If I Stay

I would like to talk about a great novel If I Stay.

If I Stay is a novel by American author Gayle Forman, published in 2009 by Dutton Books.

The story is about a girl named Mia who is 17 years old. SHe has a boyfriend who is a rockstar, eccentric parents, precious friends, a cute little brother, so much talent in music and the life in front of her. But at a moment, everything is stopped; her dreams, her projects, her loves. Now, in a ditch by the wayside, a car accident. Her spirit contemplate her broken body. Mia sees everything and listens also everything. She is transported in a hospital and she assists of the arrival of her family and medical diagnostics without being able to do or say something. Between laughs and cries, she reviews her life before the accident. She hesitates to get out the coma, move out or stay? If I stay… that’s why the name of the novel is so called.

I have read the book and I really loved it, I recommend it. I would like to read the second part Where She Went and I’d like to see also the film adaptation directed by R.J. Cutler:

Les Boloss des Belles Lettres

« -But! Is it a french Title ???! »

Yes, I know, but it is also a french website…I could probably translate it by « J*rck of the Beautiful Letters », but would it be proper ? I don’t think so…

On this website, you could fine a plenty of good references concerning classic literature. But I recommend you to not use it for your disseration or any other homework. Actually, some guys who probably had some troubles in their own literature class decided to reapropriate most of sums up of classic books in they own way.

French level is on of the baddest ever, writing as well as orthography… for, surprisingly, our biggest delight! The aim is of course to recognize elements that you find in the original book (because you read some of them, don’t you?) and the way that they are express.

I already share the wonderful sum up of Madame Bovary to my schoolmate but there is so much more! If you laught, even a lit a bit, I recommend you to read romeo and juliet, Dom Juan, etc…

P.S: Please, if you had some traumatic experiences or a kind of phobia concerning swearwords, don’t click on this link : http://bolossdesbelleslettres.tumblr.com/

Jeff Dunham and Jeff Panacloc the best Ventriloquist ever!

A ventriloquist is an illusionist who is speaking his belly. He lends voice to another character, usually a puppet, emitting the words without moving their lips.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdTfhzZMCAw[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoJzLcWDs5Y[/youtube]

Achmed is a former suicide bomber. Died using his mobile near a gas pump. It is a skeleton (but he says that a « superficial wound ») with a beard and a turban. It is used by Dunham to perform comedy based on the contemporary issue of terrorism. He is known for his shouting « Silence! I kill you!« .  In the audience who dares to laugh, as well as « Holy crap! » and « You racist bastard« . It is not really aware of being dead, « feeling good. » Although he appeared to be Muslim, Achmed does not believe he is, because of « Made in China » tattooed on his buttocks.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt8aRMTKbBc[/youtube]

Jeff knows how to capture the attention of the public. With his puppet Jean-Marc, a coarse, a wanton and very politically incorrect monkey. His performance was praised by comedians known as Jean-Marie Bigard or Jamel Debbouze.

I like ventrilloquism, i find that funny.. Jeff Dunham and Jeff Panacloc do very funny sketch. I like how they criticize the actuality, and the problem that the world meet.

 

Edge of tomorrow

 

 

 

 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLe_qO4AE-M[/youtube]Edge of Tomorrow is an American Science-fiction movie, directed by Doug Liman and produced by Erwin Stoff, starring Tom Cruise and Emilie Blunt.
The film takes place in the near future, where an imposing alien race has invaded the Earth and defeated the human’s military units.

The aliens that humanity must fight are called « mimics » – Most are more higher than 2 meters, they fight with their corps covered with thorns and spikes. Some mimics may use lazer beam.

It’s look like Bill Murry in groundhog day, but with some explosions.

This movie is like playing a Game, you are on a mission and you die and then you restart the mission and play again , everytime you loose , you try to make next time different action.

Did any one feel the same after you watched the movie?

Adventure Time !

Adventure Time is a great Cartoon created and produced by Pendleton Ward.The cartoon deals with the adventures of Finn, an human boy and his best friend, Jake the dog. (who has strange and amazing magical skills)

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHjg6cTxmrQ[/youtube]

Finn and Jake live in the magic land of « Ooo ». Episodes are accompanied by some (weird) characters. The most important are :

-The Princess Bubblegum (Scientist & Queen of the Candy Kingdom)

-The Ice King (He always kidnaps princesses throughout Ooo to force them to marry him, he govern the ice Kingdom)

-Marceline the Vampire Queen (She is a vampire who has terrifying powers, to survive,she does not need to drink blood. Rather, she needs to eat the color red out of objects)

Adventure Time is my favorite cartoon, everything i want is in : This is funny (so funny), The story is really good and there is a lot of hidden references (which requires to be old enough to understand)

6 seasons were released until now, so now, let’s watch it, let’s have an Adventure Time !

 

Oliver Twist, the comic book !

The famous work of Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist, has got an adaptation in comic book ! This comic book is edited by Delcourt, and made by Loïc Dauvillier, Olivier Deloye and Jean-Jacques Rouget. The first volume was published in 2007.

The story is the same that the novel, exepted some details. The comic book is according to the original work. I’ve read the volumes 1 and 2, and I was satisfied by the work. It was very interesting and rousing, even enriching.

There are five volumes of this comic book, and the serie is finished.

Here, a link of the cover from the volume 1 http://www.decitre.fr/media/catalog/product/9/7/8/2/7/5/6/0/9782756006710FS.gif 

The Maze Runner

Not long ago, I’ve seen the movie  » The Maze Runner  » , directed by Wes Ball , producted by 20th Century Fox. It’s a science fiction action dystopian thriller, and an adaptation of the novel of the same name by James Dashner in 2009.

It talks about Thomas, a boy who wakes up in a strange place, without memory of himself and why he’s here. In the place where he ends up, there are just boys, not girls. The place is delimited by a giant wall, surrounding this one. But at the night, the walls open and provide room for a mysterious labyrinth. Everybody want to find the exit of this labyrinth to meet up with the outside world.

I recommend this movie, it was very interesting and the story is original, it’s a great film !

I Am Legend

«  I Am Legend  » is a movie directed by Francis Lawrence and diffused in 2007. It’s an adaptation of a 1954 horror fiction novel  » I am Legend  » by the writer Richard Matheson and a remake of the movie  » The Omega Man  » by Boris Sagal in 1971.
The film had a lot of success and they envisage a sequel.It talk about an post apocalyptic atmosphere, in New York. Everybody is dead and had turned into mutants, because a mortal disease spreaded by a vaccine against cancer. But there is a survivor, Robert Neville, who is a doctor. He search a cure to save humans changed in mutants.The first time I’ve watched this film, for me, it was the best movie I’ve never seen ever. Since, I’ve watched this film several times, and I always found it great.I recommend this movie for everyone who like originals stories of zombies, or like Will Smith. Because yes, the character of Robert Neville is perfomed by Will Smith !

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

I want to talk about Brave New World written in 1932 by Aldous Huxley. It’s a dystopia I

The scene takes place in London in 632 N.F. (imaginary time). It shows a society based on genetics. Individuals are conditioned and controlled even before birth. The society plans their life. She chose genes, the personality of each individual and creating babies in test tubes. People vanish with a drug that makes them happy illusion: the SOMA. These individuals are boxes in the class smarter or dumber : Alphas (the elite), the Betas (performers), the Gammas (employees), the Deltas where even the Epsilons (for heavy work). And there the Sauvages who live on reserves and concervent a way of « normal » life. We will follow the life of Bernard Marx is an alpha whose genetic program failed in part: it is not like the others and suffers from its difference.

I think that this novel is really interresting for the notion science or fiction and it’s a interresting dystopia, I recommed it!

 

Kenny Garrett

Last week I went to the Jazz Festival in Nevers. There are several concerts with different artists ! I find that interesting because there are many great musicians, it’s quiet a chance for us!
I saw Bigre!, Quatuor Béla and Jean Louis, ONJ, Bill Frisell, Jacques Schwarz-Bart, Omar sosa, etc but I will study on Kenny Garrett that I saw Saturday, 15 November. I love it !

Kenny Garrett was born on the 9th of october 1960 and is a saxophonist. He has become the preeminent alto saxophonist of his generation. His career begin in 1978 in Duke Ellington Orchestra. In 1984 he made her first album as leader. Now there are 11 albums which have been nominated in Grammy Awards ! He is also a composer and in his music there is maybe Asian influences. His personality and his musical  improvisation are surprising !

« Happy People », 2002, was played to the Jazz Festival in concert. It was amazing ! People was dancing in the concert room, I haven’t see this before. This music make me happy. Moreover, Kenny Garrett loves contact with the public ! At the end of this version (on Youtube) we can hear people who dancing and singing ! Music can be during 5 or 20min, there isn’t end. He is brilliant !

 

 

« The bicentennial man. »

« The bicentennial man » is a movie adapted from the novel of Isaac Asimov. Richard Martin decides oneday to buy a robot for his family. Andrew, the robot is a NDR prototype, he is destined to doing house work and check children.Quiclky Richard guess that Andrew is not a protype like the others. Andrew develops his own mind and he is able to feels. In fact Andrew behaves like a human and one das he decides to  ask to his family to become free. Richard is suprise and a little bit sad but he accepts. After the death of Richard, Andrew falls in love with Portia the grand daugther of Amanda (one the daughter of Richard). Portia can’t love him because he’s still a robot even if he lives like a human. To make Portia loves him Andrew tries to become completly human,thanks to a brilliant scientist nammed Dennis Mansky. At the end, Adrew make his dream comes true but Portia is going to die so he decides to die with her. It’s a moving movie.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5YMEwX2-88[/youtube]

A photographer like no other.

Stephen Shames is an american  photojournalist who he is not famous. During 45 years he used his photographic passion to expose the american society problem. He takes a fresh look at the child poverty, the difference and the racism.

He has worked very much in the Bronx which a quarter very violent and it is  very poverty. He follows a band of young man during thirty years. since their childhood at their adult age.

He had created a sucession of photography very touching. We can account the living conditions of this population. His creation is In the « Bronx Boys » , a book published in 2014.

Snowpiercer by Bong Joon-ho

Snowpiercer is an American and South Korean movie, directed by Bong Joon-ho, with Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho and John Hurt. The first release of the movie was in 2013 in South Korea. This is a science fiction movie, based of the french graphic novel Le Transperceneige  by Jacques Lob, Jean-Marc Rochette and Benjamin Legrand.

The story takes place in 2031, after the failure of an experiment to counter the global warming in 2014. The entire world is frozen, and the only survivors are the inhabitants of the Snowpiercer. A class system is installed, with the elites inhabiting the front of the train and poor inhabiting the tail. The hero, Curtis Everett, has to lead the inhabitants of the tail to a rebellion against Wilford, the creator of the Snowpiercer.

Even though the scenario is not exceptional, the setting are really beautiful, and Bong Joon-ho has made beautiful shots. This movie is also very allegorical, and critic the United States, and of the system of caste. The more you watch the movie, the better you understand it !

Nineteen Eighty-Four

Nineteen eighty four is a film directed by Michael Radford and based on the novel by George Orwell. It is a science fiction movie. The story tells about the life of an employee called Winston. He lives in a world of war between three nations: Oceania, Eastasia and the Eurasia. This world is run by a man called Big Brother. Winston works for him. It is part of the proletariat, he lives in a very modest home. He is very intelligent and able to think by himself, but it’s totally forbidden. Population has confront a gigantic propaganda from Big Brother. His image is posted everywhere,  all man has in his home a kind of television screen who can hear or reprimand them if necessary. One day, Winston will commit a crime totally prohibited by the current regime. He will live a love story with a young woman. To punish him, the men of big Brother will use torture and barbaric methods. At the end, Winston suffered so much that it ends to be completely alienated by the dictates of Big Brother.
This film is quite disturbing for the audience, the story is purely invented, but we can easily make parallels with dicatures of history as fascism. With this film you can see to what extent man can go to protect his own interests. We also see that thought is the only thing that enables a man to survive, as long as there‘s hope there’s life. This film is a kind of warning, after seeing, we reflects on the human condition, on the fact that man can make the best like the worst.

The great Gatsby

The great Gatsby is an Australian American drama film directed by Baz Luhrmann in 2013. Starring Leonardo Di Caprio and Tobey Maguire.The story is based on Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novel.Nick Carraway is a young man aged thirteen who is Middle West. He leaves his region to work in New York in the field of finance. Then, he moves into a house next to Jay Gatsby. He is the main character. Nobody really knows him or his past.He often organises some parties at home. People like doing parties at Gatsby’s. They can listen to music (it’s the jazz period), drink (period of prohibition). It happens during the roaring twenties.

Woodkid or the music video genius

 

Nowadays, the music environment evolves quite strangely : we can hear the best and the the worst in the space of few seconds ; thanks to the internet and the sharing system now we can discover music that we never heard before, and discover real artists who perfectly manage to link music and video ; some of them are real master pieces. I’m really touched that in the middle of modern musical environment, made of vulgarity and money, we can see some people who stands still to give us real work, musically and visually speaking. A well made video clip is a real pleasure : it’s another way to interpret the song and it’s another manner for the artist to express his point of view : the beauty of an image can go along with the lyrics on the background.

There’s especially one artist who is really famous for his works on video clips : Woodkid ; who is a french singer ! He is very well known in the music industry because he worked with worldwide famous singers as Katy Perry (Teenage Dream), Taylor Swift, Drake, Rihanna or Lana Del Rey on « Born to Die » video clip that is one of my favourite from Lana.

This picture is an extract from the Video Clip « Born to Die »

But let’s go back to Woodkid who has made beautiful personal works (actually I prefer his own works than the music videos he made for the others)   ; his real name is Yoann Lemoine (not as classy as Woodkid ahah) and he was born in Tassin-La-Demi-Lune in 1983 ; he studied illustration and animation ( he worked on films too : for exemple , he drew some samples for Sofia Coppola for « Marie-Antoinette »). In 2011 he goes back to music and launches his first EP : Iron. I’m sure that everyone know this song that will be used in some video games teasers and for fashion runways ; the music video created a huge admiration and his minimalist style will be copied in numerours video clips.

Here is another extract from « Iron », his first video clip.

In 2012, he won his 1st award as film director thanks to his work with Lana Del Rey. But he goes back to his own musical works and releases his 3 final works ; Run boy run in 2012, I love you in 2013 and the Golden Age in 2014 ; these music videos are linked by the main character. It’s a pure show, the aestheticism is close to perfection, the shots are very well builded, and there’s a real precision’s work.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmc21V-zBq0[/youtube]

 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQu8FOjJXdI[/youtube]

 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWMMdX6KYGM[/youtube]

Sadly, Woodkid told us in July that he will stop his musical carreer to get involved in cinema and video areas. I can’t wait to see his new projects because I really love his style visually speaking.

According to you, is a music video important ? Why, or why not ? Let’s share your favourite music videos !

 

Tim Burton’s universe and his poems

Lien

Last month, I read a selection of Tim Burton’s poems.

Those one evince a tormented and a bit glaucous nature. I don’t really like the universe of this artist, it makes me feel ill at ease. For me, it’s like if the director had the need to show us his most deep fears. I could say that it shows a lack of decency but it’s more a psychological need that scares and repels me a little bit.

His films are known for this universe he created. Of course, it’s really personal and it’s admirable but I can’t help looking at his work with a critical eye. He doesn’t leave this creation to discover another register. And the greatest artists are, for most of us, those who can change during their work – change their register but also their aesthetic and their subjects. Tim Burton doesn’t really change it, between Edward Scissorhands and Frankenweenie, including Corpse Bride, his world his always dark and mixed of sadness and death.

However, his poems were easy to read and light compared to what I expected. This one his one of my favorites, even if it’s dark, here there is humour and irony :

Voodoo Girl

« Her skin is white cloth,

and she’s all sewn apart

and she has many colored pins

sticking out of her heart.

She has a beautiful set

of hypno-disk eyes,

the ones that she uses

to hypnotize guys.

She has many different zombies

who are deeply in her trance

she even has a zombie

who was originally from France.

But she knows she has a curse on her,

a curse she cannot win.

For if someone gets

too close to her,

the pins stick farther in.  »

The following picture is a selection of different Tim Burton’s illustrations for his poems :

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ISAaks8A-uE/VGJW5hg-9UI/AAAAAAAAHjU/cGkdRTSd-vg/s1600/famillemonstre.jpg

The Untouchables

We talked about the Prohibition in classroom through « The Great Gatsby » (1925) by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I am going to talk about another movie about the Prohibition : The Untouchables.

The Untouchables is an American thriller, directed by Brian De Palma and released in 1987. At the beginning of the 1930s, it was the time of the Prohibition in Chicago. It was forbidden to make, drink or sell alcohol. Some people made and sold alcohol illegally : there were bootleggers. There was a kind of « gang war ». Al Capone, played by Robert De Niro, was very famous at that time. He controls the traffic and sale of alcohol. But a famous policeman, Eliott Ness (played by Kevin Costner), recruits three trustworthy men, untouchables, in order to clean Chicago of crimes. So Eliott Ness’ team was called the Untouchables. The Untouchables really existed as the characters of Al Capone and Frank Nitti. But several characters were invented (for example Jim Malone or Giuseppe Stone). Thanks to the Eliott Ness’ memories, the director was able to transcribe, in his script, Al Capone’s stalking, hunting. The famous Untouchables of Chicago were actually eleven and not four like in the movie. Al Capone’s trial was in 1931. He was sentenced to seventeen years in prison, including eleven years fixed.

 

 

 

 

Roald Dahl

I want to deal with a famous author who had written numerous books that we know and that were adaptated for the cinema.
The writer is Roal Dahl. What we can say first is that he’s funny, he’s not really funny but he makes us laugh for sure, I want to talk about The Big Good Giant who don’t eat the children and who has enormous ears in shape of vegetable for example, he uses absurd things which make the story funny indeed. Then Roal Dahl is also known thanks to his books including orphans or poor children like Charlie and the chocolate factory, where in the end the child is happy in spite of his bad situation.
Afterwards this kind of nonsense, the imaginary world and the importance of the childhood, this author is special because his works move us. I can’t really explain why, there’s something that is poetic I mean. I think he’s a forgotten writer and we should read him sometimes.

1984

When we have seen 1984 in class, it was the first time I think, I watched such a film because of dystopia (I’ve seen Hunger Games but that’s all) and I found it surprising.
T thought that Orwell represented one of the real totalitarianism but it was a general denunciation indeed. It just made me think of how men could erase moral and physical independence and it was very terrifying!
In the other hand, we can fear the fact we could be cruel without any reason and the consequences for human… I knew all that things but I forget it because we live in a society where we are rather free (in comparison with the society of Winston). I remember now that the human could be mad like it was the case during all the wars and it has made more sensitive about there horrors.

to kill a mockinbird

I read « To kill a mockinbird » 2 years ago which a novel written by Harper Lee (a woman) in the sixties. If we know this book, it’s thanks to the impact it had, denouncing racism.
The story takes place in a calm city in the South of the USA. There is a child’s point of view, Scout is the daughter of Atticus Finch the lawyer chosen to represent Tom, a black man accused to have rape a white woman.He didn’t do it and of course nobody wants to believe that the woman has lied.
This novel let us some famous quoting like « I wanted you to know what is the real bravery, it not a man with a gun, the real courage is to know what is the real bravery, it not a man with a gun, the real courage is to know that you have already lost but to continue again and to fight up to the end ».
I’m sorry because the quoting isn’t very very precise but it echoes one of the main idea of the novel which are the individual freedom and responsibility, the fact that we can’t know someone just by his aspect and the importance of the courage and justice.

Sherlock Holmes : A Game of Shadows

After my first article on Sherlock Holmes’s cinematographic adaptation, I’d like to talk about the second movie, called Sherlock Holmes : A Game of Shadow, released in 2011 and directed by Guy Ritchie. It still with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law, and as I said in my precedent article, this movie is more darker than the first one. Even though there are funny moments, the audience discover a more methodical and smart Sherlock. In fact, he will fight against his worst and smartest enemy : Professor James Moriarty.

As always, Holmes surprises us by using his power of deduction and his ability to disguise himself. The plot is really nice, and you can’t get bored. The fact that the atmosphere changes between the two movies avoids the movie to be boring. And as I’m a big fan of Robert Downey Jr, I can say that it is one of the best interpretation, who fits him so well !

And, special thanks to Hans Zimmer who, as always, made a beautiful soundtrack !

 

« Rampage » by Uwe Boll

Rampage, sniper in freedom is an action film canado-German, carried out by Uwe Boll, directly left in DVD in 2009. This film isn’t really at all known because it’s a film very disturbing for the government of America. And it’s even incredible which this film isn’t censured!! I wanted to speak to you about it because I find this subject rather interesting. Brendan Fletcher plays the main role perfectly, it plays a man very disturbed who is completely against the society, against American lifestyle etc. It’s a film which almost wants to be shock like documentary with images of files, which denounces that one is of agreement or not with the ideas of the character. It’s not a film which wants to be implicit!
Then if you are not afraid of the firearms and that you like the action, and the denunciation; don’t hesitate to look this film !

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

Wednesday in cinema we will see : The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

This film is an adaptation of 3rd tome at trilogie The Hunger Games written by Suzanne Collins in 2010.

It is the last tome of trilogie.

 

Resume :

First Tome :

Katniss Everdeen is an resourceful young woman who lives in Panem ( Post Apocaliptic America).

When Panem was built it was divided in 13 districts to promise a pleasant life. But people are
repressed and they’re revolted. The capitole have destroyed 13rd district and have invented The Hunger Games an cruel TV Show.

Each year , each district must give two tribes. One male and one female

They will be sent into an artificial arena and they must kill each other. The winner is the tribe who is not dead.

To 74th edition Katniss is volunteer to remplace her little sister who was chosen. She represent 12th District.

 

But in the end of show they are 2 winners. She and Peeta, the young man at 12th district too. They pretend an passional love and try to suicide for not to kill each other. The President Snow is very furious and promise to kill Katniss.

 

Second Tome :

75th edition of Hunger Games is particular ! And will go to TV show the winners of the previous editions. Peeta and Katniss participate too. But Katniss succeeds to destroyed arena and rebels recover she in district 13. But Peeta is recover by Capitole.

 

Third Tome :

Katniss accepts to become the symbol of Rebellion against the Capitole. But rebels will save Peeta and other winners.

 

It is in the Third Tome , who begin this film. The trailer is catchy ! I want to see this film !

 

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

I want to talk about Fahrenheit 451, written by Ray Bradbury, a american, in 1953, because is a dystopia like 1984 or O Brave New World. the title of the book refer to the auto-inflammation of paper.

the story follow Guy Montag a firefighter, one day he meet a different young girl, she tells him who are observer. At home he finds his wife on your bed, unconscious. He continues to meet the young girl Clarisse.

during one mission on a house with lot of books. Montag steals a book and the owner refuse to quit her house and she burns with her books. At home he explains the situation and his wife doesn’t understand. The tomorrow he refuses to work and his captain come and explains the problem of the literature on the society and the books must be destroy…

in this book people have a cult of violence people are dehumanized.

The book was awarded the Hugo Award for Best Novels and was adapted in 1966 by François Truffaut.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9n98SXNGl8[/youtube]

The Birds – Hitchcock

For the cinema option I studied 3 movies of Hitchcock and I would like to talk about one of them : The Birds. Even if I liked it, I found it was a very strange movie. At the beginning of the film a woman, Melanie Daniels, meets a man, Mitchell Brenner, in a dealer birds. They talk about « inseparables », a category of birds that Mitchell wants to offers to his little sister. Then Melanie goes in Bodega Bay where lives Mitchell to bring him the inseparables. After that there are different attacks of birds and we don’t know why. The film is very intriguing and special but in the same time I found it very good. I suggest you to watch it !

Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist is a novel by Charles Dickens  in 1837. It tells the story of an orphan, Oliver Twist, who was born in a workhouse. In the extract we studied he is sent in a branch-workouse under the supervision of Mrs Mann, and Mr Bumble, a beadle from the parish, visits the branch-workhouse. I found it interesting to work on it because we learned things about the poor’s life at this time, and because Oliver Twist is a story that everyone knows thanks to the book or different adaptations.

the master of evasion

Do you know The Shawshank redemption (translate by « les évadés » in french) , a movie directed by Frank Darabont in 1994?

