Elements of Performing Arts
- Dance
- Literature
- Film
Literary Pieces
- Elizabeth Browning's Sonnet 43
- Estrella Alfon's Magnificence
Theater Etiquette
Cinematic Flaw
Films
- Nana
- Road Home
- Malena
- Life is Beautiful
Test I. Multiple Choice
Test II. True or False
Test III. Enumeration
Test IV. Essay
Friday, May 15, 2009
FINAL PRESENTATION
Rationale
This activity is the showcase of the students’ learned skills in class, and the whetstone of their inbred abilities. This aspires to uphold amity among them, and to offer venue to those who consider themselves as non-performers.
This has three parts. The first is the production number. This involves the groups’ models. The second is the modeling of the design creations by each group’s model. The last is the presentation by group. All members except the models are required to participate. However, the models may play a part if they wish to.
Each part has corresponding points. The production number is 30 points. The modeling is 50 points. The group presentation is 20 points. On the whole, this activity is 100 points, which will constitute the 20% of the students’ final grade.
The following awards will be given to those who show astounding performances in this event: Best in Production Number, Best in Group Performance, Best in Design Creation, and Best in Design Creation Explanation. The winners will receive gifts and additional pointS.
Guidelines
PRODUCTION NUMBER
Each group must have one (1) representative.
The winner will receive a gift, and additional points. The group will also enjoy the given points.
If the chosen representative fails to involve himself/herself, the group loses the points.
Criteria
mastery - 20 points
poise and beauty – 10 points
DESIGN CREATION (MODELING)
Each group must present their created design.
It must be made of recycled/indigenous materials.
This must be worn by their chosen representative.
Each group must assign one member to explain the group’s design creation.
The best in design creation will also receive the best in design creation explanation.
The winner will receive two (2) gifts – best in design creation and best in design creation explanation, and additional points. The group will also enjoy the given points.
If the chosen representative fails to involve himself/herself, the group loses the points.
Criteria
creativity – 20 points
concept (explanation) – 20 points
poise and beauty – 10 points
GROUP PERFORMANCE
Each group must present any creative activity.
All members except the models must take part in the presentation. Nevertheless, the models may join if they opt to.
The winning group will receive a gift, and additional points.
If the group fails to present, all members will automatically get zero.
Criteria
mastery – 10 points
creativity – 10 points
This activity is the showcase of the students’ learned skills in class, and the whetstone of their inbred abilities. This aspires to uphold amity among them, and to offer venue to those who consider themselves as non-performers.
This has three parts. The first is the production number. This involves the groups’ models. The second is the modeling of the design creations by each group’s model. The last is the presentation by group. All members except the models are required to participate. However, the models may play a part if they wish to.
Each part has corresponding points. The production number is 30 points. The modeling is 50 points. The group presentation is 20 points. On the whole, this activity is 100 points, which will constitute the 20% of the students’ final grade.
The following awards will be given to those who show astounding performances in this event: Best in Production Number, Best in Group Performance, Best in Design Creation, and Best in Design Creation Explanation. The winners will receive gifts and additional pointS.
Guidelines
PRODUCTION NUMBER
Each group must have one (1) representative.
The winner will receive a gift, and additional points. The group will also enjoy the given points.
If the chosen representative fails to involve himself/herself, the group loses the points.
Criteria
mastery - 20 points
poise and beauty – 10 points
DESIGN CREATION (MODELING)
Each group must present their created design.
It must be made of recycled/indigenous materials.
This must be worn by their chosen representative.
Each group must assign one member to explain the group’s design creation.
The best in design creation will also receive the best in design creation explanation.
The winner will receive two (2) gifts – best in design creation and best in design creation explanation, and additional points. The group will also enjoy the given points.
If the chosen representative fails to involve himself/herself, the group loses the points.
Criteria
creativity – 20 points
concept (explanation) – 20 points
poise and beauty – 10 points
GROUP PERFORMANCE
Each group must present any creative activity.
All members except the models must take part in the presentation. Nevertheless, the models may join if they opt to.
The winning group will receive a gift, and additional points.
If the group fails to present, all members will automatically get zero.
Criteria
mastery – 10 points
creativity – 10 points
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
LOVE, ROMANCE, SEXUAL DESIRE
Love
Dr. C. George Boeree
Dr. C. George Boeree
Human happiness seems to be strongly tied to having close and satisfying relationships with friends, family, and, of course, a partner. The desire for a partner is so powerful in human beings that one writer suggested the basic unit of human life is not the individual, but the couple.
Love is basically a matter of caring about someone else's well-being as much or more than you care about your own. If they feel pain or sadness, you suffer with them. If they find happiness, you feel happy for them. Strong love even involves sacrificing your own happiness -- and even sometimes your own life -- for the other person.
Love is basically a matter of caring about someone else's well-being as much or more than you care about your own. If they feel pain or sadness, you suffer with them. If they find happiness, you feel happy for them. Strong love even involves sacrificing your own happiness -- and even sometimes your own life -- for the other person.
There have been many suggestions as to various types of love. For example, some have differentiated between romantic love, which is based on passion, companionate love, which is based on companionship and commitment, and consummate love, which has both.
Another way to classify love is in terms of the people involved. Parental love, subdivided into maternal and paternal love, is the love a parent feels for his or her children. Filial love is in turn the love a child has for his or her parents. Friendship is, of course, the love good friends feel for each other. And another form of love is compassion, which isn't tied to any one person but rather is felt towards all people and sometimes even all life. The love we feel for that "special someone" is no doubt the most complex, involving as it does, intimacy, passion, and commitment. We traditionally think of it as heterosexual, but the exact same feelings occur in homosexual relationships.
