Critical response to 'Glory' (1989)

We all have seen films about how the blacks were mistreated and how their life was unfair, but never before have I seen a film about the blacks’ achievements in history. In particular, this movie portrays America’s first black regiment in the Civil War. It stars Matthew Broderick as Colonel Robert Gould Shaw, the regiment's commanding officer, and Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, and Morgan Freeman as members of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. The movie Glory was nominated for five Academy Awards and won three and I believe that they deserved every one of them.
The movie starts off with Captain Shaw being injured in Antietam and is being sent home, where he gets promoted to colonel commanding the 54th. The recruits of the 54th are mostly slaves and some like Thomas Searles are free African-Americas. This brings us to the first inaccuracy of the film. As the film implies that the 54th consisted mainly of former slaves, it was actually the other way around. The majority had been born free men in the North. I believe that the director Edward Zwick should’ve actually stuck with history, but in a sense, it doesn’t change the importance of this film. The importance was that the blacks were ready to be made soldiers and to fight for their country, whether they were already free or not. So in general James Berardinelli from ReelViews is right. It does have important things to say and it does without becoming pedantic.
Though one aspect of the film should’ve been left out. The flogging of the soldier Trip, played by actor Denzel Washington. Flogging had been already abolished almost two years before the 54th was formed. Although, I have to agree that it did have a powerful effect on the viewers, but lying about history shouldn’t be in the director’s to-do list, even if he wants the movie to be dramatic. Even the reason, why Trip was flogged was made up. Trip was caught going AWOL to look for shoes as his men were denied of these supplies. It was actually documented that on the first day, they were given uniforms and new boots so the soldiers were never reduced to marching barefoot in cold mud.
Currently, I’ve only talked about the flaws of this film, but actually, the reality is that I enjoyed the film thoroughly. While it was inaccurate in some of the scenes, it still had a powerful impact on the whole. It showed blacks’ history from a different light. They weren’t the victims, they were the heroes of their time. They were the first black regiment and they were brave enough to lead the charge on Fort Wagner. While Peter Travers of Rolling Stone was not impressed at all with the overall acting, calling Broderick "catastrophically miscast as Shaw", I think that Broderick did an astonishing job casting as Shaw. Even if Shaw wasn’t like Broderick at all, the message was still there and it wasn’t lost in acting.
I would like to end on this note. No movie is without its flaws, but in the end, the message is what counts the most. The message about blacks being brave enough to enrol into the military is much more important than any historical inaccuracy that was lost during filming.

Bibliography

Berardinelli, J., 2003. Review: Glory. Available at https://preview.reelviews.net/movies/g/glory.html, accessed 7 June 2020.

Travers, P., 1995. Glory. Rolling Stone. Available at https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/glory-99832/, accessed 7 June 2020.

Critical response to 'The Immigrant' (2013)

The Immigrant, directed by James Gray, is a movie about 2 young women from Poland arriving in America. The women have been sent to the infamous Ellis island, looking for a better life after escaping their ravaged home in post–Great War Poland.
At the start of the film, both women are waiting to be let into America and Ewa’s sister Magda slips up a small cough, bringing attention from the officers to believe she is sick. While Magda is being examined, Ewa has been told that her relatives’ address is invalid and she cannot enter the USA without having someone to take care of her. Thus leaving no other choice but for the authorities to deport her. Luckily Bruno notices her and her fluency in English, bribes an officer to let Ewa go and takes her to his house. Knowing that Ewa had to make money for her sister to be released, Bruno lets her dance at the Bandits' Roost theatre and prostitutes her.
I would say that until that point, the historical part of the film ends and the film follows with romance and drama. There’s much more to cover on Ellis Island than just the corruption. The condition for those who were detained was inhumane. I believe that this part of history was touched too lightly.
In the following scenes, we are introduced to a new character called Emil. Ewa meets him at Ellis Island since she was slated for deportation again and like the first time, Bruno comes in to save her. Throughout the film, we learn that Bruno is romantically in love with Ewa and since this is a typical drama film, Emil is in love with her as well. This creates a plot between 2 men and a woman who are in a love triangle, although, Ewa loves neither of them. She justs wants her sister to be freed up and she doesn’t know any other way since Ewa’s uncle doesn’t help her.
If Gray actually would’ve wanted to create a historical movie, he should’ve left the drama out and showed us more of the actual history. Since this isn’t the case, I would have to comment on the drama itself. The protagonist, Ewa, has a two-dimensional personality as Rosalynn Try-Hane from Battle Royale With Cheese said. We only see some glimpse of strength from Ewa, but that isn’t enough to paint a bigger picture. Thus Ewa is seen as a victim only. Another writer, Donald Clarke, brings up the same point, thus making me believe that this was not only my opinion. We only have glimpses of every character’s personalities and we are being left out. Thus as Sarah Marrs from Cinemark says that it doesn’t really touch the audience. It more or less felt like it was a pilot for an upcoming series, not an actual movie.
The director could’ve adjusted to some personality changes to some of the characters throughout the movie and balanced the drama and history a tad bit better. All in all, the movie was watchable and the actors were great at portraying their roles. If you don’t have time to watch the whole film, definitely have a glimpse of the last shot, truly was magnificent.

