Blog Entries

*A ton of people just posted a bunch of blog entries so I'm going to go and read/comment on them and then I will finish this post.



Bicycle Thief
John Ardini - April 5 -http://johnardini.blogspot.com/2011/04/bicycle-theves.html

Becca - May 11 - http://becca-italythroughfilm.blogspot.com/2011/04/bicycle-thief.html?showComment=1305135256338#c2557839475221232915

Ben Louis - May 11 - http://italythrufilmbenlewis.blogspot.com/2011/05/greatest-supervillain-world-has-ever.html?showComment=1305135691926#c7741294382136396192


Night of The Shooting Stars
Bret Solimine - April 13 - http://brett-solimine.blogspot.com/2011/04/night-of-shooting-stars-review.html

Becca  - April 20 - http://brett-solimine.blogspot.com/2011/04/night-of-shooting-stars-review.html

John Ardini - May 11 - http://johnardini.blogspot.com/2011/04/night-of-shooting-stars.html?showComment=1305136035925#c3195287527695036623


Bread and Chocolate/Golden Door

Bread and Chocolate/The Golden Door

 BREAD AND CHOCOLATE
     Not sure what to say about this one given that we only saw a portion of the movie. It is fairly interesting and I think that eventually I may watch the whole thing on my own time.
           What I would really like to talk about is the fact that Giovanni dyes his hair yellow in order to fit in with German society.  There is defiantly a prejudice against European Immigrants and his hair does give him a new sense of "respect". But looks don't change personality or origin. Though he may have dyed his hair and looks like a German, he still does not know their language and is still an Italian inside.

                                                                                       THE GOLDEN DOOR

         I had actually already seen part of this movie in my history class. My teacher also used it to demonstrate the process of immigration and life on Ellis Island. It's hard to imagine that America would force people to undergo such testing and live in such crowded conditions, but you also have to look at it from her point of view. The U.S. was considered the land of opportunity and they literally had thousands of people arriving each day. There had to be some type of sorting system. They wanted people who were generally smart and could work hard. The Americans believe that intelligence was inherited, and that any immigrant who entered into society stood the chance of reproducing and parenting "stupid" children. That is why they had a whole selection system, to separate the smart and dumb of society, in order to keep the US as "bright" as possible.

Night Of The Shooting Stars

First off, let me say that that boy and his dad really pissed me off. The boy was a wimp who had to rely on his dad for everything, and, even though the died grieved when the boy was killed, it was probably his fault in the first place because he's the one who got him involved in the war. Saying "He's only 15" isn't going to help, because the other man's son was like negative 2 months.
Now that I've got that out of the way, lets talk about how historical movies only make sense to those who have historical knowledge, which I lack. I thought Italy and Germany were allies? Or maybe that was just WWI? Well, whatever. Lets talk about the fighting. What I don't get is how ruthless the Germans are. They bombed a church and killed innocent people. Why would they just go around shooting everyone? I know that they had a thing against the Jews, but these people were Catholic.
The movie had several interesting shots involving flashbacks/fantasys/ and inside thoughts. I thought that these greatly contributed to the overall "emotional feel" of the film. However, some issues/situations were left unanswered. Such as what happened to the pregnant wife? And the girl who was taken by the Germans in the truck at the end of the movie? Why did the little girl squish the eggs? These were the parts that I was interested in and they were just sort of forgotten.
Had I been in their place, I'm not sure which option I would have chosen -- the church or the road. The church certainly sounded like the safest option- if you went under the belief that, if you do what the Germans tell you, than you wont get killed.  The road option was the best bet if you didn't trust the Germans, but it was also more dangerous. There would be no food, and you wouldn't know when you might next find water, plus you'd have to be hiding all the time. I think for me, it would all depend on where my family went, because I am very indecisive.
Can we get back to how awful the Germans are? I mean, there basically putting these people in prison, marking there houses for destruction, shooting anyone who goes outside- seriously, this is not okay. I get that they had the whole "Racial Superiority" thing going on, but there's got to be a line. I think that everyone hates the Germans, I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but I can' think of one good thing they have done in the entire course of human history. Now I have nothing wrong with the people, if your German, whoopie for you, I'm Lithuanian, we're practically cousins. I'm just making a point.

