Stagecoach (1939)

I really enjoyed this film, and I'm not normally a fan of Westerns.

However, I didn't see where John Ford was sympathetic towards the Indians in this film. They were immediately shot and killed as "savages" in this film like all the others. Plus, when the wife of one of the men who was an Indian came in, the man [I think it was the bank man]instantly yelled savage and freaked out. I don't find that sympathetic at all... I did like that she was the one who went and told the Indians where the men were staying at.

Also, I thought it was a nice contrast with most of the film being shot in a stagecoach, since it was about the stagecoach represented progression through the West of what was to come, roads and railroad tracks.

The frontier represents freedom; whereas, civilization is structured with laws. Dallas and Ringo could not function in a structured society, since they both were outlaws. They had to go even farther from structure and farther south to Mexico.

OHHHHHH The man who played Buck was the voice of Friar Tuck in the Robin Hood cartoon!! That was awesome!!!!!!

I don't really have anything else to say...

Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea

I guess I'm just going to talk about the guest filmmaker and his documentary this week, since I don't remember what we watched last Tuesday...So Chris Metzler's Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea is a great, funny film about these eccentric folks in no-man's land of the Salton Sea. One thing I did not like were all the graphics that were used; I thought it was unnecessary and over the top. But other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed all of the footage that was shown. My favorite character was the lady who smoked the cigarette in the golf cart, not knowing what gave her cancer. ha! Anyways, I thought she was great, being very blunt and straight-forward about her opinions. I really don't have anything to say this week, so I'm cutting this one short. :]

Blonde Venus

The beginning of the movie was beautiful; I loved how it opened in the past, then we learned the rest of the story between Ned and Helen via a bedtime story to their son. However, it is hard to be sympathetic to Helen, for she leaves her husband taking their son. When Ned finds she has been seeing Mr. Townsend, Helen never really gives him an explanation; she just leaves. When she is leaving her son in hotel rooms by himself, it is hard to relate to her and want her to succeed. Although it was interesting how I had to keep reminding myself that I did not like her because she is framed and lighted in an ethereal aspect that causes you to want to like her. None of the characters were very sympathetic except Johnny, the son.

Another element I noticed was how Helen plays the seductress to the "T" with her come hither looks like when she simply seduces the detective while she is on the farm with one simple look, making him forget that she was the one he was actually searching for.

I also thought it was great how the descent into Hell was literally going down into the South, although Texas is definitely not Hell. :)