MOWELFUND ESCAPADE!

MOWELFUND ESCAPADE!

At first I had no idea about the Mowelfund but when I got there, Mrs. Boots Anson-Roa who has a huge contribution in Philippine Cinema gave us introduction about the Mowelfund. She told us what we will see inside such as the gowns and props used and worn by the artists.

I was able to see the history of the Philippine Cinema; there were some newspaper articles and old pictures. By that, I was able to know how it started. As we go along, I found out the old films produced in the Philippines and there were also old cameras used in making films. There were also a lot of trophies of superstars, it was so heavy!

As we continue our tour inside the room, I was so amazed by the costumes that were preserved.  Especially the costume of “Darna”, that was so cool. 

We also went to the horror room that made me scream. I was able to see the monsters that were used in the films. I got so scared, It looks like real, it was so amazing! 

I feel so lucky because we were given a chance to drop in the Mowelfund. I really enjoyed it so much. I gained a lot of knowledge and discovered a lot of things about Philippine Cinema. It was a great experience!

Le Mepris

This film is based on Italian novel. It is considered to be the most popular film made by Jean- Luc Godard. Le Mepris is about a man tries to find out why his wife no longer loves him, and a man struggles with his job as a screenwriter on an American film of Homer‘s Odyssey. The film pertains to the romantic relationship of Camille (Bridgette Bardot) and Paul (Michel Piccoli). The couple consists of Paul, a screenwriter and his beautiful wife Camille, who plays secretary. Camille suddenly falls out of love with her husband, perhaps provoked by the sense that Paul is willing to let a rich arrogant jackass of a movie producer have his way with her in order to advance his career.

As I watched the movie along, I became more interested, even though I didn’t watched it full. The ending was so complicated because Camille leaves Paul just for money even she loves Paul so much. She chose Prokosch over Paul because she believes that Prokosch can give her more money than Paul.  At the end, Camille and the man was accidentally hit the truck that caused them death.  We need to watch “Contempt” because it’s one of the few movies of the anxious past half-century that seems equally at home with history and modernity. It might once have looked conventional, but its audacity. 

PARENT TRAP (1998)

This movie is one of my favorite movies because it is comedy film which shows the strong relationship of a family. The pre-teen identical twins Annie and Hallie´s parents divorced when they were infants, each parent taking custody of one twin. Neither twin knows about the other's existence until a chance meeting at summer camp. It's hate at first sight, and still unaware they are twins, do their best to sabotage the other. Finally realizing they are sisters, they hatch a plan to switch places so each can meet her other parent. Annie goes to dad, Nick’s California winery and Hallie to London to meet her fashion designer mother, Elizabeth. The ruse works, and the girls scheme to get their parents back together, but an unexpected snag upsets their plan.

I have seen this film a countless times. Lindsay Lohan has been my favorite actress. This film was her first major role and I’m very impressed and enjoyed. It was a funny and I think children can probably relate and can gain moral points to this movie. It also shows unending love for the family.

The New Hollywood and Independent Filmmaking

New Hollywood and Independent Film-making has a big difference. Wherein, the new Hollywood brings us a new genre that will give a remarkable part in the minds of the audience and for the Independent film-making, they give us film that shows the reality.  The new Hollywood film makers were competent and were able to take on the styles of the old film makers. Also, the new Hollywood gives the desire and the contentment of the audience, they are much more creative so that they will get the attention of the audience and they create films which they think are catchy in the eye of the viewers.  The independent films were able to give us something new which we can relate and show the reality. Lucas and Spielberg became the most successful directors in independent filmmaking and one of the films they made is titanic which is very remarkable for me and has a great impact because I've seen the facts which can really happen in our lives. 

The Stars

In Classical Hollywood Cinema, the star system was a process of transforming, creating, promoting and exploiting movie stars. They would choose promising young actors and create names for them. This is very much significant component in cinema. Before a performer appeared in films, he or she might undergo vocal training along with singing and dancing lessons. In short a new performer would be tried out in several minor and supporting roles. Those performers who were regarded as star material would progress to lead roles in minor features before graduating to star in major productions. These arrangements provided the studios with systematized routes for the training of performers.

In star system, they focus more on the image rather than how they act. The men were expected to be gentlemen in public and for the women; they were expected to behave and not to leave the house without make up. Also they should always look presentable. 

There’s no difference between the Hollywood and in Philippines because when you say stars, they would always think that they are higher and popular than the others. They gain more attention from the audience.

Un Chien Andalou

                         This film is a kind of silent surrealist film by Luis Bunuel and Salvador Dali. They are the first who bring the surrealist style in the film. This film was released in 1929. Honestly, at first I got confused. I don’t have any idea what is this all about.  But, as I continue watching the film I observed that is a black film. Un chien andalou had a great impact for me because, this is different compared to the other film I’ve seen. In the beginning it shows a woman's eye being sliced like a tomato by a razor and that made me uncomfortable. The plot seems dispersed and I am not that sure what the meanings behind all of the scenarios in this movie are but the movie takes a very strange and interesting. Also, it made me think and think.  This film was so amazing and this is no ordinary film because this movie changed the way films were viewed and made. Lastly, Un chien Andalou is a very creative movie.

French Impressionism and Surrealism (1918-1930)

Through out the silent era, a number of film movements in France posed major alternatives to Classical Hollywood form.  Impressionism was a French Avant-Garde Film movement that was made by the French Film industry and was profitable. Surrealism was made independently of the French System and did not prove financially successful.

Impressionism

In 1915 American Films flooded in to the French Market. By the end of World War I the French Film industry never fully recovered.  The Impressionists focused purely on emotion and subjectivity, but their aesthetic did not take off as an international success

Surrealist

·      *    The Surrealist filmmakers relied on private patronage and screened their works to small artist gatherings.

·       *   Films perplexed and shocked audiences

·       *   Linked to Surrealist painting and literature

Surrealism

Surrealist cinema was directly linked to Surrealism in literature and painting. Automatic writing and painting, the search for bizarre or evocative imagery, the deliberate avoidance of rationally explicable form or style-these became features of Surrealism as it developed in the period 1924-1929. From the start, the Surrealists were attracted to the cinema, especially admiring films that presented untamed desire or the fantastic and marvelous. Surrealist cinema is overtly anti-narrative, attacking causality itself.  The films tease the audience into finding absent narrative logic and events are juxtaposed for their disturbing effect

The End of the French Surrealist Movement

In the 1930’s the movement led by Andre Breton had disbanded. Individual Surrealist Artists like Luis Bunuel, Max Ernst and Salvador Dali continued to paint and make films. Bunuel created films until the 60’s including The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie and Belle Du Jour.

Un Chien Andalou

Released in 1929 to a limited showing in Paris and ran for 8 months following the premiere. The only rule for the writing of the script was that "no idea or image that might lend itself to a rational explanation of any kind would be accepted. Moreover, he stated that, "Nothing, in the film, symbolizes anything. The only method of investigation of the symbols would be, perhaps, psychoanalysis.