Animal Farm Vs. The Godfather

Animal Farm vs. “The Godfather” George Orwell and Mario Puzo wrote Animal Farm and “The Godfather” (from the book The Godfather), respectively, to express their disillusionment with society and human nature. Animal Farm, written in 1944, is a book that tells the animal fable of a farm in which the farm animals revolt against their human masters. It is an example of social criticism in literature in which Orwell satirized the events in Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution. He anthropomorphizes the animals, and eludes each one to a counter part in Russian history. The movie “The Godfather”, directed by Francis Ford Coppula, also typifies this kind of literature. Besides the central theme of mob life, is another prevalent theme, that of a revolution gone bad. He shows us that, unfortunately, human nature causes us to be vengeful and, for some of us, overly ambitious. Both of these works are similar in that both describe how, even with the best of intentions, our ambitions get the best of us. Both of the authors also demonstrate that violence and the Machiavellian attitude of “the ends justifying the means” are deplorable. George Orwell wrote Animal Farm, “… to discredit the Soviet system by showing its inhumanity and its back-sliding from ideals [he] valued…” (Gardner, 106) Orwell noted, “there exists in England almost no literature of disillusionment with the Soviet Union.’ Instead, that country is viewed either with ignorant disapproval’ or with uncritical admiration.’” (Orwell, 10) The other animals take this utopian idea to heart, and one day actually do revolt and drive the humans out. Two pigs emerge as leaders: Napoleon and Snowball. They constantly argued, but one day, due to a difference over plans to build a windmill, Napoleon exiled Snowball. Almost immediately, Napoleon established a totalitarian government. Soon, the pigs began to get special favors, until finally, they were indistinguishable from humans to the other animals. Immediately the reader can begin to draw parallels between the book’s characters and the government in 1914-1944 Russia. For example, Old Major, who invented the idea of “animalism,” is seen as representing Karl Marx, the creator of communism. Snowball represents Trotksy, a Russian leader after the revolution. He was driven out by Napoleon, who represents Stalin, the most powerful figure in the country. Napoleon then proceeded to remove the freedoms of the animals, and established a dictatorship, under the public veil of “animalism.” Pigs represent the ruling class because of their stereotype: dirty animals with insatiable appetites. Boxer, the overworked, incredibly strong, dumb horse represents the 2 of 4 common worker in Russia. The two surrounding farms represent two of the countries on the global stage with Russia at the time, Germany and England. Orwell begins his book by criticizing the capitalists and ruling elite, who are represented in Animal Farm by Mr. Jones, the farmer. He is shown as a negligent drunk, who constantly starved his animals. “His character is already established as self-indulgent and uncaring.” (King, 8) Orwell shows us how, “if only animals became aware of their strength, we should have no power over them, and that men exploit animals in much the same way as the rich exploit the proletariat.” (Gardner, 97) What was established in Russia after the Bolshevik Revolution was not true communism (“animalism”), which Orwell approved of, where the people owned all the factories and land. Rather, “state communism” was established, where a central government owned them. Orwell thought that such a political system, “state communism,” was open to exploitation by its leaders. Napoleon, after gaining complete control, did anything he wished – reserved the best for the pigs, and treated the other animals cruelly. The animals could not do anything, unless they again realized their strength in numbers against their own kind. Unfortunately, they were too stupid to realize this and accepted the “status quo.” It began when the milk and apples were appropriated to the pigs, and continued to when the pigs could drink and sleep on beds, until finally the pigs were the “human masters” to the rest of the animals. Orwell criticized Germany, representing it as Pinchfield Farm, which betrayed Animal Farm by paying for lumber with counterfeit money. In real life, this represents the Soviet-Germany non-aggression pact during World War II that Germany eventually broke. Eventually, towards the end of the story, the term, “absolute power corrupts absolutely,” is proven, as the pigs, which retained all the privileges for themselves, have evolved into a different caste from the other animals. Orwell’s implication is that “real” communism cannot exist in the countries, which claim to be communist. The ruling class – politicians – owns everything and ironically is therefore in total control. “The Godfather” chronicles the lives of Vito Corleone, a Sicilian who renounced his friendship with senor Selotso by not befriending him