Media Studies

Realistic documentary style film Bonnie and Clyde ( Warner Brothers, 1967) directed by Arthur Penn revolves around two partners and their adventures in traveling around central U.S. robbing banks in hopes of becoming rich and famous.  Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway) is a young woman who is fed up with her job as a waitress meets Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) who happens to be in the midst of stealing her mother’s car develop a special relationship. When Bonnie meets Clyde she instantly develops an attraction towards him especially for his bold and audacious nature that she soon decides to follow him in hopes of turning her life around to find adventure and true love. Along their journey the duo hook up with a man by C.W. Moss (Michael J. Pollard) who they encounter at a gas station and later with Clyde’s older brother Buck (Gene Hackman) and his wife, Blanche (Estelle Parsons) who is the daughter of a preacher. Small crimes that Bonnie and Clyde had once committed in stealing from a grocery store have now escalated with the help of more people. The “Barrow Gang” the group would call themselves, in the process of robbing banks has now started to kill anyone who would stand in their way. The scene in the film where Bonnie reunites with her mother and family is a significant scene in the film because it foreshadows the future for Bonnie as well as the rest of the gang. In this scene the colors of the film becomes misty and dream like as well as the atmosphere among the Barrow Gang and Bonnie’s family. There is this bitter sweet feeling that develops in this scene due to multiple takes of long shots as well as its relatively slow paced nature. Bonnie and Clyde’s initial decision to drive down a dangerous and violent road of crime in a time of depression conveys that there will be no happy ending as well as an ultimate road of doom for them both.

In the 1960’s, the film industry as well as the rest of America was going through times of reform and change.  The United States was facing racial conflicts, a rise in militarism as well as feminism. There was a shift in audience demographics as well as directors who looked towards European films such as the French New Wave and Italian filmmakers for inspiration.  Bonnie and Clyde is one of few films that came out during this New Hollywood era which had started to incorporate violence, promiscuity, disillusionment, and ideas of going against social norms. It paved the way for new movies in the U.S. to adopt similar ideas. There was also this shift to realism and a new color palette for film to make them appear more “real” and believable. Technological advances during the time also exposed filmmakers to use new cameras such as the hand held cameras and zoom lenses. Many studios also faced financial troubles during this time due to high production costs. The idea of filming people in their natural settings without having to be staged and the loose style of editing were on the rise. The film Bonnie and Clyde embodies many if not all of these new ideas and changes despite having it set in the Great Depression.

In the film there are multiple scenes where the audience is both hinted and told that the United States during this time wasn’t doing so well both economically and financially. When Bonnie and Clyde rob their first bank towards the progression of their robberies when C.W. Moss, Buck and Blanche join them the country is relatively broke. Times are hard and banks don’t have much money due to the stock market crash as well as the thousands and millions of Americans who’ve lost their jobs and don’t have money to put away. In essence Bonnie and Clyde’s dream of becoming rich are unrealistic in such a time of depression which leads to their failure.

In the scene where Bonnie reunites with her family there are hints throughout its entirety where Arthur Penn establishes shots that foreshadow the outcome of the gang if they continue to rob, steal and kill. We first enter the scene through a long shot where we encounter Bonnie’s family and the gang interacting with one another outdoors near a hill. We then zoom in to a close up shot of Bonnie’s mother looking at Bonnie with a slight smile and Bonnie looking back. Followed by this we see a long shot of C.W. Moss standing on a hill holding a gun staring right back at us. This simple shot which tends to be overlooked hints the idea that although Moss is part of the gang, he will eventually rise to the top. Throughout the scene we notice that he stands on this hill overlooking what is happening, which essentially is what C.W. Moss does later on in the film. He watches over and anticipates for both Bonnie and Clyde’s death because he is forced to do so by his father. The scene progresses as we go towards another long shot of Bonnie interacting with a woman from her family and possibly her son. The swaying of the branches around them also indicate the disorder that is about to come. We then see Bonnie, the rest of the gang, the women and child go through a photo album where they reminisce about the past.  These continual long shot develop a sense of distance yet closeness between Bonnie and her family which conveys the fact that this will be the last and final time Bonnie will see her family. To further enhance this idea, in the following shot we see Bonnie giving a member of her family a hug. This shot then follows Bonnie and Clyde’s enactment as if they were caught in crime.  The two individuals raise their hands as they are being pointed at with a gun. This is ironic because this act that Bonnie and Clyde puts on is going to happen to them in the future where the two will be gunned down for their sins.

