Grizzly Man - Personal Response

It's clear to see why director Werner Herzog took such an interest in Timothy Treadwell, a man who defied modern society and spent 13 summers living in the wild with bears. From over 90 hours of footage shot by Treadwell himself, Herzog selected enough to fill his 100 minute documentary. It could be argued whether Herzog had an agenda on how he wanted to portray Treadwell, because personally I found him slightly annoying by the end of the film. However, I did find it a very interesting documentary and a unique insight into such an obsessive personality. Some of the scenes seem acted, particularly the interviews with Treadwell's friend Jewel Palovak and with the coroner. But it does well in building up a picture of Treadwell's life and his beliefs.

Bowling for Columbine

Once again Michael Moore manages to pick a subject that is very relevant to the time (specifically in 2002 when it was released) and is of strong interest to the audience. This focuses on gun violence and how it varies in American from the rest of the world. At the beginning there is a key sequence which consists of a montage of massacres and bombings throughout history whilst the song "What a Wonderful World" plays. This immediately presents us with irony, but at the same time it's very sad to see these shocking images. The documentary revolves around the shooting at Columbine High School which was a traumatic experience, and Moore interviews people who were involved and affected by the day and this creates an emotional response from the viewer. 

There is one scene which cuts between two speeches; one that is anti-gun use and one that is for gun-use. This is particularly thought provoking and emphasizes how opinions can vary, but we are inclined to agree with the dad giving an anti-gun use speech because we'd just seen the footage from the shooting at Columbine High School. It's a good use of persuasive storytelling.

Fahrenheit 9/11

Personal response


Like most documentary makers, Michael Moore has the ability to engage his viewers even if it's on a subject they would not usually be interested in. This was the case for me, as usually I don't bother to watch films that are mainly political. However Moore's narration instantly pulls you in with interesting and sometimes shocking facts as well as humour. Ten minutes into the film, we are presented with a black screen whilst sound is played - the sound is instantly recognisable as recordings from 9/11. This helps the audience remember the tragedy of the day and also sets the mind-frame for the rest of the film. Quickly Moore builds up the representation of George Bush as an idiot through a series of archive footage and clever editing techniques. For example, we see images of war whilst Bush gives a reassuring speech that contradicts the imagery. 


It is a very interesting film that presents us with a lot of information, although some people have stated that a lot of it is false and manipulated. 

Discarded Sources

Here are some of the initials research sources I had found, but have chosen not to use for my research for varying reasons. 

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9803e1da1f39f93ba35750c0a960958260 

• This is a review that was published after Fargo's release in 1996. Whilst it is interesting to read the early reactions to the film, it doesn't give much more information on Marge as some of the other websites. 

http://coenbrothers.net/blog/category/the-big-lebowski/

• The official site for the Coen Brothers which has an archive of posts for each of their films. However, the section for The Big Lebowski is mainly promotional, as it advertises merchandise relating to the film. It's not relevant to what I'm studying.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/5957

• A review of True Grit featured in Sight and Sound magazine. It's an interesting and well-written review, but it doesn't say enough about Mattie Ross. However, there is an interesting quote - "“I would not rest easy until that… cur was roasting and screaming in hell!” Is she, then, kin to Fargo’s Marge Gunderson or No Country for Old Men’s Anton Chigurh?"

http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2011/03/13/is-true-grits-mattie-ross-not-a-feminist-character/  

• I remember this site being interesting in relation to the portrayal of feminist characters, however the website isn't loading anymore.

Annotated Catalogue

Research Catalogue (with annotations)

Fargo (character: Marge Gunderson played by Frances McDormand)
http://www.filmsite.org/fargo.html

• It contains in depth plot details, helping to better understand the story. Also it picks out many key characters quotes. This website looks at many films in the same way, so the writer seems to be well informed.

http://www.crazy4cinema.com/Review/FilmsF/f_fargo.html

• Interesting descriptions of Marge - "No matter how gruesome it gets, she refuses to rest until these criminals are brought to justice. She is honest, intelligent and relentless, but in a sweet, unassuming way. She is brilliantly funny and intensely serious. A tough line to walk that she seems to do effortlessly."

http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/fargo.htm

• This website compares biblical representation to the film, and whilst it's a bit too deep for my project, it raises many interesting ideas about the character that I can look further into. However, it is just someone's opinion and what they have found from the film.

http://books.google.com/books

• A preview of a book about Fargo, with an interesting chapter called 'The Quiet Triumph of the Maternal in Fargo'. This is probably the most relevant source to my project and I'm going to look into buying this book.

