Movies

In the films The Chaser (2008) and Mother (2009), the traditional good guyevil guy divide is demolished. The protagonists do terrible things in their protective nature of another individual. The bad guys have their own ways to bring out monsters of their own. Here, the good guys are not characters of virtue but essentially individuals forced to act according to particular situations. The bad guys react to the actions of the good guys by virtue of necessity.

Traditionally, the good guy is a selfless individual who defends the oppressed, marginalized, and powerless against evil interests. He is also a person who obeys the law and seeks rectification for past errors. However, in the movie The Chaser, the protagonist is a former police officer turned gangster. Eom Joong-ho, the protagonist, is a self-centered individual who vies for satisfaction of personal interests. He is also suspicious and demanding. In the office scene, he yells at his employee for being lax and rogue. After asking for loan extension from another mobster, he immediately requests one of his girls to see a regular client. He is apparently in need of money to pay his standing debts.

Joong-ho immediately goes to the motel after his girl is assaulted by the customer. He slaps the customer, and asks him to settle the matter. He demands money from the customer, which the latter willingly accepted. Joong-ho is better off, having saved one of his girls and earned money. Joong-ho, however, soon realizes that several of his girls have gone missing. After the disappearance of Mi-jin, he is forced to act decisively. He knows that Mi-jin might be in danger. While searching for her, he dents another car in an alley. Accidentally, he sees blood splattered on the drivers shirt (the driver is unharmed). He senses that the man, Je Yeong-min is responsible for the disappearance of his girls. Yeong-min attempts to run away, but Joong-ho catches him. Both men are taken to the police station.

Joong-hos initial intention is to save his flagging business from bankruptcy. However, he soon realizes that he needs to save Mi-jin from the killer. This transformation is important because at this point, self-interest does not have a bearing on Joong-hos part. His goal is to rescue Mi-jin from the killer. Pursuing this goal is not an easy task.

However, the traditional good guyevil guy divide is not entirely broken. Joong-ho is, by nature, a good person. In a particular scene, he brings a kid to a hospital after being battered by the killer. Driven by anger, he then goes to the killers house and beat him without mercy. The neighbors are perplexed by his brutality (beating a defenseless person). Here, the bad guy is depicted as a harmless individual beaten by the good guy (protagonist).

In the movie Mother (2009), a mother (protagonist) gets involved in a murder case against her son. She is determined to prove her sons innocence. She loves her mentally challenged son, giving him extra care and attention. When the police arrest her son, the mother shouts in deep anguish. She knows that her son would never murder anyone. In the railway station, he defends his son from the judging public. She shouts at the passengers and railroad employees, with tones of insanity. Here, the protagonist is depicted as an almost insane individual who would do anything for the good of her beloved one.

During the trial of her son, she observes that the defense attorney is quite incompetent. Almost all people are convinced that her son is guilty as charged. Bypassing all legal procedures, she goes to find evidences to prove her sons innocence. Some of the evidences are acquired illegally and therefore inadmissible in court. She even risks her own life to find irrefutable evidence of her sons innocence.

The mother, the protagonist, is not the traditional good character. She is a person obsessed with a particular belief, based essentially on filial love for her son.

The choice of the film for this paper is not incidental. It is one of the most prominent and award-winning documentaries in the history of Canadian film moreover, the fact that producing it has required tremendous courage and dedication from the director, Alanis Obomsawin, makes this piece stand out among the few other documentaries devoted to the recent history of Native Americans. The variety of issues discussed in the documentary are as topical nowadays for the members of Native tribes as they were when European first settled in America.

The film, shot by a Native American director and exploring the complexity of Kanehsatake tribes struggle for their land and livelihood, is a clear example of what is called minority cinema in academic literature. This strand of research, focusing on films by or about minorities, is relatively new prior research has predominantly analyzed the portrayal of populous and visible minorities, mostly in the United States and Europe (e.g. visual representation of Latino minority in American popular culture). The theme of minority cinema as it pertains to Native Americans in Canada (and elsewhere) remains largely underresearched as of today.          

The development of minority cinema is usually a welcomed development in Western liberal democracies, since it gives minority representatives a space for cultural expression and also acquaints the general population with the concerns of minorities as well as their epistemologies and aesthetics. Yet this type of cinema does not necessarily advance the cause of tolerance and mutual coexistence in a multicultural society. Too often, minority cinema tends to reinforce rather than challenge age-old stereotypes and flare up rather than pacify ethnic confrontation. Thus, there is no consensus across the field of film studies whether minority cinema actually serves the interests of minority communities.

The set of questions this paper will try to answer will be as follow Can Kanehsatake 270 Years of Resistance be regarded as a typical example of minority cinema Does the film serve to challenge or reinforce the existing stereotypes about Native Americans in Canada What does Kanehsatake 270 Years of Resistance tell us about the Canadian multicultural society, and what are its implications for the future of interethnic relations

In order to provide a brief excursus into the theory of minority cinema, one important distinction shall be made. A significant difference exists between films produced by minorities or merely about minorities by the members of the majority population. Given that the state of development of the literature on minority cinema is nascent, this paper will draw insights from the theory of minority media in general.

It is noted that too often media content devoted to minority issues produced by representatives of the dominant culture might present an inaccurate, distorted image of smaller ethnic groups. Researchers observe that mainstream film and media continually recreate racialized identities, position people of color on the margins, and reinforce the privileges of whiteness (Mellinger, 2003, p. 129). The alternative would be the development of ethnic media and film industry, where non-white journalists and also directors, authors note speak in their own voices (Mellinger, 2003, p. 132). Fraser (1990) believes such voices can constitute a subaltern counterpublic, developing a counterdiscourse that will eventually expand the dominant discourse of the common public sphere.

Visual representation in media and film is an inherently political process in so far as control over mediated narratives and representations is denied to individuals and groups by virtue of their status or their capacity to mobilise material and symbolic resources in their own interests (Silverstone  Georgiou, 2005, p. 434). The right to control ones own image is of paramount importance to everyone represented as other in the mainstream discourse (Ruby, 1991).

No doubt, Kanehsatake 270 Years of Resistance would qualify as being in the category of minority cinema produced by a member of a minority. Other documentaries and written accounts have been supplied by white directors and journalists who might fail to understand all the subtleties and complexities of aboriginal affairs in Canada. Yet a close watching of the film leads to the conclusion that it serves to reinforce rather than challenge deeply engendered stereotypes that Canadians hold about Native American people. Perhaps it was the intention of the director to show the Mohawk people as being radically different from the rest of the population, but the question whether such a portrayal is beneficial for the members of Native communities remains open. It is quite possible that the mechanism which is at play here is the so-called social comparison theory. The social comparison theory is based on the fact that individuals are willing to both perceive and present themselves in a socially desirable light. The director Alanis Obomsawin, herself being a member of the aboriginal community, has been willing the present the plight of her people as more important than that of the majority population in order to make sure the viewer sides with her on this particular occasion, when both sides have a seemingly plausible claim to justice.

While the social comparison theory is usually applied in social psychology to individuals in a group rather than different groups in society, it is possible to project its findings onto the situation of Mohawks in Canada as well. One of the mechanisms within the social comparison theory, referred to as one-upmanship, implies that people are desirous of presenting themselves in a favorable light but also as different from other group members. As Brown (1974) argues, to be virtuous, in any of an indefinite number of dimensions, is to be different from the mean (p. 469). Thus, Alanis Obomsawin presents her people not only as having a more credible claim to justice and behaving themselves in a more honorable way (as the leader of the Mohawks claims, the approach of Native Americans at the beginning of the confrontation was an example of honorable conduct, given that they were trying to avoid violence at all cost), but also as being very different from the members of the mainstream society.  

