Carrie Stula
03/23/10
English 312 Midterm Thesis Paper
Throughout the duration of this course the class has discussed the comparison between what is considered art or an artist. By definition the word “artist” is described as: One, such as a painter, sculptor, or writer, who is able by virtue of imagination and talent or skill to create works of aesthetic value, especially in the fine arts.( http://www.thefreedictionary.com/artist) There are some contemporary artists such as Leonardo DaVinci who are considered artists without debate, yet Jackson Pollack or Andy Warhol’s styles are more readily questioned as to whether they should be considered art. These two artists revolutionized modern art, but at the time many believed that their work was art, it was experimental and creative but could not be put in the same category as DaVinci or Renoir. This examination could be applied to Woody Allen and his films; do Allen’s repetitive neurotic/egotistical personality types constitute him as a great director. Also, the question of his personal life and the negative media attention has tarnished his image and it could be argued that it affected his work and his audience.
A director is a person who visualizes the screenplay, controlling a film's artistic and dramatic aspects, while guiding the technical crew and actors in the fulfillment of his or her vision.Picasso said “Good artists copy. Great artists steal.” Throughout this semester we have seen how Allen’s works reflect the works mimick the literary works of Dostoevsky, Freud, and Fitzgerald. Also we have seen the slap stick of Keaton and Marx shown in his early work this raises another question is Allen considered an artist or a thief? Does he rip off those that he admires or does he pay homage to them? What is Allen trying to convey to his audience, is he trying to convey anything at all? Is his work just a way of living out his fears and desires or is he truly trying to send an original message.
In an interview with Time Magazine Allen is asked who he has stolen from; Allen confidently answers with: Ingmar Bergman, Groucho Marx, Buster Keaton, and Fellinni he says that he is a shameless thief. This statement does not prove that Allen is not an artist or a thief it merely proves that Allen admits who has inspired him. When Allen worked on his first dramatic film Interiors it was widely criticized, and was almost a complete replica of Ingmar Bergman’s film Autumn Sonata. They share similar cimematic attributes (lighting, shot design, and editing) and the complex characters are apparent in both films. Allen’s film was not widely received his audience wanted him to stick with his comedy roots. Allen had yearned to make what he thought of as a “European” film preferably in the monastic style of Ingmar Bergman said Allen. (Cardullo page 428). Why does Allen mimick Bergman’s film, both have similar characters and share a central theme: maternal domination.(?????)
When Allen first became a director his successes were in comedy, he is considered to be the creator of the romantic comedy. Allen is credited with creating the loveable loser; meaning that a regular unattractive male lead was created. In an industry where any dominant character male lead has to have the looks of Carey Grant or Humphrey Bogart for any role, even if the character being played would seem unrealistic played by a Carey Grant type it was the norm in Hollywood. The character created by Allen was that of an intellectual, he explored existentialism, nihilism, Freud’s unconscious and his sexual desire (no matter how perverse). It could be said that Allen revolutionized cinema, not in a standard directorial way but by characters that were created, his casting. The film that he is most notably recognized for is Annie Hall. It seemed as those critics enjoyed his comedies and were widely more accepted by his audience. The physical comedy that is shown in his films resemble Chaplin and Keaton. This shown in his mockumentary Zelig,( the chameleon man) and in Play it Again, Sam. If you were to draw parallels not just in Allen’s homage to Chaplin but in life it would be surprising to find how similar their lives are.
Charlie Chaplin and Allen share a similar start in show business and it could be argued that Allen mimicked Chaplin; He (Allen), too, began in the movies with inexpensive comedies that were just funny. He, too, won a considerable following -- though nowhere near as large as Chaplin's -- and he, too, began to be adopted by intellectuals who appreciated his deft humor. Like Chaplin, he seems to have accepted their judgment that being "just funny" wasn't sufficient, and like Chaplin he made the crossover to "more subtle" comedy in 1977 with his own "Kid," "Annie Hall." (Gabler page ) If you were to take a Freudian approach to this information it could be argued that not only did Allen borrowed from Chaplin’s comedy, he borrowed his life. Chaplin was eventually forced back to England because of his personal practices as Allen had been forced out of Hollywood because of his. In the words of Freud; “The conscious mind may be compared to a fountain playing in the sun and falling back into the great subterranean pool of subconscious from which it rises.” (page 1) So it could be argued that Allen’s love for Chaplin work could have led to his personal life being so similar.
