Emily: Really Charles, people will think-
Kane: -what I tell them to think!
Unfortunately if you told us to give this movie a *****/*****, that wouldn't work Mr. Kane, and for a good reason too.
The movie "Citizen Kane" is one man's quest to ascertain the meaning of the newspaper god, Charles Foster Kane's, last word. "Rosebud". Just what is Rosebud? Watch the last 5 seconds of the movie to find out. Anyways, the movie is basically a visual biography of Kane's life, with intermissions following the adventure of a reporter trying to find out what Rosebud is. The parts about Kane's life skip around quite a bit, sometimes leaving you dizzy, but you get snapped back to reality when you start to dream that the movie is amazing, only to remember that it is an adequate production. Which brings us back to the fact that the movie was filmed in black and white. It was done so to enunciate the drama, and the lighting in the movie, which we must agree, has done its part. Maybe CFK wanted it black and white because of the whole "gagged with a silver spoon" incident.
Speaking of good lighting/drama, the music is fitted well onto each scene, making spooky noises when showing the castle of Xanadu, and playing a fluttery tune to Kane getting laughed at by Susan when he gets drenched in "mud". The main actor (who was also the director apparently) did an astounding job, portraying a man who has experienced many hardships throughout his life. The actor playing Jed Leland also made a good impression with his laughable attitude as a young editor, and as a senile old man. The actors themselves, however, could not have helped the plot that was written out for the movie. It was decent at best, but it was slow, and didn't capture our attention. In the end, we were utterly disappointed with where the movie had dropped us off, especially after such a ride.
***Pros***
Good acting
Lighting complimented by black and white
Fitting music
Deep plot
***Cons***
Slow moving
Black and white takes away from overall experience
Plot is deep, yet hard to follow
Actors speak rapidly, sometimes illegible
***Overall***
***/*****
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Gone With the Wind - A Review
"Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn about this movie." - Joe Heinecke
This quote is all too agreeable in our minds, as the movie "Gone With the Wind" gives us an eyesore we'll never forget. It honestly makes us wish that we could get the hours that were wasted on the movie back, and thus this review is born. A precaution to those of the same social beliefs, to make sure to steer clear of this 1939 movie, that should stay in the time period it was created.
The movie "Gone With the Wind", is a 1939 classic drama/romance, that follows the character Scarlet O'Hara/Hamilton/Kennedy/Butler... Who every man is after. Every man, except for Ashley, the man she "loves". Scarlet endures many hardships including the death of her mother, her father, her best friend, her first husband, her daughter, and more throughout the war, and sheer stupidity. Scarlet is constantly vieing for the love of Ashley, and eventually falls in love with Rhett Butler (the only enjoyable character in the movie), marrying him, and having a child, who dies, and Scarlet simply leaves, vieing for more than just love, but an altogether brighter future.
Setting the mood throughout the movie, like all movies, is the music in the background. Gone With the Wind takes a bit too much pride in the work that is done with the music, having an overture before, and midway through the movie. The "special effects" in the movie are that of an old movie, which this surely is, and are easy to spot, making it feel like a cheap, fan made movie. Example: when Rhett Butler and Scarlet take a carriage out of town, the background during the ride is completely different than that of the movie itself. Talking about the movie itself, the length of the movie is about 4 gut-renching hours, filled with the dialect, and stupidity of a time we all wish we could forget about. The scenery ranges from the inside of prestigious houses and hospitals, to war torn buildings and scarred land, giving the perception of a dark atmosphere, in a movie that is supposed to emanate in deepness, and bubbly feelings.
All in all, the movie had a good set of actors, a well thought out plot, and was marvelous in its time, but as its time passed, the pedestal it once stood on has crumbled.
***Pros***
Good actors
Well thought out plot
***Cons***
Long, is easily drawn out
Music is overdramatic, seems old
Scenery is dull
Special effects are shabby
Gives off a different mood than it wants
***Overall***
**/*****
This quote is all too agreeable in our minds, as the movie "Gone With the Wind" gives us an eyesore we'll never forget. It honestly makes us wish that we could get the hours that were wasted on the movie back, and thus this review is born. A precaution to those of the same social beliefs, to make sure to steer clear of this 1939 movie, that should stay in the time period it was created.
The movie "Gone With the Wind", is a 1939 classic drama/romance, that follows the character Scarlet O'Hara/Hamilton/Kennedy/Butler... Who every man is after. Every man, except for Ashley, the man she "loves". Scarlet endures many hardships including the death of her mother, her father, her best friend, her first husband, her daughter, and more throughout the war, and sheer stupidity. Scarlet is constantly vieing for the love of Ashley, and eventually falls in love with Rhett Butler (the only enjoyable character in the movie), marrying him, and having a child, who dies, and Scarlet simply leaves, vieing for more than just love, but an altogether brighter future.
Setting the mood throughout the movie, like all movies, is the music in the background. Gone With the Wind takes a bit too much pride in the work that is done with the music, having an overture before, and midway through the movie. The "special effects" in the movie are that of an old movie, which this surely is, and are easy to spot, making it feel like a cheap, fan made movie. Example: when Rhett Butler and Scarlet take a carriage out of town, the background during the ride is completely different than that of the movie itself. Talking about the movie itself, the length of the movie is about 4 gut-renching hours, filled with the dialect, and stupidity of a time we all wish we could forget about. The scenery ranges from the inside of prestigious houses and hospitals, to war torn buildings and scarred land, giving the perception of a dark atmosphere, in a movie that is supposed to emanate in deepness, and bubbly feelings.
All in all, the movie had a good set of actors, a well thought out plot, and was marvelous in its time, but as its time passed, the pedestal it once stood on has crumbled.
***Pros***
Good actors
Well thought out plot
***Cons***
Long, is easily drawn out
Music is overdramatic, seems old
Scenery is dull
Special effects are shabby
Gives off a different mood than it wants
***Overall***
**/*****
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