Friday, February 24, 2012

Nick Skok: FRANCE and The Man in the Iron Mask

This past week we were exposed to some of the interesting French culture through the arts, music, history, and the interesting etiquette that is so much associated with the finery of French custom and cuisine.


Choose any 2-3 customs that you enjoyed learning about this past week and show how they  were or were not enhanced through the film, The Man in the Iron Mask.  It may also be interesting to use some of your knowledge of the cinema (from your yellow cinema packets) to illustrate some of the conventions of film-making (camera angle, mise en scene, lighting, music enhancement, choreography, costuming, etc.).  


Finally, offer your insights into Nick's presentation and provide as always, advice for future improvements.


Good Luck

15 comments:

  1. First and foremost (though I doubt you’ll read this Nick) I hope you’re alright and that nothing bad happened on Friday. I was really looking forward to food day too!! I really enjoyed your film though I do not think it was the best choice in demonstrating the French culture of today’s society. It was a fantastic choice for displaying the history of France however, but I think that maybe it could have been a bit more modern and that in that case, it would have been better used in displaying what France is like.
    I really liked learning about the clothing that the French wore. They dress so nicely and I am envious of their culture in that regard. Their designer clothes norm is something I wish we had over here in America because I prefer to wear jeans all the time rather than sweatpants or something. Even at home when I am doing nothing I enjoy jeans over more comfortable clothes. However, since this film was about the Three Musketeers, modern dress in France was never shown. Instead, we saw the uncomfortable and stuffy looking dress of the nobles and higher ends citizens and the rags of the third class.
    However, though the film took place in a much earlier time period, I think that it successfully capture the etiquette of the French. It seems from Nick’s presentation that they are very punctual and proper people, especially when dealing in business. This was echoed through the times in The Man in the Iron Mask. The affairs of the Musketeers and the King can definitely be considered business deals of a sort and everything they did was very proper, even in the plot of treason. I also think that the serious nature of the film contributes to portraying this. The only truly amusing scene was where Porthos attempted to hang himself but failed due to Aramis’ trickery. Otherwise, the film stuck true to a more serious tone.
    The Man in the Iron Mask was a good choice of film for enlightening us to the history of France. This film carried with it the aspects of civil unrest and disapproval in the King. As much as I believe that a different film might have better served this presentation, I think that this one was an excellent choice for the history section of the presentation and it also demonstrated some of the legends of the French.
    Nick, I’d like to also mention what little food you brought us (I really wanted food day!) The bread was really, really, really good. I loved, loved, loved it! Also, the tea was very tasty except for the fact that it fried my tongue. Thank you very much for bringing us breakfast on Thursday, it was super nice of you and I really appreciated it.
    As for the film making, I thought that the casting and acting was really superb. Leonardo DiCaprio successfully played both a heartless monarch and an outlawed brother. I felt that the characters were believable. Music wise, I can’t really say I recall the music from the film, but I do remember that when they showed the prison while Philippe was still imprisoned that the noises were spooky and I was extremely creeped out. As a whole, the camera followed the action, which the film was full of.
    Finally, I really enjoyed your presentation. Your handouts were very neat, you spoke well, and your PowerPoints were very informative. My only critique (as you can obviously tell) is that I think you could have selected a better film and you should have been there on Friday!

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    1. Kathryn,
      I do agree with your opinions on the film's connection with modern French culture. It did a wonderful job on giving us a section of history in France as you said. The music was very indicative on what was happening in the scene. The prison scenes were filled with eerie music and elegant scenes featured the typical classical music.
      I do have to disagree with you on one thing. I don't believe there much etiquette covered in the film. The only part maybe a typical greeting, but I don't remember any scenes of elegant dining where table manners were illustrated. Time etiquette was not shown either, nor was it of utmost importance at the time.
      Thanks for your insight, and I too hope Nick is OK!

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    2. Kathryn,
      Hey there! Yeah, I doubt he will read these but I wish him well. Anyways, I really love how you brought out the punctuality of everything in the movie. Even when it got down to the final prison break, everything was coordinated right on time. They moved like clockwork. This just shows in how on-time people must be.
      Criticizing Ryan's above post about there being little table manners, there was in fact the scene where Athos was trying to teach Phillipe all the table manners of royalty and how they would relate to his life further on. The same goes for etiquette in that after the musketeers had survived the onslaught of gunfire, people saluted to them and respected them.
      Anyways, Kathryn, great blog! I agree with all of it!

