The Incredible

     The Incredibles is one of my favorite animation film in Disney Pixar. During my primary school life, I already watched this film. The reason why I like this film is because the super power of the characters. Since I was kid, I like to imagine I have super power, such as flying super power and can other people mind. It really cool if I have super power then I can help a lot of people instead of do bad things. I can learn many moral from this film. I love this film not only the animation, it because the storyline is talking about the important of family. The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated superhero film written and directed by Brad Bird, produced by Pixar Animation Studios, and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film follows a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers and live a quiet suburban life. Mr. Incredible's desire to help people draws the entire family into a battle with a villain and his killer robot.

     The theory of the film is Feminist. For the history of feminist, it started in the 1920s, looking at women’s expression of her own subjectivity.  Feminist film theory matured in the late 1960s, after the radicalized feminist movement. Feminism touch a lot of political issues. It is a set of political practices seen through the analyses of the social/historical position of women as subordinated, oppressed or exploited in dominant modes of production and by social relations of patriarchy or male domination. This film of theory are viewed as a reflection of the society, so we can know how perception of women in this society. Themes explored in feminist theory include discrimination, stereotyping, objectification, oppression, and patriarchy. This all is totally bad things for women.

So how to look in feminist in film is assumed predetermined sexual identity to expose the misrepresentation of women in films. The assumption here being female repression by a patriarchal society. Next is we look at the various female representations in the film and compare them, seeking out the final resolution of the ‘preferred’ female representation. Another one is looking at the female representation of the film from the female spectator’s point of view. There are other ways of interpretation of feminism in films that are more up-to-date, namely to include class and race, that further broadens the readings of films through spectator and the experiences of women in different classes and races.

     In this film, we can see that the representation of feminist is Helen Parr (Elastigirl), wife of Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible), Violet Parr (child of Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl), Mirage (Syndrome’s agent). Firstly, Helen Parr choose to marry to Bob Parr because she rely to him. But In 1979, public opinion turns against humans with superpowers – called "Supers" – and after facing several lawsuits over peripheral damage caused by their crime-fighting activities, the government forces them into civilian relocation programs. After 15 years later, Helen try to protect her family with hidden their super power identity. But what happened next she find out that her husband got trouble. She try to find out the problem to save her husband. Women are not only stay at home take care family, but also can work out side and can more power than men. Next Violet Parr is a shy girl, her super power is invisible and force shield. She really shy to show herself in front on her crush. After that

When the bad guys want to kill her brother, Violet use her force shield to save her brother. She take away her shy attitude to save her family. Lastly she not shy anymore, she dare to talk with the boy she like. Next character is Syndrome’s agent –Mirage. Mirage is a bad girl because she helping Syndrome to kill all the super hero. One of the scene when Mr. Incredible want to use Mirage to threat Syndrome, but Syndrome don’t care about. Mirage regret because help Syndrome. Lastly she choose to help Mr. Incredible to save the world.

     Women very important because men cannot live without women. Women take important role for every aspect. 

Breathless

       Another interesting film that I watched call “Breathless”. I gain another knowledge from this film. This film use the theory of French New Wave to applied. Breathless is a 1960 French film written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard. In the beginning of the film, I really can’t understand what this film want to bring out. The storyline suddenly jump from another scene to another scene very fast. Sometime the sound and the dialog not really clear, so I can’s clearly understand what they said. I think I need to watch again to understand it. Michel in this film is a youthful criminal. After he steal the car and kills a police, he meet an America girl Patricia. A lot scenes show the relationship between them. Before watch this film, I think I need to understand French new wave.

       French new wave came about in the late 1950s and 1960s. The new generation of filmmakers which were low-budget and, most important went against the prevailing trends in 1950s cinema of literary adaptations, costume dramas and massive co-productions- a cinema which had been labelled by Cahiers du cinema group as the father of cinema. Cahiers du cinema was founded by Andre Bazin & Jacques Donial Valcroze. The principles held at Cahiers du Cinema was rejects montage aesthetics, favoring mise-en-scene. The ideology in this stated that a films not only be intellectual or rational experiences but also should have emotional and psychological experiences. Next is personal authorship. The Auteur Theory stated that a film should be a medium of personal artistic expression. The filmmaker’s signature must have personality, controlling obsession and cardinal themes. The auteur should be grow maturely to make successive film. French new wave is the theory that challenges traditional film. The film used jump cut to bring out the storyline. We can see that the film will shoot longer to let audience more notice the location. Next is they use available light, the film didn’t use another light to fill the shadow of the character. The sound are use the sound directly when shooting. Many scene were used hand held camera. They also will used long takes in the film to show the movement. The low-budget approach helped filmmakers get at the essential art form and find what more comfortable and contemporary form of production was. This theory had Self-reflexivity. When watching film, it will reminds audience that they are watching film instead of escape nature of Hollywood.  Next point is strong female archetypes, women were given strong parts that didn’t conform to archetypal roles seen in Hollywood . Women are not depend on men, cause women can able to make own decision. The French New Wave ended in 1969. After a decade of radical filmmaking, this form of cinema has embedded into the mainstream. The directors developed their own styles and made mainstream films.