Another way to classify love is in terms of the people involved. Parental love, subdivided into maternal and paternal love, is the love a parent feels for his or her children. Filial love is in turn the love a child has for his or her parents. Friendship is, of course, the love good friends feel for each other. And another form of love is compassion, which isn't tied to any one person but rather is felt towards all people and sometimes even all life. The love we feel for that "special someone" is no doubt the most complex, involving as it does, intimacy, passion, and commitment. We traditionally think of it as heterosexual, but the exact same feelings occur in homosexual relationships.
Love between parent and child very clearly has some biological roots. There is a similarity between the attachment between parent and child and the instinctual behaviors of animals that makes that obvious. However, human beings never seem to be totally determined by instincts, and we have countless cases of people who treat their children or their parents very badly.
Love between friends seems to begin with commonalities: We are attracted to people who are similar to us. Because we share certain qualities, being with others like us validates us, gives us a sense of worth. After all, they like us, and we like them, so we must be okay. Of course, things are rarely simple with people: Sometimes we are attracted to people precisely because of our differences. In some cases, it's a matter of wishing you were more like the other person. In other cases, you feel a strong sense of camaraderie, not because you are similar, but because both of you are so different from everyone else around you!
When it comes to the love between partners, it usually begins with some degree of sexual attraction, along with the kinds of things that attract one to potential friends. It is likely that some of this love is instinctual, in the same way that the love between parents and children is partially instinctual. After all, many animals seem to bond in the same way. The biological purpose of the bonding may be reproduction, but that bond may extend far beyond.
Over time, the love between partners is likely to become somewhat less sexual and more companionate, but the long-term intimacy has a special warmth of its own. We all know people who don't even seem to get along, and yet love each other very much! On the other hand, contrary to what young people often assume, many couples retain a degree of passion in their relationship well into old age!
Love is a tough subject to do research on: How do you measure it? How can you do experiments on it? Many have found that it is more fruitful to take a phenomenological approach, which means carefully describing aspects of the experience of love in all its forms. The following three essays came out of the work of many students in my Qualitative Methods classes. They are merely "sketches" and are biased in many ways -- most particularly by the population who produced them (college students in central PA). But they certainly are a step in the right direction. They are descriptions of romance, sexual desire, and falling in love. Which do you think is most closely related to love itself?
Romance
Romance is a mood or state of mind akin to several others, including love, friendship, sexual interest, contentment, self-assuredness, and so on.
It is normally experienced in the context of a male-female relationship, although it may be experienced in other ways, such as in fantasy, expectation, or possibility. It may also be experienced vicariously, such as when watching a romantic movie or real couples in romantic situations. It is even experienced occasionally with same sex friends or relations.
It is, more specifically, associated with courtship and with the intimations of sexuality that go with it. It is itself, however, not primarily sexual. In fact, it often has an innocent feel to it, and is associated with "puppy" love, first love, early flirtations, and the like.
Romance often involves courtship symbols, traditions, and stereotypes, such as flowers, gifts, hand-holding, candle-lit dinners, "romantic" music, .... These, however, are not essential, but rather seem to derive fom certain natural ways of expressing romantic feelings. Once upon a time, they were probably original! These symbols, etc., are now often used to "set the stage" for romance.
The romantic state of mind seems to come on rather suddenly, a matter of rather abruptly becoming aware of being in a romantic moment. It very often involves surprise. This is where many of the aforementioned symbols come into play: Romance often involves being surprised by signs of someone's affection, whether it be in the form of a gift, a helping hand, an appreciative glace, a confidence shared, or what have you.
Associated with surprise is the sense of great motion, lightness, being swept up in the moment, or swept off your feet! On the other hand, some people instead focus on a feeling of steadiness and solidity, reflecting the firmness of a commitment or the solidity of a relationship, especially in adversity. The ligtness in oneself and the steadiness of the other are by no means incompatible.
There is often a degree of gender stereotyping involved in romance: "He made me feel pretty, feminine.... He is my knight in shining armor.... He swept me off my feet.... I found comfort in his broad shoulders...." These comments are used to good advantage in romance novels, but have their sources in ordinary experience. In men, we find similar statements, in reverse: "She made me feel strong, like a real man...." Please note that this is not to be understood as a "power thing," but rather an awareness of the need to care for a woman, to "nurture." The connection with courtship seems quite strong, despite the many exceptions.
The mood may come upon both people naturally, but it is often "arranged for" by one or the other. The structure of the romantic episode seems best left simple and it is greatly enhanced by at least the appearance of spontaneity.
Circumstances can be very important. A small gesture or sign of support in adverse circumstances can be far more valuable than great generosity in good circumstances. Romance seems, in fact, to thrive on adversity, as in our common recollections of our "poor days."
This introduces as well the symbolism of the hero and the fair maiden in fairy tales. Selfless help in adversity, revealing deep affection, is a theme common to most fairy tales, many movies, and many real-life romantic moments as well.
This introduces as well the symbolism of the hero and the fair maiden in fairy tales. Selfless help in adversity, revealing deep affection, is a theme common to most fairy tales, many movies, and many real-life romantic moments as well.
The key feeling would seem to be one of a heightened self-worth seen as coming from the other person. Examples would include feeling especially attractive, important, strong, interesting, intelligent, and so on. Even the sense that one has been involved in something important can bring on a sense of romance. The increase in self-worth, curiously, results in an increase in one's valuing of or affection for the other.
Paradoxically, these feelings can also occur in reverse, so that coming upon the other person in circumstances that lead you to particularly value him or her may lead to feelings of strength, security, confidence, etc., and this too is felt as romantic! Common to both is the sense of being fortunate or lucky to be you, to be there, to be with this person.
Other aspects of a romantic mental state include (a) lightness, airiness, giddiness, a glow, excitement, enchantment, joking and laughing; (b) coziness, cuddling, contentment, comfort, closeness; and (c) riskiness, danger, and naughtiness. Set (a) seems most common, with the others being variation, and (c) being the least common, but certainly not rare.
