Cinema

French Cinema The scene from the movie Rules of The Game by Jean Renoir shows many camera techniques and uses the camera to clench the true meaning of the screen. I will be discussing and analyzing the scene. The film beautifully demonstrates the use of precise shots and perfectly executed scenes. Throughout the scene of The Rules of the Game the camera is like another person in the room. It is invisible and wanders throughout the building almost like it is someone following what is happening.

This makes for an interesting and new perception never seen before by film viewers. At one point in the scene the camera gets trapped and has to zoom out as though it is being caught. Along with the presence of the camera you can notice rack focusing, the lighting is obviously controlled. The scene begins with a near foreground and pans out to far background as they move throughout the building. One of the greatest aspects of the scene and the film is the incredibly long takes and long shots.

This allowed us to be able to grasp whatever we wanted to see in every shot. Jean Renoir used montage editing; this gave the audience the freedom to choose what they wanted to see within the scene. The viewers are able to edit their own idea of the shot. As the scene progresses the camera moves weightlessly with the focus on the foreground while the two in the background escape through a door. The use of separation from the hallway to the main room acts as a sort of barrier between shots.

Although on take it feels as though it is separated into two. The primary focus of this shot is to establish the idea that Schumacher is looking for Saint-Aubin. The concept is that the viewer needs to choose who to look at. It forces the viewer to be crossed between the main focus and the deep focus. There is no cut of the camera which would cause all prior viewer attention to be diminished. Because of the fluid camera movement it makes for a realization of what is going on in the background. The final concept is the montage that Jean Renoir uses.

The faint light hearted piano music adds to an overall mood and feeling of the shot. For the most part the movie could be seen as dreary but this scene adds an almost lighthearted tone as they move from the conversation in the hallway to the bigger room. Overall the film scene is a masterpiece in that the camera moves in such a way that allows the viewer to feel like you are right in the action. With All the techniques put into this particular shot you can clearly see that this is one of the greatest films ever made.

i SAE Institute London Written Assignment WHY ARE CHILDREN USED AS PROTAGONISTS IN IRANIAN CINEMA : A LOOK INTO MAJID MAJIDI’S ‘THE CHILDREN OF HEAVEN ’ (1997)? Iman Yusufali 15346 FF1011 20 August 2012 Word count: 3300 approx. ii DECLARATION: I hereby declare that I wrote this written assignment on my own and without the use of any other than the cited sources and tools and all explanations that I copied directly or in their sense are marked as such, as well as that the dissertation has not yet been handed in neither in this nor in equal form at any other official commission. Date: 20 August 2012 Place: London, U.

K. Signature: IMAN YUSUFALI iii Table of Content Title Page Declaration Page Table of content Essay Reference List i ii iii 1 7 1 WHY ARE CHILDREN USED AS PROTAGONISTS IN IRANIAN CINEMA : A LOOK INTO MAJID MAJIDI’S ‘THE CHILDREN OF HEAVEN ’ (1997)? Iranian cinema has numerous successful movies that have been viewed internationally, that use children as protagonists and child heroes who have to go through daily life struggles. These films include ‘Children of Heaven’, ‘Colour of God’ by Majid Majidi, ‘The White Balloon’, ‘Mashq-e Shab’ (homework) by Kiarostami and Ab Bad Khak (water, wind, dust) by Amir Naderi.

The innocence of a child and the impromptu acting is sure to affect the way the story is told and witnessed by the viewers. Therefore what we are going to explore in this essay is what children could possibly represent and symbolise in films, why Iranian cinema in particular has used this notion of child-hero and we will also be analysing Majid Majidi’s film ‘The Children of heaven’ (1997) step by step, how he uses children as protagonists and what they represent in film.

Ultimately, we will understand the effect of using the child-hero in films and how the audiences interpret the film. Moreover, we shall be considering what children symbolize and represent in films and what they convey through their naturalistic performances. Additionally, we examine how the Iranian cinema changed post revolution and in what ways the filmmakers were forced to conform to the censorship prohibitions laid down by the strict government of Iran.

Likewise, we will be analysing Majid Majidi’s Oscar nominated film from 1997; ‘The Children of Heaven’ and how it conforms to these censorship laws, as well as its success in being able to attract a large international audience simultaneously, who could relate and sympathise with it’s child-hero, Ali. Using sources and references such as the World Wide Web, journals, books and reviews we arrive at our conclusion.

It might not make sense why these questions in particular need to be answered, however my personal experiences living in Iran, my interest in Iranian cinema and my knowledge of the Persian language would be the first reason as to why this topic was chosen. Secondly, I strongly believe these are questions that one needs to consider and research whilst studying digital filmmaking, since using a child hero instead of an adult hero could have a major impact on the way a message of a film and the emotions within it, are communicated and perceived.

This will result in the realization that a tainted adult cannot communicate the same messages and performances, as a pure child is able to. 2 Many films worldwide use children as lead roles in their stories; as has been seen in Hollywood, Bollywood, Iranian and Italian cinema in films such as, ‘Hugo’ (2011), ‘Tare zameen par’ (2007), ‘Children of Heaven’ (1997) and ‘Bicycle Thieves’ (1948). Why use children as protagonists? Is it not possible for adults to play the hero instead?

Children have a sense of realness about them, a world of their own not yet tainted by adult distrust, dishonesty and disbelief. Children symbolise an untouched reality not influenced by the world as yet. (Marco Grosoli, 2011) Children have an independent life off set that gives them a feel of realism thus allowing audiences to trust their performances and actually believe and empathize with them. (Richard Tapper, 2002) This trueness gives children a sense of being ‘real’ and part of the common people thus portraying how people are or what people should really be like. Richard Tapper, 2002) Children are frequently used to scrutinize the grown-up world in addition to a world of their own. (David Morrison, n. d. ) Thus, it seems that children are not always valued for their child like ways but sometimes for their prospective great future in the mature world. (Iris Shepard, 2010) Kathy Jackson author of Representations of the Child in American Film also suggests that a child generally represents a hopeful future while an evil or demonic child would represent the evils of a society at large. Iris Shepard, 2010) The pureness of a child is a mere reflection of a tainted grown up person. (Marco Grosoli, 2011) Perhaps it is the fact that they are so impulsive in their ways and are more adaptable and less self-aware in front of the camera that children are a means in films to show reality. To put things into perspective, children are “naturals at being natural. ”(Jonathon Jones, 2000) hence these ‘real people’ enlighten audiences with real messages. Their own past life experiences affect their performances in being even more credible.

From what we have said so far, one can gather that children can represent good and evil but all in a convincing and realistic manner. Children can symbolize society and even people’s alter egos. (Richard Tapper, 2002) We now have a brief idea as to why filmmakers would use children as protagonists, how their performance effect the audience and in what way they understand the story, this would then leads us to our next question why did Iranian cinema use this method?

The evidence to suggest that Iranian cinema had a tendency to use child protagonists comes with the sheer volume of films made with this concept. Amir Naderi’s Davandeh (the runner)(1986) and Ab Bad Khak (water, wind, dust)(1987), Abbas Kiarostami’s Khaneh Doust Kojast? (Where is my friend’s house? )(1986) tells the story of a child who is caught up in a inconsiderate adult world and in his Mashq-e Shab(homework)(1987), a documentary about the schooling structure, Kiarostami sat in conversation with the children.

In Gal(Scabies)(1987), Abolfazl Jalili tells us about the trials of a young delinquent in prison and, Raqs-e khak(dance of dust)(1991), explores into the realm of child labourers, these films are just the films that got international acclaim excluding the many more films made with the concept of a childhero. (Rosa Issa and Sheila Whitaker, 1999) As to the reason behind this type of story telling, we will have to discuss and explore further into the Iranian society.

Iranian filmmakers, especially post revolution throughout the 1980s, have had a hard time with governmental regulations to be able to make films according to their own visions and directorial style. This is when children became an elemental part of the Iranian film industry. (Rosa Issa and Sheila Whitaker, 1999) 3 One might wonder why a sudden shift came about during and after the revolution, it seems the revolution itself, the occupation of US embassy and the 8 year war between Iraq and Iran had serious implications on the Iranian cinema and what was directed and produced in the country.

Resulting in the Iranian cinema being influenced by Islamic rulings, an anti-western outlook and propaganda. The afore-mentioned incidents created a shift in the world’s perception of the Iranian people. The outside world now saw the Iranian people as cruel and barbaric, all this only from the lack of communication with the outside communities. Accordingly, cinema was the only method in which Iran could paint a completely different, more humane, vision of the Iranian people to the rest of the planet. Hamid Reza Sadr, 2006) Limitations employed on certain topics such as the illustration of love interactions between opposite genders and violence, added to the trend of substituting adults with children as heroes (usually playing the roles of brother and sisters). The children are sometimes were even allowed to sing songs in child hero films, which is still forbidden in Iranian films till today. (Rosa Issa and Sheila Whitaker, 1999) The child-hero movies are to a certain extent, a channel through which filmmakers sidestep restrictions that they would have had with adult-hero movies. Jonathon Jones, 2000) Some films like ‘The Apple’ (1998), are seen by Times magazine as a masked confrontation on the mullahs, with the children signifying the new young Iran’s refusal to allow further religious control. (Jonathon Jones, 2000) Thus, children were also used to symbolize the youth of the whole country at large in their political positions. Furthermore, making viewers and audiences relate to the subjection of a child makes them in turn able to engage with the nature of the Iranian society and what it means and feels like, to be as subjected and as helpless as the child in the film. Jonathon Jones, 2000) Hence, children were not only used to symbolize the young Iran’s political and social positions but to actually make the audience understand and identify with the feelings that come by living in such a society. The recurrent hire of kids as actors is double in its implication as Persian filmmakers use the theatrical and melodramatic abilities of kids by showing them as troubled by destitution and unjust policies. Nevertheless, the use of youngsters is likewise a method that permits directors to evade those strict censorship laws that relate explicitly to the depiction of men and women in films.

In movies like Majid Majidi’s Bache-ha-ye Asman (Children of Heaven, 1997) and Rang-e Khoda (The Colour of Paradise, 1999), the relationships featured are often pairs of young brothers and sisters who together must overcome the rigid dictates of their parents. Therefore, the purpose of children in Iranian cinema is inconsistent: they are, in one way used to evade the strict censorship laws and prohibitions that come with making films in Iran but simultaneously these children are shown to be restricted by the same system. Rosa Holman, 2006) Many films are arranged against a vivid natural setting to add gravity to the storyline (Linda Aronson, 2001), which in turn exaggerates the inner and emotional occurrences of the hero in a film. Likewise children can be used as symbols whose external battles and experiences relate to the broader problems in society. (Rosa Holman, 2006) Another possible reason for the placement of children as protagonists in Iranian cinema, would be that children are less likely to be judged because their performance embodies individual incidents and intimate sentiment.

