Film Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Film Studies - Essay Example Casablanca and Singin' in the Rain may be the ultimate examples how the idea that only one approach to mise-en-scene is representative of classic Hollywood narrative ideology. Both films are iconic examples of a traditional Hollywood studio production from the era when everybody involved in filmmaking was under contract to just one company. The studio executives, and not the director, determined the final result, which had to be created while facing obstacles such as star demands, daily rewrites, and an eye toward the bottom line of profits. As a result, both movies possess such typical Hollywood narrative elements as a protagonist, an antagonist and a clearly defined plot that utilizes such narrative concepts as rising and falling action. The opening sequence follows the cinematographical template that marks most Hollywood films by commencing with a series of establishing shots and signals intended to promptly inform the audience of such necessary elements in mainstream storytelling as setting and time, pointedly eschewing irony and non-diagetic distancing devices. The opening sequence of Casablanca also serves the more subtle means of establishing ideology and lends credence to the suggestion that setting can "dynamically enter into the narrative action". 2. The exotic locale of the city of Casablanca with which the majority of filmgoers are doubtlessly unfamiliar is effortlessly exploited to heighten the sense of chaos and disorder that will shortly become vital to both the narrative and message that the movie is meant to convey. The film moves quickly to follow the logical cinematic progression that tracks from universal to the personal. After successfully introducing Casablanca as a foreign port on another continent that seems to have little to do with the interests of its American target audience, the link is made explicit as the city is revealed to be a vital point on the route of those attempting to escape the Nazis by fleeing to America. The lighting i s low key, dominated by shadows that reflect the shadowy world of shifting allegiances and ambiguous morality. Those shadows work effectively to symbolize the idea of the shadow of fascism lurking over the rest of the civilized world while also intensifying the realism that is a necessity in a propagandistic film3. The mise-en-scene choices behind the entirety of the opening sequence of Casablanca is motivated by the narrative functions associated with imparting to the audience such vital information as the time and historical context of the film for its ideological message while simultaneously creating the necessary mystery that surrounds the character of Rick Blaine and the activities that take place inside his cafe. Likewise, despite the rapidity with which the film has moved from its

Current event(news within the last 30 days) in Europe and provide a Essay

Current event(news within the last 30 days) in Europe and provide a 1-2 paragraph summary about it - Essay Example Ultimately, the European members of the G-20 were satisfied with the results of the meeting, including the French President and the German Finance Minister (Levitz, 2011). France, which currently stands as president of the G-20, hosted the meeting in Paris. Part of the results of the conference was the selection of economic indicators that the G-20 would use to monitor the health of the world economy. One of these indicators, the summit decided, would not be falling or rising exchange rates. Many believe this is because China exerted pressure, amidst criticism, on the other countries to remove this factor from consideration. However, the broad consensus from other major economies is that China needs to allow their exchange rates to adjust in response to market forces. This compromise and pushback from G-20 members is a signal of what is to come in terms of Europe’s relationship to China and its economies. As the Chinese economy continues to grow, Europe faces the problem of de aling with that power in a way that is both fair to Chinese interests and equitable to European interests. Another economic indicator that came under consideration at the G-20 summit was the prices of commodities, which unlike exchange rates, will be used to monitor the health of the global economy. ... Likewise, this may be due to growth in the Chinese economy, which is roughly four times larger than it was at the start of market reforms in 1978 (Sachs, 2011). A point of interest brought up at the G-20 conference was the effect of global climate change on the food shortage, and the difficulties that such changes pose to creating a sustainable diet for the Earth’s population. The G-20 summit, of course, addressed turmoil in Egypt and Tunisia. With such political instability, the responsibility seems to fall on the most stable economies in the world, which primarily belong to the European countries, to help stabilize those countries. Like the American banking crisis, this process of reforming one part to bring the entire system back to health is one that will be played out on the global scale. In many ways, food shortages and underdeveloped economies is what led to the political unrest in Egypt seen throughout the month of February that eventually led to the toppling of a dict atorial government. Thus, the issues that the G-20 addressed seem to be all connected in some way. Even though these problems came to the fore in Egypt, developed countries in the G-20 membership still suffer from high rates of unemployment and soaring commodity prices, as the G-20 members discussed. These decisions to help stabilize unstable economies in order to support the economic problems seen in Europe is one that will have tremendous, lasting consequences for the European nations and the G-20 membership. Works Cited Levitz, D. (2011, February 19). G20 reaches compromise on economic indicators. Retrieved February 28, 2011, from Deutsche Welle: