Bicycles vs. Uniforms: Who Has the Last Laugh?

On the surface Bicycle Thieves and The Last Laugh have the same plot.  In both films the protagonist either loses his job or will likely lose a job and in a desperate bid to restore that job they need to reacquire or even steal a precious object that symbolizes their position, a bicycle or a uniform, respectively. Furthermore, if we ignore the "happy ending" imposed by the studio on The Last Laugh, both protagonists end the movie defeated and depressed with seemingly little hope for a better future.  Nonetheless, despite these similarities, these are different movies.  In what way are they different?  What is the social or moral message of each?  What are each say about the society of their times (Germany in the 20's and Italy in the 40's)?  How do they differ on questions of social mobility, morality or the family?  Is one more hopeful or cynical?

Keep Your Eyes on the Eyes

Bicycle Thieves is not only a movie about looking for a bicycle -- it's also a movie about looking at other people. Many of the most memorable moments of Bicycle Thieves are scenes in which the main characters look at each other: Bruno looking at his father on their way to work, Bruno looking in shock as his father slaps him, Antonio looking in relief as he finds his son. In the final scene of Bicycle Thieves Antonio looked at his son Bruno before his desperate act, and most dramatically Bruno watched Antonio steal a bicycle, get caught and suffer public humiliation. What do these scenes tell us about relationships in the film? About community? About emotions? What about scenes in which a character fails to look at another (as when Bruno falls and Antonio does see it)? What is the significance of the look?

Fides

When Antonio's bicycle is stolen, he loses more than a bike. The brand name of the bicycle "Fides" (Faith in Latin) suggest it has symbolic value. What is the significance of that symbol? What does Antonio lose? Are there other symbols in this film?

Jay Gatsby v. Charles Foster Kane

Most of us read The Great Gatsby in our sophomore Humanities class. Both Gatsby and Citizen Kane,produced about twenty years apart, focus on a man who some might say is the epitome of success. What similarities and differences do you see? Are these works celebrations or critiques of these men, or somewhere in between?  Or something else?  Do they tell us anything about the American Dream?

Jigsaw Narrative

Multiple narrators tell he story of Charles Foster Kane's life.  We see his life in a newsreel format, in Thatcher's memoirs, and as told by Bernstein, Leland, Susan Alexander, and even Raymond, the butler.  What is the point of telling the story in this way?  Does each narrator give a specific "spin" or have a particular bias?  Does each see a distinctive aspect of Kane's personality?  Is each section told in a different way, utilizing different techniques of filming (such as camera angles, deep focus, lighting, or even choice of music)?  What" bang for our buck" do we get from this jigsaw narration?  Is it equal to or greater than the sum of its parts?

Rosebud

Rosebud is perhaps the most famous symbol in movie history. What is the significance of the name "rosebud?" What is the significance of the sled? Is it the key to understanding Kane's life or just one missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle that does not explain much at all? A meaningful symbol or a MacGuffin? Are there other symbols in the film that are more meaningful or complement you reading of the sled (such as statues, jigsaw puzzles, Xanadu, etc)?

Innocents Abroad?

In Top Hat the American dancer Jerry Travers and the American socialite Dale Tremont waltz and fall in the love in the European cities of London and Venice.  Along the way they meet Europeans embodied in the members of the stuffy Enlgish social club, Beddini, the Italian fashion designer, Bates the valet, hotel clerks in both cities, and even an Italian carabinieri that arrests Bates (Horace Hardwick, Jerry's producer, is played by an American actor but he could be English). The settings are European, but the actual sets reveal an idealized version of Europe.   What does this film tell us about Americans views of Europeans?  What do Americans think of themselves? How do Americans view themselves on the world's stage?

I'm in Heaven

Top Hat tells the story of the whirlwind romance of Jerry Travers and Dale Tremont.  They meet, flirt, misunderstand each other, fall in love, fall out favor and eventually decide to marry, all the while singing and dancing.  What is this film telling us about love and romance?  Does "the course of true love never did run smooth"? What is it based on?  What is the role of communication and (mis)understanding?  What about the marriage of Horace and Madge: is that a failed relationship -- or just another stage?  Are Jerry and Dale really in heaven -- or is it all an illusion?

A Little Bird Told Me . . .

