Saturday, January 25, 2020

How McCabe and Mrs Miller and Blade Runner Subvert Their Genres and Def

How McCabe and Mrs Miller and Blade Runner Subvert Their Genres and Defy Audience Expectations Two genres which have always been Hollywood staples are science-fiction and the western. The genres can be seen in films made as early as Le Voyage Dans la lune (Georges Melies 1902) and The Great Train Robbery (Edwin S. Porter 1903). On the surface the two genres are very different, however if one looks closely at them they are similar in many ways. Both genres usually feature uncharted frontiers, strong silent protagonists, frightening savages (played by either space aliens or Native Americans) and damsels in distress. The formula for these two genres was established many decades ago and in recent years it takes a film that defies and subverts those expectations such as Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood 1992) or Alien (Ridley Scott 1979) to receive an enthusiastic critical and box office response. Two other films which subvert the traditional genres of westerns or science fiction films are McCabe and Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman 1971) and Blade Runner (Ridley Scott 1982). These films use archetypal settings, characters and action in a way which is substantially different from our expectations and the results are extremely memorable films. McCabe and Mrs. Miller is the story of a man, John McCabe (Warren Beatty) who tries to set up a whorehouse/tavern in a small town in the Pacific Northwest in 1901. He meets an astute madam, Mrs. Miller (Julie Christie) who runs his business and shares in his profits. The business thrives and they develop a relationship. A mineral deposit draws powerful mining company men to the town to try and buy McCabe's holdings. He refuses to sell and they retaliate. He ultimately is mortally wounded in a bloody showdown with the mining company's thugs leaving Mrs. Miller all alone. Robert Altman created a film which Pauline Kael called "a beautiful pipe dream of a movie -- a fleeting, almost diaphanous vision of what frontier life might have been." The film certainly feels different from most Westerns, featuring the distinctively different music of Leonard Cohen and a washed-out style of cinematography which Altman claimed "was trying to get the feeling of antiquity, like the photographs of the time." The cinematography is starkly different from the vibrant colours of The Searchers (John Ford 1956) or Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks 1959... ...ells him to do but he does it anyway. This is a stark difference from Captain James T. Kirk or Luke Skywalker. Scott is clearly trying to create a film which does not fit into traditional science-fiction formulas and he has succeeded with Blade Runner. Both McCabe and Mrs. Miller and Blade Runner are excellent films, they manage to succeed in subverting traditional genres in a way that creates fresh and different movies which both critics and movie goers have not seen before. This kind of genre shifting has grown more and more popular in recent years as movie goers have grown tired of seeing formulaic films filled with stock characters. In the future as young filmmakers look to the past for inspiration to create fresh and unique films which subvert genres and defy audience expectations hopefully they will look to the work of Robert Altman and Ridley Scott as prime examples. Bibliography: Jacobs, Diane. Hollywood Renaissance: The New Generation of Filmmakers and their works. 1977. New York. Dell Publishing. Sammon, Paul M. Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner. 1996. New York. Harper Collins. Sklar, Robert. Movie-Made America. 1994. New York. Vintage Books. How McCabe and Mrs Miller and Blade Runner Subvert Their Genres and Def How McCabe and Mrs Miller and Blade Runner Subvert Their Genres and Defy Audience Expectations Two genres which have always been Hollywood staples are science-fiction and the western. The genres can be seen in films made as early as Le Voyage Dans la lune (Georges Melies 1902) and The Great Train Robbery (Edwin S. Porter 1903). On the surface the two genres are very different, however if one looks closely at them they are similar in many ways. Both genres usually feature uncharted frontiers, strong silent protagonists, frightening savages (played by either space aliens or Native Americans) and damsels in distress. The formula for these two genres was established many decades ago and in recent years it takes a film that defies and subverts those expectations such as Unforgiven (Clint Eastwood 1992) or Alien (Ridley Scott 1979) to receive an enthusiastic critical and box office response. Two other films which subvert the traditional genres of westerns or science fiction films are McCabe and Mrs. Miller (Robert Altman 1971) and Blade Runner (Ridley Scott 1982). These films use archetypal settings, characters and action in a way which is substantially different from our expectations and the results are extremely memorable films. McCabe and Mrs. Miller is the story of a man, John McCabe (Warren Beatty) who tries to set up a whorehouse/tavern in a small town in the Pacific Northwest in 1901. He meets an astute madam, Mrs. Miller (Julie Christie) who runs his business and shares in his profits. The business thrives and they develop a relationship. A mineral deposit draws powerful mining company men to the town to try and buy McCabe's holdings. He refuses to sell and they retaliate. He ultimately is mortally wounded in a bloody showdown with the mining company's thugs leaving Mrs. Miller all alone. Robert Altman created a film which Pauline Kael called "a beautiful pipe dream of a movie -- a fleeting, almost diaphanous vision of what frontier life might have been." The film certainly feels different from most Westerns, featuring the distinctively different music of Leonard Cohen and a washed-out style of cinematography which Altman claimed "was trying to get the feeling of antiquity, like the photographs of the time." The cinematography is starkly different from the vibrant colours of The Searchers (John Ford 1956) or Rio Bravo (Howard Hawks 1959... ...ells him to do but he does it anyway. This is a stark difference from Captain James T. Kirk or Luke Skywalker. Scott is clearly trying to create a film which does not fit into traditional science-fiction formulas and he has succeeded with Blade Runner. Both McCabe and Mrs. Miller and Blade Runner are excellent films, they manage to succeed in subverting traditional genres in a way that creates fresh and different movies which both critics and movie goers have not seen before. This kind of genre shifting has grown more and more popular in recent years as movie goers have grown tired of seeing formulaic films filled with stock characters. In the future as young filmmakers look to the past for inspiration to create fresh and unique films which subvert genres and defy audience expectations hopefully they will look to the work of Robert Altman and Ridley Scott as prime examples. Bibliography: Jacobs, Diane. Hollywood Renaissance: The New Generation of Filmmakers and their works. 1977. New York. Dell Publishing. Sammon, Paul M. Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner. 1996. New York. Harper Collins. Sklar, Robert. Movie-Made America. 1994. New York. Vintage Books.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Evolution of the Concept of Childhood: Evidence from Children’s Literature Essay

