COMMENT IN TWO SEPARATE PARAGRAPHS:
1) What is the most interesting aspect/scene in this film? [Choose a small details that, most likely only you noticed, but that made you think. DO NOT CHOOSE A MAJOR SCENE OR THEME: just a small detail (clothing? habit? lifestyle? whatever you want but SMALL.]
2) Same but the opposite: Something you found annoying or distasteful. SMALL DETAIL ONLY.
REPLY: read the comments, one from a classmate who wrote a comment before you, and another of someone who wrote a comment after you. Choose comments you tend to disagree with and explain the reasons.
1. In the battle scenes, the women fall upon their wounded or killed male family members. They scream and cry but are not harmed by the soldiers from the other side. At one point, one of the opposing soldiers even shields the head of a woman clinging to and sobbing over the body of a loved one. This may reveal a respect for women in Italian culture, where they understand that these conflicts are between men and do not punish the innocent. However it is a shame that, across the board, women often deal with the ramifications of male conflict.
ReplyDelete2. I did not like that this film was recorded in the Italian language. This is perhaps culturally insensitive, but I sometimes prefer to simply listen to the dialogue in movies. The Leopard, a lengthy film, requires a viewer not lose focus for even a minute, at risk of missing aspects of the plot.
Emma, noticed there was some sort of respect to not kill the woman. However, there are small moments where the men would push them around and seemed to be hurting them. There was one scene where a woman brought a plate to a man and he snatched it form her and pushed her away out the door. I am not saying that the disrespect of woman is an Italian characteristic, but during this time period woman have no rights and are considered property. I think you're right when you say that :"across the board, women often deal with the ramifications of male conflict."
DeleteI have to disagree with you Emma about the film being recorded in the Italian language. I personally did not mind this because I felt like it being in Italian was a more accurate depiction of history, since it is based in Italy and it only makes sense that the characters would be speaking Italian. I do agree that it requires more attention, because you have to keep up with the English subtitles, but I can appreciate how I am listening to the actual language spoken at the time, which helps give a better feel for the Italian culture.
DeleteI also have to disagree with your comment about the film being recorded in the Italian language. Although I am far from fluent, I am familiar with the Italian language and liked how I was able to challenge myself with the help of the English subtitles to try to translate some of the things being said on my own.
Delete1. I found myself consistently observing the clothing worn by the characters, especially the wealthy elite. They seemed so lavish and detailed and were worn on a daily basis, even if they were not leaving their home. It was fascinating to see the dynamics between social classes as the nobel family had dozens of servants to individually serve everyone dinner, or how another servant would practically run to see who was at the door.
ReplyDelete2. I found it hard to keep up with the story in this film. It's very long so there's lots of time to allow issues to be played out, but sometimes it seemed as though the the scenes were too drawn out and too difficult to follow as a result. It was visually beautiful and pleasing to watch, but it seemed as though visually capturing the essence of Sicily in the late 19th century took priority over the specific plot.
I too found myself invested in the clothing that people were wearing throughout the film. It really caught my eye and I feel like it was something I was really paying attention to throughout the film. In fact, my comment is a bit similar to yours in that aspect.
Delete1. One small detail that I found the most interesting about this film is the fearless involvement of women in battle scenes. Although the women were not soldiers, and were wearing normal clothing with little protection, many were seen jumping into battles to push or kick members of the opposing army. The soldiers did not harm them back. I found this interesting because I did not expect to see this kind of behavior in the 1800s.
ReplyDelete2. Something small that I found annoying/distasteful about this film is the attitude of the Prince of Salina and specifically how he treats/talks to the priest, Father Pirrone, in some scenes. He shuts the priest down whenever he speaks up, or he disputes what he has to say. I found this surprising and distasteful because from what we learned, the church is a big part of Italian culture and respected.
An observation I had made was the beautiful interior decor. I know that the setting is in 1860, but the influence of the renaissance still seems very present. Two scenes where the interior decor captured my eye was the opening scene during prayer and the dinner where Angelica is presented the Prince. Angelica's outfit and jewelry was so well planned out. The walls, the ornaments, the clothing and the plates looked like a painting come to life. To me it felt like if the people were removed the interior could have been a museum.This interior decor and the images of the country side help to show the contrast between the rich an the poor, an more importantly the power dynamic.
ReplyDeleteSomething that annoyed me was what others are mentioning as well. The film is so long that at times the plot is hard to follow. It is understandable that there is a conflict between power and land, but I think the story line can get lost. But, I personally do not like the Prince's personality. I especially do not like the scene where he is in the tub and makes the priest dry him. The Prince seemed so arrogant and his dialogue made me uncomfortable.