Additional foreshadow of the negative outcomes for the rest of the gang is portrayed through the young boys rolling down a hill. These repetitious slow paced shots are trying to convey the fact that if Bonnie, Clyde, Buck and Blanche continue down this road of crime they will face hardships and be punished by society. Followed by this scene we see Bonnie hug her mother. The interesting aspect about this shot is that throughout the beginning of the scene where we see Bonnie bonding with her family, her mother who she came to see in particular stands far away watching her and has the least amount of interaction. We also see Buck playing with one of the boys in the gathering. He allows the child to sit on his lap and essentially ride him like a horse. The two also fall down the hill foreshadowing how Buck will fall from society and lose his life. Bonnie then has one final meal with her family. Succeeding this shot we see Clyde building a sand castle, however, one of the child hits Clyde in the face with his branch of leaves and eventually falls on top of Clyde’s work. This humorous scene shows more than what simply appears to be on the surface. It conveys Clyde’s punishment of what he built of himself as well as his life. The child represents in this situation, justice which is going to put Clyde to an end. The scene ends with Bonnie’s family departing and the gang getting back on the road to do what they do best. However, just before that Bonnie and Clyde has a talk with Bonnie’s mother who clearly shows disapproval of Clyde and what he does for a living. “You best be keep running Clyde Barrow, and you know it,” is the last line she says to Clyde before saying goodbye to Bonnie and departing.  This shot is extremely vital and it serves as a warning to Clyde as well as Bonnie, for she sees that her daughter will face just as dreadful of an ending as Clyde’s destiny but there is nothing she can do as a mother because she understands that her daughter has made up her mind.

The colors in this entire scene are also off. They appear bright, yet misty as if its entirety were merely just a dream created from Bonnie’s imagination. The slight alteration of color in this scene affects the mood of the scene dramatically. The atmosphere of the scene is bitter sweet due to multiple takes of long shots as well as its relatively slow paced nature such as the children rolling down the hill, which foreshadows Clyde and Bonnie’s slow and painful death. The entire scene is relatively slow paced and calm as it transitions from one shot to another. In this scene the audience can see how Bonnie spends this short amount of time with her family profitably. The bitter sweet tone is further developed because although the occasion is suppose to be happy for everyone, however because we, the audience understand that it will be Bonnie’s last and final encounter with her family this scene becomes depressing and gloomy. What also makes this scene in the film appear bitter sweet is due to the underlying messages of death that are being foreshadowed throughout the entire clip.

There is no denial that the road Bonnie, Clyde and the rest of the gang are going down is unacceptable to society.  It is not only against the law and proves to be dangerous, however, their bold and daring nature to decide to rob banks in a time where there is a depression is not a wise choice. And although we the audience are able to perceive these characters through understanding and accepting eyes we realize that these individuals have committed huge sins.  Despite this fact we also continue to sympathize with these characters till the very end and their demise.

In Bonnie and Clyde, Bonnie’s reunion with her mother and family is a significant scene in the film because it foreshadows the future to come for Bonnie as well as the rest of the Barrel Gang. Arthur Penn portrays this through the color of the film by using light to create a misty and dream like atmosphere. There is this bitter sweet feeling that develops in this scene due to multiple takes of long shots as well as its relatively slow paced nature. Bonnie and Clyde’s initial decision to drive down a dangerous and violent road of crime in a time of depression conveys that there will be no happy ending as well as a guaranteed road of doom for the two individuals. This road toward wealth and fame through acts of robbery may appear fun and adventurous at fist, however, end tragic and gruesome.

The human mind is an extremely complex and powerful source that lives within each and every individual. The mind holds our subconscious thoughts, feelings and desires. Psycho directed by Alfred Hitchcock certainly manipulates and plays with the human mind. This is what makes this movie so highly successful and different from other horror films thorough the years because of its frightening and traumatizing nature.