The essence of romance seems to be the sudden discovery or bringing to awareness (whether by accident or by arrrangement) of your importance or value to another, along with an awareness of their value to you. It is a confirmation that one is "lovable" or worthy of affection, whether in the eyes of a desirable young man or woman or in the context of a long comfortable marriage. This confirmation comes with many of the qualities associated with other kinds of "ego-transcendence" or "ego-expansion," such as love itself: By losing yourself in your affection for another, you become stronger as an individual.
Sexual Desire
The external focus is, of course, the other. To some degree, he or she must be a certain "type"--that is, must fulfill your anticipations, expectations, ideas about the sexually-desirable other. A lot of variation shows up here: body (strength, curves, "buns" or "boobs"), face, health, cleanliness, clothing, "style," maturity, gentleness, "perfect partner."
The internal focus is on feelings: yearning, lust, attraction, wistfulness--varying as to aggressiveness. Many people feel "weak," faint, butterflies, daydreamy. Whether "strong" or "weak," both seem to refer to being carried away by your feelings. The feelings definitely "look forward" to fulfillment. Desire is not just felt -- it demands, motivates.
Images include future smells, touches, interaction. Thoughts are of the future, wish-making, etc.
Some feel anxiety, feelings of not being "good-enough," potential for let-down, fear of rejection, hopelessness. Fear of STDs, AIDS, and pregnancy were mentioned. Some guilt is possible as well: moral questions, desire as unfaithfulness to another (even when not acted on)...
Some feel anxiety, feelings of not being "good-enough," potential for let-down, fear of rejection, hopelessness. Fear of STDs, AIDS, and pregnancy were mentioned. Some guilt is possible as well: moral questions, desire as unfaithfulness to another (even when not acted on)...
The physical context often involves "romantic" settings -- lowlight, soft music -- or "hot" settings--lots of people, sexy clothing, hard rock, dancing. Either way, the desire tends to be stronger in intimate situations, closeness.
Note that sometimes desire is accidental -- you just notice someone -- and sometimes there is seeking. When we seek others, it can be quite different if we are looking for a "one-night stand" or a long-term relationship. Thoughts about potential for "scoring" are common when short-term relations are being sought. "Horniness" or recent sexual activity, seasons, time of day, menstrual cycle were all mentioned. Mood is usually "up," but many find that sexual desire changes moods.
The transitions into "desire" often include eye-contact, certain bodylanguage, the sidelong glance, smiles. Slight body contact intensifies desire, as do smells.
Regarding the transition of feelings into desire, we first feel a fairly physical attraction--focussed attention, openning your eyes and other senses to the other person. Many feel a "love high"--with weak knees, butterflies, thoughts of romance and even future marriage! Eventually we move into involvement when, after increasing interaction, we believe the other is also interested. It is noted that we often misread these "signals" of mutual interest!
Regarding the transition of feelings into desire, we first feel a fairly physical attraction--focussed attention, openning your eyes and other senses to the other person. Many feel a "love high"--with weak knees, butterflies, thoughts of romance and even future marriage! Eventually we move into involvement when, after increasing interaction, we believe the other is also interested. It is noted that we often misread these "signals" of mutual interest!
With increasing involvement, we begin to reveal ourselves -- talk about our interests, later very private things. We become more open emotionally and physically (e.g. body language) -- often touching. The desire involves trust -- making yourself vulnerable -- especially for women. Men seem more involved in encouraging trust and offer "protective" body language (i.e. my strength is for you, not against you). Courtship is a dance!
To maintain the interaction, we need compatability, good conversation, humor, signs of strength of character (with differences in male and female expression of strength).
Desire is "fulfilled" by romantic and/or sexual activity--or ruined by rejection (nasty looks, insults...), disappointment (realization that first impressions were incorrect), distraction, anxiety, and guilt.
Desire is "fulfilled" by romantic and/or sexual activity--or ruined by rejection (nasty looks, insults...), disappointment (realization that first impressions were incorrect), distraction, anxiety, and guilt.
Within a relationship, sexual desire is often "ready" to reenter awareness at the slightest provocation--things like mutuality become assumed. When deprived, desire also "pops" into awareness frequently and persistently. Sexual desire can be very distracting. It can turn you into a babbling idiot.
What is essential? (1) Another person that fulfills your expectations regarding sexual desirability. (2) Feelings of arousal, ranging from the "weak" feelings of romance to strong sexual preparedness--in both cases, feelings of being "carried away." (3) A fulfillment orientation, future directedness, "yearning." (4) An increasing openness to the other person.
What is incompatable? Certain appearances and behaviors, unpleasant environments, fatigue or illness, anxiety, guilt, rejection.
What is incompatable? Certain appearances and behaviors, unpleasant environments, fatigue or illness, anxiety, guilt, rejection.
(It should be noted that the participants were mostly college-aged and single. Experiences of sexual desire as an older person in a long-term relationship were only available to a couple of participants.)
Falling in Love
I am quickly, almost physically, "hit" by the feeling.
My focus is on her face, and especially her eyes. Her return of my gaze is the crucial turning point. There's a certain hesitancy -- I glance away and back.
My focus is on her face, and especially her eyes. Her return of my gaze is the crucial turning point. There's a certain hesitancy -- I glance away and back.
These feelings make me somewhat uncomfortable. There's a degree of shame -- like being caught in the nude. There's a sense of vulnerability -- what is happening to me? I feel a desire to surrender, but I am afraid of losing my self or identity, and more immediately, my self-esteem.
Sexuality is "on the horizon" -- it's not the focus, but I am aware of it. I think, for example, of sleeping with her -- literally sleeping, laying side-by-side.