This emotional performance brings the audience to believe what they are seeing is the ‘real world’. This in turn leads the audience to empathize with the struggles of the child not as the child’s but as their own. Consequently, taking out all sorts of social illnesses within the audience and giving them a sense of communal understanding. (Richard Tapper, 2002) 4 The use of children to manipulate the mature audience’s feelings is a method that has been long used by Iranian filmmakers. Rosa Issa and Sheila Whitaker, 1999) Also this approach, of a child being a hero, portrays them as greater symbols of men and women and even sometimes as “everyone’ alter egos”. (Richard Tapper, 2002) However it appears that the filmmakers in Iran did not employ the notion of child hero in their stories, merely to evade censorship prohibitions or to get the children’s natural performances on camera. Having children especially in Iranian films let the international viewers delve deep into a child’s world, whose lives and lifestyles may be very different from the viewers’, but whose concerns is one in the same universally. Hamid Reza Sadr, 2006) Perhaps, in a child’s universe time is unlike that of time in an adult’s world i. e. the concept of time is not that of the real world it is more adaptable and more changeable, it can be still entirely or can be fast-forwarded just like a film. It is the quintessence of child’s play where even a “boy blowing a bubble” can hold the time in suspense just to enjoy that very moment and not let it pass by. Jonathan Jones, 2000) The comprehension of why the child-hero was used so widely in Iranian cinema leads us to our last point of discussion: An exploration of the use of child protagonists in Majid Majidi’s film, ‘The Children of Heaven’ (1997). After having watched the film, it is apparent that Ali, the child protagonist in ‘The Children of Heaven’ has represented all that a child should represent in film, from his au-natural acting to his innocent tears we see so very often throughout the film.

In the adult world, we separate children from ourselves as not being able to feel or go through the same emotional and spiritual experiences as we do. Also as grown ups one feels that children have it easy in life and are not as affected by daily problems and issues. However, Majid Majidi in this film illustrates to Iran and the world that children in fact are more receptive to emotions and have a heightened sense of fear and distress than we as adults, realise. (Maria Garcia, n. d. “The young hero of Majid Majidi’s ”Children of Heaven” is played by Mir Farrokh Hashemian, a desolate-looking boy with huge brown eyes and a way of sending tears suddenly rolling down his cheeks. Those tears well up with some regularity during this film about 9-year-old Ali, his younger sister Zahra (Bahareh Seddiqui) and their scheme for sharing a pair of his tattered sneakers. ” (Janet Maslin, 1999) We see such depictions of high emotions every time Ali cries or feels guilt or strives to recompense for his sister’s lost shoes.

The first time this is shown in the movie is in the beginning when Ali loses his sister’s shoes and goes looking for it under all the wooden vegetable cartons and even though he is shouted at cries and tells the grocer that his sister’s shoes were there and now they are not there any more. (Majid Majidi, 4:50, 5:19) The second time we see Ali troubled with the burden of losing his sister’s shoes is when he comes back home, stops and looks at his sister’s smiling face. At first he does not have the heart to tell her but she goes to look at them and he is forced to tell her the truth.

Both children start crying here. Zahra, Ali’s sister, cries because she does not know what she will wear to school the next day and Ali cries because he’s looked everywhere and feels guilty and knows his father cannot afford to buy a new pair of shoes and pleads with Zahra not to tell their mother and to make up runs back out of the house and goes back to the grocers bravely to look for the shoes even refusing to play with his friends at their request. (Majid Majidi, 6:48, 6:50, 7:10, 7:15, 7:21, 7:26, 7:45, 7:50, 8:00, 8:20, 8:40, 9:15) 5

Yet again we see Ali crying because his father tells him off for running out of the house and not waiting to help his mother. Ali’s father tells him he is now 9 years old and grown up that he needs to be more responsible. All Ali can do is cry out of guilt and fear even though he is doing his best. (10:42, 10:50) Even when Zahra threatens to tell their father, Ali tries to explain to her that this will cause more damage then her having no shoes as he has no money to buy her new shoes. So he being a loving brother suggests they share shoes and in tries to compensate by giving her a brand new pencil. Majid Majidi, 14:30, 15:08, 15:30, 15:49) Ali’s emotions get the best of him when he becomes agitated with his sister for coming late and in turn making him late for school. This happens because Ali is afraid of being caught by the principal of the school who always seems to be lurking around to catch late children. (Majid Majidi, 19:24, 19:36, 20:38) When Ali comes back home Zahra expresses her distaste of the dirty shoes and says she just cannot where dirty shoes. Ali who simply says, “We’ll wash it”, solves this issue making his sister smile.

He knows how to make his sister happy without getting caught by his parents. (Majid Majidi, 21:15, 21:31) On the television there is a program informing the viewer’s dangers of not wearing the proper type of shoes and this makes Ali worry about his sister. (Majid Majidi, 23:25, 23:38) Zahra cannot sleep at night because she is worried the rain might wet their shoes and she wakes Ali up. Ali gets up and gets the shoes right in time. No matter what happens Ali makes sure nothing happens to these shoes a lesson learnt well. Majid Majidi, 23:57, 24:05, 24:25) When one of the shoes slips off her foot into the gutter full of water, she gets fed up of this sharing and tells Ali that she’s going to tell their father. Ali tells her he’s not afraid of the beating that he might get but he thought she would understand that their father is the one who will get upset for not being able to buy a pair of shoes and that he’ll have to take a loan and if he gets in debt, so on and so forth. (Majid Majidi, 29:45, 29:58, 30:21) Ali tries to make his little sister understand the concept of self-sacrifice.

Another scene where Ali’s emotional side comes to play is when he says no to his friend’s request to come to play in the finals for the football league. He maintains his principals and recognizes his responsibilities when he answers negatively, stating that his mother is ill. (Majid Majidi, 32:20, 32:44) If you want a heart-melting scene of kindness to ones sibling look no further. Ali gets one of the highest marks in his Mathematics class and thus receives a pen as a gift. He runs home to find Zahra still not talking to him, to makeup he gives her this pen without thinking twice. Majid Majidi, 34:00, 34:21, 34:40) This is a true example of giving. Respecting his old neighbours, and giving them a bowl of hot soup, Ali is rewarded with a handful of nuts, raisins and sugar balls for which his very thankful. (Majid Majidi, 35:40, 36:20, 36:25, 36:30) Another crisis that takes place is when the principal catches Ali coming in late for the third time. This time he tells Ali to go back home and come back with his father. Ali tries to explain that his father works all the time and his mother is sick but the principal just thinks the boy is making excuses because he is afraid.

He goes out crying but gets allowed back into the school with the intercession of his teacher. (Majid Majidi, 43:05 – 43:55) 6 Ali like his father helps at the local mosque. Ali does the humbling job of putting all the shoes of the worshippers in order with his friends and then later on is called to serve the tea to all of those attending. (Majid Majidi, 46:40, 46:43, 47:40) Ali always listens to his parents never once disrespecting them even though as a child he is burdened with many chores.

Ali’s ability to play with a child he’s just met who is from a completely different background to him shows Ali’s ability to interact without judgment just enjoying the present. (Majid Majidi, 56:25) When Ali finds out that the third price of the national race is sports shoes he goes straight to the P. E. teacher’s office to out his name down for the race. He insists on this to the point of tears and promises to come first, the teacher cannot say no to Ali’s tear stained face. This illustrates that Ali is focused on compensating for a mistake he committed and making his sister happy.

As soon as he reaches home he does not wait a minute in telling her the good news. (Majid Majidi, 1:07:50, 1:08:12, 1:09:05, 1:10:08) All through the race Ali has flashbacks of his sister running back home to give him his shoes back for school and he hears her voice asking about the shoes. This motivates him to the point where he even is pushed over but stands right back up and continues to run. (Majid Majidi, 1:15:10, 1:18:26) In the end Ali wins first prize accidentally, which is good for everyone except him whose soul purpose was to win the shoes for his sister.

He goes back home disappointed and ashamed not knowing in the end that the father bought both them a new pair of shoes each. (Majid Majidi, 1:21:10, 1:22:03, 1:23:00, 1:23:30) In the end we see Ali sitting with his blistered feet in the fountain with all the golden fish surrounding his feet (Majid Majidi, 1:24:50) as if the good actions and intentions, attracted them to him likewise attracting all those who watched this film. In conclusion, we see that Majid Majidi’s child hero character, Ali, makes the audience empathise with him for his innocence, realness, innate goodness and his naturalness.

He really gets the message across; problems in society, how one should act responsible when they make a mistake, respecting one’s family, self sacrifice and so much more. This movie is completely with in the regulations Iran has set yet it identifies not only with the Iranian people rather by all of the world. “What follows is a beautiful telling of a childhood adventure, a touching portrait of sibling-hood, and among other things, an immersive portrayal of life in poverty. The film is surprisingly poignant, and quietly gives us different perspectives on the lives of others by literally putting us in their shoes. (Nadir Siddiqui, 2012) 7 Reference List Aronson, L. (2001) Screenwriting Updated. Los Angeles: Silman-James Press, p. 88. Bachehaye Aseman (The Children of Heaven) (1997) [dvd] Iran: Majid Majidi. Filmjournal. com (n. d. ) CHILDREN OF HEAVEN, THE. [online] Available at: http://www. filmjournal. com/filmjournal/esearch/article_display. jsp? vnu_content_id=100 0698253 [Accessed: 20 Aug 2012]. Grosoli, M. (2012) The Privileged Animal: The Myth of Childhood and the Myth of Realism According to Andre Bazin. Red Feather Journal (online), Volume Two, Fall 2011 (Issue Two), p. 59, 60. Holman, R. 2006) “Caught Between Poetry and Censorship”: The Influence of State Regulation and Sufi Poeticism on Contemporary Iranian Cinema. Senses of Cinema (online), Film & History Conference Papers (41). Issa, R. and Whitaker, S. (1999) Life and Art: The new Iranian cinema. London: National Film Theatre, p. 36, 37. Jones, J. (2000) Children of the revolution. The Guardian, [online] Friday 14 July. Available at: http://www. guardian. co. uk/film/2000/jul/14/culture. features1 [Accessed: 18 Aug 2012]. Maslin, J. (1999) The Children of Heaven (1997) FILM REVIEW; For a Pair of Sneakers, Longing, Lies and a Plan.

The New York Times, [online] 22 January. Available at: http://movies. nytimes. com/movie/review? res=9F03E3DB1130F931A15752C0A96F958 260 [Accessed: 20 August 2012]. Sadr, H. (2006) Iranian Cinema: A political history. London, New York: I. B. Tauris. Screenonline. org. uk (n. d. ) BFI Screenonline: Children on Film. [online] Available at: http://www. screenonline. org. uk/film/id/446281/index. html [Accessed: 18 Aug 2012]. Senses of Cinema (2006) “Caught Between Poetry and Censorship”: The Influence of State Regulation and Sufi Poeticism on Contemporary Iranian Cinema | Senses of Cinema. online] Available at: http://sensesofcinema. com/2006/41/poetry-censorshipiran/ [Accessed: 19 Aug 2012]. Shepard, I. (2010) Representations of Children in the Pixar Films: 1995-2009. Red Feather Journal (online), Volume One Spring 2010 (Issue One), p. 7, 9. Siddiqui, N. (2012) Weekly Classics: Children of Heaven. Dawn, [online] 1 June. Available at: http://dawn. com/2012/06/01/weekly-classics-children-of-heaven/ [Accessed: 20 August 2012]. Tapper, R. (2002) The New Iranian Cinema. London, New York: I. B. Tauris.

