Video Essay
Reply
Author Archives: bushdm
Corona News
Prior to the Coronavirus, I would rarely watch the news. I would watch it from time to time, and I would still be aware of current events happening in America and around the world, however, I didn’t really have all that much time to just watch the news. Now that we are all being greatly affected by the Coronavirus, I find myself watching the news way more often. I have more time to watch it, and being a science major, I find it quite interesting. Being home and not at college, the news is almost always on my T.V. Not only major news stations such as CNN and FOX, but also small networks like local news. I myself notice reading news about the Coronavirus at all times of the day. Prior to the Coronavirus, the majority of internet use was used by my generation, but since the Coronavirus, every age group uses it. The internet is our source to answer. It allows us to get answers, know what is currently happening, and keep in touch with friends and loved ones. We rely on the internet greatly, without it we would have a challenge to function as a society. The internet has been able to help us work smarter and faster at defeating the “invisible enemy” we all fear. The news is also more of a topic, as the Coronavirus isn’t the only issue talked about in the news. Other issues are getting talked about, and heard more of due to everyone paying more attention.
Not much Joy
Out of the fade
Lost Humans
The Edge of Germany & Turkey
Cultural Identity
This gif is a clip from the movie where Canan and her boyfriend find out she is pregnant. The caption reading, “when your whole life just changed,” is important to the film. The idea of getting pregnant means a major change in someones life, and in the situation of the movie, being Turkish and having a baby with a British man is a giant cultural change. The movie focus’ on cultural appropriation and the concept of a blended lifestyle, and just how hard it can be. The gif captures the fear and emotions of the two as they both know the pregnancy is not good and can lead to negative consequences for the “stubborn” family not looking forward to accepting change in cultural identity.
Scalps Scalps Scalps!
The still shows Monsieur LaPadite crying as he just gave up the hiding spots for the Jewish citizens to Hans Landa. This is an important scene because it shows the ruthlessness of the Nazi regime and how they seem to lack morals and ethics for other human rights. The caption, ‘When you don’t get 100 scalps for Lt. Aldo Raine,’ is important as it is a reference to Lt. Aldo Raine and his team of renegade Americans in the hunt for Nazi militia. Lt. Aldo Raine informs his men that they must get 100 Nazi scalps by the time they are done fighting.
Casablanca
The chosen scene involves a conversation between Ugarte who holds two letters of transit and Rick Blaine. The idea of Casablanca was a “destination of freedom” as in order to obtain freedom, one would go to Casablanca, Morocco to get transit exit visas. This scene sets up the idea of the risk involved in freedom and being a refugee. Rick goes on to ask how he acquired the two transit tickets, as two German’s where known to have them. It is later found out that Ugarte murdered the two German couriers in order to obtain them. He had planned to take advantage of individuals trying to flee to freedom and charge a high price, that he could then split with Rick, as he had asked Rick to hold onto them and watch the transits for him.
The filming style is also an important component of the scene. It was shot in a close-up, over the shoulder shot. The close up conveys emotion and importance, as it typically includes the actor from mid-chest up. Over the shoulder shot conveys the conversation between two actors, cutting back and forth from one to the other to show the interaction being held.
German Mockery
The still I selected for this blog post came at the end of the film, To Be or Not To Be. I believe this scene plays a very important role in the theme of the film as it is evidence supporting the theme. The one theme behind the film was to point out the ignorance and scatterbrained mind of the German people. While the German’s were supposed to be highly intelligent people, this scene encapsulated the ignorance of them. They believed and disregarded an individual by a simple fake mustache. They then acted flabbergasted when he was not the man they thought he was. Another piece of evidence would be when all the men came into the meeting room within this scene. They all gave the “Heil Hitler,” salute. Any time this was performed in the film, the issue at hand was forgotten as everyone went and saluted. It is as if they are brainwashed and when something goes bad, all they have to do is salute and act as if the problem doesn’t exist anymore. They act as if the salute is a magical spell that will solve their problems for the German regime.