In the beginning of this film we are caught up with following Marion Crane who is on the run after stealing $40,000 dollars from her employer. Marion flees Phoenix by car, and throughout her journey she grows paranoid, scared and anxious. Her every move is suspicious to strangers because she rushes herself and grasps her bag tightly. Marion’s eyes throughout these scenes also convey a sense of fear by growing large. Many people do say “the eyes are the windows to the soul” and throughout these scenes Marion is consumed by fear and paranoia that she is going to be caught in the crime of theft.  Marion starts to grow guilty and her conscious makes her practically mad. After being followed by a cop, and trading in her car, Marion is off again. As the day progresses a storm comes and she decides to spend the night at an abandoned motel. We soon learn that Bates Motel is owned by Norman Bates and his ill mother who live just above the Motel. At first glance Norman seems like a decent person and relatively friendly person to talk to. He invites Marion to have supper with him in this strange room surrounded by these eerie birds that hang over them. The two conduct a short chat that eventually triggers Norman to become angry with Marion when she insisted that his mother should be placed in a mental institution if she is “mad” like Norman says she is. This is the first clue in the film where we experience “the uncanny” as Norman takes total and complete control of this scene. Furthermore we see him peak at Marion as she undresses herself to take a shower. Following this scene we experience Marion being stabbed to death in the shower. The murder stays a mystery but we assume the killer is Norman’s mother due to the women like shadow cast by the body. Norman comes in after this scene and cleans up the bloodshed and gets rid of all evidence. Norman even accidently gets rid of the money because he was unaware that Marion had hidden it between newspapers. After a week of Marion’s death, Marion’s sister Lila and private detective Milton Arbogast and Sam, Marion’s lover become concerned over Marion’s sudden disappearance. At this point the movie takes a turn as we now focus our attention towards investigating who killed Marion.

I think Hitchcock did a superb job directing the movie and I was certainly in shock when Marion died so soon in the movie. Everything about this movie was almost unexpected even with the subtle clues. I also wasn’t expecting the ending and finding out who the true murder was. There were many powerful and dominant scenes in this film that certainly left me amazed as well as in awe.  One of the scenes towards the end of the movie where Lila is in the basement of Norman’s house and she encounters the corpus of Norman’s mother, still leaves an everlasting impression on me. In this entire scene I was trying to shield by eyes from seeing the body but eventually I saw the corpus anyways. We also discover that Norman is the actual killer as he tries to stab Lila, however, luckily Sam comes from behind and stops him. At the last and final few scenes we learn that Norman has a personality disorder where in his mind, he encompasses both his own mind and his dead mothers. Learning this was not only creepy, but it was also frightening to discover how the human mind can be so daunting and control a persons body to commit murderer. The idea of the plot, use of music, and cinematography was amazing in this film. I’m still really impressed with this movie.

This week in media studies we watched a 1956 American drama film directed by Douglas Sirk titled Written on the Wind. This movie reminded me of the film Out of the Past, which also had a similar take on characters that were “good” or “pure” versus those who were “evil” and “sinful” in society. I really enjoyed watching this movie in class because not only was it entertaining and overly dramatic however, it left me thinking that no matter what people have done in the past, we experience pain and sorrow all in the same ways. Another component of the movie that I really liked was the fact that it was the first color film we’ve watched in class thus far. At first when I learned that the color of the film was “enhanced” I thought that it would cause my head to hurt throughout the movie. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. I felt that the enhanced colors and tones made the movie more exciting and promote it’s over the top demeanor.

This movie revolves around four individuals and their search for love, happiness and identity within a short period of time. Kyle and sibling Marylee are wealthy children of Jasper Hadley who owns an oil company. These two individuals are categorized as negative influences upon society because they are both fail to function properly in society. They are both alcoholics, flaunt their sexuality and have trouble communicating their emotions. Due to this, the siblings act in an unhealthy manner that is beneficial to other people. The story begins where we see Kyle falls for Secretary Lucy Moore, who eventually becomes his wife. In the first couple of months in their marriage, Lucy’s kind and caring nature influences Kyle to be a good man. However, when Kyle learns that he is unable to produce a baby with Lucy he falls back into his old habits of reckless drinking and raging. Mitch Wayne, Kyle’s best friend is the opposite of Kyle. Mitch is a respectful and honorable man. Kyle’s anger and depression grows after his fathers death and decides to take it out on Mitch who his father admired while despising him and his sister. Marylee also develops a yearning for Mitch because she is unable to have him.  One night, Kyle grows terribly violent due to excessive drinking and accuses Lucy of being with Mitch and ends up pushing Lucy and losing their baby. Mitch becomes overly enraged of this and threatens to kill Kyle if he comes back to the house. Eventually Kyle does come back to the house in attempt to shoot Mitch.  While the two are struggling to get a hold of the gun Marylee comes to help and accidently shoots his brother. At court Marylee ends up telling the truth and admitting that she was the one who killed her brother and not Mitch. In doing so, Marylee gained Mitch’s respect in a sense while losing him at the same time. Lucy and Mitch ends up being together while Marylee carries on his father’s position in upholding the company.

There is a clear depiction in this movie between characters who are “moral” and those who aren’t.  One component in the film that gave a huge hint of this depiction was fashion. In one part of the film where the four individuals go a gathering, Lucy wears a white dress while Marylee wears a strapless black dress. This simple, yet subtle but bold statement shows which individual is pure and which isn’t. There were numerous hints throughout the film what showed which of the four where “good” and “bad”. Some of these ways included the way the individuals talked and how they carried themselves overall. Marylee was very bold. It was conveyed though her clothing, speech and body language. Similarly this also applies to Kyle, Mitch and Lucy.

The ending to this movie was certainly bitter sweet. However, I do feel that the ending was fair. I think this film is a classic example in showing that everyone gets what they work for. Marylee was out of control, reckless and self- centered, so therefore she ends up not getting the man of her dreams and miserable. Kyle’s narcissistic attitude and stubbornness led him to his demise. From the very beginning I believed that Lucy belonged with Mitch, however due to outside forces they couldn’t be together. Now that Kyle and Marylee are out of the picture, Mitch and Lucy can truly be happy.

The Italian neorealist film, Umberto D. (Dear Films, 1952), directed by Vittorio De Sica, focuses on the life of an elderly man named Umberto Domenico Ferrari, played by Carlo Battisti.  The movie focuses on Umberto as he goes through a series of challenges to pay off his dept to his landlady, who desperately tries to do everything in her power to drive him out to fit her rich and glamorous facade.  In the midst of this catastrophe Umberto’s most cherished possession, his dog Flike, brings him back from focusing on the cruel and unfair ways of life to the beauty and blessing of actually having a life.  The explicit use of close up shots in the final scene where Umberto tries to commit suicide with Flike, combined with the music transitioning from horrific to buoyant, reveals Umberto’s struggle to maintain his hope and faith despite all the cruelty that society has shown him. Umberto’s struggles, especially his struggle to pay his rent, mirrors the harsh reality of war and poverty that many Italians faced in the mid- 1900’s.

Particularly during this time, Italy was involved in WWI and film productions adapted and revolved around the idea of sadistic and depressing takes on life.  They laid out the lives of average citizens who were fighting to stay alive. Similarly, Umberto faces numerous challenges as he strives to maintain his dignity and pay off his debt to save his home during this time of war.  He sells some of his most prized possessions, including his watch to keep his home. However, despite Umberto’s potential to pay off his debt, his landlady continues to push him to the brink of suicide. His landlord is ruthless and demanding.  Her selfish demeanor causes Umberto to lose sight of all the good things in life and be pushed to his limit.  His landlord refuses his money and then destroys his room. Because Umberto sees nothing in his life, except this hopeless situation, he turns from those he loves and cares about in hopes of ending his life.

The last scene we see Umberto juggling with the burden to survive and maintain his identity. Umberto takes Flike to a community park where he plans to leave Flike behind and end his life. Flike, who is completely devoted to Umberto, follows him and tries to console him. Umberto, however, is still caught up with all the negative things in his life and decides to end both their lives. Flike desperately manages to escape his death, but in the process loses all respect for Umberto. This sudden encounter changes Umberto’s mentality that despite the unlucky position he is in he must make the most of it. These events help Umberto realize that despite the unlucky position he is in, he needs to make the most of what he has in his life.

