Thursday, June 4, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Once Upon a Time in the West
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Sergio Leone made a fistful of great films, but none better than 1968's ode to the fading American frontier, Once Upon a Time in the West. The film, about four lives headed on a collision course in a grimy, ramshackle town of the Western plains, is set against the backdrop of the encroaching railroad, which promises to bring civilization to this unruly, harsh country. And with progress, the coal-devouring locomotives also bring death—death for the American West's unspoiled beauty, death for an uncomplicated rugged individualism, and death to the cowboy, who has no place in the newfangled modern world of corporate villainy and commerce.
Leone, an Italian stylist who made a career out of transforming melodramatic genre pictures into wild, fiery, violent statements about the country that had inspired his cinematic dreams, uses West as a means of dramatizing that fateful instant when the Old West of gunslingers and shootouts mutated into the New West of manifest destiny-inspired greed and corruption. But as its fairy-tale title implies, the film is also interested in casting this historical turning point as a parable about the death of the western itself. Much like The Wild Bunch (except with more beauty and pathos than Sam Peckinpah would ever deign to muster), Leone wants his multi-pronged fable to be not only history, but myth as well.
This mythologizing was a somewhat predictable turn for Leone—his cinematic landscapes had grown more expansive and daring throughout the course of his Clint Eastwood-headlined Man With No Name trilogy. On the other hand, West's devotion to classic western iconography and archetypes can be seen as a mildly startling departure from the revisionist westerns he had become famous for. The Man With No Name trilogy (A Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly) was infamous for its upending of traditional western tropes, the most obvious being the notion of the cowboy as a noble, stabilizing force of purity and honesty.
With West, Leone made certain that surface similarities existed between the film's characters and those found in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly—Charles Bronson's stoic harmonica-playing loner can be equated with Eastwood's "Good" Man With No Name; Henry Fonda's vicious Frank is Lee Van Cleef's "Bad" Sentenza; and Jason Robards's wily bandit Cheyenne is Eli Wallach's "Ugly" Tuco. But unlike his previous work, Leone eschews the pervasive amorality that gave his earlier films their groundbreaking vitality, choosing not to overhaul western clichés, but to incorporate them into essential components of his majestic mise-en-scène.
This modus operandi can be gleaned from the film's riveting opening scene, in which a trio of rough-and-tumble killers quietly awaits the arrival of a train at a dilapidated local station. The men, calmly standing in the noonday sun with the sweaty swagger and bloodthirsty eyes of desperados, are stock characters from a hundred previous westerns. The way Leone orchestrates their waiting game, however, is something akin to the way Beethoven arranged his symphonies. Using a mixture of intense close-ups (Leone's signature stylistic flourish) and painterly long shots, and casting the scene in almost complete silence (thus enhancing the immediacy of the environment's sounds), Leone instills this rather routine setup with near Biblical grandiosity.
One of the men's vain attempts to dissuade a fly from resting on his face becomes transfixing in Leone's tight Panavision close-up, and the director's patient camera wisely lingers on these nasty, no-nonsense thugs just long enough to instill in them a sense of legendary vileness. When the train finally arrives with Bronson in tow, Leone marries Ennio Morricone's hauntingly skuzzy guitar riffs to a gorgeous deep-focus shot angled upward from the ground near the trio's boots, with Bronson a tiny but nonetheless imposing speck in the distance. The effect is a transcendent moment that encapsulates the quintessential, doom-laden instance in all westerns that occurs right before hands flash down to holsters and gunfire erupts.
Bronson's Harmonica (he gets no formal name, as befitting a ghostly renegade) has arrived in town to meet with Henry Fonda's wicked, power-hungry Frank. After disposing of Frank's goons at the station, Harmonica slowly finds himself drawn into a drama involving Claudia Cardinale's Jill McBain—the feisty and jaw-droppingly gorgeous widow of a slain local businessman—and Robards's scruffy outlaw Cheyenne, who's being framed for the murder of Mr. McBain and his three children. Since Leone shows us their execution, we know that Frank has killed the McBains, but the motivation for their murder is revealed with great prudence.