Bibliography

Clarke, Donald. The Irish Times. 2013. Cannes review of The Immigrant. Available at https://www.irishtimes.com/blogs/screenwriter/2013/05/24/cannes-review-of-the-immigrant/, accessed 6 June 2020.
Marrs, Sarah. Cinesnark. 2013. CIFF Review: The Immigrant. Available at https://cinesnark.com/2013/10/15/ciff-review-the-immigrant/, accessed 6 June 2020.
Try-Hane, Rosalynn. Battle Royale With Cheese. 2013. The Immigrant – Review. Available at https://battleroyalewithcheese.com/2013/12/the-immigrant-review/, accessed 6 June 2020.

"Full metal jacket" dicussion

The discussion lesson started with a Kahoot and followed by discussion questions. At the end of the lesson, we asked everyone to give their general opinion on the film.
The lesson duration was 45 minutes.

KAHOOT Questions

1. Sgt. Hartman: “You're so ugly … (finish the sentence)

… you could model for death threats!”                 … you could be a modern art masterpiece!”

… you don’t need a costume for Halloween!”      ... your mother regrets not having an abortion!”
2. What was written on Private Joker's helmet?
"I Am Become Death"    "GO Death!"    "Born To Kill"   *peace sign*
3. What theme song were the men singing in the end?
The Simpsons    Tom & Jerry    Mickey Mouse    Scooby Doo
4. What year is it in the beginning of the film?
1957    1967    1978    1987
5. Which recruit is the first to have the pleasure of Sgt. Hartman in his face?
Snowball    Private Pyle    Private Joker    Cowboy
6. What is the name of the Island where the Marine recruits are training?
Cayman Island    Devils Island    Jacobs Island    Paris Island
7. How far from their chest must the recruits hold their rifle?
6''    2''    4''    8''
8. How many pull-ups is Pyle able to complete?
1    0    2    3
9. Who does Joker replace as squad leader?
Toe-Jam    Cowboy    Mother    Snowball
10. What name does Pyle give to his rifle?
Sherry Cherry Charlene Mary
11. Where was the movie filmed?
England    Paris    USA    Vietnam
12. What holiday did they celebrate while in boot camp?
Easter    Halloween    4th of July    Christmas
13. What rank is Hartman, the senior drill instructor?
Staff Sergeant    Gunnery Sergeant    Sergeant Major    Master Sergeant
14. Joker: “I looked forward to meet interesting and stimulating people from an ancient culture...
...and kill them."    ...and play catch with them."
… and share a big ol’ warm meal with them.”    ...and have their children.
15. What is the name of the publication Joker writes for?
Freedom fighters    Stars and Stripes    Red, white and blue    Liberal Daily
16. Why did the prostitute deny the black man of using her service?
He didn't have enough money    She didn't like black men
She believed that she couldn't handle the black men    She was already occupied
17. Who refers to the corpse of a Vietnamese man as his "bro"?
Eightball    Animal Mother    Doc Jay    Crazy Earl
18. What is the name of the song that opens the film?
"Welcome to America"    "Goodbye Vietnam"    "Hello Vietnam"    "So long America"
19. How many women appear in the film?
0    1    3    2
20. What is the term used for a soldier sent home due to mental illness?
Section 6    Section 8    Section 7    Section 9

Discussion Questions

1.Q: At the beginning of the film, Private Pyle appears to have a pleasant disposition as evidenced by his inability to quit grinning. After suffering the effects of basic training, he eventually becomes homicidal and suicidal. Is Private Pyle's demise a consequence of his training or poor decisions?
A: I believe that this was a consequence of poor decisions because he did finish his training and was accepted into infantry, although there was a scene, where his fellow trainees beat him up during the night causing him a lot of distress and making him delusional.

2. Q: At the end of basic training, Joker notes in narration, “The Marine Corps does not want robots. The Marine Corps wants killers. The Marine Corps wants to build indestructible men, men without fear.” Are the goals of the Marine Corps as stated by Joker achievable?

A: As we saw with Private Pyle, he became a killer, but not in a good way. Because his emotions controlled his actions, so thus why he killed Gunnery Sergeant Hartman and then himself. The goal of becoming a killer is possible, but not an indestructible man, as every human has emotions and sometimes you cannot control them.