However, does the documentary construct a positive and, more importantly, an unconventional image of the Mohawk people This paper will argue that the representation of the Mohawk people in the documentary is not always positive furthermore, the film might turn out to be rather detrimental to the position of Native Americans in the Canadian society. The interview with the Mohawk leader constructs the image of Mohawks as utterly alien to modernity, the era most Canadians associate with. Their beliefs, convictions and tribal way of life are very different from those of European descendants inhabiting America.

For example, the Mohawk leader speaks of the obligation to protect their land and Mother Nature whatever it takes. Such determination might appear as strange and worrisome to a Western person. Although patriotism is an inherent component of modernity, Native Americans strong connection to nature and the practice of worshiping Mother Earth can come across as a sign of backwardness and underdevelopment in the eyes of Western people. The rationalist, anthropocentric paradigm of the West discards the spiritual and cultural value of land the only value that exists is accorded to land on the free market. A powerful vestige of Enlightenment in the Western philosophy is the concept of the rational, autonomous self which is built in disconnection or even in opposition to natural systems we identify ourselves through reflections gained from other people and manmade systems, rather than from nature (Porter, 2005, p. 6).

The Mohawks, with strength derived from their continuing connection to nature and tradition, appear to be threatening to a Westerner. When the Mohawk leader describes one of the first confrontations among people of her tribe and the police, she talks about police officers being scared like babies because they have never encountered anything as wild and forceful before. The police are constructed as powerless because they do not know what they are fighting for, while the Mohawks are defending their inalienable right to their land. Thus, Native Americans are portrayed as a dark force beyond the control of existing governmental institutions, not subscribing to the social contract established in Canada by European descendants.

Moreover, the Mohawk people are presented as extremely religious and fatalistic although ordered to leave the area of confrontation, an old Mohawk woman chooses to stay citing the will of the gods as the reason behind her decision and her willingness to stay on her own land until death. In the Western discourse, where the value of human life is regarded as paramount and the drive for self-preservation is seen as the basic human instinct, such thinking borders on insanity. Given such a representation of Native Americans, the possibility of a rational dialogue with them can be cast doubt upon.        

Another aspect of the film that might scare and avert Canadian viewers is the issue of solidarity among Native American tribes the fact that Kahnawake tribe blocs Mercier Bridge in support of Kanehsatake tribe should bring the viewer to the understanding that Native Americans populating the country have strength in numbers and are ready to provide mutual help when needed. This might be an unsettling revelation for the white majority, if they hold negative views about the claims of Native Americans to land and justice. As York and Little (1991) write, the plight of Kanehsatake community has been taken to heart by other aboriginal tribes facing the same problems, even if they resided far away from Oka. Many Native communities across Canada grapple with the problems of their lands being encroached upon their rights being limited. Thus, the resurgence of aboriginal pride and nationalism has been registered.

Minorities are welcomed by the representatives of the majority when (and only then) they pour their own cultural gifts into a dominant, democratic ethos (Sleeper, 1999, p. 7). If a minority or indigenous community is willing to keep their own autonomy and culture, they are then blamed for the failure to integrate into the mainstream society.  

Therefore, it is possible to conclude that the effects of viewing the film might be very different depending on pre-existing opinions about Native Americans. Those viewers who sympathize with them might find the portrayal of the events of the 1990 crisis to be accurate and appealing. However, those Canadians who have negative stereotypes about Native Americans might have their prejudices reinforced in the process of watching this documentary.

The differences are sometimes purely linguistic as Goodleaf (1995) interestingly observes, the term used to refer to Mohawks people taking part in the confrontation is a warrior. While this is the self-description used by Native Americans, its translation from the original language into English is very imprecise. The term in the language of Kanehsatake tribe is Rotiskenrahkete, meaning someone having the responsibility for defending the origin. The duty of protecting the origin in Kanehsatake culture is broadly interpreted as maintaining peace, ensuring the continuity of tradition, educating future generations, and enhancing the chances of survival of community in any other possible way. It is evident that in the original language the term is more about making peace than waging war. However, the term warrior in English ascribes a violent, confrontational identity to the Mohawk people, which might alienate mainstream viewers with negative perceptions of the Mohawks even further.

While most aforementioned facts suggest that the film might unintentionally construct the image of Mohawk people as savage, there are many episodes which actually portray the white people protesting against the claims of Native Americans as brutal and uncivilized, for example, when they burn an effigy of a Mohawk warrior or vandalize a trailer delivering vegetables to the protesters.

Why are media images of minority and majority so important The proponents of the social constructivism theory argue that discourse has a significant power to shape reality. Hay and Rosamond (2002) regard discourse as being of paramount importance for our understanding of social and economic phenomena, since it is the ideas that actors hold about the context in which they find themselves rather than the context itself which informs the way in which actors behave (p. 148). This approach to the relationship between discourse and reality is echoed by Storper (1997) who argues that interpretations and constructed image of reality are now just as important as any real material reality, because these interpretations and imagesbecome the bases on which people act (p. 29).

In case a negative portrayal of minorities in film and media persists, culture can became a precondition for the existence of first-class and second-class citizenship (Rosaldo, 1994). Minorities can end up being citizens who do not experience their social, political and cultural rights as formal citizens being meaning fully achieved in reality in their substantive citizenship (Husband, 1996, Media structures and communication policies, para. 3).

Therefore, a close viewing of all films addressing minority issues is necessary, regardless of the fact whether they are produced by minority or majority members. Some films might serve to reinforce rather than challenge negative stereotypes about minorities, either intentionally or unintentionally. Given the power of discourse (especially visual discourse) to shape perceptions which guide peoples actions, accurate and positive representations of minorities in film is media are the prerequisite for harmonious interethnic relations.

This paper draws on the understanding that the Mirror is a film that is meditative expedition through the entire course of hope, despair, and human existence. Edited and directed by Tarkovisky, the film reconstructs and records emotional impressions as well as satirical memories in the life of an era, individual and nation. It is the inspirational and artistic autobiographical film that accounts on the emotional abandonment and loss of innocence. Tarkovisky presents the film in a lazily paced and cinematic montage of the chronology of the contemporary life, historical newsreel footage and the personal memories as well as dreams. This paper seeks to examine the historical and artistic context fro the filmmaker Tarkoviskys time as well s the scne sequence of the film Mirror.

Mirror is a manifestation of Tarkovisky hunted soul and his extensive search for truth, connection and spirituality as evidenced in the deep images that coherently define the imperfect human live irrespective of whether the experiences of life are ordinary or trivial. For example, throughout the film, there are image that echo the futility of our lives as evident in motifs of disconnect in life such as a neglected wife amusing a village doctor after he had lost his way, a custodial argument that appears between the narrator and his wife, and an intelligent man trying the patience of his instructor in the military (Petrei, 75-76).

In the deliberate attempt to make time incomprehensible, Tarkovisky uses the same actors in a bid to depict the two phases of the life of the narrator. Natasha (19-21) points out that in this light the fatherless boy efforts to reach out to his mother and at the same time the father definitely is unable to relate to his son. As a result, outdated world events newsreel is mixed together to offer what can be argued as the tonal shift as well as the environmental reference. The structure of the film Mirror therefore evolve through historical dimensions by the director using a host of flashbacks as well as flash forwards all constructed around chromatic changes.

The entire film contains recurring themes that succinctly reflect the pattern of alienation as well as the emotional isolation of the narrator which makes it to lack logical order and thus drawing out intuitive reaction from the audience. Arguably, the fact that the audience experiences truth in this film has an entirely intoxicating beauty that touches on the connection of the filmmaker with the fill in the historical sense (Tatario, 24-25).