This little masterpiece is inspired by The Stephen King short story « Rita Hayworth and Shawshank redemption » from his 1982 collection « Different Seasons ». Andy Dufresne (played by Tim Robbins), an honest banker, was accused of murdering his wife and her lover. So, he was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in one of the most ruthless jail of the United states: the Shawshank penitentiary.The years he will spend in Shawshank will be the worst ones of his entiere life, as the most beautiful ones.

I have to say that I discovererd this movie recently, But It was one of my best cinematographic experiment of all time.

All this movie is a metophor about hope and about how patience can bring us freedom if we show a bit of intelligence and maturity. I don’t want to talk overly about the story to not spoil it because the final revelation is very important in the appreciation of the movie.I particulary appreciate the characters construction because each individual correspond to a symbole of incarceration and i had a real crush for the soundtrack composed by Thomas Newman (Skyfall, The Green Mile) , he’s such an amazing composer.

The Shawshank redemption is a wonderful lesson of life: it’s worth seeing!

 

The master of suspence

Let’s talk about the great Alfred Hitchcock!

Yes, the master of suspence, the one and only. He is decidedly the reference who inspired the greatest thrillers of the modern cinema. His visual audacity, his mastery of émotions on screen and his hard work made him one of the most influent directors of all time. I choose to talk about one movie, maybe my favorite, but definitely the most famous: Psycho ( inspired by the Robert Bloch’s eponymous novel).

Marion Crane (Janet Leight) steals 400 000$ from his employer and she decided to leak to escape the police. In the middle of the night, she stops at a motel in the middle of nowhere: The Bates motel. She is welcomed by the strange property landlord called Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) who visibly try to seduce her. Then, she hope to spend the night here safely, but nothing will happen as she had imagined.

Some people could say that it’s an outdated movie but, replaced in its historic context (1960), It’s a truly innovative and major work in the history of cinema. As an exemple, we can thought about the shower scene, which was so difficult to achieve and which is , today, one of the most famous scene of all time in cinema. Visually, it’s simply magnificent ( the plays of light created by the black and white help a lot) and the unforgettable soudtrack of Bernard hermann renforces this chilling atmosphere.

So, if you haven’t seen Psycho yet and if you are a little bit curious, I can only recommend you to see it.Personaly, I also love the remake of 1998 directed by Gus Van Sant (he recreated the original movie shot by shot adding a few interesting details like colors).There is also the film Hitchcock, which returns on the creation of Psycho in 1960 and which is very interesting to see.

Finally, there is an awesome Tv series which is tells the Norman bates’s youth with his invasive mother but if you want more details about that you can read the article written by my friend Emma called « Bates Motel ».

 

Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a british science-fiction series release in 1963.

The Doctor is an alien look like an human, comes from the planet Gallifrey. He is a Time Lord. He can travel in the time and space with his spaceship, the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space), that seems at a police call box. This spaceship is bigger into inside.
The Doctor travel with companions and he discover with they lot of planets and important history moments. The companions is necessary because the doctor is an old alien who know almost everything and the companion is used to tell us the doctor story with a point of view close to the spectator, to identify at they.
The first doctor was William Hartnell. The actor started to become older to play the doctor and scenarist have include in the serie the regenaration concept to change the actor. The doctor, when he going to die, can regenerate into a new body with new personnality.
This concept allowing to continue the serie 50 years later.

The serie is divided in two parts, first from 1963 to 1989. The series as knew, with this seven doctor, poor audiences, and producer has decided to stop it.
In 1996, the BBC try to regenerate Doctor Who series with a telefilm, but the quality of it hasn’t success to Doctor Who comes back.

The second part of this series start in 2005, Doctor Who is resuscitate. 

Today the series continued with this eight season of the new series.
Totally, this series have 812 episodes and one telefilms for 34 seasons and 12 doctors.

The series concerned also the literature because lot of books extend the doctor who universe. To keep the series concept, and renew the experience at any book, any book is written by different writter. The exportation of a concept to other support for enrich the experience of a story is called crossmedia.

It’s very difficult to describe why I love Doctor Who. This series is so complete, because any episode is different and the series have very lot different subject. The renew of scenarist and actors supply a new breath at this series, and we can’t tidy up this series, she was know lot of kind. So I love Doctor Who because story is very interesting and renew at any episode, the characters are cools and I like the concept of travel in Time and Space and all complication what they can have, like time paradox.

« Timey Wimey, Wibbly Wobbly Stuff »

Alexander O’Lachlan

Alexander O’Lachlan is one on my favorite actor. He is an australian actor and was born in Canberra in 1976.

His first film is The oyster Farmer. The next year he played in Feed and the same year in Man-Thing. He is the main character of the serie Moonlight and of Hawaii 5-0 (witch in on tv saturday night. He played too in Criminal minds.

His latest and most famous movies are Whitout and Le Plan B (with Jennifer Lopez). I hope you know this famous actor and enjoy this movies !

 

 

Batman

Batman was created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane in 1939. After Superman it was another hero from DC Comics. At the beginning it was only comics but now we can find Batman in Films and cartoons.

Who is Batman ?

Batman , alias Bruce Wayne…It’s a rich man who saw, when he was children,  his parents dying killed by a robber Joe Chill for a necklace. After that , Bruce decided to fight the crime. And he wears a mask to scare his enemy. With this mask Bruce Wayne become Batman

Batman was created to be opposite of Superman. Superman has Powers and fight the crime the day while Batman hasn’t powers but he has gadgets and very sophisticated technology and he fight the crime at night. And he lives in Gotham City. The city with the biggest number of crime.

Batman Has many ennemy like Double Face , Nygma , The Pinguin. But the worst is the Joker.

 

The Color Purple

The Color Purple is a 1982 epistolary novel by Alice Walker, in 1983 she receives Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for this fiction.It was later adapted into a film of the same name, I looked there shortly. The Color Purple is a 1985 american drama film directed by Steven Spielberg.

http://www.allposters.fr/-sp/Couleur-pourpre-La-The-Color-Purple-Affiches_i8034548_.htm

It was filmed  in North Carolina. The movie tells about a young African American girl named Celie Harris and her little sister Nettie. After many rebounds, both sisters are separated. Celie becomes a maried woman whereas she is still young. This husband is tyrannical with her. Children at this man consider Cellie more like a slave than a mother.

This story permits to discover the condition of african women during the early 1900s, and including povertyracism, and sexism. Like The Help, it’s a movie important of Africans’s history in United States.

Personally, I recommend just be careful if you are a sensitive soul ! Someone has already saw this movie, or read the book ?

 

 

 

 

Captain Phillips by Paul Greengrass.

Captain Phillips is an American film directed by Paul Greengrass, it was released in 2013.

the major player is Tom Hanks, he plays Captain Phillips.

Synopsis: Captain Phillips tells the true story of the hostage-taking of American merchant marine ship, Maersk Alabama, conducted in 2009 by Somali pirates. 

This is a great movie full of suspense, you always wonder what will happen, the plot is very well built. Moreover, Tom Hanks plays his character very well, every minute of the film, we empathize with personnages compared to what is happening.

I suggest you see this movie, or if you’ve already seen this film, tell me what you think.

Differences between two dystopias : O brave new world and 1984

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/62/BraveNewWorld_FirstEdition.jpg

      I was really astonished by the end of the film version of 1984, written by Orwell which we saw in class. I found it really hopeless and really upsetting with the fact that people could do anything to survive in a totalitarian system, until denouncing person they love. It’s really dreadful that people could torture their fellow being until having a real power on them, changing their mind in order to make them thinking what they want them to think, doing what they want them to do.  And I think that the more dreadful thing it’s that this is not really a fiction because we saw these things in our history during the World War II. It makes me thinking. After seeing this end, we wonder if we were in his place what we would have done. This dystopia is really upsetting. Contrary to this, O brave new world, written by Huxley which is also a dystopia which aims at denouncing totalitarian system, has a end more hopeful. I don’t know if you read the book, but people who think by themselves and find the society unacceptable, by rebelling, have access to the happiness. Indeed, at the end, they meet the administrator, the chief of the totalitarian system who explain them how works their society, why they conditione people and they learn that it’s for their happiness. They are conditioned into not fearing death, being pleased in their classes and if they are upset, they can take drug and stop thinking. By rebelling, people are not punished but have access to a paradise island where they could meet other interesting people. Moreover, the three main character choose really where they want to go. This end appears more optimist than the end of 1984. Nevertheless, O brave new world denounces also the totalitarian systems, this conditioning in order to have a semblance of happiness, to have more money by conditioning people into buying useless things, things more expensive.

      A lot of people have opposed 1984 to O brave new world. 1984 shows the totalitarian systems and their inhumanity during the war whereas O brave new world denounces a totalitarian system whose some aspects could make us thinking of our condition like the consumer society.

     And you what do you think about these ends ? Do you prefer O brave new world or 1984 ?

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/c3/1984first.jpg

Harry Potter

Harry Potter is a serie of fantasy novels writing by J.K. Rowling unter 1997 and 2007. The serie has seven novels, to the first magical school year, to this ultime battle against Lord Voldemort. This story telle us the evolution of the young witch Harry at 11 to the adult at 18.

Harry has lost this parents, kill by Voldemort, and he lives with this uncle, aunt and his cousin, the Dursley. This family seems doesn’t like it, and all attention is to his cousin.
One day, Hagrid comes to the Dursley’s house to takes Harry Potter and go to the Poudlard wich school.
Quickly, he becomes friend with Ron and Hermione and the story tell us their Poudlard adventure’s.
But the murderer of Harry’s parents want to revenge against Harry and he try to come back to the world from the death.

Now Harry Potter must fight the Lord Voldemort to try to restore peace in magical world and with the moldus, person without magical power.

I really appreciate this serie of novel because we feel the character emotions and the evolution of the characters over time.
Also, we recognize into the main characters because we have feel this life period and the novel describe scene who are very similar to the reality.

A study in Scarlet

Sherlock Holmes is a famous detective create by Arthur CONAN DOYLE in the detective novel A Study in Scarlet release in 1887. The novel is writing with the Watson’s point of view.

This novel is split in two parts,
First at London with the doctor John H Watson who come back from Afghanistan War and he’s now retired from army because he’s wounded at shoulder. He was military doctor.
Now, he hasn’t enough money to lives alone and he search a flatmate to divide the expenses.
He meets the detective Sherlock Holmes and he decides to share a flat with him. They lives at the 221b Baker Street at Miss Hudson’s house.
Sherlock will show to John’s is detective’s talents and he will guess this past at the army.

One day, Sherlock receives a letter from a member of Scotland Yard (London’s police) who ask him to help for an investigation.
Sherlock will take Watson on board and he makes him his assistant.

In the second part, the narrator changes and we follow Lucy.
Lucy is the victim of the murder what Sherlock was call to help.
We discover the Lucy’s past to his death.
At the end, this second story meet the story and with this method, we understand Sherlock’s deduction methods.
This method of deduction, based on scientific facts is new for the age, contrary to now where all detectives movies/series/novel uses this method. At the age, policy deduces who is the guilty with the suspect’s reputation and expressions.

A Study in Scarlet it the novel were we can discover Sherlock Holmes and his works methods.
It’s a fantastic novel because the story is good writing and very interesting and Sherlock is a fascinating character what we want discover in the follows story.

Stephen King

I would like to introduce my prefered author who is of course Stephen King. It is an American writer and  he was born September 21, 1947 in Portland. It is the undisputed master of suspense and terror.

His first book was published in 1974, he did not write only of terror but also of science fiction, fantasy and detective novels. He wrote and published over fifty novels, including seven under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, and about two hundred short stories. He has been much criticized for his familiar style and the gore vocabulary he used. Many of his books have been adapted for the cinema, whether in book or movie, this is always a great success.

Here are some books: -Carrie, april, 1974 / -Christine, april, 1983 / -Black House, september, 2001 / -Cycle of the Werewolf, april, 1985 / IT, september, 1986 and Under the Dome, november, 2009.