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    3. Kat,

      I liked the point you brought up about Leonardo DiCaprio's performance. I think he fit the character rather well. I may be a bit biased in saying that only because I love him so much, but I do think he did a great job. He had a certain heartless quality about him like you said. He played both sides of a monarch and a peasant boy very well. I think it would be hard to play two total flips of character, but he pulled it off amazingly.
      I do also agree with your point about the dress. I was going to talk about that actually in my own blog. Nick mentioned the dress being very preppy and formal in modern day France, but we never saw that. We mostly saw 17th century attire. I realize that is when the movie was taking place, but I just didn't seem to find that part of the culture to fit into the movie.

      nice blog Kat!

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  2. Finally a European country on our trip around the world! I am so happy to be learning about three European countries that I aspire to study abroad at, or even just visit during my lifetime. I was intrigued through all aspects of Nick’s presentation on France. Hopefully we will not miss out on the information that would have been presented in the tour of France (Day 5) that I was really looking forward to.
    Nick, I thought your presentation was a great effort on educating us on French culture. The etiquette slideshow was my personal favorite. The most odd fact was giving flowers in odd numbers (except 13). It is very interesting how they are especially superstitious in that way. Superstition was not included in the film. The value of friends is special in France. I think it is commendable that friends are expected to see one another everyday. This was illustrated in The Man in the Iron Mask. The Three Muskateers were always together to the point that it seemed that they never parted throughout the entire film. On another note, the French’s emphasis on time fits in with my expectations on time, as I do not appreciate when people are late and am embarrassed when I myself am late.
    A French custom featured in The Man in the Iron Mask was dance. The dance in the second half of the film where the first attempt on secretly “switching” the kings was made depicted how a typical dance historically was held with the king in attendance.
    We also learned quite a bit about King Louis XIV, who was the antagonist in the film. Known as the “Sun King” Louis was arrogant and selfish, as depicted clearly in his character by Leonardo DiCaprio. King Louis was given the throne at age 4. His reign featured civil unrest that led to numerous wars. The wars caused widespread famine.
    The film itself was full of up-close headshots to show emotion of characters. The camera also moved with the action. The palace seemed to be dark when Louis was in control compared to the bright setting when Philippe took the throne at the end of the film. I felt a major theme of the film was karma’s effects. Louis thought he was indestructible. How wrong was he! He did not suspect that his banished twin brother would ever become a threat until it was too late. Another theme of the film was “Good things come to those who wait.” Philippe sat in a dark, wet prison cell for many years under an iron mask to conceal his identity. At the end of the film he becomes the most revered and powerful man in France, completing a 180-degree turnaround in this man’s life.
    Like Kathryn, I feel that the film was not a great choice to depict MODERN French culture. It would have been nice to see the modern clothing and etiquette acted out. I do realize though how few modern French films there are. The film did a fantastic job on giving the setting for a medieval monarchy. The Man in the Iron Mask also gave a general idea on who King Louis XIV was. In conclusion, I would say that Nick’s presentation was educational and entertaining, but lacked the connection between PowerPoint and film. I still learned a tremendous amount about France, and I look forward to Italy and Spain!

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    1. Ryan- I like how you pointed out the theme of "Good things come to those who wait", that was a really good point. I hadn't even thought of that. I also like the mention of dance. I found the dance to be really strange, but back then, it was one of their forms of entertainment and everyone seemed to know the dances, kind of like the Electric Slide or soemthing. I hadn't picked up on the lighting aspect of the film, that's a really intersting point and, in retrospect, a correct one. I love how films are filled with little things like that!

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    2. Ryan,
      I love that you went into the topic of karma. (Especially considering how you just covered India.) I agree that the underlying theme of the whole movie just seemed to be "what goes around comes around." Athos once tried to kill Louis but he failed. Because of that, he was able to meet Phillipe who became a much greater ruler and similar to a son. Louis imprisoned Phillipe and that simply cam back to bite him in the butt when their positions were flipped. Louis also killed his own father, which he never knew about, but was then imprisoned. I think it is a magnificent concept. It plays such a huge role in the movie and I'm glad you covered it.

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    3. Ryan,

      You did a great job pointing out some of the conventions of the film! The phrase "Good things come to those who wait", or more accurately "Those who deserve it" was a good message to take out of the film. Louis was a tyrant king and at the same time an incorrigible brat. I think we were all pleased with the ending of the film when his good-hearted brother Felipe took control of the throne and their roles were reversed! It was truly an instance of " what goes around comes around".