The consistent use of long shots in this scene helps show a sense of distance between Umberto and his desire to live.  It also shows Umberto’s proximity with death. There is a long shot when we see Flike walking towards the children in this scene, followed by a medium shot of the camera focusing back on Umberto staring sadly and grimly as he sees Flike interacting with the children. Slowly Umberto begins to walking away in a long shot. This long shot plays a significant role in the film because it shows the distance that Umberto has developed between Flike and everyone else.  There is another use of a long shot in this scene where Umberto carries Flike across the gate. The camera is placed behind Umberto as he walks towards the gate. This shot is extremely crucial to the film because it unconsciously indicates to the viewer that Umberto’s back is turned away from his life and towards his readiness to depart life on earth with Flike. As Umberto encounters the gate that warns him about crossing on to the railroad tracks, he ignores the sign and simply slips under it with Flike. This shot helps further enhance Umberto’s preparedness to end his life. There is a succinct shot of the sky and a long shot of the railroad tracks while Umberto and Flikeare on the tracks. These two combinations of shots enhance the feeling of confusion and desperation that are running through Umberto’s head. As the train approaches, Flike tries frantically to free himself from Umberto’s grasp.  Flikes’ escape from death causes Umberto to reflect on his life. The cloud of dust that rushes past Umberto as he searches for Flike in this scene is the moment where Umberto awakes from this state of depression and hopelessness. As Umberto walks towards Flike, Flike continuously runs off. This scene encompasses multiples takes of long shots, showing the distance that has been created between the two characters. Flike has lost his respect and trust in Umberto, while Umberto is desperately trying now to regain the faith of his friend.  Eventually the two make up though a serious of games. However, the last and final shot that encompasses the use of long shot not only leave the audience happy for the two, but also puzzled and awed as Umberto and Flike contentedly dash away on the path to their indefinite future.

In this scene the use of sound and music plays a huge role in explaining and depicting what is about to happen. As Umberto departs from Flike, there is the sound of a bell. The ringing of the bell symbolizes that it is his time to leave the world. Loud, depressing, and dramatic music follows the ringing of the bell. This simple transition in sound foreshadows that something awful is going to happen in this scene.  The point in this scene where the music truly starts to ease is after the passing of the train and Flike’s escape. This event makes Umberto realize that by committing suicide he would be making a huge mistake and allowing society to manipulate him.  The music is lightened when the faithful bond between Umberto and Flike is restored.

This is one of the few scenes in the film where the audience can truly see that Umberto is carefree and happy for once in his life. Throughout the entire film, Umberto is constantly worried because he is struggling to pay his off debt to save his home. This scene gives the audience a strong idea of the pain and desperation that Umberto has gone through.  It also shows that by almost losing Flike, who means the world to Umberto, Umberto is taking a step towards alleviating his pain and regaining his faith. From the beginning of the film Umberto and Flike are inseparable. This final scene where Umberto departs and conceal his presence from Flike is a strong indication of how Umberto has lost that relationship that once existed between them.  Once Umberto realizes his error and the inhumanity of trying to end his life and Flike’s, he turns around and corrects his mistake.

Similarly, Umberto’s situation is very relatable to the average Italian citizen during the mid 1900’s. Majority of citizens were caught in the mist of poverty, and struggling to provide for themselves and their family. Many people were disillusioned by World War I and its after math. One of the main reasons why this film attracted many people in 1952 was its realistic nature. The idea of Umberto’s struggle with poverty and search for identity was relevant to the average citizen. In essence, many Italians looked forward to watching these types of film to help make themselves more at ease knowing that there are other people out there who encounter similar hardships like they do.

