Invasion of the Body Snatchers

I found the Invasion of the Body Snatchers to be a film that depicted the United States' paranoia of both a secret takeover by communists and the increasing power of the McCarthyists.  The overall theme of the loss of an individuals identity and of the human feeling was also a very prominent fear among many Americans throughout the 1950's.  The downbeat ending, in which the pods are victorious, was diluted by the scene in the hospital showing the authorities finally believing in the existence of the pods. By the ending not having the pods be victorious, they are instilling hope into the viewers.  This showed citizens that having to fear their loss of identity was a feeling that would in time be overcome together as a country.  

Social Upheaval in the 1960's: The Graduate

The theme of the social revolution that occurred during the 1960’s can be seen in many films made during that time. Mike Nichols’ The Graduate is one of those films. The main character, Ben (played by Dustin Hoffman), is a young college graduate who is staying at home to decide his future. Ben is faced with an interesting dilemma when his father’s business partner’s wife, the infamous Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), seduces him. His life only worsens when Ben falls in love with her daughter, Elaine (Katharine Ross). This movie signifies the strong sexual revolutions occurring at the time. The idealism of sexual repression of the 50’s was obviously upheaved by this time, and instead The Graduate represents a new, radical look at the freedom of sexual expression prevalent during the 1960’s counter-culture.

Texas Chainsaw Masacre

In The Texas Chainsaw Masacre I thought the father played the most important role in the crimes the family committed. From the moment we were introduced to the hitch hiking son, I felt that there was something mentally wrong with him due to family issues, even though we did not find out until much later that the crimes were committed by a family. We were able to see that the father is clearly in charge when he tries to force the grandfather to kill the innocent girl with a hammer, when he scolds the son for being gone for too long, and when he scolds the other son for losing the girl. We can also see that the father has control issues when the girl comes running to help and he acts innocent and acts like he is going to help her. I think that he responded in that way because he wanted to be in complete control of the situation without her acting spontaneously trying to escape. By her feeling finally safe and calm he would very easily be able to lure her back to the house. Finally, I noticed that the the two sons and the grandfather live to simple please the father and kill. His two sons act much more scared of him than any normal child would act. The are afraid to displease him and go along with his slayings to keep peace in the house. Although this was a disturbing movie knowing it was a true story, I found the plot to be full of underlying issues between the members of the crime family.

This class in my opinion has become progressively more interesting.  When we watched Texas Chainsaw Massacre last week in class I didn't think I was going to be able to watch it because I have never been able to watch those types of movies.  But for some reason even though we had the option to leave I stayed to try and overcome my fear.  It ended up being one of the more scarier movies I have seen... Even though it wasn't even that gory I had some trouble watching it, but it was interesting to listen how they had filmed it and looking back on it how it wasn't even that gory.

Color to Movies

One thing that I have realized has made a huge difference in my opinion in movie making is the effect color has.  Going from watching movies without any color to then starting to see some major films with color, catches my attention much quicker.  I didn't realize it before watching movies in black and white how much of a difference it plays in movies.  In my opinion it makes it so much more realistic and eye catching and brings it to life in a way.  It is interesting to see that before color it was normal in black and white and that's how all the movies were shown.  To have color makes a huge difference in my opinion and I prefer it way more than black and white movies because of the fact that it catches my attention so much easier.

The Exorcist

A terribly terrifying horror movie, The Exorcist is a movie that is one that will leave an impression for years to come. I believe that the first time I ever saw this movie has left me with scars, even today. It shocked audiences everywhere when it was first released in 1973. The movie has a few movies that were produced afterwards, but they do not seem to have the same initial effect as the first one. It kind of reminds me of the set of movies named Paranormal Activity. The horror of this film was ahead of its time when it was first seen by audiences, but in today's world our generation seems to be sort of desynthesized to it. However, the films of today have increased in horror and special effects. It is a movie that one should watch when studying American Cinema because it shows how the American public has always had an interest in horror, religion, and mysteriousness.

Blue Velvet the way David Lynch intended.

I think the helium would have definitely added to the movie.