3. Q: Concerning Lee Harvey Oswald and mass murderer Charles Whitman, Gunnery Sergeant Hartman states, "Those individuals showed what one motivated Marine and his rifle can do." Do you think Kubrick had a purpose for using these names in such a positive light?

A: I believe that Kubrick brought these men out as an example. He wanted the men to have a long-lasting impression and what's better than talking about the people they already know about. It shows that one motivated man with a rifle can change the course of history and shows how lethal Marines actually are.

4. Q: In the newspaper staff meeting, Joker's superior officer reviews all the proposed articles to make sure all of the stories have the desired effect on its readers. Does the given spin of these articles preserve the truth?

A: While all news writers must write about the truth, it isn’t always that way. Think about it like this: if you would tell every soldier that we are losing this war, then no soldier would have the motivation to actually go ahead and win it. It’s all about propaganda, people have all the power and their focus needs to be on winning the war.

5.Q: When Joker is asked by the colonel about his peace symbol and the words “Born to Kill” on his helmet, he replies, “I think I was trying to suggest something about the duality of man” or “The Jungian thing.” Why do you think that Joker had “Born to Kill” written on his helmet and also a peace symbol?

A: I believe that Joker was ready to kill every enemy that endangered him or his members, but he would never kill any innocent that wasn’t aggressive towards him.

6. Q: When Joker and Rafterman first meet Cowboy’s platoon, Joker and Animal Mother have a confrontation. Afterwards, Private Eightball tells Joker, “Now you may not believe it, but under fire Animal Mother is one of the finest human beings in the world. All he needs is someone to throw hand grenades at him the rest of his life.” Animal Mother appears to be the ideal soldier. When the first part of this film is taken into consideration, do you believe Animal Mother is a necessary product of being well trained?

A: Animal Mother was a product of a killer that the Marines wanted everyone to be, but he didn't have the humanity. Animal Mother was like Pyle, but without the emotions that Pyle had. He was well trained in a sense of handling a rifle, but he didn't obey the instructions given by higher positions.

7. Q: At the end of the movie, Joker hesitates to shoot the sniper. Why do you think he does that?

A:I think he was against the killing of women and children, but the child did actually shoot and kill 3 of Joker’s squad members including his old-time pal, so he wanted to pay back for what she has caused and he justifies himself with the fact that it was for her own good.

8. Q: In the scene, where the Vietnamese rushed the American’s base in the middle of the night. The Americans were notified immediately and took a stance at their bunkers. Do you think the Vietnamese took the right approach? What could have been done differently?

A: I believe that it was extremely stupid to rush from the entrance and not even try to shoot the Americans. It was basically a suicide mission without any damage to the enemy.

20th century of the USA

Iron Curtain

• Non-physical boundary dividing Europe into two separate areas from the end of World War II in 1945
• Later became a term for the 7,000-kilometre-long physical barrier
• The Iron Curtain extended to the airwaves as well
• Iron Curtain largely ceased to exist in 1989–90

Truman doctrine, policy of containment

• Harry S. Truman established that the US will provide assistance to all democratic nations under threat
• The Truman Doctrine arose on March 12, 1947
• US was afraid of the Soviet Union influence on the Greek war
• President Truman requested that Congress provide $400,000,000 worth of aid to both the Greek and Turkish Governments
• Strategy of "containment" is preventing the spread of communism

Arms race

• 
  

  Occurs when countries increase the size and quality of military resources to gain superiority over one another
• The United States didn’t notify the Soviet Union about the plan to drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima
• The start of the Cold War was in 1949, when the Soviets tested their own atomic bomb
• The Cold War ended in 1991; however many argue the arms race has not

McCarthy era

• 
  

  Byname for defamation of character by means of widely publicized indiscriminate allegations
• Sen. Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin was constantly investigating various government departments and questioning innumerable witnesses about their suspected communist affiliations without any evidence
• He failed to make a plausible case against anyone
• The public turned against McCarthy, and the Senate censured him

Korean War

• In August 1945, two young aides at the State Department divided the Korean peninsula in half along the 38th parallel
• The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, when North Korean People’s Army poured across the 38th parallel
• In July 1951, President Truman and his new military commanders started peace talks at Panmunjom
• Nearly 5 million people died

Role of J. F. Kennedy

• The 35th president of the United States, youngest U.S. presidents
• Kennedy confronted mounting Cold War tensions in Cuba, Vietnam and elsewhere, provided federal support for the growing civil rights movement
• In July 1963, Kennedy won his greatest foreign affairs victory in signing a nuclear test ban treaty
• On November 22, 1963, Kennedy was struck twice, in the neck and head, and was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at a nearby hospital

Critical response to The Help (2011)