Here are some movies: -Carrie, november 3rd, 1976 / Creepshow, november 10th, 1982 / The Green Mile, december 6th, 1999.

Personally I read Carrie, IT, Shining and cujo and I’ve watched Carrie, Christine and the Green Mile. And I intend to read more than that. I also hope that some of you also like Stephen King.

Bates Motel

Norman Bates is one of the most famous fictional character of the 20thcentury. He was created by Robert BLOCH in his famous novel Psycho published in 1959.

This story had inspired a lot of directors like of course Alfred HITCHCOCK but more recently the story had been adapted as a television serie untitled « Bates Motel ».

It retrace the story as we know it but based in the present time and Norman is actually just a teenager for now. The scene is settled in a really strange city so that Norman is surrounded by violence and fear and because of this we see him change in a bad way.

The principals characters are played by Vera Farminga, Norman’s mother, (who played in Conjuring) ; Freddie Highmore, Norman, (who played Charlie in Charlie and the chocolate factory!) and finally Max Thierot (who played in House at the End of the Street) and here Norman’s brother.

I really love this serie and I recommend it and if you want to know about the movie adaptation go look Colyne’s article!

 

 

My favorite protest song !

Today i would like to talk about my favorite protest song who is : Power to the people, sing by John Lennon (1940-1980). This dynamic rock song (with fantastic saxo ans drum’s break!) is an anthem who ask the power to the people. In this song Lennon talk about revolution, this engagement against the Vietnam war un the seventies and hé begins to talk about feminism (her wife had particullary influence him on this subject). I love this song because it’s a protest song ans because John Lennon writte it and on this track i find that his voice is perfect he yells and i love it ! Hope you’ll enjoy 🙂

Tell No One

Tell No One is a detective story published in 2001 by Harlan Coben. He is one of the most famous american thrillers’s writter of the end of the20thcentury and the begining of the 21st

This novel is about a woman who is force to fake her death with the help of her father because a rich family tries to kill her caused to what she knows about them ; but she can’t tell her husband that she still lives.

This novel has been adapted to the screen by the French director Guillaume Canet. The title means that actually her husband found out that she still lives but because she’s not quiet safe he had to « Tell no one ».

I didn’t read the book but I saw the movie and it’s quiet interesting I recommend it to you!

Annie Hall – Woody Allen

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e6/Anniehallposter.jpg

Annie Hall is the story of Alvy Singer, an American comedian, played by Woody Allen who looks back on his relationship with Annie Hall, as Diane Keaton. He got married with two women before meeting her. But she is different. He doesn’t understand why they are separated. Well, he describes his relationship with her. We can see their moments of happiness and crisis.

This comedy directed by Woody Allen was released in 1977. This film received the Oscar of the best director, the best movie, and the best actress for Diane Keaton.

I think that it’s one of the best film directed by Woody Allen if it is not the best. Woody Allen is my favourite film director. It’s a funny film and it’s really gripping. Woody Allen is really great as film director as actor.

It’s also interesting because I think that this film could be a good illustration for the thematic: Meeting people, love and friendship because the 2 mains characters are going to love each other, separate each other and become friends. I really advice you to see it.

If you want, we can see the movie trailer : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBzHphcc2Jw

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBzHphcc2Jw[/youtube]

1984, the film by Michael Radford

In class, we saw a film which is called, 1984.

For me, the atmosphere of this film is very alarming and it can affects us psychologically.   It show us how the society was before, during the totalitarism.                                                                                                                                         There is no colour and no happy ending. There are scenes which particularly shocked me like the scene when Winston is tortured. This act of violence is capable of changing the way of thinking of a man because he has to think and do what the society wants and I find it really unjust.

The Maze Runner

Hi everybody, i will talk about The Maze Runner today.

First, i saw the movie twice in cinema, and then it becomes directly one of my favorite. Then, i started to read the book… And i think i fell in love with the story’s book as much as the story’s movie. But as you can think, yes, this is not the same story. Netherless the character and the set is similar, this is just the event and some actions wich are not alike.

So, i decided to explain a little bit the story of the movie because the movie is a little bit more famous than the story’s book thanks just to the trailer by exemple.

Thomas, a teenager as us, finds himself in a unknown place, wich is surrounded by a giant maze. He is only surrounded by boys, wich have approximately his age too. He did not remember anything, just except his name. He will discover thereafter the goal of all these boys and will help them, even if the danger, unknown and unexpeted, is really present, all day, all night. Even among his friends, even himself..

As i said at the beginning, this story is one of my favorite, because the story is just amazing and original. The actions and the actor’s play are just perfectly executed. I specially recommend this movie. And if you want, you really can read the story and see the movie : this isn’t the same story but twice deserve to be notice.

And you ? What do you think about it ? Who is your favorite character ? (Mine is Minho, he is SO cool aha)

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64-iSYVmMVY[/youtube]

Ace Ventura ‘s animal detective

This film, is totally crazy! I love how Jim Carrey play, how he soaks of the main character, who is really crazy, and mostly delirious!

In fact, Ace Ventura (played by Jim Carrey), want to find out who stole a daulphin. There are many sentence turn in the scene funny, like.. When he say : » If I don’t come back in 5 minutes… wait more longer! » This man is a detective,  but nobody take him seriously.. Simply because, he deals disparition of animals! But he has a mind perspicacious, and understand many things that people don’t figure out. He see what others detective can’t see. In fact, he is gifted in his speciality..

More whe forward in the story, more whe realize that he is clever.. Indeed, he succeed in discovering who stole the daulphin. (I know who do that, but I can’t tell you!)

Personnaly my favorite scene is when he act someone crazy and at the limite of the possesion or dementia.. In fact, he dressed with a tutu, and attire of hospital. His hair are not caffed. So with that rig-out he comin in psychiatric hospital to find document of someone who is important for the investigation.

 

Looking for Alaska

During my holiday I have read « Looking for Alaska ». Before I bought it I just have heard about this book but I didn’t know the story, so I really didn’t know what happend. Written by John Green and published in 2005, this book is destined to teenagers.

The story is focus on Miles Halter who leaves his parents for university campus of Culver Creek, in Alabama. He meets his room-mate Chip and Chip’s friends: Alaska Young and Takumi. Together, they do jokes to annoy rich students in the campus.

Wathever the story of love is already seen, the story talks about important question if we are able to see them. So the story is interessant but is not my favorite book.

The lightening thief

It is the first tom of the percy Jackson series written by Rick Riordan. The plot is about a 12 years old boy called percy Jackson, who is fired from a school just one year after his arrival.The holidays begins and he goes to a colony with his friend Grover, while his mother is attacked by a minotaur, in this colony he discovers that he is the son of poseidon god of the seas. His uncle Zeus accuses him of stealing his lightening, That’s when his quest begins but he is not going to find it alone, he will have the help from Grover and his new friend Annabeth who is also Athena’s daughter. They will have to face dangerous creatures and will also meet gods. They have to find the lightening to avoid a war between Zeus,Poseidon and Hades.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

J

The Lord of the Ring!

Actually i don’t like the books because i’ve never tried to read them because of the small size of the letters, but i watched the films, and i think that there are no better films than the Lord of the Ring trilogy. The project is considered as one of the most ambitious in the history of the cinema. The special effects during the epic battles are just huge, i will always remember legolas’s acrobatic movements to jump on an Oliphant and kill him (oliphant= creature) and what can i say about the epic places in which the film is turning  Minas tirth, the dark door,mordor …etc. there are such a list of creatures like orcs, the uruk-hai, the nazgul and many others the design is also something important for the production of the film each folk has specific elements,the music is also something important in the movie because it plunges us in it. The three films were a great commercial success, bringing total nearly three billion dollars.

 

it is a film that you have to see and if you haven’t seen it what are you waiting for go and watch it you will not regret it!

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiYy7PptMsY[/youtube]

 

 

 

Palace Beach Hotel (or the army brainwash)

Hi, today i’m here to write about puzzling business… (that echoes to 1984 novel.)
Have are you already thought about what could happen in the military environment ? I have to say that until now, I never wondered about it. But yesterday, I was quite thoughtful : the film that I have seen was so amazing but so oppressive. Its name is Palace Beach Hotel ; the film is about a group of soldiers who just went back from Afghanistan ; they were on the field when they saw one of their comrade being roughly slayed in front of them, his throat cut in two. These soldiers are sent in a luxurious hotel in Cyprus, the Palace Beach Hotel, to be supported by a psychological assistance ; moreover an intern investigation is launched because the Army does not want this affair to be public. At the beginning, everybody seems very normal like if nothing happened : the 3 main characters are very secretive and assure that they’re ok to the psychologist.

 

But there’s something strange; beyond this issue ; these 3 persons have to hide a huge secret…Things are going bad when one of them comitted sucide. Here again, the Army wants to keep this issue very secret and we’re appalled to see how hypocritical the Army senior officers can be. Here starts a really hard psychological war for the viewers.

 

I don’t know how to explain my reaction when I saw that the film was based on real facts ; I mean that there is a huge information issue; seriously, the informations that we can see and heard are really monitored ; before the film I don’t even know that kind of problem could happen in a national organisation ; I always considered soldiers as superhumans who know how to separate job from feelings and fears. I realized that they are human like us and sometimes they can be kind of weak ; but in this system the weakness is not receivable : you have to keep your mouth shut and go on your way. People are not told about everything, even important things, that’s why I’m quite angry. Moreover, it’s a really interesting way to see how that nobody is saved by the war damages ; physically and psychologically speaking.

 

This film is very stunning in the way that even if it takes place in a luxious hotel, the horror of the facts follows them everywhere, between each walls, in every rooms. Characters are completely psychologically locked, and the only one that achieve to talk to someone comites sucide few hours later because of drug issues. Moreover the reportage that I have seen few hours earlier has confirmed my doubts : since September, 45 police officers killed themselve because of their emotional distress and their psychological troubles due to the things that they see everyday.

 

Do you REALLY think that it’s normal ?

These people are supposed to protect and help us but they can’t protect themselves because of the hardness of their environment..

Actually, I came to make a parallel between this story and 1984 ; in fact these soldiers suffer of a brainwash ; the colonel, through his investigation make them believe that nothing happened, everything was fine and that they must never talk about it ; It’s a way to control their mind, and the colonel benefits of their psychological weakness to make them silent. Moreover, the fact that he don’t want it to be revealed goes along with the Big Brother manipulation system ; he controls the informations and decides what must be said/written and what should never goes out of the hotel. It’s quite scary because we understand that the limit between fiction and reality is actually really thin.
I’m really speechless and I think that I will continue to make some researches about this issue ; it’s a real problem and people don’t realize what is currently happening beyond the TV News.

 

Welcome to Gattaca

Welcome to Gattaca is an American film directed by Andrew Niccol and released in 1997. I have seen this movie for the notion of progress and I really liked it and that’s why I decided to explain this movie and share it with you.

This film is situated in a futuristic world where you can choose the genotype of children. In this society which practises eugenics scale, gametes parents are sorted and selected to keep only children with the fewest defects and maximum benefits.
In this world, all is selected according to its own nature.
Gattaca is a center for study and research space for people to perfect genetic heritage. There is also another story that I let you discover.

In my opinion, this film shows us a futuristic world that seems imaginary but maybe our futuristic world because the progress continue to evolve everyday. As a result, over the years we are likely to have a world like this thanks to the scientific progress and to my mind, it is not good for humanity.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u3RrbNpRUQ[/youtube]

George Orwell

George Orwell is an english writer (writing under the name of Eric Arthur Blair) and jouralist. Throught his works he shows his commitment against the british imperialism, for socialism and social justice and against Nazi and Soviet totalitarianism. Thanks to his name, the adjectiv « Orwellian » was created to qualify the totalitarian universe imagined by Orwell.

He wrote many books like Down and Out in London and Paris or Burmes day. He wrote about one book a year. But his main works stay Animal Farm  and 1984. 

In the last one he created the Big Brothers concept. Big Brother is the main figure of this story, and depicts the totalitarian police and the monitoring society. Indeed in the story in every room a human is there is a « telescreen » which broadcasts (without turn itself off) message of government, and thanks to them police know every words and movement of every man.

What is ironical is that Orwells country is the most supervised country : one camera for fifteen inhabitant.