The Bicycle Theif

Why do we always have to watch such depressing movies? Just saying.
         Anyway, I kinda liked this movie, and I kinda didn't. I was hoping for a better ending, it's just so sad. They had finally found a way out of poverty and it was ruined by someone else in poverty. I really like the scene right before Ricci decides to steal the bicycle. I think that we truly get a sense of the conflict in his heart. He wants to provide for his family, but he also doesn't want to take the opportunity away from someone else. What really made me mad was when he was riding away on the bike, and the owner shouted "thief!" Tons of people started chasing after Ricci, but when Ricci's bike was stolen and he shouted, no one came to help him.
        Another thing I noticed was that Ricci's son, Bruno, works at a gas station. Now in Ciao Professore, there was big conflict about this, but in The Bicycle Thief, it was sort of pushed to the side. I think this is because the movies focus is more on the job and struggles of the father, rather than those of his son. We're made to feel bad for the father and his predicament, and we desperately want him to find the bike, for the sake of his family.
       Poverty is defiantly a big issue in the film, not only for the Ricci's but for everyone. I am certain that the man who stole Ricci's bike did so to make some quick cash. It was a time right after war, and everyone had so little. Another scene that I thought stood out was the one where Ricci's sell their sheets and the man behind the counter goes to stack them. There's got to be hundreds, if not thousands of sheets there, and one only has to wonder how many people were forced into selling basic comforts.

Rome, Open City

          Don Pietro is a Priest who also sides with the rebels. He accepts that his actions assisting those in the resistance could cost him his life. I am not sure what his motivation is, perhaps he does not like the cruel actions of the Germans, both to himself and those around him. I think that Don Pietro stands for teh two sided man. He is a traitor, and hten he is not. As a priest, he answers soley to God, and is governed by only God. Since that is his viewpoint, he does not see his actions as wrong.
      Pina is the wife of Marcello and fiancee of Francesco. She is depicted as a strong woman, who desires the comfort of a man and father. He connection to the Resistance is through Francesco, who is a part of the Resisitance. She does not favor the Germans, and hates the way in which they are running society. She considers them rude and disgracefull people.
     Marinia is a stage dancer and former girlfriend of Manfredi, leader of the resistance. I find it very difficult to understand her character. She acts as though she is in love with Manfredi, yet still betrays him. Now I understand that it was because of a drug addiction, but....gah...I just don't think that her character was portrayed very well. She came off as very blonde and "not quite all there"
    Rhetoric is the art of using language, prose, or verse, with a pursausive effect. I think that everyone in the film expresses themselves, some just more than others. Don Pietro, for example uses his stature and position in order to be dominant and/or respected. (The German soldiers do not treat him as harshly because he is a Priest). Marnia uses her body to get what she wants.....I apologize, but I can't answer this question. I'm not very good at analyzing things, I can easily spot rhetoric in literature, and perhaps if I had the script I could answer it well, but tyring to look back at the movie and locate rhetoric not only in speech but also in body and location is a skill that I am currently lacking.
      This film was a combination of comedy and serious issues, much like Ciao Professore. However, Rome, Open City has fewer comedic elements. The one that stands out to me was when the children were filing in for church, saying "Praise be to God". One boy came in late, and Don Pietro stopped him, reminding him to say the saying, which he does. Shuffling him into church, he the priest replies, "Very good, but your always the one to praise Him last." I thought that this was very funny, and allowed the viewer to see the more friendly side of Don Pietro. It was a small break from all the seriousness.  The same can be said about his scene inside the antique shop. There is a statue of Jesus and a naked woman facing one another, while Don Pietro is waiting to be allowed to speak to the hidden resistance members, he stands quietly in the store, and switches the two statues away from one another, a sign of his priestly origins. Another humorous scene was when teh boys were returning home after causing an explosion outside. One by one they get dragged back into their rooms to receive beatings by their parents. Now, this shouldn't be funny, but I think that the dialogue that went along with it made it so. The boys were expecting their beating, so they said some things that added humor. I really don't think that the humor contributes to the socio-political message of the film. I would classify the movie as a drama, with a few kicks and giggles here and there. Some of those kicks and giggles may not have been intended as humorous, but, because the movie is so old, they simply turned out that way.
       I'm not quite sure what Don Pietro meant when he said "It's not hard to die well, it's hard to live well." I understand the concept of "living well", i.e. being a good person, loved by other people, etc. But to "die well". What constitutes dying well?  Did Manfredi die well, by being tourtured and refusing to reveal resistance secrects? Did Pina die well, innocnetly chacing after her lover? What about Don Pietro? He died a traitor's death by refusing  to pursude Manfredi to talk because he knew he wouldn't be able to. Did these people even live well? Did they make the most out of their lives? What was it they left undone?

    The director Rossellini tries to justify the actions of the "bad guys", by making their actions not seem so bad. (To themselves anyway).  Marina was an addict who had an uncontrollable addiction. She was "unwell" and did what she did because, to her, there didn't seem to be any other option.General Bergmann was just following orders like a good soldier. Whether we like to believe it or not, American generals are they same. They are given an order that they must follow. They torture and kill. We only consider General Bergmann in the wrong now, because America won the war. But what if the Germans had won? History would be completely different. 