Sarah Risner Dr. Foley Cinema 19 November 2012 Black Swan “Black Swan” is a movie with a dark transformation of Nina the white swan metamorphosing herself into the black swan, with symbolism and psychosis playing well within the movie. Most of this movie plays into the world the ballerina, and exposes some of the hidden motives of this world. The other world this movie plays into is the world of someone with psychosis, and the mysteries that follow between both worlds. It seems the ballerina world feeds into the patient with psychosis and feeds the mental illness.

After one watches this movie they will be horrified and troubled at the same time. The character of Nina will leave one trying to figure out the mysteries of Nina’s life. It actually leaves the audience with more questions than answers after watching the movie. The questions are what give the movie great success. The setting of “Black Swan” takes place in New York at a ballerina studio where Nina and Lily are preparing for the production of Swan Lake. The plot of the movie is about Nina and her obsession with dance. Her mother is a former ballerina and is very controlling of her daughter.

The dance director by the name of Thomas Leroy decides to replace the character Beth with Nina for the new season of Swan Lake. Nina is his choice, but he also has eyes for the character Lily. Nina feels competition between herself and Lily. Nina has an obsessive view between herself and Lily. This part is complicated because it means the character has to play both the white swan and the black swan. The white swan requires the ballerina to play a part of purity and elegance. The black swan part requires the ballerina to play a part of cunning and sexuality.

Nina will go to the dark side of this character and it will drive her insane. Lily and Nina form a candid friendship which seems to be insane itself. The conflict of this movie is the inner struggle of Nina with her own personality waging war against itself. The character change of this movie is with the main character of Nina. Nina starts out innocent and ends up exploring her dark side in order to turn herself into the character of the black swan. Some universal symbolism found in this movie is the use of the character Lily as

Nina’s doppelganger. The symbol is of course is the twin/double identity of Nina’s self. This embodies Nina’s good/evil sides of herself. Mirrors are used in the film to show Nina splitting into two different personalities. The cultural symbolism in this movie is seen in black and white symbolism. Black of course shows the dark side of Nina, and white the good side of Nina. It is shown with actual color within most of the movie though. The theme of this movie is the cost of fame, along with the dark sides of show business.

It also shows complexities of trying to be perfect and how the stress of perfection can be one’s downfall. According to The Sticky Shoe Review by Logan Arney, says the Black Swan having a target audience is a bold statement. The reason for this being that the movie has attracted all kinds of people to watching it due to the Oscars and so forth. It has almost created its own target, or curious on-seekers just wondering what goes on in this film. The marketing of this film has many causes to it such as big names. The big acting names are Natalie Portman who stars in this film, director Darren Aronofsky.

Aronofsky himself has directed big hits such as “The Wrestler”, “The Fountain”, “Requiem for a Dream”, and “Pi”. Natalie Portman has starred in big hits such as “V is for Vendetta”, and “The Other Boleyn Girl”. Adding to this list are the other two big actors being Vincent Cassel, and Wynonna Ryder and not to mention this film being the buzz at the Venice Film Festival of 2010. There is a lot of PR when this bag of names is mentioned (Mu). The script used in this film was written by Mark Heyman, Andres Heinz, and John McLaughlin. The story was written by Andres Heinz (IMDb).

According to Tom Long, giving his critical response about this film, he believes the movie works due to Portman’s great commitment to character which gives the movie its greatness. He also admits this movie is not necessarily for everyone, but for anyone looking for the horror and craziness in a ballerina movie (Long). The mise-en-scene in “Black Swan” shows up as black and white color. For one, the costume of the dancers shows as black and white. The dress in the reception is black, as are the walls of the ballet company. The editing of this movie was done by Andrew Weisblum (IMDb).

What made the editing so great in this movie was how the emotions were transferred on film while adeptly telling the good story. The lighting in “Black Swan” is very dramatic with tones of greens and magentas showing up within different characters, and of course the black and whites within the film. The music in this film is like any suspense thriller movie in that one knows something is about to happen when a scary tune starts to play. The sound effects seem to mimic the actual swan cry in some parts of the movie. This in effect makes the film very symbolic of the actual animal of a swan.

This movie has many camera angles that clearly explore this movies symbolism. One of the high-angle shots of this film is when the character of Nina when she is dancing on stage, and she is looked down on by the audience. A good close-up shot are when it shows Nina’s feet and it shows how much control she has in her movement. A significant wide-shot in the movie is when we are in Nina’s bedroom, and there is light hitting the bed. The medium-shot in the movie that probably catches most everyone’s eye is when Nina is passing her other self on the subway.

This movie uses mostly the fixed-camera. In conclusion, this movie clearly goes beyond any limit set forth on most film. It has used more symbolism than other movies which makes it quite interesting. It also has the uncanny terroristic theme of terror imposed within it. One feels as if the ballerina world has been exposed while showing to what extremes the female ballerina will go thru to stay skinny, and be perfect. The black and whites of the film show to what extremes in which the ballerina will show herself through. Works Cited Arney, Logan. “Black Swan. The Stickey Shoe Review (2010): 1. July 19, 2012 http://stickyshoereview. com/? p=107 “Black Swan,” IMDb (2010): 1. July 20, 2012 < http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0947798/> Long, Tom. “Review: Natalie Portman soars in ‘Black Swan’” The Detroit News Opinion (2010): 1. July 19, 2012 < http://www. detroitnews. com/article/20101210/OPINION03/12100326/1034/ent02/Review–Natalie-Portman-soars-in–Black-Swan-> Mu, Jennifer. “Love this Black Swan Film Marketing,” Luminosity Marketing (2010): 1. July 19, 2012 < http://luminositymarketing. com/blog/? p=2616>

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We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor. org. . Irish Pages LTD is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Irish Pages. http://www. jstor. org GLORIOUS PARTICULARITY MiraNalr Illumining the actual. I make images in my work. I don’t pen words, especially not words to be delivered from church pulpits.

So I experienced great agony writing this essay, particularlysince it was also meant for publication, until I began to see it as an opportunity to think aloud with you on what has been possessing my mind of late, in this tumultuous past year since the watershed of 9/11/01. I have been reflecting on the torrent of ceaseless images flooding our lives: in the print media, TV and of course, in our popular cinema, ultimately asking myself the age-old questionsTer Braakraises in his still-radicalessay:what is the role of an artist in any society? What is the place and future of cinema in the world today?

In the new “globalvillage”of incessant images, increasinglyI see the failure of mass media to impart actual understanding. This overactive pluralism gives one the illusion of knowing a lot about a lot when actually you know a smattering about nothing at all, leaving in its wake an audience so thoroughly bludgeoned by little bits of information that one is left confused and consequently apathetic politically. Perhapsthat is its intention. The fact is that while images have become more and more international, people’s lives have remained astonishingly parochial.

This ironic truth of contemporary life is especially troubling in today’s war-mongering times, when so much depends on understanding worlds so different, and consequently totally divided, from one’s own. In this post-9/11 world, where the schisms of the globe are being cemented into huge walls between one belief and way of life and another, now more than ever we need cinema to reveal our tiny local worlds in all their glorious particularity. In my limited experience, it’s when I’ve made a film that’s done full-blown justice to the truths and idiosyncraciesof the specifically local, that it crosses over to become surprisinglyuniversal. Take Monsoon edding,or instance. I wanted to make an intimate family W out of nothing, a love song to the city of Delhi where I come flick, something from, to return to my old habits of guerilla film-making. Except this time, fired m by the recent empowering of the Dogme ethod, I wanted to make a film in just 30 days. That was the original premise: to prove to myself that I didn’t need the juggernaut of millions of dollars, studios, special effects and plenty of men in suits to make a good story in the most interesting visual way possible. I wanted 103 IRISH PAGES o capture, first and foremost, the spirit of masti(meaning an intoxication with life) inherent in the full-bodied Punjabi community from where I come, and then, to capture the Indiathat I know and love, an India which lives in several centuries at the same time. As Arundhati Roy put it, “as Indian citizens we subsist on a regular diet of caste massacresand nuclear tests, mosque breakings and fashion shows, church burnings and expanding cell phone networks, bonded labour and the digital revolution, female infanticide and the Nasdaq crash, husbandswho continue to burn their wives for dowry and our delectable pile of MissWorlds. It couldn’t be said better. Such were the fluid pillars of the India I wanted to put on film – 68 actors, 148 scenes, and one hot monsoon season later, using paintings,jewellery, saris and furniture taken from relatives on the screen, with each member of my family acting in it, after shooting exactly 30 days, a film was born that then had a journey so different from any expectation (more correctly, non-expectation) that we might have had for it during its making.

People from New Delhi to Iceland to Hungary to Brazil to America believed it was their wedding, their family,themselves on that screen – and if they didn’t have a family,they yearned to belong to one like the people they saw on screen. I didn’t make the film to educate anybody about “my culture and my people”- I believe that to be simply a cultural ambassadorof one’s country is boring – rather, if it was made for anybody beyond myself, it was made for the people of Delhi to feel and laugh and cry at our own flawed Punjabi(a. k. a the PartyAnimals of India) selves. Uniquely for me, Monsoon edding as the first of seven films I’d made that W was completely embraced by the mainstreamBollywood film industryin India; producers, directors, movie stars, choreographers, musicians alike embraced the film, and for the first time in my 20-odd years as an independent film maker – independent really from both the Indianand the Americanmainstream – I felt the possibility of my work belonging somewhere. Although the style and form of Monsoon edding as radical for the Indianpublic (the entire film was w W hot with a hand-held camera,was reality-based, with a host of completely unknown faces mixed in with legendary actors, live singing, no studio shooting, using a mixture of old Indianpop songs with new original music, and dialogue simultaneouslyin Hindi, English and Punjabi),it continues to play in Indiaalmost a year after its release. Perhapsthis was because we took a familiar premise – that of an Indian wedding, and of the family drama that surrounds such an event anywhere – and made a “realitycheck”version of it so different from the normal Bollywood film.

Bollywood, a term for the enormous commercial film industryin Bombay, refers to those grand, epic and over-the-top extravaganzas eplete with musical r 104 IRISH PAGES numbers and lavish production values, designed as escapist entertainment for the masses. It is what Ter Braak hilariously describes in his discussion of low cinema – “born among cigarette-chewing youths and giggling maid-servants, received with wild enthusiasm and the honest romanticism of a proletariat yearning for deliverance. “

Despite its inimitable, distinctive style and its current arty-exotic cache, Bollywood is nothing like cinema of the art-house, New Wave variety, nothing like expressionism – it does not have pretensions of purity. It is defiantly popular, made for the masses and for profit. Therefore, Bollywood as a cinematic form is necessarily adaptive and composite – a genre welcoming outside influences, not fearing them. In the first place, the filmmakers always aiming for the broadest possible audience – have had to accommodate the multiple interests of an extremely regional and diverse country.

