Film, the Girl Can’t Help it was made during the greatest economic boom in history. It was a story between a man and a girl, a story of love and music, more importantly a story of an era to another. The 1950s was also called the consumer ear; it was a time that people started to have the opportunity to enjoy all the commercial goods that were available to them. This is the same as what Foner said in his book. Milton Friedman said that “economic freedom gives rise to political freedom; there is no freedom unless economic freedom is secured”. In a sense that the 1950s was the time that freedom really started to prosper. This also approves to be right according to Foner.
We learned that the 1950s American culture was more about consumer culture, people were happier than they ever were, only because they were able to buy the things that they were once only could dream of. It is evident to say that freedom was expanding to every corner of the country. This does not mean the world was all good and fine, racial segregation was still a major issue that was posed to the government.
As I have said before, racial segregation was still a major issue, but it was getting better nevertheless, they could be seen working at night clubs as singers and performers, they could record their own songs to be put in jukeboxes which I believe that they did not have the luxury to do few decades ago. What was more important was they were working on the same stage as white performers. Females also expanded their freedom during the 1950s; they had the opportunity to choose as to what they wanted to do, something which they did not have.
My favorite part of the film would be when Mr. Murdock and did his singing, it seemed funny at first, but he was really good at what he was doing. It also showed that freedom was expanding from a different angle, that Mr. Murdock finally had the opportunity to do what he loved.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Pickup on South Street
The Film, Pickup on the South Street was a film that made to reflect the tough times during the Cold War era at home. The main character of the film did pocket picking as his survival tool, he was nothing but an average American citizen. One day he pocket picked an important film out of a girl’s purse that revealed later to be an important massage that belonged to the communist party. He did not know who to trust during a chaos time, and he was afraid that the film would fell into wrong people’s hands, so he kept it in secret. The film really demonstrated people’s lives really well during the Cold War, down from pocket picker, up to government officials. This film is like a remake of what Foner talked in his book, people were in constant fear of communism, even though majority of them did not even know what communism stood for, and as a result people did not know who to trust. The movement of anticommunism was more of a domestic battle than a national battle.
We learned that people were constantly put to the test to oppose the idea of communism, and they did. Even though most of them did not even know what the ideology behind communism was, but they opposed it with passion. The characters in the film never once backed down from the threat that was posed by the communists. I believe the reason that they stood on their grounds so strongly was because they knew communism might not threat their lives, but it did threat their freedom, so they risked everything they had, even their lives to protect it. They believed that the foundation of the U.S. was built on the idea of freedom.
I believe the film revealed a lot regarding on the gender issue, the main female character was put on an important mission that would probably be given to a male. It tells us that women were granted more freedom than they ever had, females could be trusted with important missions and tasks, and they were more than reliable.
My favorite part of the movie was when female character took the bullet from the hands of a communist, she risked her live to protect something which held no value to her, the only reason she protected it was it had value to her country, and it would threat her freedom if it fall into the wrong hands.
We learned that people were constantly put to the test to oppose the idea of communism, and they did. Even though most of them did not even know what the ideology behind communism was, but they opposed it with passion. The characters in the film never once backed down from the threat that was posed by the communists. I believe the reason that they stood on their grounds so strongly was because they knew communism might not threat their lives, but it did threat their freedom, so they risked everything they had, even their lives to protect it. They believed that the foundation of the U.S. was built on the idea of freedom.
I believe the film revealed a lot regarding on the gender issue, the main female character was put on an important mission that would probably be given to a male. It tells us that women were granted more freedom than they ever had, females could be trusted with important missions and tasks, and they were more than reliable.
My favorite part of the movie was when female character took the bullet from the hands of a communist, she risked her live to protect something which held no value to her, the only reason she protected it was it had value to her country, and it would threat her freedom if it fall into the wrong hands.
The Purple Heart
Film, the Purple Heart is a film that was made in tribute of all the American soldiers that fought in World War II. In the film, there were eight Americans which were all soldiers. The reason that those eight soldiers were arrested by Japanese was because they took a one-way flight, their sole aim was to attack Japan in response of their attack on Pearl Harbor. They knew they were risking their lives, and they knew they were leaving their loved ones behind, for only one purpose that was to secure their lives, and American people’s lives, more importantly freedom. It is exactly what Eric Foner talks about in his book, which is to promote and fight for freedom.
