"How To Kill A Mockingbird" - Literature in Film Blog 3

I've never seen this film until now, which is surprising because it is right up my alley: black and white, old fashioned, funny! *Disclaimer, I missed a section in the middle, but I have a pretty good idea of what happened in between* All the while as I watched the film, I kept trying to piece together the story. What did Boo Radley have to do with everybody? Why were the kids obsessed with him? Why do the kids call their dad by his first name? What's the purpose of the story being told from a child's perspective/memory? In natural theatre major fashion, I was trying to put together everything all at once (I still am). But my most favorite and most interesting aspect of the film is the nature of the trial. The "radical" sense of a white lawyer defending an accused black man really brings intrigue, considering the year the story takes place (1930s). Institutionalized racism has existed since slavery (and even before then). But the trial is more than just a trial against a black man, it touches upon the dynamics of racism and rape in what I believe to be a modern situation. Tom Robinson (the accused) isn't the actual perpetrator, it's the woman who attacks HIM. In the twenty-first century we struggle to believe that a woman could rape a man, so I'm positive it was eve harder to believe that a WHITE woman would kiss/assault a BLACK man. And as Atticus said, she was tormented by the societal guilt of her crime, which is why she accused Tom Robinson of attacking HER. The idea of a white woman being sexually attracted to a black man was too absurd for her family or society, so she took out her guilt and misplaced it on the object of her affection. I am shocked that this kind of situation was addressed in the 1930s, let alone the 1960s when the film was produced. If we still struggle with this issue now, how bad was the struggle to believe it then? Racism, sexism, and societal pressures influence the interpretation of this story and real life application of this situation. #THESTRUGGLEISREAL

"Precious" - Literature in Film Blog 2

All I can think about is how complicated Precious' mom is. She is the most intriguing character I've come across in a long while. I think the film sets her up to be a villain, we're supposed to hate her throughout the film. But then the final scene hits us like a brick wall. Her own hate towards Precious, her cruel violence, her nasty words were all in the sake of self-preservation and self worth. Mary (Precious' mom) only wants to be loved, and her eyes Precious stole the man who loved her. The pain that she feels, the hate that was inevitable, relates so closely to what I fear will come for me. I would like to think that I would care for my child and protect it, but my self value and low self confidence might get the better of me. I have so much empathy for Precious' mom.

Precious perseveres immensely throughout her life. I'm obsessed with Law and Order: SVU and one of the characters said to a victim, "You did what people know how to do during trauma. You survived." That's exactly what Precious did. She survived all the hate, all the violence, all the abuse, and all the shit piled onto her life. I always think that people will crack under all the awful things, it's why the cycle of abuse is endless and influential. But Precious survived, she lived, and she came out of all the awful crap in order to make a better life. I guess there really are hearts of gold lying beneath the violence.

"Rebel" - Literature in Film Blog 1

My dear friend and classmate Anthony Beltran made a film called "Rebel" for his senior project. He pulled themes and concepts from the films "Rebel Without A Cause" and "They Shoot Horses Don't They". While the recurring themes of teenage angst, self-destruction, violence, and perseverance were all really interesting and focused on, it was the cinematography that I was captivated by. The scenes in the woods, the different angles of the actors, and the fantastic editing are what really told the story. Just like in theatre, film creates conventions that send a message or a reminder of a certain aspect of the story. In "Rebel", there was a focus and parallel between the violent adults and the violent teenagers. The counselor's rage and outburst in the hallway mirrored the tough guys violent outburst with his girlfriend. The psycho "kitten-torturing" kid would have small moments throughout the film with a creepy and menacing smile, a repeated symbol to emphasize the boy's insanity.

But perhaps my favorite moment in the entire film is when all of the students are watching the film "They Shoot Horses Don't They" and the scene from the movie, when the man shoots the woman, reflects off of the psycho boy's face. It's an absolutely marvelous moment that bring insight into the character's development as a creep and loony. The scene is also reminiscent to the scene in "Psycho" where the skeleton head is apart of the faint transition into Norman Bates' face.

Some really good visual moments and symbols they not only stimulate my academic brain, but make my sympathetic heart burst with pride for my peer.