Central Station The film Central Station (1998) is about second chances, and starting over. Dora, a retired schoolteacher, writes letters for illiterate strangers in a bus station, Central do Brasil, in Rio. When one of her clients, a mother, is killed in an accident outside, Dora takes it upon herself to watch after the little boy, Josué. She decides to take him to see his father, who leaves very far away, by way of bus, truck and strangers. The journey becomes a quest for their own identities: one boy's search for his father; and one woman's search for her heart. The story takes place in a very poor area of Brazil, with graffiti on all the walls, and crime happening all over. One man gets chased down and shot for shoplifting. I believe that Central Station is an accurate depiction of Brazil at the time, with its political troubles and economic chaos. The movie is also an example of a Third Cinema film. The term "third cinema" is referred to as a film that gives an accurate representation of third world countries and people. It has also been defined as a type of political film grounded in the experiences of the Third World. The term was used in a manifesto towards a third cinema, written by Latin American filmmakers Fernando Solanas and Octavio Gettino. Aside from Central Station, another example of a Third Cinema is the film Romero (1989) in which an archbishop is portrayed as a prophet who speaks on behalf of the voiceless oppressed. Another term associated with this film is ideology. Ideology is usually defined as a "body of ideas reflecting the social needs and aspirations of an individual, group, class, or culture." Ideology is split up into three types: neutral, implicit, and explicit. In a neutral film, the emphasis is on action, pleasure, and entertainment values for their own sake. Issues of right and wrong are treated superficially, with little or no analysis. In an implicit film the protagonists and antagonists represent conflicting value systems, but those are not dwelled on. We must infer what the characters stand for as their tale unfolds. Nobody spells out "the moral of the story." Finally, in explicit films, movies are aimed to teach or persuade as much as to entertain. Patriotic films, many documentaries, political films and movies with a sociological emphasis fall under this category. One example would be Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004).
In the piece “Cinema/Ideology/Criticism,” Jean Luc-Comolli and Jean Narboni define the critic's job as the discernment of “which films, books and magazines allow the ideology a free, unhampered passage, transmit it with crystal clarity, serve as its chosen language” and which films “attempt to make it turn back and reflect itself, intercept it, make it visible by revealing its mechanisms, by blocking them” (753). Through their examination, seven film categories are outlined. Clue falls into the “E” category, which is defined as “films which seem at first sight to belong firmly within the ideology and to be completely under its sway, but which turn out to be so only in an ambiguous manner” (75...
Society tends to associate propaganda films with issues such as Nazi Germany and their film messages for their country; however, it is also possible for small independent companies, groups of like-minded people and individuals to use the media of film to incorporate messages for our society (The Independent, 2010). These messages are often in relation to changes that individuals should make in order to improve the standards by which they live their lives and changes to everyday habits that will benefit the individual, the individual’s family, a group of individuals or even a single person (Barnhisel and Turner, 2010).
Kerner, Aaron M.. “Irreconcilable Realities.” Film Analysis: A Norton Reader. Eds. Jeffrey Geiger and R.L. Rutsky. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2nd edition, 2013. 462-83.
Although there were many concepts that were present within the movie, I choose to focus on two that I thought to be most important. The first is the realistic conflict theory. Our textbook defines this as, “the view that prejudice...
Film and literature are two media forms that are so closely related, that we often forget there is a distinction between them. We often just view the movie as an extension of the book because most movies are based on novels or short stories. Because we are accustomed to this sequence of production, first the novel, then the motion picture, we often find ourselves making value judgments about a movie, based upon our feelings on the novel. It is this overlapping of the creative processes that prevents us from seeing movies as distinct and separate art forms from the novels they are based on.
Filmmakers are one of the social interpreters reflecting and commenting about society and the times. Motion pictures can highlight social issues from economic and environmental justice, racial lines and discrimination, violence against women, worker rights, homelessness, and poverty to all forms of human rights abuses. Good films can raise awareness and be a start to addressing local and global issues. They can educate about cultures, and give a broader political, religious, or social context. For example the movie “Blood Diamond”, starring Leonardo Dicaprio, depicts a country torn apart by the struggle between government loyalists and rebel forces on the control of the diamond mining market. After the movie was released
The setting begins in a small village in South Africa where Reverend Stephen Kumalo receives a letter asking him to go to Johannesburg to help his ill sister. Kumalo gets together all their savings and takes a train hoping to find not only his sister but also his son who left and never returned. In the city he finds the pastor who sent this letter who welcomes him and helps him find his sister. To his surprise, his sister was not ill but instead she had become a prostitute and was selling liquor. After persuading her to come back to the village with her son, she helps him find their brother, John.
When one hears the word “union” the thought of coming together springs to mind and that is exactly what Union Station did. It was one of the many depots that connected the city of Dayton, Ohio with the rest of the country before highway systems even existed. During the time of its existence it was part of a movement that helped shape a nation to become one of the top powers of the world. Union Station was visited by many and helped change the face of a city.