in a drug business proposal, and Michael Corleone, a son of Vito. Both of these characters headed the family’s affairs in crime. After Selotso had Vito shot, and almost killed, in the streets, Michael avenged his father’s injuries by killing Selotso and Police Captain 3 of 4 McClupski. With this war going on, family business is in a dangerous position of losing power and becoming outcast by the five families. The family risks its political and police backing if they are not able to pay them off, and when the Kids are running the business they make hasty decisions that go against what the Don believes of justice, he says, “that is not justice, your daughter is still alive.” (“The Godfather”, 1972) Instead the Vito’s kids act irrationally and kill all that may not be on the side of their family when no deaths have occurred. People’s lives were deemed inferior and insignificant, as illustrated when Paulie was killed, Pete said, “leave the gun, but grab the canoles.” (“The Godfather”, 1972) Michael stepped out of his life as a college student studying to be a politician to become a killer when his time was needed to step out of his safe position out of the muscle part of the business. Michael risked his freedom in America and said, “… if you can find a way to plant a gun then I will kill them both.” (“The Godfather”, 1972) The Cause of the war in New York was the decision to hold a meeting with Solotso and already know that the godfather does not want to get involved with drugs. His son Sonny that will be the next leader gets his opinion in the decision and wants to get a share of the drug profits. Declining Solotso is rude by the godfather and does not respect the man enough to understand his greed. Solotso tried to kill the godfather so that he could get his business deal with the Corleone family and convinces Tom (the council) to stop Sonny from coming after him and make the deal go through, “Sonny was hot for my idea and you knew it was the right thing to do…its good business Tom.” (“The Godfather”) Animal Farm and “The Godfather” were written to express their authors’ disenchantment with the state of evolution of human nature. They seem to be saying that even when we begin with honorable intentions, there will be some of us who will let their base instincts take control. Orwell, in Animal Farm portrays this nature by parodying events in real history. Given the right conditions, those events could happen anywhere- a leader becoming overly ambitious, to the point of harming his people for more power. In “The Godfather”, Coppola examines the hearts of the family to find what they can decide what is more important – business or personal – and how people are driven to the valley of human emotions, where desperation and anger reign. Every human being is capable of becoming a ruthless, opportunistic being like Napoleon or Sonny, if given the right opportunity.

Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese. Movie critic, Roger Ebert, has called him a “directing god”. He has been called the “most influential and best director of their time” by fellow director, George Lucas. Director Martin Scorsese has been an influential director for the past twenty years. In the 60’s class of directors that included, Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Brian De Palma, and Steven Spielberg. Scorsese ranks with this class of artists, and his movies have changed the film industry of America (Friedman I). The impact of Scorsese can be shown in a number of ways, such as his style of directing, the films that he has made, and also the relationships that he has made in the film industry. The first is his directorial skills, which are second to none. Scorsese doesn’t just set up the scene, he paints images and feelings into our minds by using camera shots that have become his trademark in the film institution. Another reason for his great success is the films that he directs and the actors he uses. He also has picked certain actors (notable Robert DeNiro) to portray his characters (Kelly 25). In the ruthless business of Hollywood, Scorsese has built loyalties to actor, screen writes and editors whom he uses in many of his films (Kelly 26). Martin Scorsese was born on November 17, 1942 in the East Side of Queens, New York, in an area called “Little Italy.” Little Italy consisted of about ten blocks, but as Scorsese talks about it, each block had there own “boundaries” where everyone stayed. He grew up on Elizabeth Street, and he spent much of his time in the movie theater (Scorsese 17). As he was growing up, he had strong Catholic roots in his Italian heritage that would later influence such films as Mean Streets, Goodfellas, etc (Scorsese 18). Growing up, Scorsese was not thinking of becoming a director, but rather a priest. In fact, he went to college to become a priest. He ended up dropping out his first semester, and then attending New York University film school. At NYU, he made several student films that received praise from the school. One short film called Who’s That Knocking at My Door starred