Sarraounia

Sarranouia is a historical drama about a sorcerer queen who used martial arts and clever witchcraft war tactics to defend her tribe in resistance to France. Directed by Med Hondo, this film incorporated a little bit of political documentary style filming as well as historical musicals. This film was different than I had expected to be, first walking into the theater. Filled with a lot of mise-en-scene throughout the film impacted its visual content. The costumes were very detailed and gave me a good image of this time period and African life. It is obvious the director did a lot of historical research and has a strong background of this happening and of Sarraounia, the queen of the Azna tribe. Assisting the tribe, it is entertaining, watching the whites be a minority, trying to lead a pack of hundreds of Africans in this war. This movie has a lot of good singing as well. Their singing and music gave me a feel of life in Africa. Adding to the mise-en-scene, there also is a lot of action throughout the movie. Coming in not knowing too much to expect from an African film, I really appreciated the detail and choreography of the film; from the fighting scenes to the costume, organization of scenes, and plot. The acting was better than I had thought as well. Thinking it would be a cheap documentary style film, Sarrounia shocked me walking out of the theater.Watching this film gave me a better understanding of white influence in Africa and of the french column and African culture.

Hero

A story of stories, this film "Hero", directed by Zhang Yimou is about an assassin, known as Nameless, and his mission. Thousands of years ago,before China was one country it was divided up in 6 states. In the Kingdom of Qin, the ruler had a destiny to unite them all together s one. There was a difficulty in doing so with divided opinions from the different states. Jet Li, the starring actor in this film, founds a way to plot out deaths of the rulers top three assassins, to be able to step ten paces away from the King of Qin. Before this time, no one was allowed to be within 100 paces from him because of the attempted assassinations of Sky and Broken Sword, who ended up killing thousands of King's guards alone. This movie tells the stories of Nameless's conversation with the King by using techniques such as flashbacks. Within these flashbacks were editing techniques I have never seen before. With the use of colors to coordinate scenes such as the color constantly changing on the leaves from one color to another after the duel of Moon and Snow, Zhang Yimou has defiantly brought in many unique aspects to this film. He details each specific story told with different colors such as green, red, blue, and white. With great organization within his style, his color coordination makes it easier for the viewers to follow. With detail in sound, he articulately expressed each swift of the sword and motion of the feet. This film ends with somewhat a twist in the end. Finally approached within the ten paces from the King, Nameless listens to the wise words of Broken Sword, and walks away for this chance of unity. In doing so, the King sends his guards for his death. In the end, it is notices that many lives were given up and killed more reasons of love, friendship and ideals.

Review for Hero. By Hen Pauker
Hero is an art film that made in china in the year 2004. The plot starts at the King of Qin’s palace where warrior with the name (or without the name) “Nameless” (Jet Li) getting a lot of respect from Qin’s citizens, palace worship and from the king himself. Nameless claim that he killed three assassinates who willing for the king’s death; the three assassinates were Broken Sword, Flying Snow and Sky. Those three warriors were known for years as the king’s enemies and as a reward for their death, Nameless got the chance to get closer to the king and tell his story about the battles against those assassinates. The director (Zhang Yimou) presents to us the special stories about Nameless finding Broken Sword, Flying Snow and Sky; he shows us the way Nameless chose to kill them or the way he helped them to be killed. The more Nameless ascribe to the end of his story he is allowed to get closer to the king and the more he get closer to him, the king find a lot of “holes” in his story. Eventually, the King guessed what really happened and realized that Nameless is assassinates too who wants his death. When Nameless is only ten steps from the king he can finally kill him and complete his, sky, Broken Sword and Flying Snow plain. The director with amazing effects shows us the fights and the battles between Nameless with the other assassinates and then the true story about the group. The film’s fights, art direction, acting, choreography cinematography and all of the camera angles, shots and editing are amazing. It is unbelievable what a cameras and a bunch of smart people can create.