The art historian has to account for many things when exploring a piece of art. The historian relies on psychoanalysis, iconography, symbolism, formal analysis, and semiotics. These functions are used to create and understanding of the work, to think critically about the piece. Art critic Clement Greenberg, who was the most influential art critic of the 1950s and 1960s, proclaimed Abstract Expressionism and Pollock in particular as the epitome of aesthetic value. It supported Pollock's work on formalistic grounds as simply the best painting of its day and the culmination of an art tradition going back via Cubism and Cézanne to Monet, in which painting became ever 'purer' and more concentrated in what was 'essential' to it, the making of marks on a flat surface. (Molyneux page) When Jackson Pollack started he was criticized for not doing anything but spilling paint on an all white canvas, the line and texture of the painting didn’t matter it was that minimal work (to the critics) was applied. There was no formal training applied to the paintings. What Pollack did was revolutionize a style of painting, he didn’t conform. Neither did Allen.
While other critics and newspapers at the time said the opposite. Such as art critic and satirist Craig Brown who was quoted as saying; "astonished that decorative 'wallpaper', essentially brainless, could gain such a position in art history alongside Giotto, Titian, and Velázquez." The Reynold’s News headline in 1959 shouted, “ This is not art-it’s a joke in bad taste.” Luckily for Pollack the good press outweighed the bad and his talent led to a new artistic method “action painting” and he is now a staple in art history. Allen also created a new method applying to cinema the modern romantic comedy, an untraditional means to the conventional end in cinema. As stated before Annie Hall is the master of this concept but it is an ongoing theme in Allen’s work such as; Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Play it Again, Sam. Unlike Pollack, an alcoholic whose work far surpassed his personal dilemmas, Allen is now a very secluded personality. It has to be brought up that the publicity brought on by his relationship with Soon Yi hurt him professionally. Does this one act decide for the potential audience that Woody Allen is an artist? They are the critics, the ones who decide if his films fail or are successful, and his most current films have not been too bankable or critically acclaimed. The two most successful would have to be Match Point and Vicky, Christina Barcelona. His talent has not faltered, he is still writing and directing every year, and expanding his horizon as a director, so could it be that his personal choices affect his acceptance. The major difference between Jackson Pollack and Woody Allen is that Pollack’s personal life (as torturous as it was) didn’t affect his audience that way that Allen’s personal choice affected his. Is it right to judge someone for their personal choices or should the work stand for itself?
The pros of Allen’s work are that he gave an additional romance to New York, it always shown brutally honest through Allen’s lens. He created a romantic comedy that isn’t filled with fluff but deals with harsh realities: divorce, abandonment, loneliness, and suicide. His lead characters are cynical but likable and you feel yourself rooting for him, even if you don’t want to admit it.
In conclusion, Allen’s films are art. Depending on who is exploring the work, not one artwork has been accepted overall. But no one would argue that DaVinci is an artist, but Allen’s credibility in his artistic field is a matter of debate. Even with three Academy Awards (directing) and fourteen nominations in writing, his personal life has overshadowed his iconic talent. Sadly in situations such as these, time and death often lead to forgiveness. The American culture is very contradictory, built on a belief of “morals” and pop culture. Allen’s choices have affected his art and his audience. For one to say you have to separate the two; personal life and professional life would seem a bit ridiculous. Allen’s personal life is a major contributor to the work he makes. Film is his form of therapy, and it is his passion. Being a director, you want the audience to decide if they enjoy and agree on the work created. Once the door is open, the audience cannot/will not decipher between which world they are allowed to make judgments on; personal and professional. It’s one and the same to them.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Rough Draft
Carrie Stula
03/23/10
English 312 Midterm Thesis Paper
Throughout this course the class has discussed the comparison between what different people consider art. There are some contemporary artists such as Leonardo DaVinci who are considered artists without debate, yet Jackson Pollack or Andy Warhol’s styles are more readily questioned as to whether they should be considered art. This examination could be applied to Woody Allen and his films. Does Woody Allen’s neurotic personality types and personal life tarnish his image and work? Is he considered an artist or a thief? Does he ripe off those that he admires or does he pay homage to them?
