George Valentine's Pride In The Film 'The Artist'

Harold and Maude, a movie directed by Hal Ashby and released in the 1970’s, did not receive much attention and popularity when first released. Since the movie depicted obsession with suicide through a 20-year-old character Harold, the movie received backlash because during the 1970’s there were high rates of suicides among teenagers and college students. However, over time college students found the movie very entertaining, therefore bringing the movie into the lights and making it a cult hit. In Blue Velvet, a neo-noir mystery film directed by David Lynch and released in 1986, received a variety of critical responses from a wide range of audience, but this movie’s unique style earned Lynch his second nomination for Best Director. The idea of innocent getting caught in a web of evil is portrayed through the character Jeffrey Beaumont, who first encounter’s a severed ear in a grassy abandoned field. In this paper I will compare and contrast these two movies that include key actors Bud Cort, played as Harold, and Kyle MacLachlan, played as Jeffrey and include a few key points that have made these movies enjoyable to watch.

Rhetorical Analysis Essay: Past president of the Modern Language Association, Gerald Graff, in his essay “Hidden Intellectualism”, adapted from his 2003 book, Clueless in Academe: How Schooling Obscures the Life of the Mind, puts in perspective the idea that schools in general all focus too much on the respected literacy stereotype. Graff’s purpose is to convince his audience that you, as a student, will get more out of writing about something you are interested in rather than writing about a boring topic your teacher/professor has assigned to you such as: the French Revolution or a Shakespeare play. Gerald Graff begins his essay by placing the stereotypical theme in place that one who knows so much about outside of the footsteps of his/her

When someone has a willingness to see and acknowledge their past faults and have a desire for change, they have the potential to revive a much brighter future with meaningful companionship. During the trip, victor glows deeper respect for Thomas. It was beyond victors belief that “Thomas, that

However, when Kathy questions this established perspective of Don Lockwood in the following scene, it shatters his self-confidence. Disparaging acting in silent films, Kathy claims that performing on stage requires much more talent. With the true background of Lockwood, the implied audience better understands the effect of this statement. Despite Lockwood’s modest beginnings, Kathy may consider his vaudevillian past the most impressive point of his career, rendering his current status mute and unrefined. After their conversation, Lockwood ruminates on whether he more closely resembles the popular reverence he has grown accustomed to or a pompous and overpaid mime.

In “A Century of Cinema”, Susan Sontag explains how cinema was cherished by those who enjoyed what cinema offered. Cinema was unlike anything else, it was entertainment that had the audience feeling apart of the film. However, as the years went by, the special feeling regarding cinema went away as those who admired cinema wanted to help expand the experience.

Being one of the world’s most popular art forms, it was inevitable that these archetypes would find their way into film as well. In this essay I will argue that the

Chaplin affirms that one of the main reasons for his success is that he makes films that portray what an audience wants to see. “Even the most inoffensive of us has sometime or other conceived the grotesque idea of pulling those millionaire whiskers––just a fleeting, absurd idea” (Chaplin 6), states Chaplin. As the audience has an innate desire to see a high-class business man lose their composure and status, they also have a desire to see hope in dire situations. The same

Molina chooses to escape the men’s shared harsh reality through stories and fantasies, and Valentin through his political vision and his studying, which he keeps up religiously, saying that he has to “keep up with [his] reading schedule, you know that”, as it has apparently become such a routine for him, known by Molina, that he feels unable to miss a day, perhaps worried that this will hinder his much-needed-for escape from reality.

Over the course of approximately one-hundred years there has been a discernible metamorphosis within the realm of African-American cinema. African-Americans have overcome the heavy weight of oppression in forms such as of politics, citizenship and most importantly equal human rights. One of the most evident forms that were withheld from African-Americans came in the structure of the performing arts; specifically film. The common population did not allow blacks to drink from the same water fountain let alone share the same television waves or stage. But over time the strength of the expectant black actors and actresses overwhelmed the majority force to stop blacks from appearing on film. For the longest time the performing arts were

"Ordinarly there is a great deal of snobbery from American film critics, they will accept a film by Stanley Kramer as a work of art before they see it, or a film from a European director...but they unloose their ire against low or medium budget Hollywood productions"3

Though the narrator has the full ability to see, he lacks the ability to connect to the world and to the people around him. He is described as an egotistical, superficial being who is very shallow in the way he views the people and events in his life. The man,

When Norma asserts her self-worth, she does so surrounded by images of herself. “I am big,” she proclaims, with a thousand Norma Desmonds staring back at the camera from photographs, posters, and artistic renditions of the once famous face. “It’s the pictures that got small.” This convolution of reality, a reversal that gives Desmond the illusion of both control and continued adoration by nonexistent fans, provides the foundation for all her more severe misperceptions. As long as it is the cinema itself that has lost its appeal and not the former silent film star, a change of fates or Desmond’s own gracious compromise have the potential to restore her former glory. As she ultimately confesses, Norma feels that she left the spotlight (not the other way around) and that it has been waiting for her ever since. A belief that her seclusion is voluntary allows Desmond to avoid the finality of her fall from grace.

When silent movies were beginning to be replaced by movies with sound, or ‘Talkies’, controversy began to surround Hollywood and it stars. Between Fatty Arbuckle hitting an actress at a party

George does feel at times he is better and can accomplish more. While thinking about his job interview and the fact that it is only a "junior position," he feels "his necessity would make him bitter, but thankful." When he decides he needs to lie about his education at the interview he "laughs at own cleverness of nuance and logic," and thinks that "no one is Toronto would know the difference." George used big words like decrepitude and often corrected his actress roommate on

Although viewers have their prejudices on film adaptations, they normally attack the structure of the story, exclaiming that film did not stay faithful to the original story; only when a role is poorly cast do the scrutinizing viewers point out the acting. In some cases, however, the actor’s performance is so precise that it, in itself, carries the