The documentary The Last Repair Shop is also on Disney +
Holocaust. For example, Nazi Germany killed 6,000,000 Jews
in WWII. This man is Armenian. There is a lot of prejudice against Armenian
people in Turkey. Before WWI, 1,000,000 Armenian people were killed in
holocaust.
Documentary.
The next genre is historical fiction. The history is true.
The protagonist is not true.
The Last of the Mohicans, directed by Michael Mann. Michael
Mann started out directing music videos on MTV. Then he did TV.
Colonies. Taiwan was a colony of Japan from 1895 to 1945.
Canada is a colony of Britain.
The movie is based on an early book from American
literature. It was written in 1826. In the novel, the protagonist Hawkeye is
much older than the female protagonist and there is no romance.
History lesson. France and England got in a fight over land
in the US in 1756. They went to war for seven years in Europe and North
America. England won and Canada became their colonies. But in 1776, America
revolted against England and won. And France helped. But finally, France was
broke from helping America.
The director loves tracking shots with the camera. When the
camera follows the actor who is moving.
Scalping. They cut off the top of the head to prove they
killed English. The French will pay for the scalps of their enemies as will the
English.
The first white people to come to America were usually poor
in Europe. That is why they wanted to go to America. To get some free land. But
the cost of the ship tickets was expensive and they did not have money. So
farmers in America would pay for their tickets, but they had to work for the
farmers for a certain amount of time to pay the money back. They usually worked
for free. This is called indentured service. After they paid the money back,
they would go to Indian land because that was the free land.
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The Last of the Mohicans is considered one of first great
American novels.
Mohican is an Indian tribe. Aboriginal.
We are taught now not to say Indian tribe. We are supposed
to say first nation. This is a historical fiction, so we need to discuss
history to understand the context (background). Christopher Columbus
“discovered” America in 1492. He is not even the first white person to come
here. The Vikings came 400 years earlier.
One important theme here is revenge.
The French General Montcalm. He died in 1763 at the Battle
of Quebec. In that battle, the English General Wolfe also died.
Idiom “Bury the hatchet” means to forgive each other and not
fight anymore. Hatchet is an Indian weapon. Tomahawk.
Epic or picaresque: movie where the protagonist is forced to
travel, move
Protagonist: hero of the story, movie, etc.
If you want to negotiate, first you have “run the gauntlet.”
The irony or twist of fate is who the last Mohican is. We
assume throughout the movie it is the son. But the last Mohican is actually the
dad.
Bowdlerize: when you change a famous story (and usually make
it worse) for Hollywood.
In the book, Hawkeye is old and strange. He talks to his gun
like it is his wife.
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Last week, we did The Last of the Mohicans (1826). Some say
it is the first great American novel. This week, we will do Life Aquatic, which
is a parody of Moby Dick. People say it is the greatest 19th Century
novel of America, maybe anywhere. Moby Dick is about revenge. A whale named
Moby Dick destroys a boat and kills most of the people on the boat. 1851. The
captain lived. It took him two years to return to Boston. He got a new boat.
The boats were for hunting whales. But he got the boat with a secret plan. To
find Moby Dick and kill it.
What does that whale really symbolize to people? What does
the whale represent? Why is chasing the whale or anything so important, to the
point it makes you crazy?
Parody: is a funny remake of a serious book or movie.
Herman Melville.
Misanthrope: it when people hate other people because they
think they are stupid
He just became a knight in Portugal
He is singing David Bowie in Portuguese
Wes Anderson is paying homage to Casablanca.
Shakespeare’s last play is called the Tempest. It about a
King who is in prison on an island. So he studies all the time. He wants to
find a way to get revenge on the people who put him on the island. Finally, he
becomes so smart that he knows magic and can control the wind. When his enemies
are in a boat, he makes them come to the island using his magic wand. He found
out he did not want to be controlled by his emotions or need revenge. People
also think that Prospero is Shakespeare.