Picasso said “Good artists copy. Great artists steal.” In an interview with Time Magazine where the interviewer asks Allen who he’s stolen from he answers with Bergman, Groucho Marx, Buster Keaton, and Fellinni he says that he is a shameless thief. This statement does not prove that Allen is not an artist. When Jackson Pollack started he was criticized for not doing anything but spilling paint on an all white canvas, the line and texture of the painting didn’t matter it was that minimal work (to the critics) was applied. There was no formal training applied to the paintings. What Pollack did was revolutionize a style of painting, he didn’t conform. Neither did Allen.
In an industry where the male lead has to have the looks of Carey Grant or Humphrey Bogart for any dominant character.; a janitor, a butcher, if the story centered on these characters it would be unrealistic that a Carey Grant type would play that; but that was the norm. Allen created the loveable loser; meaning that a regular unattractive male lead was created. The character created by that was an intellectual, he explored existentialism, nihilism, Freud’s unconscious and his sexual desire (no matter how perverse). It could be said that Allen revolutionized cinema, not in a standard directorial way. The film that he is most notably recognized for is Annie Hall. It seemed as those critics enjoyed his comedies, his physical comedy that is a resemblance to Chaplin and Keaton. This shown in his mockumentary Zelig, the chameleon man and in Play it Again, Sam. If you were to draw parallels (not just in Allen’s homage to Chaplin but in life it would be surprising to find how similar their lives are.
Charlie Chaplin and Allen share a similar start in show business and it could be argued that Allen mimicked Chaplin; He (Allen), too, began in the movies with inexpensive comedies that were just funny. He, too, won a considerable following -- though nowhere near as large as Chaplin's -- and he, too, began to be adopted by intellectuals who appreciated his deft humor. Like Chaplin, he seems to have accepted their judgment that being "just funny" wasn't sufficient, and like Chaplin he made the crossover to "more subtle" comedy in 1977 with his own "Kid," "Annie Hall." (Gabler page ) If you were to take a Freudian approach to this information it could be argued that not only did Allen borrowed from Chaplin’s comedy, he borrowed his life. Chaplin was eventually forced back to England because of his personal practices as Allen had been forced out of Hollywood because of his. In the words of Freud; “The conscious mind may be compared to a fountain playing in the sun and falling back into the great subterranean pool of subconscious from which it rises.” (page 1) So Allen’s love for Chaplin work could have led to his personal life being so similar.
When Allen worked on his first dramatic film Interiors it was widely criticized, and was almost a complete replica of Ingmar Bergman’s film Autumn Sonata. They share similar cimematic attributes (lighting, shot design, and editing) and the complex characters are apparent in both films. Allen’s film was not widely received his audience wanted him to stick with his comedy roots. Allen had yearned to make what he thought of as a “European” film preferably in the monastic style of Ingmar Bergman said Allen. (Cardullo page 428). Why does Allen mimick Bergman’s film, both have similar characters and share a central theme: maternal domination.
The art historian has to account for many things when exploring a piece of art. The historian relies on psychoanalysis, iconography, symbolism, formal analysis, and semiotics. These functions are used to create and understanding of the work, to think critically about the piece. Art critic Clement Greenberg, who was the most influential art critic of the 1950s and 1960s, proclaimed Abstract Expressionism and Pollock in particular as the epitome of aesthetic value. It supported Pollock's work on formalistic grounds as simply the best painting of its day and the culmination of an art tradition going back via Cubism and Cézanne to Monet, in which painting became ever 'purer' and more concentrated in what was 'essential' to it, the making of marks on a flat surface. (Molyneux page) While other critics and newspapers at the time said the opposite. Such as art critic and satirist Craig Brown who was quoted as saying; "astonished that decorative 'wallpaper', essentially brainless, could gain such a position in art history alongside Giotto, Titian, and Velázquez." The Reynold’s News headline in 1959 shouted, “ This is not art-it’s a joke in bad taste.”