Repeatedly, West's most flawlessly executed moments involve acts of exposure or revelation. Each character's face is initially revealed to the audience either through measured zooms or graceful, swirling pans around the character's body, and Leone uses his elegantly dreamy pace to consistently tantalize us with hints of things to come. Mrs. McBain, a former prostitute, arrives from New Orleans at her new home to find a funeral procession, and Leone conceals the scene's payoff—the sight of McBain and his children's corpses sprawled out on picnic tables—only after his delicate tracking shot, positioned from Mrs. McBain's perspective, has leisurely moved down the line of mourners. Similarly, the identity of the man present in Harmonica's periodic visions remains cloaked in an unfocused haze, so that Leone may intrigue his audience without divulging key information too soon.
Much has been made about the influence of Italian filmmakers Dario Argento and Bernardo Bertolucci—who are credited with helping Leone conceive the story (written by Leone and Sergio Donati)—on the film. Still, even though West's pensive, tragic romanticism recalls vintage Bertolucci, and its abundant use of visual and aural signifiers brings to mind Argento, the film's seductive interplay between image and sound—a relationship that would reach its apex with the director's final film Once Upon a Time in America—is trademark Leone. The director harmoniously links disparate sounds and images: the buzz of a fly or a gunshot segues into the howling whistle of a train and the squeaking of a weathervane becomes the plaintive whine of a harmonica. Leone similarly uses the sounds of the natural world as a means of slowly revealing information—when the crickets stop chirping while McBain and his kids prepare for Mrs. McBain's welcoming feast, it's clear that trouble is brewing—and punctuates the action with Morricone's passionate, haunting score.
Leone employs his florid, expressionistic directorial style to convey an overriding tone of wistful resignation over the land barons' arrival. Although Mr. Morton, the sickly railroad tycoon who wants McBain's strategically-situated plot of land, pays the dastardly Frank to do his dirty work, Leone reserves compassion for this frail man intent on fulfilling his dream of seeing the Pacific Ocean before he dies of tuberculosis. Morton—who doesn't entirely agree with Frank's methods, and dies as a result of his naïveté and bad luck—isn't evil but merely pathetic, and his quest to trample through the West is portrayed not as reprehensible but merely inevitable. West recognizes that Morton is only the first in what will be a long line of industrialists plundering the land, and that the future he brings is no more distasteful, and might be slightly more tolerable, than the ugliness, corruption, and immorality of the old world embodied by Frank.
Inside his opulent cable car, Morton asks Frank (who is seated in Morton's throne-like chair), "How does it feel sitting behind that desk, Frank?" Frank, sensing the changing tides, replies, "It's almost like holding a gun. Except much more powerful." Frank desperately desires the power that Morton's money and influence commands, and the film becomes, in part, a portrait of his failure to straddle the line between old world (shoot first, ask questions never) and new world (wielding money as a weapon) criminality. "You've learned some new ways," Harmonica tells Frank before their climactic showdown, "even if you haven't given up the old ones." This, ultimately, is his undoing. Frank dies not because of a lack of proficiency with a six-shooter, but from an inability to wholeheartedly reject the gun in favor of the checkbook.
If Frank's death provides a fitting conclusion to the film's conventional good-versus-evil conflict, it provides little closure for Harmonica or Cheyenne. Like Frank, the two men are relics of an earlier, extinct species that cannot exist in the burgeoning modern world. Harmonica tells Frank they're "an ancient race. Other Mortons will be along, and they'll kill it off." Frank knows it's true, admitting that his desire to kill Harmonica makes him not a shrewd businessman but "just a man" who knows "the future doesn't matter to us." In their long dust jackets, tall leather boots, and Stetson hats, these nomadic, mythic gladiators accept their fateful destinies and, with a mixture of sadness and inexorableness, ride off into legend. It may not have been the final eulogy for the western the director had envisioned—even Leone himself would return to the high plains for the Mexican Revolution pseudo-western Duck, You Sucker just three years later—but in its beguiling, magnificent depiction of the end of an era, Once Upon a Time in the West has become what Leone had perhaps always hoped: the antiquated genre's triumphant final masterpiece.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Songs from the Deep
Tuning in to why humpbacks sing
By Virginia Morell
Smithsonian magazine, February 2008
One of the most enchanting mysteries about humpback whales is their songs. Only the males are known to sing, although both males and females sound certain social calls while they're feeding, and calves make other calls when they're near their mothers.
