December 8, 2004

 

Janine:  Wings of Desire compared with City of Angels

 

Description of Films:

  • Angles on Earth
  • Main Characters:
    • Damiel and Seth (main characters)
    • Marion and Maggie (love interest)
    • Cassiel and Cassiel (friend to main character)
    • Peter Falk and Nathan Messenger (mediators)
  • Main focus of each film
    • Wings of Desire:  Damiel’s character and history of Berlin before the Wall came down
    • City of Angels:  love story

Differences:

  • Color v. Black and White
  • Camera Work
    • Motorcycle accident in Wings of Desire
    • Angelic view
  • Use of narratives in Wings of Desire
    • Old man
    • Maggie
  • Historical aspect in Wings of Desire
  • Revealing ability in City of Angels
  • The ending
    • Wings of Desire:  Damiel and Maggie can be seen as living happily ever after
    • City of Angels:  Maggie dies and Seth is left behind to live as a human

 

Clip:  City of Angels opening:  Seth recounts events of the day and wonders about being able to touch.

Clip:  Wings of Desire:  long slow camera work; recounting references to WWII and daily events.

Similarities:

  • Freewill
  • Use of journals
  • Characters:
    • Damiel/Seth
    • Marion/Maggie
    • Peter Falk/Nathan Messenger
  • Use of music
  • Library

Opinions:

  • Remake loses the original’s context
  • Different focus in each film
    • Wender’s focus:  Germany in the shadow of the Berlin Wall
    • Silberling’s focus:  a love story

 

Candice:  All That Heaven Allows; Far from Heaven; Ali:  Fear Eats the Soul

 

Clip:  General Hospital—illustrates soap opera style of filming

 

Douglas Sirk:

  • Born in Hamburg as Hans Detlef Sierk
  • Before coming to Hollywood worked in stage and theater productions
  • Was not hailed as an acclaimed director until after he moved to the US
  • Movies are very “soap opera” in style and quality

All That Heaven Allows

  • Directed by Douglas Sirk in 1955
  • Relationship of main characters corrupted by:
    • Age
    • Social Class
  • Technically beautiful production, but viewed as cheesy

Far From Heaven

  • Directed by Todd Haynes in 2002
  • Relationship of main characters corrupted by:
    • Age
    • Social class
    • Color
  • Copies style of Sirk
  • Hartford=Stepford
  • Could have been a film for Sirk if not held back by 1955 censorship laws since deals with homosexuality

 

Clip:  depicts how main character’s life and family appear perfect, but in fact is falling apart in reality

 

Ali:  Fear Eats the Soul

  • Directed by Fassbinder in 1974
  • Relationship of main characters corrupted by:
    • Age
    • Race
    • Social class
  • Fassbinder gives praise to Sirk by using his themes

 

James:  Nosferatu v. Dracula 1931

 

Dracula:

  • Filmed in 1931
  • Dracula was played by Bela Lugosi
  • Film ran 75 minutes long

Interesting Facts:

  • No real musical score—sound was thought to be distracting since so new
  • Studio not happy with scene with possible gay subtext (clip)
  • Lugosi learned lines phonetically causing classic halting line delivery

Dracula Character:

  • Gentlemanly
  • Oozes sexuality
  • Has patience to wait for the perfect moment to strike
  • Prefers the blood of a virtuous young woman
  • Does not show hunger because it would be a sign of weakness
  • Hypnotizing hand motion (later borrowed in many other films)

New Technology of Sound

  • Sound was first introduced in film in 1923
  • The Jazz Singer (1927) was the first film to fully integrate dialogue and music
  • Sound effects are important in Dracula:
    • “things that go bump in the night” add to scariness
    • halting line delivery of Bela Lugosi

Nosferatu facts:

  • Made in 1922 by Murnau
  • Count was played by Max Schreck
  • Ran 60 minutes
  • Scenes filmed during daylight hours even though much action is supposed to take place at night (clip)

Differences between two films:

  • Name of character
  • Renfield is directly involved with Dracula whereas in Nosferatu he sends his assistant Harker
  • Plaque in Nosferatu
  • Sound in Dracula

Nosferatu Vampire:

  • Monster-like portrayal
  • No sexuality
  • Has patience to wait for the right moment to stike
  • Especially enjoys the blood of young women pure of heart
  • Never shows hunger since it would be a sign of weakness

 

Michael Banbury:  Münchhausen (1943) and The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen (1988)

 

The Surprising Adventures of Baron Münchhausen

  • Storybook of fantastical tales
  • Based on real figure of Baron Münchhausen

Münchhausen—Bàky

  • Commissioned by Nazi propaganda Office
  • Contains no overt propaganda
  • Purpose was to raise spirits and reassure audience
  • Cost 6.5 million Reichmarks
  • Lavish sets and costumes
  • Starred Hans Albers

The Adventures of Baron Munchhausen (1988)

  • Was to finish film triology including Time Bandits and Brazil
  • Supposed to show effect of imagination on the 3 stages of man (child, adult, old age)
  • Received mixed reviews and financial success
  • Lavish sets and costumes

 

            Clip:  Baron going to see the King of the Moon in a hot air balloon

 

Differences

  • Appearance of the Baron
  • Traveling companions

Similarities

  • Riding on cannonball
  • Traveling to the moon
  • Defeat of the Turks and Sultan

Báky:                                                   Gilliam:

Evil wizard                                            swallowed by whale

Eternal youth                                        goes to underworld

Magic and fantasy                                 flees the Grim Reaper

Uplift spirits                                          fantasy and magic v. science and reason (clip)

No underlying theme                             baron thrives on imagination

 

 

Carley Sutton:  Brecht and The Cradel will Rock

 

Handout