Memorize these words for the test. Then you will be fine:
column, synonym, symbolic, definition, misanthrope, picaresque, is, pay homage to, positive, static character, foreshadow, chronological, heirloom, tracking shot, hints, paragraph, plot, setting, autistic, protagonist, Iconic, shot (from a camera), cameo, skills, stereotype, government, ambiguous, combination number (from a lock), briefcase, explain, details, near the start, introduce
Seven, directed by David Fincher
I have never taught Seven before. So, I will be looking for a closer understanding like you. The director is David Fincher. He is interested in the psychology of criminals.
Crime. Genre
is detective or police flick. Drama. Tragedy. Film Noir. A movie with a 1940s
influence. Nothing is good. People are evil. Be nervous about your neighbors.
Usually the protagonist (the hero) is jaded. That means usually an older
character who has had many bad experiences and now does not trust anyone.
Morgan Freeman’s character. Brad Pitt’s character is an idealist. He thinks the
future can be better. Usually a younger, family man who is innocent.
They are
foils. That means when the two main characters have opposite personalities.
Seven for
the Seven Deadly Sins. People think this is from The Bible. It is not in The
Bible, but it is Christian thinking. The Seven Deadly Sins were written by Pope
Gregory in 590 A.D.
Pope is the
boss of the Catholic Church.
The Seven
Deadly Sins are seven things good Christians can not do.
Remember The
Bible is full of rules on how to behave in the society to be a good person in
the society.
1.
Pride:
you think you are great, better than other people
2.
Greed:
want to own lots of stuff
3.
Wrath:
get angry too easily
4.
Envy:
want what other people have
5.
Lust:
always want to have sex
6.
Gluttony:
eat too much
7.
Sloth: lazy
Misanthrope:
you will see this idea of misanthrope again and again in literature; literature
influences film
A person who
is pretty smart and hates other people for being stupid
Twist of
fate: surprise ending / finish to a story
Why does it
always rain in this movie?
I can’t get
involved in this. Why? He is retiring. There is not enough time. But maybe he
agrees with the killer. Misanthrope.
Canterbury
Tales is the first famous book written in English. 1370. He is reading
something that is very hard. But, he is using Cliff’s Notes. Cliff’s Notes are
for students that don’t understand Shakespeare, Milton, Chaucer or difficult
literature. They tell what happened in a simple way in modern English. They are
good for high school. You remember the old guy went to the library and read all
of the original books.
Both the
killer and the older cop are university educated at least as they both read a
lot of old books. Misanthrope. Smart, but you hate other people for being
stupid.
Foreshadow:
a hint of how the movie or story will conclude or finish
Why is the
director emphasizing the boxes?
Noah and the
Ark: God tells Noah to build an ark. He makes it rain for 40 days and 40
nights.
What does
the metronome symbolize?
Time
passing. Boredom.
Criminal
psychology. Method. He is cutting off his fingernails. This helps the criminal
to disappear.
John Milton
is a famous, 17th poet. His most famous poem is called Paradise Lost.
Back to the Bible again. Paradise means heaven. The poem is about God and the
Devil going to war, and why God threw the Devil out of heaven. Now the devil
lives in hell.
The
importance of the road trip in Western Literature and film.
Why?
It goes back
to The Bible, when Paul, an important writer of it, found enlightenment (deep
understanding of life) on the road to Damascus.
It is also
an easy way to write a long story.
Picaresque:
when the heroes (protagonists) usually without a lot of money are forced to
take road trip.
Autism: they
like rituals (which do everything the same from day to day)
Kmart
(Walmart): it is where poor Americans go to buy clothes
Dementia
Stereotype
Midwest:
people there are poor and uneducated (flyover states)
Static
character (actor in a movie): someone who does not change; they are the same at
the end of the movie
Dynamic
character: does change
Tom Cruise
is a dynamic character. Is Rain Man a dynamic character?
This scene
is weird and uncomfortable. You will see the reason for this scene later.
Homework: Answer the following questions. Write a couple of sentences for each. Remember to explain what you write.
1. Is Charlie (Tom Cruise) a dynamic character?
2. Is Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) a dynamic character?
3. Why is the theme "on the road" important in Rain Man?
Iconic Shot
If it is not broken, don’t fix it.
Homework:
Pulp Fiction is not in chronological order. I think there are seven scenes
(there might be more). Write a sentence to describe each scene. Put the scenes
back in chronological order.