Review of Swades, We, the People

In the film Swades, we follow the epic, revealing path of an Indian man named Mohan. Mohan is a leading project manager for a project called Global Precipitation Measurement in which he works under NASA. Mohan is depressed, and recalls his old maid, Kaveri. Mohan decides to travel to India and visit Kaveri, hoping to bring Kaveri back to the U.S. to live a more peaceful, fruitful life than in India. Unfortunately, it becomes hard when Mohan arrives to Kaveri’s village, as Kaveri tells Mohan that she needs more time to decide. In this midst, Mohan meets an old friend name Gita, Gita is a stubborn school teacher who is very ambitious about education for the children of her village. Mohan brings his American culture into their village, and faces idealistic conflict with his old friend Gita, but introduces new views and stories to some lively characters of the village, a postmaster, a cook, a freedom fighter. His conflict tends to intertwine with the everday lives of the villagers and their elders. Problems arise throughout Mohan’s visit, electrical failure, water, proper schooling. Mohan stays a little while longer as he does not want to leave the village so he can spend more time with Gita and Kaveri as well as the villagers. Through his extended stay, Mohan is sent to collect money from Haridas, who leased land from Gita to farm. Unfortunately, Haridas does not have the money to do such, and Mohan’s journey to collect the money gives him a revelation to help the village. In his revelation, he helps to convince people on their culture and traditions to help better the village. Mohan helps the village, bringing electricity through his turbine, economic outlook fighting against the caste system, and institutes a school to broaden the acceptance of students. He eventually has to leave due to his duties toward the NASA project, but returns in the end to his people and love.
The movie is really a love story, a life lesson, and new perspectives and ideologies intertwined. Although a three hour plus movie, it includes a musical side as well, which is a key element in Indian Cinema, the appreciation and culture of integrating music into the lives of the villagers. In this musical element, the love story connection is made, along with singing about true roots, tradition, and new/old generation connection. Caste system becomes a huge part in the economical, education element of the story, as the elders prefer the caste system to outlay their wishes of the village. Haridas became a prime example of the caste system, which ashamed Mohan of his people’s ideals, due to the fact the Haridas was a weaver, who became a farmer, but was shunned by the village when he traded professions. During a part of the film, the elders argued for the caste system, saying that India is the greatest country in the world because of its “Culture and Tradition”. Mohan argues with the elders on this subject, as he incorporates the ideals of American capitalism into his argument, making this a very important scene in the movie because it assures Mohan’s perspective with the villagers becoming a lot stronger than his first arrival. Indian cinema did well to incorporate American themes like a musical, argue against it’s own beliefs like the caste system, and involve elements of its own culture such as its love of music and appreciation of roots.

Review of Amores Perros

Review of Amores Perros
By: Eric Martin

Alejandro Gonzalez Innaritu’s film Amores Perros is a Mexican film that has received international praise including a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film from the American Academy Awards. The film follows three different stories entitled “Octavio y Susana”, “Daniel y Valeria”, and “El Chivo y Maru”. All three stories are connected by a car accident shown in the beginning of the film and examine the love and cruelty humans can hold and inflict each other. The dogs these main characters own influence their actions by providing wealth, hardship, or enlightenment.
Amores Perros is a very modern film that can reach many foreign audiences. For example the narrative structure of the movie mimics many popular films by the American director Quentin Tarantino. For example, the beginning of Amores Perros follows the lead up to the car crash that connects the lives of all the characters. A dog is bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound in the back of the car. The scene the very hectic and resembles the beginning to Reservoir Dogs. Furthermore, the plot the nonlinear and jumps back and forth in time in the same manner as Tarantino’s films.
The cinematography and mise-en-scene in Amores Perros are very powerful and can convey many universal themes to global audiences. For example, the film contains many graphic images of dogfights. Dogs are shown with broken necks, sharp teeth, and bloody fur. These images highlight the cruelty humans can inflict on animals. The film also uses cinematography to suggest that humans are no better than dogs. For example, in one scene two men are tied up like dogs and left to fight over a gun just out of reach of both of them. The scene uses a low angle shot to emphasize that the men are dogs in an arena and the audience the looking down upon them as spectators.

Reactionary Realism in Romanian Cinema

Eric Martin
Professor Perez Tejada
English 1102 Section D2
March 3, 2009

Reactionary Realism in Romanian Cinema

4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu are recent Romanian films that have won numerous international awards including the “Un Certain Regard” and the “Palme d’Or” at the Cannes International Film Festival. 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days tells the story of two college roommates in Ceausescu’s Romania who try to perform an illegal abortion. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu is a dark comedy about a dying man’s journey though Romania’s modern hospital system. Despite having different subject matters and belonging to separate genres, the ascetic realism in 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu distinguishes the films from conventional world cinema and older Romanian movies. By exploring the elements of mise-en-scene and the cinematography in both films, one can understand how 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu create a realistic narrative. Furthermore, the stark realism in the films can be given further significance by comparing them to the ideological and metaphorical films from Romania’s socialist era.