Certain unifying elements – Mahabharata and Ramayana, the foundational epic texts from which many stories derive, and the emphasis in all films on family tradition and local setting – give Bollywood films a broad resonance within Furthermore, Bollywood was born under colonialism and brilliantly survives in a post-colonial world. The Bollywood style is famously adaptive and absorbent, a sponge that had to respond to imperialist influences to survive pre-Independence, and willingly imitated them for profit in more recent years. A common phenomenon in Bombay are the so-called DVD India. irectors who pitch their stories to moviestars using cued scenes from wellknown Hollywood movies (e. g. , “it is basically a combination of Godfather meets Love Story meets When Harry Met Sally”). Western stories from Jane E re to Dead Poets’Societyare retold with Indian characters and production design that very often – ingeniously – play into both Westerners’ and Indians’ idealization of India. This suggests a border around India that is both porous and protective, flagrantly absorbing and copying all sorts of influences yet twisting them to make it finally seem inimitably Indian – or, to put it more accurately, inimitably Bollywood.

There is much debate on the survival of local cinemas in a global age, and much consternation about the unstoppable wave of American culture, often accused of alternately dulling and diluting art and aesthetic sensibilities around the world. The French have been railing about cultural protectionism from Hollywood for years now. In this context of trying to preserve and cultivate local voices, it is fabulous to see the unflagging energy of Bollywood cinema. Bollywood’s vigor, its staying power and its improbable, flexible hybridity, are all results of its huge internal market.

Commercially and artistically – much like Indian culture itself. Bollywood is supple and muscular 105 IRISH PAGES The mass Indian audience for whom Bollywood films are made is evergrowing and makes the industry hugely profitable, even without taking into account the global reach it has attained. The first Indian film, Rala w Harishchandra, as produced in 1913. Thirty thousand films have been made since. Today,800 films per year are made throughout India, and 12 million people within the country’s borders go to see a Hindi film daily.

The booming Bollywood market is self-sustainingand runs parallel to – and undisturbedby – American film exhibition in India. This is before taking into account Bollywood’s huge market abroad, both as an export to other lands (such as Russia, the Middle East, Africa) and to the far-reachingIndian Diaspora. Growing up in India in the sixties and seventies in the fairly remote state of Orissa, I was not an aficionadoof Bollywood pictures. I did swoon over many of the popular love songs from the movies, but the films themselves did little for me. I was much more interested in stories of real people, the extraordinarinessof ordinary life.

Initiallyinspired by jatra which is the form of traditionaltravellingmythological theatre in the countryside, I later became involved with political protest theatre in Calcutta. Then, with eyes focused beyond my own country, I became preoccupied with the Beatles and the antiVietnam War movement, the Western avant-garde, guerilla theater, etc. It wasn’t until I went to America for college and began studying film that the “other”Indian movies first reached me: SatyajitRay, Ritwik Ghatakand Guru Dutt, whose emotionalism and visual stylization were actually pure independent film-making, but made from within Bollywood.

The immediacy and grandeurof these films is a pillar for me now – I rely on seeing one of Guru Dutt’s movies every six months before I make another one of my own. However, I was the last person to ever imagine that the commercial cinema of the Indian mainstream would have anything whatsoever to do with my own work. Yet the opportunity to give this lecture has given me a chance to reflect on my own trajectory, and I am surprised to find that my home cinema has had a strong influence on my body of work indeed, regardlessof my exploration of increasingly motley and disparatecultures.

And in reflecting, I’ve seen that the influence of Indian films – specifically that unabashed emotional directness, the freewheeling use of music, that emphasis on elemental motivations and values – is a thread running consistently through every one of my films; even when exploring foreign worlds, I have taken the bones and flesh of those societies and tried to infuse them with the spirit of where I’m from. Much of post-imperial scholarship focuses on the Western gaze – and Bollywood itself, as I’ve said, had to adapt to and be constantly aware of the colonialist point of view. I find myself applying an Eastern gaze 06 IRISH PAGES to Western contexts now, and enjoying the reversal. Historically,Hollywood has alwaysbeen open to foreign directors, so long as we have the competence, craft and flair needed to make money. From Erich von Stroheim to BillyWilder to Ang Lee to PaulVerhoevento ShekharKapur, the doors have opened for us, so long as we understand the bottom line. In my most recent film, Hysterical lindness, working-class drama set in a B New Jersey in the eighties, I found that even in the drab and loveless confines of these bar-hopping girls’ world, the Bollywood approachwas just as useful.

Half-jokingly,I refer to the style of the film as “AmericanBleak, Bollywoodstyle”. Within the frame of “American Bleak,”understatement and mundane circumstances notwithstanding, the full-blown emotion was there, waiting to be made overt. People are people, after all, and no matter if we’re trying to portray a loveless reality where desperate women comb neighbourhood bars looking for love, only to find heartbreak,audiences must feel their neuroses as if they are their own.

And now, looking at pre-Victorian London to adapt Thackeray’s gloriously entertaining saga, VanityFair, I find an enormous panorama of themes familiar to those of us steeped in Bollywood: a woman who defies her poverty-stricken background to clamber up the social ladder, unrequited love, seduction through song, a mother’s sacrifice for her child, a true gentleman in a corrupt world . .. the catalog of human stories remains the same. Moreover, it is a story that comes down to basic human ambition, asking a spiritual, even yogic question:Which of us is happy in this orld? Which of us has his desire? Or, having it, is satisfied? The bold strokes of Indian cinema are ideal for this canvas,too. Culture-combining does not have to yield the soulless “Euro-gateau” lamented by Istvan Szabo in Zanussi’s 1993 lecture here. Because, as Zanussi explained, those are films without a center, stories that take place in nameless, unrecognizable cities with a host of European actors desperately attempting a neutralAmerican/English accent, afraidof any eccentricities or distinctiveness that would distract from the mongrelization of the piece.

The Bollywood form, itself an ever-growing collage of culturalinfluences, is making its way around the world, but retaining its soul. In fact, my only fear as Bollywood seems to cross over into Western commercial screens is that it waters itself down to suit the Western palate. Lately,Western culture has taken Bollywood styles and incorporated them into the mainstream Hollywood vocabulary:smash-hit movies and plays imitate Bollywood’s musical form and ultra-theatricalstyle, adaptingthem to Western contexts (MoulinRouge, ombay B Dreams). Think of Thora Birch in GhostWorld, atching a 1950s Hindi dance w umber and dancing around her room gleefully. She sees a freshness and 107 IRISH PAGES lustiness totally absent from her Anytown, USA existence. The crazy dance number is delightfullyforeign to her, yet throughit we also see her small world with new, sharp clarity. Bollywood’s pure emotional thrust and distinctive vocabulary has authenticity in itself, however manufactured and molded the form has been over the years. In this era of internationalmisunderstanding,as the threat of a global divide – culturally and politically – is more dire than ever, this distinctiveness is to be celebrated.

I have always repeated to myself and to my students that “if we don’t tell our stories, no one else will. “The “we”and “our” in the best films is both local and universal. Cinema can mirror an individual’s tiny world, yet reveal infinite other worlds in all their particularity. Film should not behave. It cannot. Cinema is too democratic to be lobotomized into a single way or style. I always say,There are no rules in making cinema – there is only good cinema or soulless cinema.

And as long as there are films made like In the Mood or Love,Angel at My Table,Pyaasa,Battle of Algiers,Dekalog, Timeof the f Gypsies,we’re doing all right. What is happening to the world lies, at the moment, just outside the realm of common understanding. The only revenge is to work, to make cinema that illuminates this common understanding,that destabilizes the dull competence of most of what is produced, that infuses life with idiosyncracy, whimsy, brutality, and like life, that captures the rare but fabulous energy that sometimes emerges from the juxtaposition of the tragic and comic.

Pakistan is a developing country that has been struggling for decades in its many eras, ranging from business to the cinema. Despite the tussle, it has managed to develop its film and television industry rapidly. “Lollywood” is a term that was coined back in the day to glamorously describe the cinema culture of Pakistan. Though, as we all know, in comparison to Bollywood and Hollywood, Lollywood, in majority has not been much popular. Nevertheless, upon profoundly observing the television industry of Pakistan, one learns that it is much more refined and efficacious in contrast to the film sector.

Particularly, in the present times, the drama or television industry, as you may call it, is flourishing not just locally but all around the globe, reaching out to many Pakistanis and providing them with twenty four hours of fruitful entertainment. Pakistani Cinema has touched upon a variety of genres which predominantly revolve around documentaries, dramas, thrillers, horror, romance and action. This paper will, however, depict and deliberate upon a subgenre of horror films; slasher films in Pakistan.

A slasher film is preeminently defined as a horror film which involves the use of an unearthly weapon such as an axe by a psychopathic slaughterer who mainly pertains to aggressively slaying a number of victims. These movies follow specific cinematic techniques where close-ups and special effects are used in a variety of ways, primarily representing women as sexual objects. The conception of showing the “Final Girl” rescuing herself is the foremost ideology a slasher film ordinarily focuses on.

Over the years, Lollywood has managed to accomplish the two most successful horror films using the true slasher and storyline techniques; Zinda Laash (“Dracula in Pakistan/The Living Corpse”) and Zibah Khana (“Hell’s Ground”) produced in 1967 and 2007 respectively. It is interesting to know that the recent production; Hell’s Ground makes continuous relations with the thirty year old film; Zinda Laash. However, the two devour excessive amount of differences; in regard to the slasher film techniques and gender based critique which will be discussed in this essay. Dracula in Pakistan” was filmed in the late 60’s; however, when released, it sprang a cascade of fear amongst the Pakistanis. According to (The Indian Express, 2012), a woman from the audience was agonized by a heart attack. It was also the first movie produced in Pakistan to be categorized as “X-rated” along with being screened at two international film festivals. (IMDB) Zinda Laash is considered as a plagiarized production; an elucidation of Hammer’s Classic “Dracula. ” (The HotSpot Online) The plot begins with a scientist; Dr.

Tabani accomplishing his test experiment to gain immortality followed by the introduction of his assistant; a buxom woman who discovers the “dead body” of the scientist and decides to store it in a coffin. To her astonishment, the corpse comes to life and she is his first victim. The story continues with a somnolent traveller, Dr. Aqil who does not consider the rumors of the existence of the immortals to be true, entering the mansion of the “Khabees Rooh”. Though, he soon discovers the veracity and chooses to end the cycle of plague, but is evidently futile.

The film further revolves around a Dr. Aqil’s wife-to-be; Shabnam, who is also a victim of Dr. Tabani and how immortality fails her appallingly. As petrifying Zinda Laash might have been in the 60’s, it most certainly isn’t disturbing in relation to the modern day standards. One might find it rigorously monotonous but humorous at the same time as it depicts alluring and peculiar dances by women. Zinda Laash strongly caters to the “Male Gaze” throughout the hundred minutes of its run time; from the introduction to the climax and the conclusion.

Throughout the course, the audience experiences a range of dance numbers by either one or many women. The initial portrayal of the sexuality of women instigates when the assistant is lured by her “dead” boss in the middle of the dark hours. The woman is dressed in a knee length night gown with revealed skin and cleavage; identifying her as a sex object. For being a Pakistani production of the 60’s era, the cinematic techniques capturing the body of the woman can definitely be labeled as “obscene. The attack demonstrates sensuality in the facial expressions of the woman with the sluggish movement of closeness between the victim and the attacker pouring a sense of sexual tension amongst the audience. Followed by the frightening shrieks of the woman, violence against women is highlighted significantly; a woman is powerless in front of a man. Later, as the weary traveller arrives and adjusts comfortably at the mansion after a warm welcome by Dr. Tabani, one notices Dr. Aqil setting a photo frame of his beloved fiancee he truly misses. Dr.

