Film
4/24/2015
Zone One Pt 2
Mark Spitzs Last Night story
o
Anecdote
o
Autopsy
o
Obituary
This is Marks
Begins in a casino in Vegas- why in this artificial space?
Think about zombie plague as allegory for financial crisis
How the casino is described- turn
Film
4/22/2015
Zone One Pt 1
Uptake of zombie fiction after the 2008 crash
Post-apocalyptic as always relating to the economic
Visions of economic catastrophes even when they are not mystical
Moving east to west across Manhattan
Genre fiction writing- low
Film
4/17/2015
Cosmopolis Pt 2
Which President?
o
The important figures would be corporate (or entertainment) presidents and not
political ones
o
He is unaware and narcissistic
Deliberately not fun- purposely trying to obscure communication
It is key that
Film
4/15/2015
Hammer & Sickle, Appreciation and Cosmopolis
Five minutes into the future or an alternate present
o
Things we know but slightly off- surrealism
o
Hyperrealism
o
Real objects but shifted
o
Dystopia or thought experiment?
Post Personal Crisis
Film
4/3/2015
Union Atlantic Pt 2 and Queen of Versailles Pt 1
Nate as a stand in character for any person- allegory OR a Doug in the making
(because of his refusal to take responsibility for his betrayal or Charlotte)
o
Evidence for the second with event
Film
4/8/2015
Queen of Versailles Pt 2
Why the call their house Versailles
The notion of aristocracy
What is the tone the filmmaker takes to the construction of the house
House as a symbol of American gluttony
Real estate was supposed to be the one safe i
Film
3/27/2015
Wolf of Wallstreet Pt 3 and Union Atlantic Pt 1
Lending money to kimmie- tonal inconsistency, because before he was a misogynist but
now he lends her money
o
Uses her as a story for later
o
Corrupts her and drags her into this world
o
Why d
Film
3/13/15
Wolf of Wall Street Pt 2 and Appreciation
Significance of starting at the top of the twin towers- restaurant scene- importance of sex
o
fuck the customers- referring to sex
o
screw the customers- trick
o
Tricking and predatory sex
Survival of
Film
3/4/15
Mildred Pierce Pt 1
James M. Cain- did not have a fraught relationship with Hollywood, lots of his books
were adapted for film but he was not a screen writer (he never watched any of the movies
because he didnt really like movies)
Born in 1892
Film
3/11/15
Mildred Pierce Pt 3 and Wolf of Wall Street Pt 1
Financial tale through domestic relations
Addiction
Cultural Capital
Why does Mildred kick Burt out vs give Monty money?
o
o
Describes himself as a jiggalo, male character providing sex for pay
Film
2/20/15
Grapes of Wrath Pt 2
Deep focus- camera, two focal points, interesting stylistic film choice by Tolland
Original version did not have text in the beginning, that is from the British version
Biblical and allegorical tale to author and director
Film
3/6/15
Mildred Pierce Pt 2
Why does Cain want to focus on this mother/daughter plot?
o
Importance that she had Veda out of wedlock and married for social ascension
o
One of the first mentions Veda refers to how Mildred sees her as higher than
herself
Film
2/27/15
Now in November Pt 2
Contradictions
o Naturalism/Realism (humans being incapable of mounting social structures) VS
High Modernism
Naturalism ex; comparing the family as insects, tiny and powerless,
human response to devastating drought
o Pa
Film
2/25/15
Grapes of Wrath Pt 3 and Now in November Pt 1
Technology moves while people do not
Faces of both empathy and suspicion in the camp
Tommys increasing radicalization
20s & 30s- prison meant manual labor
Law to arrest people who were wandering w
Film
2/18/15
Big Money Pt 4 and Grapes of Wrath Pt 1
Pg 348 The Cameras Eye
o
Parallel between Sacco and Venzetti and the Witchcraft trials
o
Is there a voice or perspective?- Yes, the speaker is journaling and interviewing
o
It could be Mary or Dos Pasos
Film
2/13/15
Big Money Pt 3
Mary French
o
What do we know? What is significance?
Birth, young child, coming of age story (bildungsroman)
Caring, wants to engage in social justice
Has to do with her father
The one actual hero, compared to the antiheroes
Pr
Film
2/4/15
Modern Times Pt 2, Valley Town and Master Hands
Importance of how much Chaplin was paid and how much power he had over his work
United Artists- produced City Lights and Modern Times
Changes the Tramp to the Factory Worker- what does it mean?
G
Film
2/6/15
Modern Times Pt 3, Valley Town & Master Hands Pt 2, Big Money Pt 1
Shot of the Carousel & gamin dancing- mechanized entertainment for children (play and
profit) vs spontaneous creative freedom
o
o
How entertainment industry works
Then gamin be
Film
1/30/15
Gilded Six Bits Pt 2 and Modern Times Pt 1
Both stories right after they ended the gold standard- had relied on since 1872 (right after
civil war) - said all circulating money could be converted to gold- keep dollar from
depreciating.
o
Prese
Film
1/28/15
Gold Diggers of 1933
How do we make sense of the final number, The Forgotten Man?-Staging, Why does a
fluffy Rom Com end with this instead of the Victorian pairs scene?
o
o
Makes The Forgotten Man into just the veteran- why?
o
Forgotten Man-
Film
1/23/15
Gold Diggers of 1933 Pt 2
Warner Bros- social realist aesthetic- doesnt need a happy ending
Whats the fiscal policy?
o
Realism vs excess
1st thing you see is money
o
Deliberate optimism set up
o
Reproduces the crash
o
Confidence vs security
o
Film
1/21/15
Babylon Revisited Pt 2 and Gold Diggers of 1933 Pt 1
Deeply Autobiographical
What is the character Charlie trying to recover
o
o
From financial things
o
His daughter
o
From alcoholism
Guilt/grief
Recovery- recuperare in latin
o
o
Re=again
Why
Film
1/16/15
Pantoum of the Great Depression and Babylon Revisited Pt 1
Poetry form that reflects economic situation
How does he characterize the Depression? / Why does he use the Pantoum?
o
Casual language vs formal structure
Why use plain language?
o
Su
Film
1/14/15
Nemerov-thinking of as rare art object
How we talk about monetary exchange and scarcity
The influence of Romanticism:
o
Money vs Art & Nature
o
Not actually opposite
We keep bankers because they make money by moving money, dont make anything,
