Within the German Democratic Republic, there was a secret police force known as the Stasi, which was responsible for state surveillance, attempting to permeate every facet of life. Agents within and informants tied to the Stasi were both feared and hated, as there was no true semblance of privacy for most citizens. Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, the movie The Lives of Others follows one particular Stasi agent as he carries out his mission to spy on a well-known writer and his lover. As the film progresses, the audience is able to see the moral transformation of Stasi Captain Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler primarily through the director 's use of the script, colors and lighting, and music.
While the script is often one of the most crucial elements in a film, the brevity of speech and precise movements of the primary character accentuate the changing nature of his integrity. As viewers follow Captain Wiesler of the East German secret police, it is soon clear that he only says what is necessary, such as when noting his surveillance partner’s lateness or setting instructions for the surveillance bugging team (“twenty minutes”). It is important to note that Wiesler does not say a single word when Axel Stiegler cracks a joke in the cafeteria about Honecker, or when Grubitz himself makes a joke. Only
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when Wiesler begins to actually live through Dreyman and Christa-Maria’s life does he begin to speak more freely, evidenced by his weakly asking the prostitute to stay, his conversation with the boy in the elevator (“What’s the
On October 14th, 2016 in class we watched “Two Spirits” by Lydia Nibley. Basically the film explored the cultural context behind a tragic and senseless murder of the main character. Fred was part of an honored “Navajo” youth who was killed at the age of sixteen by a man who bragged to his friends that he was nothing but a “fag”. While walking home from a carnival he was chased by one of his friends. Once his friend caught up to Fred, he pulled him down from a mountain and smashed his head with a heavy rock. Fred laid there for five days straight where two young boys found his body lying there. He was labeled as a “two-spirit” who was possessed of balancing masculine and feminine traits. In the film, there are two parts that are put together effortlessly like the people it discusses. Most of the documentary focuses on Fred’s murder, but the real issues in the film were those of the lesbian, gay, and transgender community and how its members were viewed in a
Hall, Claire M. An Army of Spies? The Gestapo Spy Network 1933-45, Journal of Contemporary History, Vol. 44, No. 2 (Apr., 2009)
The major focus of the book focuses on reconstruction of the events this group of men participated in. According to Browning, the men of Police Battalion 101 were just that—ordinary. They were five hundred middle-aged, working-class men of German descent. A majority of these men were neither Nazi party members nor members of the S.S. They were also from Hamburg, which was a town that was one of the least occupied Nazi areas of Germany and, thus, were not as exposed to the Nazi regime. These men were not self-selected to be part of the order police, nor were they specially selected because of violent characteristics. These men were plucked from their normal lives, put into squads, and given the mission to kill Jews because they were the only people available for the task. “Even in the face of death the Jewish mothers did not separate from their children. Thus we tolerated the mothers taking their children to the ma...
The Nazis are not portrayed in a good or friendly manner throughout the entire movie, especially during the La Marseillaise scene. When the German soldiers, led by Strasser, begin to sing their patriotic song, ?Die Wacht am Rhein? in French territory, it does not sit well with the French patriots. This singing represents the German invasion of France in their government, culture and territory because the Germans come into foreign land with their military and control all aspects of society. The movie depicts the soldiers as drunk and tone-dea...
The Three Here’s for Cooking The romantic comedy, Today’s Special, expressed the worries of Indian parents becoming at ease. Also, expressed the struggles a parent faces in search of a better life, the passion and dedication going unnoticed in the work field, and the connection between friends, a lover, and family. However, the film centered its attention more on the development of Samir’s “cold” cooking within the Indian food, with the help of Akbar. In addition, the main actors in the film looked the part and associated with the main idea of the culture of an Indian family. For instance, Samir’s appearance showed he had drifted away from his family’s culture and developed a professional understanding and love for the cooking industry.
Griffin explores Heinrich Himmler and the secrets that are hidden within him. Throughout his childhood Himmler’s secrets and thoughts were hidden, overshadowed by a mask or barrier formed by his upbringing and culture.