Be careful, BIG BROTHER is watching you.

1984

 

We have watched in class 1984 which is a British film directed by Michael Radford and based on the novel by George Orwell and released in 1984. That’s a science fiction movie and I like this kind of film. Here is a short summary, manipulating and controlling every detail of the lives of his subjects, Big Brother is the spiritual leader of Oceania, one of three states whose capital is London. The bureaucrat Winston Smith works in one of the departments. But one day he falls in love with Julia, which is a crime. Both of them will try to escape, but in this nightmarish world divided into three, be all that revolts broke.

 In my opinion, during the film, it’s a little complicated to understand the story because I have the impression that the film is not sufficiently detailed to allow a good understanding. But at the end, we understand everything because there are more and more events. There are some terrifying scenes where we see the character being abused.

We should read the novel because it’s still a strange world and maybe much in the film than in the original work. But generally this is a film well done and for the characters, they played a nice role and as a result, they are excellent in this movie.

Sleepy Hollow by Tim Burton

It is a film directed by Tim Burton and released in 1999, it is an adaptation of Washington Irving’s novel (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow). in this film just like in many other’s Burton is working with the one and only Johnny depp, who played the role of the New York inspector Ichabod Crane. Crane is a 24 years old man who believes in science, his superiors has sent him in the village of Sleepy Hollow to find the man who has committed the three murders by slaying the heads of his victims and taking them with him, when he arrives he meets the notables of the village who tell him the story of the headless horseman, a mercenary who died during the war of independence who comes from hell to slay heads. Ichabod stays sceptical and says that he will find the murder who isn’t something coming from hell but a man. Some days after he will meet the headless horseman who will kill one of the notables and take his head just in front of his eyes, at this moment when he finally believes in the presence of the headless horseman he decides to do everything possible to stop him. Will Ichabod find a way to stop him? I let you find it out from yourself.

 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6O4Himch7g[/youtube]

 

 

Salem the tv show

Salem is a fantasy drama serie created by Adam Simon and Brannon Braga published on WGN America and beginning on April 20, 2014. The serie which stars Janet Montgomery and Shane West is inspired by the real witch trials in Salem in the 17th century. there is a second season which is going to be released but we don’t know exactly when it will be released. Many people are waiting for this season because the creators and the cast have created a strange oppressive world  even the director of WGN America congratulates the work made by the team. The witches universe is bringing a lot of viewers and Salem is just the serie you have to watch if you like all the witchcraft stuff!

This is the trailer of the first season for these who haven’t seen it!

 

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTxZYR3W8bE[/youtube]

Resistance – Muse

Our teacher told us that the song Resistance by Muse was a reference to the film 1984, and as I love this band I decided to write an article about this song.

I never really paid attention to the lyrics before but indeed we can notice that it seems to be the story of Winston Smith and Julia who have an « illicit romance ». The song shows that they are afraid to be discovered by the Party because their relationship is illegal, they must be in a « hiding place » because they have no privacy, they are always watched by Big Brother which is called the « thought police » because they want to control everything and they want people to stop thinking. That’s why their love must stay secret and it’s their « resistance ».

I hope you will listen this song and enjoy it !

« The Crucible », Arthur Miller

The crucible is a play written in 1953 by Arthur Miller. This play would perfectly fit in the notion « The writer in his time » that we are studying in literature because it was written during Mc carthysm . McCarthysm is a periode in the USA in the 1950s, also known as the Red Scare (it should ring a bell people we talked about in class with « The Great Gatsby »), characterised by a great fear of communists. During the McCarthy era, thousands of Americans, including Arthur Miller himself were accused of being communists and became the subject of aggressive investigation. Suspected people were blacklisted and often arrested. A lot them lost their jobs and actually pretty much everything as their family or friends wouldn’t talk to them scared of being accused to.
The Crucible’s story sets in the 17th century Salem in a period of which hunts. The play used the Salem witch trials as a metaphor for McCarthysm. To understand that a little summary is I think needed. A few girls led by a reverend niece (Abigail) have been dancing in the Forest but when the reverend catches them a rumour of witchcraft spreads. To protect herself Abigail accuses Tituba to be a witch. For her trial another reverend this time a specialist of occult phenomena is sent. Terrified by the idea of being hanged Tituba turns to the same solution Abigail used, she accuses other women.
Although she contrary to Abigail doesn’t really come to the idea on her own. That’s at least the conclusion you come to with a little analysis of her trial. Indeed two main parts can be reveled. The first one could be Tituba’s questionning when the 2 reverends urge her to tell them who came to her with the devil which is already a sneaky way to ask her about the truth. This manipulation led by the reverends bring confusion’s to Tituba’s confession and this finally brings a general hysteria among the girls and the reverends. Manipulation and paranoia were as I recall also seen during McCartysm.
If the story line isn’t clear or if you’re just interested by seeing a movie adaption of this play here is a trailer of one which came out in 1996. (Yes, I know most of us weren’t even born yet but isn’t that what makes it interesting ?).

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUIAxTxrnCc[/youtube]

The Grand Budapest Hotel

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTmYI1DOZvc[/youtube]

The Grand Budapest Hotel it’s a movie of Wes Anderson telling the story of a concierge, Mr. Gustave and one of his employees, Zero Mustafa, they both worked at The Grand Budapest Hotel which explains the title of the movie.

The movie had been inspired of the novels of Stefan Zweig a famous Austrian writer of Jewish origins born in 1881; he had to flee in the middle of the 1934’s because of the rise to power of Adolf Hitler in Germany.

The characters also flee in the all movie because they had stolen a famous painting called « Boy with Apple » and we found the influence of the Stefan Zweig’s novels because the director has set a fake army which represent the Nazi’s army and the hate of strangers that the author has replaced in his autobiographic novel « The World of Yesterday ». Stefan Zweig and his wife get suicide in 1942 not long after Hitler gave the order to killed Jewish people in Europe.

Playing for change

Playing for Change is a musical project which puts in scene musicians of the whole world to diffuse a message of peace. The Foundation Playing for Change is an organization intended for the development of music schools throughout the world. In 2008, a first music school is created in the suburbs of Cape Town, in South Africa. In 2010 two built and opened music schools: The Music school and of Dance Bizung in Ghana, The Music school in Mali. The Foundation Playing for Change develops also educational programs in Nepal and Rwanda in collaboration with other organizations.
I particularly like this foundation, you can only smile by seeing their videos. I really hope that you will have time to go to see them! And that you will like!! They have an official site, don’t hesitate to go to see!! Their songs are always very original mixing the origins of each one, of the instruments which we don’t have the practice to hear in France.

I leave you with a recovery of Bob Marley “One love” Good listening! and especially leave a comment to say to us what think you 🙂

PS : Sometimes, of the known musicians unite with them, then look at the vidéos well!!!

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xjPODksI08&list=PLC0A6F2B5A9E6A80D&index=2[/youtube]

The last « Hobbit » !

The last “Hobbit” named “The Battle off the Five Armies” arrives finally, before Christmas! On December 10 exactly!! I’m really excited because it one of my favourite trilogies! It mixes as well the fantastic, as the adventure and too the action!

The Hobbit is a saga carried out by Peter Jackson, inspired by the novel “the Hobbit” of the British writer John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

Before last film of the « Hobbit » had stopped when Thorin and the Dwarves, helped by Bilbon the Hobbit, succeeded in recovering their kingdom and their treasure on the solitary mountain. But they also awoke the Smaug dragon. What you it then will occur? I leave you with the band of advertisement of next film!!

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMy2a4Vi4tY[/youtube]

Scorsese: the master of organized crime

Who would have thought that Martin Scorsese had a passion for novels dealing with organized crime? Two novels written by Nicholas Pileggi were adapted for the screen by the famous director. Today, in my opinion, these films are the best of his career. Moreover, they have expanded his reputation.

Thus, Wiseguy: Life in a Mafia Family written in 1986 became Goodfellas in 1990 and Casino: Love and Honor in Las Vegas written in 1995 became Casino the same year. For both, Pileggi and Scorsese took part in the writing of screenplays. For the cast, the director did not hesitate to call two great actors, namely Robert de Niro and Joe Pesci. The two actors met on the shooting of Raging Bull in 1980 directed by… Scorsese, of course! In both films, these two legends steal the scene. They will stay icons forever.

Another film about this topic will be directed by the director, The Departed (2006), but without de Niro, without Pesci and without Pileggi

You can see the trailers here for more details on this film:

Sacco and Vanzetti

 

During the second week of vacation, I volunteered over a festival. I saw a show that upsets me and that I advise you very much.
This show is called Sacco and Vanzetti, it is played by two extraordinaires comedians that tell the true story of two Italian anarchists sentenced to death for acts they have not committed.
The scene takes place in 1927, at the Cherry Hill prison in the usa, Nicola Sacco has only a few hours to live before dying in the electric chair.
Suddenly appears Bartolomeo Vanzetti, his companion.
Then the two men told us their memories, fears of death, their lives, their families, and especially makes us understand thanks to their stories the politics of the roaring twenties to the united states led by corrupt representatives.
It is a shocking show that shows the horrible injustice of the politics of the time and the racism that is present throughout the show, played by very good comedians who closed the show with beautiful music « Bella chao » the singing of Italian partisans.

the roaring twenties’s silent film

The movie « The Artist » is a good representation of the roaring twenties’s cinema. It’s a silent film in black and white directed by Michel Hazanavicius and realized in 2011. This film shows Jean Dujardin in the role of  Goerge Valentin, a silent movie star who has to face the arrival of talkies by the end of the roaring twenties. The talkies changed the history of cinema during roaring twenties. This movie represents perfectly this change.

Then, the actrice Berenice Bejo shows the difficulties to become a star in this period.

Finaly, this film has all the features of a silent film, there are no dialogues, no colors and no large screen, still, directors and actors found the way to represents complex stories.

« Gone Girl » by David Fincher

I watched this film and  it’s very good! « Gone girl » is an American thriller dating back to 2014 and directed by David Fincher (an American director and producer). Fincher is one of my favorite director with Wong Kar-way. His films are amazing!
So, « Gone girl » is a film with black humor and it’s satire of marriage and media. The film denounces the hypocrisy of American society idolizing appearances. It’s a beautiful film, very well filmed and with interesting script. The soundtrack is very nice. The actors are Ben Affleck (Nick) and Rosamund Pike (Amy).

Amy and Nick are a seemingly perfect couple. But one day Amy disappears. We think that she is abducted… or did Nick killed his wife ? It’s a leading thriller. I will not say because the truth is the charm of the film. I find the script is very clever because we have different point of view without knowing the truth.

I recommend you!

Who is your favorite English character ?

Today i’m gonna to speak about my favorite famous english character who is Winston Churchill (1874-1965) ! He was a politician, a writer, a painter… During the second world war he resisted to the nazis attacks and he helped the British not to lose morale. After the war he receives the literature nobel prize. I like this man because he never gave up, he was an action man and he had a lot of humour… And you what are your favorite famous english character ?

What are your favorite English novels ?

Today, i would like to speak about my favorite english novel, who is « The Island of Dr. Moreau ». This fiction-novel was written by H. G. Well in 1896. The novel tells the story of Edward Prendick, a shipwrecked man rescued by a boat who goes on Doctor Moreau’s island. This man creates humans from animals via vivisection. The novel deals with many philosophical themes (like human identity)… I like this novel, cause i love fictions and in the book we find many suspense and surprising passages and i love it ! And you what are your favorite english novels ?

Annoying french versions….

