Film Critique

Nicholas Assi

August 5, 2015

Modern Culture and the Arts

Professor Bomboy

Film Critique

Critique of “The Shining”

I will be critiquing the use of cinematography and camera shots in the film “The Shining”, produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, co-written by Diane Johnson. The film is based on the novel “The Shining”, written by Steven King.

            “The Shining” is a movie about a small family taking care of a hotel for five months. Due to hard storms in the area, the hotel must be abandoned over the winter, with a caretaker left to make sure basic maintenance is done. Alone with only themselves for company for five months, the hotel is haunted and possessed by supernatural forces and over time forces the father of the family Jack Torrance, to slowly go insane. He eventually tries to kill his wife, Wendy, and their son, Danny. Danny however, has a sort of supernatural power, referred to as shining, that allows him to call for help and resist the supernatural forces of the hotel, eventually allowing him to escape from his insane father and rescue his mother, letting them get away.

            The purpose of the film was to be a form of entertainment. The film was meant to slowly build up a story of dread and apprehension, creating a horror film meant to truly frighten and scare the audience. The film does through dark, eerie music, a small amount of editing, but especially, camera shots. Stanley Kubrick, The director of “The Shining” was famous for his use of different camera shots, such as tracking shots and wide-angle shots, as well as for his perfectionist style, often reshooting the same scene dozens of times until he was satisfied. His use of various forms of camera shots really helped capture the emotions of the characters in the film. Overall, Stanley used many different camera shots to make his film a masterpiece and a mainstay of the horror movie genre.

            For example, the tracking shot is used many times in the film. One example is when Jack is chasing his son Danny through a hedge maze in the middle of the night. In the scene, it is the middle of the night, snowing heavily, dimly lit, and cramped, with Jack following the footprints of his son, trying to catch him and murder him with his axe. As we follow Jack through the maze, the camera shot gives the allusion of being right behind jack, and make it look as though there’s barely any room for him in the maze, with just enough room for one person to shuffle through. We are filled with a horrible sense of dread, because we want Danny, a small five year old child, to escape, and the bleak, dark condition of his environment only adds to the desperation and horror of the scene. Another good example of the tracking shot is when we follow Danny earlier through the film on his tricycle. In this scene, Danny rides his bike around the hallways of the hotel, and we are right behind him as he goes down the hall. We can hear the wheels of his bike on the floor, only to be followed by the sudden, startling end of the sound whenever he rides over carpet, only to be repeated when he gets back onto hard floor. We are following Danny, with the hope that nothing bad is about to happen to him. We are passive observers, unable to look away, but filled with dread for Danny’s wellbeing.

            Another Camera shot Stanley Kubrick uses is the point of view shot. This is when the camera shows what the character is looking at, acting as the eyes of the character in a sense, the character themselves. When Wendy, Jacks wife, tells Jack there is a crazy woman who attacked Danny in room 237, he goes into the room to investigate. As Jack goes in, the camera uses the point of view shot. The further Jack goes into the room, the more we see. The audience is learning at the same rate Jack is, what he is seeing for the first time, we the audience are seeing for the first time. It gives you a hint of Jack’s perspective of the circumstances around him. When he finally goes into the bathroom, we see a beautiful naked woman in a bathtub. The camera then changes, showing a close up of Jacks face. His expression goes from stunned disbelief to a sort of primitive smile. In his descent into madness, he loses all logic, and he doesn’t understand the strangeness or danger of his situation, he’s just happy to look at such a pretty girl. This close up shot helps convey the emotions of the characters, and Kubrick was famous for his close up shots of his characters faces. This is to show their emotions, and really shows the audience how far Jack has fallen, and the danger everyone is in. This extreme close up shot is also used when jack eventually gives in to his insanity and the supernatural forces of the hotel, and tries to kill his wife, Wendy, cornering her in the bathroom. As he chops down the door with an axe, we see Wendy in the corner, shrieking and in tears, the fear evident on her face. We understand from this the danger she is in, that she is trapped, and scared for her life. As Jack eventually makes a large whole in the door, he sticks his face in to look inside, giving a large, illogical grin before stating “Here’s Johnny”. The madness in his face shows that he is now beyond all hope, that he has been entirely corrupted by the hotel, and is one hundred percent committed to killing his wife. The climax of the film is finally here, that everything the movie has been building up to is about to happen. Jack will either murder his family, or as we hope, they will escape, and we don’t know which scenario will play out.