1.
When
Butch the boxer gets the watch – he is a boy still.
Do NOT email it to me. Put it on a hard copy.
He looks like Ringo, the drummer from The Beatles. He is
mocking him.
The genre is drama. It is also from literature picaresque.
This is when the protagonist (main actor or character) escapes by going on a
road trip. Usually, they did not plan to take the trip. Usually, they don’t
have much money. They have lots of adventures and learn something. Long trip is
called a journey.
Rain Man
Dustin Hoffman has autism. This is when you can do math and
remember almost everything, but are not good at dealing with society or
relationships. They don’t have sympathy.
Rain Man has a meaning in the movie that is explained. But
Rain Man is also a shaman (religious man from Indian culture).
Tom Cruise, the younger man, is very selfish and unkind. His
older brother is autistic.
Does his older brother help to heal him and make him a good
person.
Ambiguous: more than one meaning
Static character: a person who does NOT change in the story
and has the same personality at the end
Dynamic character: a person who does change
Tom Cruise’s character is dynamic. How and why?
Pay homage to: copy a famous scene from a famous movie to
show respect (and joke around)
Iconic picture: a picture everyone recognizes (important in
meaning)
What does it mean?
It’s the start of the journey.
Literally (truly) : picaresque; they will go to Los Angeles
Metaphor: the two characters’ personalities going to change
(journey)
America is also a very religious country, more than most
Western countries. The idea of road trip originally comes from The Bible. Paul
found enlightenment (meaning) on the road to Damascus in The Bible.
The doctor said he has his rituals (something he always must
do or have). Tapioca pudding.
Chronological (linear) order: first, second, third, fourth
Why is Pulp
Fiction not in chronological order?
Life is not
organized. Unexpected things happen to us. It is full of chaos.
Why is the
watch important to Butch (the fighter) then?
1.
Family
heirloom: something important that you get from your ancestors
2.
A
watch represents organization. It always goes in chronological order. It gives
the boxer stability in a crazy world.
What was in the
briefcase? A lot of people think it was the gangster’s soul.
Tracking shot
Now he is happy because
he has the watch. That is chronological order. Listen to the song. “Counting
Flowers on the Wall.”
Now he turns the idea of pride on the
gangster.
Vietnam War:
America v. Vietnam (1965 to 1975)
Gimp: means weak person; it is quite
rude; we used to call disabled people gimps
Hillbilly:
white trash; poor, uneducated white people in America
Cameo:
famous person in movie for a very short time
Attendance
10%: for every hour of class you miss, I will deduct 1% from your grade.
Homework:
20%
Three
homework for 5% each. I will give one 5% for free.
Midterm 30%:
I will tell you the words to study.
Every movie
we study will be a different genre: science fiction, comedy, horror,
documentary, drama, etc…
Our first
movie will be comedy. We could say it is a dark comedy. Dark means evil.
Pulp
Fiction: which was set in Los Angeles in the early 1990s. The opening scene is
in a diner. The director/writer wrote the movie’s script in this diner. Tarantino.
He has a cameo role. The diner closed during COVID. The movie is not in
chronological order (linear order): First, second, third, 4th. First,
then, after, finally.
Why is the
movie NOT in chronological order? I think the answer is important to the
meaning the director wants to convey (tell us). There is not right answer or
wrong answer in understanding meaning. You must explain your interpretation. Also,
the director will give us some hints.
So no break.
I want to leave at 4.50.
Opening
credits: tell the names of the actor in the movies
Pulp Fiction
Fiction is a
story that is not true
Pulp: is the
flesh in an orange that we throw away
Usually when
we watch TV, we don’t really want to think. We are tired after work or school
and just want to rest our brains.
What is the
number on the briefcase?
The number
is important in The Bible. What does 666 represent? It is the number of the
Devil or Satan.
1. Please learn (or review) these words for the final exam: misanthrope, pun, Christian, bird's eye view, soul, uptight, chronological order, heirloom, peel, grapefruit, cameo, match cut, gangster, janitor, orphan, diner, script, plot, conclusion, briefcase, pulp, chopper, fiction, couple, sentences, paragraph, explain, trusting, title, sword, shorts, basement, theme, conclude, characters
2. I am away this week; therefore, I will give all the students an extra week to hand in homework. The homework deadline is June 10. We will look at all of the grades before we start the final exam. You can check then to see if you are missing any homework assignments.
