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mk_tortieI lied. Sorry. It's all behind the cut, though. You know, maybe I'm actually trying to prove by all this that I've actually done something this year...
Nosferatu
Symbolism of nature, ie carnivorous plants - nature used in filming to expressionist advantage, but of necessity (Murnau on small budget as independant film) - still used to great effect.
Expressionist/not expressionist - argument - expressionist acting but sets not contrived like Metropolis/dr caligari
Russian formalist Boris Eikhenbaum - cinema creates something like a dream - like having read novel you saw it in a dream. therefore nosferatu more than simple adaptation (plot changes to disguise unlicenced adaptation notwithstanding)
Film really about the woman, Ellen. As if she has two husbands - vampires view from window strange parody of romances where lover stares across at beloved. She waits by the sea for 'him' to return - but Thomas is returning by land.
Thomas' strange expression when viewing vampire's mark on his neck - pleased smile - could be said has had his fears confirmed, or that in fact this is homosexual metaphor (thomas does not touch wife, is awfully effeminate, murnau himself was gay, vampire's phallic fingers!)
mirror as motif in film - is like nosferatu (count orlak) mirrors all the characters in film, but ellen crosses through mirror when she realises how to destroy him.
Galeen (writer) wished to demonstrate telepathic nature of love through scene where ellen awakens and says thomas' name just as orlak is about to bite him.
Reminiscent of biedmeyer (the uncanny) of hoffmann - does nosferatu bring the pestilence or 'is its image evoked to characterise him?'
lacks in redemptive things usually present in vampire films - garlic, holy water, crosses etc
bird of death - bird's eye view open and ends film, as if film itself is evil - idea that cinema itself is vampiric (use of nature scenes emphasizes this?)
Alice in den Staedten
Images of America - song whilst they eat ice cream, coke, cigarettes, transport (ie road movie) - but character cannot find anything to say when he actually is supposed to write about america - can only take pictures.
As many forms of transport as possible (hence inclusion of wuppertal) - also moments where can see wenders origins as experimental film maker, plus personal touch - ie jukebox in ice cream parlour just cos he liked the song!!
Characters react negatively to America, but this does not represent Wenders attitude to USA - their comments contrast with what is shown (skyscrapers from bottom up etc, stuff which fascinated Wenders) - stuff shown in Wuppertal is paralleled with stuff already seen in America - similar shots deliberately chosen - ie Germany is similar to America, or what can be found in America can be found in Germany. 'America and Germany are not so very different'
'We see Phillip attend a Chuck Berry concert, a coke bottle in his hand. America is the land of Phillip's myths just as it was Wenders'. For both, the real America was disillusioning - perhaps because it was not different enough and perhaps because the detritus of modern civilisation on a scale the size of the United States was too overwhelming.'
Phillip can only accept his roots when he has seen his myth for what it really is.
Wenders has very personal relationship with films - Phillip representative of Wenders himself - ergo always included in his own films to some extent (ie at airport)
Alice is in a transient state - she represents Phillips own rootless identity/transcience - she doesn't know her roots. When she finds her roots, he mirrors this in overcoming his writer's block which seems linked to his rootlessness. Also this transcience like America - America has no history - all he sees is the same thing over and over.
For Wim Wenders, travel is a way of finding one's identity.
At the train station, it is dollars which allow Phillip to continue with Alice.
At beginning, Phillip is at the beach - at the end of his bedtime story, the boy (who comes to represent Phillip) reaches the sea and finds his mother - it is a frontier where one can go no further.
Final shot - American style music made by Germans - shot of American style wide open spaces but in Germany - ie what can be found in America can be found in Germany/ what Phillip was looking for in America was in Germany all along.
At the beginning, Phillip regards Alice as a necessary nuisance - they are forced by circumstances into each other's company - but his photographing an American girl with a child in her arms represents his acceptance of Alice, which coincides with him deciding to return to his parents - ie by accepting someone else into his life he is able to accept who he is.
Woah. I could write a dissertation on this stuff.... well, if I had time to do more research I could, anyway. I seriously want to do my 3rd year stuff on cinema. I love this stuff, it's SO interesting. And in 3rd year it'll be the East/West course, which will be sooooooooo interesting.
I cannot believe I've finished my 1st year at uni next Friday. So strange. And the bad thing is, I came to uni thinking 'so long as I have a good experience I don't mind if I don't get a first'.....
but now I really want to get a first AND have a good time....
