The Godfather Review

The Godfather revolves around the Corleone family, a New York mafia family. Don Vito Corleone's youngest son Micheal plans to never get involved with the family business, but he eventually does and begins to get rid of anyone that does not give his family the proper respect just like his father did. A drug dealer approaches the Corleone family to get protection, but the traditional Don Vito refuses to get involved with the drug market which leads to a mob war between the Corleones and the Sollozzos.

The Godfather is the epitome of what a mafia film should be with multiple plot lines made up of various hit crimes and family drama. The film could stand to be a little shorter and keeping track of who is killing who can sometimes get confusing, but otherwise the film hits the mark. The list of well known actors will not let you down because all of them are very convincing in their roles. However, Marlon Brando as Don Corleone is sometimes hard to understand due to the fact that he can barely move his mouth which seems like it is always filled with something. Other than his distractingly slurred voice, Brando fits the role because he looks and acts the part.

The film is filled with memorable lines and wonderfully choreographed scenes such as the baptism scene which is broken up by images of the Corleone's enemies being killed off. All of the violence in the movie is not overwhelming because just as much emphasis is placed on dialogue and emotion. The Godfather makes you side with the Corleones even though you do not agree with what they are doing because of the excellent acting and reasoning behind their actions. The movie succeeds at what it aims to do and illustrates a convincing mob family and all of their affairs.

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Cinematography in Apocalypse Now

The opening of Apocalypse Now where we see a close-up of Captain Willard's face on the screen and war scenes of helicopters and gun fire are being shown alongside and sometimes overlapping his face is very striking. This close-up on his face helps the viewer understand how Willard feels about the war and it is clear that the war is what is on his mind because it is being shown alongside his face. The close-up shows him staring off into the distance past the camera while smoking a cigarette. Since he seems almost emotionless, it is like the war has completely consumed him which seems to almost foreshadow what is to come with his character.

Special effects allow the war scenes and Willard's face to overlap each other. A process shot allowed the two different images to be part of the same shot. This allows the viewer to see the two different realties--Willard feeling depressed and distraught and the war in Vietnam which caused him to feel this way. These special effects show just how connected Willard is to the war.

I think this scene of the film portrays the image as presence because it really makes thw viewer feel what Willard is feeling and gets them involved emotionally. The close-up really aids in the emotional response to what is being shown on screen. The fact that the war images are shown with Willard's face makes it seem as if you are actually experiencing his thoughts.

Apocalypse Now Review

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Apocalypse Now takes place during the Vietnam War and follows Captain Willard's classified mission into Cambodia to terminate American Colonel Walter Kurtz who has gone insane. Willard is taken up the river to his destination by a navy patrol crew and also receives some help from an Army helicopter cavalry group. Willard and his crew face some dangerous obstacles and some crew members are lost before he reaches his destination.

Apocalypse Now depicts the danger and uncertainty of the Vietnam War. The film is full of sudden attacks, death, and destruction which paints a picture of what a war zone would be like. However, the film is not all gloomy because many of the characters provide some comic relief at times such as Lt. Colonel Kilgore who seems to be more interested in surfing than safety and always seems to escape every threat without a scratch. The way comedy is intermixed with serious themes and senarios gives the film a nice balance of emotions.

The film makes good use of striking visual images wheather it is depicting the bright lights of a USO show or gun fire and smoke rising amung the jungle. These visuals add a lot to the movie by allowing the viewer to better understand Willard and his crew's experiences.

Depth of Field Allows Viewers to See Through the Eyes of Bauby

In the film "The Diving Bell and The Butterfly" the cinematography really helps the viewer see things through the eyes of Jean-Dominique Bauby. The way depth of field is used makes you feel just as confused and disoriented as Bauby does when he is first waking up at the beginning of the film. As he is struggling to get his eyes to focus the depth of field is very shallow and the only thing that comes in clear is the person that is closest to the screen or closest to Bauby's face. This causes you to see things as Bauby does which helps you connect with him and feel for his character. During this time in which Bauby is trying to focus his eye, the cinematographer also uses rack focus to make you follow Bauby's line of sight as he keeps refocusing on new things. This allows you to see piece by piece where he is and discover where Bauby is at the same time as he does.

As Bauby becomes more alert and awake, the focus is able to shift to more distant objects. At first he can only see what is directly in front of his face, but as he comes to he is able to see more distant objects like the wall and the curtain. This makes you experience his struggle and see what it is like for him to realize what has happened to him and what is going on around him. The use of depth of field annoys you while sucking you into the movie because like Bauby you want to know what is going on and you want to see more even though it is not easy. It allows you to know that something is not right and it makes you want to know why. If this first part of the movie had a deep focus, you would not be able to relate to Bauby as easily because you would not be seeing things through his eyes.

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly Review

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The Diving Bell and The Butterfly is based on the true story of French Elle Magazine editor Jean-Dominique Bauby. Bauby has suffered a stroke and is completely paralyzed except for his one eye. His mind, hearing and sight are still functional, but he feels trapped in his body or his "diving bell." After he regains his will to live, he writes a book by communicating through blinks.

The film sucessfully tells the story from Bauby's perspective by allowing the viewer to know what he is thinking and often using camera shots filmed from his perspective. This helps the viewer to better understand what Bauby is experiencing which ivites the viewer to take part in the film. The film grabs your attention right away by showing a blurry screen that slowly comes into focus as Bauby blinks. The film however, does not stick with showing the film from his perspective. This might have some deeper meaning, but I think it would have been better to stick with showing it all from his perspective because that is what made it easy to understand how Bauby felt and gave the film a unique aspect.

Even though I had to read all of the dialouge through subtitles, I forgot I was reading the subtitles after a while because I became full ingulfed in the film. I also think the flashbacks were very effective in helping the viewer get to know Bauby, but I do think it would have been benificial to include a few more flashbacks especially ones that better explained his relationship with the mother of his children.