Che settimana fantastica della
cultura, compreso il cibo italiano da Mr. e Mrs.Ordiway, e un
film interessante che descrive la cultura italiana.
What a
fantastic week of culture, including Italian food by Mr. and Mrs. Ordiway, and
an interesting film depicting Italian culture. Surely, there should be plenty to relate in your discussions this week about the various cultural elements (both traditional and modern) and how they might be applied to the film, Angels and Demons. What cinematic film techniques have you noticed being used in this film? It is time to joggle our memories of some of the technicalities of film making along with the more creative aspects of the cultural series in which this presentation participated.
Kat,
ReplyDeleteGrande presentazione!
Who knew Italy would be so exciting! First off, great job with the presentation. I think having been to Italy yourself, it enriched your presentation to a new level. I loved seeing the family pictures, and let's just get this out of the way now: the food was phenomenal! I know your parents Kat, great people, so I thank them for taking the time to come to class and have this amazing Italian cuisine prepared for us!
What I found most interesting about the culture was the art. I never really thought that Italy was a place of brilliant architecture and art. I loved the neoclassical and 19th century art. I like how they used areas of light and dark to enhance their pieces. I really though the picture you had of a piece exemplifying this was perfect. I loved how the light was shining through the dark tree with the scene on the park. I also thought the architecture, like the Gothic and Medieval, were very interesting. We just recently learned about Gothic architecture in World Culture, so it was interesting to see the buildings and works you presented us and how they compared to what we learned in that class. I know consider Italy to be a great place for art, which is right up my alley!
I had never even heard of Angels and Demons the movie until you, Kat. I knew it was some religious book, but I never knew it would be so interesting! At first, I couldn't really follow. There was so much action happening. I felt the camera was constantly following it too, even in the busy piazza and streets of the Vatican it was so crowded, yet the camera was able to focus on what was actually happening. Then once the film really got going, I was so engaged. I knew this was something very mindboggling and deep. I also like that film included many pieces of historical art like West Ponente and The Fountain of Four Rivers. I also like that you were able to have an entire slideshow dedicated to explaining how those pieces related to the film.
I think the timing in the film was sort of off. Sometimes it was light on second, then the next completely dark. I felt there was no gradual sunset or anything. It was just light to dark. That was a small flaw I noticed in the film. The music though was very accurate, and the special effects were remarkable. I didn't look at the screen for a moment and think "wow, that's fake." (For instance, how we all felt with War of the Worlds). It was also lovely to see Tom Hanks play the lead. I think he did a nice job of being "perplexed" with having a certain sex appeal to him as the one who figured everything out. I think he played the role perfectly.
Nice presentation Kat! I'm so excited to do mine now!
Sophie,
DeleteGlad you got to see Angels and Demons! It really is a wonderful and suspenseful film. I do agree with you that it must be hard to follow if you aren't aware of the story beforehand. And of course, the timing. Yikes! I think they could have done way better in that aspect.
What a convenient time to learn about Gothic and Romanesque architecture! The Vatican is known for its exquisite buildings and monuments.
I am really looking forward to learning all about Spain starting tomorrow!
Sophie,
DeleteWow! You had never seen this before or even heard of it?! I'm so glad you got a positive repsonse with it. Honestly, from what I could tell, Kathryn did a really great job of skipping over only the unimportant parts. But I agree that the art was an amazing part and something that we could all relate to in a way. Also, the lighting! Broad daylight one second and pitch black the next? That was just slightly ridiculous. It was almost scary!
I can't wait to see Spain tomorrow! Best of luck!
Kathryn,
ReplyDeleteWell done on taking us through Italy! The areas of culture you educated us on fascinated me. Your personal experiences also added to your presentation tremendously. They made me be able to somewhat relate to what you were saying. I also loved seeing the book your family had made. What a great way to remember the memories that will last a lifetime. Italy is one of the countries I aspire to visit most in the future.
I will first focus on the film that you chose, Angels and Demons. I was actually familiar with the film before you presented it (thanks to you). The film did a superb job showing some of the Vatican’s most famous architecture. The famous churches and Vatican square are beautiful spots in the holiest place in the world. The artwork shown was abundant as well; such as the ceiling painting in the church and the famous King David sculpture. I will agree with Sophie that the lighting was not at all believable, going from seemingly noon to midnight! The camera moved with the characters in scenes of action, something I value in a film. It makes the viewer feel as if they are experiencing the film’s events. The mise en scene was very real in almost the entire film. Sound in the film was a reliable indicator of panic in a particular scene. The music or even tone of characters’ voices hinted to the viewer whether things were “good” or “not good.”
I was intrigued by the etiquette that you presented. I found the red wine for dinner and white wine for dessert to be very interesting. My parents do this sometimes so I guess it is common. Like France, the Italians dress up for all occasions, something I admire. Firm handshakes are important. It is tough that Italians take first impressions seriously. It doesn’t leave much room for a second chance!
Of course, I must discuss the art of Italy that you illustrated in your presentation. I was not aware that there are so many different eras of art, let alone different types. My personal favorite would have to be the baroque artwork. This form of artwork “wowed” me with the drastic change in color. I also was interested in the Arte Povera where worthless items are used to further enhance the art. It is a great way to recycle things that would otherwise be thrown away!
I am disappointed I missed the last few days of your presentation, but so thankful that I did not miss the FABULOUS food!! I loved the pasta most of all, and of course I can’t forget about the dessert! Yum! Thanks to your parents for going to all of that trouble! Great job this past week!
Ryan,
DeleteI agree that her personal experiences added to the presentation very much. I think you brought up some good point about the music and the "panic" of it. I think they did a very nice job of having the music play along with the rest of the film. I think it also matched the actors and actresses expressions very well. The whole movie just blended very well together.