The Mirror articulates the understanding that its filming in the whole cinematic approach helps the audience to experience time from history and the director Tarkovisky sculpt this time to make sure that the audience experiences the artistic beauty of the film and at the same time appreciates historical phenomenon. For example, the Mirror loosely mixes the memories of childhood together with the footage of the newsreel is an arguably no logical plot. Tarkovisky (57-58) asserts that the rhythmical combination of the contemporary scenes with footages and memories of childhood successfully brings out the loose visual flow which connects everything to the technique of stream of consciousness. In addition, the mixture of simple and complex structures forms the basis on which the Mirror is regarded as a masterpiece.

This film connects approaches of the theory of filming and the actual filmmaking in the history of Russian cinema. Scholars maintain that this leans more on the shared objective that drives both theory and the pragmatics of the filmmaking (Petrei, 89-90). The meditation of Tarkovisky on art exclusively borders the essence of cinema as a holy grail in theory of the soviet film. Mirror captures the philosophical grounding as the artistic medium that wholly reflects the heritage of soviet. Accordingly, the art of Tarkovisky filming does not lay in montage as evidenced with other Russian filmmakers because it amounts to partiality for editing giving this a basic element for cinema (Tarkovisky, 76-77). The art of filming that Tarkovisky exclusively used is the ability of the cinema to capture both time and existence.

The analysis of scene sequence in Mirror shows that time preceded and captivates the aesthetics of Tarkovisky. It is plausible to argue that this is not physical time that can be recorded via any form of measurement like a watch but rather a spatial and abstract element that narrows down to the creation of human intellect (Tarkovisky, 113-115).The durational aspect of Tarkoviskys filmmaking constructs the parallel between film theory and film making and therefore in Mirror, the director achieves a dream like beauty through adhering to his principle of time both in composition of his film as well as in the aesthetic narrative.

To succinctly understand the use of time in Tarkovisky film and his general principle of cinema, it becomes imperative to appreciate that time is a precondition for human spirit. As such, consciousness is tied to the human as well as to the physical time and thus, the consciousness realizes itself to the memory. Therefore, it becomes a consequence of time in the human mind and further introduces a new spectrum of time measured in the progression of events in space (Natasha, 61-62).

The fundamental gravity of memory and consciousness is found in Mirror through newsreel footages of the society crossing the Lake and as a consequence, this sequence in the scene of Tarkoviskys film does not become a literal memory of the narrator, his childhood memories and dreams but rather an actual footage that is documented and which Tarkovisky did not film himself (Petrei, 252-253). In addition, the images in Mirror are naturally placed in the scope of time and thereby they are historic and better understood in historical context. However, as Tarkovisky states himself that history is not time (Tarkovisky, 57), the entire sequence of scenes appears in an existing state of time original to the narrator.

In reality, the newsreel footage reveals nothing about the tragedy they describe forcing the audience to interpret in terms of disastrous event. As a result of the fact that the footage is a detailed memory of the past phenomenon and perception, Tarkovisky collected it and edited it attaching his own personal inner experiences of it and in this case, the audience must bring in their own memories of the disastrous and tragic scene in order to make connections to the film.

Petrei (297-299) underscores that Mirror is a basic encrypted chain of symbols that highlights the realism the breaking of time. However, the artistic elements is succinctly felt due to the film mirrors the musical theatre to an extent of stopping to be a work of cinema. Films of this nature employ codified abstractions to the extent that they create a big bridge between their thematic explorations and the lived experience thereby forming mere equations of ideologies. Such scientific constructions as evidenced in the Mirror augment the segmented temporality in favor of real time that is expressed in the conscious existence. The Mirror thus elicits a misinterpretation of the aspects of time that that tears the artistic filming from the film.

Mirror is constructed along the basis of the artists inner life and it formulates a schema for accomplishing this assertion by the obvious use of methodic movements of cinema. These techniques are used by Tarkovisky to represent the realism in his cinema. By the very nature of filming, cinema must extensively expose reality and as such, Mirror is directed under the guiding principle of realistic forms of external reality and the paternal processes of the artist (Tatario, 26-27). As a result, the memories, dreams, fantasies and hallucinations are paradigms of consciousness that become distinct to the soul and overly integrated into the cinematic existence in harmony with their appearance in reality. Along this realization, Tarkovisky sees that the reality of the screen are constructed in the exact way as the as the reality of the natural life. This makes the scenes of experiences as well as memory to become composite of dream like features of time pressure as well as fluid camera movement.

To recap, the Mirror portrays the emotions and thoughts of the narrator Alexei together with the world surrounding him. From the foregoing discussion, the film is structured in a discontinuous and non chronological plot that mixes up newsreel footages with childhood memories. It switches between three different times in history ranging form prewar time, war time and post wartime of the 1960 Russia. Its filming follows oblique proceedings of camera movements in a phenomenological approach thus making the audience to feel as if they are in the real time of the film and at the same time in the present moment. This is because, they are often piloting through the space in the same manner as if they are dreaming.

Born in the United States, but British by choice, considered a Hollywood Director, but shunned by studios and Critics alike, Director Terry Gilliam lives a life similar to the movies he directs. Originally made famous by being part of the Monty Python comedy troupe, director Terry Gilliam is not only a director of films, but also an actor, screenwriter, and animator. He has a large body of work, known not only for critical success, but also for movies that simply did not appeal to his critics and audiences.

Terry Gilliam is well known for movies such as Time Bandits, Brazil and Baron Munchausen, all three movies garnered him critical acclaim, though Baron Munchausen was a relative failure at the box office. In each of these three, Gilliam introduced viewers to fantastic worlds and situations.

Despite the fact that Baron Munchausen performed poorly in the cinemas, Gilliam continued to direct movies that were a little less fantastic, but still bearing a dream-like quality The Fisher King, 12 Monkeys, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Again, critics were divided, yet Gilliam still managed to prove himself in the box office, as well as in film festivals.

There can be little question that Terry Gilliam is recognized as a director who prioritizes the art and message in his films. Some may even say he prioritizes them over box office success, though it cannot be said that Gilliam has never created a movie that did well in cinemas.

However, Gilliam himself states, in his prologue to the Collectors Edition of his movie, Tideland
many of you are not going to like this film. Many of you are going to love it. And then, there are many of you who arent gonna know what to think when this film finishes.

Clearly, the director himself admits to the fact that Tideland may not have general appeal, but that there would be some, or many, as he puts it, that it will still reach out to. Looking across his body of work, this seems to apply to many, if not all, the films he has directed.

The question is, is Terry Gilliam truly an auteur director In order to best answer this question, we must first quickly define what an auteur director is.

By collecting several definitions of an auteur director, we can find that they have several common traits that we may use to distinguish them from other directors. Firstly, an auteur director believes it is his role to be the author of the production, if he has not already authored the script itself. Secondly, an auteur director often creates movies with common themes that reflect his worldview, or conveys a similar message to the viewers. Lastly, auteur directors commonly have a style of filmmaking that is observable in their movies.

With this brief, but in no way incomplete, definition, we now have a standard to compare director Terry Gilliam against, to see whether he can be considered an auteur director.

First, does director Terry Gilliam consider himself the author of his production This can be a trickier question than it seems.

Let us first take a look at the films he has already directed. A quick count of his films shows that he has written, or co-written eight out of eleven films he has directed. This shows a preference for Gilliam to direct works he has at least contributed to as a writer.

More than just writing credits, however, does Terry Gilliam truly create a film wherein he is reflected in its creation In the documentary film, Lost In La Mancha, a voiceover in the beginning states Every film that Terry makes, Terry somehow manifests himself as the characters. This suggests that Gilliam puts himself, as an artist, within his work.

This leads to our second question does he create movies with common themes that reflect his worldview Do his films have a similar message to his viewers

This again takes us back to the films he has directed. A quick look at his films shows a tendency towards making movies about the fantastic. Jabberwocky is about a young cooper who attempts to kill a dragon. Time Bandits is about a young man taken on a journey through time by dwarves. Among his more recent films, The Brothers Grimm is about fairytales that come real, while The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus is about imagination conquering greed.