I have strong images of her surrendering to me -- collapsing in my arms, proclaiming her eternal devotion. I am aware of my maleness -- my relative height, strength -- as I am aware of her femaleness. I want to protect her, care for her.
And yet I feel peculiarly "feminine" -- weak, needing her more than she needs me.
Bodily, I feel soft, "oozy." I feel butterflies in my stomach, my knees at the verge of collapsing. Everything is effortful. I need to maintain a certain tension just to keep standing. I'm afraid of falling, literally as well as figuratively.
Bodily, I feel soft, "oozy." I feel butterflies in my stomach, my knees at the verge of collapsing. Everything is effortful. I need to maintain a certain tension just to keep standing. I'm afraid of falling, literally as well as figuratively.
My attention is focussed on her. The rest of life is merely background. I am "dazed," "drunk with love," absent minded.
She, on the other hand, fills my mind. Details of her appearance and behavior stand out. The details are terribly important to me: Does she want something? Is something wrong? Heaven forbid she should be uncomfortable or in need!
I feel a cheerful slavishness, a great desire to please, even at the cost of my own immediate self-interest.
Yet she, too, is for the most part hazy, cloudy, ethereal, "spiritual." I have a hard time recalling her face. I can't remember what she wore. I do know, clearly, that she is too good for this world (and me).
The whole experience (and the days that follow) is dreamy. I feel detached, "out of myself."
My focus on myself is rather from her point-of-view (as I imagine it, anyway). Am I doing this right? What must she think of me? Does she like me, really? Or is it just pity?
My focus on myself is rather from her point-of-view (as I imagine it, anyway). Am I doing this right? What must she think of me? Does she like me, really? Or is it just pity?
There's a tension, a restraint, in my behavior, which leaves me clumsier than ever. There's a conflict between my efforts at liberally -- without restraint -- doing for her, and doing "right," looking good, maintaining composure. I'm so conscious of her gaze that I can barely walk!
As time goes on, there are some new occurances: I'm still dazed, but now I feel light-headed, as if gravity were reversed. I float. I have a constant desire to hold and touch her -- though sex is still not terribly urgent.
I am moody. Intrusions into my walking dream state offend me. I alternate between a rather dopey cheeriness and anxiety, even occasional depression. I'm afraid of losing her. What is she doing now? Sometimes I feel so inferior, so worthless. I punish myself.
I have great feelings of pride about her. I like to "show her off" (my "better half"). Her accomplishments and qualitites are so impressive. I work harder, so she can be proud of me, but I feel deficient anyway, undeserving. But if she does show pride in me, I'm in heaven.
These "heavenly" feelings are most intense when we hold each other and gaze into each others' eyes. There's a loss of self and a sense of "we-ness" that seems to go beyond "ego-boundaries." I'm not alone anymore.
I didn't realize before this that I was alone! Loneliness has more meaning after falling in love. Being an individual is no longer enough.
What happens to it (the experience of falling in love)? I return eventually to a more commonplace reality. The "falling" becomes occasional, more or less brief rekindlings. It is good to know that it is still there.
The essence of falling in love seems to lie in a diminished consciousness of the boundaries between self and other, and a corresponding increase in the breadth and quality of consciousness.
© Copyright C. George Boeree 2001, 2003
Film Critique (Life is Beautiful)
Even in hell, a ray of hope and salvation can penetrate the darkness. This is the sentiment I share with Life is Beautiful, the movie that makes me laugh and eventually pricks my heart and brings tears in my eyes.
Life is Beautiful tells a story of familial love, devotion and sacrifice. It is built around the lives of the three major characters: Guido, Dora, and Joshua. An Italian Jew Guido Orefice (Roberto Benigni) is an amorous and quick-witted individual who views life as full of surprises, romance and adventure. Simply, he believes that life is beautiful. A Gentile Dora (Nicoletta Brashi, Roberto Benigni’s real-life wife) is a beautiful schoolteacher who in the film, becomes Guido’s wife. A cute five-year-old Joshua is the fruit of Guido’s and Dora’s love, who has made to believe of his father’s make-believed stories that the horrors the the concentration camp’s reality is all a game.
The film’s moving, inspiring, and bittersweet storyline is illustrated so effectively. The part on how Guido uses comedy to sustain faith and humanity in a seemingly hopeless situation is amazing. Through the scenes, Guido’s bumping into Dora, and the series of humorous events as if Virgin Mary is cooperationg with him; Guido’s rescuing Dora from marrying the town clerk; Dora’s marrying to Guido; Guido’s and Dora’s having a son, Joshua; Germans’ coming to take Guido and Joshua; Dora’s choosing to go along; Guido’s concocting an imaginative and humorous explanation for the happenings around the concentration camp for saving Joshua; Guido’s being killed; and Joshua’s being reunited with his mother, the film is able to relate a superb masterpiece which does not just mix drama and comedy, but also hides drama in the comedy which leads it to a powerful and mesmerizing achievement of reminding people about the horrible nature of the war and the beauty of survival.
Robero Benigni’s acting as Guido Orefice is terrific and believable. The chemistry between him and Nicoletta Brashi is excellent. As the film changes its tone, the emotional ending carries a powerful surprise. The part when Guido goes to the corner, an attentive viewer might have hoped to see him coming back around the corner, wearing the soldier’s uniform. However, this hope has been broken when Guido is killed. This unpredictable part of this film’s ending makes any viewer shake his head in disbelief.
As the extravagant Guido Orefice, Roberto Benigni’s performance is commendable. He simultaneously becomes the film’s humorous character and its instrument to stir emotion. He shows a highly-regarded talent for displaying a man hiding his fear and hatred for the interest and welfare of his beloved son.
Love conquers all is one of the themes of this masterpiece. It is indeed that the true power of love is explored in this film. Guido’s love shelters Joshua from the horrible truths of the concentration camp, thus keeping him alive towards the end. Guido makes everything into a game to safekeep his little angel throughout their stay there. Not only Guido shows great love, but also Dora. Although she is not a Jew, she demands to go with her husband and son. Her love brings her to the cencentration camp to share with the fate that befallen to her husband and son.
The box shown many times in the film is the major symbol of the film. This box is seen as everyone in the train enters the concentration camp. It becomes a symbol of hiding. The concentration camp is a hidden place in Germany, and the rest of the world was also hiding from the reality of the war at that time. Moreso, in the second time that the box is seen, Guido shows Joshua that the young boy is hiding inside it. Joshua has stopped believing his father’s story that many children are hiding as well. When Guido sees a young German boy playing hide-and-seek with his friends, he shows him to Joshua. Joshua knows very little that time will come that he will also hide in the box.
One of the motifs used in the film is the Holocaust. The Holocaust occurred during World War II when Hitler imprisoned and killed millions of Jews because he wanted an entire race of Anglo Saxons, and he felt that the Jews were getting in his way.
The theme of the film is truly memorable in the context of the Holocaust. The worst horrors that man has known are coupled with sacrificial love. Guido has sacrificed his life for his son.
The film was made several years after the Holocaust. Roberto Beigni, the director and protagonist of the film uses this masterpiece to remind any viewer about the horrors of the Holocaust, and the beauty of surviving from it.
Although the film’s story is a work of fiction, the setting of the film is based on historical fact. So, this film successfully brings life to many people. Despite of all the horrors of the concentration camp, Roberto Benigni is able to bring warmth to the film. One of the reasons for the warmth is the characters. They are well-developed. An attentive viewer understands why Guido would make a game in the concentration camp because he has created a story or game for every other part of the film. It is his strategy to hide the dramatic side of the film.
The first part of the film is set in Italy, while the second part is set at the concentration camp in Germany. These locations do fit with the overall messsage of the film. Between the two, it is the concentration camp that touches me most. It is in this place that Guido shows a bigger part of the true power of love. He has sacrificed his life for saving his son. Moreso, he shows that in the midst of the horrible events in human life, life is still beautiful. Through this, I have seen the beauty of life in Guido’s eyes.
There are no sex scenes in the film, only a light romance between Guido and Dora. This is so because the film’s story focuses on familial love, devotion, and sacrifice.
The music also contributes to the tone of the film. It is first played at an opera house during Guido’s and Dora’s courtship. Later, Guido uses it to communicate hope to his wife and to others.
Through the character portrayed by Roberto Benigni, I can say that even in hell, a ray of hope and salvation can penetrate the darkness.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Is_Beautiful
http://users.aol.com/aleong1631/lifeisbeautiful.html
http://www.ram.org/ramblings/movies/life_is_beautiful.html
http://www.celebritywonder.com/movie/1998_Life_is_Beautiful.html
http://www.dramatica.com/story/film_reviews/reviews/LifeIsBeautiful.html
Life is Beautiful tells a story of familial love, devotion and sacrifice. It is built around the lives of the three major characters: Guido, Dora, and Joshua. An Italian Jew Guido Orefice (Roberto Benigni) is an amorous and quick-witted individual who views life as full of surprises, romance and adventure. Simply, he believes that life is beautiful. A Gentile Dora (Nicoletta Brashi, Roberto Benigni’s real-life wife) is a beautiful schoolteacher who in the film, becomes Guido’s wife. A cute five-year-old Joshua is the fruit of Guido’s and Dora’s love, who has made to believe of his father’s make-believed stories that the horrors the the concentration camp’s reality is all a game.
The film’s moving, inspiring, and bittersweet storyline is illustrated so effectively. The part on how Guido uses comedy to sustain faith and humanity in a seemingly hopeless situation is amazing. Through the scenes, Guido’s bumping into Dora, and the series of humorous events as if Virgin Mary is cooperationg with him; Guido’s rescuing Dora from marrying the town clerk; Dora’s marrying to Guido; Guido’s and Dora’s having a son, Joshua; Germans’ coming to take Guido and Joshua; Dora’s choosing to go along; Guido’s concocting an imaginative and humorous explanation for the happenings around the concentration camp for saving Joshua; Guido’s being killed; and Joshua’s being reunited with his mother, the film is able to relate a superb masterpiece which does not just mix drama and comedy, but also hides drama in the comedy which leads it to a powerful and mesmerizing achievement of reminding people about the horrible nature of the war and the beauty of survival.
Robero Benigni’s acting as Guido Orefice is terrific and believable. The chemistry between him and Nicoletta Brashi is excellent. As the film changes its tone, the emotional ending carries a powerful surprise. The part when Guido goes to the corner, an attentive viewer might have hoped to see him coming back around the corner, wearing the soldier’s uniform. However, this hope has been broken when Guido is killed. This unpredictable part of this film’s ending makes any viewer shake his head in disbelief.
As the extravagant Guido Orefice, Roberto Benigni’s performance is commendable. He simultaneously becomes the film’s humorous character and its instrument to stir emotion. He shows a highly-regarded talent for displaying a man hiding his fear and hatred for the interest and welfare of his beloved son.
Love conquers all is one of the themes of this masterpiece. It is indeed that the true power of love is explored in this film. Guido’s love shelters Joshua from the horrible truths of the concentration camp, thus keeping him alive towards the end. Guido makes everything into a game to safekeep his little angel throughout their stay there. Not only Guido shows great love, but also Dora. Although she is not a Jew, she demands to go with her husband and son. Her love brings her to the cencentration camp to share with the fate that befallen to her husband and son.
