Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Nick Skok: FILM GENRE: Epic/Historic
In the historic type of film, the viewing audience is presented with generally a realistic situation or event that is highlighted with the blending of other genres or elements of fiction to create a foil for the emotional reaction to the often horrific reality of the story. For instance, although Pearl Harbor is certainly a historic film genre, there are elements of the Romance genre incorporated in it. Your task for this discussion is to discuss your observations of Nick's presentation as it relates to the film, Pearl Harbor. Keep in mind that historic films generally rely on elaborate props and sets, a variety of actors, heroes, and a large budget. We often wonder after the viewing of such films as to how accurately they may have depicted the historical event on which they are based. You might also want to respond to one of the quotations made from the preview of the film: "we keep building refrigerators while our enemies build bombs."
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Nick's presentation really did explain a historic film to me. I just though previously that it had to be based on past events. I did not know that there was such an elaborate set design involved as well. I could relate it to many films and books that I have read or seen. I have always been interested in this genre and was extremely happy to learn more.
ReplyDeleteOne great things about historic films is that they take a normally horrific or boring event and turn it into something entirely different. While it relies on a historical basis, it makes its own characters and sub-plot. The romance invovled in Pearl Harbor was a perfect example of this. Rafe, Danny, and Evelyn did not actually exist but their story drew in the audience and helped relate to everything that happened. It showed the devestating force of the war.
The setting was also very impressive. It was a huge amount of space. It travelled from Japan to Washington D.C. This would be otherwise unimaginable in settings other than movies or books. I did not realize how important this was. I now see how it would not nearly be the same without it.
I think Nick picked a movie that embodied a historic film quite well. It was based on real events, had a huge set, elaborate props, and inventive characters that really draw people in. It was a great movie to see and I think his presentation was done quite well. Nick, if you read this, well done!
A final note, the refrigerators while building bombs comment is very astute. If America had not been so absorbed in advancing itself, it may have been able to detect stirrings of war ahead of time and prepare for attack. Instead, it focused on simple things and ignored the obviously looming threats.
To start off with the quote " we keep building refrigerators while our enemies build bombs," I think could basically sum up the film in itself. I think American was so preoccupied in itself that it did not ever think that something like this could happen to them. Kind of like 9/11. We never thought something like that would happen to us. We were so focused on ourselves that we became a little naive to the warnings about this attack, and pretended like it wasn't happening.
ReplyDeletePearl Harbor was a devastating event that I read about in textbooks and heard stories about, but watching it in this sort of film was completely different. When I heard Nick was doing historical I was a little disappointed, because I thought it was going to be another one of those movies that we watch in an American Cultures class or something; you know something a bunch of professors talk about on the history channel. I never knew it was going to become one of my favorite movies.
Nick gave a really nice presentation. I didn't know that historical films had to include authentic sets that were not only elaborate, but expensive. This movie surely fit into that concept. The part about on-location filming for historical films to be authentic was seen in this film considering most of it was filmed on-location. The sets and props were genuine and I think anyone with vast knowledge of Pearl Harbor itself could say that this film really did a superb job. The setting then expanded to Washington D.C and Japan, which made the movie itself seem huge. It added the idea that the attack on Pearl Harbor was a huge deal that was universal.
The heroes in this story were my favorite part. Once again, I am a hopeless romantic that falls for anything that involves a love story. I loved the romance between Rafe, Danny, and Evelyn. I think the friendship and common bond of flying between Rafe and Danny from a young age made the story very rich when they grew up and enlisted in the army. The heroic quality in Rafe came out very early when he begged Evelyn (a nurse) to let him pass his eye exam because he wanted this so badly. Also, he voluntarily enlisted into the British air force, even though it meant he had to leave his love Evelyn. His heroic qualities came out more obviously than Danny's, being they were mostly for his country and his own love of being a pilot.
As most of you know, I am a Danny fan, but I think that his heroic qualities were a little less evident. In my eyes, being there for someone who needs you even if it's complicated is being a hero. Saving someone is being a hero. Danny saved Evelyn when she was lost in a sea of missing Rafe. I think they found themselves in the love for one another. I don't see it as a betrayal to Rafe, because Danny was doing what he trained his whole life for: being a hero. He was saving Evelyn.
Evelyn herself had heroic qualities as well. She was a great nurse who was there for those soldiers during the attack despite her own fears. She even pulled the panic stricken doctor out of his daze, because she knew she had to stay focused if she was going to save any of these men.
