Assignment

The issue of moral ambiguity is one we are confronted with more often than we care to realize. It is impossible for a world to be cut and dry with circumstances being either wrong or right. As seen in Unforgiven good people can do things not generally accepted in order to right a wrong. The deed of the cowboys was not a "hanging crime" but blatant anger and rage on the part of the women is what drew them to the conclsion that two men, one innocent and repentful, deserved murder. As a result of thier conclusion they see it fit to invite assassins into thier otherwise quiet town of Big Whiskey in order to restore a peace that was virtually never disrupted.
The first assassin to answer the call is English Bob, a character who we see as purley evil with no ambiguity at all. The reason for this only being the fact that we have not been introduced to him in any other sense than the demon assassin coming to claim his money. We don't know his backstory or why he needs the money but rather that he exxagerates story and has acted cowardly by shotting a man while he was down. This is relatable however to the situation of the Scofield Kid shooting the man while he was in the outhouse, yet for him we find sympathy. It is possible that had English Bob's character been more developed and round he would also be someone who evoked moral ambiguity.
The sherif, a pinnacle of justice and morality is one of the msot deplorable characters in the film. He sees himself as a great carpenter and keeper of peace however all he is capable of doing is beating people to pulp and disrupting Ned's burial rights in order to prove a point. The action of displaying Ned's corpse in front of the bar is one that adds a sort of justice to Will Munny's actions of killing him in cold blood

Reservoir Dogs

Arguably one of Quentin Tarintino's best movies, Reservoir Dogs redefined the entire genre of action movies. Told mostly in flashbacks and almost entirely in words it is difficult to believe Tarantino is able to capture his audience with no more than a flawlessly written script and some black ties. The banter between characters makes the movie less about the heist itself and draws focus to the puzzling relationships of our protagonists. Having the opening scene filled with what later makes itself clear to be foreshadowing, we are quickly introduced to the characters, as well as develop strong connections to them. This sets up for the main conflict of the film, who the informant among them is. Since we feel so invested in every character, as they are portrayed as the "good wholesome criminal" we find it difficult to believe there is an informant at all. Gripping and unique I recommend Reservoir Dogs to anyone interested in an atypical action movie.

A Clockwork Orange

Knowing I would have to post something on my blog this week I got inspired to re-watch one of my favorite movies, A Clockwork Orange. The first few times I watched it the only things I was able to focus on were diversions from the plot of the book. This time however I was viewing it through a "film class lens" attempting to interpret the more subtle symbols throughout the movie, especially those not present in the book.

Beethoven is prevalent throughout the movie and always seemed like an obvious juxtaposition to the anarchy Alex thrives in. His views on the world are disgusting to their very core; elders are not respected, women are objectified, and human life (apart from Alex's and his droogs) has no value. Despite this acridness there is something beautiful about the way Alex and his friends are portrayed; the outfits they wear and the language they use. This is unlike Beethoven, whose music seems so chaotic on the surface however is beautiful once you break through the sporadic shell. This idea however clear right away, and in the book. One of the things I never noticed before however is how when Alex is beating the "cat lady" to death he is doing so with a bust of Beethoven, something not mentioned in the book. During the Ludovico treatment Alex remarks "This is sin! That! Using Ludwig van like that! He did no harm to anyone. Beethoven just wrote music!" The irony of course is presented in the fact that Alex disregards this core belief when in the adrenaline and moloko rage he is experiencing while killing the innocent women.

I also saw a common theme between A Clockwork Orange and All Quiet on the Western Front in that both movies show people portrayed as only numbers. In A Clockwork Orange the numbers given to the prisoners can draw the obvious comparison of prisoners in concentration camps, as the movie has a barely subtle political agenda. Alex's time pre and post prison shows a society that seems transformed from a ruined socialist place to a seemingly successful fascist empire, which also crumbles along with Alex's side effects to his treatment.

Despite the truly disturbing imagery there is something so beautiful about A Clockwork Orange that continues to boggle me long after the end credits, partly because of the lack of the inclusion of the concluding chapter of the book, that provides a redeeming closure to our hero/villain.

All Ironic on the Western Front

Despite the title almost all of the characters we are introduced to are killed, despite how "quiet" the Western front. It seems inevitable in a war movie however it's sad to see all the char steers we've fallen in love with die in a war that didn't cornern them personally.