Swades: We the People

I recently screened the film Swades: We the People a Ashutosh Gowariker film about a successful native Indian scientist named Mohan Bhargav who moved in his early life to America to work at NASA. Despite his accomplishments his heart is heavy because he left Kaveriamma a mother figure alone in an old age home back in his native country of India. To right his conscience he travels to India as a NRI to visit her and persuade her to come back to America with him. There, he discovers the village in which electricity is fleeting and school attendance is abysmal. He also discovers an “Indian Belle”, Gita, a childhood friend with which he becomes infatuated with her because of her strong spirit and her beauty. He sets himself to improving the lives of the villagers by encouraging the attendance of the school children and by providing hydroelectric power. With these far worthier accomplishments under his belt he reluctantly returns to America where he again cannot find rest after his life changing experiences in India. He returns to live in the village and help the “grassroot” level of people in India and remains there.

                While the movie may on the surface just be about this one man’s life and the village he changed, it holds deeper meaning for the rest of India. One of the major issues this movie brings to light is the continuing problem with the caste system in Indian tradition. The movie makes countless comments about it, for example a family refuses to send their children to school because their family is of a lower caste than the rest of the villagers. Another example is the scene where the village is screening a movie. The villagers sit on the correct side of the projection screen, but when Mohan and Mela Ram go to sit down at the screening Mela Ram sits on the reverse side of the screen presumably because he is of a lower caste. This scene also shows how Mohan tries to break down the barriers of the caste system. During the musical number he lowers the screen and suddenly the villagers of higher caste are suddenly eye to eye and face to face with those of the lower caste. While the caste system is one of India’s local issues that the movie comments on it also remarks on more global issues like education.

                Literacy and education are important issues in improving a society. If there isn’t an emphasis on educating the youth in a society the society will not progress forward. In Swades educating the youth is a large point of emphases in the movie. Gita fights to improve the education of her pupils by trying to start a high school in the village, but the village elders try to take over the school building for other purposes. In the end she is able to save her school by enrolling enough students.

5 film shots

Coca-Cola and Legos, the Bane of the GDR

David Brown
Professor Tejada
English 1102 F
12 March 2009
Coca-Cola and Legos, the Bane of the GDR
One of the major aspects of modern German culture is the fall of the Berlin wall. At the end of World War Two Germany was divided into two halves. The eastern half of the country formed an authoritarian style government modeled after the soviets and was called the German Democratic Republic (GDR). The western half of Germany was liberated by the remainder of the allies and became the Federal Republic of Germany. To have a country split into two and eventually be reunited is a unique case that isn’t observed very often. It’s like an experiment where half of the control group is given one pill (capitalism) and the other is given a different pill (socialism) and we can sit back and observe the side effects of each while having all our other variables under control such as heritage, culture, and language. Goodbye Lenin and Sonnenallee (Sun Alley) are two German films about the fall of the Berlin wall and how it influenced the German people and their national cinema. In this piece I argue that these two films show a unique view of the fall of the German wall and how it affected the people around it while also maintaining global themes to appeal to a wider audience.
Goodbye Lenin is a film concerning an East German family and how they handle the fall of the Berlin wall, but with a twist. The mother, a socialist idealist, falls into a coma after a she witnesses her son in a protest march. When she awakens nine months later in a frail state the GDR has fallen and to protect her, Alex, her son, goes to extreme lengths to recreate the GDR in their little apartment.
Sun Alley takes place in the 70’s in the middle of the GDR’s forty year span. The film tells a story about the neighborhood at the end a road named sun alley that for most of its length runs through West Germany, but ends across the wall in East Germany. Centering on Micha and his group of friends, the film follows as they live their lives in the GDR. How they buy forbidden western goods on the black market and pursue the East German girls. It’s a heartwarming story of growing up in East Germany despite the restrictions put in effect by the government.
Coming of age is a common global theme these two movies share. In the movie Goodbye Lenin Alex finds himself thrust into adult by his mother’s heart attack because now he must head the family and take care of her. Also Alex finds himself discovering love in the form of Nurse Lara. Similarly, in the film Sun Alley Micha takes charge by deciding to commit to the military so he can go on to post secondary education in Moscow. He also finds a love of his own named Miriam and he proceeds to woo her. This global theme of coming of age helps these two movies appeal to a wider, global audience. While these movies do contain several global themes they also contain some that are wholly German.
A distinctly German theme in these two films is the effect the Berlin wall had on the people living around it. One effect was it caused some to want to flee to the other side. In Goodbye Lenin the father escaped to West Germany to find a better life, but at the cost of leaving his family behind. Similarly in Sun Alley the mother stole a passport in order sneak across the border into West Germany. Even though she had the passport and the costume, she still did not leave, but instead she stayed with her family and made do with what she had in East Germany. Another effect the wall had was limiting the outside influence of other cultures. This can be seen in the clothes that the director selected to use in Goodbye Lenin the East German clothes were all bland and shapeless representing the isolation of East German style from the rest of the world. Likewise the dress of the characters in Sun Alley is very ordinary compared to that of the Western Germans that appear in the film. Another powerful way that the directors contrast the west and the east are the cinematographic techniques they employ.
The directors chose to show the growing differences between the two cultures by their cinematography. Leander Haußmann includes a scene that pans across the East/West German border showing an East German guard tower in the middle ground in stark contrast to a bright red glowing Lego sign in the background that appears just as large as the guard tower. A guard tower typically is a foreboding image that represents control and authority but, when it is juxtaposed with such a blatant sigh of commercialism mockingly it just creates a ridiculous situation and a message to the audience.
The message is that the west is just as big as an influence as the authoritative power of the state. A similar shot appears in Goodbye Lenin when a Coca-Cola banner unfurls in full view of Alex’s mother despite his best efforts to shelter her from the ubiquitous influence of West Germany.
Another way cinematography is used by Haußmann in the Sun Alley is the use of a low angle shot to show an observation tower built by the West German’s to view the East Germans as if they were an exhibit in a zoo. This shot is used more than once and is employed to show how the “Wessi’s” perceive themselves as better than the “Ossi’s” (Cooke 161). Sun Alley comments on this type of rift that was formed between the two sides of the wall, and that was ever present when the wall stood.