            Overall, I believe the film accomplished its goal of scaring and entertaining the audience. I remember the first time I watched the film. It wasn’t so much a sudden quick startle of fear, but a feeling of increasing dread as I watched the film. We see more and more scenes of supernatural forces, and Jack slowly becoming more and more deranged. I remember thinking Danny would probably get away, because he was a small child, with everyone in the movie talking about how special and different he is. But I was very concerned for the wife, Wendy. The film makes her appear very weak and submissive, and when she’s trapped in the bathroom, with Jack chopping down the door, she’s cowering by the wall, weakly holding a knife. She’s the total opposite of Jack, who appears strong and committed to his goal. Yet I still had enough hope that she could escape, which eventually does happen. That sums up the movie to me, dread and uncertainty. We don’t know what’s going to occur; we can only see what’s happening and make guess’s off of that. To me, what makes the film be so successful in scaring the audience is that it leaves the audience to decide what might happen. We naturally assume the worst case scenario, letting the worst thought become our idea of what might occur. The movie doesn’t tell us what’s going to take place; it gives us clues and lets us form our own ideas. That is why the film is so scary.

           

           

Works Cited

“Kubrick’s Filming Techniques and style” StanleyKubrick.weebly.com Web. August 10^th, 2015. http://stanleykubrick.weebly.com/technique.html 

“Signature shots from the films of Stanley Kubrick: One-point Perspective” Openculture.com Web. September 8^th, 2012. August 10, 2015 http://www.openculture.com/2012/09/signature_shots_from_the_films_of_stanley_kubrick.html

Painting Critique

Nicholas Assi

July 15, 2015

Modern Culture and the Arts

Professor Bomboy

Painting Critique

Marxism in “Napoleon Crossing the Great Saint Bernard Pass”

Narrative Paintings have always been an interesting form of art work due to their ability to tell a story and convey a message. Jacques-Louis David’s “Napoleon Crossing the Great Saint Bernard Pass”, second version, created in the year 1800, is a perfect example of this. Napoleon Bonaparte was the era’s first Romantic hero, and David’s painting was an effort to create an idealized image of Napoleon (Fiero). He achieved this spectacularly, using elements of art, as well as the principles of design, to create a piece that truly glorified Napoleon. The viewer is made to see a very powerful image of Napoleon, one that gives him an aura of power and prestige. These themes are magnified to their peak, with Napoleon himself serving as a larger than life figure. The feelings I get when I look at it are certainly in line with these themes, and it is very clear that Jacques-Louis David’s painting is the perfect example of the Romantic hero.

The “Napoleon Crossing the Great Saint Bernard Pass” used in this paper is the second of five created by Jacques-Louis David (Fiero). In 1799, Napoleon Bonaparte was the military leader of France, and during a particular campaign, he was trying to lead an army across the Alps in Italy (“David, Napoleon Crossing the Alps” 2014). This was in order to take land that originally had been seized by the Austria, an objective that he eventually completed. To commemorate this victory for Imperial France, a French Ambassador requested that David create a portrait of Napoleon. David, an admirer of both Napoleon and his government, was eager to do the project. Bonaparte later requested that David create more versions of the painting, a task he agreed to, creating up to five different versions (“David, Napoleon Crossing the Alps” 2014).