Hi everyone 🙂

I recently had an argument with a friend of mine, who absolutely wanted to see an english movie in french… How to say, I can’t stand dubbing voices anymore, it’s so annoying ! Moreover the actors’s plays and even the film can suffer of the system : they seem less convincing or even stupid : seriously, do you think that Georges Clooney would make a political speech to the Ohio’s population in French ? (I speak about Ides of march). I’m sure that if we translate international songs in French, I think it would be awkward for everyone. I really prefer watch a movie in its orignal version with subtitles than in french. I noticed that people are often scared of the fact that they could not understand some words and so on. Here are the subtitles to help us so I think we should use it ; in english or in french ! I think that I gained a lot of vocabulary and that my pronounciation has improved thanks to the original versions… The other thing is that if you’re watching some series, you can see the episodes the next day that they have been aired ! Why should we wait just to hear the actors speak in French when we can enjoy their original voices ? ( I think that girls will approve on the fact they prefer listen Dylan O’brien in Teenwolf with his real voice, no ? 😉 )

After this discussion I decided to extend this idea to the books that I read ! (Obvioulsy in English, my level in German is near to 0) I know that it can be hard at first sight to read in english but if you’re motivated it’s really worth it : in few pages, you discovered an amount of structures,new words and expressions. Indeed, you can’t understand the whole thing in one time, you have to be patient and don’t hesitate to read the same page 2 or 3 times. Then you can understand and notice the details, it becomes really really interesting. I think that we should start with short stories or fairy tales, it’s short and not really hard to understand since we already know the story. I’m currently reading the Maze Runner in English and it’s very cool because I you know the story there is a really specific vocabulary related to The Glade and the Gladers : it’s very pleasant to see the original words and it can help you to understand the origins of the french ones.

By the way, it’s just my opinion and I agree on the fact that you maybe prefer to see a movie in french since you can understand it without watching the screen. But tell me what do you think about it ? Do you watch your films/series in french or in english ? Have you already tried to read in english ? How was it ?

I’m waiting for your answers 🙂

Have a nice week-end !

(Hey Georges,what else?)

Jack Clayton and Baz Luhrmann

In class we have studied « The great Gatsby » by F. Scott Fitzgerald and there are two films adaptations of this novel : In 1974 by Jack Clayton and in 2013 by Baz Luhrmann. The actors are different. In the film from Jack Clayton Gatsby’s actor is Robert Redford and Diasy’s actress is Mia Farrow. In the version of Baz Luhrmann it’s Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan.
I prefer the film dating back to 1974 because there are more details and the actors are better ! Even if in the second film special effects and outfits are beautifuls.

And what about you ?  What is your opinion ?

Seven Pounds, a great movie !

 

Seven Pounds is an american movie, directed by Gabriele Muccino (and released in 2008).

The main character is a man, Ben Thomas (played by Wil Smith) who has a terrible secret and wants to help people and change their lifes to find his redemption. He will do everything to achieve his goal. At the beginning, the intentions of this mysterious character are uncleared, we don’t necessarily understand his motivations, is to say, what is his secret. But gradually as the story progresses, we discover the character’s past through flashbacks and we bind this man. The story of the character is very touching : I got goosebumps at times and at the end, I almost cried ! I thought Will Smith was perfect for this role. Really, feel free to watch this movie, it is really good !

 

1984 (movie)

1984 is a novel written by George Orwell. In classroom, we saw the movie by Michael Radford.

The atmosphere is very cold, the rhythm is slow and the story very glaucous. Some of pupils didn’t like this movie but I really enjoyed it ! I love this kind of movies even if they are strange.

However, I found some pretty harsh scenes (like the scene of the torture).

I think George Orwell wrote a very good story, in fact, we can ask : Does Big Brother exist today ? I think yes, Orwell is a kind of anticipator !

What about you ? What do you think about 1984 ?

Games of Thrones

I have recently began to watch Games of thrones an television series and I know all of people have watched it much times before me. Games of Thrones is an adaptation of romans at George R.R.Martin. Directed by David Benioff ans D.B  Weiss. It’s an american mediaval fantasy films.

We can to say that series is bold and a little outrageous ! But it is representative to hardness to life in this period. We can distinguished three stories who’s spend the same time : In Westeros, nobles families fights each other for throne. In North of Westeros , « the  night watch » care the wall who separated people and fantastics and dangerous creatures who killed someone who pass the wall.  But Winter returns …and an season can last many years. In Winter , horrible things arrived and people die to hunger , tired or killed about someone….

And in Essos , brother and sister want revenge to king. Because their father was a king of westeros , but he was crazy and he was killed. His son would to recover his ring. To that he married his sister to a leader of a savage people , to they help him to fight to a throne.

I am just in Episode 5 to first season but i found this serie captivating even it’s violent

 

Boardwalk Empire and the Roaring Twenties

Boardwalk Empire is an American television series inspired by the book Boardwalk Empire : The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City by Nelson Johnson. This series represents well the roaring twenties with The Prohibition, the Jazz Age and the Fashion of this period.

In the 1920s, Nucky Thompson, a notable politician in control of Atlantic City organizes an agreement and walk into the smuggling business. He decides to work in the alcohol industry in Atlantic City, then crushed by Prohibition, to pay for the city’s finances. He meets Jimmy Darmody, a young veteran of the First World War very smart, who will become his protege.

I recommend it to you, it’s a good representation of those years. Furthermore, the intrigue is rather interesting.

Hard Times by Charles Dickens

I want to talk about Hard Times written by Charles Dickens and published in 1854. Charles Dickens made ??a critique of excessive industrialization in England, where the living conditions of the workers are exploited. In fact, this novel denounced education practiced on young English and the exploitation of the poor by the ruling classes.

In the fictional town of Coketown (which is actually Manchester), we discover the life of a prominent family: the Gradgrind. The two children of the Gradgrind family are educated in the utilitarian doctrine. This doctrine ban leisure for children. Charles Dickens shows the evolution of these two children and their father’s ideas will not make them happy adults.

If you want to know about the time of the industrial revolution in England it is very interesting, I recommend it.

The writer in his century

 

 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Segregation_1938b.jpg

The writer was always inspired of the condition of his century. It’s visible for instance with the case of a lot of writers during the racial segregation in the United States. Thus we have a lot of different account of this period.

Chester Himes, an Afro- American writer denounces his condition in his works such as in If he hollers let him go or in the third generation. With a harsh language, he told the black’s condition. In the third generation he speaks about an Afro-American family and their attempt to assert themselves in the society where as they live in the South of America which is known to be really radical and really racist during this segregation. If he hollers let him go, it’s a story of a rebellious Afro-American who doesn’t accept his condition and the fact that the Whites believe that they are above the Blacks. During the story, his mentality evolve and he try to find the best mean to assert himself in the society by rebelling or by being obedient to the orders and opinions of Whites. However, this segregation doesn’t just inspire the Blacks but also the Whites.

Indeed, don’t kill a mocking bird, written by Harper Lee, a white American woman is a good example. It’s the story of a little girl who tells his childhood. His father was a lawyer and he accepted to defend a black who was accused of having raping wrongfully a woman. This book is really amazing because the author even if she was white defends more the Blacks than the Whites.

Well, we can see with these examples that racial segregation inspires different people in order to write books.

However, American people were not the only writer to be inspired by this plague. Romain Gary, a French writer who was Consul general of Los Angeles, saw the evolution of racial segregation. In white dog, the author shows an overview of this period. He denounces the society and racism.  His point of view is really interesting because he doesn’t really take part, he emphasizes the fact that everybody need having a scapegoat. I really advice you to read it. I really liked this book. Romain Gary is one of my favourite authors.

Well, to conclude, we can see that a lot of writers were inspired of his century. Nevertheless, the case of the racial segregation still inspire different writer such as Kathryn Stockett who wrote The Help in 2009.

I would like to give Mathilde and Juan a wink for the time we have passed to realise our « TPE » (Cross-curricular subject), last year. By writing this article, I think about you and about all the time we have worked to make our presentation.

Sherlock Holmes by Guy Ritchie

Sherlock Holmes is a movie directed by Guy Ritchie in 2009, with Robert Downey Jr. at Sherlock Holmes and Jude Law at Doctor Watson.

As you can suppose, this is a modern adaptation of the characters of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but also from a comic book of Lionel Wigram (script writer and producer of Harry Potter) who has never been published. Guys Ritchie shows us a more modern Holmes : the detective does not just use his magnifying glass, (as shown in the latest Sherlock Holmes movies, slightly clichés), he also has really good fighting abilities, and he’s a master in the art of disguise. Even if it is a thriller, you have some really fun parts in this film, which is less dark than Sherlock Holmes 2, Game of Shadows.

In this movie, Sherlock Homes has to fight a malignant villain called Lord Blackwood, a murderer who, after being caught and hanged, mysteriously returns to life. London police is not very efficient, and Sherlock will realize that he has more enemies than he thought, enemies who are very close to him ..

I can only applaud the very good performance of RDJ and Jude Law, who form a very good duo !

This is Halloween !

Hey ! Tonight it’s Halloween !

What are you going to do tonight ? Get out ? Personally, i don’t like very much celebrate this event, so i will stay with my family in front of a very good and known movie.. The Nightmare Before Christmas ! This very good movie is realised by the amazing Tim Burton ( Frankenweenie or Beetlejuice are very good for a Halloween evening too, but The Nightmare Before Christmas is the best EVER, i swear).

The story takes place in the town of Hallowen, Jack Skellington, the main character of this film, (he is a skeleton, what discovery !) Jack is bored by the same events each year, Halloween. He decided to be alone for thinking about his condition and he discovered, by accident, a new beautiful world : Christmas Town ! After that, a few events will arrive and Jack will change number of rules… Not always pleasant for everybody…

This movie is one of my favorite, this world is very interessant and amazing ! (as all the different world of Tim Burton, i’m ok) And i prefer the english version for the songs that i know by heart. Finally, i give you an internet link of my favorite… Happy Halloween everyone !
Enjoy ! -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHLgob-PpIk

Reading in English

I just wanted to share a little personal experiment about reading in English. I mean, obviously we all aready have read a text in English but did any of you already read a whole book ? Yes, no, maybe (which would actually mean something like partly but I gave up)

Well, I don’t know for you but I did and if I can advise you something it would be to start with something easier than the classic literature we do in class because there are a few things we might not undertand such as vocabulary and that would lead to the the « maybe » I talked about earlier and we don’t want that to happen, do we ?

Starting from here readind a recent book wether it’s a novel or a short story it doesn’t really matter just whatever you usually like to read seems like a good idea because it would give you a idea on wether you like reading in English or not. And maybe with time you’ll enjoy it enough to start reading classics in English, who knows ?

Personaly, I only read two books in English The woods by Harlan Coben and No Place like home by Mary Higgins Clark, those books are both thrillers and really well written one if you want my opinion and I’m keen on these kind of books.To give you a short summary it’s about a man, Paul Copeland, who is dealing with a lot old supposely buried secrets, including twisted family secrets but also unresolved murder and diseapearing cases while the second one is about a woman, Celia Foster who comes back to unexpectidely comes back to her town, in a house where ten years ago a little girl was accused of her mother’s murder. I’m sorry it’s so short it’s not even a summary but I’d probably just give you the whole story line with the end if I try to tell you more. But I really advise to look for summarys and give it a try because it’s defintlely worth it.

Now, if you want to give your opinion about any books you think are worth reading or on the two books I just mentionedo r even on this very article then feel welcome to do so.

Rebecca, written by Daphné Du Maurier

Rebecca, is a novel written in 1938, by Daphné Du Maurier. This work is considered as a classic of the english literature.

It relates the story of the female narrator, whose we don’t know the name. This woman meets Maximilien De Winter, a upper cast man to her. Mr. De Winter is weird but lovely, he seems to have a painful past ( his wife, Rebecca, is dead ). So, she falls in love with him : it’s reciprocal. They get married. The young couple come in Maximilien’s manor, Manderley. Gradually, the young woman « is haunted by the Rebecca’s ghost », Mrs. Danvers, the governess, boosts this. In the wake of a bal, a storm brings out, from the sea,  a boat with Rebecca’s body. Therefore, a police investigation starts. We can notice the main character’s evolution, she becomes a strong woman while she was a « little and shy girl » at the beginning.

I won’t say the story’s wake, it’s up to you, to discover it! I decided to make an article on this novel because it’s, I think, my favorite. The atmosphere is almost indescribable, the ( psychological ) suspense is unsustainable. The novel is dominated by the mystery. There is a kind of darkness in the way the novel is written, in the opposite of the  main character’s innocence. What’s more, it’s a great idea from Du Maurier to not give a name of the female narrator.

Moreover, I want to deepen the subject. So, I’ll talk about the famous film adaptation : Rebecca, directed by Hitchcock. This film is created two years after the book’s release ( 1940 ). This film well retranscribethe general atmosphere of the book. The image alows to give more details showing the Rebecca’s domination, even after her death.