Nirvana, I have to disagree with your comments about the length of the film. Yes, at points it may have seemed to drag, but when considering the movie in retrospect the run time allows for more character and plot development.
Delete1) I, for one, consider myself to be on the more girly side and was struck by the clothing worn in this film. The clothing was relatively detailed and beautiful, and honestly, rather fancy. Many people dressed up fairly regularly, for occasions both big and small.
ReplyDelete2) I know that this film is set in a rather older time, but the idea of marriage in this film kind of annoyed me. In the film, marriage is seen as sort of a transition of power and what not, and I hate this concept of marriage in the olden days. For I think that marriage should be something much more special that revolves around love, and not power.
I can agree with your infatuation for the clothing in the film. I also think the costume design was very well done. It consistently acted as a reminder of the wealth of the main characters and the contrast to the poorer residents in Salina.
DeleteI agree with you that marriage should be centered around love, but I do think the way marriage is portrayed in this film really sets the dynamic of the time in which the film took place and what marriage was seen to accomplish as well.
DeleteI agree with you regarding the clothing, it was truly interesting to see how such fancy clothing was such an important factor of people's lives, on a daily basis and during occasions.
DeleteRegarding the marriage aspect, I feel like with royal families and those with such great power, they tend to base marriage on power. It still occurs today as well, where people would like to marry into wealth or power, not based off love. There is always going to be someone who goes into marriage for a beneficial reason. I'm not saying its always going to happen, but it still does occur.
1) Something I liked about the film were the sets used. In an age where nearly everything is computer generated, it is always refreshing to watch an older film with practical effects and sets. Many people are spoiled by today's movie-making technology but I have always appreciated it when movies were filmed on an actual set, instead of in front of a green screen.
ReplyDelete2)One thing I didn't like about the movie was the style of acting. Beside from Burt Lancaster's performance as Don Salina, the other cast members had moments of overacting, in my opinion. This is expected though, as acting methods change over time. Today's generation of actors take a more realistic approach and, for me, it works better on screen.
1. A small detail I found interesting in The Leopard was the beautiful scenery of the palace they lived in. I liked how extravagant their life was, especially the wedding ball. The abundance of guests dancing, the huge room, and the decor were all aspects I enjoyed.
ReplyDelete2. A detail I found distasteful was the union between Tancredi and Angelica. I thought they rushed that aspect of the film and did not enjoy how the two interacted together. I felt bad for Concetta from that point on and felt that the two were cruel toward her.
I agree with your position on the union between Tancredo and Angelica. I too feel like this was rushed and was looking for more. I also found it distasteful how the older men, including Prince Fabrizio and his hunting partner, talked about Angelica and her appearance in a way that i found creepy. She looked really young, in her teens, and Prince Fabrizio said that he was 45. I am not sure if it was normal for older men to think about younger women like that during the 1800s but I was uncomfortable.
Delete1.) One detail that I absolutely loved was the costume design and clothing. The clothing designed and picked for this film were impeccable and not only was the clothing perfectly chosen, the hair and makeup of the women really helped set the tone for the film's time era.
ReplyDelete2.) One detail that I did not like was not necessarily the length of the overall film, but the length of some scenes. I do believe that in order to have the audience really get the full potential of the film and it's plot, the film should be as lengthy as it was. However, I did notice that some scenes were a bit too long and seemed to drag out even when it was a scene that wasn't really beneficial to the overall plot of the film.
1) In the film I enjoyed the culture presented in the film. I loved how royal and elegant the homes were. They were very rich with paintings and and furniture. Also, the culture presented in their clothing. The stitching of the women’s dresses, and the suits that men worn were so beautifully tailored and presented in such a classy manner. The women’s ball gowns were like those I used to watch in princess movies when I was younger. Also, the dancing showed Italian culture, which was so swift and calm. I liked seeing how life was in the 1800’s and how culture was incorporated.
ReplyDelete2) One thing I didn’t enjoy about the film is its length. I kept getting side tracked, because there were so many different topics to focus on. I was a dense movie, and had so much going on. Other than that, it was a nice movie.
1. The film portrays an interesting view of women and their involvement in battle that I did not expect. During war, they do not pose as solely nurses or in other roles. Instead, they involve themselves in the violent warfare - even going as far to throw jabs while running into it. This surprised me given the timeframe of the film, which is a period piece.
ReplyDelete2. I would agree with the other sentiments here that the film's length caused me to lose focus with it. The average shot length was particularly high, which made for long, drawn out scenes. As a result, it was difficult to follow the story and its subplots often.
I agree, women did play a role in the war and were powerful. They fought and were fearless. Usually women are viewed as fragile, and not on the battlefield with the men, so it was interesting to see how they were seen in a different light in this film.
Delete