Media Blog

Section: Film

Film: The Good the Bad and the Ugly

Director: Sergio Leone

Producer: Alberto Grimaldi

Distributor: United Artists

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee van Cleef

Genre: Western, Spaghetti Western, Epic

Year: 1966

The Good the Bad and the Ugly, is truly one of the finest films of the twentieth century. It is the third film of the famous Dollars Trilogy. The premise of the film is that three characters, Angel Eyes (van Cleef), Tuco (Wallach), and the Blondie (Eastwood), go on a thrilling quest through the Western United States to find a box of Confederate gold. The plot is filled with mystery and suspense, and it keeps the viewer constantly on the edge of their seat. The film is often regarded as being one of the best directed films of all time (this was originally stated by Quentin Tarantino). The film uses brilliant film work and a magnificent soundtrack (it has since become one of the most identifiable soundtracks in history) to improve the general feeling of the movie.

My personal favourite scene in The Good the Bad and the Ugly, is when Blondie and Tuco encounter a huge Civil War battle. The two save thousands of men, for Blondie was appalled by the wasting of life on the battlefield. At this point in the movie, I think that the cinematography is at its best during this scene. It uses a great variety of close ups and birds eye views, this contributes to a thrilling scene. The music also enhances the scene a great deal and really incorporates emotion into a really intense scene. In my opinion this scene is really perfect and nothing could have been better.

The Retreat - David Bergen

Title: The Retreat

Author: David Bergen

The Retreat is an intricate, complex and occasionally shocking novel. When one opens the book, they uncover a love story intertwined with a fierce protest for the rights of the Aboriginal people of North America. For me, the novel was entertaining and occasionally disturbing, "There was a time when Ms. Byrd had been happier, lighthearted and carefree, but when Fish was born, she descended into darkness and she gave Fish over to Lizzy, who was too young to say 'No, this is not mine.'" (94) I found this passage particularly jolting because the notion of handing a baby over to a child when you are perfectly capable and experienced when it comes to that field is a thought that my mind just cannot seem to wrap itself around. The book tends to cover a lot of heavy topics but do it in an eloquent and very readable way.

The Retreat, although enjoyable, is a book that is more difficult to read and understand if you have not experienced the events taking place in even the most remote of manifestations. I found that my reading experience of this novel was not as fulfilling as I could relate to none of the characters (although that is actually a good thing in this case). The cult-like retreat is like nothing that I have ever heard of or read about before. Bergen did a wonderful job of creating instances that the average reader would generally feel uncomfortable covering, this really spoke well to the odd personalities of the majority of the characters and the situations that they  often found themselves in. A good example of this is on page 76, "Everett woke early and walked out to the pond and waited in the trees. The Doctor came. He undressed and he bathed." The final theme that seems to play an integral part in the book is that of family issues. Lizzy's family in particular had many family issues throughout the course of the novel. This is shown in this quotation, "Lizzy wondered if her father had felt a sense of collapse, that all the goof intentions at the beginning of the summer had been mislaid. It made her heart ache because she could tell that her father was still convinced that her mother would return before everyone left." This proved essentially that her mother was effectively a lunatic and that her father had to clean up with the messy trail left behind by Lizzy's mom. 

The book was a decent book overall, but I found that it introduced a few too many tragedies and that even then they seemed to be a little out of context. For me, when I read a book I  subconsciously compare it to the works of my favourite authors, (such as Jules Verne, Bryce Courtenay, Laurence Sterne, and Miguel de Cervantes amongst others) but this just did not compare. I often found that it presented a depressing plot that was always bleak. On the plus side it was well written. Three questions that I would like to ask Mr. Bergen are: 1) Where did you get the idea for the Retreat in the novel? Have you ever been to a similar place? (2) Why did you choose such an abrupt and tragic ending? (3) What caused you to write this book? Who are your greatest influences in your writing?

How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone

Title: How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone

Author: Saša Stanišić

Published: 2006 (German)

                       2008 (English)

1. To me this was one of the most thought provoking and philosophical novels that I have ever read. The book flowed in such a way that after nearly every paragraph the reader would have to stop and ponder. Although at times slow moving, the novel was difficult to put down and always pleasant. The book is written in the rambling style of a child, this enhanced the reading experience (in my opinion). Another thing that I liked about this book was the reality and fantasy that were intertwined so well (e.g. The book contains a lots of truth and facts about the war that occured in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Also, it contains a lot of magic and wizardry, which is obviously fiction).

2. "Tonight I heard Mother sighing in her sleep, she woke up with congealed blood under her nose. There are problems with the neighbours because we're living so close to them and they don't like us living close. If they'd been given the gift of a war too, they'd have shot is at once. Religion is not the opium of the people but their downfall. So Father says, anyway. A boy in the street called me a bastard. My Serbian blood was contaminated by my Bosniak mother, he said. I didn't know whether to hit him for that or be defiant and proud. I was neither defiant nor proud, and I was the one who got hit." (Pg. 141) 

This passage is taken out of a letter from the main character Aleksandar to one of the biggest supporting characters, Asija. The paragraph appealed to me because it contains not only the sad reality of the situation at hand, but also a small shot of the innocent humour of a child.