I have set myself quite a task, methinks...
Nosferatu
Symbolism of nature, ie carnivorous plants - nature used in filming to expressionist advantage, but of necessity (Murnau on small budget as independant film) - still used to great effect.
Expressionist/not expressionist - argument - expressionist acting but sets not contrived like Metropolis/dr caligari
Russian formalist Boris Eikhenbaum - cinema creates something like a dream - like having read novel you saw it in a dream. therefore nosferatu more than simple adaptation (plot changes to disguise unlicenced adaptation notwithstanding)
Film really about the woman, Ellen. As if she has two husbands - vampires view from window strange parody of romances where lover stares across at beloved. She waits by the sea for 'him' to return - but Thomas is returning by land.
Thomas' strange expression when viewing vampire's mark on his neck - pleased smile - could be said has had his fears confirmed, or that in fact this is homosexual metaphor (thomas does not touch wife, is awfully effeminate, murnau himself was gay, vampire's phallic fingers!)
mirror as motif in film - is like nosferatu (count orlak) mirrors all the characters in film, but ellen crosses through mirror when she realises how to destroy him.
Galeen (writer) wished to demonstrate telepathic nature of love through scene where ellen awakens and says thomas' name just as orlak is about to bite him.
Reminiscent of biedmeyer (the uncanny) of hoffmann - does nosferatu bring the pestilence or 'is its image evoked to characterise him?'
lacks in redemptive things usually present in vampire films - garlic, holy water, crosses etc
bird of death - bird's eye view open and ends film, as if film itself is evil - idea that cinema itself is vampiric (use of nature scenes emphasizes this?)
Alice in den Staedten
Images of America - song whilst they eat ice cream, coke, cigarettes, transport (ie road movie) - but character cannot find anything to say when he actually is supposed to write about america - can only take pictures.
As many forms of transport as possible (hence inclusion of wuppertal) - also moments where can see wenders origins as experimental film maker, plus personal touch - ie jukebox in ice cream parlour just cos he liked the song!!
Characters react negatively to America, but this does not represent Wenders attitude to USA - their comments contrast with what is shown (skyscrapers from bottom up etc, stuff which fascinated Wenders) - stuff shown in Wuppertal is paralleled with stuff already seen in America - similar shots deliberately chosen - ie Germany is similar to America, or what can be found in America can be found in Germany. 'America and Germany are not so very different'
'We see Phillip attend a Chuck Berry concert, a coke bottle in his hand. America is the land of Phillip's myths just as it was Wenders'. For both, the real America was disillusioning - perhaps because it was not different enough and perhaps because the detritus of modern civilisation on a scale the size of the United States was too overwhelming.'
Phillip can only accept his roots when he has seen his myth for what it really is.
Wenders has very personal relationship with films - Phillip representative of Wenders himself - ergo always included in his own films to some extent (ie at airport)
Alice is in a transient state - she represents Phillips own rootless identity/transcience - she doesn't know her roots. When she finds her roots, he mirrors this in overcoming his writer's block which seems linked to his rootlessness. Also this transcience like America - America has no history - all he sees is the same thing over and over.
For Wim Wenders, travel is a way of finding one's identity.
At the train station, it is dollars which allow Phillip to continue with Alice.
At beginning, Phillip is at the beach - at the end of his bedtime story, the boy (who comes to represent Phillip) reaches the sea and finds his mother - it is a frontier where one can go no further.
Final shot - American style music made by Germans - shot of American style wide open spaces but in Germany - ie what can be found in America can be found in Germany/ what Phillip was looking for in America was in Germany all along.
At the beginning, Phillip regards Alice as a necessary nuisance - they are forced by circumstances into each other's company - but his photographing an American girl with a child in her arms represents his acceptance of Alice, which coincides with him deciding to return to his parents - ie by accepting someone else into his life he is able to accept who he is.
Woah. I could write a dissertation on this stuff.... well, if I had time to do more research I could, anyway. I seriously want to do my 3rd year stuff on cinema. I love this stuff, it's SO interesting. And in 3rd year it'll be the East/West course, which will be sooooooooo interesting.
I cannot believe I've finished my 1st year at uni next Friday. So strange. And the bad thing is, I came to uni thinking 'so long as I have a good experience I don't mind if I don't get a first'.....
but now I really want to get a first AND have a good time....
I have set myself quite a task, methinks...