“Napoleon Crossing the Great Saint Bernard Pass” has several different elements of art. One example is the use of lines. In the background, curving lines are used to show the peaks and mountains of the Alps. These help give the historical setting of the piece, showing the area he is in. Another element that shows the location is the texture. The ground and rocks are shown to be rough and hard, showing the desolation and hardness of his location. On the other hand, Napoleon’s horse and its coat is smooth, almost looking soft to the touch. This helps to give a sense of the mystique of Napoleon. Not only is he above the sad physical state of his location, but so is the very animal he rides on. It looks almost as if he can’t be sullied by his desperate surroundings. Another example is Spacing. Almost the entire space of the portrait is taken up by Napoleon and his horse (“David, Napoleon Crossing the Alps” 2014). There area around him shows a small amount of soldiers moving supplies, as well as some of his location, but it is very clear that Napoleon is the focus of this piece. This is also an example of an element of design. He is the focal point of the piece. It emphasizes him. This helps to demonstrate Napoleon’s importance. He is clearly a significant character, a man of such power and strength that he deserves to be focused on, deserves to be the main object of this creation. Even the use of color helps to show this. All around napoleon, we see the dull, dirty brown and gray of the earth around him. There is little to no bright color around him. This helps to show that little life can grow or exist on the very top of the Alps. What little life we see is straggly, dull green tufts of grass. Even the sky above him is dull. A mixture of dark blue to show the darkness of the sky mixed with some white to help show snow, wind, and clouds helps to give the viewer a sense of the coldness of these mountains. However, there is one bright spot, Napoleon himself. It looks almost as if a beam of light itself has decided to just strike Napoleon and his horse, illuminating only him. The use of contrast is clear. In that light, we see napoleon’s outfit’s colors are bright and not faded at all, his skin is full of color and healthy looking, and both him and his steed itself clean, unblemished by dirt, snow, or grime. He doesn’t appear to be cold or weak at all. Instead, he looks strong and ready for action, as if crossing these mountains is merely a matter of time for him, not effort. He looks as if the power of raw nature itself, so much a curse on mankind, can’t affect him in the slightest. He looks as if he has mastered nature, symbolizing his right to lead.

The meaning of this painting is very clear. It is meant to glorify Napoleon in every way possible. Napoleon Bonaparte was the emperor, military leader, and enlightened despot of France (Fiero). He had risen to power in the aftermath of the chaotic French Revolution to not only take charge of France and lead it to stability, but to lead it into almost conquering all of Europe. He was the French government personified. He needed to look impressive in order to keep up the entire nation’s morale. These paintings were made to show Napoleon as the ideal leader, a larger than life figure that came along once in a generation. Everything about the painting was made to show him as this greater than average man. The light only shines on him to signify his importance. The beauty of his steed was made to show that even such a beautiful animal rippling with power obeyed under his command. His cleanliness showed he could not be sullied or dirtied in any way. Even the way the environment around him helped to give him an aura of importance. It’s dark, bleak, and cold. Yet he looks lively and full of color, a look of complete confidence on his face. This helped show he was very sure of himself and his plans, as well that he was above the dangers of nature itself. Everything about this painting was made to show Napoleon in a good light, to enhance his reputation. A task it no doubt succeeded in.

To me at least, everything that David was trying to accomplish was achieved. I already know the history of Napoleon, and how he ultimately failed in his goal of conquering Europe. Even then, I still get the feeling of power from this painting. It radiates from Napoleon, and that fact that people admired him so definitely in a sense made that power real. You very much get a feeling of a strong military leader from the picture, and while his strong, handsome look is no doubt a little idealized, you still get the feeling of a strong imperialistic leader from the painting. I get the feeling that even with what I already know of Napoleon, if I met the man, I would be very impressed if he looked only half as strong as he does in this painting.

“Napoleon Crossing the Great Saint Bernard Pass”, second version, by Jacques-Louis David, 1800

Works Cited

Fiero, Gloria K. “The Humanistic Tradition.” 5th ed. Vol. 4. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.

