Amelie Paper

AMELIE

1.      Amelie, 2001

Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet

Written by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Guillaume Laurant

Starring Audrey Tautou and Mathieu kassovitz

Cinematography by Bruno Delbonnel

Distributed in America through Miramax Films

2.      Amelie is a French comedy film that tells the story of a young waitress in a café in paris. At a young age she was misdiagnosed with a heart condition and was home schooled isolating her from other children. She discovers a box of childhood memorabilia that belonged to a former resident and proceeds to track him down and return him his possessions.  After seeing how happy she made the man she proceeds to become a Good Samaritan and guardian angel for people in her life. Through a chance encounter Amelie meets a man as eccentric as she is and they play a game of cat and mouse chasing each other until they finally meet and begin a meaningful relationship.

3.      The way in which the film relates to my text is through the chapter on editing. Amelie contains many quick cuts which give the film a feeling of speed, energy and excitement. The editing complements the tone of the movie and the story in which Amelie is playful and almost childlike in imagination and creativity. The animation in the film also further shows the creative ends of the character bringing fantasies to live and exaggerating actions like her heart beat at first sight of her love.

4.      The film was released in 2001 and it has the feel of a timeless film. If it weren’t for select events like princess diana’s death which places the story as happening in 1997. The year 2001 saw many dramatic films being released but animated films and comedies were not as plentiful that year. Three  other major animated/ comedies were Shrek, monsters inc. and spirited away. American Pie 2 doesn’t count in this list because it’s not funny and funny is subjective I suppose but I am making the judgment call that that movie never existed in 2001 (in my mind). Most other major films were action, adventure, thriller and fantasy sci fi films. So I feel Amelie was an especially important film for the year just because it may have been the only intelligent comedy film out there for adults with just the right dash of romance to make it a date movie as well.

5.      The two articles I chose to write about were a review by Roger Ebert and an article called Amelie: A false dialogue with emancipation by Alina Haliliuc. In Roger Ebert’s review he talks heavily about the plot and history of the film in relation to the festivals it played at and how it was snubbed from the Cannes film festival official selection. He also talks about the director’s visuals inventiveness and the great shot ideas such as Amelie wondering how many women were having orgasms in Paris at the time, 15 if you were wondering. The second article by Alina Haliliuc talks about the influence the movie has had with both French and non French audiences. She also analyses the film using Freudian theory as well as using a feminist perspective.

6.      I feel that this film is a wonderfully inventive and creative comedy. Even for a French film which contains subtitles that distract the gaze momentarily away from subtle actions on the screen I felt that I didn’t miss a beat and could understand all their types of humor. The movie moves at a very fast pace but fails to lose the audience through the many twists and turns that follow the characters. The film really highlights an unusual bunch of characters and how they go about to achieve different degrees of happiness. The film has a wonderfully funny script and is brought to the screen in such a way that all the visual splendor of Amelie’s mind spill into every frame. Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet should get credit for creating a modern masterpiece and quite possible one of the best French films ever.

Bibliography

 Ebert, Roger. "Amelie :: Rogerebert.com :: Reviews." Rogerebert.com. 9 Nov. 2001. Web. 26 Apr. 2012. <http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20011109/REVIEWS/111090301>.

Haliliuc, Alin. “Amelie: A false dialogue with emancipation”. Conference paper- International Communication Association, 2005. New York, NY. P1-20,21p.

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1)      (    x )  I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2)       (  x  )  If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3)       (  x  )  If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4)      (    x )  I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5)      (  x   )  I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6)      (  x   )  I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7)      ( x    )  I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.  

8)      ( x     )  I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.

Name_____Matthew Larue_______________ Date___________4/25/12________________

Film Paper 2: Raging Bull

Raging Bull

1.       Raging Bull 1980

Written by Martin Scorsese

Based on the autobiography of Jake Lamotta

Screenplay by Paul Schrader

Starring Robert Deniro and Joe Pesci

Cinematography by Micheal Chapman

Was nominated for eight academy awards and won two for best actor and best editing

2.       Raging bull is a film by Martin Scorsese that follows the life and dealings of middle weight boxer Jake LaMotta played by Robert Deniro. LaMotta spends his career fighting both inside and outside the ring. He is trying to get a middle weight champion belt all the while battling his demons and lashing out at his wife and brother damaging his relationships at home.

