Steven Spielberg

week from sunrise to sunset. Usually the African Americans living and working for masters were either born into slavery on plantations or captured from their homes in Africa and sold to slave traders. In the movie, Amistad, which was directed by Steven Spielberg, the treatment of slaves throughout the journey on the Middle Passage and how the slaves were beaten on the way from Africa was presented. Even though slavery was accepted by the Constitution of the United States, slavery was an immoral…

This movie helped me to better understand the struggles of Black women in the patriarchal society of the world. Watching this movie allowed me to reflect on my perspective of the treatment of black women by men and women of other races. Throughout the movie black women are demeaned by white men, black men, and white women. This movie truly showcases the need and call for black women to not only uplift one another, but also to support one each other in their times of crisis. Initially, Celie…

Greta Celeste Gerwig is an American actress, writer, and director. Gerwig was born in Sacramento, California on August 4th, 1983. She is daughter to Christine and Gordon Gerwig, her mother being a nurse and her father working for a credit union on small business loans. She has a close relationship with her parents, as well as with her older brother and sister. She has German, Irish, and English ancestry. She attended St. Francis High School, an all-girls Catholic school in Sacramento and showed…

Walker heavily uses the juxtaposition and contrast of various ideas to demonstrate the differing and strong opinions about culture and the validity of all of them. Outwardly, Mama’s two daughters Maggie and Dee could not contradict each other more- Dee, ever bold and assertive, dreams big for herself, while Maggie remains withdrawn, a homebody, and resigned to her current life. Both perceive their heritage vastly differently, with Dee having more progressive views on her past serving as a type…

Set in the year 2019, with majority of the film taking place in a futuristic Los Angeles, Blade Runner is a movie about a retired police officer Rick Deckard who is the protagonist and a “blade runner”, Blade runners track down bioengineered beings known as replicants and retire them which means destroying them. On the surface the movie seems to be a manhunt movie of the hero chasing down these evil villains who have escaped and are out causing trouble, but from my view it seems to be more about…

Josh Robinson Mr. Lee Intro to Cinema 9 June 2016 Director Robert Zemeckis Robert Zemeckis has directed many films ranging in genres. His films include Cast Away, Back to the Future, Annie, A Christmas Carol, Forrest Gump, and Flight. Zemeckis has earned a reputation as a “tech-savvy auteur whose work has explored special effects and digital magic” (Ressner 2013). Zemeckis grew up in a working-class family with little, to no money, in the south side of Chicago. He grew up watching television…

Thomas Keneally tells the true tale of Czech businessman and Nazi member, Oskar Schindler, and his heroic deeds during the Holocaust in his book, Schindler’s List. The story follows Oskar, as he joins the Nazi forces in hopes of attaining a wondrous profit, who runs a factory to receive payment, luxuries and contribute to the war effort. Oskar, shortly after reaching his position among the Nazi and SS parties, comes to the decision to help save as many Jewish lives as possible after witnessing…

During this scene, where the Nazis are raiding the building and the Jews are hiding, the filmmakers used the editing technique of CROSS CUT, which is editing alternates shots of two or more clips of action occurring in different places. The film shows the Nazis waiting at the staircase and then alternates to show the Jews quietly looking for places to hide. This technique is used to build suspense within the audience by showing how close the Nazis were to the Jews. When the Nazi soldiers start…

Storytelling in Schindler’s List and Shoah There are many compelling stories about the Holocaust, each with a unique take on the tragedy, but Schindler’s List and Shoah are definitely at the top of the film “heap.” Schindler’s List portrays a savvy businessman attempting to make a profit off of the Jews, a group that he eventually comes to love. Shoah, on the other hand, is a documentary featuring real stories, figures, and footage of the events and where they took place. Although they both…

Over 50 years ago Thomas Keneally wrote his first novel, ‘The Place at Whitton’. Since that time he has written 35 novels, 18 non fiction books, 5 screenplays and 5 plays. He has been shortlisted for the Miles Franklin award five times and won it twice. His books have been shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize four times and he has won it once. He has won the Prime Ministers Literary Award, the New South Wales Premiers Literary Award and the LA Times Book of the year. He is an Officer for the…