In the final scene of Umberto D., Vittorio De Sica portrays a concrete sense of the despair and depression that many Italian people faced during a time of hostilities between nations. The explicit use of close up shots in the final scene, where Umberto tries to commit suicide with Flike, is combined with the metamorphosis of the music going from horrific to buoyant, to reveal Umberto’s struggle to maintain his hope and faith despite all the ruthlessness that society has shown him. Umberto’s struggle to pay his rent mirrors the harsh reality of war and poverty that many Italians were facing in the mid 1900’s. Similarly because of their unlucky situations people questioned their faith. Umberto faces the same problem as he tries to remain faithful and happy as he once was, which is challenged by his tough situation of being in debt.

This week in Media Studies we watched Citizen Kane. Although this was going to be my second time viewing the movie, nevertheless I still looked forward to watching it. I remember the first time I had watched this movie; it had left me with this undeniable first impression. The movie confused me, made me feel sorry for Kane and all in all, left me in unbelievable awe. I also never fully comprehended the movie and the life of Kane. This second time around, I think I’ve learned and resolved all those questions that had left me pondering the first time I watched it.

One of my biggest confusions in watching this movie the first time was the title of the film. I couldn’t understand why this movie was titled Citizen Kane when, it could have simply been Charles Foster Kane. The fact that the title of this movie wasn’t called Charles Foster Kane, but Citizen Kane shows that this man was not like any other wealthy or influential man. I believe that the purpose of this title was to not only portray Kane and his life, however, how other people lived under him watching him grow and become the man he was until his death.

Kane lived an extremely lonely life, deprived of the thing he loved the most which was his childhood and furthermore being separated from his parents when he was a child. Due to this trauma, throughout Kane’s life he constantly tried to obtain the love and admiration of the people. Kane ran for Governor but failed to win because he was caught in a scandal that broke out. Nevertheless, Kane always in some way or another tried to win over the love of those around him including a woman named Susan, who Kane loved deeply. Kane did so much for Susan which included giving her voice lessons and building an opera house just for her to perform in. Kane tried everything in his power to help Susan to become a successful opera singer, which eventually failed due to his controlling and megalomaniac behavior. Kane’s attitude pushed Susan away, something that he tried to prevent from happening in the beginning. There is actually a direct correlation between the way Kane treats his workers and loved ones throughout the movie and that of how he was once treated in the past. When Kane was a child he was forced to leave his home and his parents, something he couldn’t control. As Kane grew up he tried to control everyone around him to fit his needs and desires and initially trying to prevent losing those who mattered to him the most. Even so, Kane fails to accomplish this at the end. Initially the title “Citizen Kane” is significant because it shows Charles Fosters Kane’s power and dominance over the people who worked for him and those under his presences.

During Kane’s life time the Spanish- American War was in the midst of people’s attention. He also lived when World War I was occurring and with his news paper company, Kane published numerous articles about it. The atmosphere of Kane’s era was filled with excitement but at the same time there was a sense of seriousness and movement towards change. Kane supported the Spanish- American War and President Theodore Roosevelt, yet he was against U.S. involvement in WWI overseas. Kane stood up for the working class and he was a strong believer that without these men, there would be no big businesses.

This also comes to the underlying significance of Kane’s life. Although Kane was one of the wealthiest and influential men in New York City, he was inevitably miserable. This is a classic example that money can’t buy happiness because no matter how much a person tries to acquire the things around him, if the person ultimately isn’t happy then it is pointless. Money can give a person stability and luxury however; this does not necessarily mean that the person will be satisfied. I always believe that as humans, we will always crave for more. Similar to Kane, although he was filthy rich, he constantly made more money and then spends it recklessly trying to cover up his loneness and pain within. Kane bought numerous statues in his lifetime and even lived in a larger home that seemed like an abandoned mansion only filled with maids and butlers. At the end of the movie, Kane loses everything. He loses his parents, his childhood, his lover, Susan and all his possessions. The term “Rosebud” is ultimately revealed towards the end of the movie, symbolizing Kane’s childhood. Although it is still a mystery about the intentions and motives of Kane, we can assume that with all the money he had in his life, one thing he was unable to buy was his happiness with the ones he loved which included his mother and Susan, both women which he cared about and eventually lost.