       In the beginning of this film, we can see that Michel steal a car and drive over the road. In this scene, Michel talking to himself inside the car while driving. We can see that a lot of sound from outside and also the jump cut. The jump cut here show Michel drive very long journey. In this scene also can see that the hand held camera shoot inside the car. Next, one of the scene show Michel bring Patricia go inside a dark room and lead go to the door that have light. In this scene the room very dark even can’t see anything, means they use available light. Patricia is a student and aspiring journalist, who sells the New York Herald Tribune on the streets of Paris. When she interview famous man at airport, we can heard that another airport ambient sound. Patricia in this film is a strong women because after she realize that Michel is killer, she report to police to let police catch Michel. Although Patricia really love Michel, but she want Michel to be a good guys instead of a killer. Lastly a long shoot show in this film when police shot Michel, Michel keep run and escape. It show the move movement of hand held camera.

       This film showed the reality of life instead the Hollywood. I want to try shoot this kind of film to show the reality of life. Although nowadays, all the audience preferred watch Hollywood film. 

Bicycle Thieves

Bicycle Thieve is a Italian Film in 1948 directed by Vittotrio De Sica. I like this film because I totally attracted by the relationship between father and his son. I enjoyed when I watching the journey that the father and his son went through. I actually want relationship like that, because since I born, my father very busy to carry his work, so we don’t have spent more time to build our relationship. This film used Italian-neorealism to present it. It is a classical Hollywood Cinema after sound.

The history of the Italian Neorealism was after World War 2. The World War 2 destroyed the national cinema and the stability of economic cinema industries had been affected also. When end of the World War 2, the Nazi economy was eliminated. After that, Marshall Plan rebuilt the European national industries and allowing production to go big area. For Italy, the production facilities were pretty much intact.

Cesare Zavattini was the theoretical founder of neo-realism in 1942, he suggesting a new form of Italian Cinema that planned plots, use real people which means non- professional actor and locations so that direct contact is built with contemporary social reality. It want to show how social reality looks like in the film toward audience. Zavattini stated that all the professional actors in film were fake. So all the actor of the film not really professional, the only act what they like in their real life. The plot structure of film is fake compare with real life.

There are many elements of neo realism in film to define. First, Most of the shooting location was the area of after the war. The shooting should be documentary in style, shot in natural light, with a hand held camera and using observation and analysis. Next is the sound recorded and add after the shooting. The film will add professional actor and mix with non-actors. The whole film refer to contemporary national experiences. Next is socially-conscious and also the human point of view. It should focus on social reality. The film is a piece of life. It should appear to enter and then leave everyday life.

The beginning of the film, we can see the black and white with natural light in whole story. The location in the film used the area of after war. It show the situation of the film very bad in economy. Ricci and Maria very poor, so Maria had to sell her quilt and buy a bicycle to Ricci. It means their situation very poor and hard to live. This is the realism in our life. When Ricci and Maria walk back to their home, the shoot style is use long shoot. Long shoot mean use one take. The camera keep shooting them walk back to home. So we can also can notice the environment is very dusty and the land is uneven because after war. Maria very hard to cross the land because the land too many uneven.

 Everybody try hard to finding job. They want earn money to live and take care their family. During that time, finding job is the harder things for them. Antonio Ricci in this film as a father. He get his job from a man, but he need to get a bicycle. If not, he cannot work because he need go until city. I very hard recognize who is professional and non-professional actors. We found out that only professional actor is the man that give job to Ricci. So we can see that this film is mix up with professional and non-professional actors. 

Next is the journey of Ricci and his son Bruno. My favorite scene is when Ricci slap Bruno. Although Ricci angry, but he still will bring Bruno to high class restaurant to make Bruno happy. As a poor man, Ricci still willing to spend money to make Bruno happy. We can see that Ricci very care about the relationship between his family.

 When Ricci finding thieve, we all can mention that not really all the people help him. Ricci saw an uncle communicate with thieve, Ricci keep asking the uncle the way to find thieve. But the uncle don’t want give any responded to Ricci. Ricci facing the reality of social, everybody only care about their life. They won’t do the thing without benefit. In the end, Ricci still cannot found his bicycle.

In conclusion, Italian Neorealism refer to our social life. We can see how our social life in the film. It not like the fake of Hollywood. But audience more prefer watching fake film instead of real life film.