a young Harvey Keitel. Scorsese financed and made this film entirely by himself. He went on to making documentaries, and then was hired by producer Roger Corman and directed a low budget film, Boxcar Bertha. This opened the door to Hollywood productions (Friedman 31). In 1973, he made his first New York set film, Mean Streets which was a powerful portrayal of life in “Little Italy.” This film showed the talent he possessed as well as started a relationship with actor Robert DeNiro who would star in eight more Scorsese films (Friedman 47). Scorsese’s next film was Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore in 1975 which was a big popular success. The following year, he made one of his best films, Taxi Driver, a disturbing story of a loner cab driver who goes on a mission to clean up the streets. The film received worldwide recognition, and Scorsese moved into a place as an elite director (Friedman 59). Scorsese moved on and made the musical New York, New York that was a tribute to the 40’s and 50’s musicals that Scorsese grew up enjoying. Scorsese’s next work was a documentary The Last Waltz in 1978 that is considered to be the best concert movie ever made (Friedman 63). After changing pace, Scorsese returned to his roots, and directed one of his greatest works, Raging Bull. Which is a story of boxier Jake LaMotta portrayed by Robert DeNiro. Scorsese received a nomination for best director, and DeNiro playing the part of a lifetime won the Oscar for best actor. DeNiro gained sixty pounds to fit LaMotta in his older days. The film today still ranks as one of the best ever. It is ranks in the top twenty-five films on the American Film Institution’s list of the one hundred best movies of all time (Kellman 108). Scorsese then moved on to comedies with The King Of Comedy, and After Hours. These films didn’t do as well nationally. He moved back into drama films with The Color of Money, and moved back into the limelight as a Hollywood director (Friedman 72). In 1988, Martin Scorsese released his most controversial film in The Last Temptation of Christ. In the film, it depicted Jesus as an ordinary human with conflicting desires. Churches called the film sacrilegious and protested the film. In fact the film is still controversial. Many Blockbuster Video stores do not carry the film because customers complain about it its contents (Friedman 80). Martin Scorsese moved back to gangster film in 1990 with the film Goodfellas. This film depicts the violence in the Mafia told by ex mobster, Henry Hill, who turned informant. “Goodfellas is the greatest portrayal of the Mafia ever recorded on film,” said FBI agent Tony Goldberg about the film. The film received worldwide attention, and recovered Oscar awards for best actor, Robert DeNiro, and best screenplay (Friedman 92). In the 90’s, Martin Scorsese would remake Cape Fear and also Casino. Both films once again starred Scorsese’s favorite actor, Robert DeNiro. Both had commercial success. Scorsese also directed Age Of Innocents and Kundun, which was noted, for their beautiful scenery (Friedman 105). Aside from the films that Martin Scorsese has made, what makes Scorsese an elite director is how shoots the movie. In his works, Scorsese is not mearly making movies. He is creating a scenario. He is painting a picture. He is bringing the viewer smack dab in the middle of a new world. As a director, he has no equal (Lourdeaux 217). Certainly, credit must be given to the list of brilliant editors and cinematographers he has collaborated with over the years. But, the direction of his films is astounding. His ability to use the camera to convey certain feelings and emotions with subtlety and intensity is perfect. Scorsese accomplishes this so brilliantly that it often becomes a matter-of-fact in his productions. His use of creative imagery gives his film a realistic and personal feeling, which is unsurpassed. It is as though every scene is shot at just the right angle, from just the right distance, at the perfect speed, and that the audience gets the most realistic feeling for the atmosphere of every particular scene. One specific way that Scorsese builds emotions is though his classical slow shots. In films such as Mean Street, Goodfellas, and Casino, he uses this shot, and he moves into the scene that gives a sense of calmness. Even though the images are disturbing, the way in which they are shown does not make them as disturbing (Lourdeaux 241) The other characteristic of Scorsese's films which stands out is his use of the voice-over narrative. Although many would argue that this often becomes annoying and elementary, one can not overlook the genius necessary to carry such films as GoodFellas and Casino using this format. This puts an additional strain on the screenplay writing, as well as on the direction itself. Scorsese's use of the voice-over enables him to add an additional and crucial element to his characters. It lets the audience enter the characters psyche and discover what he is really thinking, rather than just seeing what he sees and hearing what