Nick picked a great film for this genre, and he presented it rather well. Pearl Harbor included everything that fits into the historical genre, and overall is a great film that appeals to a vast audience, whether they are a Danny fan or a Rafe fan.
But we all know it's Danny in the end, ha ha.
Alex,
ReplyDeleteI liked what you said about the relationship between Evelyn, Danny, and Rafe showing "the devestating force of the war." Nick explained that well, and I think that was a very key point in this film and the genre itself.
I'd also like to say good job Nick!
Well, I think we can all agree that the sets were EXTREMELY elaborate. The planes, the ships, the beautiful paradise of Hawaii, yes, this film was very believable setting wise.
ReplyDeleteNow, I personally am not a fan of historical films and when Nick said that he was presenting to genre I was upset. I thought I was about to watch the typical boring biography that my father likes to watch on TV. Like Sophie said, that stuff on the History channel, I was not excited for that. "Pearl Harbor" was far better, however.
This film brought the tragic events of Pearl Harbor to a watchable and fascinating level. Though what we saw was horribly sickening, it took my mind off of just the statistics of the situation. It was more than "this many men were killed, this many ships were destroyed". It didn't only effect America as a war machine and a country but as single units of people. Pearl Harbor destroyed people's lives; their families, their homes, their everything. This film changed my perspective of what happened.
I LOVED the quote "we keep building refrigerators while our enemies build bombs." I thought this was a great piece of writing and that it was a great one liner. Like Alex and Sophie have said, the US was very fixated on itself as a nation. Meanwhile, across the sea, not only were enemies making bombs but they were watching us. They were watching and plotting and waiting to attack us. And they did. We might have made fifteen new products on any given day, but Japan lunged at us and they hit hard. So, yes, we were advancing, we were doing so in leaps and bounds, but if we had taken our eyes off ourselves for a couple seconds, we might have seen the Japanese floating on the sea, reading to destroy
Alex- Well, I agree with everything you said, especially you saying that you thought the historic genre was based solely on past events. I enjoyed the sub plots and the development of the characters who did not really exist at the time. It made it hurt more when the destruction occurred because I personally felt a connection with the characters we had been watching.
ReplyDeleteSophie- I loved the romance too. As you know, I am not like you, I am a Rafe fan. But I have to agree, saving someone is being a hero and I think that Danny saved Evelyn when she most needed it. I may not approve of what he did and I certainly don't like him, but I think that being a savior for another person is almost, ALMOST, a little more heroic than what Rafe was doing.
Kat,
ReplyDeleteI'm agreeing with everything you said. I like what you said about Pearl Harbor destroying the people's lives like their homes and families. We see how the relationship between Danny, Rafe, and Evelyn was altered, but just imagined how it affected all those other people that we don't see in this film? Like those people who are married and have five or so children. It just amazes me how the nature of war can devastate a country and everyone in it.
I loved you sentence "We might have made fifteen new products on any given day, but Japan lunged at us and they hit hard." That could not have been more true. Japan certainly did hit hard.
Even though I missed the end of Pearl Harbor, I did read online on how the film ended. I really enjoyed this film. Pearl Harbor is very similar to the film I showed the class, Titanic. I even gave “Historic” as Titanic’s subgenre. One could argue that romance and historic are interchangeable in these films. Nick did an excellent job! The film featured the tragic bombing of Pearl Harbor, with an added fictional twist in the form of a love triangle between Evelyn, Danny, and Rafe. This made the film more appealing for the audience, instead of being a documentary that probably wouldn’t have been as attractive.
ReplyDeleteI believe the events shown in the film were shown with great accuracy based on some research I have done, as I was clearly not there! I was intrigued throughout the part of the film on the morning of December 7, 1941. I did not know much at all in detail about what truly happened at Pearl Harbor. I always knew the basics, but this film educated me on an important historical tragedy while also entertaining me at the same time.
The quote “we keep building refrigerators while our enemies build bombs”, truly says it all. America was simply keeping to itself, not entering the war. Unfortunately they were too naïve during a time of intense world warfare. The American military never saw the attack on Pearl Harbor coming, which is the reason so many lives were lost. The tragedy taught the Americans a lesson to always be aware of the enemy, and not to be so trusting of other countries.
Great presentation and choice of film Nick!