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Everything posted by barbie36

  1. 1. I think the way she sings the song helps us relate to her. He is obviously a very attractive man and she is confused why he has picked her to show affection to because she doesn't think she is pretty. If she would have belted out the song, all of the focus would have been on the sound of the song instead of the lyrics. She is trying to let her guard down to have feelings for this man despite her insecurities about herself and the fact that he is a gambler. 2. They start out walking together and she is singing to him. Then, she walks a little bit ahead of him and he lingers back from her. He is listening to her and letting her sort out her feelings. She isn't really singing to him anymore but to herself, like a pep talk to find love. 3. I think at the beginning they are just two people walking and talking, flirting. The scene pans out and adjusts from her singing to him watching her singing. I think his reaction to her contemplation is respectful and she is distancing herself from him for now. When they don't see each other for a long time after this night, she is upset but he tells her she needed time to mature and realize what she wanted. Things might not have turned out the same if they had tried to start a relationship that night. I think it also could be foreshadowing that she will be ahead of him in their relationship. She becomes a success and his luck as a gambler falters, causing him to be depressed and not see her shows, ultimately him choosing to divorce her and be free again.
  2. 1. The themes of the two movies are similar in that both men are very controlling and manipulative. The professor wants to do an experiment with Eliza and is able to convince her that it will benefit her greatly. In Gaslight, the husband is constantly telling Bergman what to do and how to act, making her feel like she is losing her mind. The lighting in both movies helps portray the mood of the leading women. In Gaslight, the close-ups of Bergman and the changing light intensity make her and the audience question her sanity. In My Fair Lady, the lighting shows the audience how miserable Eliza is at pretending to be someone she's not and what her future will be, now that she has changed. 2. Hepburn allows part of her true self to come back, when she throws the slippers at the professor and starts yelling at him. She mostly maintains her poise and speech, but he still reprimands her when she slips up. Her facial features portray fear and anxiety along with her mannerisms. The professor is calm and unbothered by her actions. He tried to placate her with chocolate and the empty promise that sleep will make things better in the morning, instead of giving her concrete examples of what her life will be now. Cukor uses a full screen so we can both of their reactions at the same time, how they feed off of each other's emotions and gestures. 3. By seeing both of their reactions at the same time, we can tell that she is conflicted. She still wants his steven though the bet has been won, but she resents him for putting her future into uncertainty. She tries to get some emotion from him and gets none. He stays stoic and unmoved by her tantrum. His position has not been changed and so her feels no obligation to her.
  3. 1. There seemed to be more athletic performances and they were less suggestive, more playful or flirty. The men were very confident and suave. In the Music Man, he is basically a salesman, trying to swindle common folk. 2. His appearance is mostly average and he is loud to get their attention, like he makes jokes and antagonizes patrons in Victor/Victoria. He appears to be trying harder to get attention in both movies. 3. I haven't seen any of his other films.
  4. 1. I think the ballet at the end allows us to witness fantasy in the movie amid the regular Paris scenes. It's like the ballet in Singing in the Rain, it was meant to be a fantasy scene, separate from the regular script of switching movies to sound. 2. For one, it is Gene Kelly and that alone makes him likable. He has a friendly face and is amicable to the other people he encounters walking to his spot to paint. He's only rude to the student because she was pretentious and wanted to give him advice on his work.
  5. 1. Both of them have a casual, laid-back demeanor and O'Connor's antics behind the professor's back show his playful side. Their dancing is spontaneous and playful also, using many props in their dance. 2. He is very professional and proper. The way he holds the vocabulary book and gestures toward Kelly demonstrate a more feminine vibe than that of Kelly and O'Conner. Their manners are more masculine and their dancing is very athletic and fast. Gay men were not as accepted as straight men at this time so I think by making his persona a professor makes it more acceptable that his actions might be seen as distinguished and scholarly. 3. Kelly is there to be taught how to say his lines in a more formal manner since this film will be a talkie. Neither Kelly or O'Conner are fancy, but just regular guys. They think the professor is stuffy and full of himself, sounding ridiculous reciting the lines. The two friends work in tandem, kind of ganging up on the professor, who is submissive and doesn't stand up for himself.
  6. 1. I think the role allows her to be a strong, independent woman but she still changes herself some in order to gain acceptance from the man she loves. It's like they wanted to give women another look, as a tomboy/rebel, but they can't completely be accepted until they become more traditionally womanlike. 2. I like her in this movie. I feel like in some of her other movies, she is a cookie cutter version of the typical woman. Almost too pure, perfect. I haven't seen her dramatic roles so maybe those are different. 3. I think it might have detracted, but only a little bit. Obviously, the real Calamity Jane didn't act so feminine. Some of her actions seem exaggerated.