he says (Lourdeaux 245). Another way in which Scorsese distinguishes himself is by the reoccurring themes in his films. I most of the films there is some bad that is going on, such as killing or drug deals. In the films Scorsese builds up incredible tension, and often ends his films on a sad note. Such as in Meanstreets the character Robert DeNiro plays gets shot and dies. In Casino everyone gets killed and his wife leaves him. In Goodfellas Henry Hill has to go into the witness protection program (Scorsese 43). Martin Scorsese has always done something different to distinguish himself from other directors. An example can be seen in Raging Bull. When it first came out, another boxing film, Rocky was coming out. So, to distinguish it from that film, Scorsese directed the film in black and white (Kellman 251). Another way, in which Scorsese sets himself apart, is through his use of music. The music that he uses in the scene depicts the mood as well as the setting of the film. In Goodfellas and Casino they he plays 60’s Italian music to make the scenes actually seam more like it is really that time (Kelly 104). In conclusion, Scrosese has become one of the greatest and noted directors in film history. Recently, he received a “Life Time” achievement award by the American Film Institution (AFI) for his influence on film. This summer, Scorsese will work in Rome, Italy on his new film, Gangs.

King Kong the classic

King Kong A classic adventure-fantasy film in the earlier talking films is King Kong (1933). King Kong was conceived by director/producer Merian C. Cooper. Cooper tells the story of an attractive blonde woman and a frightening gigantic ape-monster who are immersed in a Beauty and the Beast type tale. A major section of the film is the struggle on Skull Island between the filmmakers, the islanders, and the other resident of the island. The other resident being a mutant creature who must also fight civilization when it is brought to New York City for display. From the beginning of the movie, its screenplay by James Creelman and Ruth Rose foretells the coming terror. The film included many revolutionary technical innovations for its time, and some of the best stop-action animation ever sequences and special effects (by Willis O'Brien) ever captured. King Kong was a film with many wonderful sound and cinematic techniques. The filmed contained a dramatic musical score, which helped set the mood of the film. The sound effects were also unusual for films of its time. The director used different animal’s sounds to create Kong’s voice. The narrative of the story was one that was of interest of movie goes. In King Kong the story unfolds pretty directly in front of you so there is not a lot of confusion. To me the film is a montage not mise-en-scene. The story is told in a straightforward manner that doesn’t show a lot of things through the shot itself. In this film the use of stop-motion photography was used unlike ever before to bring life to the beast. The film industry was changed quiet a bit from this motion picture. The acting and directing of the film King Kong was magnificent. In the film there are no particular weak performances. Everyone gives a rather enjoyable performance during the movie. In watching the movie I found that as it went on I just could not wait to see what would happen next, which shows the wonderful pace of the film. The director presents the beast in a way that is tragic. Towards the end of the picture you start to sympathize with the beast that is trapped upon the top of the building being fired upon by planes from above. As a director, having the skill to pull these emotions over a beast from an audience is astonishing. The people who assembled this movie did a wonderful job. There was a great amount of thought put into the production of this film. The composition of the picture is one that should be remembered by filmmakers of today. The scenes on the ship and on the island look as if they really take place there and not on a sound stage or on the back lot. The motion picture tells a tale which is believable because it is one of a man going to a strange island to shot a movie to gain wealth in America. Having hired the help of a beautiful young woman, he runs upon trouble while switching from one interesting scene to another. In the picture the beautiful Fay Ray is as stunning today as she was when the picture was first released. Many of the members of the tribe on Skull Island are represented as being true islanders unhappy of the white man’s arrival on their island, just as a real tribe would be upset. While enjoying the tribal costumes I personally felt the filmmakers outfits to be a bit much. The pre- and post-production work put into this movie made it the classic that it still is today. King Kong has stood as an American classic for 6 decades and is one that will be considered to be one for 60 more. The fact that this movie’s still considered a classic is due to the techniques used during filming, the acting/directing, and the hard work that went into the production.