Tabani enters his room to ensure comfort and malignly admires the photo by calling it “Khoobsurat. ” It is enigmatically bizarre how Dr. Tabani ignores to make Dr. Aqil his next victim who is right there and instead wishes to suck blood out of a woman. Malevolent thoughts instantly stutter through the attacker’s head about the woman; further enhancing the violence against women. As the night gets gloomy and murky, one notices Dr. Aqil being effortlessly distracted by the giggles of a woman; the vampire bride. He gets up to follow the chuckles; his facial expressions visibly expose his urge for sexual desire.

Discovering the origin of the chortles, Dr. Aqil finds a mysterious female, dancing with “voluptuous sensuality” (The HotSpot Online) dressed in a lightly lined white dress to attract him towards her. There is undeniably a connotation attached to the actions of the woman in this scene; she uses her sexuality to fulfill her need to feed upon the man for survival. The man finally submits himself to her and is attacked by the vampire bride. This explains how the religion of Islam fears the power of female sexual attraction over men.

Imam Ghazali’s interpretation is also highlighted during this part of the film; female aggression is tuned outwards and she sexually entices men. Captivatingly, this occurrence is intermittent by Dr. Tabani; the vampire, who pushes the woman; once again showing the physical power of man over woman. Wretchedly, Dr. Aqil is masticated and is fated to earn immortality. Nonetheless, before fronting his destiny, he tries to put an end to the outrageous veracity by using a “knife” as the weapon of destruction, but fails terribly. Incongruously, a dance number is presented right after Dr.

Aqil becomes a casualty of immortality. This dance sequence is similar to the many others shown during the film at odd intervals. This particular sequence comprised of a woman dancing dressed in a half sleeve top and pants in front of a crowd of men in majority. Vulgarity strikes not only in her clothing this time, but in the movement of her physique in sync with the song lyrics which were chanted by a man as he made hand gestures pointing towards the dancer; “Udhar Jawani, Idhar Nasha. ” The lyrics clearly indicate the drunken men relishing the “jawaani” of the female performing.

The theme of sexuality is reinforced with the entrance of Dr. Aqil’s brother as he is interrupted with another dance number, this time comprising of many women dancing for their own entertainment instead of one woman dancing to entertain a crowd. This dance comprises of Dr. Aqil’s fiancee, Shabnam dressed in shalwar kameez; the national dress of Pakistan, dancing with her friends. However, the fitting of the clothing catered to the male gaze once again. The shirts are of normal length but tremendously body-hugging from the hip, hence outlining he body shape. These women also wore perfectly winged eyeliners and hair done gracefully, further emphasizing the gender socialization of women; how they are required to dress up. The theme of men giving in for the sexuality of women is reversed when Shabnam desperately waits for Dr. Tabani to suck her blood. On his arrival, Shabnam lies down on her bed in an inviting posture outlining her curvaceous body and reveals her neck; women objectification. Once again, sexual tension is built as Dr. Tabani goes close to her neck and feeds on her.

The difference between the earlier attacks and this once is that Shabnam was willingly letting Dr. Tabani feed on her; she felt pleasure. The photograph below shows her exact position on the bed. (The HotSpot Online) There is also a female child in the narrative who Shabnam intends to feed on. The question here evolves as to why there was not a male child instead of a female child named “Baby”? Baby constantly made relations with Shabnam throughout the course of the film, for example, she teased Shabnam by snatching Dr. Aqil’s photograph from her hand and ran away.

The film comes towards a climax where the family discovers the Dracula Shabnam who intended to trick Baby and suck her blood out. Shabnam’s brother confronts her as she convinces him to hug her; she decides to feed on him. This plot comes to an end when Aqil’s brother acts as the macho man and pushes Shabnam away and stabs her to death by a dagger. Patriarchy is promoted via this prospect as well. Nonetheless, a dance sequence is a must input at the pinnacle; this time a female wearing a sequin dress entertaining a group of men by dancing. Most importantly, we notice that the dupatta in many of these dance numbers is eliminated.

The movie further progresses with the development of an aim to eradicate the immortals by Shabnam’s brother and Dr. Aqil’s brother. Zibah Khaana or Hell’s Ground, on the other hand, follows a completely different narrative with underlining various subjects such as Gender Roles, Social Concerns and Pakistani Culture. It truly depicts the use of slasher film techniques like showing the world from the eyes of the attacker and use of the “Final Girl” notion. It is an Urdu-English slasher film directed by Omar Khan in only 30 days and has won many awards at Film Festivals around the Globe. Wikipedia) Zibah Khaana is a journey of five teenage friends who decide to take a short cut through a place known as “Dozakh Pur” to attend a rock concert. On their way, they face many difficulties such as the toxic water, zombies, a daunting hitchhiker, a witch and a man dressed in a burkha with an ancient spiky weapon which makes the movie a modern gore flick. The diversity in characters chosen makes the film even more exhilarating. The movie begins with a boy having an accident upon seeing a Burkha Man standing in the middle of the road with a medieval weapon.

However, the first victim is massacred with a spade, in comparison to Zinda Laash, where the first victim was a woman attacked by fangs. In the case of Hell’s Ground, woman objectification is hardly given any attention. The film sets the surroundings of Pakistan by showing detailed shots about the culture of Pakistan; daily activities. Gender socialization is highlighted when Roxy, a modern American girl is introduced and specifically asks her maid for a “pink” colored shirt to wear as she has to spend the night at her friend “Ayesha’s” house.

Pakistani culture is further laid stress upon when the maid reacts in astonishment to Roxy, being a girl and spending the night at a friends’ house. Next, a low class Christian boy, Simon is presented with his parents; where the father uses abusive language to degrade his son. In relation to Zinda Laash, here we experience that the wife; Simon’s mother screams back to her husband in support of her child. Patriarchy is not laid stress upon; it does exist but not to a critical extent in the modern day and this is what Zibah Khaana probably aimed to demonstrate.

As the introduction progresses, the audience meets the Final Girl, Ayesha. Her first appearance in a traditional shalwar kameez serving her mother tea immediately clicks; she is different from the previous two characters introduced. Once more, the Pakistani Culture and Gender Bias are tinted when Ayesha seeks permission from her mother to go on a “school trip” for the night. Receiving a hesitant reaction from her mother and commentary upon how her father would be against this act if he were alive, instantaneously converses with the Pakistani audience as to how girls should not be let out for the night.

It emphasizes upon traditional beliefs on gender socialization; girls should spend the night at their own house and not elsewhere. However, there are a lot of modern families in today’s time who are also against girls spending the night elsewhere. In the Pakistani society, it is definitely considered as indecent. Inevitably, Ayesha lies to stay out for the night to go to a rock concert. However, her socialization restricts her from doing things that she has been taught are wrong; for example later in the film all her friends smoke hashish, but she doesn’t.

Ayesha also wears an “Allah Hu Akbar” necklace throughout the course of the film. We also observe, upon exiting the house Ayesha gets rid of her books and grabs a pair of jeans and t-shirt to change later for the trip; Ayesha belongs to a local ordinary family. Later, when she changes her attire from a traditional one to modern, her friends are surprised. Roxy, Ayesha, Simon and another boy OJ meet at the ice cream parlor, “Hot Spot” and wait for the last character of the film; Vicky to arrive with transport. He brings a van with old fashioned Pakistani Horror Film Paintings, one of which consisted of a plump woman posing.

Pointing out the sexuality in the old times; OJ instantly reacts to the painting of the woman as “sexy. ” This shows that young boys are easily drawn towards sexuality with being open about their desires. The friends continue to head out and on their way are disturbed by a group of transgenders while waiting for the traffic signal to go green. An effective use of queer theory has been applied as the reaction of the teenagers is shown. Transgenders are a huge part of the Pakistani society and are treated with disgrace.

They are usually perceived as infuriating while they beg at the traffic signals; the reaction of Vicky and the body language of the transgenders have clearly been captured. As the transgenders approached and touched Vicky, his facial expressions stressed upon irritation and repulsion. Youth culture has been shown via sarcastic conversations amongst the five friends. Roxy is an American-Pakistani modern girl who did not hesitate to smoke hashish in comparison to the Final Girl, Ayesha who denies the offer and feels uncomfortable. Roxy and OJ have a conversation about the socio-economic situation of Pakistan.

This was amusing to observe as women in the earlier day were not included in such conversations, and today we see a positive change in the role of women. In Roxy’s imaginary world, she “can’t wait to get out of this sticky shithole. ” Use of abusive language by both the genders has been highlighted, which serves as a change in the norm of our society as all such instances are censored by the censor board of Pakistan. Hell’s Ground, was however, successful in mirroring the reality. From zombies, a freaky hitchhiker and a witch to the serial killer in a burkha, Zibah Khana covers it all.

Generally, older women are always associated with darkness, magic and evil. Hell’s ground uses the same ideology and uses an unusual strange woman in the story who is involved in the village killings. The hitchhiker and the main psychopathic killer Burkhaman which the teenagers come across are the old woman’s children. Earlier in the film, the teenagers have managed to escape from the creepy hitchhiker by throwing him out of the van and crushing him in the process. Motherly instincts are shown when the mother finds her injured son and commands the Burkhaman to cut them up into “botis. The old woman also continuously addressed the Burkhaman as her daughter; further highlighting the use of queer theory. The Burkhaman is in reality a man, but is continuously referred as a female; this is because the old woman always wanted a daughter but never had one. I believe, the use of such a dogma is an indirect reference to the LGBT community in Pakistan. Throughout the film, the serial killer being the main lead remains silent. According to my analogy, it has been done purposely to lay stress upon the fact that society wants the LGBT community to remain silent and act as the underdog of the society.

Being a slasher film, the plot revolves around The Final Girl throughout. Before the zombie attacks, she senses incongruity but chooses to ignore and stays determined. This is the most ideal strategy used in the production of slasher films. Her psychological turmoil is continuously tested till the very end where she saves herself. In completion, Ayesha is the only individual left who has not been successfully victimized. Slasher films intend to show women in terror, and Zibah Khana explicitly follows this rule. It shows both the women, Roxy and Ayesha, in terror, running for their lives and screaming.

The only difference is that Ayesha is the final girl and remains determined to save herself. Another stratagem used in Zibah Khana is the eradication of all the irrelevant characters one by one leaving the Final Girl as the last victim. This is to build tension amongst the audience to experience the reversal of gender roles. When Ayesha faces the Burkhaman, she fights back for herself and saves herself by getting hold of a spade and a stone, and smashes the head of the man dressed in a Burkha. There is no man to rescue her; she is her own hero. A hidden side of the innocent girl is shown; she makes sure to kill the attacker.

