Alfred Russel Wallace

"Remember that one day of your idleness kills 12,000 souls". This quote from Rudolf Vrba himself was lived out in his actions to help save Jews in concentration camps. His moral courage was displayed in his distribution of the Vrba- Wetzler report, a document forged to relieve the Jews located in concentration camps of their suffering. Rudolf Vrba’s efforts to help people in suffering shows that helping those in need, despite the consequences and the doubts of others, is significant to the…

Bruce’s journey is no different. Throughout the movie, Bruce has struggled to balance the lifestyle of Bruce Wane and Batman. After his first time out as the Batman, he is roughly awoken by Alfred who forces him outside in order to keep up his deception as the billionaire playboy. He struggled to balance his life as between the day and the night, until the end. In the end, he realizes that while his life as Batman is important, he cannot forget…

colors of her life and legacy left brilliant marks on history and how we view American art and artists today. As a small girl from Sun Prairie Wisconsin no one expected her to become as successful as she was (Unknown B 1). With the help of her husband, Alfred Stieglitz and her talent she went on to create masterful works (Unknown B 1). O’Keeffe once said, “To create one’s world in any of the arts takes courage.” (Unknown F 1). From her deep cool abstract images, to her delicate up close flower…

Citizen Kane is undoubtedly one the world's most famous and highly-rated film. Its use of cinematic techniques, narrative techniques and experimental innovations in the areas of photography, editing, and sound brings the narrative to life and entices our engagement throughout the motion picture. Citizen Kane’s director, star, and producer were all the same genius individual - Orson Welles. Throughout this essay, I will look at such cinematic techniques used in the sequence “Young Charles…

Tim Burt and Robert Altman: Auteurs of the 20th Century All generations have produced their own Auteurs. All who have their own distinct creative ideas and procedures that allow them to create visually and auditory striking films. Two prestigious auteurs from the 20th century who have been recognized for their creative genius and their own unique style are Robert Altman and Tim Burton. Both directors have their own distinct style and approach to film making. Both of these directors are…

All through the ages Hollywood has been gifted with many directors who have been able to create Hollywood magic for many people sitting in dark movie theaters. One of these memorable directors was Frank Capra who died on September 3, 1991 at the age of 94. He was a leading director in the 1930s and 1940s and made many memorable movies like the popular Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Other classic movies included “You Can’t Take It With You” and “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington”. Frank…

Is suffering supposed to make sense? Why do we suffer? At first this question seems intuitive. However, after the first spontaneous outburst of answers, we start to question why there is suffering in the world and how we can make sense of it. Generally, when these ultimate questions are asked we tend to assert conclusions based on God or our personal values. It goes beyond that. Religion provides a guideline for these questions, and our values are extremely important for a sense of identity,…

A dry, withered part of the world, for the most part, is established by the film’s mise-en-scene in Hell or High Water. From the dull colors of the cars and houses to the sea of lifeless yellow grass, it’s apparent the interactions between people, contrasted with the monotonous setting, are highlighted as an integral way the mise-en-scene reveals the characters. With the setting emphasizing their isolation, the mise-en-scene invites the viewer to empathize with the hardships the characters face…

Welles used sound to establish and further enhance the viewer’s attention to the meanings of what is portrayed on screen. Another impressive use of sound in Citizen Kane is the sequence after the end of the newsreel announcing the death of Kane. We are exposed to a room, dimly lit and shallow (unlike the deep and wide banquet room), full of men. The camera focuses on Mr. Rawlston, who, while he speaks, performs a myriad of motions towards and against the camera – all of which are enhanced…

Now that Barthes has tried to definitively exclaim that the author is dead, we examine other cinematic forms of authorship this week, notably through the practice of producers, studio executives, and commercial properties. Through the work of Matthew Bernstein, Thomas Schatz, and Timothy Corrigan we find arguments for sub-facets of authorial figures in cinema, but ultimately note that the auteur theory can only be applied to cinema directors. Matthew Bernstein states that rarely is there such a…