1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

The theme around last week's class was the beginning of the self censoring Hollywood that would dominate the movie business and control what films were made and not. Hollywood censorship came from the many scandals involving stars from back in the silent movie days. Stars like Fatty Arbuckle and the Pickford/Fairbank affair left Hollywood with a mark that led many to believe that Hollywood was out of control and needed to be controlled and censored. Instead of having the government interfere directly it requested Mr. Hays to self censor films while working inside of Hollywood and not directly working for the government. From this office Hays had the ability to control what movies made it onto the big screen. No longer did movie goers see attractive women in loss fitting clothes but an image of the "well respected" woman who would wear business suits and hold down a job. We see this in "It Happened One Night" a movie without passion even though the lead roles are falling for each other and even sleep in the same room together. A divider seperates the two as if to prevent any passion at all. This was the Hollywood of the early 20th century and the moral code would control the distribution of movies until the 1960's.

2) Find a related article (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) and summarize the content.  You may use the library or the Internet.  

The article surrounds the beginning of the Hollywood Censorship and the Hays Office. Movies didn't fully bloom until the 1920's but even then movies were silent and were full of slapstick humor, however that would change with the advent of the talkie. Religious leaders believed that the talkies were filled with smut that was tempting the youth. The religious leaders would then complain to the government and from there Hollywood allowed someone regulate censorship rather than the government regulate movies itself. Hays helped sell the idea of censorship by helping the studio's money woes after the stock market crash. " Hays sold the Code as the money-saving measure they were searching for. Instead of paying to revise the film after the censorship boards made their edits, the studios could simply follow the Code before making their movies and everyone would be happy. The Code was adopted in 1930."

Cite the article or copy the url to your journal entry. Summarize in your own words the related article but do not plagiarize any content.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/cultureshock/beyond/hollywood.html

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.   How did the article support or change the way you thought about the film, director, content, etc.?

The article, found on PBS, was an article regarding Hollywood censorship and how the Hay's Office was in control of movie distribution starting at about 1934. "It Happened One Night" was one of the first movies to be effected by the censoring. Images of the bashful Colbert in full pajamas seperated by a full blanket wall would ot have been see years prior. Hays reportedly sold studios on the idea; "Hays convinced the studios that accepting the Code was the safest and cheapest answer to their troubles. If the movie industry policed itself, it could ward off the high probability of government intervention." Instead he became a powerhouse, himself, in the movie business by allowing some movies to pass but not others.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.  I am less interested in whether you liked or disliked a film, (although that can be part of this) than I am in your understanding of its place in film history or the contributions of the director.

"It Happened One Night" was a fun quircky movie about total strangers who wind up falling for each other. It is a tale that could even stand strong today, but other than it being a fun movie, it is a movie that stands the test of time because it was one of the first of the Hays movies that were censored by the Hays' Office. It was a different sort of film, it was a movie that lacked passion but still audience members felt the love between the two and the tension they create. This is the sort of movie that could be made today and still speak to movie goers.


Plagiarism Statement:  Attach this to the end of every journal assignment.

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM 

1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class. 

2) (x  ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper. 

3) (x  ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text. 

4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper. 

5) ( x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read. 

6) ( x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography. 

7) ( x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality. 

8) (x  ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper. 



Name: _____Alex Lukasiuk_________________________________  Date: _________9/30/14_________

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

Prior to the movie, the class discussed the importance of Chaplin's use of social issues to further drive the point he was attempting to make. In all of his roles Chaplin played the "Tramp" an underdog character who was generous and caring at heart. Opposite of him was the "Brutish character" the two would fight it out and in the end the "Tramp" would prevail. The same goes for "The Gold Rush" where on multiple accounts the "Tramp" is fighting off the brutish character whether its just to stay in the cabin to prevent from freezing outside or to not be roasted and eaten later on in the movie. Alongside of the Chaplin believed in a "circular structure style of film" where the movie will begin at A go to B then C have a turning point at D then go back to a scene similar to the A,B,C scenes just in backward order,"The Gold Rush" is no exception to the rule. The "Tramp" finds his way to Alaska, fights to stay in the cabin, goes to the town, then has a turning point at the dance hall, has another "in town" scene, fights off the prospector from eating him, and finally leaves Alaska in the final scene. This style of directing is peculiar, but was unique to Chaplin's style.

2) Find a related article (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) and summarize the content.  You may use the library or the Internet.  

The article, I had found on CNN.com, is partial biography on one side but partial insight to the madness know as Chaplin. Growing up poor on the streets of London, his mother sent to live in an asylum his father an alcoholic, Chaplin focused his energy into his acting and comedy routines, but a part of that poor boy from London lived on in him. It is reported that Chaplin was a bit of a perfectionist, only desiring the best from his acting troop and the movie itself. In the article they describe one such instance where Chaplin took 342 takes for a single movie scene. Think of it this way, Chaplin took 342 takes for a silent movie where the actress, Virginia Cherrill, where she mouths just two words, "flower sir?" Just to remind you, this was a silent movie, Mrs. Cherrill was in the movie for a single scene and only utters two words to Mr. Chaplin, how would Chaplin act today if he was still directing?

Cite the article or copy the url to your journal entry. Summarize in your own words the related article but do not plagiarize any content.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/10/showbiz/perfectionist-charlie-chaplin-342-takes/

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.   How did the article support or change the way you thought about the film, director, content, etc.?