Luckily for Pollack the good press outweighed the bad and his talent led to a new artistic method “action painting” and he is now a staple in art history. Allen also created a new method applying to cinema the modern romantic comedy, an untraditional means to the conventional end in cinema. As stated before Annie Hall is the master of this concept but it is an ongoing theme in Allen’s work such as; Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Play it Again, Sam. Unlike Pollack, an alcoholic whose work far surpassed his personal dilemmas, Allen is now a very secluded personality. It has to be brought up that the publicity brought on by his relationship with Soon Yi hurt him professionally. Does this one act decide for the potential audience that Woody Allen is an artist? They are the critics, the ones who decide if his films fail or are successful, and his most current films have not been too bankable or critically acclaimed. The two most successful would have to be Match Point and Vicky, Christina Barcelona. His talent has not faltered, he is still writing and directing every year, and expanding his horizon as a director, so could it be that his personal choices affect his acceptance. The major difference between Jackson Pollack and Woody Allen is that Pollack’s personal life (as torturous as it was) didn’t affect his audience that way that Allen’s personal choice affected his. Is it right to judge someone for their personal choices or should the work stand for itself?
The pros of Allen’s work are that he gave an additional romance to New York, it always shown brutally honest through Allen’s lens. He created a romantic comedy that isn’t filled with fluff but deals with harsh realities: divorce, abandonment, loneliness, and suicide. His lead characters are cynical but likable and you feel yourself rooting for him, even if you don’t want to admit it.
In conclusion, Allen’s films are art. Depending on who is exploring the work, not one artwork has been accepted overall. But no one would argue that DaVinci is an artist, but Allen’s credibility in his artistic field is a matter of debate. Even with three Academy Awards (directing) and fourteen nominations in writing, his personal life has overshadowed his iconic talent. Sadly in situations such as these, time and death often lead to forgiveness. The American culture is very contradictory, built on a belief of “morals” and pop culture. Allen’s choices have affected his art and his audience. For one to say you have to separate the two; personal life and professional life would seem a bit ridiculous. Allen’s personal life is a major contributor to the work he makes. Film is his form of therapy, and it is his passion. Being a director, you want the audience to decide if they enjoy and agree on the work created. Once the door is open, the audience cannot/will not decipher between which world they are allowed to make judgments on; personal and professional. It’s one and the same to them.
03/23/10
English 312 Midterm Thesis Paper
Throughout this course the class has discussed the comparison between what different people consider art. There are some contemporary artists such as Leonardo DaVinci who are considered artists without debate, yet Jackson Pollack or Andy Warhol’s styles are more readily questioned as to whether they should be considered art. This examination could be applied to Woody Allen and his films. Does Woody Allen’s neurotic personality types and personal life tarnish his image and work? Is he considered an artist or a thief? Does he ripe off those that he admires or does he pay homage to them?
Picasso said “Good artists copy. Great artists steal.” In an interview with Time Magazine where the interviewer asks Allen who he’s stolen from he answers with Bergman, Groucho Marx, Buster Keaton, and Fellinni he says that he is a shameless thief. This statement does not prove that Allen is not an artist. When Jackson Pollack started he was criticized for not doing anything but spilling paint on an all white canvas, the line and texture of the painting didn’t matter it was that minimal work (to the critics) was applied. There was no formal training applied to the paintings. What Pollack did was revolutionize a style of painting, he didn’t conform. Neither did Allen.
In an industry where the male lead has to have the looks of Carey Grant or Humphrey Bogart for any dominant character.; a janitor, a butcher, if the story centered on these characters it would be unrealistic that a Carey Grant type would play that; but that was the norm. Allen created the loveable loser; meaning that a regular unattractive male lead was created. The character created by that was an intellectual, he explored existentialism, nihilism, Freud’s unconscious and his sexual desire (no matter how perverse). It could be said that Allen revolutionized cinema, not in a standard directorial way. The film that he is most notably recognized for is Annie Hall. It seemed as those critics enjoyed his comedies, his physical comedy that is a resemblance to Chaplin and Keaton. This shown in his mockumentary Zelig, the chameleon man and in Play it Again, Sam. If you were to draw parallels (not just in Allen’s homage to Chaplin but in life it would be surprising to find how similar their lives are.
Charlie Chaplin and Allen share a similar start in show business and it could be argued that Allen mimicked Chaplin; He (Allen), too, began in the movies with inexpensive comedies that were just funny. He, too, won a considerable following -- though nowhere near as large as Chaplin's -- and he, too, began to be adopted by intellectuals who appreciated his deft humor. Like Chaplin, he seems to have accepted their judgment that being "just funny" wasn't sufficient, and like Chaplin he made the crossover to "more subtle" comedy in 1977 with his own "Kid," "Annie Hall." (Gabler page ) If you were to take a Freudian approach to this information it could be argued that not only did Allen borrowed from Chaplin’s comedy, he borrowed his life. Chaplin was eventually forced back to England because of his personal practices as Allen had been forced out of Hollywood because of his. In the words of Freud; “The conscious mind may be compared to a fountain playing in the sun and falling back into the great subterranean pool of subconscious from which it rises.” (page 1) So Allen’s love for Chaplin work could have led to his personal life being so similar.