The humpback's haunting songs are among the most complex animal vocalizations. They have a hierarchical syntax, one of the basic elements of language, according to recent studies. That is, they sing units of sound that together form a phrase. The phrases are repeated in patterns known as themes. Each song is composed of anywhere from two to nine themes, and the themes are sung in a specific order. Some phrases sound like the low moan of a cello, while others are more like the chirp of a songbird.
Initially, researchers thought the males sang to attract females. When scientists played the songs on underwater speakers, however, other males—not females—showed up. Still, that doesn't mean the females aren't listening. Some people speculate that the whale songs are best compared to those of birds—vocalizations that alert both males and females to a new guy in the neighborhood. Compounding matters, humpbacks sing not only at their breeding grounds but also during their long migrations.
Intriguingly, humpbacks in different populations sing entirely different songs from those elsewhere in the world. And the songs evolve: each year, a few whales in a breeding area add new elements to a song that other males then adopt. "Individuals don't seem to stand out for very long," says Adam Pack of the Dolphin Institute based in Honolulu.
I hear the song late in our whale-watching day. Lou Herman, also of the Dolphin Institute, stops the boat in the middle of a seemingly empty sea and kills the engine. Whale spouts shoot up in the distance. "Listen," he says.
From beneath the boat, a sighing, almost mournful sound rises into the air. It is surprisingly loud and has a yearning edge—a pipe player alone, sounding the plaintive notes of love? Or is he calling for a buddy to join him? Or singing to let all whales in Hawaii know that humpbacks rule?
"The songs fascinate everyone," says Herman. "We know now that all the males here sing the same song, and when they stop the song for this season, they'll pick it up again right where they left off next year. Why and how?" Herman gives a hands-up shrug.
I have linked this post to an amazing ad ,just click on the title.(yes,i am a subscriber to their mobile services and nope they haven't paid me to put their ad on my blog:)
By Virginia Morell
Smithsonian magazine, February 2008
One of the most enchanting mysteries about humpback whales is their songs. Only the males are known to sing, although both males and females sound certain social calls while they're feeding, and calves make other calls when they're near their mothers.
The humpback's haunting songs are among the most complex animal vocalizations. They have a hierarchical syntax, one of the basic elements of language, according to recent studies. That is, they sing units of sound that together form a phrase. The phrases are repeated in patterns known as themes. Each song is composed of anywhere from two to nine themes, and the themes are sung in a specific order. Some phrases sound like the low moan of a cello, while others are more like the chirp of a songbird.
Initially, researchers thought the males sang to attract females. When scientists played the songs on underwater speakers, however, other males—not females—showed up. Still, that doesn't mean the females aren't listening. Some people speculate that the whale songs are best compared to those of birds—vocalizations that alert both males and females to a new guy in the neighborhood. Compounding matters, humpbacks sing not only at their breeding grounds but also during their long migrations.
Intriguingly, humpbacks in different populations sing entirely different songs from those elsewhere in the world. And the songs evolve: each year, a few whales in a breeding area add new elements to a song that other males then adopt. "Individuals don't seem to stand out for very long," says Adam Pack of the Dolphin Institute based in Honolulu.
I hear the song late in our whale-watching day. Lou Herman, also of the Dolphin Institute, stops the boat in the middle of a seemingly empty sea and kills the engine. Whale spouts shoot up in the distance. "Listen," he says.
From beneath the boat, a sighing, almost mournful sound rises into the air. It is surprisingly loud and has a yearning edge—a pipe player alone, sounding the plaintive notes of love? Or is he calling for a buddy to join him? Or singing to let all whales in Hawaii know that humpbacks rule?