Both of these films make a comment on the nostalgia of the former GDR. Something that has become referred to as “Ostalgie” (Dale 167). This glorification of life in the GDR has become a sort of a German theme and a genre of movies in itself in Germany. Both of these films have Ostalgie qualities, but neither could be defined avoid some of the common characteristics of an Ostalgie film by focusing more on global themes like growing up as a teenager, and a story of a broken family. The movies also focus on the good and the bad aspects of the former GDR instead of just skimming over the less glamorous parts of life in the GDR. Goodbye Lenin accomplishes this with the scene were the peaceful protestors are beaten arrested Alex included, but it also comments on Ostalgie and its obsession with viewing the GDR through rose tinted glasses. The world that he creates in the apartment for his mother is a perfect example of Ostalgie, but because it is made up and a lie it shows the audience that the true face of Ostalgie is a lie. “ Albeit in lighthearted vein, it continues that rich tradition of German literature and cinema of designing an imaginary, idealised Germany in order to contrast it with the shortcomings of the real thing” (Dale 167). This comment on Ostalgie is supported by the fact that Richard Alleva points out in his article “East Meets West”, “Alex completes his latest homemade video for his mother’s viewing and, as it shows thousands of West Berliners fleeing Moloch and running into the welcoming arms of newly reformed East German communism-with-a-human-face, Alex murmurs on the sound track, ‘The GDR I created for her became the one I had always wanted for myself’” (24). Sun Alley also reminds us of the strictness of life in the GDR by the ever-present border guards with machine guns in hand.
These two films Sun Alley and Goodbye Lenin both take place in different places in Germany’s history, but they share many common universal and uniquely German themes that give the audience a better understanding of a German’s view of the Berlin Wall.


Works Cited
Alleva, Richard. “East Meets West: ‘Goodbye, Lenin!’ & ‘Kill Bill---Volume 2’.” Commonweal (2004):23-4. Galileo Georgia Tech Lib., Atlanta, GA. 3 March 2009 .
Cooke, Paul. “Performing ‘Ostalgie’: Leander Haussmann’s Sonnenallee.” German Life and Letters 56 (2003): 156-67. Galileo . Georgia Tech Lib., Atlanta, GA. 3 March 2009 .
Dale, Gareth. “Heimat, “Ostalgie” and the Stasi: The GDR in German Cinema, 1999–2006.” Debatte, vol. 15 (August 2007): 23-4. Galileo . Georgia Tech Lib., Atlanta, GA. 3 March 2009 .