      I am not shocked you chose French etiquette as a discussion point! I think it's been a trend with you to take interest in the manners topic in the presentation. Etiquette of other cultures also interests me, and its especially important to know if you plan on visiting the country at some point! It's never good when foreigners are ignorant of manners when traveling abroad.

      Finally, I have to say that the importance of friendships in France - as demonstrated by the Three Musketeers in the movie - was one of my favorite things to learn about. Without friends, where would we be??

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  3. First, may I just start off with a well done to Nick. Not only was the presentation organized, the movie was fantastic! My mother had once told me that I had to watch it because it was so good. Now I have to agree with her. It was extremely relevant to old fashioned French culture. In fact, I saw a lot of what Nick presented in it. I also loved how all of our movies seem to be connected in some way. Raoul and Christine? Just made the whole thing significantly better for me. Especially, considering the man who directed it directed Count of Monte Cristo.

    One of my favorite things to learn about was the fashion. We view Paris (the capital of France) as the fashion capital of the world. I did not initiall realize just how important that was to the way people dressed. Here in St. Marys, we run around wearing t-shirts and jeans. But something like that is frowned upon? How strict! I can't imagine not being able to walk out my front door with anything I wanted on. This was also a hge component in the movie. Depending on what the character wore, their character was changed. Aramis wore the priest garb, Porthos wore over-the-top extravagent clothing, Athos wore that of a poor man. And while the attire today is not the same, it was still great to see its importance in French culture.

    Food was another of my favorites. I loved getting to taste a little bit of French cuisine. Granted, I would have loved to have a little more but what are you going to do? I never realized how much wine was treasured in France. I mean, I knew it was a highly used beverage but not to the extent that it is served as water. I think we never realize how much you can learn about a culture simply by the food they serve. Sure, there are some strange things in the French diet but I think that it would be nice to explore what it is further because it definitely seems interesting. Nick just gave us a glimpse of that.

    Mise en Scene was very important in the film, in my opinion. Even the lack of use of doors, as Nick pointed out. In the prison, there was nothing but the dark dismal atmosphere and a few piles of hay. It gave a grungy and desolate feeling. As well as with the lighting, it made the whole place seem very cold. In the palace, it was over-dressed with magnificent decorations and bright colors. It just added to the splendor most people think of when they think "palace". It was a very important aspect and made everything seem like parallel opposites. While one prince lived in a gorgeous, dreamlike state the other lived in a figurative hell.

    How can you improve, Nick? I think it would have been nice to see you explain more in depth about how the culture was shown in the film. You really didn't pause to explain much other than when you were skipping scenes. Other than that, great job! You did a wonderful job presenting the culture to us!

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    1. Alex
      I too love that all of our films are connected! Between the character names, the actors themselves...
      I have to disagree with your opinion on dressing up. I would love the expectation of dressing up to go out of the house. I think that makes one look more respectable.
      Mise en Scene is a great topic to discuss in The Man in the Iron Mask. The "lack" of doors is very interesting. I believe it symbolized Louis's shadiness and secrecy in how he dealt with matters. The prison indeed was very dark and old, adding to our expectations on how an ancient should look. The palace fit the typical palace template as well.
      I did know that wine is very big in France as well as Italy. French wines are some of the best according to my parents!

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    2. Alex-
      I hadn't thought about Mise en Scene, but yes it was very important. The lack of doors was pretty intersting, especially since the entire castle was connected behind the walls. The palace was quite splendid and extravagent. I think that also the acting of Leo (we've had so many films with him, aren't we on a nickname basis now?) made the castle seem darker while Louis was king even though it really wasn't. However, when Phillipe was in control, it seemed like a warm home instead of a grand place for control.

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    3. Alex,

      Like Ryan I also find amusement in the fact that all of our movies are related in some way or another! Not only do "The Man in the Iron Mask" and "The Count of Monte Cristo" share the same director, but also the same author! I have to say that after taking World Lit class I would really like to read some of Alexandre Dumas' work.

      If my comments would show up, which they are unfortunately not doing, you would see that I also talked about modern French fashion and the costumes of the movie. Something I didn't mention but now would like to bring up as an afterthought is the flamboyance of the 17 th century French dress. It's expected of a King, but as we pointed out while watching the film it somewhat makes the soldiers appear to be bright blue and red targets for the enemy. No one ever said looking good comes cheap, I guess!

