Epiphany

 

Bag Moved by a Benevolent Force

I said I would point out some camera shots or angles that are typical in film (often used).

Master shot: Camera stays back and the actors into and out of the shot

Turning point: when something important happens to change the movie

Epiphany: when we suddenly understand something very important about life

Static character: a person in a story who does not change

Dynamic character: person in a story who does change

Cutaway shot: the scene starts in a master shot. There is a conversation, but it continues in a closeup shot.

In English literature, flower pedals pulled off the flower mean loss of innocence. Growing up.

Roses represent the battle of sexes. Man against woman. Husband against/hating wife. I don't misogyny. x

Some famous directors, Roman Polanski, for example, say the music should not match the scene and guide our feelings. The music should be the opposite of the scene or clash with what is happening.

1.            They want you thinking of many things.

2.            They want to break a mindless focus or spacing out

3.            Irony.

Materialism: believing owning lots of stuff brings happiness

Irony: Did it make this woman happy?

Foreshadowing: Why does the father say "You can't just go around doing whatever you like. There are rules."

What are the rules for specifically? They are for having straight relationships, not gay relationships.

Why is the father so homophobic? Psychology going on here.

Gay people used to taught that being gay was wrong or immoral.

So, gay people had to hide being gay. But some gay people really hated themselves. So, the psychological idea is that people that are the most homophobic or violent people toward gay people do it because they are gay and are fighting themselves.

At the start of the movie, Lester says he will be dead in a year.

Bird's eye view camera shot

Mid Term Exam

For the Midterm Exam, please learn these words or phrases: column, ice cream, synonym, misogyny, misanthrope, paragraph, homophobic, genre, science fiction, explain, disillusioned, director, disillusioned, hint, hatred, mistrust, chronological, hitman, briefcase, structure, respect, chopper, mistrust, picaresque, gold digger, pay homage to, is, dork, do, materialism, dysfunction, similar, match cut, image, eat, hatred, film, literature, pulp, good

Midterm Exam is next week. I will send the information by tomorrow night at the latest.

Part One: vocabulary I will tell you the vocabulary to study, so check your email

Part Two: comprehension questions. I will ask questions about the movies we have watched

Part Three: Paragraph

 

Who has seen American Beauty?

Genre: comedy, coming of age movie (turning from a child to an adult), drama

Themes:

Homophobia: hating gay people / being afraid of gay people

Adultery: having sexual relations with someone other than your husband / wife; cheating on your spouse

Family dysfunction: when you don’t talk to the people in your family; you live together, but you don’t really know those people

Materialism: love to buy things because you are a sad person; you think owning nice things will make you happy; shallow view

Mid-life crisis: when you get to around 40 to 50 years old and you hate your job and life becomes uninteresting

Am I talking about happy themes? This movie seems to be full of unhappy lives. So why is the title called “American Beauty?”

“In a way, I’m dead already.” He has lost feeling for his life.  

Mother: “I watched you closely. You did not screw up once.” 

Screw up: make a mistake

The mother actually expects the daughter to lose or not succeed.

Very negative parenting.

Let’s watch his posture.

Slouch.

Misanthrope

 

Misanthrope: someone who hates other people for being stupid

Misogyny: hatred of women

Homophobic: hatred of gay people

George just got married. Phil it seems is gay. Phil is also an angry man. Why?

This is 1925. America was very homophobic then. It was even illegal. You could go to jail for being gay. Before, people thought being gay was a sickness that could be cured. Now, we think it is just how we are born. So, maybe Phil is angry at himself too.

He keeps talking about Bronco Henry. His brother does NOT like to talk about Bronco Henry.

1.           Perhaps Phil and Bronco Henry were lovers.

2.           Perhaps Bronco Henry is NOT real. Maybe he is a dream.

The director is a woman. How does this show in the movie? She can see a woman being bullied by man and understand that better than a man.

Phil went to Yale University and graduated number one. He studied Classics, which are ancient Greece and Rome. He knows a lot about myths. Again, is Bronco Henry a myth or real?

Phil seems to be torturing her. What will he do next to torture Rose? How did he save his mother? By murdering Phil, who was torturing her.  He used the raw hide that was laced with anthrax. He poisoned Phil.

He is not as weak as he looks. Phil thought he was weak. Phil is super smart and educated. But Peter outsmarted him.

Homework: Answer the questions with a sentence or two apiece. Remember to explain your answer.

1.           How did Peter save his mother? Was it moral?

2.           Do you think Bronco Henry is real or a figment of Phil’s imagination?

3.           Why does Rose start to drink alcohol?

4.           What are some hints that the director might be a woman?