When questioned about the purpose of 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, the director Christian Mungui responded, “My attempt was to be very honest” (“AFI Fest: 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days”). When interviewed about his views on cinema, the director of The Death of Mr. Lazarescu Cristi Puiu answered, “For me, cinema is less an art form than a technique for investigating reality” (Cummins). Due to their similar views on the purpose of cinema, the directors use similar settings, décor, and props to create an authentic reality for the audience. For example, the opening image of 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days is a shot of a college dorm room. The room conveys a cold, austere aura with the frost-covered window, the bars on the heater, and the tiled floors. None of the colors are exaggerated; the curtains, the tablecloth, and the wall paper all blend into a white background. The character Gabita wears a worried look on her pale face, clenches her right hand on her leg, and nervously plays with a cigarette in the other. Through this image the audience gains a clear sense of Gabita’s apprehension and begins to actually feel her uncertainty.



The opening image in The Death of Mr. Lazarescu utilizes dreary props and vapid colors to swallow the audience in Mr. Lazarescu’s depression. Pots, dishes and half-eaten pieces of food lay scattered throughout the kitchen. The cat Mr. Mr. Lazarescu is feeding seems more dead than alive, and the yellow paint on his walls is dull and lifeless. Both of these images are designed to absorb the audience with the implicit emotions of the films. Furthermore, the props Mr. Mungui and Mr. Puiu use are carefully selected in order to convince the audience that they are seeing a story not apart from reality. For example, the director of 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days shows actual products form Ceausescu’s Romania to immerse the audience into the story: “Another wanted to know how Mungui found the brands of soap, gum, and other items that had been staples of the Ceausescu era.” (Scott). If one item did not belong to the era, then the spell the movie places over its audiences would have been broken. These elements of mise-en-scene help convince the audience that the movie screen is a truthful representation of the real world.



4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu make the same cinematographic decisions in order to build a truthful perception of time and space. More specifically, the manner in which the films were shot provides little space between the characters and the audience. For instance, both films rely on ten-minute long shots to capture the slow procession of time. In 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, there is a long scene in which the camera follows the main character Otilia through the dark streets of Bucharest as she tries to dispose an aborted fetus. During the shot, the audience sees Otilia staring down dark street corners, nervously asking strangers for directions, and cautiously peering behind her back. For ten minutes, the scene subjects the audience to Otilia’s rapid breathing in order to connect the audience with her fear. These elements and their slow procession build exasperating levels of tension, and the tension is not released until the ordeal is over for Otilia. The audience is not granted the luxury of objectivity.



In The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, the long shots emphasize the slowness of Mr. Lazarescu’s death and highlight the apathy of Mr. Lazarescu’s doctors. For example, the first scene of the movie follows Mr. Lazarescu as he roams aimlessly through his apartment and vomits on himself. During the shot, the audience begins to view the world through Mr. Lazarescu’s eyes, and as a result, the audience becomes frustrated with the continued absence of the ambulance. Both films also rely on natural lighting in order to effectively recreate reality: “I needed… (to) recreate the atmosphere of the time… I did everything in natural light as possible.”(4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days). In 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days, the cinematographer Oleg Mutu only uses supplementary lights to occasionally light half of Otilia’s face as she travels the streets of Bucharest during the night. This is done in order to recreate the dark streets of the Ceausescu era and envelop the audience in the darkness Otilia contends with. For The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, the same cinematographer relies on the lighting in the hospital in order to bring out the whitewashed walls and the moribund atmosphere of a Romanian hospital. The cinematographic elements of these two films force the audience to experience the apprehension, the frustration and the fear felt by the characters in the movies.

When the directors discuss the honesty that they want their films to possess, they are espousing an idea greater than an artistic vision. They are attempting to be respectful and honest about Romania’s history and culture: “There is almost no didacticism or point-making in these films… there is an impulse to tell the truth…its motivation appears to be as much ethical as aesthetic” (Scott). During Ceausescu’s era, the Romanian public had few movie choices. Most of the movies seen by Romanians were propaganda films championing the cause of socialism. These films were highly symbolic and metaphorical and told the audience how to think. The new generation Romanian of filmmakers explores their history in a fashion that completely contradicts the propaganda of the past. For example, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days makes no overt statement about the morality of abortion. The film simply follows the story of two college roommates trying to perform an illegal abortion. Any attempt to present an argument in the film would only repeat the mistakes of the past. It would also be an insult to the Romanian women who actually experienced the event. The honesty found in The Death of Mr. Lazarescu examines the shortcomings of Romania’s developing medical system with dark, comic humor. None of the doctors or nurses who treat Mr. Lazarescu should be considered evil. Their faults are intrinsically human: vanity, indifference, and irresponsibility. They simply accept the fact that Mr. Lazarescu is dying and pass him on to the next hospital with out any regard to the man’s self-respect. By focusing on the realism in their films, the directors of 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu not only create cinematic masterpieces but cultural means to explore Romania’s dark past and its present direction.