"The songs fascinate everyone," says Herman. "We know now that all the males here sing the same song, and when they stop the song for this season, they'll pick it up again right where they left off next year. Why and how?" Herman gives a hands-up shrug.
I have linked this post to an amazing ad ,just click on the title.(yes,i am a subscriber to their mobile services and nope they haven't paid me to put their ad on my blog:)
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Western at Rest
Last week I saw an John Wayne flick,El Dorado,after ages.I have never been a big fan of The Duke.I mean if you have seen one movie of his,you have seen all.But this one was refreshing to say the least and rekindled by desire to meet The Duke all over again.This movie works,at least for me,perhaps because the lead people associated with it were more relaxed about what they were doing.As Wayne would say..."they didn't have to prove a darn thing to nobody anymore".I will elaborate..
1967 was a strange crossover time in American film. Directors like Howard Hawks had been canonized by the French "auteur" theory, and critics-turned filmmakers like Jean-Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut and Peter Bogdanovich were freely citing Hawks as an influence. At the same time, younger moviegoers were becoming attracted to new, hip cinema like Blow Up, Bonnie and Clyde and The Graduate, and Hawks and John Wayne were considered fogeys, way past their prime. When El Dorado was released, half the public was celebrating and hero worshipping, and the other half was sneering.
A lot of the films that were considered hip in the 60's have become transparent, and the values that were once topical that attracted the young have become ancient. Looking at most of the movies from that era on video, from a new melliniuem's standpoint, its more refreshing to see a master craftsman like Hawks keeping the status quo than to see some first-timer showing off and trying to be self-consiously brilliant.
El Dorado is a pretty standard Western. It's not flashy and electrified like Once Upon a Time in the West or The Wild Bunch, but it moves gracefully, charmingly along. It's essentially a remake of Hawks' earlier Rio Bravo (with writer Leigh Brackett updating her own script). John Wayne, instead of sheriff, plays an aging gunman, who is getting too wise for the game. Robert Mitchum, as the drunken sheriff, takes over the role of the drunken Dean Martin, and James Caan is the fresh faced greenhorn last played by Ricky Nelson (thankfully, Caan doesn't sing). Hawks and Brackett take their time in setting up this story, giving Wayne and Mitchum plenty of backstory, before the stand-off in the town of El Dorado.
Wayne is so much better in Hawks films than in John Ford films. He seems more relaxed, and he actually acts. At the time of El Dorado, he had been in over 150 films and was finally growing relaxed in front of the camera. He moves naturally, as opposed to his stiff, jerky performances in movies like The Quiet Man (1952). Hawks, too, seems relaxed, like he knows nothing more is at stake, he had nothing more to prove, with this film. He had been in movies for five decades, and his craft was perfected. He seems to make movies with his guts, without even thinking about them. His skill is in his hands and in his eyes. El Dorado is an effortless movie, and it draws you in easily.
How to blog?
It’s your own voice on the web. A blog is where you can collect and share things that you find interesting in almost the same way as you would on a ‘social networking site’ like Facebook, Bebo or Myspace. Good blogs might include a political commentary, personal diary, photos, music, videos and links to websites you want to remember. Look at blogs on The-Latest if you want some ideas.
What do you like or dislike in your everyday life? Does something bugger you off or make you laugh? Turn your thoughts into a blog to which perhaps many a reader can relate.
Don’t just re-cycle what you’ve read somewhere unless you have a novel, interesting comment on it.
Many bloggers decide to use a blog to organize their thoughts, while others command influential, worldwide audiences of thousands because what they have to say makes people sit up and listen.
People’s voice
Blogs have reshaped the web, changed politics, shaken up journalism and enabled millions of people to have a voice and connect with others throughout the world. That why business leaders, politicians, top journalists and celebs have joined the internet’s merry band of bloggers
Foreign correspondent
Make a point of blogging when you travel abroad. Blogs from Latest.comers while they are abroad have provided fascinating insights into events in places like Darfur, in Africa, Lebanon, and Jordan, in the Middle East, and China. Observations while you are on holiday could be just as gripping.