As the film reflected, we learned a lot about American culture even though there were not much of dialogs. We knew that American freedom was threatened by the imperial power due to the invasion of Japanese naval force’s attack on Pearl Harbor. A lot of people feared that imperial power would attack on American soil again, but American people would not bent down to imperial power to risk their freedom, they answered when the country needed them the most, so the U.S. government decided to declare war on Japan as a lesson. It was not just a war, it was a message that sent by the American people that our freedom would not and could not be challenged by anyone, because that’s American people’s belief.
The film did not reveal much of gender, class or race issues. But it did reflect Japanese soldiers’ cruelty; they tortured American soldiers one after one so they could get a conviction on them, but they stood on their grounds and did not say a word.
My favorite part of the movie was when the American soldiers were talking over with each other if anyone of them had second thoughts about not giving or saying anything to the Japanese, unsurprisingly, none of them wanted to. Words do not say a lot, action does. That tells us a lot about American true value, and those few individuals’ character.
As the film reflected, we learned a lot about American culture even though there were not much of dialogs. We knew that American freedom was threatened by the imperial power due to the invasion of Japanese naval force’s attack on Pearl Harbor. A lot of people feared that imperial power would attack on American soil again, but American people would not bent down to imperial power to risk their freedom, they answered when the country needed them the most, so the U.S. government decided to declare war on Japan as a lesson. It was not just a war, it was a message that sent by the American people that our freedom would not and could not be challenged by anyone, because that’s American people’s belief.
The film did not reveal much of gender, class or race issues. But it did reflect Japanese soldiers’ cruelty; they tortured American soldiers one after one so they could get a conviction on them, but they stood on their grounds and did not say a word.
My favorite part of the movie was when the American soldiers were talking over with each other if anyone of them had second thoughts about not giving or saying anything to the Japanese, unsurprisingly, none of them wanted to. Words do not say a lot, action does. That tells us a lot about American true value, and those few individuals’ character.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Gold Diggers
Gold Diggers were a film that took place when the Great Depression that really hit hard on the United States. This film was based on a group of young girls that worked in musical theaters. It illustrated numerous issues during the depression; the two most important ones were gender and class. As we all know it was a hard time for women to work in public, especially as show girls. Some people treated them as mistresses as people with no dignity, and portrayed them as gold diggers whom only cared about money.
The Depression was a direct result of an imbalance distribution of wealth, as the poor get poorer, the rich get richer. It created a huge gap between the two ends, so was class levels. The rich could enjoy everything that the world could offer, while the poor were struggling to even get a job. The rich certainly thought they were far superior, and the poor were just to get their money in any possible way they could. Sadly, the showgirls belonged in the category as poor; they even had to steal milk from their neighbor to fill up their stomach.
Barney, the producer of the musicals put together a show that’s solely based on the Depression. It demonstrated the pain that many Americans had, how they had to struggle through their day to day life. They would march in the rain till they find a job. It showed us the desperate mode that many Americans were in; it also showed their willingness to go through obstacles to find a job.
My favorite part of this movie was when Brad’ big brother, Lawrence, who opposed the idea of Polly marrying Brad. Somehow fell in love another showgirl Carol. It tells us that even though there were class divisions, there were tensions between the poor and the rich. But both classes could live under the same roof if they are willing to put differences aside.
The Depression was a direct result of an imbalance distribution of wealth, as the poor get poorer, the rich get richer. It created a huge gap between the two ends, so was class levels. The rich could enjoy everything that the world could offer, while the poor were struggling to even get a job. The rich certainly thought they were far superior, and the poor were just to get their money in any possible way they could. Sadly, the showgirls belonged in the category as poor; they even had to steal milk from their neighbor to fill up their stomach.
Barney, the producer of the musicals put together a show that’s solely based on the Depression. It demonstrated the pain that many Americans had, how they had to struggle through their day to day life. They would march in the rain till they find a job. It showed us the desperate mode that many Americans were in; it also showed their willingness to go through obstacles to find a job.
My favorite part of this movie was when Brad’ big brother, Lawrence, who opposed the idea of Polly marrying Brad. Somehow fell in love another showgirl Carol. It tells us that even though there were class divisions, there were tensions between the poor and the rich. But both classes could live under the same roof if they are willing to put differences aside.