Typically, in slasher films, the Final Girl is given intense strength and masculinity all of a sudden with the urge to protect her rather than being dependent upon a man to save the day. There are many differences we observe between the two films. Firstly, we notice that the first victim in Zinda Laash is a woman where she is shown as a sexual object. However, in Zibah Khana, the first victim is a boy; OJ. Secondly, Zibah Khana adopts the technique of showing the world from the attacker’s eyes to its fullest whereas Zinda Laash hardly makes use of it.

Thirdly, another distinctive feature of a slasher film is to show women in terror; building the tension and finally reaching the climax. Zibah Khana renders this trepidation to a great extent in comparison to Zinda Laash, where the women feeling fear is shown minimally in comparison to Zibah Khana. Lastly, the concept of Final Girl is completely ignored in Zinda Laash, assuming that Shabnam was the main girl who was expected to save herself and not enter the realm of death; that too by being stabbed by a man. Zibah Khana, on the other hand, stresses all the attention on the Final Girl, Ayesha.

In the end she is the only survivor. Horror film is a genre which has come a long way in the Pakistani Cinema. It started off with showing women as sex objects to the girl becoming the main lead and surviving on her own terms. To conclude, I absolutely agree with Omar Khan, the director of Zibah Khana as he claims, “Horror is at its most effective when it taps into real fears. Our real fears are connected to things that are sensitive politically and difficult to discuss. ” (Telegraph, UK, 2007) 3286 Words Bibliography (n. d. ). Retrieved November 27, 2012, from IMDB: http://www. imdb. om/title/tt0360232/trivia Telegraph, UK. (2007, August 11). Retrieved December 4, 2012, from http://www. telegraph. co. uk/culture/film/starsandstories/3667146/Zibahkhana-Beware-zombies-wearing-saris. html The Indian Express. (2012, July 2). Retrieved December 4, 2012, from The Indian Express: http://www. indianexpress. com/news/be-scared-very-scared/969038/0 The HotSpot Online. (n. d. ). Retrieved December 4, 2012, from http://www. thehotspotonline. com/moviespot/bolly/reviews/xyz/zindalaash. htm Wikipedia. (n. d. ). Retrieved December 4, 2012, from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Zibahkhana

A country of 1.2 billion people, the ancient civilisation of India is a melting pot of cultures and juxtapositions. It is a land that will assault your senses all around. The vibrant colours, exotic aromas, cacophony of sounds, and the amalgamation of flavours will both enchant and offend. Within it more than 20 native dialects are spoken. But in this diversity there is unity found in the common language of their movies. Such is the power and hold over audiences of Indian films. In the space of a darkened cinema, everyone is equal momentarily.

The social and economic divides that separate rickshaw driver from the IT engineer are broken and ignored. It provides an escape from reality, the ultimate dream factory where for those three hours, you can be whoever you want to be. The restraints of status, social standing, wealth, religion, education are for a moment forgotten as the audience are compelled to lose themselves in the world playing out before them on the large screen.

As the largest producer of films, the Indian film industry beats both Hollywood and China in terms of the number of films churned out each year. Having accrued such a status through the production of more than 2000 films in India’s various languages, it is no wonder that the magical spell cast upon Indian cinema goers is a hard one to break.

The Golden Era Of Films : 1940s to 1960s

The Indian film industry is one of the most well-known film industries in the world today. Indian films are regularly being featured in the top film festivals and Indian actors/actresses are being flooded with offers from Hollywood. Much of the credit for this popularity goes to the film makers of the 1940s to the 1960s who made some evergreen classics that made the world sit up and take notice of Indian films. This era marked the beginning of evolution of Indian Cinema though various genres. We had mainstream film makers like Raj Kapoor who, in the most conservative and formulaic era, made some of the most inventive, personal and entertaining films such as Awara (1951) and Shree 420 (1955).

Mother India, which many consider the greatest movie of Indian cinema, was made in 1957. The film got India its first nomination to the Oscars as the best foreign film. Some of the other must-watch movies of this era are Mahal (1949), Do Aankhein Barah Haath (1957), Madhumati (1958) and Mughal-e-Aazam (1960). Movies of various genres, including romance, drama, comedy and tragedy, were made, each with great depth in storyline, memorable characters and heart-touching narration. Another acclaimed director and writer of this era was Mr. Kamal Amrohi. His movies had an expressionist direction with a firm structure and poetic style throughout, that is missing from the modern Bollywood movies. He only made four movies altogether and seeing Mahal it’s clear that his main career was as a poet.

The film is full of lyrical images, depth of distance and contour and characterisations that inter-relate on several levels at once — the logical, the psychological, the emotional and the metaphysical. The Golden Age of Hindi cinema that blossomed with the studio era of the 1950s and ebbed by the early 1970s is one of India’s greatest artistic achievements. A lot of Hindi films made during that time, could hardly be called Hindi films.

Rather, Hindustani, a mixture of Urdu and Hindi, was the lingua franca of the silver-screen—a reflection of a country unified by a fascinatingly diverse heritage with linguistic influences from Sanskrit, Farsi, Bengali, Arabic, Panjabi, and a myriad of others. Urdu in films was remarkably accessible—holding a place for any viewer in every genre. True, it is unlikely the entire audience understood each word in those songs. However, in this manner, film and music could be educational for those who did not–a unique way of preserving the culture they reflected back on. As parallel cinema diva Shabana Azmi aptly quipped,

“If you compare today’s songs with the songs of the 1960s and 1970s, then definitely today’s songs are according to the demand. But if you see, Hindi films used to protect the Urdu language as they used it, but it is slowly dying and I feel bad for it.” The legacy of Urdu will continue to add to the allure and nostalgia of old films for generations to come. For the loss of Urdu is more than the mere loss of vocabulary. Without Urdu in Hindi films, we have lost our own andaaz –the manner with which we once communicated our thoughts and feelings, our decorum, and a rich, meaningful ornamentation in expressing ourselves that can never be replaced. Famous movies of this era being Mughal-e-Aazam, Pakeeza etc.

Some of the most critically acclaimed Hindi films of all time were produced during this period. While commercial Hindi cinema was thriving, the 1950s also saw the emergence of a new Parallel Cinema movement. Though the movement was mainly led by Bengali cinema, it also began gaining prominence in Hindi cinema. Early examples of Hindi films in this movement include Chetan Anand’s Neecha Nagar (1946) and Bimal Roy’s – Do Bigha Zameen -Two Acres of Land (1953).

Some of the internationally acclaimed Hindi filmmakers involved in the movement included Mani Kaul, Kumar Shahani, Ketan Mehta, Govind Nihalani, Shyam Benegal and Vijaya Mehta. These films won several awards nationally and internationally and Their critical acclaim, as well as the commercial success, paved the way for Indian neorealism and the Indian New Wave. Subrata Mitra, who debuted as a cinematographer with this film, has been a great influence on India and the world in the field of cinematography.

Ray is considered as one of the greatest directors of all-time. Satyajit Ray and Ritwik Ghatak went on to make many other great art films, and other talented directors such as Mrinal Sen, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Mani Kaul and Buddhadeb Dasgupta followed suit. In the 1960’s, Indira Gandhi, as the Information and Broadcasting Minster, further promoted offbeat cinema with the official Film Finance Corporation supporting such movies. The films received great commercial success as well as critical acclaim. Guru Dutt’s Pyaasa (1957) and Kagaz Ke Phool (1959) are among the finest movies ever made.

This era was a golden age for Indian music as well, giving us melodious music that continues to inspire music directors till date. Playback singers such as Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhonsle, Kishore Kumar, Mohd Rafi and Manna Dey reached the zenith of their careers during this era. We had some of the most amazing and charismatic actors like Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand who cast a spell on the Indian audiences with their fresh style and acting talent. The most beautiful women ever seen on celluloid, such as Madhu Bala, Vyjayanthi Mala, Meena Kumari and Waheeda Rahman, graced the screen during this period. They had not just beauty but great acting talent, which helped them play the most challenging roles with utmost ease and perfection.

Overall, the 1940s – 60s was a period that revolutionized Indian cinema. Prior to this period, most movies centered around mythological, historical or family related themes. Romance was portrayed in the most beautiful and sensitive manner during this period, and in a society where almost everyone had arranged marriages, it brought about a fresh wave of thought among the youth. The films depicted everyday lives as well as larger social issues in a subtle, yet highly impactful manner, and remain as inspiration for generations of film makers to come.

Parallel Cinema : Rise and Fall
What is Parallel Cinema?

The Indian New Wave, commonly known in India as Art Cinema or Parallel Cinema as an alternative to the mainstream commercial cinema, is a specific movement in Indian cinema, known for its serious content, realism and naturalism, with a keen eye on the socio-political climate of the times. This movement is distinct from main stream Bollywood cinema. The term “parallel cinema” has started being applied to off-beat films produced in Bollywood, where art films have begun experiencing resurgence. This led to the emergence of a distinct genre known as Mumbai noir, urban films reflecting social problems in the city of Mumbai. In contemporary cinema, the term “parallel cinema” is being used to describe any out of the box movie.

Parallel cinema essentially is made up of the non-mainstream films that are not made for commercial successes or garnering profits. These are usually low-budget movies, and focus on the social or political issues prevalent in our nation. The tradition of parallel cinema can be dated long back into the 1920s and 1930s. The history of Indian Cinema cannot be told without the mention of India’s biggest director ever, Guru Dutt. He has been time and again accredited with ushering the golden era of Indian cinema. His work was purely artistic and lyrical in terms of content and enjoyed commercial success. He was loved by the audience despite the fact that his work was based on subjects that were considered taboo at that time.

Fall Of Parallel Cinema :
Some Hindi filmmakers such as Shyam Benegal continued to produce realistic Parallel Cinema throughout the 1970s, alongside Mani Kaul, Kumar Shahani, Ketan Mehta, Govind Nihalani and Vijaya Mehta. However, the ‘art film’ bent of the Film Finance Corporation came under criticism during a Committee on Public Undertakings investigation in 1976, which accused the body of not doing enough to encourage commercial cinema. The 1970s thus saw the rise of commercial cinema or the so called “popular cinema”. Many movies from “popular cinema” never actually become popular; then why such movies are called popular? They are out of mind as soon as they are out of sight.

Cinema critics have euphemistically termed such movies, which are primarily intended to entertain and make big bucks, though commercial, as “popular”. “Popular” cinema, the term used for cinema which is “less” thought provoking but is more leisurely and mellow-dramatic. Popular cinema emerged in the ‘60s and ‘70s and since then has been successful. Popular may be less in intellectual content, but enjoys more commercial success than parallel cinema. It has always been loved by the masses for the escape it offers from the gruelling daily life. There have been fewer times when parallel cinema has enjoyed the kind of success and acceptance popular cinema does and gets. Parallel cinema has always been liked by a particular kind of audience, a trend that fortunately seems to be changing now.

“Parallel” cinema, a category of cinema very advantageously crafted for the inclusion of realistic movie; a kind of realism that doesn’t get mass acceptance because of how hard hitting it can be. Parallel cinema has been in existence since the emergence of Indian cinema. It all started when no specific category existed and all kinds of movies were given equal importance. Unapologetically, the audience showed preference to a certain category which had elements of fantasy and mushiness. As a result, a new class of cinema emerged which promised to be real and thought provoking; a cinema that was proud of being “artsy”.

