Mankind, engaging in war, driven by whatever instincts guide him, seeks to keep the defeats and victories of battle in his memory and on his conscience. To accomplish this, men have used paint and canvas, ink and paper, or instrument and song in their effort to communicate the tragedy and glory of war. Never, before…
Baz Luhrmann was made famous by his three films that come under the title of the ‘Red curtain trilogy’. These three films are Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, and Moulin Rouge. Red curtain cinema is a term made up by Luhrmann. It is about breaking cinematic rules and boundaries. It is a refreshingly new and…
Probably the most popular, influential and enduring rock group of all time, the Beatles almost single-handedly reshaped rock ‘n’ roll from a genre of throwaway singles by faceless stars to an artistic medium with memorable images and idols. The Beatles placed the emphasis on a group, rather than a single individual, like Frank Sinatra or…
Until Art Spiegelman arrived on the scene, comics had not truly been acknowledged as art. Never, until Art Spiegelman came along, had anyone won a Guggenheim Fellowship award in order to complete a work of cartoon art. In 1986, Art Spiegelman, hailed by some as the “new Kafka,” published Maus: A Survivors Tale, a graphic-novel…
Balance refers to the distribution of visual weight in a work of art. In painting, it is the visual equilibrium of the elements that causes the total image to appear balanced. Balance can be symmetrical (also referred to as “formal”), and asymmetrical balance (also called “informal balance”). Balance is usually a desirable characteristic of a…
Amistad is a recreation of the true story about an 1839 slave revolt on a small Spanish schooner, La Amistad, ironically the Spanish word for “friendship.” Spielberg does a great job in recreating the Amistad revolt that spurred a series of trials beginning in the lower courts of Connecticut and ultimately ending in the Supreme…
The Great Depression had an impact on many aspects of American culture. American Film, especially in the Comedy genre was a good example of this. By the 1930s, the country had undergone huge social changes. Women had recently gotten the vote and were beginning to gain previously unheard of social independence. The Stock Market crash…
Arthur Miller creates several conflicts in All my Sons in order to keep the play captivating for the audience. For example he portrays Chris to be a man that feels guilty about the money he owns because he gets it out of a business that does not value the labor it relies on, but on…
Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho has been commended for forming the archetypical basis of all horror films that followed its 1960 release. The mass appeal that Psycho has maintained for over three decades can undoubtedly be attributed to its universality. In Psycho, Hitchcock allows the audience to become a subjective character within the plot to enhance the…
“Holiday Inn” was a very popular film when released in 1942. The musical was written by Irving Berlin who featured in his film many stars of the decade. Actor-singer Bing Crosby stars as Jim Hardy and features his hit song “White Christmas.” Actor-dancer Fred Astaire stars as Ted Hanover who thrills the crowd with his…
“Here comes the story of the Hurricane, The man authorities came to blame, For something that he never done. Put in a prison cell, but one time he could-a been the champion of the world.” Those are lyrics from a song by Bob Dylan. Bob Dylan made this song to give justice to the man…
Glory captures the heroism of Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and the first black regiment in the Civil War, the Massachusetts “Fighting” Fifty-fourth. An extremely talented cast and crew earned three Academy Awards (cinematography, sound and supporting actor) and five nominations for their work in Glory. The outstanding cinematography, sound, score and acting recreate the events…
Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ is clearly a representation of the true meaning of tragedy. John Proctor was, in fact, the medium, the tool, of which Miller utilized to convey a universal depiction of tragedy. A broad definition of a tragic hero is a protagonist who, through faults and flaws of his own and in the…
We think about the twelfth century as being captured by elegance, mystery and creative design. This was definitely shown by their costumes. The twelfth century was a time of intense religious worship, and when they performed on stage, the costumes were a release from their everyday restraints. The costumes of this century brought out the…
A Nightmare on Elm Street was written and directed by Wes Craven. The movie was released in 1984 and challenged the typical slasher genre film of the time in many aspects. The movie begins with the haunting children’s song, “One, two Freddy’s coming for you /Three, four, better lock your door / Five, six grab…
During the English renaissance in the 1500’s, King Henry VIII wants a divorce from his wife for various reasons, but divorce is against the Catholic religion. This is why he wants Sir Thomas More’s consent, because More is a highly respected Catholic, but he is such a good Catholic that he goes against divorce. In…
An important ingredient inherent in a successful mother-daughter relationship is balance. Like the scales of justice, maintaining equilibrium requires work. The special bond between mother and daughter is delicate and unlike any other relationship due to expectations of performance on behalf of both women. The female psyche is, characteristically, particular: each woman having a certain…
In the Victorian age, many women were thought of as mere objects. Most woman has no real social status and was not allowed to express themselves freely. A Doll¹s House, a play by Henrik Ibsen, has brought controversy to the conclusion in which Nora leaves her family. Nora’s perception in many different ways is the…
In studying and understanding the politics and artistic ideologies of film not in the popular “Hollywood” tradition, films of different cultures must be examined to explore the political and social history of the struggles for cultural identity. The film becomes a means of consciousness raising and of creating political awareness. Films of revolution and social…
The freedom of choice and the rehabilitating form of corrections encase the realm of A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess. It produces the question about man’s free will and the ability to choose one’s destiny, good or evil. “If he can only perform good or only perform evil, then he is a clockwork orange-meaning that…