Film, Memory and Society

Important Concepts

• To focus while watching films, note the name of the film, director, and year of release.
• Referencing those three points is important.
• Films and cinema are different, films should not be used to multitask.

Memory Definitions

• Remembering what has been learned, which is the power or process of knowledge.
• Processes acquiring, storing, retaining, and retrieving information.

Memory Operations

• Store
• Acquire deemed data
• Request access to stored data

Memory Creation

• Memories can be created by stories
• Memories can be created by body parts
• Society requires historical continuity and connection to the past to maintain unity and cohesion as societies are traditions and are an integral part of their history.
• Collective memory is what a group remembers together, creating a society and being passed down through generations.
• Society must remember its origins and identity.

Collective Memory

• History creates collective narrative, though inaccurate, to unite people.
• Traditions, which make one feel part of society
• Places with symbolic meaning, such as statues or monuments, which remind one of historical figures and events.

Cultural Amnesia

• Often deliberate, collective forgetting of something important by a group
• Can be almost on purpose as, in the case of COVID-19, where negatively retrieving information is blocking.
• Under a lot of stress, people may negatively impact retrieval of information, or blocking, in which information is available in memory but cannot be retrieved when it is needed.

"Waltz with Bashir" by Ari Folman

• Documentary explores memory, trauma, and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon/Peace in Galilea/ in 1982
• The film uses animation to depict subjective experiences, dreams, hallucinations, and suppressed memories.
• Animation enhances the film's ability to present truth/reality and creating deep emotional/cognitive responses.
• Animation doesn't weaken truth claims; they are immersive/emotionally resonant, fostering trust.
• Through use of cinesthetic subjects, amplifies visual elements for personal/collective memory through colors and music
• Transitions to live-action confront viewers, which awakens the historical reality of the Sabra/Shatila massacre, which promotes reflection.
• Links Walter Benjamin's "dialectical images" disrupt historical perception/ provoke critical engagement.
• Used as a vehicle for shaping collective memory, the personal memoir functions.
• Challenges documentary conventions and shapes the First lebanon War with it's moral consequences

Ari Folman Details

• Director and main character, sent to Lebanon for 3 years of mandatory military service.
• Gemayel's assassination happened for Bachir's revenge.

Screen Memory

• A recollection that may be falsely recalled, masks a deeper emotional significance, and keeps us isolated for protection.

Elizabeth Loftus Interpretation

• Memories should be reconstructed, not replayed, differing them from reality.
• Our representation of this is not fixed and can be seen as a changing Amoeba.

Tale's of the Past

• Golden Age is never current, but always back of the day when it was at it's finest
• Dutch golden age: Dutch trade, science, military, were among the most acclaimed (celebration of slavery/ colonization)
• English golden age: Elizabethan Era took place (1558 to 1603)
• Fantasy: Things you wish to happen
• Nostalgia: Is a pleasure to forget the bad things, and build something good as a result
• Biopic focusses on historical narrative of an individual

Different perceptions of reality

• Rasomon Effect, influenced by one's biases
• One may resist something contradictory.
• Documenatries are not completely real

Points about cinema and film

• One cannot be neutral and objective
• Rasomon Effect
• Hawthorne Effect
• Imaginative Resistance

Mockumentary

• Facetious or satirical work in film style
• Made to make fun of the style
• Involves context with a person involved
• Can provide proof for something non existent

Good Film

• It reflects difference and the views of the artist.
• In 1996 Cinema became and Industry with commercial purposes
• There remains the quest to see that it remains an art and for all
• There remains different classifications:

Classifications of Film

• French movie
• American Movie
• Real motion Picture (limiere France)

Film History

• Lumiee brothers found no future, and only sought to make money
• The Sprinkler Sprinkled (louis France) was for commercializing
• At La Ciotat it is rumored the train would come close to people, but was played with for fun
• As time goes on movies became more like entertainment