      Regarding the topic of cuisine- I jokingly asked Nick if he would be serving frog legs or snails when I found out he was doing his presentation on French culture. Thankfully we were spared of these "delicacies".... but it's interesting to know how different food is regarded in different places of the world. I too learned a bit more about French wine. I'll have to try it someday (in about 4 years)!

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  4. Though unfortunately his presentation was cut two days short, Nick still did a great job educating us on the beauty of the French culture. We learned about food, fashion, and even kissing while being captivated by the dramatic movie "The Man in the Iron Mask".

    This week our "culture excursion" took us to Europe, which is a bit more like our own culture than the other three Asian and African cultures. However, there are still many distinct ways the French culture differs from our own. One thing that stood out to me is the formality and impersonalness of the French. Even though it is common for friends and family to greet each other with a kiss on each cheek, couples rarely show public displays of affection. This was unexpected for me because I had always thought of the French as romantic. Another example is how formal (yet stylish) they are dressed! This aspect is so different from American culture, where it is not unheard of to see people wearing sweatpants and T-shirts in public. The French really have an eye for fashion!

    Something else I found interesting in the slideshow and the film would be the emphasis the French place on close friendships. The Three Musketeers had their saying "One for all and all for one," and refused to betray each other even when their lives were at stake. I think the way the importance the French view friendships with is wonderful. From what I've witnessed in my life, so often we forget the importance of friends in favor of other types of relationships. In "The Man in the Iron Mask", it was clear that the 3 friends had an unbreakable bond. This is something I enjoyed seeing throughout the week.

    Another thing that coincided between the movie and Nick's presentations would be the costuming. I briefly talked about French fashion earlier, and it certainly shone through in "The Man in the Iron Mask". All of the outfits, especially those of the King and his court, were colorful and flamboyant. It was evident the moviemakers put special effort into making the costumes accurate to how they were in 17th century France. Nobility, soldiers, and peasants were all dressed appropriately.

    Watching "The Man in the Iron Mask" was a great experience, and even though I sadly missed the morning class I learned a great deal from Nick! I was glad to have insight on the French culture and am looking forward to where our journey takes us next!


    Sorry that I had to post my blog late, I was having computer issues.

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    1. Sam,

      I love that you included the French kissing aspect. When Nick first pulled up that slide, my mind was like "Oh, Nick why?" but then I realized how important that is to French culture. I knew from my Papa that the french kissed each other on each cheek, but I didn't know it was a real thing. I just figured it was my Papa messing with me.

      I like that you noticed the authentic costuming. I think that is a very important aspect to notice. I think the moviemakers did a phenomenal job as well. It seemed to fit the time era perfectly. Even their hair/makeup seemed appropriate. Even though that one man looked a tad like Tartuffe!
      Nice blog Same!

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  5. Nick,
    Nice presentation! Aside from not being there all of the days for whatever reason, interesting movie choice, and such you did a great job. I think you started out strong with the overall powerpoint of the culture, then it started to fizzle out towards the end of the week. I loved that we were able to explore a country with minimal poverty, high class dress, and different etiquette than normal.
    A very strong concept of French culture, the importance of friendships, was definitely displayed in The Man with the Iron Mask. I think the idea of The Three Musketeers was a very nice way to showcase that idea. We see that their bond of friendships undergoes death, secrets, lies, deceit, and still manages to prevail. It was interesting to see how the film was going to go from the beginning struggles to the end. I do though have to agree with Kat and Ryan by saying that although I loved the film and the presentation, I felt they didn't entirely coincide with each other. I think King Louis XIV, the history of him that you presented, was relevant to the movie, but the modern ideas of French culture that you presented were not seen in this movie. Things like dress and etiquette were not seen so much. I do understand that the royal etiquette was depicted in the movie when Phillipe was trying to learn to be like the King, but it wasn't, like I said, a modern adaptation.

    I film did however have nice camera angles. The camera seemed to always be following the action, like when King Louis would go through all those passage ways, it always followed him. I never once had a moment where I wondered why the camera was shooting that. It was always having to do with the story. Head-shots were also used often. I think that was a great way to show the facial expressions of the close bond of The Musketeers. We were able to feel their close friendship through their faces with the nice close-up shots of the camera.

    So Nick, room for improvement would have to be basically what everyone said: A different movie perhaps being more closely related to modern France and consistent attendance in class. I did however love the breakfast we had at 7 am. I am just sad we had to miss out on the other food.

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