“David, Napoleon Crossing the Alps” khanacademy.org Web. October 18, 2014. July 19, 2015. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/monarchy-enlightenment/neo-classicism/a/david-napoleon-crossing-the-alps

Non-Western Art Critique

Nicholas Assi

June 17, 2015

Modern Culture and the Arts

Professor Bomboy

Non-Western Art Critique

            While we in the United States rarely come into contact with examples of Non-Western art, there’s no denying that the artwork of various non-European cultures can be incredible. One perfect example of this is “The Great Wave off Kanagawa”. Also known simply as “The Great Wave”, this piece is a woodblock print by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai. This woodblock print was created sometime between 1830 and 1833 during the late Edo Period, and is considered Hokusai’s most famous creation (“Hokusai, Under the Wave”2014). We know the print is authentic due to the creators’ signature in the upper-left corner of the print. This woodblock print was the first print in Hokusai’s series “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fiji”.

 A classic example of Japanese landscape painting, the print depicts a large wave threatening several boats off the coast of Japan. In the background of the print is Mount Fuji. Monti Fuji is the largest and highest mountain in Japan, and is considered both sacred, and a national symbol of the country (“Hokusai, Under the Wave”2014). Indeed, in Hokusai’s entire series “Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fiji”, the mountain is depicted in some shape or form, showing both its influence on the artists’ work and the importance of the mountain to Japanese society and culture itself. The three boats in the painting where a Japanese style of boat that back during the time the print was created were used to transport live fish (“Hokusai, Under the Wave”2014). Wooden and powered by rowers, the power of the ocean and the threat of storms and waves must have been considered extremely unnerving to the sailors and fishermen of the era, and this Woodblock print capture perfectly the power and ultimate unpredictability of the sea.

“The Great Wave itself makes use of several examples of elements and design principles. One perfect example of this Woodblock prints use of art elements is lines. The wood block print is created in the Ukiyo-e style, a genre of woodblock printing that uses a bold, well defined, flat line as a defining feature of the art style. The lines are thin yet solid, easily defining the boats amongst the waves, separating them so that they are easily seen ( “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” 2010). The lines also help to show the various waves in the ocean, while a curved line also helps to show the biggest wave and the namesake of the print, showing off its power while also giving off a realistic feel to an ocean, a large amount of waves in the endless void that is the ocean. The lines help to emphasize the forms of these breakers. The print also makes use of the element of space. The massive wave takes up a disproportionate amount of space, occupying the entire left half of the print itself( “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” 2010). The print is asymmetrical, and the eye is immediately drawn to look at the massive wave, helping it to give off an extremely powerful aura. There’s even heavy use of color. The sky is painted with a very gentle hue, helping to give off an aura of calm (“The Great Wave Off Kanagawa By Katsushika”2012.) This helps to give the print the design principle of contrast, as this gentle sky contrasts with dangerous feel of the ocean ( “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” 2010). The dark blue in the print helps to give the ocean a dangerous, unpredictable feeling. The ocean itself looks far from calm, as if on the breaking point of a storm, with the power being released in the form of the massive wave. We can even see the design principle of Proportion. In the back, in the far distance, is Mount Fuji itself. The mountain itself seems calm and quiet, but is much smaller than the wave itself, or even the boats. This helps to emphasize that the mountain is in the background, far away from the immediate vicinity of the Wave. The mountain is shown to be very distant, and the gentle white on its peak is the snow. Indeed, this goes back to the principle of contrast, as the mountain itself seems quiet and serene, free of the danger and trouble the ocean seems to give. This helps emphasize the spiritual significance of the mountain, of the gentle power and influence it had on the overall Japanese culture. It is after all, the namesake of the series.

