Singin’ in the Rain
Multiple scenes in the 1952 movie “Singin’ in the Rain” are self-reflexive. First, the good morning song brings back the nostalgia and joy of the golden age of musical theater. Second, the dwelling cavalier scene portrays divided thoughts. The scene highlights the gap between the movie producers’ intentions and the audience’s desires. Audience desire to watch talking movies while the producers continue to create silent films. Third is the studio’s first sound test scene involving Don Lockwood, Lina Lamont, and Cosmo Brown. The scene provides an insight into artists’ challenges in the early days of talking movie production. Lina must improve her diction and pronunciation since her voice needs to be better for the microphone. Last, the Moses Supposes scene depicts the directors’ willingness to adopt and include the new technology in their movie (Donen & Kelly, 1952).
Question Two
There are notable scenes in the documentary film “Visions of Light” regarding the art and craft of cinematography. First, the opening scene involves stunning montages of famous pictures from great cinemas. The scene demonstrates the strength and beauty of the cinematography. Second, discussion of film noir by John Alton, who deduces subtle lighting to create dramatic, atmospheric shots. Third, discussion of the Godfather films, in which cinematographers use shadow and gloom to provide moral ambiguity to the cinema. Last, the interview of cinematographer Jack Cardiff; in the scene, Cardiff describes how he used technicolor to create striking visuals that reflected a film’s themes of passion (Glassman et al., 1992). The most surprising fact is how important cinematography was to creating silent films. Visual narrative was crucial in silent films, and I was astounded to realize how much effort and expertise went into making the visuals used in them.
Question Three
In “Citizen Kane,” “The Reporter” investigates Charles Foster Kane by talking to people who knew him at different times. “The Reporter” comes across the following five perspectives: First, Thatcher exposes Kane’s early-on shown of need for dominance and authority. Second, Leland describes Kane’s ascent to popularity as a newspaper mogul to shed light on Kane’s character and drive. Third, Kane’s second wife shows the perception of the emotional toll that Kane’s fixation with power and control imposed on his marriage. Additionally, Raymond shows that Kane spent most of his later life alone. Finally, Bernstein’s viewpoint provides exciting details on Kane’s newspaper empire and the dynamics between Kane and his closest colleagues (Welles, 1941). I find Jedediah Leland the most intriguing character. Jedediah is as giddy as Kane, but he remains loyal to Kane though Kane becomes more and more vicious and manipulative. In a different context, I find the revelation of “Rosebud” to be a satisfactory explanation of the film’s central riddle. The film’s topic of the subjective nature of reality and memory is reflected in “Rosebud,” which depicts Kane’s yearning for the purity and bliss of his boyhood, but which is ultimately worthless to anyone else.
References
Donen, S., & Kelly, G. (1952, April 10). Singin’ in the rain (1952). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045152/
Glassman, A., McCarthy, T., & Samuels, S. (1992, February 24). Visions of light (1992). IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105764/
Welles, O. (1941, September 5). Citizen Kane. IMDb. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033467/