The Crowd
The Crowd was a film based on the Great Depression. It all started with a young boy named Johnny, he was an outgoing and bright kid. But dreams soon faded away with the death of his father. When Johnny was a little bit older, he set out a journey to New York City to set his mark just like many other young American boys did. Johnny found himself an office job that wrote slogans for advertisement in a big company that worked during 9 to 5. His colleagues were just like him, wore suits, they all worked like an assembly line in a sense. Back then big corporations were like a rising star, people loved it, and government also loved it. It was a time that consumer culture emerged as mainstream. People loved the consumption freedom that they had.
Little Johnny’s fate soon changed after he met a girl named Mary on a blind date, they hit it off right off the bat, as they shared the same passion and interests. Not long after they got married, they moved into a small apartment together, Johnny was getting paid the same as he did before he got married, and the arguments started. I think this tells us that during that period of time, right after WWI that people were busy trying to enjoy the freedom both men and women that they fought hard for. Even though we won the war, but there were huge issues in economic sector that were left behind, Liberty Bonds for one. Therefore, it was hard for economy to recover from that short period of time. Someone might argue it was destined to fail.
I also believe that it was not just a battle against poverty during that period, it was also a battle for class, I remember seeing the Christmas dinner Johnny had with his in-laws, there was no doubt that they did not think much of him, because the apartment he was living in and the wage he was earning. Just like in any period of time, the poor will always get looked down by the higher class. So the in-laws they did not think he was the same class as they were.
My favorite part of the film was definitely the scenes toward the end of it; Johnny lost his job because he could not concentrate on it anymore after losing his daughter in a car accident. They were forced to move to rural area. Mary could not take it anymore so she decided to leave Johnny, but Johnny found a job as a clown that he used to despite on the same day, and begged Mary to stay. I think it showed not just Johnny, an average American worker, but also the character of the whole nation, even though time was tough, but they did not give up the hope, they were willing to fight back.
Little Johnny’s fate soon changed after he met a girl named Mary on a blind date, they hit it off right off the bat, as they shared the same passion and interests. Not long after they got married, they moved into a small apartment together, Johnny was getting paid the same as he did before he got married, and the arguments started. I think this tells us that during that period of time, right after WWI that people were busy trying to enjoy the freedom both men and women that they fought hard for. Even though we won the war, but there were huge issues in economic sector that were left behind, Liberty Bonds for one. Therefore, it was hard for economy to recover from that short period of time. Someone might argue it was destined to fail.
I also believe that it was not just a battle against poverty during that period, it was also a battle for class, I remember seeing the Christmas dinner Johnny had with his in-laws, there was no doubt that they did not think much of him, because the apartment he was living in and the wage he was earning. Just like in any period of time, the poor will always get looked down by the higher class. So the in-laws they did not think he was the same class as they were.
My favorite part of the film was definitely the scenes toward the end of it; Johnny lost his job because he could not concentrate on it anymore after losing his daughter in a car accident. They were forced to move to rural area. Mary could not take it anymore so she decided to leave Johnny, but Johnny found a job as a clown that he used to despite on the same day, and begged Mary to stay. I think it showed not just Johnny, an average American worker, but also the character of the whole nation, even though time was tough, but they did not give up the hope, they were willing to fight back.
Heart of Humanity
As we can see from the film that people were willing and able to unite as one nation, even though there were many diversities among the population, they were able to anwser country’s call when they are called upon, and willing to put its need before themselves. Like people say that no one wins in a war, that shows their understanding of the cause of the war, that is to fight for freedom, for their families, for their loved ones, for the people that struggled overseas, as well as for themselves.
There is no harder time for one to face than a war, one might have to face grievences, poverty in order to supply the necessities in a war. But it also unifies a country as a whole, as everyone fights for the same cause. War creates deaths, what it also does is make freedom for many to enjoy. No one in their right mind would go to a war, unless he knows it is for a cause that is greater than his life, that says a lot about the people that fight for its country, they fight because they want to search for that freedom that everyone admires. It is the source to a great nation.
In the film it showed that women were not just someone that cooked meals for their husbands. They had a greater mission, that is to gain respect and equality through a time like war in helping and reinforcing them with the necessities that were needed in a war. They showed their courage to those doubting men that they deserved the freedom that were only provinced to men.