The movie starts off with showing us, how the Jim Crow era was like. There were multiple scenes of blatant racism, which back in the day was normal. Blacks had to use different bathrooms and go to different schools than whites. The coloured people were not even allowed to sit on the same bus and if they did, they had to give the seats to the whites. I couldn't imagine this happening in today's USA. I believe that Tate Taylor has shown us a fantastic brief overview, what was it like before the 60s and 70s.
If we were to be talking about the historical accuracy, then I would review it as a 3 out of 5, but I do have to comment on the stereotypes of the African Americans. Antonia Quirke from Financial Times commented that this movie suffered from an obscure amount of stereotypes. The only food that the blacks cooked was fried chicken. Now, I have not lived in that era, but I am almost certain that the coloured people ate more than just fried chicken. It's a common stereotype even today that they only eat KFC, watermelons and drink Kool-Aid and I think that this is just a blatant lie. Another common stereotype is that every white person lived a luxurious life. Of course, the film was appointed to the history of the coloured people, but I have to comment on the life of the whites as well. Not everyone was riding luxurious cars and wearing fancy dresses, there were actually people that were in worse situations than the blacks, but don't get me wrong, altogether the coloured people suffered the most.
Moving away from the historical topic, we have the dramatic scenes that I would call as "woman's drama". Some scenes were just not understandable and felt like I was watching a soap opera. For example, whenever Aibileen stands up to Hilly at the end of the film. Aibileen insults Hilly and therefore Elizabeth orders Aibileen to leave. Aibileen gets her chance to talk to Mae Mobley, the daughter of Elizabeth, and bids farewell to her. This upsets Elizabeth and she starts to cry and just stand in place, while Hilly stands in front of the door, also supposedly crying. As Aibileen leaves she grabs her stomach and it seems like she is having stomach pain and moments after she is totally fine and just walks it off. I believe that this scene was just unnecessary and incomprehensible. If Taylor would've wanted this film to be historically accurate then I would've suggested to leave out the drama and actual research the period better. Even Keith Uhlich from Time Out sarcastically said that there's nothing a little race-transcending girl power won't cure. Which from his point of view the movie was all about, a white woman named Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, who saved the blacks by writing a book. The writer could've concentrated more on the risk that the blacks were taking by contributing to this book, not the actual writer, who had her life all intact. But looking at the fact the writer himself is also white, this doesn't even amuse me.

SOURCES

Uhlich, Keith. “The Help - Movie Reviews.” Rotten Tomatoes, 10 Aug. 2011, www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_help/reviews?type=top_critics&sort=&page=2.

Quirke, Antonia. “The Help - Movie Reviews.” Rotten Tomatoes, 27 Oct. 2011, www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_help/reviews?type=top_critics&sort=.

The Help

The US has had controversial judgments to the coloured people before, but in the Civil Rights era, a lot was about to change. The coloured people had gotten more rights as time went on, but after this era, they could feel themselves becoming actually free. Before 1954 all-white public schools refused to admit the coloured people, which was outrageous, so the schools were ordered to integrate. Still, this was not enough since some African Americans received harassment and insults when trying to attend Little Rock Central High School, so the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People) had to be formed. Sadly, this was all erased by the Jim Crow laws, which stated that coloured people couldn't use the same public facilities nor have interracial marriages. For that reason many years later on August 28th, 1963, 250 000 people gathered for the Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech, which drew the attention to the inequality for the coloured. One could say that this was the reason, why in 1964 the Civil Rights Act was written and in 1965 the Voting Rights act was passed through. This ended the discrimination on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex or national origin, at least it was written down as a law. We all know that racism is still even in today's world, but it definitely is better than it was 70 years ago. I hope that one day we could say that racism is the thing of the past.

Immigrant

Throughout history, there were lots of immigration waves to the US. Everything dates back to 1607, but since it was mainly undocumented, we don't know a lot about that period. In the second wave (the 1830s-1880s) most of the immigrants came from Germany, Ireland and the UK. For example, the German immigrants travelled to the USA to buy farms and all of this resulted in anti-immigrant sentiment. The next wave came in 1892 and this wave is separated by the fact of opening the Ellis island. This was the place where 12 million immigrants passed through in the period of 62 years. Near the Ellis island, there was a statue built to symbolize freedom and democracy, the Statue of Liberty. Currently, on Ellis Island, there is a museum running that was opened in 1990. You can visit their website on https://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/immigration-museum. If you look at the graphs of immigration waves, then you can see a large decline after 1924. This was because of the Reed-Johnson Immigration Act, which limited the number of immigrants allowed entry into the US through a national origins quota. In the present day, the US has more immigrants than any other country. About half of the current immigrants are Mexican and this has come to the attention recently due to Donald Trump addressing this situation. The suggestion of building a wall near the American-Mexican border didn't work out since the wall should have cut through homes and mountains and that is why the plan has failed.