Film blog Reaction-

This website contains film posters of all different kinds. It contains posters of every genre, and also talks about what special techniques go into the making of these posters for each specific genre. The website's homepage talks about why people buy film posters. It analyzes the fact that the posters have monetary value, and sometimes emotional value. People tend to buy posters because they like the movies, and often they even have a significant meaning to the person who owns the poster. Using these posters as decoration then shows people a little bit of who you are, by seeing which movies you like. Since you can't just have a tv around that shows the movies you like 24/7, posters are the best way to show this information.

on the pages for each individual genre, the website has a few paragraphs describing the most iconic posters in each genre. For example, the page for the gangster genre greets the viewers with a poster of Al Pacino in Scarface. While hardly a pleasant image, it is very iconic and memorable. These are really the main goals that should be achieved in a movie poster, you want people to remember the image, and to get an idea of the movie from it. Especially apparent on the pages, also, is the similarities within the genres. Sci fi films tend to show all of the main characters looking out, with the title at the bottom, while gangster films tend to simply show the main character in a scene of the film. Posters are an often overlooked piece of filmmaking, so it is interesting to see a website completely devoted to poster artwork.

Critical Analysis of "The Untouchables"

I had always liked Brian de Palma's film "The Untouchables." I am a big fan of gangster movies, so this was definitely my kind of movie. I had always simply liked it because it was entertaining. Watching it again this weekend though, I saw it in a new way. I found that I paid much more attention to the actual techniques involved in the filmmaking. Though I watched the movie in a completely different way, I didn't like it any less.

That's because "The Untouchables" isn't only an entertaining mob film, it's also an extremely well made one. From it's opening to it's close, it's an extremely suspenseful film that was made with great care. The director, Brian De Palma, knows how to make a scene suspenseful. With his choice of music and several point of view shots, you never completely know what's going to happen. He also throws in enough surprises, be it a man on a balcony far away, or a group of mounties charging at the wrong time. Though they may seem like nothing, these little moments actually increase the suspense by making the scene less predictable.

Another aspect that I just noticed this time was the amazing cinematography. De Palma infuses the film with long tracking shots that follow the characters from room to room. This makes the viewer feel more like they're in the scene, because they're vision wouldn't cut from shot to shot. This is an especially effective technique when used as a point-of-view shot, because it really increases the suspense.

De Palma does know, however, when to just cut the shots somewhat quickly. During his shootouts he cuts from shot to shot quickly enough to get the viewer's adrenaline pumping, but slowly enough so they can tell what is occurring. Also, the inclusion of slow motion into the shootouts is fairly ingenious. This takes what may be a short shootout, and doesn't let the suspense go for a much longer span of time. Of course, all of these elements come together in the stairway shootout. This scene is easily the most exciting in the film, from it's perfect use of cinematography, slow motion, and music.

Speaking of music, it's the one thing I did notice the first time I saw the film. This is mainly because it is somewhat obnoxious. It plays very loudly over the film, covering up much of the sound. This would be annoying if it weren't for the fact that the music is actually very good. It perfectly evokes the feel of a suspenseful scene, or a triumphant scene, or even simply of Al Capone reading the paper.

When all of these elements are put together, it's almost difficult to remember that the movie is about a real group of men trying to get a real mobster. Because of the direction, there is enough suspense so that, even though people may know how Capone was eventually defeated, they are still almost not sure how the movie will end. This is because it plays more like a fictional film than like a biopic. The main things keeping it grounded are the performances. From Sean Conerry's Award winning performance to Robert de Niro's grounded portrayal of Al Capone, this is a film that leaves the viewer wondering if it is really a true story, because it seems like it's to exciting to have ever happened.

Reality and Paradox in Un Chien Andalou

It is no secret that Un Chien Andalou is an extremely surrealistic film. It has no plot, and is instead a montage of seemingly random moments strung together. The real question, though, is how random the moments really are. Could there really be some sort of pattern to them, or are they simply put into the film for no true reason?