The box shown many times in the film is the major symbol of the film. This box is seen as everyone in the train enters the concentration camp. It becomes a symbol of hiding. The concentration camp is a hidden place in Germany, and the rest of the world was also hiding from the reality of the war at that time. Moreso, in the second time that the box is seen, Guido shows Joshua that the young boy is hiding inside it. Joshua has stopped believing his father’s story that many children are hiding as well. When Guido sees a young German boy playing hide-and-seek with his friends, he shows him to Joshua. Joshua knows very little that time will come that he will also hide in the box.
One of the motifs used in the film is the Holocaust. The Holocaust occurred during World War II when Hitler imprisoned and killed millions of Jews because he wanted an entire race of Anglo Saxons, and he felt that the Jews were getting in his way.
The theme of the film is truly memorable in the context of the Holocaust. The worst horrors that man has known are coupled with sacrificial love. Guido has sacrificed his life for his son.
The film was made several years after the Holocaust. Roberto Beigni, the director and protagonist of the film uses this masterpiece to remind any viewer about the horrors of the Holocaust, and the beauty of surviving from it.
Although the film’s story is a work of fiction, the setting of the film is based on historical fact. So, this film successfully brings life to many people. Despite of all the horrors of the concentration camp, Roberto Benigni is able to bring warmth to the film. One of the reasons for the warmth is the characters. They are well-developed. An attentive viewer understands why Guido would make a game in the concentration camp because he has created a story or game for every other part of the film. It is his strategy to hide the dramatic side of the film.
The first part of the film is set in Italy, while the second part is set at the concentration camp in Germany. These locations do fit with the overall messsage of the film. Between the two, it is the concentration camp that touches me most. It is in this place that Guido shows a bigger part of the true power of love. He has sacrificed his life for saving his son. Moreso, he shows that in the midst of the horrible events in human life, life is still beautiful. Through this, I have seen the beauty of life in Guido’s eyes.
There are no sex scenes in the film, only a light romance between Guido and Dora. This is so because the film’s story focuses on familial love, devotion, and sacrifice.
The music also contributes to the tone of the film. It is first played at an opera house during Guido’s and Dora’s courtship. Later, Guido uses it to communicate hope to his wife and to others.
Through the character portrayed by Roberto Benigni, I can say that even in hell, a ray of hope and salvation can penetrate the darkness.
References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_Is_Beautiful
http://users.aol.com/aleong1631/lifeisbeautiful.html
http://www.ram.org/ramblings/movies/life_is_beautiful.html
http://www.celebritywonder.com/movie/1998_Life_is_Beautiful.html
http://www.dramatica.com/story/film_reviews/reviews/LifeIsBeautiful.html
Film Critique (Road Home)
“When a lover suddenly catches sight of his beloved, his heart palpitates. A true lover is constantly and without intermission possessed by the thought of his beloved.
~Andreas Capellanus
~Andreas Capellanus
Love is described as an intense feeling of affection. It is the most common theme in art, music and film. Among films, one is Zhang Yimou’s The Road Home, a love story with an amazing simplicity. The film's plot is very simple, built around the love story of Di and Changyu, the narrator's parents.
The film’s simple story is well realized. The part on how Di came to love Changyu is brilliant. The scenes, her patiently waiting by a roadside to catch a glance of Changyu, her slipping and breaking a bowl filled with dumplings she has especially made for him, and her running joyously across a bridge while filled with the delight of love, are the film’s asset. Through these scenes, the film is able to present a copy of human story bathed with heartrending emotions.
Zhang Ziyi’s portrayal of the young Di is commendable. Her beauty still pervades the screen every time she appears although she wears heavy quilted clothes that make her body look big and make her waddle like a penguin. On one hand, Zheng Hao’s portrayal as Changyu is also appealing. Although he is not that handsome and not that famous to be paired with the bewitchingly beautiful and prominent Zhang Ziyi, he is able to trigger the sweet-painful intensity of the young Di’s feeling that has overwhelmed the viewers.
Respect and love for learning underlies the plot of The Road Home. The aged Di wants the village to show the proper respect for the deceased schoolteacher, who is her husband. According to her, Changyu spends his life teaching the village children. The one-room schoolhouse and its teacher represent a sacred temple of learning and love.
The film embodies a number of symbols. The central part, that relating on how Di came to love Changyu manifests her genuine feelings for him. In return, Changyu’s act of giving Di a hairclip symbolizes his feeling of attraction to her. The funeral procession signifies the renewal of the miracle of community for Di’s village. This can be seen when the crowd of her husband’s old students have turned out to help. The pallbearers’ refusal to accept the pay for carrying the coffin could very well stand for the teachers’ worth in the society. These symbols contribute to the overall meaning of the film.
The motif used in the film is the road home. The road is a road that played a crucial role in Di and Changyu’s love affair. This is the reason why Di wants the men of the village carry his husband’s dead body home on foot so that he cannot forget her and the road home. More so, this film has a personal touch of the director. This film has been used to present his personal message-to not forget the traditional way in Chinese cinema. He wanted films to be simple, immediate and anchored in reality. This can be attested by an interview with him (from http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/theroadhome/production/index.html):
Chinese society has changed so fast that most people feel lost. The Chinese cinema reflects these developments. These days the market economy dominates everything and our cultural life has lost its way. Really vulgar commercial films dominate our screens. Directors who would once have been ashamed to make such films are nowadays proud to put their names to them. It's a sad state of affairs, and I find myself wondering if people really like such films. I made my last two films NOT ONE LESS and THE ROAD HOME as a reaction against the current tendencies in Chinese cinema, against the logic of the market. I wanted them to be simple, immediate and anchored in reality. I believe the public will accept them, since they address the viewer with real feelings and emotions.
The film was set in Sanhetun in which scenes of golden autumnal forest, empty landscapes, and simple houses bring strength and become the witnesses of Di and Changyu’s love story.
There are no sex scenes on display, only the naive emotions of young lass in love. What is presented is just a simple romance. Although Di and Changyu share very few scenes together and exchange even fewer words, the connection between these two people are undeniable. The absence of sex scenes is due to the fact that this film is a mirror of the cultural life of China that according to the director has lost its way, and not a vulgar commercial film.
This film has awakened my feelings and emotions. I am deeply touched of Zhang Yimou’s work as a director. He really feels for this story, and he employs silence to make his points about love, family, culture, and change clear.
I am really moved of Di’s portrayal of love to her husband from the first time she caught sight of him, to finally bringing him home and laying him to rest. My heart jumps when she is drunk with the pleasure of love, and my heart bleeds when she is in grief. I have seen love through her, and my perspective about love has been broadened because of her.
Di’s unshakable devotion is due to the idea that:
The film’s simple story is well realized. The part on how Di came to love Changyu is brilliant. The scenes, her patiently waiting by a roadside to catch a glance of Changyu, her slipping and breaking a bowl filled with dumplings she has especially made for him, and her running joyously across a bridge while filled with the delight of love, are the film’s asset. Through these scenes, the film is able to present a copy of human story bathed with heartrending emotions.
Zhang Ziyi’s portrayal of the young Di is commendable. Her beauty still pervades the screen every time she appears although she wears heavy quilted clothes that make her body look big and make her waddle like a penguin. On one hand, Zheng Hao’s portrayal as Changyu is also appealing. Although he is not that handsome and not that famous to be paired with the bewitchingly beautiful and prominent Zhang Ziyi, he is able to trigger the sweet-painful intensity of the young Di’s feeling that has overwhelmed the viewers.
Respect and love for learning underlies the plot of The Road Home. The aged Di wants the village to show the proper respect for the deceased schoolteacher, who is her husband. According to her, Changyu spends his life teaching the village children. The one-room schoolhouse and its teacher represent a sacred temple of learning and love.
The film embodies a number of symbols. The central part, that relating on how Di came to love Changyu manifests her genuine feelings for him. In return, Changyu’s act of giving Di a hairclip symbolizes his feeling of attraction to her. The funeral procession signifies the renewal of the miracle of community for Di’s village. This can be seen when the crowd of her husband’s old students have turned out to help. The pallbearers’ refusal to accept the pay for carrying the coffin could very well stand for the teachers’ worth in the society. These symbols contribute to the overall meaning of the film.
The motif used in the film is the road home. The road is a road that played a crucial role in Di and Changyu’s love affair. This is the reason why Di wants the men of the village carry his husband’s dead body home on foot so that he cannot forget her and the road home. More so, this film has a personal touch of the director. This film has been used to present his personal message-to not forget the traditional way in Chinese cinema. He wanted films to be simple, immediate and anchored in reality. This can be attested by an interview with him (from http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/theroadhome/production/index.html):
Chinese society has changed so fast that most people feel lost. The Chinese cinema reflects these developments. These days the market economy dominates everything and our cultural life has lost its way. Really vulgar commercial films dominate our screens. Directors who would once have been ashamed to make such films are nowadays proud to put their names to them. It's a sad state of affairs, and I find myself wondering if people really like such films. I made my last two films NOT ONE LESS and THE ROAD HOME as a reaction against the current tendencies in Chinese cinema, against the logic of the market. I wanted them to be simple, immediate and anchored in reality. I believe the public will accept them, since they address the viewer with real feelings and emotions.
The film was set in Sanhetun in which scenes of golden autumnal forest, empty landscapes, and simple houses bring strength and become the witnesses of Di and Changyu’s love story.
There are no sex scenes on display, only the naive emotions of young lass in love. What is presented is just a simple romance. Although Di and Changyu share very few scenes together and exchange even fewer words, the connection between these two people are undeniable. The absence of sex scenes is due to the fact that this film is a mirror of the cultural life of China that according to the director has lost its way, and not a vulgar commercial film.
This film has awakened my feelings and emotions. I am deeply touched of Zhang Yimou’s work as a director. He really feels for this story, and he employs silence to make his points about love, family, culture, and change clear.
I am really moved of Di’s portrayal of love to her husband from the first time she caught sight of him, to finally bringing him home and laying him to rest. My heart jumps when she is drunk with the pleasure of love, and my heart bleeds when she is in grief. I have seen love through her, and my perspective about love has been broadened because of her.
Di’s unshakable devotion is due to the idea that:
“When a lover suddenly catches sight of his beloved, his heart palpitates. A true lover is constantly and without intermission possessed by the thought of his beloved.
References:
http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/theroadhome/production/index.html
http://www.amazon.com/Road-Home-Ziyi-Zhang/dp/B00005QFE5
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/opinion/08sun1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Home_(1999_film)
http://www.sonypictures.com/classics/theroadhome/production/index.html
http://www.amazon.com/Road-Home-Ziyi-Zhang/dp/B00005QFE5
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/08/opinion/08sun1.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Home_(1999_film)
SONNET 43
About the Author
English poet, the wife of Robert Browning, the most respected and successful woman poet of the Victorian period, considered seriously for the laureateship that eventually was awarded to Tennyson in 1850. Elizabeth Browning's greatest work, Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850), is a sequence of love sonnets addressed to her husband. Her vivid intelligence and ethereal physical appearance made a lifelong impression to all of the friends of the Brownings, among them Ruskin, Carlyle, Thackeray, Rossetti, Hawthorne, and many others.
Elizabeth Browning was born in Coxhoe Hall, Durham on March 6, 1806. Her father was Edward Moulton Barrett, whose wealth was derived from Jamaican plantations. Her mother was Mary Graham-Clarke. She grew up in the west of England and was largely educated at home by a tutor, quickly learning Latin and Greek and read and write avidly. At the age of 14 she wrote her first collection of verse, The Battle of Marathon. It was followed by An Essay on Mind (1826), privately printed at her father's expense, and a translation of Prometheus Bound (1833) with other poems, which appeared anonymously. Her first work to gain critical attention was The Seraphim, and Other Poems (1838).