Again, the director himself confesses, in the documentary film, Lost in La Mancha All my films have been about reality, fantasy, madness, sanity again, common themes that can be observed in all his films.

Even in films where he was not credited as a writer, we can observe these themes of fantasy and madness, reality and sanity. 12 Monkeys is the story of a man who is sent back in time to save the world from a killer virus. Throughout the movie, he battles with thoughts of whether he is truly sane and sent from the future, or a madman living in his own world of make-believe. The Brothers Grimm shows two brothers, one a believer in fantasy, the other a realist, who observe and have to struggle against fantastic beasts, situations, and magic.

Lastly, does Terry Gilliam have an observable signature style This last point in our definition requires a closer look at his films to discover if he indeed has a signature style present in his films.

For this, we must pay attention not to his themes, but how he is able to express those themes in his movies the types and selections of shots in his movies, preferred camera angles, as well as preferences in technology used in filmmaking.

Watching a Terry Gilliam film, a viewer may easily observe that many of the camera angles used in the film are uncommon. Tideland begins with a high-angle shot of what at first appears like seaweed underwater, but is then revealed to be grassland. Later in the film, many scenes are shot with the camera tiled at an angle  a Dutch angle, as it is called in filmmaking. One scene of note is one where the main characters father has just died, but she has either not realized it, or has convinced herself that it has not happened. She sits on his lap, speaking to him, and the camera is tilted at an angle, allowing the viewer the illusion of a twisted or tilted reality within the film. Gilliam continues to use the Dutch angle in similarly-themed scenes, where the protagonist is either going mad, or denying what is real.

In The Brothers Grimm, where reality meets fantasy, much of the movie is shot in normal angles, except when encountering supernatural events. And then Gilliam takes advantage of high-angle, as well as low-angle shots, often panning the shot along with the action, as when one brother was attempting to climb the tower where the Queen slept. Starting from a low angle, showing the tower to be similar to an insurmountable obstacle, the camera follows the character as he climbs over to the roof of the tower, where the camera then pans out to a high angle shot, showing how small the brother is compared to the tower, and to his surroundings. Gilliam again uses Dutch angles when the Queen tempts the other brother near the end, an effort to enhance the sense of confusion the Queen uses to seduce the other brother.

Director Terry Gilliam, by the standards set here in this paper, has displayed all the attributes of an auteur director. He involves himself as the author of his films, not only co-writing many of his films, but also having the characters in his films have a part of him within the story of the film. He presents similar themes within his films, such as that of the realistic and the fantastic, and of sanity and madness, with characters who see the world differently from everybody else. Lastly, he has a trademark style which surfaces in film after film, using unusual camera angles to convey his themes of confusion in madness, or the realization of the fantastic in a real world.

Given these facts, we can say that Terry Gilliam is indeed an auteur director.

What is an auteur An auteur is a filmmaker who has a personal style and maintains a creative control over his or her works. The word auteur originated in France in the 1950s and was promoted by Francois Truffaut and Jean Luc Goddard and the journal Cahiers du Cinema (Encyclopaedia Britannica 2010).  As the film industry grew, many auteurs emerged all over the world and established their own style for which they would be identified as a film director. One of the distinguished auteurs in the world is Akira Kurosawa who contributed on writing Last Man Standing, and directed Ran, and Dersu Uzala. Based on these films, Akira Kurosawa can be considered as an auteur because of specific recurrent themes and classical trademark present in these films.

Brief Background on Akira Kurosawa
Son of an army officer, Akira Kurosawa studied art before gravitating to film as a means to support himself. His series of films cut across genres from crime thrillers to period dramas.

To give a background on how Akira Kurosawa directed his films, he frequently used the  wipe effect  to fade from one scene to another, a cinematic effect that was popularized by the Star Wars Trilogy. Aside from being a filmmaker. he also had training as a painter, and he usually storyboarded his films as a full scale-painting and uses weather to heighten mood of a specific scene (Brooke , Mini Biography).

The Works of Akira Kurosawa

Dersu Uzala
Most of Kurosawas films were shot in Japan, but this one was shot entirely in Siberia, Russia. Instead of an epic action picture, his passion as a storyteller   the drama of pure humanity.   can be observed in this film.The movie Dersu Uzala basically tells the story of an unusual friendship between a Russian captain and a nomadic tribal hunter named Dersu and how the latter helps the former and his team to handle the many obstacles in the Siberian wilderness.  The vastness of the Siberian wilderness in this movie provides a new canvass for the once painter. He combines the method of shooting a big, spacious environment in the wild  with a deep character study. Many of his films have a great deal of spectacle, and he is perhaps known best for his samurai films, but there is none of those in this movie.

As a powerful visual stylist, Kurosawa crafted some of his most striking imageries in this film especially in the scene that portrays a numinous, eerily lit confrontation with a tiger. Another scene which captured my attention is where Dersu rescues his Russian friend from a blizzard when they are stuck on a frozen lake. Including a blizzard in the setting illustrates  his directorial approach in intensifying moods using weather.   One can also notice the cinematography of this film the long, lingering shots of the landscape, the forest, rivers, and the mountains.

It is also important to note that Kurosawa is the writer of this film.  should have mentioned this at the beginning of this section The story itself has a superb appeal that lasts until the last act where the film reaches an intensely tragic plane, taking  the plot to another level to almost spiritual in nature  and leaving the viewers in awe.

Ran
The film Ran, both written and directed by Kurosawa, appears to be a rough adaptation of Shakespeares King Lear. The movie tells the story of three sons dealing with the passing of an era as their warlord father tries to find peace in his last years by dividing his empire among them. It retains all the themes of the original play but with varied ideas added by Kurosawa, such as the radical film language which works with certain imageries of colors, rapid cut sequences, and a sophisticated sound design.

One can see in this film that Kurosawa is greatly interested in the responsibility of the leader and the ironies of an autocratic system. The viewers can also feel the violence of the film as Kurosawa painted the sets with blood in effect would look horrible and dehumanizing.  He always creates images using either color to enhance the films tone or simply black and white to portray depth in almost all of his films. In Ran, however, Kurosawa employs his masterful skill with the camera as each shot seems to be planned to precision and each cut is made for a purpose. Even the choreography and blocking of each scene is simple yet powerful. The first battle, which is the films turning point, is the most horrifying yet strangely beautiful battle ever filmed, taking the audience to a place they would not rather explore on their own.

As viewed in the directors perspective that in a world of cruelty, moments within the horror can have beauty. Even the moment when the emperor (Hidetora) actions achieve his madness  is one of surpassing beauty.

At times of chaos, it seems that nature responds to reveal a religious entity. By having instances of meaningful emptiness, the film allows the viewers to have moments of reflection. Also, the pristine use of color in the movie really makes it a wonderful piece of art. Each brother in the movie has his own color, and when the colors of the brothers clash, it reveals the essence of art. As with his other period pieces, Kurosawa pays attention to all the little details, making every scene visually enticing and stunning. Ran is certainly a magnificent work of a director and painter who knows how to mix colors to create such a fine masterpiece.

