Session One / On the Waterfront

I really enjoyed this movie.  I had never seen a Marlon Brando movie and now I see why he was so popular.  He was an amazing actor, he brought so much emotion and realism to his character.  On the other hand, I did not like the performance of Eva Marie Saint.  It was over-acted and paled in comparison to the strength of performance of other's in the cast.  I know it was her first film, hopefully she matured and got better with age!  I'll have to look for another one of her film's later in her career to see if I like her any better.

Theme:
This film appealed to the moral senses of humanity, corruption of the union on the docks.  The union was meant to protect laborers and their rights,  so the betrayal and fear of a corrupted union penetrated the entire waterfront community.  To complicate the situation, the laborers themselves were afraid to take a stand or speak out against the corruption, dooming it to continue and grow.The theme is very universal and focuses on the struggle for human dignity and choosing to do what is right and moral.

Focus on Character:
 The theme was a main focus of many of the characters.   Take Terry, the tough dock worker who's brother was a main figure in the corruption.  He began the film as a indirect member of the corruption, but eventually became the leader of "doing the right thing".  He spoke the truth and brought the illegal activity of the union into the light of day, giving others the courage to do the same.  Edie, the sister of a murdered dock worker, struggled for justice for her brother.  She put herself in danger to make sure the truth was known about her brother's killer, the union itself.   Father Barry, a catholic priest who chose to step outside of his priestly duties and take on both the union and the dockworkers in the fight for "doing the right thing".   Like so many of the great classics, the romance between Terry and Edie was the underlying theme in the film.

A definite thumbs up for this movie!

Works Cited

Boggs, J. M., & Petrie, D. W. (2008). The Art of Watching Films (7th Edition ed.). Ashford University: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Session One / Casablanca

I finally watched Casablanca!  It has been on my list of "must watch" classics for years, and thanks to this course, I saw it.   It was a great movie, very nostalgic.  It was fun to hear those famous lines like, "Here's lookin' at you, kid" delivered in the context of the film.

Theme:
The film definitely made use of strong universal themes, probably the strongest being the theme of "doing the right thing".  This theme applied to both the main characters.  Rick, doing the right thing in the end, by helping Ilsa and her husband, Victor Laszio get the necessary papers to have safe passage to America.   Ilsa, doing the right thing by staying faithful to her husband, even though she was in love with Rick.   This theme was also evident in the eventual actions of Captain Louis Renault.  At the end of the film he let Rick proceed with his plans, although illegal, knowing it was the right thing to do.  This universal theme is timeless and holds as true today as it did in 1942.

Focus on Ideas:
This film's focus on ideas fit well into the category of The Truth of Human Nature. Although it had very strong characters and a very universal theme, the idea itself was one that carried through many of the scenes.  The idea that stood out to me was the quiet resistance to the German Nazi movement.  The resistance was not overt or revolutionary it was more subdued although deliberate.  The characters, each in their own way, did not agree with the German presence in neutral Casablanca.  The scene from Rick's club where the German's were singing their anthem and then the French started to sing theirs until they drowned out the German's, was a very emotionally moving scene.  To me, it represented the idea - the truth of human nature- perfectly.  The exception to quiet resistance was near the end when Rick shot and killed Major Henrich Slasser.  Even though it was an act of violence, the director framed it around self-defense, a bit more acceptable than outright murder and still allowing it to fit in with both the universal theme and idea.

Works Cited

Boggs, J. M., & Petrie, D. W. (2008). The Art of Watching Films (7th Edition ed.). Ashford University: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.