals, Bonnie and Clyde were not stealing from innocent people; instead they were stealing from the bank. For Examples, when Bonnie and Clyde rob a bank, Clyde notices that there is a dollar bill between the bank teller and a farmer at a bank teller counter. He asks the farmer if that is his dollar and the farmer says yes. Clyde lets the farmer keep the dollar This shows that Clyde doesn't want to steal from the innocent or poor but rather the wealthy banks just to make sure no harm is done to the innocent or poor. 

              Towards the beginning of the movie, Clyde shows off his gun in hopes of impressing Bonnie. She caresses the barrel and that was all it took for Clyde to want more. He wanted everyone to know his name; that is why when Bonnie tells some other people Clyde's story he begins to get aroused because he knew that, that is how you got famous by making the newspaper (which he already made headlines) and just by word of mouth of his story (which was what Bonnie was doing). 

              There are quite a few similarities between Bonnie and Clyde and Sunset Boulevard. Norma Desmond had a taste of fame when she was younger but then as began to age, Hollywood shunned her out and she cannot accept; she was willing to do anything to become famous. Just like Desmond, Clyde sole ambition is to become famous, to be like an idol. Like American Idol, people do not want to become artists, they just want everyone to know who they are. This is such a tragedy in America today. Clyde experienced this tragedy when he said, "They are blaming for a bank robbery in Oklahoma when I was in New Mexico." The excitement of becoming famous slowly begins to fade because he is now beginning to get accused of things he didn't even do. 

              When Bonnie finally confesses, "I wanna see my mama," it breaks your heart because it shows her innocence that the audience had forgotten about. Bonnie and Clyde go see her family. Everyone seems amazed by Clyde's gun, it was like they were celebrities, even to Bonnie's family. The only person that thought it was weird that Bonnie was killing people was her mom. She was like the voice of reason but that still didn't stop Bonnie and Clyde from their outlaw ways which eventually lead to their death.

              

Kim Huynh: Psycho

Kim Huynh
Psycho
            The first half hour of the film really focuses on the fear and entrapment that Marion is feeling in her life. She is upset and desperate and takes the $40,000 but is now on the run to escape her crimes. The camera is consistently close to her face so show the emotions she is feeling. While she is driving away from town, while the cop was questioning her, and the whole time she is driving. Viewers can clearly see that she is living in fear of being caught. When she arrives at the Bates motel there is a clear contrast of lighting. The house is casted in a dark shadow and the only light visible is from the lights in the motel and the neon sign. When she is in the parlor there is also a distinction between the light that is casted on her and the shadows that Norman and the stuffed birds are casted in. There are also angles that Norman was shot in that emphasized his peculiarity such as when the camera shot from the ground up and caught his face in the shadows.  I believe these shots clues audiences into the fact that this Norman character is not as kind and shy as he seems to be and to not think so poorly of Marion whom later chooses to return the money the next day.

            The shower scene also plays a lot with lighting as well as the whole room is lit, then the shot slowly brings in a dark ominous shadow that overtakes the whole scene and the gruesome murder then takes place. This scene also is very interesting because it showed a gruesome and brutal murder in so many random shots but was still able to put in the audience in terror. The camera cuts from a calm and smooth scene of her in the bath, then as Norman (Mother Bates) slowly creeps in and audiences can no longer see a full picture but rather a shot of eyes, a knife, her stomach, etc. After the killer leaves the scene the camera slows down once again then it ends on a close up the victim’s lifeless face. This whole sequence not only created suspense and confusion but ended it on a really creepy shot to top it all off.

            Hitchcock uses focusing techniques to emphasize different characters and scenes in the film. He uses the camera for more than just the camera but as device to allow audiences to feel as if they are there in the room with Marion as the camera pans the room and focuses in and out on her face and her  expressions, on the money, and on the layout of the room. The film depended on a large amount of music to create an eerie setting and to bring suspense to viewers. The music is played in sequence with the grisly murder scenes and the audiences are now in anticipation for something frightening to happen when the music is cued.

            “Psycho” is a great film that was able to bring fear and suspense to viewers without having to use gore and crazy special effects like many films must do these days. It uses simple film making tools such as lighting, framing, and music to set the scene. Hitchcock made this a masterpiece by sticking to the simple things and making something incredible out of it by setting a clear and distinct mood throughout the whole film. 

What Are Friends For: director's commentary

Directors Commentary

* Don't listen to this until you've seen the video.

What Are Friends For?

This is a Group 5 presentation by Brehnan Miller

What Are Friends For? from Hays B Miller on Vimeo.

Friendship is a powerful thing.

The Seventh Seal

By Rachel Molique

The Seventh Seal

            In the movie The Seventh Seal, Antonius Black struggles with believing in God and not believing in him. The reason he may not believe is because he has just spent the last ten years fighting in the Crusades and has seen and experienced some very terrible things. It is clear from the beginning of the movie though that he wants to believe in God because he challenges Death to a game of chess so that he can be granted more time to find something to make him believe.