Last Man Standing
In the film Last Man Standing, Kurosawa was not the director but he had a significant contribution to the story. A remake of his previous work Yojimbo (1961), this movie is set during the prohibition era of the 1920s on a small town of Jericho, Texas. It tells the story of a man just passing through this town named John Smith who gets targeted by one of the local mobs and decides to use the situation to his advantage and make money. After watching a lot of Akira Kurosawas films, one would be able to point out that he did not direct this film. The noir style of the film is supposed to be telling the story as it goes, but the narration is simply not that good at all. Despite the potential of the concept, especially the idea of the story created by Kurosawa, the film lacks depth, even though the Director (Walter Hill) did a good job of creating a convincing dry atmosphere of simmering tension in the film. However, the material itself lacks is as not sharp or slick as it needed to be.  The location is unclean and desolate compared to the portrait-like films Kurosawa used to make. In Yojimbo, the Japanese Samurai looks larger than life by the crafty camera technique used by Kurosawa himself, the viewers can see and feel the main characters actions and decide whether it is heroic or a game being played by a bored warrior. The wonderful images strewn across the film and skillful direction that keeps the pace of the storytelling tight. Although Last Man Standing is not that bad, it has some quite familiar cinematography in terms of some of the colors  or visual styles. There is one opening where John Smith (Bruce Willis) spins his empty whiskey bottle on the ground to decide which road to take a clear reference to Kurosawas actor Toshiro Mifune throwing a stick to the air to decide on his path. All things considered, the film does not come close to Yojimbo, but it is a decent remake based on Akira Kurosawas story.

Conclusion
Over the decades, Akira Kurosawa has always maintained his own directing style and approach of a story and characters, for this he got acclaimed mostly throughout his early career. He has his own personal style by focusing on the human traits of the characters, such as their emotions and frailties, as well as on the picturesque landscapes and settings, beautiful visual imagery and could be dark and gloomy  depending on its films theme.
         
He also has creative control over his work from the script and the actual shooting of the film to the editing. His role encompasses the coaching of the actors, the cinematography, the sound recording, the art direction, the music, the editing and dubbing, and the sound mixing. He does not separate those elements as independent, but sees them as melting together under the heading of direction. These may be small components of facts that define Akira Kurosawa, but after viewing his films, one would see his perfectionist tendencies in each scene. It seems it has an imaginary indelible trademark by the one and only Akira Kurosawa.

British films are definitely among the best in the world. Not only do such films emphasise and embody artistic taste and finesse, such films do also highlight the cultural and historical identity of the British. In addition, British cinema in general also expresses a sense of global character specifically, the presence of foreign actors and actresses, especially during the beginnings of British cinema, has become an undeniable characteristic of such films (Leach, 2004). Furthermore, British films also reflect political and societal needs and trends in Britain. In fact, the cinema may even be perceived as an attempt to empower the population and to attain worldwide relevance. The establishment and continuous progress of British cinema may be regarded as a means to maintain a substantial similarity with Hollywood and art films as well (Leach, 2004). Assessing and ranking British films should be accomplished while taking into consideration its properties as aforementioned. Therefore, it would certainly be a worthwhile pursuit to discuss whether Britains 100 Greatest Films as released by the British Film Institute (BFI) is a suitable ranking of such films.  

Upon browsing through this list of films, it is rather interesting to note that a number of films near the top of the ranking are rather commonly shown and viewed throughout various means. Personally however, having appreciated a number of films included in BFIs list, it is still undeniable that appropriate knowledge regarding a vast majority of such films is still lacking. Thus, although the rankings should be considered as a list of the most excellent examples of British capabilities in relation to media and the cinema, it does not imply that such films are among the most viewed. A probable explanation for such would be in terms of the time wherein certain films have been made and released for public appreciation. Whilst certain films may have attained unparalleled acclaim during premier release, if it was originally shown decades ago then it would only be appropriate to expect that the chances of individuals to view it is quite lower. In general and from a personal standpoint, personal viewing may encompass certain timeless classics, but it would indeed be impossible to be able to appreciate all the British films that are considered to be among the greatest.

To be more specific, it is necessary to further expound upon the films that have been appreciated firsthand. Based on the modules, the movie We are the Lambeth boys (K. Reisz, 1959) is one of the films included in the rankings that have been personally viewed at least once. The movie was rated abased on their views directing viewers attention and sympathies and also indicates disinctive affluence. Most of the movies in the old times are said to be  interms of exploitation anf social problems, which means as to how such films have been viewed quite differ though. Another example is the The Blue Lamp (Basil Dearden, 1950) which represented a community under threat from Americanised youth who are out of control living only for their own pleasure and interests. This movies have shown the actual locations that were able to provide the explosive violence and sexuality linked to signify the Americanisation. Some of the more recent films, on the other hand, have of course been seen in theatres as there was an opportunity to do so. Intentions for watching the films listed above also differ. Specifically, decisions to watch certain films either depended on personal interest as brought forth by public perception and opinion or the continuous and specific suggestions from family and peers. Hence, seeking out such films may indeed be a common endeavour. One may not necessarily decide to watch the aforementioned films due to individual decisions for appreciation but instead opting to view such films is mainly due to suggestions.

Given that the rationale behind the ranking process is simply to arrange films according to impact not only within the film industry but throughout the country (BFI, 2006), then it may be appropriately stated that the manner of selection and ranking may have been properly driven. In relation to this, it is vital to further determine whether the inclusions are indeed worthy of praise so as to be considered to be among the best and most relevant of British films. In order to do so, browsing through the views of critics and experts in the field of British cinema would be required which would be properly accomplished through the use of literature. For instance, Mayer (2003) pointed out certain films as among the most notable throughout the history of British cinema an example of this can be those films that showed importance to differect aspects of humanities, such as Teddy boys (1950s), Expresso bongo (V. Guest, 1960), Beat girl (E. Greville, 1960) and Sapphire (B. Dearden, 1959) as among the best examples of British film success and acclaim. Of course, such films are interestingly part of the BFIs rankings as well. To further expound upon the appropriateness of the list, it would also be essential to further emphasise the global success of David Leans works. It is undeniable that the top 10 of BFIs list is dominated by Leans pursuits, which has even gained considerable praise even and garnered awards in the Oscars (Levy, 2003).        

Whilst the inclusions may be considered as justifiable if not entirely appropriate, it would still be vital to further assess the lists exclusions. The main criterion which may delimit the results of the survey, from which the ranking would be established, was the span of time. Specifically, among the main instructions of the survey was that the films to be considered should have been produced within the 20th century (BFI, 2006). Hence, films which may have been produced and shown throughout the 1800s would not have been included in the list. Understandably though, British cinema was still at its earliest or initial phases throughout the latter parts of the 19th century furthermore, perfecting the motion picture technology or rather attaining efficient functionality was still the theme of endeavours from this point in history (Low  Manvell, 1997). In this sense, limiting the list to films made throughout the 20th century and not considering works which may have been developed outside the aforesaid period would not have possibly resulted in detrimental outcomes. As a matter of fact, experts claim that the greatest sales and activity in British cinema took place prior to the 1950s to further expound, it is also an established fact that such success was mainly due to the support of the working class to the film industry (Nelmes, 2003).

Given that both inclusion and exclusion criteria are properly established and allow for a broad selection of British films to be included, which as may be argued reflects the golden age of British cinema, then it is definitely correct to state that the resulting rankings or the ranking order are sufficient for its basic purpose. Despite the lack of clarifications and specific detail regarding the aspects which should serve as the basis for ranking and selection, it is still important to take into account that the individuals who were given the chance to rank the films were without a doubt knowledgeable and experienced in relation to the film industry. In this sense, considerations pertaining to the impact of a certain film would most likely be based upon general factors commonly highlighted in the industry. Creative and commercial success, two of the main aspects taken into account in the historically informal approach of film rankings by experts (Caves, 2000), would have been among the main considerations used. Therefore, whilst specific information pertaining to the ranking process may be lacking, it would still be proper to consider such rankings as correctly established.