Zohar Shavit’s discussion of the development of the concept of childhood takes into consideration the literature that has been developed for children. Shavit’s goal was to explain how the concept of childhood evolved as it is shown along the lines of children’s literature. This essay will attempt to provide criticism regarding the manner by which Shavit argued his case. Focus and attention will be towards the development of the argument. Furthermore, each section of Shavit’s article will be analyzed and critiqued in terms of how it contributed to the strength of the author’s argument.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shavit begins his article by discussing the beginnings of the concept of childhood. He described how up until the seventeenth century, children lived in an adult world and were not considered as distinct from their adult counterparts. (Shavit, 318) In other words, the world had no concept of what a child was. Every aspect of a child’s life was that of an adult as well. He cited various reasons for such including the fact that there was a high mortality rate among children and the poor survival of children during the time. Moreover, children did not really enjoy a childhood as it is now defined for early in life, they were made to do things that adults do. Some marry at a very tender age while others are thrust into a working life. (Shavit, 318) Shavit then discussed how in the seventeenth century the unity between the lives of adults and children shifted to polarization. (Shavit, 319) He described how children began to develop their own way of life including the emergence of clothing and educational games. (Shavit, 319) Basically, at this time, a distinction between adults and children began to be established.   The concept of childhood developed out of the polarization between the adult’s and the child’s world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shavit moved on to discussing the emergence of children’s literature specifically to meet the new educational needs of children as defined by the perceived need to mold children who were seen as delicate creatures. (Shavit, 320)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Having established how children’s literature emerged, Shavit then discussed the evolution of the one of the most commonly analyzed children’s tales, â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood.† He discussed how the story evolved just as the conception of childhood evolved as well.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shavit’s main argument and the thesis of his article is that the concept of childhood and its evolution through time shapes the literature that has been developed for children. Basically, as the concept of childhood is altered so is the literature for children. Shavit’s thesis is quite general. His analysis lies along the general lines. (Shavit, 317) Furthermore, based on his thesis, one can see that the evolution and history of both the concept of childhood and of children’s literature are necessary elements of his argument. As such, in order to prove his thesis, Shavit had to lay down the history of the concept of childhood and how children’s literature emerged from the development of the concept.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shavit’s argument is well structured. He lay down the foundation of his argument by providing historical insights in both the concept of childhood and of children’s literature. From this foundation, Shavit was able to show the relationship between children’s literature and the evolution of children in society. More importantly, this foundation was integral in his discussion of the primary source for readers are able to relate the concept of childhood in the text with the perception of childhood in society at the time the text was published. Shavit’s article moves on along a time line making it logical and sound.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shavit utilized an analysis of the text, â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood† to demonstrate how the concept of childhood evolved. More importantly, Shavit used a comparison between two versions of the text to show that a difference in the conception of childhood existed between the two different time periods. Shavit compared Perrault’s version with that of The Brothers Grimm in order to illustrate how the concept of childhood influences the story. He quoted both versions to demonstrate how the two differed in particular parts of the story. For instance, Shavit quoted Perrault’s and The Brothers Grimm’s versions to show the difference between the two particularly in the part where the grandmother’s love is expressed in the story. (Shavit, 330) Shavit did no divert from either text and ensured that both were properly quoted. Shavit’s use of the quotations was specifically for the purpose of showing the difference of the two versions in demonstrating family ties in the text. Other than for such purpose, Shavit failed to utilize the primary texts. Shavit’s arguments could have been strengthened by more use of the primary sources. Although he was able to extensively compare the two texts, he was not able to make readers appreciate the comparison since he insufficiently quoted the two versions. Shavit likewise compared the endings of the two versions of the story. He noted that the difference in endings led to a change in the meaning and moral of the story. (Shavit, 329) The moral of Perrault’s story was intended for the gentlemen since it emphasized the wolf. On the other hand, the Brothers Grimm’s version â€Å"stresses Little Red Riding Hood’s learning a lesson.† (Shavit, 329) The difference in endings thus provides evidence that the two versions were intended for distinct audiences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shavit’s discussion entailed the use of two versions of the â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood† to show how the concept of childhood evolved. However, as mentioned earlier, Shavit failed to utilize the texts adequately. Instead of quoting the texts, Shavit used his own perception and analysis to demonstrate the difference in the two versions. In other words, Shavit’s arguments lacked sufficient backing from primary sources.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In his recount of the history of the concept of childhood, Shavit failed to cite sources for his descriptions. He mainly utilized his own descriptions and understanding of history in his explanations. In his discussion of the two concepts of childhood that emerged in society, he failed to cite sources for it. His explanations were logical and easily understood. However, without enough evidence from sources, a shadow of doubt is seemingly cast over the authenticity and validity of his arguments. His arguments may be seen as subjective for he was unable to use historical sources. Shavit’s comparison of Perrault and The Brothers Grimm’s versions of â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood† were very extensive. He was able to cover several elements of the story including tone and ending. However, he was unable to justify most of his comparisons by quoting the texts.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In general, Shavit was able to show how the concept of childhood evolved. He was able to demonstrate how a different concept of childhood emerged in Perrault’s and The Brothers Grimm’s versions. More importantly, he was able to show that at the two different times, children were thought of differently. In this light, Shavit was successful in proving his arguments but there is room for improvement. More historical sources will make Shavit’s arguments stronger and more sound. It will increase the validity of his statements. Works Cited Shavit, Zohar. â€Å"The Concept of Childhood and Children’s Folktales: Test Case-‘Little Red Riding Hood’.† The Classic Fairy Tales.   Ed. Maria Tatar. Norton, 1999. 317-332.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

