Inside Iran (Axis of Evil?)

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Explore the information about Iran. What did you know about Iran before? Are you surprised by anything you read or see? What is interesting to you about Iran? 

San Jose Film Festival

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Click on Film Festival

Click on Films. 

Read the summaries of the films. Choose three films that interest you. #1 is your first choice. We will take the Light Rail downtown one day to see two films. I will get the Light Rail Ticket for the class, and you will pay $10.00 for two films. 

Kurosawa- Watching the Directors Podcast

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Listen to the show about Kurosawa for 10 minutes. Answer these three questions: 

1. What directors did Kurosawa influence? 

2. Why were the movies between 1948-1958 only in black and white?  

3. How do you know a Kurosawa film? 

French New Wave/400 Blows

One of the most important filmmaking techniques used by New Wave filmmakers was the long take that tracks actions through an entire street scene or a prolonged running escape shot. Pick out two scenes in The 400 Blows where this technique is used. How does it contribute to the effectiveness of the scene? If you choose a street scene (set in Paris, for instance), what role do the long takes play in creating a sense of what Paris was like in the late 1950s? 

The Bicycle Thieves

Write a close analysis of the final scene of the movie. Pay close attention to the length of the shots. What is the point of view of the shots? How is the framing of the shots used? How does the director increase the suspense or tension? How does the director show us the relationship between the father and the son? 

Chinatown Screenplay

Go to my website. Read the first 11 scenes of the Chinatown screenplay.  

1. Compare the screenplay to the actual movie. Was anything changed?

2. How is Gittes described? 

3. What specific adjectives does the screenwriter Robert Towne (to the right) use to put you right 

there in the scene? 

Interview with Rian Johnson

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Scroll down to the interview with Rian Johnson

Listen to interview for 10 minutes. Let the interview load before you start listening to it. 

Answer these questions: 

1. What is Rian Johnson's background? 

2. How does Johnson describe the movie? 

3. Why was it so difficult to get made? 

4. How did the film change in the seven years of its production? 

5. What film techniques are in the movie? Were they planned beforehand? 

Rian Johnson's website