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Emily Simpson Euro. Cinema Minutes for 2/15/2005
• Class begins Reimer thanks the class for staying late to watch Diva on Monday. He reminds the class that if they have done any extra credit work that they need to be typing their papers and turning them in so they don’t forget anything from the movies they’ve watched. Reimer then reminded the class to talk to him about the required paper, if there was nothing on the list that interests you then talk to him, because it’s time to get started on the rough draft. •The test is a week from today, study questions have been emailed, don’t forget there will be no class on Monday so you can read or study. • The class will now break into small groups to discuss Diva in order to encourage participation. Groups should discuss all questions and designate someone to copy and report answers to the class and then turn answers in to the Minute-taker. Groups were then organized according to seating in the room.
1.) Describe the soundtrack for the first few minutes of the film, from the opening credits until the young man (Jules) enters the auditorium. ANSWER: In the beginning Beineix makes sure the source of the music is always evident throughout the movie because it is so largely based on music and recording. Answer from Emily, George, Pete, Andrea, and Justin: The music is slow and gloomy, possibly the sound of the orchestra warming up. There is a mickey-mouse effect when Jules jumps off his bike and the music goes silent. Answer from Shelley, David, Lindsay, and Erin: It was suspenseful and intense, things seemed faster because of the music. Answer from Candice, Elaine, Sean and Trung: It was diegetic, it came from the world in the movie, making it like you were really there. It was very long and drawn out. Answer from Jen, Pilar, Julie, Shenetha: Classical suspenseful, and abrupt while he’s on the moped. Contrasting to the sounds of the street and moped. Answer from Dan, Marc, Gina, Christina, and Bridget: Classical music at first coming from Jules tape recorder. He turns it off as he hops of the bike. While walking into the theater it’s the sound of the orchestra practicing that we hear. 2.) Analyze how Beineix uses editing and point of view to establish relationships between the young man and the men in dark glasses and the young man and the singer. ANSWER: Beineix shows craftsmanship with the way the men in glasses nod at Jules to allude to his recorder. There are also reaction shots between Jules and Cynthia. Answer from Emily, George, Pete, Andrea, and Justin: It is foreshadowing of them following Jules later. Jules is too involved to notice, contrasting the men in the glasses who don’t seem to care about the music at all. Answer from Shelley, David, Lindsay, and Erin: All the attention was originally on Jules, they were “above him” so it seemed like they were looking down at him. Answer from Candice, Elaine, Sean and Trung: The cuts between the men in glasses and Jules established a relationship. Answer from Jen, Pilar, Julie, Shenetha: The camera editing shows reflection, the triangle of the three; Jules’ obsession with Cynthia, and the men in glasses job to get the recording from Jules. Answer from Dan, Marc, Gina, Christina, and Bridget: Cut back and forth, sweeps up to characters. Close-up shots. Pulled together though the shots the men are above Jules establishing control over him. Jules is fixated on the Diva and the shots establish his infatuation. 3.) Identify the many homages (references) to Hollywood style. ANSWER: There is comic relief from the cops (men and women), Reference to French Connection in the chase through the streets. Gorodish is the typical detached Bogart-type who solves the entire movie, symbolized by the way he puts the final piece in the puzzle. The fairy tale love of the “dork and diva” Answer from Emily, George, Pete, Andrea, and Justin: Seven Year Itch, is referenced when the girl walks over the grate and her skirt is blown up. At one point the Spic looks like Bogart from French Connection. Answer from Shelley, David, Lindsay, and Erin: Female officer and Hollywood lifestyle of Cynthia. Alba wanting to drink out of a chic straw. Answer from Candice, Elaine, Sean and Trung: the explosions and the car chase were reminiscent of Hollywood style. Answer from Jen, Pilar, Julie, Shenetha: Sex, drugs, violence. The car chases. Answer from Dan, Marc, Gina, Christina, and Bridget: The garage where Jules stays bares resemblance to iconic age of Hollywood. The car chases and the Marilyn Monroe scene. The way the camera is always moving, the way the romance between Jules and the Diva is handled. The happy fairytale ending. 4.) How many narratives does the film tell and how are they connected? ANSWER: There is the narrative of the woman cop going against stereotypes. There is a love story, a piracy story, and a prostitution story all mixed by one character and two tapes. The Diva is never tainted by what’s going on, she remains pure. Answer from Emily, George, Pete, Andrea, and Justin: Jules and the Diva, Jules and Alba and her housemate, woman cop and man cop, Men with glasses and the tape of the diva, The Spic and Ice pick-man and the Prostitute’s tape. Jules has something they all want, whether it’s affection or the tapes. Answer from Shelley, David, Lindsay, and Erin: Jules, Alba, Diva, Nadia, Men in dark Glasses, bad guys, Diva’s agent, woman officer. Answer from Candice, Elaine, Sean and Trung: Everyone agreed there were multiple narratives and Jules linked them all together. Answer from Jen, Pilar, Julie, Shenetha: Jules and Cynthia, Jules and Alba/Gorodish, Jules and the cops. Answer from Dan, Marc, Gina, Christina, and Bridget: Many narratives with the tape bringing everyone together. 5.) Place the Diva’s aria into context each of the times it is heard. How does its use change with the context? ANSWER: the aria plays from around 1890-1900 ½ real ½ fiction story that fantasizes all grand operatic issues. Beineix struggles with concepts of live versus recorded music. Jules is fixated and obsessed with the music. Answer from Emily, George, Pete, Andrea, and Justin: She sings it first at the concert, then Jules listens to the recording by himself, then Jules lets Alba hear it, Alba plays it for Gorodish, Jules plays it for Cynthia in the end. It signifies connections between characters and chapters in the story. Answer from Shelley, David, Lindsay, and Erin: the first time is in the auditorium the second time is at this apt. Answer from Candice, Elaine, Sean and Trung: Answer from Jen, Pilar, Julie, Shenetha: : She sings it first at the concert, then Jules listens to the recording by himself, then Jules lets Alba hear it, Alba plays it for Gorodish, Jules plays it for the Diva in the end. Answer from Dan, Marc, Gina, Christina, and Bridget: first at the concert shows Jules is moved, second time shows his obsession.
• Group work and discussion have ceased and the attendance has begun to circulate though the class. Reimer reminds the class again of the test on Wednesday and there will be papers to critique. There are also three more movies for the class to watch, Respiro, Through a Glass Darkly, and Open Your Eyes. • A student asks how to access the minutes online. Reimer informs the class that all the minutes are available except for the min. from 2/7 and then he navigated through the web to show where they were. • Reimer tells the class there are five definitions on the test worth six points each. If you look at the min. and read through the book you will do fine. Try to remember all the clips on the test are to help you. • Reimer then shows another clip to show French Films competition with Hollywood. The French put the best of art film and Hollywood style together. Le Femme Nikita from 1991 a film about a woman who kills a cop and then avoids her prison sentence by becoming a government assassin. The clip shown is with Nikita and a male companion in a fancy restaurant. They are sitting at a table and then man gives her a present. They toast and she opens the box to find a handgun. The man gives her directions on who she is supposed to kill. She takes a moment then shoots the people she was instructed to. Her plans hit a snag when her escape route is blocked forcing her to seek refuge in the restaurant kitchen. She is covered in scrapes and bruises but is still wearing her pearls. Just as she thinks she is trapped she eyes the garbage shoot and dives to safety just moments ahead of a massive explosion. • Reimer points out that all the bad guys are black, Hispanic, Spanish, or Asian- noting that the people making the movie are never the bad guys. • The class has reached a stopping point and Reimer reminds us one last time there is no class on Monday.
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