The films Double Indemnity, directed by Billy Wilder, and The Night of the Living Dead, directed by George Romero, both feature female characters in subordinate roles to their male counterparts. Double Indemnity features Walter Neff underestimating his lover Phyllis’s power and continually patronizing her, calling her “baby” almost exclusively. The Night of the Living Dead features Helen, who is constantly put down by her husband who never values her opinion. Both films use elements of…
I think the innocence of both Billy and Amasa is genuine. I also think that for both of them their innocence is bred from ignorance, but for different reasons. Billy is a foundling so most likely, as was the tradition of the time he was raised in a church sponsored orphanage. Due to upbringing he probably was quite naïve when it came to human behaviors. While the text made it clears that Billy was “angelic”, “innocent” and not too bright. I got the impression in a couple lines that Billy’s lack…
Film Noir started when American film change its context to a much darker subject matter due to the aftermath of World War II. Based from the article of Christopher McColm, McColm gathers information to review the book “Blackout: World War II and the origins of Film Noir” whose author is Sheri Chinen Biesen. In the book, Biesen argues that the term noir emerged during the war era. Noir authors used the concept of post-war American angst to relay to the audience that noir fiction tends to…
The overall aim of this essay is to compare the film Sin City with the classic style of film noir to see if there are any differences or similarities between them. The analysis focuses on four concepts that I believe are the most classic film-noir associations. Lighting, Femme fatale, a dark world and the protagonist. Already in the first scene a couple of things are established. The first scene is part of a side story that we only get to see in the beginning and again at the end of the film,…
Even though film experts still debate what genre it best falls into, the 1950 Billy Wilder-directed film Sunset Boulevard is, in many respects, the archetypal film noir, and is also widely regarded as one of the most brutally honest depictions of Hollywood, by Hollywood. One of the biggest reasons Wilder’s film is viewed as such an exemplar of the film noir movement is its innovative use of lighting effects. Use of lighting can make or break a black-and-white film much more than it can one in…
Deep down, we are more excited by the attributes of the villain than those of the hero. Tyler Durden is the anarchist deep down all people want to be. He is grounded in reality, is a relatable person with worldly pain that rises to the challenge, and inspires thousands. Tyler is also a villain. The reader is more excited by the attributes of Tyler Durden than those of the narrator because deep down, humans love destruction, and Tyler does that best. Tyler makes people think, review their…
Billy Strayhorn was an incredibly gifted musician, as well as a talented arranger and composer, who was best known for his work while in the band Duke Ellington and His Orchestra. His love for music stemmed from his mother, a classically trained pianist, and from playing hymns on his grandmother’s piano at a young age. Strayhorn preferred to work in the shadows, content to arrange and compose music for the band as his employer wanted. Through working with Ellington, Strayhorn blossomed as an…
Hollywood movie goddess Angelina Jolie Workout and Diet Plan Born on June 4, 1942 in Los Angeles, California, Angelina Jolie is one of the most popular and celebrated American actress and filmmaker. Ex-wife of wealthy Hollywood star and producer, Brad Pitt and mother to six children (three children are adopted), Jolie is a woman of substance who is known for her work for humanitarian causes. She has been leading actress of many Hollywood hits - Tomb Raider, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Wanted, Salt and…
I thought that pretty much everyone knew who Billy the Kid was, but as I have told people what I was doing my essay on, I have gotten many confused looks. This was surprising to me. I thought that everyone at least would recognize the name, but boy was I wrong. Since no one knows who this western outlaw legend is, I guess I will just start off with the basic boring information. Billy the Kid was said to be a very handsome man. He had a slim physique, sandy blond hair, and blue eyes. He wore a…
question of moral and political justice in his story, Billy Budd. Billy Budd is an innocent, handsome, and popular young sailor whom almost everyone loves. In recent history, “the Great Mutiny” occurred before Billy is impressed upon the ship Bellipotent. The only person who despises Billy on the ship is the master-at-arms named John Claggart. In a confrontation with Claggart, Billy stands up for himself by punching Claggart. The punch that Billy threw immediately kills Claggart. On the ship,…