Journal # 4: Brief Screening Roport

Around 34 minutes and 45 seconds into the Coen brothers’ remake of the 1969 classic “True Grit” there is a very important scene. Mattie Ross, played by Hailee Stienfeld, wakes the morning after Rooster Cogburn, played by Jeff Bridges, has agreed to help her find her father’s murderer, to find that he has gone back on his word to take her with him and instead left without her.  Instead of giving up, she heads out to find him and go with him whether he wants her to or not.  Mattie finds Rooster already across a river that is large enough to require a ferry to cross.  When she attempts to ride the ferry across to meet Rooster, she finds that he has paid off the ferryman to prevent her from doing so.  Again she will not be deterred.  She breaks free of his grip and rides her horse head long into the river.  As she and the horse struggle across the river, the camera shows a shot of Rooster’s reaction to this display of true grit.  From his facial expression, it’s obvious that he is impressed and, in my opinion, even inspired.  The camera then switches back to a shot of Mattie and her horse still struggling across the river, as seen from Roosters point of view.  The shot is a wide camera angle as if to further enforce how large the river is and how daunting the challenge of crossing it is.  Mattie still has not wavered in her drive to be a part of this man hunt.  This scene not only demonstrates Mattie’s character type, but also introduces the inspiration that leads Rooster to demonstrate his true character later on in the film.

Journal #5: Black and White

In the article "Our 'white people problems' problem : why it's time to stop using 'white' as a pejorative" by Noel Murray, I have to agree with the author's statement, "the use of 'white' as a tag of shame has the inadvertent but real effect of reducing 'non-white' elements to mere ornamentation". If someone says that a movie looks very "white", than that means that any "non-white" character is meaningless to the story and is thus only there for looks, like a lamp or a couch. This might not be the intention of saying that a movie looks very "white", but it does very effectively illustrate how slippery of a slope racism is. A good example from the opposite end of the spectrum would be to say that the movie "Roots" is a "black" movie. That would mean that the "white" characters in the movie did not play an integral role as slave traders and owners. I would have to say that the "white" characters in the movie played a very integral, albeit negative, role. I'd be willing to bet that there are more than a few African-Americans that have strong opinions about the role that the "white" characters played in the movie, which would make them more than mere ornamentation.  We need to be careful about how much of an influence we let race have on our lives.

Journal # 3 : Lonesome Dove

    "Lonesome Dove" is not technically a movie, but is my favorite "western" of all time. It is a mini series about three former Texas Rangers who decided to drive a herd of cattle into the untamed west. It depicts the hardships of the endeavor and the unbreakable moral code of the cowboys. It is this moral code displayed throughout the story that speaks to me. These men know what they stand for and won't be persuaded to think otherwise, no matter what the situation.
    There is a scene in "Lonesome Dove" that illustrates the unbreakable moral code of the former Texas Rangers marvelously. To fully comprehend the magnitude of the scene, you must first understand the relationship between the three characters. The bond that these men have from there time as Rangers together is stronger than oak. They've been through the hardest times that life could throw at them and made it through together. They are family in all but blood. Throughout the story, one of three falls in with a bad crowd who end up stealing horses from innocent cowboys. When the other two Rangers cross paths with the horses thieves and their friend, they do what must be done according to their moral code. They hang the horse thieves along with their friend. When it comes time to hang their friend they say their good buys and before they can do it, he does it himself. Even though it means killing himself, the former Texas Ranger sticks to his moral code.