To me the Woodblock print itself give me several different feelings, often depending on where I look and focus on within the print. The waves give me a feeling of trepidation. When a storm in the ocean begins, the area gets dark and you can see the water become more and more agitated, more restless, almost more alive with energy. The waves become bigger and bigger, until they reach the point of dangerous. This Woodblock print captures that feeling perfectly. You can see the various waves looking bigger and more aggressive than usual, with the final breaking point being the largest wave itself, moments from overturning a boat. Yet this contrasts with the feeling of Mount Fuji (“The Great Wave Off Kanagawa By Katsushika”2012.). You can see it in the background, the far distance, looking peaceful and safe. To me this emphasizes the safety of land, that on shore I would be safe from the unpredictability of the sea, never in danger of drowning or being overtaken by a massive wave. Yet to the people in the boats, getting to the land would seem impossible, that they are too far away and the wave and danger is here and now. So the feeling of hope I get from the distant land and mountain is matched by a feeling of hopelessness from the ocean and the close, massive wave. I even get a feeling of fear, as the people in the boats are hunched over, as those desperately trying to bunker down into the boat for safety, as though to avoid being tossed overboard. The people are also unsmiling. To me this shows the gravity and seriousness of their situation. However, to me the Woodblock print itself is very beautiful, and I can see why it is so famous and considered one of the greatest forms of Japanese art ever created. Its use of colors, lines, space, contrast, and proportion all fit together so well that I can’t help but be impressed by the technique and expertise of Hokusai.

“The Great Wave off Kanagawa” by Hokusai(1830-1833 during the Edo period.)

Works Cited

 “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa” By Katsushika Hokusai, or the Pathos of things in Japanese Aesthetics” louviq.wordpress.com Web. Jan 31, 2012. June 17, 2015. https://louviq.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/critique-of-the-great-wave-off-kanagawa-by-katsushika-hokusai/

“The Great Wave off Kanagawa” honolulumuseum.org Web. September 24, 2010. June 17, 2015 http://honolulumuseum.org/art/8953-the-great-wave-off-kanagawaa_z

“Hokusai, Under the Wave off Kanagawa (The Great Wave)” khanacademy.org Web. October 20, 2014. June 17, 2015 https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/ap-art-history/south-east-southeast-asia/a/hokusai-under-the-wave-off-kanagawa-the-great-wave

Classical Architecture Critique

Nicholas Assi

June 3, 2015

Modern Culture and the Arts

Professor Bomboy

Neo-Classical Architecture found in Hanover Pennsylvania

            Many of America’s earliest buildings were influenced by the Neoclassical architectural movement, which itself sought to replicate many Greek and Roman designs. A perfect example of this is the PNC bank of Hanover, originally the Hanover Saving Fund Society, located one block away from Hanover Square (Hanover’s caged Lion, 2015). Many early banks in America were built using Neoclassical designs, and the PNC bank is a perfect example of that (“Hanover Historic District” 1996). The building uses the Greek Ionic order of Architecture in its design, which was a much more delicate, feminine, and thinner order then the original Doric order (“The Classical Orders” 2013).  The building also has a large amount of Roman features incorporated into its design, such as the iconic eagle holding bundle of arrows, which was modeled off of the roman Fasces, and represented the power and authority of the building being a symbol of the U.S. Government.

            The PNC bank is a very clear example of the Ionic order in the manner in how the buildings pillars are designed. The pillars of the building appear to become thinner at the top, which was characteristic of both the Ionic and Doric orders. However, the use of volutes at the top of the pillars clearly classifies the building as influenced by the Ionic order (Fiero 123). The volute is a spiral, scroll like capitol of the Ionic column, and was one of the most distinguishing traits of the order. The base of the pillar also makes use of stacked rings, which was also used in Ionic architecture order (“The Classical Orders” 2013). The building even makes use of a variation of Frieze. Two human figures are designed on the building, jutting out and enhancing the overall artistic design (Fiero 125). However, there are Roman designs in the building as well. At the entrance of the building is a large arch used in the design of the window. This arch is actually framed by the variation and adaption of the Greek Frieze. The Greeks never made use of the arch design, neither for practical or cosmetic appearances (Fiero 153). Therefore this is clearly drawn from Roman inspiration. The Arch is mainly used to enhance the design of a large glass window, and increases the overall cosmetic appearance. Another, yet less direct example of Roman influence is the eagle at the top of the building. The Eagle is itself the symbol of the American government. Yet in the birds claws it holds a bundle of arrows. This clearly drew inspiration from the Roman Fasces, which was a bundle of sticks that represented power and strength, exactly what the U.S. government wanted to portray (Fiero 155). Another noteworthy thing to point out is that the pillars do not make use of fluting. Many neo-classical architects in America often omitted the fluting, so this is not entirely unusual.

