All Quiet on the Western Front (2022)

 

This week for film class, we have continued to work on presentations. After I finished my presentation, I noticed someone after me talking about a new Netflix movie called All Quiet on The Western Front. As the presenter continued to talk about the psychodynamic theory and how it related to the film, I was too busy writing down the name of the movie so I could watch it at home. I love films based on military events, so this one did not disappoint me. As a matter of opinion, I thought that this was the best movie I have seen in a long time. All Quiet on The Western Front is a 2022 film that takes place in 1914, World War 1 Germany. It was directed by Edward Berger, who did not shy away from goriness and blood. There is a certain amount of realism when it comes to bloody war scenes, although this movie was so intense and realistic that it made me feel like I was in the bunker as well. While watching it, I started to get sad, mostly because I know things like this story happened a lot in that war. Unfortunately, it did not get much better as the film went on, mostly because the war lasted so long throughout the movie.  

     The movie starts out with the main character Paul Baumer and his classmates enlisting in the army to serve their homeland. They are then drafted, although they looked so happy to know what they were getting themselves into. They are driven to the military camp where they were cheering and laughing to be on the way there. It was at this moment when I noticed that these were just kids. These 17-year-old kids are not ready to be holding a gun, let alone having to use it to shoot people and defend themselves with it. It is so sad to see them walk into the base knowing that they think it is going to be fun, mostly because I am familiar with war and the terrors that can come from it. When they were picking up their uniforms, the main character Paul, received a uniform that had someone else's name on it. I discovered in class that they would take the uniforms off dead soldiers and give them to the new soldiers because they did not have enough supplies and money for them. As the movie continues, it only gets more real and scary, which made me really start to get scared for Paul and his classmates.  

     One thing that really made me feel a lot of emotions during this movie was the fact that these kids had no idea what they were getting into. Seeing them all cheer to defend their country is so heartbreaking because they do not know what they are about to do. There were so many signs saying “fight for your country, make us proud!” and people congratulating them on fighting for their country that it seemed like a wonderful thing to do. The classmates even had fathers who pushed for them to fight for their country to honor the family name. After hearing something like that, it almost sounds like going to war is a fun activity. That is why they had no idea that they were going to see men right next to them get a bullet through their skull, or intestines falling on the found from an enemy grenade. These high school students were forced to grow up and see real tragedy which they were clearly not ready for. I would recommend this movie to anyone that loves war movies or just really enjoys a highly developed, detailed, historic film. 

A Bronx Tale (1993)

 

This week, my family and I chose to rewatch the well-known classic Bronx Tale. Directed by Robert De Niro in 1993, the movie takes you through the main character Calogero's or “C” journey through the Italian dominated neighborhood. Taking place in the 1960s, C is taken under the wing of the mob boss Sonny who is feared in the neighborhood. C’s dad did not want him around Sonny or his group, although he disobeyed him and continued to be the high potential member of his future mob career. When C falls in love with his African American classmate, Jane, the repercussions threaten the whole neighborhood.

    This movie did an amazing job at creating an incredibly realistic perspective of the Bronx in the 1960s. Everything from the clothes, mannerisms, to scenery reflected well on that time. I felt like I was transported to a new world that revolved around violence, crime, and gambling, although you really enjoy the ride. What I really enjoyed about this movie more than anything was the suspense. Every scene felt like there was something amazing that was going to happen, except the clock kept ticking. Every scene in that movie had an iconic quote that is still reflected on today. For example, at one point in the movie C asked Sonny at his bar “Is it better to be loved or feared?” When I heard this the first time as a kid watching the movie, I assumed that love was the obvious answer, although as I grow and mature that answer is not as clear anymore.  

 

 Sonny chooses to be feared because he feels like he has more control of his life. I have always appreciated the honesty in that answer and him as a character in this movie. He is one of the most iconic characters of all time, mostly because he has such an interesting persona around him that he makes people admire but fear him. As C continues to hang around with Sonny, he continues to gain respect in the neighborhood without ever doing anything. At one point in the movie, a random person gives C free food and special treatment just because he has seen him with Sonny more than once. C's dad, however, did not fear him and went up to Sonny directly to tell him to stay away from his son. Unfortunately for Sonny however, towards the end of the movie you really start to see what happens when you are feared instead of loved. 

Concepts of the Gaze

 Shane Rollins 

This week in film class, we continued to talk about the gaze. Unfortunately, while researching for my fascination project, I noticed a lot of unfair treatment. I am researching the different perspectives of bell hooks who were incredible for the black female community. She gives a lot of various points of view that help us get a better understanding of their mistreatment. While thinking about a lot of quotes and work, I started to think about how many movies that are filmed from a black woman perspective, and I fell silent. In fact, I could barely think about movies with a black women protagonist, although there are some that have made huge box office numbers.  

  Being a white male, it is hard to put myself in the shoes of bell hooks, so I must use my imagination the best that I can to be able to try and understand the struggles that she has been through. Writing her first book at the age of nineteen, she became a prolific writer giving everyone the ability to see a fraction of what her life has been like. She shows remarkably interesting perspectives that would help shape our culture in significant ways. I have always been an endorser of multicultural films because that would give more people a relatability factor to the same film. For example, the movie Green Book shows two different perspectives of a black man during segregation and a struggling Italian in the Bronx. A lot of people can relate to that movie in unique ways, mostly because it has a strong message that still relates to our world today.  

  I am going to start paying more attention to different perspectives in film. I have always had such a narrow mind when it comes to diverse cultures in cinema, so looking out for that will help me locate my film experience. Film culture has gotten much better in recent years when it comes to relatability, so it is important to keep growing as a culture. There have also been a lot of extremely popular public figures discussing the topic, which has helped influence your directors to make a change. That said, we have much more improvement to make before we can say that our culture is diverse enough.