Arun Duraiswamy
Professor Perez Tejada
English 1102 – D2
12 March 2009

The Hollywood Bollywood Concoction

“I can’t make new memories.” (Memento) says Leonard Shelby, the ex-insurance investigator seeking revenge for his wife’s murder, who plays the protagonist in the Christopher Nolan hit Memento. Memento is a psychological thriller written and directed by Christopher Nolan, adapted from Jonathan Nolan’s short story "Memento Mori." It stars Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby, a former insurance fraud investigator searching for the man he believes raped and killed his wife during a burglary. Leonard suffers from a brain condition called anterograde amnesia. He contracted this injury from a head injury during the attack on his wife. Due to his condition Leonard is unable to store new memories after his injury. In order to cope with his memory problem Leonard maintains a system of notes, Polaroid photographs and tattoos on his body to gather and record information about himself, his know associates and his wife’s murderer (Scott 1). Through the course of the movie it is revealed that he is aided in his investigation by a man named Teddy and a women named Natalie; neither of whom he can trust.

Ghajini is a remake of the Hollywood hit Memento. The movie is an action-thriller, with strong romantic elements, that explores the life of Sanjay Singhania played by Aamir Khan, a former successful businessman who suffers from anterograde amnesia following a violent encounter in which his fiancé, Kalpana was killed. Sanjay copes with his condition in a very similar fashion as Leonard does. He writes notes, takes pictures with his Polaroid camera and has tattoos on his body (Leydon 1). Unlike Leonard, Sanjay is portrayed as a very distinct personality in the city of Mumbai. After his injury and the loss of his fiancé, Sanjay adapts a very brutal personality. He wakes up every morning only to the see the tattoo on his chest that says, “Kalpana Was Killed”. Driven by his vengeance he spends most of his time by himself trying to identify Kalpana’s murderer and does not interact with people in an amiable manner (Leydon 1). Leonard Shelby possesses a rather different personality from Sanjay Singhania. New York Times critic A.O. Scott says, “Though Leonard has bouts of melancholy and episodes of panic, he seems almost blithe in his interactions with Natalie and Teddy. His nervous, ingratiating manner is that of someone feeling out a new situation” (Scott 1). Leonard’s tactful approach with people he meets is rather different from Sanjays’ aggressive and tempered personality.



Sanjay Singhania after his injury

Ghajini and Memento both possesses several national and global elements in relation to cinema, which are revealed throughout the movie. Ghajini differs from its Hollywood counterpart in that it is catered towards a Bollywood audience. Variety magazine critic Joe Leydon says, “For those who thought "Memento" would have been a better movie with a few more songs and a lot more ass-kicking, writer-director A.R. Murugadoss offers "Ghajini," an exuberantly excessive and unreasonably entertaining mash-up of musical-comedy romance, action-movie mayhem and psycho-thriller suspense” (Leydon). Ghajini incorporates numerous elements typical to a Bollywood cinema merged with a reoccurring theme from a Hollywood movie. Ghajini has Indian culture painted all over it. Firstly, the movie has numerous songs, which include the actor and actress engaging in a dance while singing. This is a recurring aspect of almost every Indian film. Secondly, the film possesses a romantic element which is portrayed through Sanjay and Kalpana engaging in a romantic relationship. This is emblematic of majority of the films produced in India except for a few. Lastly, the main character, Sanjay Singhania is given a herculean element to some extent compared to the very human Leonard Shelby. During Sanjay’s encounters with various villains throughout the movie he manages to overpower them with ease – even when outnumbered. In majority of the films produced in India there is an element of action added to it in which, the protagonist is given a superhuman factor and manages to overpower his opposition. It is important that Murugadoss included characteristics of a typical Bollywood national cinema since his primary audience was India.