Work Cited
“AFI Fest: 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days” www.variety.com. November 13, 2007.
http://weblogs.variety.com/thompsononhollywood/2007

Cummins, Mark. “A Painful Case: A Conservation with Cristi Puiu.” April 2006. Film
Society of Lincoln Center. http://www.filmlinc.com/fcm/ma06/cristipuiu.htm

Scott, A.O. “New Wave on The Black Sea” New York Times. January 20, 2008.
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/magazine

4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days. Dir. Christian Mungui. Perf. Anamaria Marinca,
Laura Vasiliu, Vlad Ivanov. BAC Films, 2007.

Stacie Leung

Manual Perez-Tejada

English 1102: 1:30

March 12, 2009

Cultural Hybrids and the Feminist Progression

The endowed American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor, Quentin Jerome Tarantino has created a collection of the most violent and brutal, nonlinear storytellers in the Hollywood film industry. Tarantino, an Academy, BAFTA and Palm d’Or Award winner has a talent for his unconventional method of telling a story. Known to be greatly influenced by the African American and Asian cultures, evident in much of his works, Tarantino has a pattern of culturizing his films. Whether or not he intends to integrate techniques of hybridization and culturalization in his films, Quentin’s motion pictures obliquely address social issues of the world and politics. Alongside these themes of hybridization and globalization is a native-born Chinese director, Ang Lee. Contrast to Tarantino, Lee’s films has recurring themes of alienation, marginalization, and repression. Raised with a strong emphasis on Chinese classics, his films focus on traditions and modernity. References to historical realism and martial law, Lee’s dedication to his Asian descendants have inadvertently strengthened the national identity and traditions of China. One notable characteristic in his Academy and Best Foreign Language Film picture, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, is his allusion to feminism and the transition of the feminist movement in Asian culture. The two films concentrated on in this essay are Tarantino’s globalization with Kill Bill and Lee’s national view through feminism with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. My argument will revolve around the different trends seen in Lee and Tarantino’s works in hybridization and the feminist portrayal in the international film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; as well as how these traditions vary with respect to Hollywood’s misconceptions and stereotypes of female action characters.

The fourth movie of writer/director Quentin Tarantino, Kill Bill is an epic long movie, requiring roughly four hours of viewing time. An action drama of bloody revenge, this film stars actress Uma Thurman, known in the film as one of many names: Beatrix Kiddo, Black Mamba, The Bride, and Mommy. Seeking revenge four years later after a coma received from a violent massacre at her wedding in an El Paso wedding chapel, Uma is on a quest to kill. One by one, crossing off her victims names from her list as she kills them, The Bride incorporates Eastern Asian tactics during confrontation with the enemies. Director, Tarantino, used plenty of globalization techniques in composing this film. Homage to: Hong Kong martial arts movies, Japanese samurai films, and Italian spaghetti westerns, Quentin Tarantino displayed a flawless integration of cultural backgrounds compressed in one film.

Homage to kung-fu and spaghetti westerns, Kill Bill intrinsically intertwines cultures from Hong Kong and other East Asian countries with Italian trends and even a Mexican backdrop. Lately, hybridization of cultures has become an ongoing trend in cultural production; globalizing and localizing the culture industry. Hybridization of culture becomes more than combining, mixing, and blending multiple elements of different sources. The culture hybridization done by Tarantino creates connections with the different elements. Instead of a faceless whole of cultures, this type of hybridization creates new forms of “indie” culture (Wang, Yeh 1). This mix and blend of cultures is more intrinsic than a stir fry of a little bit of this, and a little bit of that. This independent creation of something completely new highlights the talent behind Tarantino in making this film.

Directed by Ang Lee, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a martial arts style movie with similar choreography of The Matrix. Highlighting similar fighting techniques from Kill Bill and vice versa, Crouching Tiger illustrates the difficulty in making hybrids of and globalizing culture. Nationalizing their traditions and alluding to popular Chinese and Asian cultures, this film strikes the idea of “reculturalization,” closely related to the background of the producer’s style of play, moreover his past and current inspirations (Wang, Yeh 1).