If there is a reason for the sequencing, it is most definitely not a conscious one. The filmmakers have found a way to put whatever ideas they had into a film for seemingly no reason. From this idea comes one of the psychological paradoxes that the film deals with: even if there is no conscious reason for the scenes, mustn't there be a subconscious reason? There must be a subconscious reason for the filmmakers to want to have each of these scenes. As such, the film works more as a psychoanalysis of the filmmakers than as a psychoanalysis of a certain character. The film itself is evidence of the filmmakers and why they'd put a film together in this particular way.

Another interesting fact that fits in is the "reality" of this surrealistic film. The film is surrealistic in the order of its scenes, but with very few exceptions, each of the scenes themselves is pretty realistic. The film even has a realistic look. The sets and objects of the film are identical to the ones that would exist in real life. This is evidence that the filmmakers live in the real world, and are thus aware of the true physical laws that everyone has to follow.

The film doesn't make any sense as a whole, but it is rather a series of individual scenes, each of which reveals a subconscious trait of the filmmakers.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Comparative essay

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is a film that is now ninety years old. This means that most of the reviews for the film are also almost ninety years old. These reviews, though old, still bring some interesting views of the film to the table. The article titled "A Cubistic Shocker" references the fact that the film is told by a madman. This article comes up with the theory that the film's surreal look comes from the fact that the madman is telling the story. The strangely cubic style is how the man views the world around him, and the director lets us see his vision of it. This theory is very interesting as it gives an actual reason for the style.

The article titled "The Screen" brings up some different points. In this article, it is stated that the general audience isn't supposed to understand the visual style of the film. They are merely supposed to enjoy the viewing. This idea also has some merit. The film is, at its heart, an entertaining murder mystery. It is a distinct possibility that the style is merely a way to better showcase the story, instead of having another reason for it.

Finally, the article "Brought into Focus" digs even deeper, using The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari as a means to compare German films of the time to American films. At that time, American films were working towards the use of sound, while German films were moving towards being seen as a more visually inventive art form. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari certainly proves this. The film's visuals greatly resemble those that would be found in a surrealist painting, though the film's storyline is somewhat basic. The film doesn't try to be about the story, it is about the images, much as a great painting is.

Initial Reaction to Un Chien Andalou

To say that Un Chien Andalou is a very unique film would be to put it very mildly. It is less a film than sixteen minutes of strange, somewhat connected images and moments. These different images invoke all sorts of emotional responses from the audience. That is, whenever the audience has understood the fact that there isn't a story to understand with this film. The emotional impact is difficult to receive when the viewer is so confused by the film, which is unfortunate because it is extremely difficult to not be confused, especially on the first viewing. further viewings would likely make it easier to feel these emotional moments, but not to understand the film itself.

The film seems to have little purpose as a movie. It seems as though the director filmed a dream he once had. There are several images that are surrealistic, and several that simply don't make sense. The film jumps back and forth through time, but it is difficult to understand why because the time has no effect on the film. There is likely a purpose to the film, but it is difficult to find with all of the strange occurrences that are going on in the film.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

"The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" is a very interesting film. It is very unique in both its story and style. The film is about a man named Dr. Caligari who sets up a booth at a carnival where he will show off his new attraction, a somnambulist named Cesare. Cesare has been asleep for his whole life, and thus has special abilities, such as the ability to predict the future. At the show, he predicts that a man will only survive until dawn. Surely enough, the man is murdered that night. The victim's best friend then begins to suspect that the somnambulist, and Caligari himself, may be involved with the murder.


The film is very unique in its art direction. The buildings are shaped in such a way that they would be physically impossible to exist in the real world. This gives the film a dreamlike quality. The film is not shooting to feel realistic, but instead to feel surrealistic. Objects have strange corners and are tilted at strange angles throughout the film. Once you understand this, it is easier to just go along for the ride.


While today's films don't take so many of the surrealistic cues from this film, there are other artistic qualities that are still used today. One example of this is in the film's use of shadows. Many of the most frightening and violent moments are shown by the characters' shadows instead of the characters themselves. This is often used as a way to cover up graphic violence, but in this film it is exclusively for artistic purposes.


On a personal level, I thoroughly enjoyed the film. Once I got used to the strange art direction, it was a very dark and entertaining film that serves as a precursor to today's Tim Burton films. The cinematography is very creepy and, along with the art direction, helps the viewer to feel unsettled by the events that are occurring. Though it is a silent film, "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" is very entertaining and has much influence on modern horror.