So, now, I let you read the novel or watch the film! Personally, I prefer the novel, because the suspense is more impressive, the darkness is more palpable, the Manderley’s vision is more idealistic.

I robot

« I robot » is a SIFI american movie directed by Alex Proyas in 2004 inspired by Isaac Asimov’s  short stories (« the caves of steel » « I robot » and « Robot dreams »). The title is a same of Asimov’s short story  even if the screenplay are remote of the original stories.

In 2035, the robot are implanted in the society. One day, Alfred Lanning a co-founder of the central computer of the US a « roboticist »,  commits suicide. The robots cannot kill a human because they obey at « the three laws of robotics » (a famous laws by Asimov). But the policeman Del Spooner (Will Smith) doesn’t believe in suicide. During the investigation he meets a robotpsychologist » Susan Calvin (Bridget Moynahan) and VIKI, the central computer. Del realizes that it’s maybe a robot who killed Alfed Lanning…

This film has à numerous references like the « anthropomorphism » : it’s a will to create the robots who look like a humans, That is denunciate  by Del. And the traduction of the title « I Robot » (moi, un robot) as if the robot had a self-awareness..

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL6RRIOZyCM[/youtube]

The piano by Jane Campion in 1993

It is after watching ,during his discour,the homage by  Xavier Dolan  (made at Cannes 2014 where that he received  the Jury Prize for Mommy) to Jane Campion for his film The Piano that I wanted to see this film : the film that had so marked Xavier Dolan. Therefore  I’ve seen this film and I have not been disappointed.

 « The Piano » is a film directed by Jeanne Campion, in 1993 with Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin and Sam Neill.
The story of this film takes place in the 19th century. It tells the story of  Ada, a mute pianist, leaving Scotland with her daughter Flora to New Zealand. She must marry a man she has never seen, Alistair Stewart. Despite difficulties , the young woman did want to part with his piano. But on the beach where she comes, Stewart refuses to transport the piano. Ada, sad, is forced to give up what  the piano. Stewart ended up selling the piano to Baines, nearly opposite and illeterate.
Baines then done at ??Ada a proposal that the young woman accepted yet. In exchange for freedoms, she will regain her piano.
Jane Campion with this film is one of the most beautiful filmmakers.
There are some magnificent plans in this film and the soundtrack is beautiful. Jane Campion wanted to tell the story of a original sensual awakening between Baines and Ada.
Palme d’Or at Cannes « The piano » is romantic and original.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLpzo_nwZpE[/youtube]

The Roaring Twenties

« The Roaring Twenties » is the name given to the growing period in America, but then in Europa too : in great britain we called them « the Golden Twenties » and in France « les années folles » for example. This period extends from the end of the First World War until the economic crisis in 1929.

First, this was a period of economic growth. It was like a second industrial revolution for the USA, thanks to great technical advances. Frederic Taylor and Henri Ford were two main characters of this growth with their new ways of working. Thanks to them, the automoblie industry was representred as a booming sector.

Then, this was a period in wich born a new society : high urbanization and more and more skyscrapers. Woman are emancipated and called « the flappers » : they cut their hair and weared jeans.

There was also a cultural growth. People listened Jazz and blues, new stars and lifestyle. It was also the Golden Age for Hollywood and birth of realisme and naturalisme

New generation was in fond of these changes but older people guessed they were totaly crazy and « degenerate »

My favorite book.

 

I want to talk about one of my favorite book : Complètement cramé ! It is written by Gilles Legardinier who is french writer. He was born in Paris on 1965 but he wasn’t a writer at first. At the begining he worked on American cinema as a pyrotechnist. Now he writes novel and manages communication for film studios and large scenarios. He wrote five books of whom two are international success: L’Exil des Anges and Demain j’arrête !. The first is a thriller and the second is a comedy.

Complètement cramé is the story of an English man: Andrew Blake. He is the boss of a compagny. This man leaves England to come in France and becomes a butler but he has never done that before so he tries to find his place in the house with Magnier the gardener, Odile the cook, Manon the young maid, Mme Beauvillier the hostess and Maestro the mysterious cat. A lot of adventure happen to Andrew during his stay but it’s very funny.

I really enjoy to read this book because it is easy to read and it is very funny. So if you want do a break and read something light and funny, this book would be the one.

 

 

War Horse

War Horse is a children’s novel written by Michael Morpurgo and published in 1982. This novel was adapted for stage by Nick Stafford in 2007. In 2011, the cinematographic adaptation produced and directed by Steven Spielberg was released in cinemas.

The story takes place in France. It recounts the adventures of Joey, a horse bought by the Army for service in World War I, and the attempts of Albert, a teenage boy who is his previous owner, to bring him safely home.

http://www.dreamworksstudios.com/files/dm-ac-00034_website_version.jpgJeremy Irvine in War Horse (S. Spielberg, 2011)

Originally, Morpurgo thought ‘they must be mad’ to try to make a play from his best-selling novel; nonetheless, the play was a success. In 2011, the film War Horse became a box office success and was met with positive reviews. It was nominated for six Academy Awards including ‘Best Picture’, two Golden Globe Awards and five BAFTAs.

In my opinion, this film is one of the best films directed by Steven Spielberg with Hook and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial because the story is so stirring and the visual effects are very realistic. A very good story…

You can see the trailer here for more details on this film:

Dead Poets Society

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Dead Poets Society was released in 1989, it’s an american drama film directed by Peter Weir. This movie has become indispensable in cinema’s story.

https://robbinsrealm.wordpress.com/2014/08/22/robin-williams-inspirational-in-dead-poets-society/

It tell about a teenager Todd Anderson, he arrives in a private and prestigious school, at Welton academy. Over in there, he discovered a teacher of english literature, Mr.Keating (Robin Williams). This teacher is out of the academy’s laws, that they are very austere. Mr.Keating has original pratices. Thanks this teacher and these news friends, Tood Anderson discovered and participated at the Dead Poets Society. They restored life at this society, founded on free spirits, in opposition with their education. This discovery will to change their life for ever.

At the long of the movie, we see these teenagers become adults. The shy boy becomes independant and assured. Despite the tragical end, this movie shows us, that we can always be free and who we are.
The originaity of the director : Peter Weir have wanted to shoot the movie in chronological order for to show the evolution of friendship between these characters.

The Great Gatsby by Jack Clayton in 1974

After having study in class an excerpt from « The Great Gatsby » by F.Scott Fitzgerald, I wan’t to talk about the wonderful adaptation of Jack Clayton in 1974.
Thus  F Scott Fitzgerald’s  novel  therefore also this film adaptation tells the story of the mysterious Jay Gatsby who stages  the scene of Long Island  with his parties and enigmatic persona. The novel present also emblematic of the Jazz Age of the 1920s; a portrait of decadent fun and impossible dreams. Indeed, the film realised by  Jay Clayton shows this atmosphere very well.
 The cast of this adaptation is so very well done. The Great Gatsby role is played by Robert Redford which is wonderful .Robert Redford plays really well. He is at the height of the character of Gatsby we imagine in the book with a lot of charisma.
And in the role of Daisy Buchanan (the eternal love of Gatsby) is Mia Farrow which she is verry beautiful. She pierces the screen.  In the role of the neighbor, Nick Carraway is Sam Waterson.

 I advise you to see this adaptation (I find the film of Jay Clayton is  better than the one that was made in 2013, it is more authentic, and it  transcribed the atmosphere of the Jazz Age of the 1920s. And I think the actors are wonderful.)
I leave you to get an idea a trailer that I found : [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MstmidhHNQ[/youtube]


F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born in Septemeber 24, 1986 to an upper-middle-class family. He was named to tribute to his distant relative Francis Scott Key who was the lyricist of the National Anthem of America : The Star Spangled Banner.

He was a famous american writer, now known for his novel The Great Gatsby published in 1925, even if this novel did not sell well at the time. He was considered to be the leader of the Lost Generation that was the literary movement between the World War I and the World War II, he was also considered to be one the leaders of the Jazz Age. When he was about forty years he claimed that the death of his two sisters before his birth encourage him to be a writer : « « Well, three months before I was born, my mother lost her other two children … I think I started then to be a writer. »

The end of his life was sad. His wife Zelda became crazy and was taken in a psychiatric hospital, and F. Scott Fitzgerald died while working in something that he hated : scriptwriter in hollywood.

Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Sherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by scottish writer Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

 

Sherlock Holmes is a character that we can call an antihéro. In fact, he struggles against crime but he doesn’t appreciate the official police authority and he doesn’t hesitate to get around the law to achieve what he wants. He is also an egotist, his superior mind despises people who has a low mind. His knowledge that doesn’t affect his job are poor, he lives only for his job and when he can’t work, he sometimes do drugs like cocaine, but he also tries to complete his encyclopedic culture necessary for his job.

 

This novel was created in 1887 but it is so famous that it still has adaptations today. We can notice the thriller movie directed by Guy Ritchie in 2009 with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law that tell the story of Sherlock Holmes who have to stop a mad magician called Lors Blackwood by collecting clues that reveals loony murders and a lot of mystery about black magic. A second Sherlock Holmes movie called A Game Of Shadow by Guy Ritchie with Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law was created in 2011. In this movie, Sherlock Holmes must stop the dangerous scientist Moriarty and convince Watson to cancel his honeymoon and struggle with him.

And the other recent adaptation is the TV series Sherlock, broadcast since 2010. In this series we follow Sherlock Holmes and Watson in a contamporary context, in fact, Sherlock Holmes uses his deductions and observations skills to resolve his investigations, but him and Watson also uses modern technologies like internet or cellphones.

 

Sherlock Holmes is a cult british novel that passed into history, we can see that by the adaptations that are made today.

The Great Gatsby by Baz Luhrmann, behind the scenes.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cuFzHtpGoM[/youtube]

I find this video very interesting because the director of this movie, Baz Luhrmann, tells us many things about the creation of The Great Gatsby. From the idea of adapting the F. Scott Fitzgerlad novel to the shooting and the points of view of Leonardo Di Caprio and Tobey Maguire, the two main actors in this movie.

Daily Vlogging with Ben Brown

A Daily Vlog, well know as Vlog is a short video of someone who filmed his day and upload it every evening on YouTube. Many people in England and United States earn a living with this job. It’s absolutely not the hardest job in the world and allowed them to travel all around the world.

I have decided to speak about Ben BROWN, a 22 years old English ‘Youtuber’ who earn a living with daily vlogs. He was born in England and now live in Cape Town, South Africa. He have been Kayakist World Champion Twice. He also have a girlfriend named Nicole EDDY who write articles and convince me to deal (with her authorization) about one of her articles : Losing Our Identity which will be my adaptation film for the « Cinema Baccalaureat exam. »

Here is one of his Daily Vlogs :

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zGZraFKjq8&list=UUAkP51BEzkKimJh7KDflx_g[/youtube]

Tom Hanks

Born in 1956 in California, Tom Hanks became one of the most famous Hollywood’s actor in the 1980s with more than one hundred movies that change our perception of cinema. Passionate of theatre, the young Thomas Hanks had decided to move from the West of the United States to the East of New York City in 1978. He appears for the first time in the cinema’s business thanks to He Knows You’re Alone of Armand Mastroianni in 1980. It’s in 1988 with his nomination to the Oscars for Big from Penny Marshall whom Tom Hanks see his career taking off.

How does Tom Hanks succeed to embody a comic character in a drama movie as  Forrest Gump ?

Tom Hanks career is very rich, he played in several movies as Philadelphia of Jonathan Demme, Saving Private Ryan of Steven Spielberg, The Green Mile by Frank Darabont or Ron Howard’s movies as Apollo 13, Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons.Besides, all those movies deal with a drama subject. Starring by Tom Hanks but also Denzel Washington or Antonio Banderas, Philadelphia is an American drama film and one of the first mainstream Hollywood films to acknowledge AIDS. This film is definitely not a comic ones but it’s a consecration for Tom Hanks because thanks to this movie he won his first Oscar in 1993. The following Oscar that he received is for Forrest Gump, a Robert Zemeckis’ film.