When Allen worked on his first dramatic film Interiors it was widely criticized, and was almost a complete replica of Ingmar Bergman’s film Autumn Sonata. They share similar cimematic attributes (lighting, shot design, and editing) and the complex characters are apparent in both films. Allen’s film was not widely received his audience wanted him to stick with his comedy roots. Allen had yearned to make what he thought of as a “European” film preferably in the monastic style of Ingmar Bergman said Allen. (Cardullo page 428). Why does Allen mimick Bergman’s film, both have similar characters and share a central theme: maternal domination.
The art historian has to account for many things when exploring a piece of art. The historian relies on psychoanalysis, iconography, symbolism, formal analysis, and semiotics. These functions are used to create and understanding of the work, to think critically about the piece. Art critic Clement Greenberg, who was the most influential art critic of the 1950s and 1960s, proclaimed Abstract Expressionism and Pollock in particular as the epitome of aesthetic value. It supported Pollock's work on formalistic grounds as simply the best painting of its day and the culmination of an art tradition going back via Cubism and Cézanne to Monet, in which painting became ever 'purer' and more concentrated in what was 'essential' to it, the making of marks on a flat surface. (Molyneux page) While other critics and newspapers at the time said the opposite. Such as art critic and satirist Craig Brown who was quoted as saying; "astonished that decorative 'wallpaper', essentially brainless, could gain such a position in art history alongside Giotto, Titian, and Velázquez." The Reynold’s News headline in 1959 shouted, “ This is not art-it’s a joke in bad taste.”
Luckily for Pollack the good press outweighed the bad and his talent led to a new artistic method “action painting” and he is now a staple in art history. Allen also created a new method applying to cinema the modern romantic comedy, an untraditional means to the conventional end in cinema. As stated before Annie Hall is the master of this concept but it is an ongoing theme in Allen’s work such as; Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Play it Again, Sam. Unlike Pollack, an alcoholic whose work far surpassed his personal dilemmas, Allen is now a very secluded personality. It has to be brought up that the publicity brought on by his relationship with Soon Yi hurt him professionally. Does this one act decide for the potential audience that Woody Allen is an artist? They are the critics, the ones who decide if his films fail or are successful, and his most current films have not been too bankable or critically acclaimed. The two most successful would have to be Match Point and Vicky, Christina Barcelona. His talent has not faltered, he is still writing and directing every year, and expanding his horizon as a director, so could it be that his personal choices affect his acceptance. The major difference between Jackson Pollack and Woody Allen is that Pollack’s personal life (as torturous as it was) didn’t affect his audience that way that Allen’s personal choice affected his. Is it right to judge someone for their personal choices or should the work stand for itself?
The pros of Allen’s work are that he gave an additional romance to New York, it always shown brutally honest through Allen’s lens. He created a romantic comedy that isn’t filled with fluff but deals with harsh realities: divorce, abandonment, loneliness, and suicide. His lead characters are cynical but likable and you feel yourself rooting for him, even if you don’t want to admit it.
In conclusion, Allen’s films are art. Depending on who is exploring the work, not one artwork has been accepted overall. But no one would argue that DaVinci is an artist, but Allen’s credibility in his artistic field is a matter of debate. Even with three Academy Awards (directing) and fourteen nominations in writing, his personal life has overshadowed his iconic talent. Sadly in situations such as these, time and death often lead to forgiveness. The American culture is very contradictory, built on a belief of “morals” and pop culture. Allen’s choices have affected his art and his audience. For one to say you have to separate the two; personal life and professional life would seem a bit ridiculous. Allen’s personal life is a major contributor to the work he makes. Film is his form of therapy, and it is his passion. Being a director, you want the audience to decide if they enjoy and agree on the work created. Once the door is open, the audience cannot/will not decipher between which world they are allowed to make judgments on; personal and professional. It’s one and the same to them.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
In addition to Response Paper
When we had our class this morning we had to exchange our paper with a fellow student to get feed back. I would like to add to my earlier post to clear up any confusion and add new material to support my earlier post.