One of the most memorable moments in the film to me was when Nannette went back into the building to rescue the baby, and was trapped in there when a group of German soldiers followed in there as well. One of the German soldiers tried to threat her of killing the baby if she did not do what he asked her to do. Nannette fought him till the last minute untill help arrived. It showed Nannette’s unwillingness to bend over to imperial power.
There is no harder time for one to face than a war, one might have to face grievences, poverty in order to supply the necessities in a war. But it also unifies a country as a whole, as everyone fights for the same cause. War creates deaths, what it also does is make freedom for many to enjoy. No one in their right mind would go to a war, unless he knows it is for a cause that is greater than his life, that says a lot about the people that fight for its country, they fight because they want to search for that freedom that everyone admires. It is the source to a great nation.
In the film it showed that women were not just someone that cooked meals for their husbands. They had a greater mission, that is to gain respect and equality through a time like war in helping and reinforcing them with the necessities that were needed in a war. They showed their courage to those doubting men that they deserved the freedom that were only provinced to men.
One of the most memorable moments in the film to me was when Nannette went back into the building to rescue the baby, and was trapped in there when a group of German soldiers followed in there as well. One of the German soldiers tried to threat her of killing the baby if she did not do what he asked her to do. Nannette fought him till the last minute untill help arrived. It showed Nannette’s unwillingness to bend over to imperial power.
The Traffic in Souls
In film The Traffic in Souls, it demonstrated numerous issues dating back to the Progressive Era. Issues of social reforms, immigration, prosperity, and the most important of all in accordance of the film was gender issue during that period. Eric Foner said in chapter 18 that “it was a period that people witnessed the flowering of understandings of freedom based on individual fulfillment and personal self-determination—the ability to participate fully in the ever-expanding consumer marketplace and, especially for women, to enjoy economic and sexual freedoms long considered province of men” (639). It was certainly a time of changes was being made, for the better and worse. While freedom was expanding through door to door, women were enjoying freedom that they never had before, but they were also facing treatment of inequality, many people treated them as a money making machine, a commodity, that can be exchanged for money.
In the film we learned that it was a time people were searching for the true meaning of freedom, they were facing a brand new culture through social reforming as they had never faced before. Even though time was changing, but there was one rule that never changed, and that was wealth determined the freedom that one could enjoy. There is a distinctive difference between the rich and the poor, the former were always being treated as high class, as men with power, and on one would give a tiny bit of sympathy to those poor as they did not exist.
In the film we saw that women were also trying to find its identity in this brand new society, as they were trying to enjoy this freedom to fulfill them same as men as well. They were not just someone’s housewife or reproduction machine anymore. But it also gave the chance to those opportunists that wanted to make off money them, in a sense that people still treated women as second class citizen, nothing more than a tool. The film also showed that even during a time where our society was full of scum, but justice still existed. Justice always prevails at the end.
There were some key sequences in the film that directly related to what Foner talked about in his book. One being social justice, the other one being inequality in gender. I believe no matter in what time period we are in, those two issues will exist as long as we are alive. With that being said, there are always improvements that can be made. One can start doing that by examining himself as what freedom and equality are.
In the film we learned that it was a time people were searching for the true meaning of freedom, they were facing a brand new culture through social reforming as they had never faced before. Even though time was changing, but there was one rule that never changed, and that was wealth determined the freedom that one could enjoy. There is a distinctive difference between the rich and the poor, the former were always being treated as high class, as men with power, and on one would give a tiny bit of sympathy to those poor as they did not exist.
In the film we saw that women were also trying to find its identity in this brand new society, as they were trying to enjoy this freedom to fulfill them same as men as well. They were not just someone’s housewife or reproduction machine anymore. But it also gave the chance to those opportunists that wanted to make off money them, in a sense that people still treated women as second class citizen, nothing more than a tool. The film also showed that even during a time where our society was full of scum, but justice still existed. Justice always prevails at the end.
There were some key sequences in the film that directly related to what Foner talked about in his book. One being social justice, the other one being inequality in gender. I believe no matter in what time period we are in, those two issues will exist as long as we are alive. With that being said, there are always improvements that can be made. One can start doing that by examining himself as what freedom and equality are.
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