It Happened One Night Review

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

 Once sound made it to the movies, silent film practically went out the window. Many actors were out of jobs because they couldn't speak English very well or just had annoying voices. What also came along with sound however was censorship. The fact that people could now hear what the actors were saying meant that they could not say whatever they wanted. There had to be writers now and along with censorship rules they could not write whatever they wanted. Cinema was a lot different than it is today. It was also a lot different than silent films. Female characters were now playing much more masculine and independent women rather than sex symbols. In It Happened One Night directed by Frank Capra, Claudette Colbert's character is a prime of example of how female roles changed. The whole plot of the film revolves around a woman who doesn't take orders from anybody. She does what she wants. This movie, however, did take some risks. The focus at the end of the film is both characters going to have sex. Although the film doesn't show it, the innuendo is all there. Also, the fact that there is a scene where Clark Gable is shirtless was even a risk at the time. Oh, how movies have changed. 

2)  Find a related article and summarize the content.

This article gives a quick summary of what happened in the film as well as a quick review at the end. It begins with stating that the film is "One of the most enduring romantic comedies of Hollywood’s golden age" and then it gets into the summary. She mentions the two lead characters and how Colbert runs away from her father because she wants to get back to her fiance she is only marrying to spite her father. She then meets Clark Gable's character, an out of work newspaper man, who helps her get from Miami to New York. The article then proceeds to talk about how the the two, although very different, fall in love and end up getting married at the end. The article ends with mentioning the "Walls of Jericho" running theme and how it is a metaphor for sanctity before marriage.

http://www.decentfilms.com/reviews/ithappenedonenight

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.

The article changed the way I thought of the film by helping me recognize the more subtle aspects of the movie. I didn't really pick up at first that she married King Westley to spite her father. I figured it was just a guy he didn't approve of. I also didn't realize the metaphor of the Wall of Jericho. After reading the article it makes perfect sense because the two didn't have sex until they "knocked down the wall" when they were married.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion,  formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.

I was very pleasantly surprised with Frank Capra's, It Happened One Night. I figured it would be an average film about two people who, from the start, can easily be assumed they will fall in love. One of the strongest aspects of the film is its influence on the way film progressed. Despite all of the censorship of the time period, it took several risks. The scene that stuck out to me the most was after the bus crashes and Peter Warne is confronted by a man who knows that the woman he is with is the runaway heiress and not his wife. This man had bothered the two before and this time he offers to split the reward money with Warne. Warne leads the man into the woods away from the bus to discuss the terms with him. He tells the man that he has machine guns and is trying to ransom the heiress off for $1 million dollars. The man is shocked and Warne begins to threaten him. Warne's threats get very dark at this point as he begins to threaten murdering the man's children. I was very shocked by this because of the time period the film was made. It is very clear that the film deserves the title of classic and although I don't entirely believe that means one of the best, It Happened One Night, also deserves a spot in my top 250.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Name: Geoffrey Perez_____________________________  Date: 2/12/13_______________________  

The Gold Rush Review

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.
In class we discussed the history behind the Charlie Chaplin film, The Gold Rush, before viewing it. One of the things we talked about was the fact that Charlie Chaplin was an auteur director. He starred in the movie, produced it, directed it, and scored it. This made the film completely his vision and gave him complete control over it. Because he had complete control he had some controversial themes at the time in the movie. He had themes such as cannibalism and scenes that involved possibly eating a dog. The times were a lot more sensitive back in the day. Chaplin also encompassed some more depressing themes even though the film is a comedy. Most comedies at the time were straight forward, slapstick humor, but Chaplin wanted to add some emotion, which he did. He added rejection and heartbreak to the film which was not conventional then.

2)  Find a related article and summarize the content.
In the article, Filming the Gold Rush, the writer starts off by explaining how the idea came about. Chaplin first stumbled upon some stereoscope pictures of the 1896 Klondike gold rush. What he saw was an endless line of prospectors climbing up a mountain. He also read a book about the Donner Party Disaster of 1846. The party had gotten trapped in the Sierra Nevada and had to eat their shoes and the bodies of their dead fellow travelers. The movie almost instantly went into motion and everything was planned out, unlike his previous films. The writer then goes on to the choice of Chaplin's leading lady. He started off with 16 year old Lillita MacMurray who's name was changed to Lita Grey under contract. Chaplin had an affair with her and Lita got pregnant. The pregnancy caused filming to be pushed off for three months and eventually Lita's replacement by Georgia Hale. After writing about the leading lady issue, the writer discusses how the special effects were done. Chaplin had built many huge sets and did some interesting camera tricks to get the shots he wanted. Finally the writer talks about the audiences' reaction to the film. People loved it, especially the dance of the rolls scene. In many theaters the scene was replayed multiple times because people loved it so much. The Gold Rush was a huge success and goes down as one of Chaplin's greatest films.


http://www.charliechaplin.com/en/biography/articles/5-The-Gold-Rush




3) Apply the article to the film screened in class
The facts mentioned about in the article make the viewing of The Gold Rush that much more interesting. Knowing that it wasn't easy to make the film and the scandals that occurred during shooting adds a higher sense of appreciation for the film. Everything the article mentioned really shows Charlie Chaplin's talent at its finest.


4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion,  formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.
Most people these days do not appreciate old films unless they truly have a passion for it. I, for one, am a huge fan of Charlie Chaplin because of both his ability to entertain me and his talent as a filmmaker. Prior to viewing The Gold Rush I had seen two of his other films and some clips from his other material before that. The first Chaplin film I saw was The Great Dictator. After watching that I loved it and my appreciation for it slowly grew even more over time. The second film I saw was Modern Times which I found very entertaining as well. I can now proudly add The Gold Rush to my list of Chaplin films that I've seen. Charlie Chaplin is considered one of the greatest filmmakers all time and there is a reason for it. His films completely changed the way cinema was made and The Gold Rush was a big part of that. He took risks my including controversial themes into the film. He changed the way in which stories were structured. He added emotion to comedy. All of these influential changes were present in The Gold Rush. I've never been a huge advocate of placing greatness on film solely because of influence, but there is a reason why The Gold Rush is considered one of the greats and that is because it is great. It is incredibly rare to see a film as high of quality as The Gold Rush everything that makes Chaplin great is made clear because of The Gold Rush.


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Name: Geoffrey Perez_____________________________ Date: 2/12/13_______________________