In today’s Bollywood cinema industry a significant number of films adapt elements, settings, camera effects etc. from Hollywood, which gives these films a global facet to it. In my opinion, Bollywood directors add this global element for several reasons. Firstly, directors want to appeal to a significantly large number of Indians that have settled across the globe since this increases revenues. Secondly, being Hollywood’s principal competition, Bollywood directors are attempting to show the world that India is rather modernized, economically competitive and a significant world power. In Ghajini director A.R. Murugadoss incorporates this scheme and includes these aspects to give the film a global characteristic. Murugadoss accommodates Indian audiences throughout the world and also shows modern, economically advanced India to audiences worldwide by adding a myriad of global traits to the film. A few of these characteristics are noteworthy since they are very representative of Ghajini as a global cinema. Firstly, Sanjay Singhania is the CEO of Air Voice which is a thriving mobile network company. His company’s headquarters and personal office, which are seen in the movie, closely resemble office building of large global corporations. Secondly, Sanjay is depicted as a westernized executive, very similar to his American counterparts. He wears designer suits, drives European cars and has foreign personal assistants. He also received his MBA degree from Harvard Business School. Thirdly, Sanjay is shown flying to England to negotiate a business deal which will allow Air Voice to expand their business into neighboring countries, making it one of the largest mobile network providers in Asia. Lastly, the locations that the songs in the movie are shot are all across the world. Audiences across the world, specifically Indians can relate to the character of Sanjay Singhania since he possesses characteristics of a global executive. In addition, Air Voice’s success is indicative of India’s global economic prominence. In addition, the international settings for the songs add to the film’s quest for international recognition. The global aspects of Ghajini are significant because it caters to a broader audience and gains respect from critics worldwide.



Sanjay Singhania in an interview with CNN

Christopher Nolan’s Memento falls into the national cinema category more so than that of a global cinema. Leonard Shelby was a typical working American man until his traumatic injury. Even after the injury he has traits of a middle aged American man. He wears a designer suit, drives a Jaguar and lives out of a cheap motel room. In my opinion adding a global aspect to the movie was not Nolan’s priority. Even though Memento was not a global cinema it still received international acclaim and entertained audiences worldwide. The main reason behind this is that Memento is a product of Hollywood. Hollywood, being the world’s most prominent film industry is well respected in the world’s eyes. Also, since the United States has been a significant world power throughout the years people throughout the world have the notion that produces of America are quality. This includes, cars, technology, education and in this case movies.

Another contrast between Memento and Ghajini is the plot, specifically how the sequence of events unfold. Nolan uses two separate narratives that alternate in order to distinguish Leonard’s present and his memories. Events occurring in the present are shown in black and white sections, which are in chronological order. Every present scene shows Leonard conversing over the phone in his motel with an unidentified caller. Leonard’s memories, which are illustrated in color, are in reverse sequential order (Scott). His memories narrate his on going investigation for his wife’s murderer. Nolan uses this style in order to engage viewers and also more importantly blind the audience from previous events making them unaware just like the protagonist Leonard. The film ends with Leonard’s present and his memories congregating. The audience is unaware as to where the climax occurred and the sequence of events leading to the conclusion until the past and present merge.





Two scences from Memento. (1st Present, 2nd Leonard's memory)

On the other hand, Ghajini’s plot unfolds like a typical Bollywood movie. The film opens with Sanjay’s present and then the audience is taken into his past by means of his diary entries. Once the flashback ended, the scene returns to the present. In Ghajini, the climax occurs towards the middle, when Sanjay indentifies Ghajini, his wife’s killer and pursues his quest for vengeance. The sequence of events leading to the conclusion is obvious to the audience and the end result is predictable. In my opinion, this is where Murugadoss falls short of directing as powerful a movie as Nolan. Nolan’s creativity in the way the events were sequenced outshines Murugadoss’s idea to merge a Hollywood story into a Bollywood movie.

Both Ghajini and Memento are entertaining in their own aspects from beginning to end. Memento captures its viewers with its novel plot sequence and alternating time frames. Ghajini entertained its viewers by attempting to incorporate a novel Hollywood story into successful Bollywood movie. Not only does this illustrate Hollywood’s prominence in the global film industry, but also India’s premier film industry’s quest to reach worldwide prominence. Will Hollywood adapt a Bollywood story and produce a box office hit? Leydon from Variety magazine in his review of Ghajini states, “Pic has opened to boffo biz in India and likely will help expand the North American crossover market for similarly idiosyncratic imports” (Leydon). If a two way cross adaptation does occur, it will foster further collaboration between various national film industries and may produce a true global movie.



References:

Nolan, Christopher. “Memento”. Guy Pearce. Newmarket Capital Group, 2000.

Murugadoss, A.R. “Ghajini”. Aamir Khan. Geetha Arts, 2008.