Fame and fortune
A blog that everyone wants to read might provide you with your moment of fame and even make money for you. For instance, The-Latest sometimes offers cash prizes for the best blog on the site.
Spark a debate
You can receive instant feedback on your posts in the form of comments and sparked a fascinating debate with others on the web as well as make new friends.
Whatever you want to say, The-Latest can help you say it, with the aid of the professional journalists who sub-edit your contributions.
Link to past posts
If you are writing a post that mentions something related to what you have written before simply link to it, by typing the URL address, from within the post.
This helps to engage your reader by providing them with more related material that they are likely to be interested in.
Make headlines snappy
Grab the reader’s attention with a succinct headline. Look at national newspapers, especially popular tabloids, to see how they do it.
Be consistent with your style
Once you have settled on a style of writing or voice for your audience stick to it. Generally, people like to know what to expect.
Write a series
Writing a series of posts on a topic is a great way of increasing your reader’s length of stay on your blog.
Encourage comments
Ask questions of the reader at the end of each post. When a reader comments reply to the comment and try to keep the conversation going. Soon you will find other readers joining the conversation.
Edit and legal blogs
Before you hit the submit button check your facts, spelling and punctuation and cut out the material that you don’t really need. Alert the Editor to any legal concerns like possible libel or copyright infringement before you submit a post.
Be interactive
Readers will want to stay longer on a blog that is interactive. You can achieve this by starting a forum debate (see The-Latest forums) or conducting a quiz. You can also start a project and involve the reader.
Use pictures and sound
Images, still photographs, video and music, make the blog more interesting and can be integral to its.
What do you like or dislike in your everyday life? Does something bugger you off or make you laugh? Turn your thoughts into a blog to which perhaps many a reader can relate.
Don’t just re-cycle what you’ve read somewhere unless you have a novel, interesting comment on it.
Many bloggers decide to use a blog to organize their thoughts, while others command influential, worldwide audiences of thousands because what they have to say makes people sit up and listen.
People’s voice
Blogs have reshaped the web, changed politics, shaken up journalism and enabled millions of people to have a voice and connect with others throughout the world. That why business leaders, politicians, top journalists and celebs have joined the internet’s merry band of bloggers
Foreign correspondent
Make a point of blogging when you travel abroad. Blogs from Latest.comers while they are abroad have provided fascinating insights into events in places like Darfur, in Africa, Lebanon, and Jordan, in the Middle East, and China. Observations while you are on holiday could be just as gripping.
Fame and fortune
A blog that everyone wants to read might provide you with your moment of fame and even make money for you. For instance, The-Latest sometimes offers cash prizes for the best blog on the site.
Spark a debate
You can receive instant feedback on your posts in the form of comments and sparked a fascinating debate with others on the web as well as make new friends.
Whatever you want to say, The-Latest can help you say it, with the aid of the professional journalists who sub-edit your contributions.
Link to past posts
If you are writing a post that mentions something related to what you have written before simply link to it, by typing the URL address, from within the post.
This helps to engage your reader by providing them with more related material that they are likely to be interested in.
Make headlines snappy
Grab the reader’s attention with a succinct headline. Look at national newspapers, especially popular tabloids, to see how they do it.
Be consistent with your style
Once you have settled on a style of writing or voice for your audience stick to it. Generally, people like to know what to expect.
Write a series
Writing a series of posts on a topic is a great way of increasing your reader’s length of stay on your blog.
Encourage comments
Ask questions of the reader at the end of each post. When a reader comments reply to the comment and try to keep the conversation going. Soon you will find other readers joining the conversation.
Edit and legal blogs
Before you hit the submit button check your facts, spelling and punctuation and cut out the material that you don’t really need. Alert the Editor to any legal concerns like possible libel or copyright infringement before you submit a post.
Be interactive
Readers will want to stay longer on a blog that is interactive. You can achieve this by starting a forum debate (see The-Latest forums) or conducting a quiz. You can also start a project and involve the reader.
Use pictures and sound
Images, still photographs, video and music, make the blog more interesting and can be integral to its.
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