            Ingmar Bergman does a good job of showing the conflict that Antonius is experiencing through his use of light and dark. Since the movie is in black and white the contrast between the two is very important. In this movie the color white, like in most movies, represents light, innocence, good, and God. The color black represents darkness, evil, bad, and Death.  In the movie Death is obviously the darkness. But Joseph and Mary and Michael are the light. They resemble innocence in the film. They are the ones who help Antonius see that not everything is bad. When they share the strawberries and milk with Antonius it helps him see life in a different way.

 They are ultimately the reason that Antonius finally “accepts” death. Antonius wanted to live so that he could do something good for someone else which would help him find his faith. Well Antonius does something amazing for Joseph, Mary, and Michael, he helps them escape death. At one point in the movie Antonius is playing chess with Death and Joseph wakes up and sees this. He then decides that he and his family need to leave quietly so that they can escape death. Antonius sees what Joseph is doing and decides to “distract” death by knocking over all of the chess pieces and claiming that he doesn’t remember where they belong. While death is resetting the chess pieces Joseph and his family are able to escape.  

This good deed that Antonius performed did help him accept death, but he still feared death. I think that he still feared death because he had never really found his faith. Even at the end of the movie when death shows up for him, Antonius is praying but he is skeptical as to whether or not anyone can hear his prayers. I feel like not having faith and believing that there is nothing that comes after life would be scary too.

Ultimately Death does take Antonius, Jons, Karin, Lisa, Blacksmith Plog, and the girl. At the end of the movie Joseph looks off into the dark distance and sees them all dancing away with Death and then he and Mary and Michael all walk on into the light to go on to a better place. The contrast of light and dark at the end shows that Joseph, Mary, and Michael essentially are the faith and light and innocence in the movie and that Antonius Black never really did fully believe in God again.

The Searchers: There was no true hero

Ethan Edwards: The Searchers clearly begins its motif by portraying a mysterious outlaw as the film’s protagonist. Ethan Edwards is a rugged western character played by John Wayne. Early in the film, while Ethan and his nephew Martin are away, a group of vicious Native Americans slaughters Ethan’s brother’s family and they kidnap two young girls. At this time in the film Ethan is expected to play the role of the hero and rescue the girls while seeking vengeance for the killings.

However, as time progresses, audiences are presented with some of Ethan’s less than noble or heroic character traits. Martin is Ethan’s nephew by adoption, but because he has 1/8 Native American in his blood, Ethan refuses to treat Martin like family, or even like a man. Later, Ethan shoots several people in the back, which during this era of film making is considered less than honorable or heroic. Ethan pays Martin in coin that is freshly minted with no visible markings, which raises suspicions about his mysterious path, alluding to the idea that he may be a bank robber. When Ethan and Martin finally find his kidnapped niece, Ethan tries to shoot her in the head for being brain-washed by a Native American tribe. Finally, towards the end of the film Ethan cuts the scalp off of a slain enemy. Such an action is considered a major social taboo for a white man to engage in. What viewers are left to conclude is that Ethan is neither a true “hero”, nor a “good guy”. Though he does complete his mission at the end of the film and rescue one of his nieces.

Martin Pawley: The main supporting character in the film is Ethan’s “nephew” Martin (though Ethan will not acknowledge his kinship to Martin). Like Ethan, Martin is expected to be a heroic character that goes off to rescue his kidnapped sister Debbie. By today’s social standards, Martin cannot be viewed as a heroic character simply due to his disrespectful maltreatment of most the women that he interacted with.  A woman named Laurie Jorgensen is introduced into the film as Martin’s neighbor. She is in love with Martin and has waited many years to marry him. When Martin first sets off to find Debbie, he is gone for two years. Upon his return, Laurie is jumping with excitement that Martin is alive, and begs him to stay so they can marry and start a family. The next day Martin leaves her, clearly hurt, to set off for another two years in search for Debbie. This event occurs three times throughout the film, all while disregarding the feelings of Laurie, yet telling her to continue to wait and worry for him.

Furthermore, Martin attempts to buy a blanket off a wandering Native American tribe. By mistake, he purchases an Indian wife instead. An innocent and young Indian woman follows Ethan and her new husband Martin. That night while sleeping in the dark cold desert, the wife crawls up next to Martin on his bedroll. Martin immediately kicks his wife down a hill out of disgust. She is eventually left to wander away and fend for herself, later found to be killed under mysterious circumstances.

In conclusion: The Searchers is a great classic western film with all the excitement and drama that would be expected during the era. However, it can be argued that the film does not have a true “hero”. John Wayne played the role of Ethan very well, but it was not the typical cut and dry “American Hero” that he is known for playing. Rather, he was a criminal outlaw, murderer, and possible bank robber. Martin set off to do a noble thing in rescuing his kidnapped adopted sister, but failed to be a decent man in the process, treating the women around him no better than an annoying sack of rocks. So, although the objectives were partially completed at the end of the film, they were not completed by any true "heroes".