Leydon, Joe. “Ghajini.” Review. Variety Magazine. 07 January 2009. 9 March 2009.
< http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117939297.html?categoryid=31&cs=1>

Scott, A.O. “Backward Reel the Grisly Memories.” Rev. of Memento. The New York
Times. 16 March 2001. 11 March 2009.
A9679C8B63>

Marshall Anne Caswell
Dr. Manuel A. Perez Tejada
12 March 2009


Life is Beautiful and Schindler’s List: A comparison of films breaking conventions

The Holocaust. One of the most detrimental periods in history that affected millions of people. It was an event that was so horrible that people rarely, if ever, spoke about it, much less made movies about it. In general, movies made and books written about historical events are most popular immediately after their occurrence. It was profoundly different with the Holocaust; it was repressed by America for thirty to forty years after the event (Novick, 1). Two contemporary directors, Roberto Benigni and Steven Spielberg, made films about the Holocaust. They decided that it was an important event in global history, one worth remembering. They broke the social convention that the Holocaust is not referred to, especially not in forms of entertainment such as films. The approaches, on the other hand, used by these filmmakers differ greatly. Benigni uses more of a comedy to show the underlying horrors of the time while Spielberg’s film is a drama. Although the styles of these two directors differ greatly, both are effective in conveying the director’s point.

First of all, Life is Beautiful, Roberto Benigni’s film, is about a Jewish man, Guido, his Gentile wife, Dora, and their son, Giosue. When the father and the son are sent to a concentration camp, the mother follows because she refuses to be separated from her husband and son. Throughout the film, the father pretends that all of the concentration camp is a game to keep his son’s spirits lifted. The result is a heart-warming story set in the midst of tragedy and humor despite the horrible conditions. At the end of the film, however, an adult Giosue recognizes the struggles his father went through in order to save him from realizing what was actually happening to them. In his film review “If only life were so beautiful,” Leibman writes, He “solemnly declares that he now understands the “gift” his father gave to him” (Liebman). The humor Giosue’s father was able to keep with him throughout their stay in the concentration camp is what saved Giosue.

This picture shows Guido and Giosue in the concentration camp; Guido is telling Giosue the secrets of the “game” so he will be safe

In addition, Benigni’s film was one of the first to be about a “comic character in an extreme situation.” It did have a predecessor, however, and that was Lina Wertmuller’s Seven Beauties. Wertmuller’s film was highly criticized, so Benigni was considered brave to attempt another such film (Liebman). Even though there were so many humorous elements to the story, the viewer is still able to realize how horrible concentration camp was. Guido is made to carry anvils all day, and if he so much as slightly slackens his pace, he will be killed. He also accidently stumbles upon a mountain of carcasses one night in the fog. The viewer knows what Guido is trying to keep from Giosue; the children are not disappearing because of the “game” they are all playing to win a ride in a tank, they are being killed. The showers are not showers meant to clean, but to kill. Dora must sit in the women’s camp day after day, not knowing if her husband and son are among the survivors or those who were killed. And even though Giosue eventually takes a ride in a tank, the first prize of the “game” he and his father played, a Nazi soldier shoots Guido.

Consequently, however sad the film seems, the theme that one person can truly make a difference in the life of so many is apparent. Guido does not just keep the spirits of his son lifted throughout their stay in a concentration camp; he also entertains the other residents of the shelter in which they are living. Also, by getting to the “PA” system of the camp, he is able to speak to his wife and reassure her of his and Giosue’s safety. The film also shows the sacrifice parents make for their children, a theme seen all over the world. Guido risked his own safety for the life of his son time and time again, and Dora, who did not even have to go to concentration camp, went to ensure the safety of her husband and son as best she could.

Similarly, Spielberg’s Schindler’s List shows how much impact only one person can have on the lives of many, even in the midst of tragedy. The main character of Schindler’s List is Oskar Schindler, a German businessman and Nazi party supporter who saved the lives of more than one-thousand Jews by employing them in his factories. He originally goes to Poland in order to make money by becoming a war-profiteer, but eventually spends his entire fortune bribing Nazi officials to save as many Jews as he could. As Schindler flees the Red Army, who was liberating the Jews, with his wife, he cries, as he considers how many more lives he could have saved.


Here Oskar Schindler is shown working with his Jewish accountant one of the many men he saved by employing him

Furthermore, Spielberg’s film has broken the conventions and awakened this subject as a topic of an entertainment form. The honors awarded to this movie “suggest that only the world’s most commercially successful director could have risked tackling this subject, deemed unfilmable, and made it successful”. The movie was filmed in black and white, giving it the feel of a documentary, which allowed the events to seem very real to the viewer. The darkness of the film also conveys the suffering felt by so many by symbolizing a “dark world.”