"No one could have guessed that I'd win. Uncle Miki claps me on the back and says: no one could have guessed that you'd win. My mother tucks a strand of my hair back behind my ear, but it falls straight back over my forehead. Really, no one could have guessed it, she says taking my face between her hands." (Pg. 220)

This passage is written in a repetitive format that I found particularly appealing because it really does represent the way a child would write (in a way that indicates that Mr. Stanišić is really a brilliant author). This is very important, for it puts the reader in the shoes of Aleksandar and brings them back to the simplistic thinking of childhood.

3. I) Mr. Stanišić, I was curious as to what was the true inspiration for the writing of this book? Was it based on childhood experiences, or on stories told to you during your childhood?

       

II) Mr. Stanišić, what possessed you to write in the style of a child when so many other authors write in a more adult way (even when writing from a child's perspective)?

       

III) Mr. Stanišić, who do you list as your influences? and Who influenced your writing style in particular?

Keilty and Murphy Maps Assignment

Seduction Map

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

By: Stieg Larsson

Published:2004

The Burden of Proof

Title: The Burden of Proof

Author: Scott Turow

Published: 1990

The novel Burden of Proof by Scott Turow is the tale of lawyer Alejandro "Sandy" Stern's journey through the courts of law during a time of great turmoil in both his personal and work life. His wife of 32 years commits suicide at the beginning of the book just to kick things into an immediate tailspin for Sandy. All throughout this terrible time his most difficult client (and brother-in-law), Dixon Hartnell is running into serious trouble with the Federal government. The story follows Stern's coping with the death of his wife, his constant dealings with Dixon and his incessant pursuit of the respect of his children. From the second paragraph the reader can tell that Dixon is the antagonist in this story, "For two days he had been in Chicago-that city of rough souls-on behalf of his most difficult client. Dixon Hartnell was a callous, self-centered, and generally scornful of his lawyer's advice; worst of all, representing him was a permanent engagement." (Pg. 1). The book has an incredibly interesting and fulfilling plot that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat throughout the entire reading.

Alejandro "Sandy" Stern is a very interesting and complex character. As the protagonist of the story the plot revolves around his struggles and triumphs. He is regarded as one of the best lawyers in the midwest, and this plays to his advantage when facing state attorneys (who are afraid of him). Sandy, was born in Argentina in the mid 1930's. He was the son of a German-Jewish doctor, communicating with his parents in German and Yiddish. In the year 1947 after his brother and father had died, he and the rest of his siblings fled for America. Upon arrival in the U.S. Sandy, had an obsession with becoming American. He dropped the Alejandro and went by Sandy and tried to rid himself of his Latin accent (which he never accomplished). Through tireless efforts he acquainted himself with American traditions, pastimes, and sports. This quote bears direct relevance to Stern's efforts to embrace American culture (specifically sports) "Stern, who had made baseball one of his most passionate studies in learning the American way of life..." (Pg. 97). Stern obsessed with being viewed as an American occasionally distracts him. Stern is a kind, discreet, and certainly not a flashy man; despite this his subtleness and efforts to not stand out make him a major hit with the women. 

In Scott Turow's Burden of Proof, Turow leaves very few clues about the crime. He reveals information on the charges slowly and discreetly. The case is laid out early on and the rest of the book is basically a whodunit type of scenario. The scene where the criminal is revealed is very tense and exciting. The criminal is a member of Stern's family and his actions were absolutely detrimental to the current family issues. Stern composed himself well but forcefully in this scenario, "Peter, I shall say this once. What you have done is unforgivable. It is wholly immoral. And, as important, you have risked unlimited misery for everyone in this family." (pg. 478). Turow did a marvelous job at concealing the criminal throughout the entire book. He is a great author and should be commended  for hid good work.

Devil May Care

Book: James Bond, Devil May Care

Author: Sebastian Faulks (as Ian Fleming)

In the book Devil May Care, the newest James Bond novel, Bond is called from his sabbatical in Rome to uncover a dangerous and potentially catastrophic plot to take over the world (as I interpreted it). This radical plan is one of many lethal distractions that MI6 and Bond have to deal with in the heat of the Cold War. Throughout the book James receives much needed help from French/Russian Scarlett Papava and her mysterious twin.

I thought that during the course of the novel Sebastian Faulks tended to struggle with his diction; often choosing the same words frequently, thus lacking variety in his vocabulary. Despite these struggles Faulks did an excellent job developing the character's throughout the book. He also did a superb job making the reader feel as if he or she was right there watching the story unfold right in front of them. His dialogue was also very convincing.

"It was a very wet evening in Paris. On the slate roofs of the big boulevards and the small mansards of the Latin Quarter, the rain kept up a ceaseless patter." The first two sentences of the book and already the author is using excellent visualization making the reader feel like they were there. Doing an excellent job in making the characters sound the same as they would in real life Faulks again uses visualization: "Betveen de crosses row on row" and "I am Hamid. I take you to Caspian Sea. You bring bathing trousers no?", both quotes are made to sound foreign making them very realistic. Throughout the book Sebastian Faulks displayed brilliant visualisation as proven by the previous quotes.