The thing has surprised me the most about this week when talking about The Informer and Uptight is how important the theme or message is to writers and directors. Although I enjoy movies, I would not even attempt to claim to be a movie aficionado. So, during my research for the presentation and looking at correspondence between the writers, I was surprised, maybe naively, at how important the true message is. In addition, in our discussion during class, I realized that I had never dived so deep into the connections between different works of digital art. I’d like to think that I can understand the minute differences between works such as The Informer and Uptight, but I know that I was not as informed as I wanted to be on the importance of these minute details. Because of this, I think I learned a lot about the connection between the films; however, I think I learned even more on how to properly critique and connect digital multimedia. I look forward to doing my research not only on what small details writers and directors wish for the audience to see, but I also want to learn why they do this. From examples such as John Ford with The Informer, it is clear that the why is most directly affected by the opinions and lives of the writers, a fascinating connection I have never really considered. I think that this realization can really enrich the movie-watching process. Furthermore, by being interested in these small details, more coherent dialogue can be formed on how movies today and in the past address social, racial, and economic issues present in society. Although these discussions should certainly address texts and events happening in real-time, movies can be a way to work on issues while also enjoying a well-made movie. Although I still wouldn’t call myself a movie aficionado – and I don’t ever think I will be – this week made me appreciate movies more than I ever had before.
5 Replies to “Honoring Movies”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Movie is such a distinct media than text in that it is inherently visual, intended for fast consumption, and has many more degrees of freedom to work with. There is not a lot of time for the viewer to analyze the logic and reasoning behind it. Combined with impactful imagery and cinematography, movies can easily slide a message across from under the table. If I had not read Liam O’Flaherty’s novel and instead watched the movie first, I would have definitely had a much more positive image of the IRA and the War of Independence. On the other hand, having read the novel also enabled me to question the retelling of the story in the movie. It is fascinating that an adaptation of a novel, with many actions and subplots true to the letter, can have almost an exact opposite message.
Analyzing these films is really interesting to me, especially as a film major. I think if anybody were to think more critically about the details and minutia you mention, it would probably take another viewing or two. Analyzing media of any form is difficult and film is no different. I love what each medium for art can do differently than others. The way that characters can be depicted using framing, audio, and colors in film is very exciting. The different interpretations of the literary work are seen in both films. What’s fascinating is that the filmmakers can depict these interpretations in the unique ways that film can provide. Not only is the setting and time of the two films very different, but there’s an entirely different feeling and ethos that they each give off, despite the fact that they are inspired by the same work.
You bring up a great point that every work of art, every artist, has a message they’re trying to convey. The films we watched this week are a lens with which we view not only the events within the movies themselves but also the time periods and ideologies that shaped the production of the movies. While I was watching “The Informer” and “Uptight,” I focused on the similarities and differences in the plots, but our discussions in class this week reminded me that in order to critique the films and novels shaping 1968, we have to look at the motivations behind each of those works just as much as the content of those works. It reminds me of the point made in Vinen’s “1968” that many 68ers turned to storytelling as a way to shape their self-understanding and public image of the time period. In a way, “The Informer” and “Uptight” continue that legacy of autobiography, merging the authors’, directors’, and actors’ personal experiences and beliefs with historical events in their lifetimes to create the stories depicted. I look forward to further analyzing these perceptions of 1968 projected in the novels and movies we watch this semester.
While I am prone to discussions on movies, songs, and art and the different meanings behind them with friends, usually my discussions are so informal that it is harder to extend that practice to the films watched in class. I’ve always seen mediums of art as messages about either the time they were made in, the artist themselves, or both. Having the opportunity to read the novel and watch the two films and see how the same storyline was toyed with to fit either the beliefs of the creative director or the time they were made in was extremely interesting. Seeing how a storyline can be twisted and bent to fit different narratives makes me wish we had more movies that used with the same storyline but gave the opposite message because watching how it was done was fascinating. While reading your blog post I remember reading your line about how you felt like you learned how to properly critique and connect digital multimedia and I realized that the critiquing actually helped me understand the history shown in the different mediums better. There are so many different interpretations and emotions that people have during and after revolutions towards the movement itself. Being educated through art forms on what some of those opinions looked like was great and I hope we can do more of it.
I thought this was really interesting because I also did not really think too much about the overarching themes when I first started watching the movies or even reading the novel. During the time I was actually reading/watching, I was simply thinking about the story itself, and not much about the other works. This was true despite the fact that I knew they were connected. It wasn’t until after I finished that I started to realize all of the connections and themes between the texts.