This picture shows the use of black and white in the film, as also gives the feel of the dreary world in which the Jews are living

The technique of a hand-held camera used throughout the film also makes the content of the film seem like more of a reality. The shakiness provided by the cameras also symbolizes the way the lives of the Jews became chaotic after the Nazi regime began their rule (White). After the Nazi party began their rule, the Jews’ rights quickly diminished, life as they knew it was over. They found that they had no options; there was nowhere for them to go to escape the oppression.

However, even amidst all the darkness, there is hope. There is a Christ-like figure who has made it his goal to save as many Jews from the horrors of concentration and death as possible. It would have been much simpler for Oskar Schindler to simply make as much money from his factories as he could; this would have meant letting all the Jews who were not crucial to the good of the war be shipped off to concentration camps. Instead of keeping his money for his own pleasure, he uses it to bribe a large number of Nazi officials to keep all these unnecessary workers. He saved over one thousand Jews, which is quite a large number. Seeing the impact that just one person can make on the world is inspiring, even in the present where no tragedy of such large proportions is taking place.

In conclusion, the Holocaust was a taboo topic for many years. However, the introduction of films whose main topic is such has ended the standard that the Holocaust should never be talked about. On the other hand, it then became admirable for directors to take the risk of talking about such a horrible subject, because the world needed to be reminded of the suffering that took place. The viewer is shown the dreadfulness of the time period. Even though both films contain this element, Schindler’s List is more effective in portraying this through the use of black and white and use of the hand-held camera. These techniques are more successful in conveying the fact that the Holocaust was a reality for many people. However, both movies are effective in showing that there can be positive lessons learned from such movies, as seen in Life if Beautiful and Schindler’s List. In both films, one can see the positive effect that one person can have on so many, through providing humor in what seems like a hopeless situation and through sacrifice to help others.




Works Cited:
Liebman, Stuart. "If Only Life Were So Beautiful." Cineaste 24.3 (June 1999): 20. MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Georgia Institute of Technology Library, Atlanta, GA, 3 Mar. 2009 <>.
Novick, Peter. The Holocaust in American Life. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2000.
White, Les. "Schindler’s List: My father is a Schindler Jew." Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media 39 (June 1994): 3-6. MAS Ultra - School Edition. EBSCO. Georgia Institute of Technology Library, Atlanta, GA, 3 Mar. 2009 <>.

The Matrix and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu Showing The Way of Life

Raymond Chian

Manuel Perez Tajada

March 11, 20

The Matrix and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu

Showing The Way of Life

The Matrix and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu are two completely different movies. The style, structure, and content are from complete different sides of the spectrum, yet both movies are extremely popular with the public. They dramatically changed the way films were made and added contributions that consumers enjoy experiencing repeatedly such as long takes, and bullet-time shots. The protagonists in each movie go through many struggles and must choose between quitting and persevering through the conflict. Both of them are facing the dangers of society and the system that tries to control them. Despite their differences, the stories they tell about people struggling in life and its unpredictability are a common theme.

This picture depicts The Matrix's famous bullet-time shot and the action found in the movie.

Both The Matrix and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu use many techniques to tell their story The Matrix uses many references to Alice in Wonderland, the Bible, and Greek mythology in order to tell its story. The movie uses direct quotes and symbols from the Bible and The Odyssey as proved by Carlo Cavagna in her analysis of The Matrix. She talks about how The Matrix alludes to the king of Babylon, King Nebuchadnezzar and how The Matrix relates to the king’s dream which is about the difference between the “real” world and the “fake” world. In The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, Mr. Lazarescu is in pain throughout the movie and the doctors refuse to help him which only causes more pain to him. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu uses Mr. Lazarescu’s crucifixion in comparison to the crucifixion of Christ to try to bring awareness about the medical system and the state of society in Romania (Kennicott). This comparison with the crucifixion of Christ helps Mr. Lazarescu to be seen as a martyr in order to improve the medical system. The movie also uses stereotypes and subtle hints as tools to build the personalities of the many characters in the movie. These allusions to the Bible connect the movies to the many life lessons depicted in the Bible. This tells that the movie has a life lesson like the Bible. The movies tell about how life has its many sacrifices and there may or may not be a reward at the end of an arduous path. Also, people are not in control of their lives. Neo cannot control the conflict between the humans and the machines and how it affects his life. Similarly, Mr. Lazarescu controls the will of the doctors or the disease that is affecting his health. These shows the future is unpredictable and the conclusion to a conflict can be hard to see. Life obviously has its rewards, but as seen in The Death of Mr. Lazarescu it does not have any rewards sometimes.