First, we can say that this story is comic and dramatic in itself. Forrest Gump is a movie based on the eponymous novel written by Winston Groom, an American author. In this story we follow the adventures of Forrest through the history of the United States of America during the second part of the 20th century shaken by the Vietnam War, The Segregation… Tom play a simple-minded character in this movie which is very emotional. In addition of his simple-mindedness, in his childhood, Forrest suffer from his back that prevent him from being a normal child.

At his entrance at school in Alabama, Forrest will count on his new friend Jenny, wich will be the only child of his age to understand him. Furthermore, Jenny ask him to run if he had to face a problem, hence the now famous scene : « Run Forrest ! Run ! ». This film is also one of the first movie to develop computer generated images. This story is definitely very emotional because Forrest see his family weakening, his mother dies from cancer and his wife, Jenny from a new disease, AIDS. Unfortunately as if he was bound to this story, Tom Hanks lost his wife from a cancer in 2002. Tom Hanks successfully embody this character which was at the base destined to John Travolta.

Some critics say that Tom Hanks has an actor’s play that make laugh involuntarily which may be his secret in this movie. . Tough it is not a matter of dramatisation or acting but rather of representing and exploring a role or attitude. He was anticipated to play Peter Banning’s role in Hook, role finally interpreted by Robin Williams,this shows that Tom Hanks is not limited to drama characters but also to comic ones. One of the qualities that we find in Tom Hanks is that he can appropriate a character and shoulder his story as if it was himself. His success will allow him to make a turning point in his career, being director.

Tom Hanks

Speakeasies

Speakeasies, also called as bling pig/tiger were illegal establishments that sold alcohol beverage during the Prohibition time. They were very numerous and popular in spite of the outlawry, they soon became one of the biggest parts of the Prohibition in America. It was a time where people can’t buy or sell alcohol all around the United States. It was a place where black and white gathered. Speakeasies largely disappear after this Prohibition era.

Now, many Speakeasies open in big cities because of a growing mode. It’s a way of life and culture that’s lead to those new bars. You need to do a treasure hunt to find a speakeasy nowadays. For example, in Paris, you can find those fashion bars thanks to an application on your smartphone. They’re are also know as a result of word of mouth. Speakeasies are parts of establishments, they are hiding places. It’s often a secret room, reachable only when you know were it is, sometimes, the door is hidden behind curtains or another door.

 » The Queen of Soul  » : Aretha Franklin

I am going to speak to you in this article of one of my favorite artists: Aretha Franklin ! 

This talented American singer of Gospel, Soul-funk, Rhythm and blues and Jazz, nicknamed  » The Queen of Soul  » or still « Lady Soul » was born on March 25th, 1942.

We all heard already doubtless the magnificent version of  » Oh happy day  » (link) and we necessarily tried to dance on its resumption  » Think  » ( link) of the Blues Brothers! 


She sold 75 million records and stays the feminine artist today having sold most of all times vinyl records.
The magazine Rolling Stone places her first in the classification of the best singers of all times.

In 2009, she interprets My Country ‘ Tis of Thee, during the ceremony of the new president of the USA Barack Obama.

In 1968, Aretha Franklin is classified in second position of the Afro-American personalities the most known about the world, just behind Martin Luther King.

I think that I am going to stop there because we could write pages and pages on her.

Robert Downey Jr. is Chaplin in 1992 !

 

I discovered recently on a broadcast that the actor / American producer / composer Robert Downey Jr ., played the role of Charlie Chaplin in the movie  » Chaplin  » in 1992. The movie was produced by Richard Attenborough, which tell the life of Charlie Chaplin at the age of 5 and its artistic adventure, up to its death.

Trailer :  http://www.allocine.fr/video/player_gen_cmedia=19461209&cfilm=4642.html

I didn’t see unfortunately yet this movie but I am sure that Robert Downey Jr is great in this role. It’s one of my male actors preferred !
I look forward to seeing this movie and I hope that you will want it !

Three new films derived from Harry Potter in cinemas in 2016

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After the great emotion at the premiere of the latest Harry Potter film in 2011 (photo attached) the Studios Warner Bros announced three new movies around Harry Potter’s universe.

The writer J.K Rowling, whom I like particularly, works at the moment on these scenarios, for the biggest happiness of « Potterhead », the fans of the saga ( including myself) 

The first film titled ‘fantastic animals’ will be directed by David Yates, producer of the last four Harry Potter.

The second film is provided for 2018 and the third in 2020, a long wait for the impatient like me!

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

Daniel Keyes (1927-2014) is an american writer. He was a researcher in psychology and too an essayist.

Flowers for Algernon is a science fiction novel published in 1966. The story is about a young man, Charlie Gordon, who is a mentally retarded. He wants to be more intelligent and follow Miss Kinina lesson (who stay with him and help him during all the book). Dr. Strauss and Pr. Nemur are scientific who did an experience on a mouse called Algernon and the operation is a success: the mouse become very intelligent. So scientifics offer to Charlie the same operation. Then we follow his evolution trough his diary.

I will not tell you all the story but I can tell to you that it’s a very goog novel. The system of diary is very good. You can have fun (for exemple with error spilling at the beginning) but this novel can be very hard when charlie discover really his situation. We are helpless like him when he see Algernon become mad and die and so anderstand that it’s his destiny,.. In this book friendship are very important: Charlie discovers that he needs the same things (like love or attention) intelligent  or not; and the fact that he had more friends when he was « stupid ». And so and so….

If you want to know more, read it! really! I can say to you that you will not be disappointed!

The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells

Herbert Geoges Wells ist a british writer who was born in 1866 and died in 1946. He is famous for his science-fiction novels but he wrote too popularized books about history and biology. He had also a politic and social reflexion.

The Island of Dr. Moreau is published in 1896 and is one of his science fiction novel. The story is about a man, Edward Prendick, who after lived a shipwreck, is saved by Montgomery a man who work on an Island with Dr. Moreau. Dr. Moreau is scientific who is absessed by vivisection and make experiencies on animals with the goal that they look like human  (for exemple they can speak). However animals kill Dr. Moreau then Montgomery. So Edward Prendick must survive alone in this wild island with dangerous mutated animals.

This book give a reflexion about the relationship between human and animals, and the question of identity. I liked very much to read this book. And you?

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

First the author:

Aldous Leonard Huxley is a british writter who was born in 1894 in United Kingdom and died  in 1963 in the United State. He is too a philosopher and an essayist. He worked on spiritual questions, tried many drugs for experience and studies. He has a critical point of view on ordinary uses, the social norms and on ideals of his time. To denouce the problems of the society, he uses in his work science-fiction and anticipation genre. He was a member of the Bloomsbury Group which rather british artists and intellectuals (like Duncan Grant or John Maynard Keynes) from the beginning of the XX century to the beginning of the second world war.

For the little story, He losthis mother when he was very youg and he had to cover his needs by himself very young too. He lost early too his brother and his sister. After a disease he became nearly blind. He had two wife (the second after the death of the first) and one child. He died after an injection of LSD gived by his wife but wanted by him because he was very ill and he was suffering. We can think that this fact is odd because one of his character in Island (1962) die like that.

then the novel:

Brave New World is one of the most famous novel by Aldous Huxley, published in 1932.  In this story, the world is divided in different castes with a hierarchy. The reprodiction is just artificial so the sexualities are just recreational activities with the goal to not have loving passion (which are sources of tension like jealousy). All the population are conditioned for his hobbies, his favorite activities, his job,… When you are sad, you have a drug called soma, gived by the government. It’s a « perfect world », all citizens are happy. But you have a « wild world » where you have people who give really birth to child, who can be ill, who can read many books and writte; in fact who can think by themself and who are not standardized. The novel is about the confrontation of this two world when a man of the « wild world » discover the « perfect world ».

I love this novel because it is very interesting. It’s an anticipation book and I find that the society discribe by Huxley very began to look like our society. For exemple he imagined that we can do child without parents: in his time it’s not exist at all but now we can do that. And now if you are « sad », doctors give you some medicament and it looks like soma…

I really advice all of you to read this book!

The heart is a lonely hunter – Carson McCullers

Carson McCullers is an american writter born on 1917. The heart is a lonely hunter is her first novelwritting at the age of 23. The scene takes place in a little town on southern America. It tells the story of few chracters living there and crossing each others lifes. It beggin with John Singer and his friend, Anatopolus, two deaf-mute living together, but one day, Anapolus is locked in a psychiatric hospital, letting Singer alone. Next to it, he become the link between the others characters who confide their dreams and ambition to him.

If you read and enjoyed Le moulin de Pologne by Giono, I recommend it to you, you’ll find the same kind of atmosphere close to the closed-door wich just a little bit more of pessimism and darkness. Furthemore, Carson McCullers is a great author that succeeds in making you feel close to her characters because they look complitely human full of weackness, hopes and disappointments.

Taxi Driver

 

We talked about Taxi Driver in class but I had never seen this movie before. And because I’m curious, I looked this movie of 1976. Taxi Driver is an american movie written by Paul Schrader and directed by Martin Scorsese. I learned that Paul Schrader wrote the script in five days and the story is somewhat autobiographical. In this film, we can see Robert De Niro in the role of a young Vietnam’s veteran, who becomes a taxi driver. This man, Travis Bickle, faces to loneliness and violence of the nights in New York. He develops a kind of obsession for guns. In fact, in 1976, New-York is one of the cities with the highest crime rate in the world. I liked this movie because I think it really shows the psychological consequences of the Vietnam War on American soldiers. I liked the music of the film because I think soft and slow jazz, composed by Bernard Herrmann, perfectly reflects the bitterness of the character. Moreover, this movie is considered a cultural and historical masterpiece so it is preserved at the Library of USA Congress.

I advise you to watch this film with the famous sentence of Robert De Niro in front of his mirror « You’re talkin’ to me? » !!

 

Pearl Harbor

[youtube]http://youtu.be/_I_oaHYZDrY[/youtube]

Pearl Harbor is an American film directed by Michael Bay and released in theaters May 25, 2001 in the US and June 6, 2001 in France.

Rafe McCowley (Ben Affleck) and Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett) are two childhood friends who dream of flying. At the beginning of World War II, both are airline pilots. Before joining the army, Rafe meets Evelyn (Kate Beckinsale) who he falls in love with. Evelyn believing Rafe dead in Europe, her and Danny came closer and fall in love. Against all odds, Rafe returns hurted and discovers the betrayal of his best friend and Evelyn’s pregnancy. The bombing of Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941 will allow the two friends reconcile, fighting together against the Japanese enemy. But Danny does not return alive from combat and Evelyn are no longer faced with the dilemma; she ended her life with Rafe raising the child of Danny.

I discovered this movie when I was 12 and I place it at the top of my list, it’s my favorite movie. It’s still good, even with the time. I realize that the story is more focused on the love triangle as the story of the war. The special effects are awesome. The soundtrack by Hans Zimmer allows us to feel the emotions twice as strong as the scenes. The sets are great, the players are just amazing! (Josh Ben Affleck play really well and Kate Beckinsale is beautiful). The bombing of Pearl Harbor Lighthouse scene of the film – is very well done. The love triangle’s story adds a touch of emotion to the film and there’s also a real job on the transcript of the story.

The Great Gatsby’s story

The Great Gatsby is a book written by one of America’s greatest writers, F. Scott Fitzgerald. It’s published in 1925, this story shows the American Society of the 20’s through the story of a man who wants to become the richest possible for accets many privileges. This person is Jay Gatsby, a wealthy New York man so the main occupation is to organize huge parties he organizes in his enormous house. But he is suspected of having been involved in outlaw businesses .
This story is narrated by Nick Carraway who is the neighbor of Gatsby & who became his one and only friend. As to the story, we learn that all these representations are made to impress Daisy Buchanan, who lives with her husband across from Gatsbys. He had a love story with her & still love her, but she ended up married to a man she doesn’t love. At the end of the story Gatsby is shot by a resident of the industrial area where his wife was hit by Gatsby‘s car.

For this book, Fitzgerald explains the meaning of the « failed generation » based on the appearance forgetting the essentials of life. Gatsby represents the optimistic person that shows the world that if you want you can and there is no difference between people.

Personally, I have not read the novel, but I saw the film with DiCaprio last year & loved it. This is a movie full of color, music & action carries a moral. & then there’s Dicaprio, how not to love !