ELS Autoblog

Carmen, I’d like to apologize for any confusion I may have caused with my discussion of the Vagina Dentata theory. I have not been saying that I believe this theory, or that it’s psychologically/socially valid, just that it’s an interesting viewpoint to examine. I believe that it is very important to examine different perspectives, especially when I don’t necessarily agree with them. This is a psychoanalytical film theory, and not even a very widely supported one, as is plainly stated in Freeland’s essay. But this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t consider it. If we don’t think about it, how can we discredit it?
I was not in anyway attempting to undermine feminism, motherhood, or devalue life. Nor was I trying to degrade vaginas. I think vaginas are wonderful! In fact, I happen to have one.

Original post by serena

Dr. Campbell, you should be absolutely thrilled, because–finally–I am going to talk about Vertigo. But just a little, for now. I figure it’s best if I deal with little chunks of the film at a time, because I want to be thorough. In fact, this entire post is going to cover just one scene. Ready?
THE GRAVEYARD SCENE:
First, let’s examine the way in which Madeleine is framed in each of the P.O.V. shots.

Notice any similarities? In nearly every single shot, she is in the exact center of the frame. What message is Hitchcock trying to communicate through this, what effect does it have on us, and what does it tell us about Scottie? In this scene, he is following her through the graveyard, so every shot of her is from his point of view. This means that Madeleine is always in the center of Scottie’s focus. […]

Original post by serena

Yeah, yeah. I know I promised two posts ago to get serious about Vertigo, but…aahh! Sharks! This is what I do in place of sleep, apparently. I realize that I’m going really crazy with this sharks + YouTube thing, but I’ve noticed so many fascinating connections! Anyway, here are lovely trailers for the Jaws movies. It’s interesting to see how they change between films, and the affect that time has had on them, especially the more recent ad for Jaws, redone in a fairly comical way.

And these last three…well, they’re just here because I couldn’t resist. The final death scene in each Jaws movie, excluding Jaws 3. (Warning: spoilers) (Like you’re actually going to watch any of the Jaws sequels.) (I think I’m the only one that ridiculous.)

I’ll leave you with the following links, just in case you’re not all sharked out yet

highest grossing shark movies

a thorough list […]

Original post by serena

I know I’ve done a lot of joking about shark movies in relation to the ‘toothed vagina’ theory (which, as Dr. Campbell pointed out, is actually an established psychological theory called Vagina Dentata that the author of my FTC essay was apparently unfamiliar with), but as a long-standing fan of ridiculously bad shark movies, I think they raise many important questions. Our society is fascinated by sharks. Why? Is it just the thrill of fear and the unknown? Or is it something more than that? The media have certainly capitalized on this love of sharks and shark movies. I succumbed to the infinite wonders of YouTube yet again this afternoon and discovered a treasure trove (haha) of shark-related videos. My apologies in advance for this huge string of clips, but they’re all so wonderful that I felt the need to share them with you. All nine are television commercials of […]

Original post by serena

So I was wasting spending my morning on YouTube, on a quest for clips from shark movies. And found, instead, this amusing trio of TV commercials:

These are splendid, but wait! There’s more! I found another video along the same vein as the Hitchcock version of It’s A Wonderful Life shown in class by Megs…”Must Love Jaws”. As if we needed more reasons to love YouTube.
And finally, for those of you curious about Jaws: The Revenge, watch this. Please. It is lovely.

P.S. The following is an “I told you so”:

Jaws…1975

Jaws 2…1978
Jaws 3/Jaws 3-D…1983
Jaws: The Revenge…1987

So you see, Jaws: The Revenge is, in fact, the 4th and final Jaws film.

Original post by serena

Okay, so now that I’ve had time to let Vertigo sink in, I think I’m starting to understand it a little bit better. This could also be because I’ve decided to do my paper on Vertigo and needed to start focusing and making connections. Actually, I was originally going to do my paper on Fast, Cheap & Out of Control but I changed my mind today, after realizing that I just couldn’t get Vertigo out of my head.
What startling conclusions have I made? Well, I’ll tell you. All day today I kept my mind chewing on Vertigo, and not its plot. I was trying so hard to focus on everything except for the plot that I think I missed everything about the film entirely. That is, until I read a review of the film by Mr. Roger Ebert. He made it click for me. After reading this review, I began […]

Original post by lscot7ow

Woooossshhh!
That’s the sound of Vertigo going right over my head. I tried so hard to use all the things Dr. C told us about in class, and every bit of knowledge about film theory and composition that I have at my disposal — and I still feel completely lost.
This was the first Hitchcock film I had ever seen, and it definitely delivered what I thought it would: confusion, frightening parts (I love Jimmy Stewart like nobody’s business, and am now rather freaked out by him), and things that make you just go “huh?” So basically, I can’t wait for class for Dr. C and some of you to help me through this maze of a movie and out onto the other side safely.
By the way, I think the greatest shot in the whole film is right after Madeline has “killed” herself, and we see the nuns and priests climbing up […]

Original post by lscot7ow

Talking about Hitchcock in class today got me thinking about obsessive people and the things which they obsess over. Most artists, I would argue, have something that they obsess about. Actually, I would argue (and I think so would a lot of other people) that it is from this obsession that the artist creates. I mean, look at Eben in Portrait of Jennie (I know, I know, why beat a dead horse, but stick with me for just a second), his “masterpiece” comes from his obsession with Jennie. She is, after all, the object of his painting. And then there is Hitchcock himself. Obviously, if he had had a different set of obsessions, Vertigo would probably by a very different film.
This actually reminds me of a conversation I had with a friend the other day. I was joking with her that “naturally all great artists are substance abusers – I […]

Original post by lscot7ow

I agree with this blog post. I was, and still am, confused by Jennie’s existence. I know that she is not a ghost, because Nathan was upset by that part of the film, but is she really? This is where I feel like Portrait of Jennie goes Sci-Fi on us. Now, not Gene Roddenberry (Star Trek) Sci-Fi, but Octavia Butler (Kindred) Sci-Fi. Is Jennie time traveling? Is she aware of the fact that she is in the future when she is talk to Eben? That also brings us to different theories in regards to time travel. Is this time type of time model where the past and present and happening simultaneously, or is it the sort of past and present that are separated linearly, and are there two Jennies when she time travels, or is there just the one?
Frankly, I’m not sure if all of those things even matter. Our […]

Original post by lscot7ow

Portrait of Jennie is easily one of the most interesting books I’ve ever read. It really had me hooked. I never got to care much for Jennie, but I really liked Eben. Out of the two characters Jennie is the most interesting, and Eben the more simplistic. Right?
Wrong! While Jennie may seem more complicated due to the whole is-she-a-ghost/apparition/floating in time and space-thing, Eben is actually the more complex of the two. While his life may not be all that glamorous (not like Jennie jet-setting around through time and space), underneath it all, it is Eben who is dealing with the most in the book. Eben is figuring out what it means to be an artist, what art means, what life means, what death is, what time is, what love is, etc. While Jennie, the seemingly complicated person, does not deal with any of these thoughts, or, if she does, […]

Original post by lscot7ow