This picture shows the start of Mr. Lazurescu's sickness

Mr. Lazurescu has gone through much pain and is going to die. He has gotten worse since the pervious picture.

The styles of the directors of The Matrix and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu differ in camera shots, and the display of the actions of the characters. In The Matrix, the camera shots are hectic and take many different angles to best show the fights between the humans and the machine. An example of the action is found in this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XX8Y5-BZLaM&fmt=6 (I tried to download the movie, but I could not figure out how to do it). The struggle of the human race throughout the whole movie is vividly displayed. The poverty and despair which the machines have inflicted onto the humans is evident throughout the movie. The determination of main characters in the movie such as Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus eventually bring the first victory to the humans. The Matrix shows that perseverance can lead to victory. The Death of Mr. Lazarescu shows a different path of perseverance. Using the effect of natural lighting and handheld camera, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu creates a more realistic feel than The Matrix. Although the action in The Death of Mr. Lazarescu cannot compare with the The Matrix, The Death of Mr. Lazarescu accurately depicts a long journey of a man and a nurse traveling from hospital to hospital when they could have given up trying to find someone who can save his life. In the end, they do finally find someone, but the rebirth of Mr. Lazarescu after he dies during the movie is unknown. (Kasman) Both movies have their character die within the movie; however, the rebirth is different. Neo goes through a reincarnation and then he returns as the one. This picture is a demonstration of his power after his rebirth. On the other hand, the conclusion to Mr. Lazarescu’s demise is unknown.

This picture shows the poverty the humans are forced into. They are enjoying a food called "Tasty Wheat."

The Death of Mr. Lazarescu uses many techniques to show the arduous quest of life and the frustration it contains. The movie happens in real time and contains many long shots of silence and idle chatting that make the movie seem longer than usual. This depicts life as slow moving and creates a realistic feeling in the movie. Before the illness, Mr. Lazarescu is a man going nowhere in his life. He lives on his pension and slowly decays in this apartment full of cats. This gives a depressing view of life. Similarly, the opening of The Matrix depicts life as boring. Neo starts out as an underpaid worker and a secret life of crime making fake credit cards. Neo’s apartment is a mess and he looks like he is just trying to get by. Unlike The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, The Matrix shows what happens when life gives a person an opportunity to succeed and earn a better life. The Matrix has a positive outlook on life and its rewards while The Death of Mr. Lazarescu has a negative outlook on life and its troubles.

The Matrix and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu give an important message about life to the audience. They explain that an ordeal in life has its difficulties and a person can quit the ordeal at anytime. In The Death of Mr. Lazarescu, the nurse could have sent Mr. Lazarescu back home after many failed attempts to have a doctor cure him. In The Matrix, Neo could have stopped believing in himself and taken the other pill. If he did that, he chose to quit the challenge life threw at him. He also could have not believed in himself. Through the decisions of the characters and the storyline, the movies display how life is unpredictable and has disappointments, accomplishments, and uncertainties.

Works Cited

Cavagna, Carlo. “The Matrix(1999).” AboutFilm.com. 3 March 2009.

Kasman, Daniel. “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu..” D-Kaz. 3 March 2009.

Kennicott, Philip. “Romanian Film's Crystalline Lens.” The Washington Post. 3 March 2009.

Once Were Warriors

The reputation of the once respected native Maori people has fallen. The Maori used to be strong warriors. But, as Lee Tamahori explored in his film, Once Were Warriors, many urban Maori families live in slums, and struggle with poverty, alcoholism, drug addiction, and domestic violence. They also have lost many cultural ties to the ancient Maori people.

Once Were Warriors tells the story of the Heke family. The father, Jake, is unemployed for a majority of the movie, and as a result spends his days and nights drinking in a local pub with his friends. The men seek the unity found between the ancient Maori people by having parties together, either at the pub or later at the Heke’e home. Although he may come across as easygoing, after drinking his terrible temper comes out, and he physically attacks anyone who crosses him, including his wife. The divide between men and women is clear; the women are powerless against the men. Conflict is shown not only between men and women, but also between Maoris and Europeans. The judge who sends Boogie to a foster home and the police officers that pick him up are all white, and feel they are superior to the Maroi’s. This is seen when the two police officers bring Boogie home the day before his trial and Beth reacts very defensively to them.