The reason why parallel cinema is not an equally blessed child might lie in the fact that it is “real”. It shows the reality and truth behind things. Cinema is considered a means to escape from reality and paying money to see that same reality in a more vivid manner doesn’t appeal to many. In today’s Bollywood scenario, quantity (of moolah) finds precedence over quality (of scripts) and slapstick, verging-towards-obscene comedies and typical love stories with the boo-hoos and item songs are the super-mega-blockbusters.

The films nowadays cater to multiplex audience and they are bound to make a film which sells, no matter even if it is rubbish. The advent of numerous channels, the consumerist culture and the expansion of urban India has given birth to urban-centric audiences. The cinema which once portrayed class struggles and protests against hypocrisy, has given way to more ‘entertaining’ cinema. The situation is rather bleak for the lover of serious and meaningful cinema. The filmmakers who make serious films have failed to make the cut in today’s times and the classics are lost.

The Changing Times :
In these 100 years of cinema, one can see how society has developed because cinema in some way or another reflects society. Cinema is seen like any other industry now. The acceptance of surely doesn’t seem like a big thing now as it was in its early years. Even the mindset of the audience is changing with the evolution of cinema. Film makers thus have the courage to make such movies now, and people are more than willing to see and appreciate these films for their intriguing content.

There are now a number of directors which enjoy “popular” success with films that are high on “intellectual” content too, like Vishal Bhardwaj, Anurag Kashyap and Dibakar Banerjee to name a few. Actors are more than willing to take the risk and be a part of the kind of cinema that has a number of constraints involved. It’s not going to be long when the lines will be blurred between what is “popular” and what is “parallel” cinema. . Both commercial and parallel cinema can co-exist, but only if we want!

Today’s Need :
We need a platform for both these cinemas i.e Commercial or parallel cinema to co-exist. Both these genres need equal recognition. A lot of people are not aware of the less popular, art or parallel cinema. We need to educate people about the existence/history and idea of such cinema. The common masses need to be educated about the various aspects that go behind the making of a film. To encourage and promote young talent to make more meaningful cinema : more and more youths are taking up a career in films.

They do not have a common platform to showcase their talents or get enough credit or recognition for their films. We need a common platform for an exchange of ideas to take place. We need to promote today’s generation and encourage them to watch and learn from the film legends of the past, who were the pioneers of various genres of Indian cinema and brought international fame to the Indian film industry. Preserve, Promote, showcase and educate the common masses today, about the golden era of classic cinema , that brought India, international recognition back in the day.

Aim :
To design a mixed use public space showcasing, preserving and promoting the cinematic heritage of the Golden Era Of Hindi film industry i.e from 1940’s- 1970’s.

Objective :
To design a unique tourist attraction for all visitors coming to Mumbai to experience various aspects of Hindi cinema and understand the process of film making in an entertaining way. To bridge the gap between the film industry and the general audiences and to promote young artists and talent by creating a common platform for the exchange of thoughts and ideas and educating them about the rich Cinematic heritage of Hindi cinema.

To develop a Hindi Cine-museum to Preserve, Promote, showcase and educate the common masses today, about the Golden Era of classic cinema along with the parallel cinema that co-existed during that time, through exhibition, articles, posters, sets etc. To create platforms to showcase both Commercial and parallel cinema and their co-existence. We need to educate people about the existence/history and idea behind such cinema.

is an extremely popular source of entertainment worldwide. Numerous movies are produced each year and people watch these in large numbers. Cinema impacts our life both positively and negatively. Just as everything else in this world, cinema also has positive as well as negative impact on our life. While some movies can change our thinking for good others can invoke a feeling or pain or fear. Despite having a regulatory mechanism, movies these days display a good amount of violence and other illegal and immoral activities. While these activities don’t have much effect on matured adults, it could however adversely affect children or teenagers. Kids in their tender age are unable to make right decisions and are easily influenced by what is shown in the cinema.

Long and Short Essay on Impact of Cinema in Our Life in English

Here are long and short essay on impact of cinema in life in English, of varying lengths to help you with the topic in your exam or other activities.

You can choose any Impact of Cinema in Life Essay as per your need and interest during your school/college essay writing competition or in a debate, discussion with your class mate on topics relevant to the subject.

So, go through this page and select the one essay which is best for you:

Essay on Impact of Cinema in Our Life – Essay 1 (200 words)

Since the beginning of the human existence, man has been searching for different ways for recreation. He has been looking for something that gives a little break from his exhausting schedule of day to day life. Cinema has come forward as a great way of recreation since around a century. It has been one of the most loved pastimes since its inception.

Initially theatres were the only way to get access to the cinema but with the popularity of television and cable TV, watching movies became easier. With the advent of internet and mobile phones, we now get access to the cinema on our mobile screens and can watch them just about anywhere and anytime.

Everyone today is more or less connected to the cinema. When we see certain incidences shown in movies that we can relate to we naturally let them influence our mind-set and thought process. We even idealize certain characters and scenarios from the movies. We want our personality and life to be just like the life of the movie character we idealize. Some people get so hooked on to these characters that they become an integral part of their life.

Thus, we can conclude that cinema has a great influence on the lives of the people and society. It is rightly said that we are more or less carved out from the type of movies we see, songs we hear and the books we read.

Essay on Impact of Cinema on Students – Essay 2 (300 words)

Introduction

Exploring the world of cinema has been a craze for the young generation ever since the initiation of the movies. They follow it like a passion and thus the young generation mostly the teenagers are the ones largely impacted by cinema. This is mainly because it is an age wherein they are about to step into the real world with dozens of notions and at times unreasonable optimism, and the films play a prime role in catering to them.

Positive Impact of Cinema on Students

1. All kinds of movies are made to cater to the interest of different types of audience. There are movies that include educative content. Watching such movies widens the knowledge of the students and has a positive impact on them.
2. Students need to juggle between their studies, extra-curricular activities and competitions. Amid such mad rush and rising competition, they need something for relaxation and movies are a good way to relax.
3. Students can also bond well with their family and extended family as they plan to go out with them to watch cinema.

Negative Impact of Cinema on Students

1. While cinema may be educative, watching too much of it can prove to be a waste of time for the students. Many students get addicted to the movies and spend their precious time in watching movies rather than studying.
2. Certain movies contain inappropriate content such as violence and other A-rated scenes that have a negative impact on the students.
3. Watching too much cinema and other video content can weaken the students’ eye sight and also hamper their power to concentrate.

Conclusion

Whatever a movie maybe about, one should not forget that a movie is a portrayal of writer’s imagination unless it’s a biopic. One should not madly follow them. Students must to realize that it isn’t necessary for their lives and situations to have resemblance with the movie. They should understand and know the difference between the reel life and real life and try to inculcate only the positive aspects of cinema.

Essay on Impact of Cinema on Society – Essay 3 (400 words)

Introduction

Cinema has been a major source of entertainment for the people of every age group around the world. Different genres of movies are produced and these influence the public in different ways. Since movies are explored by all, they influence the society immensely. This impact can be both negative and positive.

Positive Impact of Cinema on the Society

Here is a look at the positive impact of cinema on the society:

1. Cinema has a major influence on the society. So it can be used as a major tool for creating public awareness. Bollywood films like Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Taare Zameen Par and Swades have helped in bringing about positive changes in the society.
2. Certain good movies and biopics can genuinely influence the viewer’s mind positively and can motivate him or her to work hard in life.
3. Movies and songs can give rise to the feeling of patriotism in the viewers.
4. A movie is always a good sort of entertainment. It lets you forget all your problems and can take you to an all new world of imagination, which can be beneficiary at times.
5. Films at times can also widen your scope of knowledge according to their genre. A historic film can improve your knowledge in history; a sci-fi movie can touch you with some knowledge of science and so on.
6. Good comedy movies have the power to make you laugh and can thus enhance your mood.
7. Adventure movies can arise in you a spirit of adventure and motivation.

Negative Impact of Cinema on the Society

Here is a look at the negative impact of cinema on the society:

1. Most of the movies nowadays show violence which can affect the public in a negative way. It can indirectly contribute to violent thoughts in one’s mind especially in the youth.
2. Certain content shown in the movies is not appropriate for some people. It can actually mess up with their mind.
3. People at times fail to differentiate between the movie and reality. They get so engrossed in it that they somehow start to believe that the reality is the same as portrayed in the movie which can have undesirable side effects.

It is a world in which everyone has their own different perspective which may not be right from the view of the others. Certain movies can thus hurt the feelings of certain audience. Some movies have hurt the religious sentiments of people and even resulted in riots.

Conclusion

Thus, we can conclude that movies can have a great impact on the viewer’s mind. It becomes the moral duty of the team to prepare the content that is appropriate and has a positive impact on the society.

Essay on Influence of Cinema on Youth – Essay 4 (500 words)

Introduction

It is a well-known fact that one can learn and remember things easily if it has got both audio and visual aids instead of just audio. Keeping this thing in mind, many study sessions are taken where students are taught with the help of videos. Cinema has been popular since its inception. People came to realize that students can remember more through videos than just from verbal sessions as they observed kids remembering dialogue of the movie they watched a week ago but nothing from the lecture they attended in the morning.

Young Minds are influenced by what they see

Humans have this tendency of adopting the way of talking, walking and behaving of the person they are with for a long time. A person always leaves a mark in other person’s head according to his behaviour.

This notion is more popular among the people belonging to the teenage and also among the kids of age less than 13 years as they have massive grasping power. They want to mimic and copy everything they see in the cinemas, hairstyles, fashion, actions, body language, way of talking, everything. They think that by doing all this they can become popular and cool which seems to be important for today’s youth.

Cinema has a Major Impact on the Youth

Cinema is basically considered as the best among all means of entertainment. Young people watch cinema to get relax and entertained though along with this they learn a number of new things. The normal human tendency is to apply these things in their lives too. That is why it is very important that they grab only the positive points from the cinemas.

As youth is the future of any nation so it is essential that they build a positive mindset. It is thus essential for them to watch good quality of cinema that helps them grow mentally and makes them more knowledgeable and mature. Not only the actions and body language but their level of command on the language is also influenced by the cinema.

Moreover, many movies don’t just entertain, but also provide lots of information regarding different aspects of life. It also helps the young to develop an open-minded mentality which can be very helpful for their progress in lives.

Negative Impact of Cinema on Youth

Cinema has both negative and positive impact on the youth. In the form of action, showing various ways of killing people is a common sight in the movies these days. These things affect the people watching it at a psychological level. They create a mentality among the youth that to show power you need to fight with few, kill few or dominate few. This is a very wrong notion.

Not just this, even the adult scenes, including sex are misguiding for the youth who have not even been provided sex education to understand what is wrong and what is right. Showing excess of nudity and lust can make them do things that they are not supposed to at their age. Moreover, too much time and money is also wasted on viewing cinema.

Conclusion

Hence, cinema impacts the youth in various ways. However, it depends on their maturity and understanding on what they adopt the most.