            While taking pictures of this particular building, it’s very clear to me while the Ionic order was chosen. Banks were huge places of importance, especially in early America. They were the location of vast amounts of money and wealth. They were symbols of the government themselves, in that even if they were private institutions run by companies, they still represented the wealth and security a government would need to run a country. As a result they had to look strong, and using the massive pillars tied to a strong ancient culture like Greece helped emphasize these traits. Yet they also had to look elegant and artistic, to symbolize their high-class importance and the refined tastes of a confident government. The Doric order was not as elegant or refined looking as the Ionic order and the Ionic orders use of Volutes and other features helped give off a more artistic, refined look that gave off an impression of delicate, yet still strong (“The Classical Orders” 2013). Banks had replaced temples in importance, replacing ancient gods with current day money, and as such were the closest modern day equivalent of those past temples (Fiero 153). They had to look as important as possible, because banks were some of the most important places in existence, especially in early America. They were symbols of the capitalist economic system of America, and so had to be treated with respect.

            It’s abundantly clear that multiple Architects and their ideas influenced the design of the PNC Bank of Hanover. One example is the Scottish Architect James Gibbs (1682-1754). Although he was born in England, he made frequent use of architectural hybrids. He designed many churches that combined Classical and Gothic Elements (Fiero 153). Although the PNC bank was made after he died, in America, and was not a church, by showing the potential of hybrid designs, he helped establish the concept, thus making it more acceptable for architects to use the concept in their own designs. The combined Greek and Roman themes of the bank help establish it as unique, giving it an imposing, yet elegant style all its own. The hybridization of these two cultures and their art styles was clearly successful in its design.

Another individual who clearly helped influence the building is Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826). Thomas Jefferson was one of the most powerful men in early America, and was one of the richest and most influential proponents of Neoclassical design in American buildings (Fiero 155). He believed using Neoclassical design in American buildings would create a powerful and strong image for the young nation. As such, he himself designed the Virginian state capitol using these themes. Thomas Jefferson no doubt contributed to the popularity of Neoclassical influence in American buildings, and the PNC banks, strong, solid influence no doubt helps to prove Jefferson’s opinion of neoclassic style giving off a strong atmosphere as correct.

The PNC bank of Hanover definitely best represents the Greek Ionic order, with some Roman influences. This is shown by the style of pillar, the use of an arch in the design, and the strong yet elegant appearance of the building itself. Helping to serve as a middle ground between the beauty of the Corinthian order with the solid strength of the Doric order, the buildings use of Ionic features is a perfect example of everything the proponent of Neoclassicism hoped to replicate from the Greek and Roman cultures. It gives off a strong, yet elegant look to it, one of security, yet also high class. Perfect for how the early American founders envisioned a bank should be as a symbol of the U.S. government.

           

           

           

Works Cited

Fiero, Gloria K. “The Humanistic Tradition.” 6th ed. Vol. 1. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.

Fiero, Gloria K. “The Humanistic Tradition.” 6th ed. Vol. 4. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2011. Print.

 “Hanover Historic District” Livingplaces.com Web May 8, 1996. June 3, 2015.  http://www.livingplaces.com/PA/York_County/Hanover_Borough/Hanover_Historic_District.html

“Hanover’s caged Lion” VisualRealia.com Web May 10, 2015. June 3, 2015. http://www.visualrealia.com/content/hanovers-caged-lion

“The Classical Orders” Khanacademy.org Web May 17, 2013. June 3, 2015. https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ancient-art-civilizations/greek-art/beginners-guide-greece/v/the-classical-orders