Tamahori uses a very realistic style in his movie. The fame of New Zealand landscape is seen in this film the sink the images into the viewer’s mind. The pictures of the landscape where Beth grew up and where Grace was buried is representative of how good Beth’s life was before she married Jake. The contrast is apparent when one sees the dump that Beth, Jake and their five children live in presently. When Beth leaves Jake to return to the beautiful land she grew up in, her cultural roots, it is representative of the fact that their family is healing. Once Were Warriors is a powerful film showing the struggles of the Maori people in present day New Zealand.

-Marshall Anne Caswell

Once Were Warriors

Once Were Warriors portrays the life of the Maori people in a very brutal realistic ways. Lee Tamahori focuses on painting a very realistic picture for his audience. The plot focuses around the Heke family, which is used as a symbolic figure to represent the life of a certain group of Maori people. Beth, the mother left her hometown and married Jake Heke against her parents’ will. They live in a downtrodden neighborhood and the family is shown as disconnected from both their Maori heritage and Western culture.

The film begins with Jake loosing his job and he continues to remain unemployed throughout the movie, spending most of his time drinking at a local pub with his friends. Nig, the oldest son, despises his father’s brutality and leaves the family to join a street gang. The gang members all have facial tattoos, which represent their Maori heritage. However, the gang members are also shown having ties to Western culture when they are shown drinking at bars and taking drugs. The second son Mark is often involved in minor criminal offenses and is shown getting arrested for a car theft early on in the movie. The court places him in a foster home due to his parents’ situation. Mark is extremely frustrated at his situation, but eventually comes along and becomes intrigued and somewhat passionate about his culture’s history. Grace, the youngest daughter is thirteen who represents to more ambitious and educate aspect of the family. She enjoys writing stories, which she uses as way to escape her vicious real life. She often spends time with her best friend Toot, who is a bum that lives in a run down car under a bridge. Grace is an essential element of the plot as it is her death that makes the family realize their pathetic situation and make a change. Grace is sexually assaulted by her Jake’s friend Bully. This adds to her depression and she commits suicide. Beth refuses to continue to live their life and wants to move back home. Jake who is shocked refuses to attend Grace’s funeral and spends his time drinking at the pub. Beth reads Grace’s diary and reveals to Nig and Jake that Grace was raped by Bully. Jake, true to his nature, beats Bully to pulp and stabs him with broken bottles. Beth and the rest of the family leave Jake and return to Beth’s hometown. Beth states that the Maori people were once warriors, but not the kind of warrior that Jake is. She tells Jake that he is still a slave to his brutal nature and worldly vices. She also says that her Maori heritage gave her the strength to put up with Jake for so many years and that it will continue to give her the strength to leave Jake and his control.

Throughout the movie Tamahori uses a very real setting and regular camera lighting. Also, there was usually no music in the background, which added to the real element of the film. The movie has a very blunt nature, which is one of its strengths. Every point the movie attempts to make hits audiences hard. The movie is also a contrast to the general view that the world has of New Zealand. New Zealand is generally portrayed as having a beautiful landscape and joyful people. Once Were Warriors paints a very different picture of life in New Zealand. Every building shown in the movie is run down and every car is broken, just like the Heke family. 

- Arun Duraiswamy

No Man's Land

Unlike the average war movie, No Man's Land is not focused on neither the action nor the conflict, but the confusion and the disorder that occurs during war. As the title states, the movie is about a scene that happens in no man's land which is the area between the front lines of either side. Set in the middle of the Bosnian war in 1993, two Bosnian Muslim soldiers named Ciki and Cera and one Bosnian Serb soldier name Nino are stuck in a trench in no man's land for one day. Ciki and Nino confront each other inside the trench trading insults, jokes, and control. Through out the movie Cera cannot move because he is laying on top of a bouncing mine which will explode if he sits up. Out of friendship, Ciki stays with his friend Cera and forces Nino to stay in the trench so his side will not shoot. They deperately call for help by dancing around in their underwear. The UNProf, who are known for being ineffective in stopping the war, investigate the scene.

Mixed with some comedy, this war drama shows the problems of war and the tensions help between enemies of a common background. Not supporting either side of the conflict and not even supporting the nuetral UN, No Man's Land provides an unbyist insight to the Bosnian war which may differ from common views on the war.
-Raymond Chian