Blog #10 The Big Lebowski

The amount of laughter heard today during the first half of the movie didn't sound familiar.  I haven't heard that kind of reaction much from the films we've watched so far.  So, what's up?  Is The Big Lebowski a film noir?  What elements can you align with what we've seen so far?  Think about characters, setting, atmosphere, plot, action....

This is it.  The last blog of the term.  We'll finish the film tomorrow and give it some thought in class,  and then you'll get the topic to prepare for Thursday.  Bring your notes and preparatory material to class.  You'll have the full period on Thursday to compose your response to the topic.  Please type the essay (bring along some device to class on Thursday).

Blog #9 Body Heat

Pick one of these to respond to by the end of the evening:

Wow, that was a lot of sweat!  In fact, then perspiration nearly figures as one of the film's characters.  So, if you want, you can give the role of temperature (don't forget all the fire!) in the movie some thought.  What significance does heat have in the story?

Or

Can you say Double Indemnity?  How does Ned Racine compare with Walter Neff?  How does Matty compare with Phyllis?  is this the same story in different garb?

Or

If this a noir film (characters, shadows, blinds, cigarettes, femme fatale...), what do you think the director, Lawrence Kasdan, is contributing to the tradition?


And read through chapter thirty of Farewell My Lovely for tomorrow.

One more film to go....

Blog #8 Blade Runner

Blade Runner -- Noir on steroids or maybe genetic engineering is the more appropriate metaphor -- either way this film is DARK.  And noisy and smoky and wet.  And creepy and violent.  And full of images that get stuck in the head (or at least in my head).  But let's get started by thinking about how Frank Deckard compares with this noir predecessors. 

1. How does the inner life of Deckard -- the piano music, the old photographs, the dream of the unicorn in the forest -- compare with that of the other male protagonists? 

2. How does his relationship with Rachael compare with the romantic pairings we've seen thus far?

3. Is this a thriller or something more?

Blog #7 The Long Goodbye

Here's the trailer for the 1973 film.  It doesn't give too much away but helps to frame the plot:

Welcome to the world of color...and noise and unfocused cameras and humor and violence.  We're nearly thirty years removed form The Big Sleep, but we have a private investigator with a familiar name, Philip Marlowe.  We'll finish the plot tomorrow but for now give the following three questions your attention:

1.  Is this the same Marlowe we saw in The Big Sleep?

2. How does this L.A. compare with that sen in 1946?

3. How are women presented in this film?

Blog #6 Shoot the Piano Player

Bet you didn't see that coming?  Who could?  (I wish I could include a clip of the kidnappers with Fido in their car here.)  Did we make a mistake?  Pick the wrong film for this course?  Or maybe not.  To get started on this consider the following two questions:

1.  How do the females involved with Charlie/Eduard compare with their noir predecessors?

2.  How does our protagonist, Charlie/Eduard, compare with the noir leads who preceded him?

We will use this as a starting point to make sense of this film in class tomorrow.

BRING YOUR BOOK TO CLASS.

Blog #5 Out of the Past

Is this a scene from a noir thriller or a romantic drama?  Hard to tell.

The following scene sets a very different tone:

That's as brutal a fight as you will see in a film from the middle of the twentieth century.

But this is also a gorgeous film.  Beautiful Western vistas, sunny Mexican vacation spots, great hair....
The story and pacing are finely crafted.  The developments of character are intriguing.  And the film offers a few twists on the familiar genre.  So, you could respond to the effect of adding Ann, the innocent female, to the tale of the PI and the femme fatale.  You could discuss the bigger moral issue:  what do you make of Jeff's decision to leave with Kathie at the end? What does this say about his character?  Or you could place this film in the context of the noir's tradition of exploring the nature of human decisions.  Is Jeff trapped by fate as Detour emphasized? Is he a victim or is he responsible for his situation?

Blog #4 Kiss Me Deadly

Now you know what to do the next time a bad guy is tailing you:

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/121125/Kiss-Me-Deadly-Movie-Clip-Popcorn.html

(take a gander at the trailer as well)

We'll talk about the tone and meaning of Kiss Me Deadly tomorrow after we finish watching the film.  For now record your thoughts about the following:

1.  What has Robert Aldritch done to our noir hero in this film?  Is Mike Hammer a familiar private investigator, based on what we've watched thus far?  If so, what is similar?  If not, what distinguishes him?

2.  Take this one step further and connect it to the reading.  How does the world depicted in this film compare with that created by Raymond Chandler?