  7. 1. The four of them have mostly equal time focused on them. One person doesn't dominate the scene. In some of the other musicals, the focus was on a couple or one person at a time. 2. I had to go back because I couldn't really remember what they were wearing. The men all have variations of suits, mostly casual. She has some color in her skirt but not enough to draw away attention from the group. 3. I think the togetherness of the group and the way they play off of each other shows how they are going to develop a play. They can be funny with each other and throw ideas around.
  8. 1. I think t portrayed her sadness because the room is dark and he is covered up. After she realizes he isn't going to die, they move the scene outside where he is sitting and she is doing laundry. Things are back to normal and they are in the light again. She feels a weight has been lifted from her, because he is recovering and because she has told him how she feels about him. 2. I think some of the words might have to change, like when she sings about him kissing her. I think the sentiment would be similar because she is speaking about her deep connection with him and how her world revolves around him, much like it does with your children. If they are alright, then you are too. 3. I think it was important to have movies with an all black cast, especially in roles that let them shine and not be stereotyped. This movie portrays them as the same as everyone else, maybe their problems are different, with his gambling problem, but the dynamic of a strong marriage and what happens when problems arise is the same.
  9. 1. Betty Garrett chases Frank Sinatra around the bleachers, cornering him at every chance. The actions go with the words of the song, "it's too late", like Frank has no chance to escape. He seems to give in a little to her toward the end, but she definitely has the upper hand. 2. Sometimes it's just a line, it doesn't need to be much, but you just know a song is coming!
  10. 1. The first film I saw of hers was The Wizard of Oz. It quickly became one of my favorite movies. I really felt her eagerness to get back home to her family but also enjoying the people she met along the way. 2. I am a big fan of Judy Garland's although I have not seen For Me and My Gal. Easter Parade is also one of my favorite movies. Keeping up with Gene Kelly is no easy feat. I think Easter Parade shows a sillier side of her. 3. A Star is Born is truly heartbreaking. She loves her husband very much and can't figure out how to help him. She is willing to throw away her career that she loves just to keep him safe from himself. I think that movie really showcases her singing ability and dramatic acting ability equally.
  11. 1. When Cohan is at the White House, the camera pans in on the paintings of past presidents. The fact that he was invited to see the president, is a huge honor and means he did something important. 2. The president commends Cohan for supporting his country even though and more importantly because he is an immigrant. Cohan is born on the Fourth of July and refers to himself as a Yankee Doodle Dandy because he says he walks around with a flag and doesn't miss a parade. 3. Because it opens with the visit to the president, it starts a dialogue of Cohan's life from its high point, to the day he was born.
  12. 1. I think the fact that Ginger is dressed in pants and a jacket puts her at a more even advantage against Fred. Her dancing mimics his instead of him leading her around. She is showing him she can be his equal, not the kind of girl he is used to winning over. In the film, she befriends Edward Horton's wife and they almost gang up on the men for their childish acts. 2. This film doesn't have more sex appeal but it does show more of a connection between Fred and Ginger. They genuinely seem to like each other even if he does have to win over her affection. She isn't ashamed to show her feelings. She isn't meek or quiet; she has a strong personality. 3. I think womens' rights and the change in society starts to show up in later movies.
  13. 1. It is easy to infer that Chevalier's character is a womanizer by the casual way he remarks to the audience that the woman is jealous after finding a garter that isn't hers. He is not worried about her husband finding them together or that the woman draws a gun. He seemed to already sense it had blanks especially after he puts it in the drawer with countless others he has accumulated. 2. Most of the dialogue is in French as if what the actual conversation consists of is not as important as the situation as a whole. When the audience is supposed to notice something, the main character announces it, like when he tells us her husband has arrived. 3. I think the comedy of serious situations, such as adultery and attempted suicide. The lightheartedness of life and the escape of everyday problems.
  14. 1. They both seem uncomfortable with each other, she avoids facing him in the canoe and at the bar. When she does make eye contact, it seems to embarrass her. He appears to be a gentleman and not only takes her to find another man, but goes after her when she leaves the bar humiliated. 2. I have not seen them in other films. 3. It seems that under the code, there are acceptable forms of affection without any closeness. The way she looked at the other singer in the bar was as if she was repulsed by her or what she represented. It was like two extremes, the prudish singer and the slutty entertainer.
  15. 1. Considering the time frame of the movie, the concern of money is not a factor. He tips the doorman a 5 note and spends a great deal of money on the flowers he sends Miss Held. The two men keep looking at each with curiousity but not real anger. 2. There is no real sense of conflict between the characters. I imagine the tone is kept light in subsequent films also to provide an escape for viewers. 3. The costume for Miss Held probably would have been more revealing, instead she is covered from head to toe.

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