Released across seas, the independent, international new line cinema, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon also has a transparent focus on Asian female roles in Hong Kong and Chinese martial arts films (Kim 1). As a primary focus of this essay, Lee’s film illustrates female action stars playing heroic roles; taking control, charge, and containing leadership qualities, Shanghai cinema shows a greater appreciation toward the roles and positions women partake into the society. In this society, women are more respected. They are not just supple and submissive females awaiting to be saved by their “knight and shining armor.” Developed from the Peking Opera traditions as well as Chinese martial arts, Asian women are very active in action films and take many leading roles in film (Kim 3; Zhu 1).

These Oriental views and Asian reception of female roles vary enormously in comparison to the Western perception. Giving vivid context and meaningful roles as action figures without the erroneous and exotic appeal of the female figure, the cultural context of Chinese cinema on women keeps their dignity and in some views, their pride and respect. Cleaving the body and intensity of skin shown, Hollywood tends to rely on making something out of a female character by somehow showing some exoticism in their self-image. It is too often in Hollywood for a major female role to surpass some sexual content in attire, or lack thereof (Kim 4).

A great allusion of Hollywood’s partake in this biased view of women would be Angelina Jolie. Playing major roles such as Lara croft in Tomb Raider, through the use of mise-en-scene, Jolie’s character is dressed in some sort of skin-tight black sheer fabric hugged snugly around her curves. From the multiple outfits designed for the role of Lara Croft, they all seem to stress and extenuate her body for larger sex appeals to the audience. Another example of Jolie’s provocative “badass” action roles in Hollywood is seen in Timur Bekmambetov’s, Wanted. Angelina Jolie plays the role of Fox, a Fraternity assassin who is screened as tough, distant and unattainable. Publicized through media as a memorable scene of the movie is the moment Jolie emerges from a steaming bath and walks by with camera panning on the tattoos imprinted on her back. In contrast to the roles Jolie has played throughout Hollywood, Uma Thurman’s role in Kill Bill shows more of the traditional qualities of Asian cinema.

Grasping techniques from Asian films, scenes throughout Kill Bill show a lot of hybridization techniques of Director Tarantino. Straying from the typical depiction of femininity in Hollywood, Beatrix Kiddo, the vengeful bride, is tailored in a full, yellow body suit; completely concealing her skin, yet giving the suit the appearance of an action fighter. Unlike movies such as Charlie’s Angels, this movie doesn’t make a mockery out of female roles and takes a more serious approach to things. In Charlie’s Angels, the three women are presented as cute, attractive, sassy babes (Kim 5). As reflected by the cover of the special edition DVD, it is noticeable in how the three “Angels” strike a pose as they would for the cover of a glamorous magazine, in comparison to the image of Uma, sculpted with a face of confidence and strength. Parallel to Uma, the stances of the two women on the cover of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’s DVD strike fear in their enemies eyes.

Strong approaches stemmed from the Asian tactics of cinema seen in Crouching Tiger, the production of Kill Bill has gained cinematic values by hybridizing its plot and transforming its Hollywood view of female action stars. The majority of the action scenes throughout this film consist of two stiff, fearless women ready to take each other on. With its use of Asian warrior swords, this Hollywood budgeted movie depicts tools of hybridization with a cultural crossover to the Asian traditional approach of characterizing female action figures. A specific scene which portrays all of these qualities is the final duel between Lucy Liu’s character, O-Ren Ishii, and The Bride. The setting is located outside the House of Blue Leaves, which gives the audience an instant feel of the Asian culture. Presented face to face, ready to battle, the camera shows the two approaching each other with envy. Crossing swords multiple times, the martial arts tactics come into play once again; while the two women are represented as powerful, well respected leaders.

Two movies closely related yet produced thousands of miles away, Kill Bill: Volume 1 and 2 display many similar qualities and techniques in production in comparison to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. One movie, filmed largely in the western coast of America and the other predominately filmed in Eastern Asia, the two pictures had large impacts on both countries’ movie audience. Films with such appeal to two different worlds, the directors of the two movies have showed how globalization, nationalization, and hybridization have such large impacts in film. Combining cinematic techniques from Italy to the Asian roots, Kill Bill is a creation of an absolute hybrid of cultures. Within this fusion of cultural aspects is Tarantino’s feminist portrayal of female action roles. Alongside Tarantino’s work comes Ang Lee’s embodiment of Asian cultural representations and influences of women in Crouching Tiger, released world-wide. With a notable focus on the effect of female characters in his film, the portrayal of Ang Lee globalizes the equality of women with men in Asian cultures through film. Chinese cinema has widened the media’s representation of passive dependent women, to strong leaders of heuristic qualities. Lee’s more traditional approach in comparison to Tarantino’s globalized draw outline some differences in cinematic approach of Hollywood and Shanghai film (Zhu 2).