Film/Text/Culture Autoblog -Summer 07

My favorite aspect of this movie would have to be the comedy laced in.  Being a comedy fan, of course this is what I picked out.  Everything from the little timeteller man shuffling around, to the huge hulking giant carrying a big mallet, to the mama’s boy who mama doesn’t really like, they were my favorite characters.  Who doesn’t love a little humor every now and then?
On to some serious stuff I learned today.  I would like to point out that the scene where Sanjuro is being beaten up is pretty much exactly the same scene in The Glass Keywhere Ned Beaumont is beaten up, including the two cronies sitting playing a game and the main character’s cunning escape.  This must be Heisler’s “tip of the hat,” just like George Lucas’ in Star Wars that we discussed today (which really made me want to see those movies again).
Why do directors […]

Original post by khusband

The Glass Key – the movie and the book.  I can honestly say I enjoyed both versions—which is not always the case with books and its adaptations.  Coughbloodwork.
            In class one of the first things we talked about was the hard boiled detective vs. the Sherlock Holmes-esque detective style.  It became fairly clear that Ned Beaumont was not much like Sherlock, and I think that might be one of the reasons I found the book to be so interesting.  Putting my knowledge of the movie completely aside, when I was reading the book, I don’t ever think I had that feeling in the back of my mind that Ned Beaumont would definitely solve the crime.  His gambling addiction, coupled with a few other characteristics I witnessed about him, always left me with a slight sense of “wow, maybe he won’t be able to do it.”  I don’t think that element […]

Original post by malbrooks

                      

Original post by ellie

I think it’s very interesting to examine just how much of an impact a simple hairstyle can have on a nation.  From Veronica Lake’s “hair over the eye” technique in the 1940’s, to what was so creatively dubbed “The Rachel” (Jennifer Ansiton’s do on the hit 1990’s sitcom “Friends); these stars have influenced women across the country to tear out their photos from a magazine (or now a days, print it off the internet), rush to their favorite salon, and say “give me this look!”
Here is a list of some other Hollywood starlets who have also made their mark:
~”1931 Jean Harlow starred in the movie “Platinum Blonde.” This hair color then swept the nation.”
~ “In the 1940’s, Rita Hayworth began the hairstyle trend of side-parted finger waves the sexiest style of that time. Veronica Lake and her cascading blonde hair defined glamour.”
~”The 1950’s brought a trend of highlighting and Lucille […]

Original post by ellie

In class when we talked about the Hays Code, it reminded me of something I learned last year in a theatre class. I thought it was pretty interesting so I figured I’d mention it here!  Hooray!(?)
There was a similar code on Vaudeville performers during the late 19th/early 20th century. Unacceptable content was referred to as “blue material.” (The envelopes given to the actors outlining new regulations or violations were sealed in blue envelopes.) I guess I just kind of found it interesting that similar campaigns for family-friendly entertainment existed in both industries. I actually remembered the website that our theatre class used most as a sort of textbook resource, and I found this example of a warning that was posted backstage in producers Keith and Albee’s theatres:
“Don’t say “slob” or “son of a gun” or “hully gee*” on the stage unless you […]

Original post by malbrooks

After today’s class, my view  of the book “The Glass Key” has changed completely.  I have never been able to analyze a book the way we did in class today, and it was interesting to break down the true meaning behind every word that Hammett writes.  The scenes came to life, more than a film ever has done.  I feel that the words Hammett uses in the book are so full of imagery, so full of meaning.  The play between red and white in the room where Janet and Ned Beaumont are talking, their play on words, the furniture descriptions, really got to me.
 The fact that Hammett never lets us as readers get into the character’s thoughts is a great way to tell the story, because the story is pretty much based on what everyone is thinking about everyone else.  We are left on the outside, making us characters in the […]

Original post by khusband

The beauty of Hammett´s The Glass Key is in the multiple possible readings of the details. While I was reading this book after discussing the homosexual hints in the movie I was hard-pressed not to think of José Donoso´s El Lugar Sin Límites. Donoso´s book is a Chilean Novel from the late 60´s that was also made into a movie. The title of his book can be literally translated as “the place without limits”. In both books the characters are forced, by choice or setting to wear a certain “mask” that makes it so that the reader and the other characters never really know exactly what they are thinking.
Analyzing Donoso’s book it is interesting to see that he may have lifted many parts of the story and structure from Hammet. Both deal with political struggles, Donoso’s is between the gang in […]

Original post by onda

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you my Magnum Opus: After Thoughts on the Hays Code.
Now, some readers might be temped to ask: “Wait a minute, didn’t you just add some stupid youtube clip to a post you stole word-for-word from a better blogger? ”  
Well, it’s an honest question, and I’ll try my best to give it an honest answer.  First off, did I mention it’s a clip of the Dramatic Chipmunk?

Note the clip’s Hammett-esque nature… we see the chipmunk’s expression, but do we know what he’s thinking?
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Ok, so after class I thought I’d investigate more into the “Hays” or “Production Code” set by the MPAA back in 1930. Anyway, incase this interests anyone else, I’ll just post the principles and my thoughts on some of them.Principles:
1. No picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see it. Hence the sympathy of the audience should never […]

Original post by crain2mn

So this is my first time blogging ever, hence the title and Madonna reference. Madonna is appropriate, let’s talk about femme fatales, shall we?I get the appeal, I really do. Sexy, smart, alluring, dangerous, volatile, a smattering of all-American and mysterious. What’s not to get excited about? We love Laura Croft, every other Angelina Jolie role, and we dreamily watched Rebecca Romijn force a bad accent while hypnotizing us with her nudity. I dare any prude to deny the inherent connection between sex/sexuality and danger/violence–basically anything else blood-pumping/primal/base. In the battle of the sexes, Janet is a worthy opponent for bouncing back innuendo and suggestion, and she’s a hell of a lot more attractive than Jeff. And any other woman is not strong enough to carry the title of leading lady. The femme fatale is a much more appealing conquest than the shy, simpering woman. I use woman in italics […]

Original post by cdame2of

We didn’t have time to delve too deeply into it in class, so I wanted to write my thoughts on The Glass Key’s ending here.  Given its open-ended nature, there are numerous plausible interpretations. Here’s what I came away with:
It seems to me that the “open door” at the end of the book is a reference to Janet’s nightmare about the snakes in the cabin.  If you recall, Janet tells Ned about a dream/nightmare she had about the two of them at a snake-filled cabin in the woods. In her initial account, she said that she and Ned were able to lure the snakes out of the cabin and take refuge in it. Ned accuses her of making it up. Janet tells him that he’s only partially right. 
Finally, at the beginning of the final section of the book, Janet tells Ned what really happened in her dream:  having shattered the glass key while unlocking the door, they were unable to keep the snakes inside and they slithered out all over them.
How does this relate […]

Original post by crain2mn