3.       The way in which Raging Bull relates to my text is Martin Scorsese’s use of actors in the film. Robert Deniro was the main star of the film as he was the main character and a big actor at the time. He had starred in many films by Scorsese as well as the critically acclaimed Godfather part 2. The other actors in the film are much more low profile; Joe Pesci was small time actor who had only appeared in a low budget crime film called The Death Collector. Two of the other cast members, both Cathy Moriarty and Frank Vincent also had worked with Pesci on The Death Collector. When I think about the film I feel that it is a character piece because of how it is primarily billed with just Robert DeNiro on the posters. They did not hire any other big time actors to step in his spotlight or take attention away from him and his work in the movie.

4.       Raging Bull although made in 1980 has the feel and look of old movies from the 1940s. The film jumps between the 40s and 60s to tell the story of Jake LaMotta but the black and white cinematography to the film gives itself a very old time feeling. This film stood out among films from the time period because of its use of black and white and focus on story and dialogue. Almost all movies were in color and the studios rarely released pictures in black and white. Raging bull also differs from movies like Rocky because it uses expert cinematography as well as a script that elevates the subject of boxing into a metaphor for the characters life.

5.       The two articles I chose to write about related to Raging Bull are the article Raging Bull by Roger Ebert and the paper Words made flesh: Language in Raging Bull by Gail Carnicelli and Thomas Hemmeter. In Roger Ebert’s article he focuses on the theme that runs through all of Scorsese’s prior films. The dealings of a male character with the women in his life. These men perceive women as falling into one of two rigid categories, whores or Madonna’s. There is no compromise or grey area between these two and these causes the characters to become obsessive, jealous and violent when the women do not fit into their designated categories. The second article is a scholarly article which talks about how Scorsese does not allow his character Jake LaMotta explain himself through dialogue but through cause and effect of his actions as the story unfolds. They make a case that Scorsese often shows characters that have difficulty explaining themselves through mere dialogue alone. Jake LaMotta is similar to Travis Bickle of Taxi Driver and the members of The Band in the Last Waltz in that they find other means to convey their feelings and emotions whether it be a violent gun fight or music as a means of self expression in the Last Waltz.

6.       I view the Raging Bull movie as a character driven film, I find it to be an exhilarating bio picture but at the same time it is a deep metaphor for the manner in which boxers like LeMotta live and struggle. I have never been a fan of boxing movies so I was surprised by how much I loved Scorsese’s take on boxing and the beauty in the cinematography really allows outside spectators to find an appreciation for a violent world of physical sports. The script was extremely well written showing an unstable family life with the brother and wife trying to hold Jake together but keep his rage at bay. The monologue at the end from On the waterfront to me was both a homage to the classic film which also involves boxing but the monologue felt especially poignant because of how Jake and his brother ended their relationship in the film.  I would declare that Martin Scorsese’s film Raging Bull made me enjoy boxing for a brief moment and just for that momentum accomplishment not to mention every other aspect of the film, I deem it exemplary.

Bibliography

 Ebert, Roger. "Raging Bull :: Rogerebert.com :: Reviews." Rogerebert.com. Web. 09 Apr. 2012. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19800101/REVIEWS/1010328/1023

Hemmeter, Gail Carnecilli and Hemmeter, Thomas. "The Word Made Flesh: Language in Raging Bull." Literature Film Quarterly 14.2 (1986): 101-05. Print.

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM

1)      (  x   )  I have not handed in this assignment for any other class.

2)       (x    )  If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper.

3)       (  x  )  If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text.

4)      (   x  )  I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper.

5)      (x     )  I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read.

6)      ( x    )  I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography.

7)      (  x   )  I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality.  

8)      ( x     )  I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper.

Name______Matthew Larue_______________________ Date________4/9/12___________________