The gossip of the members of his community about his demotion, rather than the demoition itself, is the direct cause of the doorman's downfall in The Last Laugh.  Some of the most expressive images in the film demonstrate the spread of gossip and the resultant mockery of the neighbors: the camera moves to an outstretched ear, the camera follows the doorman along a walk of shame, grotesque and blurry heads superimposed on the neighborhood mock him with unabashed laughter.  What is the movie saying about gossip as a form of communication?  What is it saying about the community that listens to it?  How does what other people think of us influence how we think of ourselves?

Shiny, Happy People

The concluding scene of The Last Laugh depicts the incredible gluttony and generosity of the unnamed, demoted doorman after he miraculously inherits a fortune from a dying American millionaire. He feasts on mounds of food, eating caviar as if it were candy and drinking champagne as if it were water. A tracking shot of the "spread" emphasizes the opulence and indulgence of our hero. What is the point of this ending? Is is a happy ending or a parody of a happy ending? Is this supposed to be objective reality or a fantasy? Is this a cynical commercial ploy or is there deeper significance to the ending?

Tragedy of the Common Man?

When the unnamed doorman in The Last Laugh is demoted to bathroom attendant, his world collapses. At the end of the film he is estranged from his family, fellow workers and neighbors and only the night watchman gives him succor. Is this film a tragedy in the Aristotelian sense (that is, does he fall because of some tragic character flaw?)? Is it an indictment of the society of the time? A study of the inevitable effects of aging? Or, to put the point another way, whose fault is the doorman's downfall?

Damsel in Distress?

Some may argue that the movie The General conforms to traditional patriarchal gender roles.  Annabelle Lee, the heroine, is kidnapped (albeit inadvertently) by hostile soldiers and needs the heroic exploits of her lover to rescue her.  She is portrayed as submissive to her father and brother, ineffectual in plotting her own escape (such as throwing a stick of wood into the train furnace or failing to stop the engine so her lover can board it), and often exhibiting domestic inclinations ( as when she sweeps the engine with a broom).

Do you agree with this picture of Annabelle Lee -- or is it more complicated?  Is Annabelle a stereotypical damsel in distress or is she a more progressive figure?  Is there something about her a feminist could admire?  What is this film saying about gender roles?

Heroes Anyone?

In the movie The General Johnnie Gray, a simple engineer,tries to win the heart of his girlfriend by enlisting in the army. Although he is refused, he eventually takes on a group of Northern soldiers who hijack his train. Not only does he rescue his beloved Anabelle (and General), but he also helps defeat a Northern army in battle. Yet, his methods are hardly standard derring-do. Is Johnnie just lucky or a true hero?  Does this film endorse standard ideas of military heroism or make fun of them?  Or does this movie redefine a hero? What does this movie tell us about heroism (or related concepts of machismo, chivalry, or militarism)?

From Eisenstein to Madonna

Eisenstein's embraced a theory of montage that utilized quick, jump cuts to rouse his viewers to political action.  Nowhere is his technique more fully realized than in the Odessa Steps sequence from his 1925 film Battleship Potemkin.   Fast forward to our own day.  One could argue that the  movies that best exemplify his style are not political in nature but instead music videos first popularized by MTV in the 1980's.  What is the role of quick jump cuts in music videos?  Do videos have a narrative -- or do they have another purpose?  Is there a political message to a Madonna video?  What is the connection between Soviet Montage and the Material Girl?

Birth of a Controversy

D. W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation is considered a landmark American film that ushered in many of the hallmarks of classic Hollywood cinema. It is preserved in the National Film Registry and is listed in the top 100 films of all time by AMC cable channel and the AFI (American Film Institute). Yet it is also a film which advocates white supremacy and lionizes the Klu Klux Klan. Can such a film truly be great? Why or why not?  What about other films such the Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will a film that trumpets Nazi ideology and celebrates Adolph Hitler? Do political and moral statements matter in an artwork? Or is it enough to be technically and artistically brilliant? Can an artwork's message trump its style?

Birth of Science Fiction?

Some commentators have dubbed Méliès's film A Trip to the Moon the first science fiction movie.  Not all critics, however, agree.  Tom Gunning, the author of our essay on that film, argues for the contrary view.  He states, " 'Science' fiction implies a certain sobriety and serious concern with scientific and technological possibilities. . . .  But Méliès cannot take his scientists seriously at all, introducing them first as wizards with pointy hats, figures out of fairy pantomime . . . (70).  What do you think?  While you may not be able to judge whether this is the first of its kind, you can make a judgment about whether or not it qualifies as science fiction.  Compare this film with other science fiction movies you have seen.  How is it the same?  How is it different?  Can we call it a science fiction film, a precursor of such films, or something entirely different?