I think that is interesting that white and red wine difference. I forgot about that until you mentioned it. I think we can all agree that Italy has a very rich culture where art plays a large role.
Nice blog Ryan!
Ryan,
Delete"Not bad"? Really? Sorry, that's just me nitpicking! But really good blog. You covered so much. I also agree that I am so glad that I did not miss food day! It was so fabulous. I also agree about the attire which I blogged about on my own. But the mise en scene was really realistic as you say.
I enjoy that you brought up the art, my personal favorite of the presentation! I loved the baroque artwork as well. Even though we saw a relatively brutal picture, it showed so much emotion and passion in that one moment. I think we all greatly enjoyed the presentation.
I wish you could have seen the rest of the movie and presentation, though I know you've seen the movie before!
To my dear cousin,
ReplyDeleteItaly! Do you know how jealous I was when I heard that you got to go there for a summer? Expecially after our grand trips together. The culture is so rich and magnificent and I only wish I could have tagged along on that trip. It seems like you had so much fun enjoying a foreign culture. And everything that you took out of it really seems to show in the presentation you gave. So great job on that!
One of my absolute favorite things you covered was your own relation to Italy and the dress code you experienced there. I loved the tale about how your dad was bombarded by questions about his casual attire. I think it really just goes to show you how different our cultures are from the European ones. Even in Nick
s presentation, it was talked about the high end dress. This was definitely seen in Dr. Vetra and Professor Langdon as you stated. I can't imagine running around at the speed Italians do in heels though (OUCH!). I really enjoyed Vitoria's traditional dress at the very end of the movie as well.
My second favortie thing was the food! Can I just say yum? I knew your mom was a great cook but the food we got in class was amazing.It was very tasty and gave us a real feel for the Mediterranean type cooking seen in Italy. Too bad there was no wine haha! But really, the food you chose just gave us a really great glimpse of the food of Italy and I greatly enjoyed it.
I loved how the Italian art applied to the film. Everywhere you turned there was some sort of magnificent art. Whether it be in the architecture or in actual paintings. It was something that was great to see. I would have loved to see you go more into depth about the architecture though. It is one of my favorite things and I just wanted to see more of it. And it applied so much to the things in the movie. If you covered it the day I wasn't there I apologize! I just love art and wanted more of it.
I think that in the movie, the contrast of light and dark with the use of shadows was extremely prevalent. It showed in almost all the scenes. It set the somber tone for the realization of the pope's murder. It shadowed some of the grotesque sights like the death of the first cardinal until we could see it perfectly. It also gave light to the brilliant moments like at the end the new pope walked out onto the sunny balcony and all was peaceful once more. It really just plays into the struggle between good and evil that occurs in the movie!
Great job Kathryn! I'm sure you can sigh in relief now that it's over. You did so well!
Alex,
DeleteYou bring up good points about how the high standards of dress in Italy were reflected in Angels and Demons through Dr. Vetra and Professor Langdon. I failed to realize that! Good job relating the lighting from dark during scenes of murder and Conclave, and then light and peaceful with the new Pope being revealed. As I said in my blog, I am also jealous that she went to Italy!! That will be me someday....
Alex,
DeleteI completely agree! I was so jealous! Ha Ha. I love that you brought up the point about the dress. It's very interesting to see how European dress differs from ours. It's such a bizarre concept to walk around a world where we don't see everyone's stomachs and thighs. I think it could be very eye opening.
I agree with you that the art played a major role in the film. I also think Kat did a great job of explaining how the art and film related to one another. She did end up covering it a day that you were not there, so I think if you were able to see that part of the presentation it would have made more sense for you.
Food was great again! Nice blog
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTHIS BLOG IS BY SAMANTHA HOH
ReplyDeleteKathryn,
Even though I sadly missed three days of your presentation- and the final day since I stayed home with the flu- I enjoyed what I saw. Italian culture is very beautiful and has been developing into something grand since ancient times. Since you were in Italy this past summer yourself, you certainly had the chance to get a first-hand look at the culture and therefore be able to teach it to us better. You really did a great job!
One of the days I was there was "Food Day". As I said for every other culture thus far, you're never truly acquainted with a culture until you've eaten their food in the way they would eat it. Your YouTube video showed us the proper way to set a table in Italy, and my mouth dropped when I saw how much food was consumed in a single meal! After eating the delicious food your parents brought in, however, I can understand why the Italians would have such a big appetite. The spinach pasta and the dessert bread were my personal favorites!
Something else that was covered when I was there was Italian music. As a musician, I love learning about the different types of music throughout the world and the Italians are certainly skilled in this art. After all, musical terms are all written in Italian! While I was familiar with Opera music and Classical music from Italy, I have to say that I did not know their disco music was so renowned. The techno song that you played was very catching, by the way!
As for the movie, though I was completely lost most of the time I have to say it was dramatic. There were many cinematic elements that contributed to the suspense, like the music. It was very high-tension and kept me on the edge of my seat. Something else that contributed to the suspense of the movie was the lighting. I noticed that oftentimes people or figures would be obscured by the shadows, only revealing their faces after a few seconds. At another time the camera angle made me think a person was standing on the rafters, when in reality it was just an abandoned pair of boots. Also, there was a statue of an angel that looked like a person from a certain angle. All this and more certainly combined to make the movie dramatic and suspenseful.
I wish there was more I could say about the movie, but like I said unfortunately I was only in class two days! =( I would want to watch this movie at a later date to get a better understanding of it and find out how it ends. Well Kathryn, you certainly did a great job educating us on the rich Italian culture! This project has picqued my interest in Italy and its beautiful art, food, and history. Thanks for a great presentation and I'm looking forward to Sophie's next week!