I love "The Matrix"

THE MATRIX Have you ever had a dream that you thought was so real? Well, what if you never woke up? How would you determine the difference between the real world and the dream world (Matrix,1999)? Some people in this world live their lives knowing that something is wrong. They can feel it in everything they do. They can feel it when they stare out a window or go to work or even when they pay their taxes (Matrix,1999). This feeling which these individuals are experiencing comes from the matrix. What is the matrix? The matrix is an artificial world, which has been pulled over to blind us from the truth, that we are slaves (Matrix,1999). We are trapped in a prison for our minds (Matrix,1999). We will never really get to feel, touch, or see anything for ourselves, except objects created through the matrix. Early in the 21st century, humans joined in celebration in the creation of artificial intelligence (Matrix,1999). Throughout our lives we have depended on machinery to survive. Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony (Matrix,1999). The human body gives off as much bioelectricity as a 120 volt battery or as much as 25000 b.t.u.’s of body heat (Matrix,1999). Artificial intelligence depends on solar energy in order to survive, so our human race decided to scorch the earth, therefore blocking the sun’s rays (Matrix,1999). This attempt failed and we were taken over by robots. The matrix was soon after created by artificial intelligence as a computer-generated world made for us to live out our lives while it uses the natural energy given off from our bodies for its survival in the real world (Matrix,1999). Humans are grown in fields like crops, some never even able to be inserted into the matrix. Babies are randomly picked out by the working robotic hands to fill the spots of the dead. Right now, our real bodies are being stored in capsule-like bubbles where we are plugged into the matrix. These plugs are connected throughout our entire spine and other various parts of the body. The main connection is in the back of our necks, leading to the brain, where the matrix controls our minds by ensuring all five senses. When the matrix was first created, a man was given the power to change anything he wanted in it (Matrix,1999). This man chose to free five individuals from the matrix. The few humans who were chosen to be freed from the matrix carry permanent metallic holes in the back of their necks which act as connectors to the matrix. Any physical ability from drunken boxing to kung fu can be programmed through these holes into their brains. It is done the same way we download programs into our computers. In order to be entered into the matrix, a needle-like computer device must be driven into this hole. Exiting the matrix can be accomplished by electronically connecting themselves to the real world by answering a telephone call from someone there. We, as humans in the matrix, base our lives on sets of rules, such as gravity, never allowing ourselves to overcome our distinct sense of reality (Matrix,1999). These humans who are able to transport themselves in and out of the matrix use their special downloaded physical abilities and knowledge of freeing their minds to accomplish impossible feats such as jumping hundreds of yards or dodging bullets by running up walls. The main objective of the freed humans is to destroy the matrix by allowing their brains to understand it enough to break the code. The challenge in this is not only decoding the matrix but also avoiding enemies within the matrix. These enemies, referred to as “agents”, are able to transform themselves in and out of anybody’s body inside the matrix. They are everybody and nobody (Matrix,1999). If you kill an agent by shooting bullets in their head or crushing them by a train they will not die. Instead, they will simply leave the person’s dead body and enter into another living one. Despite the agents’ capabilities, they still live in a world based on rules (Matrix,1999). Because of this, they are in a sense, mortal, therefore giving the freed humans hope and a motive to save the world from the matrix. The real world is living around the year 2199 (Matrix,1999). The freed human’s mode of transportation is a hovercraft. They not only use this large piece of machinery for transportation, but