Ciao Professore (Part 1)

              I grew very frustrated while watching this film, and I sincerely hope that the issues it presents are not actually happening in southern Italy. In America, it is unthinkable that the school should sell toilet-paper to children and chalk to teachers, and any janitor who does his job like Benny would be fired on the spot. But, to the characters in the movie, these seem to be everyday things, and they obey them and pay without questioning. Even the principal, whose job it is to make sure the school is running properly, simply brushes things aside, such as Sperelli slapping a disrespectful student, or Benny not ringing the bell on time. The mayor himself, does not seem to be bothered by these things, as he is allowing an eight-year-old child, whom he knows should be in school, shave him. When Sperelli comes in threatening to report the incident, the mayor insists that he was unaware who was shaving him, as he "had his eyes closed".
             With regards to their jobs, I can understand how the kids feel about going to school instead of working. School takes up a lot of time, time that could be used to make money.  Most of the kids come from impoverished families, and wish to work so that they can make ends meet. ( One scene I had a question on was when Sperelli went to visit the house of the boy who ran away. His sister is there cooking and taking care of a young baby. This girl can't be that much older than her brother, so why is Sperelli not concerned that she isn't in school)

              I love the way in which these serious issues are presented in the film. I grew hysterical when Sperilli went around town gathering up his students who were working.This scene was made to be very comic, and it admittedly never occurred to me that this was very serious issue. I do think that, because of it's comedic elements, some of the more difficult and serious issues (sorry for using serious so much, I can't think of a substitute), are a bit downplayed or ignored altogether as bits of comic relief. For example, we're made to laugh at the girl who needs to go number 2, but doesn't have the money to buy toilet paper, without giving regards to how that must feel. (You know those times when you really, really have to go, but there's no toilet around. Also, I personally think that the greatest feeling in the world, is going the bathroom after you've been holding it in for a really long time).
              During another moment in the film, we are made to laugh, and then feel guilt about it. One of the boys in Sperelli's class is constantly sleeping, regardless of any noise that may be going on. At first, we simply think of him as the average class delinquent, much like characters we see in many American films. It is only later that we realize he was sleeping because he was up all night helping his father collect trash in order to make money.

             When I think of Sperelli and his students, a line from the musical The King and I  instantly comes to mind."It's a very ancient saying, but a true and honest thought, that if you become a teacher, by your pupils you'll be taught". The King and I is the story of Anna, a teacher from England who travels to the country of Siam to teach the King's children. Anna is at first very indifferent towards the king, and part of that emotion is seen in her relationship with his children, yet this feeling eventually changes to one of admiration and love. The same can be said of Sperelli. In the beginning, he does not want his position at the school, and is only there by mistake. However, after spending some time with the children, he comes to realize that they need a proper person in their life, and he is the one to set them on the right path.

Gomorrah

        I haven't really seen another "true' mafia or organized crime movie that I can relate to Gomorrah. (Apparently, according to my friend, I've been living under rock all these years having not seen The Godfather, Scarface, Casino, Goodfellas, The Untouchables, or Once Upon A Time in America) The one movie I can recall that had any kind of gang-relation is West Side Story. Given that it is indeed a Romeo and Juliet - type musical, I'm not sure how good a comparison I can come up with, but it's the best I got. So, in West Side Story there are these two competing groups,  the Sharks, who are Puerto Rican, and the Jets, who are working-class whites. Tony of the Jets falls in love with Maria, sister to the leader of the Sharks. Long story short, the two gangs are not happy about this relationship, guns go off, and *SPOILER* Tony dies. The one thing I can say about West Side Story is that it involves you with your characters, where as in Gomorrah, you sort of just jump around a bit, and don't really know what's going on. Also, the shootings in West Side Story were "babied", I could say, as opposed to the bloody violence in Gormorrah. (Consider also, that one is a Broadway musical, the other a high-budget film)
  
I think that Gomorrah would have better been conceived as a documentary rather than a dramatic account. In a documentary, there is a narrator giving you all sorts of back story and explaining what is happening on screen; in the film, you sort of just have to watch and figure it out for yourself. For someone like me, who knows absolutely nothing about organized crime, gangs, or the mafia (other than Al Capone, who was there leader right?), the documentary definitely would have been the best choice, and , if directed correctly, could have been equally entertaining. People like to watch visuals, rather than still pictures, so the same shots in the film could be used in the documentary, just with narration going on.

      I didn't really learn much about Camorra while watching the film, they seemed to have the same qualities as all other gangs that I heard of - mean and violent. I definitely would not want to live in any city controlled by the mafia. I would be afraid to walk out of my own door each morning. The way Italy is portrayed in this film is not romanticized like in many of the other films we saw. Gomorrah shows the slums, the lower levels of life, and the truth is that most people actually live that way. It's depressing.