As noted beforehand, given the length of BFIs list it would be virtually impossible for one to view and evaluate each film. As a matter of fact, from a personal perspective, the number of films viewed may not even account to a tenth of the total number of films included in the list. Despite not having seen most of the films from the list, it would still not be appropriate to immediately assume that personal preferences has been the main reason for such. In relation to this, certain films albeit being highly suggested by peers due to a myriad of reasons, are no longer as easily acquired or accessed. As one may expect though, certain films despite being available may not have been viewed due to some factors that affects the movie. For example, in the module, The Servant (J. losey, 1963)  showed anti-naturalistic acing and cinematography, that  serve as a hindrance for viewing it. Specifically, upon reading through the plot and having understood the main storyline of the film, sufficient interest upon the film still has not been established. Although this film may have been the foremost example given to express such a point, it is most likely that other films have been personally regarded in the same manner. Nevertheless, it is still necessary to reiterate that such biases could not account for all the films from the list that have not been viewed.

Questions qualification of the individuals who contributed to the establishment of the rankings, through the process of voting, would of course arise, and thus, further clarifications must be provided. In particular, a thousand respondents were involved in the voting and rank selection process such respondents were not in any way amateurs in film appreciation but were entirely composed of experts such as producers, scholars, critics, actors, and writers (BFI, 2006). Given such insights into the composition of those who voted and contributed to the rankings, it is indeed appropriate to conclude that highly qualified individuals have been solely considered throughout the pursuit to rank Britains greatest films. Of course, the most apparent reason for selecting the aforesaid individuals in attempting to establish a rank of Britains films would be to appropriately derive reliable results. Well informed and knowledgeable respondents would be able to arrive at proper conclusions regarding the question of which film is better. To explain, the act of developing a proper critique of a film is definitely unlike that of common means of reporting the films aspects it is most important that the individual would not be able to understand complex terminologies in film evaluation but also possess the ability to intelligently comprehend and respond to the underlying contexts of each film (Rosenbaum, 1995).  

To reiterate, assuming that it is indeed factual that the aforesaid experts and knowledgeable individuals in the field of British cinema have been considered as the main respondents for establishing a ranking of British films, then it can be inferred that the required competencies for such an endeavour have not been compromised. However, it would also be appropriate to highlight the significance of the evaluative criteria so as to determine whether the rankings are indeed reliable. As previously noted, the information provided by the BFI about the evaluation criteria is rather limited. Specifically, the main criteria for selection merely focus on the need for films to be evaluated and ranked based on being able to leave a strong and lasting impression (BFI, 2006). Hence, it may seem that the evaluation criteria may simply be too general to be able to generate reliable outcomes. Also, the meaning of such terms may differ from one individual to another, implying a sense of vagueness with such instructions. However, given that competent individuals solely comprise the group of respondent, then such concern would have been significantly minimised. The extensive number of respondents may have also positively contributed to the reliability of the outcome of the survey.

Basically, throughout the discussion, it is evident that considerable objections to the British film rankings released by the BFI have not been expressed. The main reason for this is that it is undeniable that the established ranking are in accordance or quite similar to the rankings of critics as derived from literature. Also, the type of respondents considered for the survey is highly qualified for such task. Personally, having seen a number of films that are included in BFIs list and being completely satisfied with such films further prove that only the best and most relevant of films throughout the history of British cinema have been included. However, as noted from the discussion, personal preferences do play a role in determining whether a specific film would either be given praise or merely left unnoticed. It would be expected that such a list of Britains greatest films would not result in unifying the views of both casual and expert film critiques alike but would instead serve as a potential means of reference for future discussions (BFI, 2006). Therefore, while it is a worthwhile and interesting endeavour to establish a ranking of British films, encompassing and integrating the views of the whole population through such means is still an impossibility.  

When the news broke that Tim Burton was remaking Lewis Carrolls classic, Alice in Wonderland, his fans must have been wringing their hands with pleasure, anticipating an altogether dark and gothic version of the popular tale something that resembled other typically Burton works like Corpse Bride or The Nightmare Before Christmas. But after watching the movie, although thoroughly entertaining and complete with the visual richness that weve come to expect from Burton, the film falls short by some way of being one of his masterpieces.

From the outset, it was clear that Burton was not interested in going into detail about Alices childhood and her connection with Wonderland. After a short scene which involved the child Alice having the bad dream about falling down the hole, it cuts to the teenage Alice, played by Mia Wasikowska, on her way to her surprise engagement proposal. It is here the she follows the rabbit and falls down the hole. Once in Wonderland (Underland in this case), we meet Burtons typically cruel, insane and grim characters. The Red Queen, played by Helena Bonham Carter, is obsessed with decapitating people and given to strange whims (such as using a live pigs belly as a footrest). The Mad Hatter, played by Johnny Depp at his quirky best, often overshadows Mia Wasikowskas, somewhat dull presence.

The 3D visuals impress in Wonderland, bringing to life Absolem, the caterpillar and one of the most enjoyable characters in the film, the Cheshire Cat. Burton reinvents the fairytale landscape of Wonderland to resemble a strange mix between Avatars Pandora and the misty, typically Gothic woodlands of Sleepy Hollow. The narrative is inter-cut with action scenes, some which thrill and others which fall flat. Alice chasing the rabbit and being chased by what looked like a mutant bulldog make the cut, but the final battle that plays out on the chessboard plain at the climax is wholly unconvincing and laboured.

Alices battle with the Jabberwocky is reminiscent of the pseudo-epic battles in The Chronicles of Narnia neither Alice nor the kids in Narnia look ready to fight anything, let alone a fire breathing dragon. The White Queen, played by Anna Hathway glides and tiptoes from pillar to post in a fashion that gets to be annoying after a point. Her role is forgettable and does not impact the movie in any way.

Of the main cast, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, seasoned Burton-heads, manage to hold their own and dish out good performances but its the animated characters that steal the show. Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Bayard the bloodhound, White Rabbit, Dormouse and as mentioned before, Cheshire Cat and Absolem, hold the movie together and fit the fantastic world of Wonderland (or Underland) perfectly. They add the touches of humour without which this movie would be incomplete and something of a bore. But all said and done, Burton adaptation of this classic is entertaining. Even if it falls short in certain areas, one cant help but enjoy the ride.

But heres the real question Is it up to Burtons high standards The answer is no. Where this movie goes wrong is that its neither here nor there neither convincingly dark nor convincingly light. Burton seems to only take a half-step in the direction of the former, as if trying to forcibly retain some of the core elements of the original story while feeding in little episodes of darkness and cruelty. It would probably have been more memorable if he went all out with it and turning the story on its head. That being said, this movie is a big step up from his previous offering, the insufferable Sweeney Todd.

What is the movie really about
The movie, Time Travelers Wife, is actually an adaptation of the book with the same title written by Audrey Niffenegger and published by the MacAdamCage publishers in 2003 (Niffenegger, 2003). The lead characters of the story are Clare Abshire, played by Rachel Adams, and, Henry De Tamble played by Eric Bana (Internet Movie Database, 2010). The movie and the novel revolved around the same story which is basically grounded on the couples journey as they deal with a life that is plagued by the constant spontaneous disappearances of the husband, Henry (Internet Movie Database, 2010). In order to further illustrate the story of the movie, it will be necessary to look into the plot from which the movie and the novel were based.
 
Henry De Tamble, born in 1975, is a one of the first patients that was diagnosed with the genetic disorder, Chrono-Displacement disorder (Niffenegger, 2003). This medical abnormality allows him to travel through time and witness the events that are yet to unfold in the life of his loved ones and even himself (BookRags, Inc., 2010). Fortunately, this disorder has permitted him to meet his future wife prior to their actual formal rendezvous (Internet Movie Database, 2010). The lady that is being discussed here is Clare Abshire, a lady that lived all her life with the belief that someone is meant to stay with her and accept her the way she is for the rest of her life (BookRags, Inc., 2010). Luckily, this belief of Miss Abshire was fulfilled when Henry has fallen madly in love with her from their very first meeting when Clare was only six and Henry was already 31 (Internet Movie Database, 2010). Through Clares life, Henry was always there to monitor the things that unveil in her journey to maturity, to check the status of his future lifetime partner and to assure him of the safety of the woman he loves (Internet Movie Database, 2010).