About A. Guy

• A. Guy opposed Sontag to film, hidden because of the Matilda effect since most history depicts people as inventors

Melieu & Art

• Men would show exotic unexplored, roles after scripted. A. Sortese depicts art is as important
• Art reflects imagination and skill
• A movement is to define critea for quality that reflects art
• Sixieme art is important

Characteristics of expressionism

• Feelings of the Artist and Director
• distorted reality
• Tim Burton
• Cabinet des dr. Caligari
• Metropolis

Murnia and Realisitic View of Film

• Nosferatu invented a new genre. Vincent was an inspiration
• Sunrise takes people in a rich popular place , love and new lady
• Renoir and his realistic portrayal of humans

Italy, France and Waves

• Italian focused and was not important in itself, but about other things
• Bicycle thief
• French new waves was against tradition and was and own cinema style
• truffant and his movie, and the ocean all combined

More about film

• Godard fascinated, creates a style and portrays the ending scenes
• Cleo shows people are valued, opposite to other beliefs
• M. Gaze acts and depitcs women where L. melvy expresses how we do not get hear from others
• Important to have visual and narrative.

Judging a movie

• Rankings
• Criterion comes into play more
• Bourdieu explained culture determines apprecation

Different movies to note

• Playtime and the feelings
• Wings and the angels
• Jeanne was good but difficult.

Film Aweard

• Conclave has been mentioned through awards
• To have award, has increased people to diverse, with 8000
• The acadmey doesn't publicize individuals and Kubrick had some awards
• Award was for best direction

Cinema has also the "oscars" a business

• A campaign ranges from 100M-500M, with wine and advertisement
• Parasite and Barbie for businesse
• Women considered to be the ones most lacking
• Quoetient helps measure data, but many investigations have had to be done manually

Movie points

• Genner
• Horror for women
• Equal and money
• Films portray American with little diualouge and is profitable (Mone)
• American with commecial or only film purpose

God Father and the American Dream

• Power corrupts
• Americans are not accessible (waspy)

What makes hollywood

• Film method for a small number to make movies
• Chaplin wanted an efficient and dehusmanizing
• Actors sign for maximization, where United artists

What was to consider when shooting the classic recipe

• The good times
• And if its worth the the American Dream
• How to end and how people reacted like.

What does the film industry

• Rocky portrayed it (for wealth and dream)
• New movies portray hate or problems from waspy.
• There seems to always have been a shift

Power

• There was always been control over propaganda and power
• China doesn't seem to except things, while Hong Kong may allow one thing
• With censoring comes fear and message manipulation

Lenin - Key person to note

• All the arts cinemas most important to still believe in power through manipulation, with everything of a society even killing

Good note to take.

• One must be with context and show their values for what one wants to show

Taboo

• Obsecenity and the protection morality
• Taboos and based and for what ones believe
• To handle it, make sure not to ridicule or use them as villains with handling
• Religion makes a believer's faith
• One must have balance

B. Life

• The Movie portrays Jesus as non existent
• Making sure respect and belief
• Blasphemies have always risen

How are these ratings determined?

• 1930's are often time address but sometimes ignored today for different genders, as the hays code is not valid
• They must get and rejuvenate and want to see what they see To know the feel, some have a bad feeling and the feeling

The best and worst movie to make

• Has to be a good plot (to look for 80's and show effects on people
• Film helps what the film wanted, like that of killings done and what was felt
• More the movie you view shows your influence

What does the DOD does

• Hollywood is able to make, portray and do is its important

Terror's and films impact.

• To show emotions for how we feel with such things that had happened

Violence

• "If you want something, use violence" or a need to get to and that can be seen through several instances of film.
• Power creates violence for authority, prestige, and glory. It must be viewed with context.

Other points to take.

• Revenge can be "moralistic urge toward retribution, punishment and justice" so violence can get you what you want
• There can also be influence of an individual with what he portrays.