Charlie Chaplin - Seminole Cinema: SEHS Film



IB Film 2: Week 61.1Seeing Film History Through DirectorsCheck out this Top 10 Movie Director list. DirectorThe Director of a film is a creative force, a decision maker, and a coordinator.They will often be the dominant figure from the first stages of pre-production through to the final edit.Of course, there are Directors who just follow orders from producers or who are content to work within established conventions, but they would not be considered Auteurs or Authors of their own films.The writers of?Cahiers du Cinema, who coined the phrase Auteur,?had a disparaging term for Directors who were merely following orders or conventions - they were called?Metteurs en Scene -?literally meaning?scene setter.Charlie ChaplinBorn in 1889, he was,?in a way, was born with the movies.His parents were music hall performers in London, England.Charlie's early years were tough. His father abandoned Charlie and his brother Sydney, and his mother eventually suffered a complete breakdown that left her confined to a mental hospital.Charlie was a born performer, and by the time he was 10, he was dancing, singing, and clowning on various stages around London. He landed a job with Karno's Speechless Comedians and went with them on a tour to the United States. While there, he was offered a job with the Keystone Film Company and by 1914, he was in the movies.Chaplin's signature character was The Tramp,?who wore baggy trousers, oversized shoes, undersized jacket, a hat, cane, and a 'toothbrush'?mustache.He created this look by walking into a wardrobe shack, grabbing a few items off the shelves and emerging with the basic look for one of the most recognizable personas in film history.Many of Chaplin's first movies were directed by Mabel Normand, an early supporter of Chaplin, though she and Chaplin did not always agree on matters of film direction. Despite this, the two remained lifelong friends.Chaplin persuaded Mack Sennett, who ran the Keystone company, to give him a shot at Directing.Chaplin used the opportunity to change the frantic pacing common to most comedies of the day and allow a more subtle form of his comedy to develop.Early directing highlights include -The Pawnshop?(1916)The Rink?(1916)The Immigrant?(1917)The Kid?(1921).Chaplin was Director, Lead Actor, Producer, and Writer for all these films ( and he even composed a musical score for?The Kid?).Chaplin's last great silent films and his work in the post-silent era were done for United Artists, a film studio he founded with Mary Pickford, D. W. Griffith, and Douglas Fairbanks.Two of his masterpieces came out of this time -?The Gold Rush?(1925) and?Modern Times?(1936).Chaplin's talent as a comic actor is unquestioned, and his work as a Director deserves as much respect.Chaplin's combination of improvisation and relentless perfectionism sometimes frustrated actors and crew, but the results were often sublime.He holds a unique position in film history as a multi-talented artist whose work spanned the pioneer, silent, and sound eras.Jump CutIf you are interested in seeing a fine example of Chaplin's work, watch?The Gold Rush.Watch -?The Gold RushIngmar BergmanThe Swedish Director Ingmar Bergman was the son of a Lutheran Pastor.He started Directing for the stage and moved into films, as a writer in 1944. From there, he moved into Directing.From the start, Bergman's films were intensely personal, and his early films often featured young people oppressed by domineering father figures.Bergman's first, real, international success came in 1955 with a film called?Smiles of a Summer Night?(?Sommarnattens leende?).In 1957, Bergman wrote and Directed his masterwork, the influential and allegorical film?The Seventh Seal.The film stars Max von Sydow as a medieval Knight, who finds himself playing a game of chess with Death.The film was praised for both its beautiful cinematography and for the handling of complex religious and personal themes.The Seventh Seal?is heavy with symbolism and led critics to cite Bergman as the first Auteur of Swedish cinema.Persona?(1966) is a psychological journey established through hypnotic close-ups, a theme he returned to in?Cries and Whispers?(1973).In 1982, Bergman made?Fanny and Alexander, a film that seemed to go against the Bergman sensibility, as it was a warm and colorful family drama.Bergman's personal and distinctive cinematic voice paved the way for countless filmmakers looking to create works that explore the human condition.Jane CampionBorn in Wellington, New Zealand in 1954, Campion studied anthropology, painting, and film.She began making short films in 1981 and in 1982 won the Short Film Palme d'Or for?Peel.After working in Australian television for a couple of years, Campion Directed her first feature film,?Sweetie?(1989).Sweetie?is the story of a mentally ill young woman and the struggles her family experiences while trying to cope.Both this film and her next feature,?An Angel at My Table?(1990), received considerable recognition at home and internationally, but it was?The Piano?(1993) that made Campion an international directing star.The film won dozens of awards including the Cannes Palm d'Or and 3 Academy Awards.Bright Star?(2009), is based on the last three years of the life of poet John Keats, and most recently, a TV mini-series?Top of the Lake?(2013).Campion has been described as a Director with restraint, having a deft touch, and having a remarkable ability to capture great performances from her actors. Her work is often beautiful, challenging, and always interesting.Campion is now recognized as one of the finest Directors in the world for her ability to explore themes of madness, ambiguity, and the nature of desire.She has demonstrated over and over again that so-called Art?films can have an impact on mainstream cinema.Watch -?SweetieWatch -?An Angel at My TableWatch -?Bright StarWatch -?Top of the LakeRidley ScottRidley Scott is a British-born Director who got his start making television commercials.His first feature was a period piece called?The Duellists(1977).The film was not a huge box office success, but was well-received critically for its historical accuracy and authentic dueling scenes.Scott was interested in working in the United States and was also impressed by George Lucas's?Star Wars?(1977).So, it was no surprise he accepted a job Directing the 1979 Science Fiction film?Alien, a ground-breaking, Action-Sci-Fi-Horror-hybrid that announced his arrival as an international Director.Scott followed this with an adaptation of the Philip K. Dick novel?Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Called?Blade Runner,?the movie told the story of Rick Deckard, a 'blade runner',?or Bounty Hunter, who hunted Replicants ( androids, or artificial humans ).Scott created a Neo-Noir future world that seemed perpetually dark and oppressive.It was not particularly well-received. Critics noted the slow pace and somber mood, as well as the visuals that sometimes seemed to overwhelm the story.Since its initial release, the film has become both a cult and critic's favorite.Scott's handling of the convoluted plot, the strangely beautiful and dark setting, and the Expressionistic themes has come to be seen as both ground-breaking and lasting.Scott recently released his definitive cut ( there have been several re-cuts ) called?The Final Cut?on the 25th Anniversary addition.Ridley Scott went back to his television commercial roots in 1984 to direct what some call the most significant commercial ever made - The Apple Macintosh?1984?Superbowl spot.Take a look at 1984 Apple's Macintosh Commercial.Watch -?1984 Apple Macintosh CommercialSince?Blade Runner, Scott has had considerable international success, includingLegend?(1985)Thelma & Louise?(1991)Gladiator?(2000)American Gangster?(2007)Prometheus?(2012), a science fiction film that Scott says is not really a prequel to?Alien, but one that will explain the derelict alien spacecraft seen in that film.A sequel to?Blade Runner,?Blade Runner 2049, is scheduled for release in 2017.Ridley Scott is an intelligent and imaginative Director who, especially in?Blade Runner, has used his talent to examine the meaning of existence and to explore the difference between illusion and reality.My Favourite DirectorNow that you have been exposed to a number of films and filmmakers, who is your favorite Director? ?Support your answer using specific reasoning.Make sure you respond to your classmates’ posts as well. ................
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