'York Film Notes - Fargo'

• A book in the college library that looks into Fargo in context and at deeper meaning of every aspect. There are relevant chapters about characters and stereotypes.

The Big Lebowski (Character: The Dude played by Jeff Bridges)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEVfM3HL-ic

• An interview with the Coen Brothers about The Big Lebowski. This looks to be an insightful interview and I'm sure there'll be plenty I can learn about The Dude.

'The Making of Joel & Ethan Coen's The Big Lebowski'

• Another book from the college library that gives an insight into what inspired the Coens to write their characters, plus many quotes from them. Also it talks about the Dude's clothes and what they represent.

True Grit (Character: Mattie Ross played by Hailee Steinfeld)
http://www.philmology.com/?p=1075

• This article compares the gender representation in the original True Grit (1969, which I have also seen) and the Coen Brothers' version. It looks a lot at Mattie's actions and what kind of girl it makes her. The writer of this article runs his website which he claims looks at the "philosophy of film" so this source must be quite useful, as he is experienced.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/47839

• An interview with Hailee Steinfeld, who plays Mattie Ross, in which she discusses her character and her portrayal of her. "Aint-it-cool" is quite a renowned site for movie fans and it has been running for many years.

No Country for Old Men (Character: Anton Chigurh played by Javier Bardem)
http://goodreasonblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/no-country-for-old-men-coin-toss-scene.html

• The writer has looked into a key scene of Anton's in depth, and it will prove useful when researching his character. It's written by someone who has just watched the film, and while it's clear they're not a film expert, they work as a linguist, so it's good to get a different prospective.  

http://www.culturewars.org.uk/index.php/site/article/chigurhs_coin/

• This looks at Anton's motivations and it seems like an interesting read.

Sight and Sound magazine 

• The Coen Brothers were the cover feature of this issue of Sight and Sound magazine, upon release of No Country for Old Men. It's useful to see how they adapted the character, as they based the film on a book. This is a reliable source because it is a published magazine that is very popular with film and media students.

http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/4192

•  Interesting review of the film. The BFI is the British Film Institute, which is very popular for its film archive and learning resources.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00dx2c0#p00c5pm9

• An episode of The Film Programme in which The Coen Brothers are interviewed about No Country For Old Men. They discuss the different elements of the film (horror, dark comedy) and the alternate ending. It is interesting to hear their thoughts about their adapted film. Also, it is the BBC so this is a very valuable source for my work. 

The Coen Brothers 

The Coen Brothers by Ronald Bergan.

• A book from the college library that explores their filmography and how their films came to be. The author expresses his own opinions as well as including quotes from the Joel and Ethan themselves, and the people they've worked with. Most notably, it is interesting to read interviews with Frances McDormand because she has played a major part in their success and she is married to Joel, so she can offer information on both their personal life and their career.

Research Catalogue

Fargo (character: Marge Gunderson played by Frances McDormand)
http://www.filmsite.org/fargo.html
http://www.crazy4cinema.com/Review/FilmsF/f_fargo.html
http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9803e1da1f39f93ba35750c0a960958260
http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/fargo.htm
http://books.google.com/books

The Big Lebowski (Character: The Dude played by Jeff Bridges)
http://coenbrothers.net/blog/category/the-big-lebowski/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEVfM3HL-ic
'The Making of The Big Lebowski' book from library

True Grit (Character: Mattie Ross played by Hailee Steinfeld)
http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2011/03/13/is-true-grits-mattie-ross-not-a-feminist-character/
http://www.philmology.com/?p=1075
http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/5957
http://www.aintitcool.com/node/47839

No Country for Old Men (Character: Anton Chigurh played by Javier Bardem)
http://goodreasonblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/no-country-for-old-men-coin-toss-scene.html
http://www.culturewars.org.uk/index.php/site/article/chigurhs_coin/
Sight and Sound magazine 
http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/4192

Small Scale Research Project

How are lead characters represented in the films of the Coen Brothers?


Films:

• Fargo (focus film)
• The Big Lebowski
• True Grit