One of the questions was what role do women fill for Tom?
I believe that because Tom was raised in a family with parents who were still married he held this in a high regard, an achievement. Tom is living a life of mediocrity when it comes to his job and personal achievements. I believe that Tom put all his effort into finding his soul mate because it seemed more attainable then trying to achieve higher than being a greeting card writer.
A confusing section of the paper seemed to be when I was discussing Freud's dream-work concept. I used the definition "dream-work is a tissue of thoughts usually a very complicated one,which has built up during the night to retain the quota of energy-the 'interest'-claimed by it, and threatens to disturb sleep. (Freud 199) I am trying to compare how the film (500) days of Summer uses this concept is threw the many dream sequences used in the film to show Tom's disillusion thoughts about Summer. How these thoughts are affecting his subconscious and how he is not dealing with his wants and has created these dream sequences to express his feelings and what he truly desires.
Also, to support the claim that Woody Allen's Characters are searching for more of a intellectual connection; in his book The Insanity Defense he writes a short story titled The Whore of Mensa. This short story centers on a man who goes to intellectual prostitutes to fulfill the intellectual needs that his wife is not meeting. The man goes to a private investigator for help because the lead intellectual prostitute is black mailing him. It is an extremely clever story and the juxtaposition was very ironic.
In conclusion I also wrote that Tom Hansen came from a family that was still together when in fact his parents are divorced.
I think that exchanging papers was a great idea it's always good to get an honest opinion on your work. Especially from another student who is trying to write about the same subject.
One of the questions was what role do women fill for Tom?
I believe that because Tom was raised in a family with parents who were still married he held this in a high regard, an achievement. Tom is living a life of mediocrity when it comes to his job and personal achievements. I believe that Tom put all his effort into finding his soul mate because it seemed more attainable then trying to achieve higher than being a greeting card writer.
A confusing section of the paper seemed to be when I was discussing Freud's dream-work concept. I used the definition "dream-work is a tissue of thoughts usually a very complicated one,which has built up during the night to retain the quota of energy-the 'interest'-claimed by it, and threatens to disturb sleep. (Freud 199) I am trying to compare how the film (500) days of Summer uses this concept is threw the many dream sequences used in the film to show Tom's disillusion thoughts about Summer. How these thoughts are affecting his subconscious and how he is not dealing with his wants and has created these dream sequences to express his feelings and what he truly desires.
Also, to support the claim that Woody Allen's Characters are searching for more of a intellectual connection; in his book The Insanity Defense he writes a short story titled The Whore of Mensa. This short story centers on a man who goes to intellectual prostitutes to fulfill the intellectual needs that his wife is not meeting. The man goes to a private investigator for help because the lead intellectual prostitute is black mailing him. It is an extremely clever story and the juxtaposition was very ironic.
In conclusion I also wrote that Tom Hansen came from a family that was still together when in fact his parents are divorced.
I think that exchanging papers was a great idea it's always good to get an honest opinion on your work. Especially from another student who is trying to write about the same subject.
Response Paper
Carrie Stula
2/8/10
English 312
Response Paper: Two-page analysis of a non-Woody Allen comedic film using for your critical lens *only* the texts discussed thus far in class, e.g., Freud, Kaufman, Perelman, Roth, Ravits, and/or Gilman.
The film I have chosen for this response paper is (500) days of Summer. The film was made in 2009 it was written by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber and was directed by Marc Webb. It was praised at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win the grand jury selection prize. This film has been called the Annie Hall of our generation which is why I chose to write about this film. I absolutely loved (500) days of Summer and am not a fan of Annie Hall. The story is offbeat and comical with how the lead character Tom Hansen handles his break up with Summer Finn. Tom becomes obsessive and begins to lose touch with reality after the break-up with Summer.
In the film the Tom Hansen is an average looking greeting card writer. He went to school for architecture but only does doodles of the Los Angeles landscape. The girl whom Tom falls in love with is a bohemian artistic girl named Summer Finn. She has always been severely independent and does not believe in the concept of true love or marriage; this doesn’t stop Tom’s pursuit he fell in love with Summer the moment he met her. The film is not in chronological order, the time period shifts from different days of their relationship (500 days). The film starts with when Summer begins working at the greeting card company and jumps around from there. We see them dating, their first sexual encounter, their break-up, their make-up and then their permanent break up.