The influential and gripping film, " Romero", directed by John Duigan, portrays the life and death of Archbishop Oscar Romero. The movie shows the world through the eyes of the El Salvadorian people during the 1980's, when poverty and military rule flourished over the people. The country of El Salvador was run by an elite group of few who controlled most of the power and money, leaving the majority of the people deprived and powerless. This imbalance in the social system left much of the people under oppression, constantly controlled by the corrupt government and even sometimes persecuted when they tried to speak out. The church was a witness to the violations of human rights and this ruthless behavior by the El Salvadorian government towards its people caused a spark in the Catholic Church, a spark that ignited a flame of justice. Lead by Archbishop Romero, the church in El Salvador becomes a critic of the government, not because of political terms but because they are Christians looking for justice towards all people; so that all people have the potential to live life to its full meaning without any unnecessary obstacles holding them back. The movie "Romero" constantly portrays how the ideology of liberation theology plays a major role in the churches influence over the government, oppressed, and military in a search for social righteousness.
Every film can be related back to socially significant issues that occurred during the time it was released. It’s a snapshot of the issues during that time period. Film is not created in a vacuum. As described in our textbook, film “Conveys “the temper of an age of a nation” as well as that of the artists who produces it” (Belton 22). Films tend to reflect current society, country ideals or beliefs in order for the audience to relate. Some of those techniques used include, the American dream, family, corruption, divorce, and crime. If a director decides not include current social issues than it becomes harder for an audience to relate to the film because they will not be able to connect to the characters and get into their shoes. One film that encompasses all of these current social issues is American Hustle (David O. Russell, 2013). This film is a melodrama because of the context and social issues this film deals with. American Hustle has a social significance to today’s current culture, society, beliefs and social issues through the use of the American dream, corruption, divorce, crime and family.
Classic narrative cinema is what Bordwell, Staiger and Thompson (The classic Hollywood Cinema, Columbia University press 1985) 1, calls “an excessively obvious cinema”1 in which cinematic style serves to explain and not to obscure the narrative. In this way it is made up of motivated events that lead the spectator to its inevitable conclusion. It causes the spectator to have an emotional investment in this conclusion coming to pass which in turn makes the predictable the most desirable outcome. The films are structured to create an atmosphere of verisimilitude, which is to give a perception of reality. On closer inspection it they are often far from realistic in a social sense but possibly portray a realism desired by the patriarchal and family value orientated society of the time. I feel that it is often the black and white representation of good and evil that creates such an atmosphere of predic...
...ctual roles, or adding in exciting events that revise the storyline. These changes are beneficial to producers because they engage a large audience and generate massive profits. In contrast, they do not always have a positive effect on viewers. Although they are entertaining which is an important aspect of theatre culture, they also are often misguiding. Many spectators take movies at face value, without considering that they may not exactly qualify as primary source material. Even when an historical event is fabricated to teach or enhance a moral message, it still doesn’t compensate for bending the truth. Moviegoer’s may have a positive experience and gain some skewed historical perspective, perhaps better than what they knew before the movie, but they loose out on the truth and therefore, a genuine understanding of the historical event, and its significance.
...d the globe. On the other hand, certain movies could be used to bring about social change. Movies that show equality between the sexes, or respect towards gay/lesbian couples could be used to break down social barriers by changing the values of its viewers. Therefore, identifying racism, sexism, classism, and heteronormativity in movies is important in bringing attention to the way in which movies control and affect these values in our society.
Pop culture outlets such as film and song can be used to push political agendas onto consumers. Most often we see music artist put in their two cents on global current events. For instance, Michael Jackson produced the song "Heal the World" during the Gulf War. In short, Jackson’s song is about making the world a better place and loving your neighbors, but this must start by loving yourself. This song made individuals appreciate what they had and altered their mindset. Another impactful way to present a message with the intention of impacting the way you perceive yourself is through film. In Yenerall study, he mentions how Walt Disney Productions was approached by the government to produce an animated propaganda short film that was anti-nazi. This film was entitled Education for Death. This was a very impactful title because of its implicit meaning, it made you anticipate what the film is about before watching it. The film more or less perceives the Nazi’s as brainwashed infidels, who have no morals what so ever and are raised to do horrible things. People saw this film and it influenced them in their political standing during this war. This film was created to bring nations together and fight a common enemy. Walt Disney was not only involved in making WWII short films but, also films that would encourage Americans to join the US Army and Navy (Yenerall pg. 98 - 2). Other well know anti-nazi / anti-fascist movies include: Casablanca, Julia and Pan’s Labyrinth. Film is a productive way of getting your political ideas to a wide range of people. All of these films, no matter what the message is, has a significant impact on how people perceive
Films provide indelible images of some of the twentieth century’s great events. For example, the holocaust, filmed images from liberation camps, the devastation of the atomic bomb are all specific examples of indelible images. The Truman Show provided information on how women and minorities were portrayed in the film. There was no racism or individuals who were treated differently. All women were treated the same and in a fair matter. Fictional films can be used as historical evidence in a way ...