The article without a doubt supports the view I was originally give of Mr. Chaplin. Charlie Chaplin, as was told in class was not just an actor, but in reality was an actor, director, producer, editor, and later even composer to his own movies, this is known as the Auteur Director. The article states that Chaplin was a "one man show" but even this amount of work, the work of four maybe five men was too much for the star. His perfectionism got the best of him, but in the end we, the audience, got to see the entire image behind Chaplin's idea for "The Gold Rush" and not four different opinions on how it should be told, and for that the audience is given an amazingly quirky, but fun movie.

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.  I am less interested in whether you liked or disliked a film, (although that can be part of this) than I am in your understanding of its place in film history or the contributions of the director.

"The Gold Rush" was but another movie milestone to come out of the genius that is Charlie Chaplin, actor, director, editor, and later composer when the movie received sound in 1941. Even though "The Gold Rush" is considered to be a comedy by most the movie portrays strong human emotion. The love "The Tramp" has for his love interest in the movie almost feels real even when you consider the outrageous comedic acts that take place around it. These human emotions would feel jammed in if it were any other movie, but in this film, Charlie's raw emotions stand out and the way he is able to portray his feelings through the simple acting gestures of a silent movie. "The Gold Rush" is without a doubt, in this writer's mind, one if not the most entertaining silent films, and by far the best. One can wonder if it were to be the same if Chaplin had not been a perfectionist.


Plagiarism Statement:  Attach this to the end of every journal assignment.

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM 

1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class. 

2) (x  ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper. 

3) (x  ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text. 

4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper. 

5) ( x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read. 

6) ( x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography. 

7) ( x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality. 

8) (x  ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper. 



Name: _____Alex Lukasiuk_________________________________  Date: _________9/23/14_________

1) Relate what was discussed in class or the text to the screening.

In the early days of "movie magic" pioneers such as J. Stuart Blackton worked wonders into the movies they directed. J. Stuart Blackton was famous for his stop motion pieces that made the audience believe in the illusion that was taking place. For instance, in his short, The Haunted Hotel Blackton used stop animation to make it appear that a ghost was controlling the objects on the screen when in reality he, or someone else, would move it while taking photographs of each movement. He also applied this technology in another short titled Humorous Phases and Funny Faces. This short would turn out to be one of the world's first cartoons.

2) Find a related article (on the film, director, studio, actor/actress, artistic content, etc.) and summarize the content.  You may use the library or the internet.  

As the article states, J. Stuart Blackton was an Englishmen who came to the US to originally become a journalist. His path took him elsewhere when, around the end of the 19th, century interviewed Thomas Edison. In 1896 he would make his own motion picture, "Blackton the Eveing World Cartoonist"; his life would change henseforth. He would direct a couple of movies for Edison including The Haunted Hotel and Humourous Phases until he returned to England in 1921 to start his own movie company. Only lasting two years, Blackton returned to the US where he would work on a few films until the crash of 1929. He would later die in a car accident in 1941.

Cite the article or copy the url to your journal entry. Summarize in your own words the related article but do not plagiarize any content.

http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/559607/

3) Apply the article to the film screened in class.   How did the article support or change the way you thought about the film, director, content, etc.?

The article did not really change my perspective about the movie, however it did delve further into the life of Blackton. For instance, it was unaware to me that Blakton started out as a journalist and by chance only began working for Edison. His return to England was also new to me considering his success in the US. "Blackton left Vitagraph in 1917 to make patriotic subjects through his own company. In 1921 he came to England, where he directed three lavish costume dramas in 'Prizmacolor'. The Glorious Adventure (1922) and The Virgin Queen (1923)"

4) Write a critical analysis of the film, including your personal opinion, formed as a result of the screening, class discussions, text material and the article.  I am less interested in whether you liked or disliked a film, (although that can be part of this) than I am in your understanding of its place in film history or the contributions of the director.

The J. Stuart Blackton movies, "The Haunted Hotel" and "Humorous Phases and Funny Faces", can not be catagorized as good or even bad movies. These were the experimental shorts that propelled the evolution of the movie going experience that, even in the case of stop motion animation, is still used today. These shorts were needed to be created so that later down the road directors such as Disney and the Warners could make movies in the style which they saw fit. However, for what they were, these shorts can still bring wonder and amazement to those whom watch it.


Plagiarism Statement:  Attach this to the end of every journal assignment.

CHECKLIST FOR PLAGIARISM 

1) ( x ) I have not handed in this assignment for any other class. 

2) ( x ) If I reused any information from other papers I have written for other classes, I clearly explain that in the paper. 

3) (x  ) If I used any passages word for word, I put quotations around those words, or used indentation and citation within the text. 

4) ( x ) I have not padded the bibliography. I have used all sources cited in the bibliography in the text of the paper. 

5) ( x ) I have cited in the bibliography only the pages I personally read. 

6) ( x ) I have used direct quotations only in cases where it could not be stated in another way. I cited the source within the paper and in the bibliography. 

7) ( x ) I did not so over-use direct quotations that the paper lacks interpretation or originality. 

8) ( x ) I checked yes on steps 1-7 and therefore have been fully transparent about the research and ideas used in my paper. 



Name: ___Alex Lukasiuk___________________________________  Date: _______9/16/14___________