sports salaries Essay - 1282 Words

Sports Salaries Athletics in this country are bigger than ever. Today, more people are attending sporting events than ever before. Sports have a truly unique ability; they bring people of all races, genders, and social classes together forming one common bond, the well-being of the home team. For all the good sports bring, however, a growing majority of fans are becoming more and more disenchanted with the high priced industry. America whines while these athletes sign multi-million dollar contracts, moans when they get in trouble with the law and points fingers when the athletes do not live up to the standard of quot;role model.quot; Yet these fans that whine, moan, and point fingers are the same ones that pay hundreds of dollars to†¦show more content†¦Small market teams routinely have to develop their talent in their minor league system. However, these teams then don’t have the money to sign them and then lose him to a large market team. The teams with the money can sign the big names. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that if this continues and Major League Baseball doesn’t do something about this the sport will lose its competitiveness and this will further drive the fan away from the game. The small market team will never be able to compete with the big market if something is not done. These high priced contracts also drive up the ticket prices and concession prices which further outrages the fan. The common man taking his family to the ballpark no longer exists. These days it takes an arm and a leg just to buy a bleacher ticket and a meal from the concession. These days sports are truly a rich mans game all the way around. What the fan doesn’t realize is that the high priced contracts are not the only thing that drives up ticket prices. 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