are also forced to live in it. They travel throughout the sewers of old cities trying to hide from killing machines made up by AI for one purpose, to search and destroy. Perhaps you still feel like the chair that you are sitting in and the air you are breathing is real. Well, what is real? How do you define real? If it is what you can smell, touch or feel then real is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain (Matrix,1999). This dream world acts as a neural interactive simulation of the real world ensuring all five senses, therefore appearing to be real (Matrix,1999). The only real thing in the matrix is death. After being shot or falling twenty stories, the brain thinks that it is dead. If you die in the matrix, you die in the real world also because the body cannot live without the mind (Matrix,1999). In the beginning, the matrix was made as a perfect world where everybody was happy (Matrix,1999). Shortly after, it failed miserably because our cerebellum kept trying to wake up (Matrix,1999). Our brain was unable to determine if it was sleeping or awake. The main reason for this failure is because humans define reality from suffering and misery (Matrix,1999). Instead of making the matrix perfect, artificial intelligence recreated it into the present world. The matrix can also help explain occurrences such as d้jเ vu, lost items, or missing people. D้jเ vu is a glitch in the matrix that happens when something is changed (Matrix,1999). Have you ever lost money or a hat that you were positive you laid on the kitchen counter? Perhaps the matrix simply erased it or forgot to save it, like a computer in your home would do to a file. The same logic could be applied to people who mysteriously disappear with absolutely no traces. Another explanation of this could be that the body malfunctioned and naturally died in the bubble-like capsule. A person vanishing off the face of the so-called “earth” where we live does not happen near as much as a heart attack or a stroke. The reasoning behind this is since we are trapped inside a bubble, we cannot harm our bodies by using drugs or eating fatty foods. This explanation of the present world might seem disturbing or hard to believe because our lives are based on sets of rules that do not allow our minds to fathom. Despite these rules, everybody, at least once in their lives, experience feelings or see things that they cannot explain. Perhaps they believe that these feelings are the actions of a God or another world or even themselves. Never underestimate the power of the mind.

EXCLUSIVE: Bond vs Birds Will Be BIG; Early Tracking Shows 'Casino Royale' & 'Happy Feet' Running Neck-And-Neck

Both films are opening wide on November 17th. But Hollywood couldn't be pitting two more different films against each other. I'm told the early tracking has just shown up for James Bond vs. The Birds -- and they're running neck-and-neck in their box office race. The good news for both pics is that .007 and the penguins have "the highest awareness of any movie this far out since the summer films," one of my box office gurus told me this morning. The tracking shows that Sony/MGM's Casino Royale has a huge male and teen advantage, while Warner Bros.' Happy Feet has the big leg up with Moms and families. Like, duh. The kiddie flick will have a screen advantage: an estimated 3,700 theaters compared to an estimated 3,400 theaters for the spy. Then again, Casino Royale's adult tickets are full price. On the one hand, the Bond franchise has a built-in audience; on the other, there's a new .007 (Daniel Craig) with a Bourne-like look that doesn't depend on the gee-whiz gadgetry of yesteryear, and that may put off Bond fans. As for the flock, their CGI film clearly exploits the humongous success of Warner Independent's Oscar-winning pick-up March of the Penguins; on the other hand, not every animated pic does well at the box office these days. (Remember that Warner's summer bomb Ant Bully?) With Saw III coming out this weekend, and Santa Clause 3 looking to best both Borat and Flushed Away when the trio go head to head Nov. 3rd, and Russell Crowe's A Good Year competing against Will Farrell's Stranger Than Fiction Nov. 10th, all these movies better get out of the way for the big Bond vs Birds showdown. This is gonna get more and more interesting...