Consequently, the two finally met when Clare was already finished with her studies and when Henry was already a librarian in Chicago. As expected, the lifelong search for love and comfort was fulfilled when they have finally united as a couple (Niffenegger, 2003). However, the best parts of the movie came after the wedding when it was revealed that Henry has continuously travelled through time without the simplest warning to his wife, an event which really placed their marriage in a very unstable state (Niffenegger, 2003). But despite of the challenges, the couple is determined to fight for their love and win over the challenges that are imposed to them by the rare genetic disorder of Henry (Niffenegger, 2003). Hence, the Time Travelers Wife is about the story of love and its associated struggles in order to maintain and preserve the romantic bond that the couple has originally felt from each other regardless of the presence of uncontrollable obstacles and other hindrances (Niffenegger, 2003).  

Is there a moral to the story, a theme to be explored, or comment to think about
By analysis, it can be inferred that a number of themes, morals, and comments can be explored from the story of the Time Travelers Wife. One of the most prominent in the list is the theme of life companionship as depicted by the consistent presence of Henry in the life of Clare which enabled him to know the lady in a very detailed manner even before they have actually met (BookRags, Inc., 2010). This theme of the movie intensified the idea that strong marital relationships must be built not precisely on long term relationships but on the in depth knowledge of each couple on the life and works of his or her partner (BookRags, Inc., 2010). Life companionship in the movie has showcased that the detailed knowledge of ones partner can translate into the detection of the similarities and differences of the members of the couple, a substrate which when properly explored is inherent in building strong marital bonds.

Another moral of the story deals with the issue of faith, hope, and love. Clich as it may sound, but these three factors were really the central theme of the movie because these are manifested by the couple when they have continued to be loyal to the other despite the unexpected disappearances of the husband. Moreover, it was shown in the movie that Clare repeatedly had miscarriages as a function of the time travelling capability of their offspring, an event which have aggravated the already pressing issue of Henrys time travelling (BookRags, Inc., 2010). However, the presence of the three aforementioned factors has proven to the viewers that no problem can rattle a well-bonded marital relationship. Lastly, one of the most obvious theme of the movie is about the waiting, physical and emotional waiting for the person that is meant to take part with your life. In the movie, waiting was endured both by Clare and Henry where the former waited for the right man to come her way while the latter waited for Clare to finally be ready to accept him as her husband.

What is the point of the movie
Hence, it can be said that the general point or position that was shown in the story describes the eagerness of a couple to hold on to each other regardless of the gravity of the obstacles that are imposed on them. After seeing the movie, viewers are left with the message that genuine feelings of love, trust, and unity between a man and a woman are always sufficient to build a long-lasting relationship that can surpass any impending difficulty. In like manner, the movie has redefined the term stand the test of time because it was clear in the story of Clare and Henry that time was really not on their side (Niffenegger, 2003). Time was actually the factor that continuously separated the two and has placed their relationship in shaky situations. However, time should still be perceived as a vital element in the story because it was the very same factor which has brought Henry and Clare to each other. In general, the Time Travelers Wife is a movie that inspires viewers to never lose hope and continue to believe that their better half will come their way at the right time.

The 1979 movie Being There starring Peter Sellers and directed by Hal Ashby centers on a man named Chance (played by Peter Sellers) whose life took a turn for the better since the accident with Ben Rand who was a wealthy businessman and close to the President of the United States.  Since that time, Chance happened to be at the right place at the right time when Rand introduced him to the affluent members of society and political leaders.  His answers to their questions during conversations are very timely as his simple words are regarded as profound by those around him.  He answers so well that nobody knew he is just a lowly gardener and everybody thinks he is one of them.

The movie is regarded as a satire of American politics in the sense that it depicts government officials and politicians, from the FBI agents to the President as clueless, shallow-minded and to a certain extent, gullible, tending to take things at face value when being told something such as the scene when Chance and the President were talking about stimulating growth.  Chance was talking in terms of gardening while the President understood it as something for the economy which impressed him and thinking Chance as a smart person, he compared him to the members of Congress whom he wish would possess such characteristics which was apparently lacking (Sellers).

If there is one thing this scene symbolizes is that the Presidency is assumed by men who are no so bright and this would remind one of the President Obamas predecessor who was regarded as such.  But this is not limited to the presidency but other politicians as well who are very good at speeches but weak in action.

Stanley Kubricks 1971 film Clockwork Orange is a controversial depiction of futuristic Britain where moral and social semantics are a thing of the past. The movie, considered a film noir by critics, had Kubrick use disturbing visual imagery to express the theme and morals of the story. He particularly utilized this technique to express the connection between art and violence. One specific example of this interrelation was when Alex DeLarge, the main character, murdered the Cat Lady. The scene showed the room abounding in modern art that depict scenes of bondage and sexual intensity.

The Cat Women presents the only real force of resistance to Alex, and the scene comes out as a struggle between high cultures aestheticized violence and sex as an autonomous art form (Cohen). Since cat women in this film are extremely non-social introverts, they occupy an enlightened spot in a city predominated by lawlessness and violence. Alex actually understands the meaning of modern art as well as he understands violence. In the scene, he makes works of art weapons of violence.

The Cat Lady is felled using her own aesthetic collections.  For instance, the sculpture was transformed into a weapon to kill her and at the scene of the Cat Ladys death, a nearly subliminal orgy of modern-art  (Cohen) is apparent  as Kubrick split the pornographic artwork in the room into one and two-frame images with the paintings found in the room that depicted mutilated body parts and bondage.

This paper aims to analyze how the character of the beast reflected and transformed the four main characters attitude and nature in the book The Lord of the Flies.

The first character is Ralph, the voted chief of the group during the first days of being stranded in the island. When the kids mentioned to him about the beast, he simply ignored the notion saying that theres no such creature in the island we are the only ones here. Even though he might be afraid of the existence of the creature, he still speaks with calm reason so as not to incur illogical fear in the group. His attitude towards beast reinstated that he is the kind of leader who remains calm and rational even during tense and frightful situations.

The second character, Piggy, is Ralphs closest friend in the group. Like Ralph, he dismissed the existence of the beast. Piggy is the voice of reason and intelligence in the group. When Ralph simply said theres no such creature, Piggy gave a more substantial explanation hoping that the others would understand and stop from coming up with crazy ideas about the beast.

The third character, Simon, is the most quiet and peaceful kid in the whole group. Despite his quiet nature, he was the only kid who had the courage to actually confirm the existence of the beast. When he found out that the so called beast was actually the corpse of the parachutist, he emerges from the forest only to be brutally killed by the other boys who have mistaken him as a beast.

The last and the most metaphorically-savaged character in the group is Jack. He also exudes leadership skills but very harsh and irrational in making decisions. When the boys informed him of the beast, he went to the place to check but did not actually go inside to confirm. He mounted the pigs head as an offering to the beast and even incurred more fear to the group, commanding them to be watchful because the beast comes in all forms and sizes.

Holocaust, one of the most appalling incidents in the human history, has been depicted in numerous movies. The most poignant movie which focuses on the topic of holocaust is Schindlers List by Steven Spielberg. The movie presents the story of Oskar Schindler whose efforts resulted in the survival of thousand Polish Jews in the times of the Holocaust. Based on a true story, this movie details the manner in which Schindler, a German businessman emerged as a heroic savior for the Polish Jews. Watching this movie made me realize that even a single person can change the fate of numerous people and write a new chapter in the human history.