Stasiland is a non-fiction book based on author, Anna Funder’s, encounters with several East German citizens, victims of the GDR and ex-Stasi members. Anna was not of German origin, but Germany fascinated her for various reasons, one significant reason being oppression. She firmly believes that people speak out when oppressed, and it’s a natural behavior to do so. In the non-fiction book, she interacts with many people, and listens to both sides of the story. However, that does not mean she necessarily agrees with everything the people she interviewed said. Many of the ex-Stasi members had no remorse for the things they did, but some also wanted capitalism to die away and have the rebirth of communism in their country. The Stasi spied on
Since the beginning of human beings, humans have possessed this special characteristic of knowledge that makes them ask why to problems that do not seem to work as they please. Our knowledge has moved us forward considerably and gave us a desire to make improvements to how we live. For example in the film Surviving Projects, a chimpanzee was trained to place a block upright but one day the chimp was puzzled when the trainer had slanted the bottom of the block. The chimp did not have enough knowledge to conclude that the block was slanted. Next they tried the same strategy on the youth who could easily, after a few failures, concluded that the block could not sit upright. Sometimes, this knowledge can lead us to progress traps. Progress traps meaning the human individuals believing they are advancing but actually forming new troubles that may not be solvable. As displayed in the film Surviving Projects, the individuals during the time of mammoths would hunt these animals with the weapons they made with their hands. Soon, with the human’s amazing knowledge, they figured out that they could lead a herd of mammoths off cliffs. Although this action seemed great for these hunters, it was wiping out the population of the mammoth species till they were extinct. Although this knowledge could be a threat, it has led us to globalized or amazingly more developed world.
Haffner describes many stories on the changing scene in Germany during the Nazis rise to power. One reflection I found particularly interesting was his first encounter with the SA. Haffner initially explains what the tradition of Carnival in Berlin was like and how it was a time of youthful partying and liveliness. The young Haffner and a long time friend were enjoying this period of festivities at a local ball when a rumor of the police being in attendance spread around the party. Suddenly, an SA member started threatening everyone that he would take them to jail if they did not immediately leave. He later realizes that this was his first face-to-face meeting with the Nazi’s police force.
‘Das Leben der Anderen’ (The Lives of Others) is a striking example of how a director can convey narrative links within a film by employing various styles and film techniques. The Lives of Others relies upon these visual means to assist with the telling of the story as much as it relies upon the script. In this selected sequence of the film, several narrative links are drawn here to form the conclusion of ‘Operation Lazlo’. These narrative links are further cemented by Donnersmarck’s use of various lighting styles, diegtic and non-diegtic sound, revealing camera shots and intricate mise-en-scene.
Hocus Pocus is a 1993 film directed by Kenny Ortega. It is a very enjoyable movie with a good cast. The movie genre is comedy, horror, and fantasy. The film is based on a story about Garris and David Kirchner. And it is starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker. The story follows the villainous trio of witches, who are inadvertently resurrected by a teenage male virgin. It takes place in Salem, Massachusetts.
This documentary like film begins with Oskar Schindler getting ready to make the deal of a life time by getting in good with the Nazi Officers. Schindler was a man that knew how to smooze people. He would wine and dine them with the best of wine, food, and women, which was not a cheap thing to do, especially during World War II. He was fond of saying, "Presentation is everything."
The world before her is a film of hope and dreams for Indian women. We examine two girls with different paths but one goal in common, empowerment. This term conveys a wide range of interpretations and definitions one of them being power over oneself. Both Prachi and Ruhi manifest a will for female empowerment but both have distinct views on how this is achieved. Prachi believes the way to achieve empowerment is through her mind and strength, while she still confines to tradition views of Indian culture. Ruhi desires to achieve female empowerment by exposing her beauty in a non-conservative way while maintaining her Indian identity.
The hero’s journey is a treacherous journey and not for those of the faint of heart. It takes courage, strength, and diligence to become a master of two worlds – the known and the unknown. Through the hero’s journey, the chosen man/or woman must discover themselves in ways they would have never imagined. This experience may be divine or instructional, but for George Bailey this journey would provide him with a further sense of himself and love from the community that surrounds him.