Tom is a less neurotic version of many of Woody Allen’s Character’s (in his films). They do share the obsession/fear of death. They are also similar in how blind they are of the demise of their relationships and seeing where it went wrong, as if there were no signs. The difference between Allen’s lead Characters and Tom Hansen is that Tom believes in love at first sight, fate, and destiny whereas Allen’s characters don’t believe in love in the same context. The characters that Allen creates are dependent on the woman as a comfort level, to fulfill an intellectual need or a sexual desire. Tom and Allen both build up the idea of Summer (or Annie) because they believe that they can’t do any better than them and they miss what these woman really are; no good for them.
In Freud’s Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious it discusses the concept of dream-work. That a tissue of thoughts, usually a very complicated one, which has built up during the day has not been completely dealt with-‘a day’s residue’-continues during the night to retain the quota of energy-the ‘interest’-claimed by it, and threatens to disturb sleep. (Freud 199) How (500) days of Summer uses this idea is throughout the films numerous dream sequences. There is a black and white French parody film of Tom’s and Summer’s romance; the day after Tom and Summer first have sex (there is a musical number and animated birds) and also there is an exceptionally unique use of split screen to show reality/fantasy when Tom agrees to go to a party at Summer’s apartment. In his mind he is hoping that they will rekindle their flame but in reality she has moved on and is now engaged.
These dream sequences reinforce the idea that because Tom has not truly dealt with his feelings his mind is running away in fantasy. The book continues to state that the dream-work takes the step from the optative to the present indicative; it replaces ‘Oh! If only…’by ‘It is’ is then given a hallucinatory representation. (Freud 201) Tom has been playing out his relationship with Summer in his mind, it was a wonderful relationship in his mind. If he really goes back and looks into their relationship he will see that the signs were there, she didn’t love him and really wasn’t his soul mate.
2/8/10
English 312
Response Paper: Two-page analysis of a non-Woody Allen comedic film using for your critical lens *only* the texts discussed thus far in class, e.g., Freud, Kaufman, Perelman, Roth, Ravits, and/or Gilman.
The film I have chosen for this response paper is (500) days of Summer. The film was made in 2009 it was written by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber and was directed by Marc Webb. It was praised at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win the grand jury selection prize. This film has been called the Annie Hall of our generation which is why I chose to write about this film. I absolutely loved (500) days of Summer and am not a fan of Annie Hall. The story is offbeat and comical with how the lead character Tom Hansen handles his break up with Summer Finn. Tom becomes obsessive and begins to lose touch with reality after the break-up with Summer.
In the film the Tom Hansen is an average looking greeting card writer. He went to school for architecture but only does doodles of the Los Angeles landscape. The girl whom Tom falls in love with is a bohemian artistic girl named Summer Finn. She has always been severely independent and does not believe in the concept of true love or marriage; this doesn’t stop Tom’s pursuit he fell in love with Summer the moment he met her. The film is not in chronological order, the time period shifts from different days of their relationship (500 days). The film starts with when Summer begins working at the greeting card company and jumps around from there. We see them dating, their first sexual encounter, their break-up, their make-up and then their permanent break up.
Tom is a less neurotic version of many of Woody Allen’s Character’s (in his films). They do share the obsession/fear of death. They are also similar in how blind they are of the demise of their relationships and seeing where it went wrong, as if there were no signs. The difference between Allen’s lead Characters and Tom Hansen is that Tom believes in love at first sight, fate, and destiny whereas Allen’s characters don’t believe in love in the same context. The characters that Allen creates are dependent on the woman as a comfort level, to fulfill an intellectual need or a sexual desire. Tom and Allen both build up the idea of Summer (or Annie) because they believe that they can’t do any better than them and they miss what these woman really are; no good for them.
In Freud’s Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious it discusses the concept of dream-work. That a tissue of thoughts, usually a very complicated one, which has built up during the day has not been completely dealt with-‘a day’s residue’-continues during the night to retain the quota of energy-the ‘interest’-claimed by it, and threatens to disturb sleep. (Freud 199) How (500) days of Summer uses this idea is throughout the films numerous dream sequences. There is a black and white French parody film of Tom’s and Summer’s romance; the day after Tom and Summer first have sex (there is a musical number and animated birds) and also there is an exceptionally unique use of split screen to show reality/fantasy when Tom agrees to go to a party at Summer’s apartment. In his mind he is hoping that they will rekindle their flame but in reality she has moved on and is now engaged.