The movie introduces Oskar Schindler as a businessman whose only aim is to gain profit from entering into the business of production of things required for war. He succeeds in achieving his aim, as he gets to run a factory which produces mess kits for the army, by bribing SS officials. Pleased with the success in his business, Schindler continues to lavish the Nazis with bribes and employ Jewish Poles in his factory. But one particular event changes the attitude of Schindler and makes him aware of the sufferings of Polish Jews. After witnessing one of the massacres which were carried out during Operation Reinhard, Schindler is moved by the plight of the Jews.  

Even though Schindler was aware of the fact that the massacres of Jews were carried out on the orders of Amon Goth, a captain in SS, he maintains good relations with Goth, and with the aid of bribery secures permission from Goth for building a sub-camp where his workers can stay. Monetary gain was the reason behind Schindlers decision to provide a sub-camp for the workers but with the passage of time he becomes more interested in saving the lives of Jews. By employing the Jews in his factory, he ensured that they were not executed by the Nazis. The final transformation of Schindler from a shrewd businessman to a savior of Jews takes place when the Nazis decide to shift the Jews from Plaszow concentration camp to Auschwitz concentration camp.

Schindler succeeds in persuading Goth to grant him permission to allow him to take his workers to a factory in Zwittau-Brinnlitz. But Schindler had to pay a huge sum as bribe to Goth for keeping his workers with him. Along with Stern, Schindler prepares a list consisting of names of those Jews who were supposed to accompany him to Zwittau-Brinnlitz. Being in this list of Schindler meant life for Jews, for they were saved from being sent to Auschwitz concentration camp. Schindler includes as many Jews as possible in this list and moves most of them to Zwittau-Brinnlitz safely. Some of the Jewish women, who were on Schindlers list, arrive in Auschwitz owing to a mistake. Schindler even saves the lives of these women by bribing the camp commander. In the factory at Zwittau-Brinnlitz, Schindler provides a safe and secure environment for the Jews by prohibiting the SS guards from shooting or torturing them.

The movie shows how the efforts of one person saved numerous Jews from brutal execution. Schindler, whose only aim was to earn as much money as possible when he arrived in Krakow, spends all his money to save the Jews working in his factory. The world views Holocaust with horror and disgust but this movie presents a different aspect of Holocaust which evokes awe and admiration in the minds of people towards a person whose heroic efforts saved a thousand Jews from the clutches of death. The real Schindler saved more than a thousand Jewish workers..even accomplished the unimaginable feat of rescuing some of them from Auschwitz. This films moving coda, a full-color sequence, offers an unforgettable testimonial to Schindlers achievement. (Maslin). This movie made me aware of the fact that an act of humanity carried by an individual can create a huge difference in the lives of numerous people.

To understand a peoples culture, you have to understand its music.
Confucius, as quoted in the opening scene.

The Film
Director Fatih Akins documentary film Crossing the Bridge The Sound of Istanbul released in 2005 captures the vibrancy of Turkish music and culture and its contemporary influences such as rock, rap and indie alternatives. It explores the various popular musical genres in Istanbul, Turkey in following German avant-garde musician Alexander Hacke from the band Einstrzende Neubauten while he wanders around the streets of Istanbul.

Istanbul is depicted as an innovative center for rock and hip-hop genres. Akin, a German with a Turkish descent, intended the documentary film to be about the urban music scene (Bock, 2009) that looks at cultural influences, heritage and European identity, meant to address issues faced by young people with mixed ethnic and migration backgrounds. Identity is perhaps the strongest framework on which the film operates on, advocating a global or European identity rather than a fixed national identity.

Music, in the film, represents that transnational identity, much like how hip-hop has evolved from an exclusively African American expression piece to a multiracial crew genre. As Clausen, et.al (2009) describes how music is used as a tool an d unifying subject in Crossing the Bridge, Music symbolized the articulation of the discriminated voice of migrants (p. 128), and thus the title crossing the bridge. But in the film, the music does not only cross the bridge of two different territories or national identities, but also of the past and the present. Akin brings together a wide range of tunes, from Romany and Arabesque roots to todays Kurdish dirges and Turkish rap and hip-hop.

Aside from being a metaphor for the Asian-European open identity of Turkish music and culture, the title of the film is also a literal plot device. Akin discovers influences from the western and eastern cultures just by crossing the bridge (Schwarz, 2009, p. 2). The bridge being referred to is the Bosporus that spans a strait that connects Europe and Asia, making Istanbul in itself West and East, Asian and European, open-minded and strictly religious (ibid).

Akins film is also said to be celebrating diversity while tackling the possibility of coexistence of contradictory characteristics (Schwarz, 2009) by way of music, and by cross cutting editing technique to represent the clash between two featured countries, Germany and Turkey. The multi-ethnic director also involves more than 10 musicians and musical groups of different genres and backgrounds in this 90-minute film.

Baba Zula, a psychedelic rock band playing jazzy, oriental and 70s improvisational tunes described as an ironic whiff of flower power mixed with a sample of Arabian Nights (CrossingtheBridge.de). Orient Expressions, composed of two talented DJs, an American saxophone player and a saz virtuoso, create layers of traditional eastern music, Anatolian tunes and Western beats. Duman is a punk group playing traditional Turkish rock originating in Seattle but inspired by Turkey and Istanbuls dark corners. Replikas, when it comes to musical influences, is a band with a predominantly Western style, while having cerebral lyrics and subtle Turkish identity. These and many other artists say their piece and perform their hearts for Fatih Akins documentary of in-betweenness and musical fusion.

Distribution and Funding
One hundred and 50 hours of material had to be edited for seven months  this is more or less the amount of work involved in an independently produced outside the United States. Since the film is led by Turkish-German director Akin and German artist Hacke -- main figures who are already of an unfixed ethnic grounding  the production crew had to settle for compromise in multiple areas of production and distribution.
The original version itself is spoken in three languages  English, German and Turkish. Subtitles had to be placed to provide linguistic continuity for monolingual viewers  if and in case they are reached.

There are also a number of production companies involved, namely InterVista Digital Media and Corazon International in Hamburg, and co-produced by NDR. Bavaria Film International handled worldwide sales in cooperation with the Department of Bavaria Media. Limited distribution was by MK2 Distribution, Pictorion Pictures, R-Film and Rosebud.

The European Union provided the grant for the production of Crossing the Bridge The Sound of Istanbul under the program Getting to Know Europe in celebration of EUs 50th anniversary. Akins project was first considered as an individual program proposal that promotes greater knowledge, within local and regional communities in the United States, of the European Union (EU) and its international role (European Union, 2008). Being a direct commentary of the ties between two EU countries, Akin won the grant that would market the European Union through film distribution channels in America.

The film was also awarded with the National Lottery Award worth 11,340 by the UK Film Council for distribution and exhibition (UK Film Council, 2006). Distribution of the film is also backed by Film Frderung Hamburg and NordMEDIA Fonds.

Crossing the Bridge premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2005 and achieved distribution in Canada and the United Kingdom. The reasons for these accomplishments were criticized to be due to Akins influence (Seah, 2006). He is, after all, already an established director acclaimed for his strong dramas, while the documentary film itself is of mediocre quality and storytelling.

Strand Releasing sponsored its domestic video and theatrical distribution, while Alcine Terran handled that of Japan. The film was also screen in Brazil through Imovision, and in Bulgaria through Art Fest Limited.
Crossing the Bridge The Sound of Istanbul grossed for a total of 70,685 domestically  clearly considered a flop. Thanks to its worldwide release, however, it grossed up to 555,754 by its closing date on December 14, 2006. Its release spanned 140 days or 20 weeks starting its opening release on June of the same year (Box Office Mojo).

The film can also be viewed fully online via Google Videos.