Essay on Advantages and Disadvantages of Cinema – Essay 5 (600 words)

Introduction

Cinema is a source of entertainment for millions of people around the globe. It serves as a tool against boredom and an escape from the monotonous life. A good movie offers a relaxing and entertaining experience. It takes you to a new world of imagination, away from all the troubles. It has the power to refresh and rejuvenate your mind. However, it also has certain set of disadvantages attached to it. Here is a look at the advantages as well as disadvantages of cinema:

Advantages of Cinema

Here is a look at the advantages offered by the cinema:

1. Social Advantages

Among the teens the trend of watching movies is followed as a passion. Looking at the type of movies a person prefers to watch one can judge his preference and personality. Movies help in socialising as they offer a common ground of discussion. You can always discuss about the content you have watched while sitting in a group or at parties. It offers as a good conversation starter. It is an interesting topic unlike politics and sports that many people find boring.

2. Inspires Imagination

Movies at times show the weirdest imagination of the writer. It shows the world that is unseen and unexplored with advanced graphic technology which can help us enhance our imagination too.

3. Reflection of Art and Culture of Different Parts of the World

Different movies have varied plots that are set around varied cultures and people belonging to different places across the globe. This helps one broaden his or her knowledge about people living in different parts of the world and their way of living.

4. Improvises Thinking Capacity

Success stories and biographies can inspire people to not give up in life. There are certain scenes in the movies wherein cases of emergency such as fire, bomb blast, robbery, etc are shown. We may not know what to do in such moments in real life if we ever come across them. Movies can help improvise our thinking capacity and help us understand how to act in such situations.

Disadvantages of Cinema

1. Creates False Notion

Movies contribute greatly towards forming false notion in people especially kids. Situations and societies in every part of the world are different. People are different on screen and in reality. However, many individuals fail at realize the gap between the movie world and reality which causes problems.

2. Waste of Money and Time

Movie is a mere representation of the writer’s thoughts and imagination and they are not always worth our time and money. What’s the point in investing into something if it isn’t worth our time and we feel disappointed at the end of it?

3. Violent and Adult Content

To make a movie fetch more profit unnecessary scenes of violence, action, nudity and vulgarity are added to it, making it inappropriate for the kids and young adults. It can have a negative impact their mind.

4. Addiction

Movies have at times proved to be over addictive for certain people. Not every movie is worth watching. There are so many other productive and interesting things to do in life other than unnecessarily wasting hours on useless movies. The involvement in movies up to certain extent is alright but undue craze for cinema and wasting money for overhyped movies is not preferable.

Conclusion

There are always two aspects of a thing – a positive one and a negative one. One must watch movies and let them impact oneself to a limit to avoid all the negative aspects of it. As it is rightly said, everything done in limit is beneficiary. Similarly, investing time into movies that are worth watching is fine but getting addicted to them should be avoided, as it would not only waste our time but we’ll also miss out other things that are actually worth our time.

Mission Impossible 4 Movie Review

Agents Gone Rogue (Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol) REVIEW By Joe Bricely The newly released movie Mission Impossible- Ghost Protocol was produced by Tom Cruise and the following companies: Paramount Pictures, Skydance Productions, Bad Robot, FilmWorks, Stillking Films, and TC Productions. It was directed by Brad Bird who is most commonly known for his role in the movies Up (2009), Ratatouille (2007), and The Incredibles (2004) as well as the long running television series The Simpsons (1989-Present).

Those were all animated, unlike Mission Impossible. Overall it was able to not only captivate me the entire time but also was able to demonstrate the beautiful locations that the movie was shot in, such as Dubai’s downtown, Mumbai (Fun fact: the shots supposedly placed in Mumbai were actually shot in Bangalore), Bangalore (These scenes were actually shot in Canada) , and Moscow. (Really). The plot to the new Mission Impossible is basic yet still intriguing.

Though it is the classic story of a hero and his team setting out to stop the ultimate destruction of the world; it created a clever background story of how Ethan Hunt’s (Tom Cruise) and fellow teammate William Brant’s (Jeremy Renner) past are intertwined. The only flaw I could find is that they never really established a thorough background to the evil mastermind Kurt Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist). With the top billed cast the performances were quite convincing. Specifically the roles of Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and Jane Carter (Paula Patton) were captivating.

Tom Cruise served his repetitive role as Ethan Hunt the super spy to a tee; through not only his phenomenal stunts, but also in his spy like swagger. Paula Patton, in the role of the only female on the former IMF team, not only played the role of her the spy well, but also had to go undercover in the movie as an international assassin and was mesmerizing seducing an Indian tycoon into giving her what she wanted. Overall the performances in Mission Impossible were top notch. As stated previously, Mission Impossible was an exhilarating thrill ride which utilized its budget of $145 million effectively.

There were some new gadgets including high powered suction gloves which Tom Cruise used to scale the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa and a metal suit which allowed Jeremy Renner to levitate over a high powered fan using magnetism. In the movie several effective costumes were utilized including Tom Cruise dressing as a Russian general to infiltrate the Kremlin. Shortly after his exit, the Kremlin exploded leaving a large crater in the building, an example of the brilliant special effects incorporated into the movie.

Other than that massive explosion, some other special effects were impressive included the launching of a nuclear missile (and its ultimate deactivation) that lead into it crashing through a LA skyscraper then dramatically plunging into the water. In the new Mission Impossible the key to the humor in the movie is the role of Benji Dunn played by the notoriously funny Simon Pegg (who will forever be known for his staring in the 2004 classic comedy Shawn of the Dead. His comedic antics started off in his first scene when he argued with Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt through a security camera feed while breaking the spy out of Russian prison. He continued with his humorous attitude throughout the movie. Especially funny was his untimely entrance into the hotel room in Dubai, gloating how he was able to change a few door numbers in time yet not knowing that just seconds before, the rest of his team had struggled for their lives, dangling out a window over 100 stories up.

Though I have been a fan of the Mission Impossible series since I was 6, I have to say that ‘Ghost Protocol’ was my favorite. It not only satisfied my thirst for some top notch fighting and action scenes, but also met my needs for a strong comedic presence, both worked beautifully together. I recommend this movie to any other IMF fans out there, but also to anyone seeking a well written, action packed, thrill ride of a movie.

Spirited Away Movie Review

spirited Away Spirited Away, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, is his most imaginative work to date. It is a tale designed for the young audience around ten years old. Despite the expected age group, however, it is adults that will probably learn more from this film. The story begins as ten-year-old Chihiro and her parents accidentally find a tunnel in the countryside that leads them into an old, deserted park. When her parents help themselves to a lot of delicious food, Chihiro goes around.

But as night is coming, she comes back to find that her mum and dad have been turned into pigs. She is then trapped in a horrible world of gods. In this world, humans are scorned. Then Chihiro tries to make herself sent to work in a bathhouse. She works hard, makes herself useful, and finds her courage so that she can find a way to break the spell. For a film designed for a young audience, Spirited Away is surprisingly profound. The thesis of this story is related to the importance of names and promises.

When Chihiro becomes employed by Yubaba, the witch who rules the spirit world and take her name away, which Chihiro needs to free herself. Yubaba herself also is bound by the spell she has made in the past. In the world of Spirited Away, everyone is bound by their own words and names. What makes this animated film different from most of the popular children’s animated films, such as those made by Disney, is that there is no real enemy that the main character has to fight with.

There are no clear lines between good and evil in Spirited Away. Yubaba appears to be the film’s main evil, but the audience do not hate her so much that they wish her to die, since she also has a compassionate or weakness, when it comes to her spoiled boy. This film is wit-knot from the beginning to the end. From the moment when Chihiro meets the male lead character, Haku, the pace of the film is increased. One reason the story is so attractive and outstanding is that the whole film is transcending audience’s imagination.

Audience always find themselves having certain expectations of how the story will develop, but each time the story turns out in a completely unexpected direction. Chihiro’s selflessness and bravery are really surprising sometimes. They are also inspiring and heartwarming. There are a lot of sub-characters, such as No-Face and Yubaba’s oversized baby named Boh, and sub-plots connected together with Chihiro and the main plot without any fault. Another noticeable thing is the music, which combines Japanese musical features with western ones.

Some tracks are peaceful and sad when at night, Chihiro is worrying her future and condition, gazing out over the ocean. Other tracks are mysterious and attractive. For example, when Chihiro frightfully finds her environment transformed, there are even grand tracks to match the coming of the gods. The soundtrack is as effective as other facts in making Spirited Away special and impressive. There is absolutely no weakness I can find with this film, and it is hard to imagine how anyone could not like it.

Spirited Away is beautifully animated. It is also made up of wildly imaginative characters and an inspiring story. In addition, there is matchlessly great music to support the film. People who have seen the film are believed to be divided into two main groups: those who like it, and those who will absolutely like it. Both kids and adults will enjoy themselves and have their own feelings. There is no doubt that Spirited Away is one of the best films.

The Influence of Walt Disney Films Towards Adults and Children

A Walt Disney film production is well-known for its film reputation; magical, heart-warming and touching films that attracts not only children but also adults. The company makes animations that capture’s the audience heart and at the same time delivers a moral message to the audience. Cinderella (1950) is a successful Walt Disney film that appeals to different generations’ as it was a story on a happy and magical dream that many people have in reality.

Cinderella, the character appealed to many young girls as the character portrayed a very kind, loving and pretty girl who was chosen by a handsome and charming young Prince. The Prince and Cinderella unite when her leg fits into a beautiful pair of glass shoe that she lost during the Prince’s ball. This story also appeals to young boys who are trying to find their true love just like the charming Prince. Apart from that, the song “A dream is a wish your heart makes,” gives hope to people from different backgrounds and different generations.

In one part of the song lyrics, specifically “No matter how you heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true,” sends an important message that people should keep hoping and be positive in whatever dreams they have so that one day this dream will come true. The film ‘Cinderella’ is not only meant to explore the deepest and wildest imagination of the audience, but it also makes everyone’s dream come true on the screen; especially when the Prince and Cinderella lives happily ever after in the end. Therefore, this movie would never get old, not even for the future generation of youngsters.

Anjelica Huston once said, “ I want to be a princess like Cinderella and fit into the shoes that she fit in. It influences my later desire to become an actress. ” It directly affects those who have watched Disney animations. Princess fairy tales are not meant just for memories and are not just a motion picture for entertainment, but also a tool that aids in a child’s development. Street (1995) has analyzed the excerpts from three different years of ethnographic study of literacy play in kindergarten classrooms’ and presented the findings in “Social Literacies: Critical Approaches to Literacy in Development, Ethnography and Education.”

One of the findings was that little girls played with Disney Princess dolls and repeatedly enacted the associated film text; they rewrote plots they knew by heart and altered character roles that suited their version of their favorite Disney characters’. This could mean that Disney Princesses and animation films enhance the opportunity for children to practice their ability to write and read stories based on what they have heard from films’. It also encourages children to create their stories based on the fairy tales they have watched.

In short, children could develop moral and social values based on what they see from Disney movies. From the movie Cinderella, one can understand more about the animation movie making process, production and structure. It deeply links and influences the audience image on cartoon and animation movies. Although we live in the age of information technology, where most people are hooked to the internet or video games, a fairy tale like Cinderella still captures a majority of audience from different generations.