These dream sequences reinforce the idea that because Tom has not truly dealt with his feelings his mind is running away in fantasy. The book continues to state that the dream-work takes the step from the optative to the present indicative; it replaces ‘Oh! If only…’by ‘It is’ is then given a hallucinatory representation. (Freud 201) Tom has been playing out his relationship with Summer in his mind, it was a wonderful relationship in his mind. If he really goes back and looks into their relationship he will see that the signs were there, she didn’t love him and really wasn’t his soul mate.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Response Paper
Tomorrow we have our first paper due. The topic is to do an analysis of a non-Woody Allen comedic film using for your critical lens *only* the texts discussed thus far in class, e.g., Freud, Kaufman, Perelman, Roth, Ravits, and/or Gilman. So I'm still working on it because it's still a little choppy but here is the film that I'm going to be analyzing: (500) days of Summer.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
The Jewish Mother
I have been reading an article titled The Jewish Mother: Comedy and Controversy in American Popular Culture written by Martha A. Ravits who is a professor at the University of Oregon. This article deconstructs the stereotype of the "Jewish mother" the overbearing, controlling, and manipulative mother that has been the source of many films, stories and plays. This article sites many excerpts from the novel our class is reading right now Portnoy's Complaint written by Philip Roth. His novel depicts his mother in this stereotypical fashion. The mother of Alex Portnoy is quoted as being "aggressive, parochial, ignorant, smothering, crass, selfish but also self-martyring." (8, Ravits The Jewish Mother: Comedy and Controversy in American Popular Culture) The character Alex accuses her of "Filling the patriarchal vacuum!" (Portnoy 45). The stereotype is used throughout the novel. The novel itself has been deemed perverse and pornographic than as a work of literature. I believe that some people forget that most if not all authors write for themselves and not others. I don't believe that Philip Roth wrote this book thinking that it become a text that would be studied. I believe he wrote it to work out his demons and issues. The article continues to show how the stereotype of the Jewish mother is more acceptable than of the Jewish father. It is okay to laugh and poke fun of the mother but the father's role isn't the butt of so many jokes. An example of this would be Kyle's mom from the cartoon South Park, I will have to say that they do depict the father in a negative light as well but Kyle's mom received a musical number: It is very explicit!!!!!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
English 312 1/27/10
I am taking a course that explores Woody Allen's life and work. His films, essays, plays and music. I am taking this class because I am a film major at California State University Northridge and it is a General Education requirement. I have to say that I am not a huge Woody Allen fan. I have watched Annie Hall, Manhattan and Hannah and her Sisters all classics by critics definations. I find him irriating and not all that funny. If I had to chose a favorite film of Allen's it would be The Purple Rose of Cairo (1985) or Match Point (2005). The Purple Rose of Cairo does not include Allen as a character and I think that is why I enjoyed it. Also, Match Point was much darker and unlike anything he had every done before, plus I am a big Jonathan Rhys Meyers fan. I have to say that I think one of the reasons that I dislike Allen is because of his marriage to Soon-Yi Previn. Who was the adopted daughter of his lover Mia Farrow. The whole situation is distrubing to me and I already found his character irriating and whiney. But I am taking this course to better under the psychology of his films and hopefully find out why he is so acclaimed.
Throughout this course I will be reading The Insanity Defense: The Complete Prose written by Allen. Also, I will be reading Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious by Freud and Roth's Portnoy's Complaint. These readings are assigned to help me better understand the psychology of Allen's films. I will have to be honest I just purchased the books yesterday so I haven't started reading them just yet. But I will be reading and posting about there contents over the weekend.
Carrie
Throughout this course I will be reading The Insanity Defense: The Complete Prose written by Allen. Also, I will be reading Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious by Freud and Roth's Portnoy's Complaint. These readings are assigned to help me better understand the psychology of Allen's films. I will have to be honest I just purchased the books yesterday so I haven't started reading them just yet. But I will be reading and posting about there contents over the weekend.
Carrie
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