In the second week of Ms. Herzog’s media studies class we watched the movie The Public Enemy. This movie is probably one of the greatest films I’ve watched in a while because it combined multiple genres into one piece of film, keeping me intrigued and engaged. The film combined genres such as action, suspense, comedy, horror, and drama while still having that sentimental and serious take on the overall portrayal of the idea of gangs in the 1930’s. Generally this type of film can be categorized as a Warshaw(?) essay, a genre of gangster film that portrays the depletion of American values and the rise of crimes. During the 1930’s, American life was changing rapidly. In particular, women had new and more significant roles in society such as contributing to the work force, residing in urban areas and the fact that society had modified standards and attitudes towards them. From the start of the film I enjoyed the idea of watching a movie about how two young innocent boys grew up to be amongst the most feared people of society.  These individuals fall into a world of crime and greed in hopes of achieving the temporary moments of fame and fortune, which leads to their ultimate demise at the end.

The movie revolves around the world of Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, close friends who together begins by committing small crimes such as stealing watches, to increasingly sinister acts like murdering a policeman. One of the most memorable scenes that I recall from the movie was when Tom’s father beat Tom with a belt because he had stolen a pair of rollerblades, in addition to saying disrespectful things among his friends. While Tom’s father wipes him, he lets out this horrific scream that stayed with me throughout the entire time I was watching the film.  The expression that Tom had on his face while his father was beating him also left a permanent message on me. I believe that this act of discipline implicated by Tom’s father caused Tom to retaliate furthermore, and to rebel and go his own way. This is also what we, the viewers of this film notice as Tom and his friend Matt grow older. The two individuals grow more ruthless, cynical and audacious.

What I also found interesting while watching this film was Tom’s relationship with women. From the start of the play, Tom shows a strong affection towards his mother something he didn’t show for his father. In the film he also goes through a series of relationships with three women, most of which he showed a physical attraction to. At first he would always show a sense of sincerity towards them, but as time progressed he became uninterested and even showed them disrespect. I think that throughout the movie, Tom was searching for love and admiration. He didn’t tell his family what he did exactly for a living, although his brother Mike had a pretty good idea that Tom was up to no good. I think that due to the lack of praise Tom received among his loved one, he looked towards strangers in society to satisfy and fulfill these components he was lacking.

Another huge controversial issue of the film was the idea of family dynamics. Of all the gangsters portrayed in the film, Tom was the only one who we, the audience were allowed to explore and grasp the world he grew up in. Tom’s brother Mike disapproved of Tom’s ways.  In this one scene, Mike had returned from war and a celebration was being held for him in his honor.  During the celebration Tom and Matt had brought a large barrel of beer to the table. During this scene there was a sense of conflict and bashing among the two brothers. It was obvious when Mike refused to drink the liquor in addition to not having an appetite.  Mike disapproves of Tom’s doing because he understands that going down this road of bloodshed and robbing isn’t going to end well. The denouement of this film sends a powerful statement as when Tom’s family anticipates for Tom’s arrival from the hospital. The last and final scene, we see Tom drop dead at the door step.  This dreadful scene leaves one breath taking and even shocked. Some people are pleased with the ending because they believe that Tom and Matt, both deserved to end up dead for all the sins they had committed. Although I feel these two men deserved what they did, I on the other hand, continue to feel pity towards them both.

This movie  has certainly left me with an undeniable attention towards the changing times of America. Even though this movie was produced in the 1930’s it was strongly trying to convey that America was in a period of rapid change and growth. To this day, I feel that this movie continues to do a good job of encompassing the way human values have changed and the way society has risen. Today we are live in a world of materialistic needs and individuals who challenge traditional ideas and values. Some people go as far as simply wasting themselves and just doing whatever they want with no boundaries. Presently we live in a world of technology. A good example of this would be the idea of blogging (What I am currently doing). Traditionally, students would be asked to write on a piece of paper and hand it in to the teacher to be graded. But with changing times and technological advances, the world becomes different causing people to change with it. Change comes with pros and cons, many of which we experienced in watching “The Public Enemy.” It is, however up to us as citizens to make the most of our life and the way we want to live it under these revolutionizing periods.

I will mainly use this site to establish my ideas, critiques and feelings towards what I learned  and or viewed in my Media Studies class. Feel free to leave comments as to what you think.