In the early 1820s she injured her spine in a riding accident, and was long an invalid, using morphine for the pains for the rest of her life. In 1932 the Barrett family moved to Sidmouth and in 1835 to London, where she began to contribute several periodicals. In 1838, seriously ill as a result of a broken blood-vessel, she was sent to Torquay. After the death of her brother, who drowned in Torqauy, she developed almost morbid fear of meeting anyone, and devoted herself entirely to literature. When her Poems (1844) appeared, it gained a huge popularity and was praised among others by the American writer Edgar Allan Poe. Elizabeth Browning's name was mentioned six years later in speculations about the successor of Wordsworth as the poet laureate.
At the age of 39 she started a correspondence with the six year younger poet Robert Browning, who knew well her work. Their courtship was kept a close secret from her father, who had forbidden all of his sons and daughters to marry. Next year she ran away from her tyrannical father. In September 1846 she married Robert Browning in a church near Wimpole Street, and the couple settled a week later in Florence. Casa Guide became their base for the rest of Elizabeth's life, although they visited Rome, Siena, Bagni di Lucca, Paris, and London. Their only child, Robert Wiedemann (known as Penini), was born in 1849.
In her late years Elizabeth Browning developed an interest in spiritualism and Italian independence movement. She became supporter of Italian unity, which she advocated in Casa Guidi Windows (1851). She also opposed slavery in her books The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim's Point (1849) and in the political Poems Before Congress (1860). Her magnum opus, Aurora Leigh (1857), was a novel in blank verse about a woman writer, her childhood and pursuit of a literary career. It also dealt such themes as the poet's mission, social responsibilities, and the position of women. Last Poems (1862), issued posthumously, contained some of her best-known lyrics.
Elizabeth Browning died, romantically, in her husband's arms on June 29, 1861 in Florence. After her death the writer Edward FitzGerald expressed no sorrow in his famous lettter: ''Mrs. Browning's Death is rather a relief to me, I must say: no more Aurora Leighs, thank God! A woman of real genius, I know; but what is the upshot of it all? She and her Sex had better mind the Kitchen and their Children: and perhaps the Poor: except in such things as little Novels, they only devote themselves to what Men do much better, leaving that which Men do worse or not at all.'' Among Browning's best known lyrics is Sonnets from the Portuguese - the 'Portuguese' being her husband's pet name for dark-haired Elizabeth, but it could refer to the series of sonnets of the 16th-century Portuguese poet Luiz de Camões. It first appeared in a collected edition in 1850. The work includes the sonnet which begins with the well-known line, 'How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.'
A sonnet is a 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme and meter (usually iambic pentameter). This poetry format–which forces the poet to wrap his thoughts in a small, neat package–originated in Sicily, Italy, in the 13th Century with the sonnetto (meaning little song), which could be read or sung to the accompaniment of a lute. When English poets began writing poems in imitation of these Italian poems, they called them sonnets, a term coined from sonnetto. Frequently, the theme of a sonnet was love, or a theme related to love. However, the theme also sometimes centered on religion, politics, or other topics. Poets often wrote their sonnets as part of a series, with each sonnet a sequel to the previous one. For example, William Shakespeare (1564-1616) wrote a series of 154 sonnets on the theme of love.
Browning's Sonnet Series
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) wrote a series of 44 sonnets, in secret, about the intense love she felt for her husband-to-be, poet Robert Browning. She called this series Sonnets From the Portuguese, a title based on the pet name Robert gave her: "my little Portuguese." "Sonnet 43" was the next-to-last sonnet in this series. In composing her sonnets, she had two types of sonnet formats from which to choose: the Italian model popularized by Petrarch (1304-1374) and the English model popularized by Shakespeare (1564-1616). She chose Petrarch's model.
Sonnet 43
By Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Published in 1850
Text of the Poem
Interpretation
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
thee: the poet's husband, Robert Browning
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
depth, breadth: internal rhyme
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
when . . . Grace: when my soul feels its way into the spiritual realm
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
(out of sight) to find the goal of being alive and living uprightly
I love thee to the level of everyday's
I love you enough to meet all of your simple needs during the
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
day (sun) and even during the night (candle-light)
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
freely: willingly–and just as intensely as men who fight for freedom
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
purely: genuinely, without desire for praise
I love thee with the passion put to use
with an intensity equal to that experienced during suffering or
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
mourning; I love you with the blind faith of a child
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
with . . . saints: with a childlike fervor for saints and holiness that I
With my lost saints!–I love thee with the breath,
seemed to lose when I grew older. breath: echoes breadth, Line 2
Smiles, tears, of all my life!–and, if God choose,
Smiles . . . life: perhaps too sentimental
I shall but love thee better after death.
their love is eternal, never ending
By Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Published in 1850
Text of the Poem
Interpretation
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
thee: the poet's husband, Robert Browning
I love thee to the depth and breadth and height
depth, breadth: internal rhyme
My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight
when . . . Grace: when my soul feels its way into the spiritual realm
For the ends of Being and ideal Grace.
(out of sight) to find the goal of being alive and living uprightly
I love thee to the level of everyday's
I love you enough to meet all of your simple needs during the
Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light.
day (sun) and even during the night (candle-light)
I love thee freely, as men strive for Right;
freely: willingly–and just as intensely as men who fight for freedom
I love thee purely, as they turn from Praise.
purely: genuinely, without desire for praise
I love thee with the passion put to use
with an intensity equal to that experienced during suffering or
In my old griefs, and with my childhood's faith.
mourning; I love you with the blind faith of a child
I love thee with a love I seemed to lose
with . . . saints: with a childlike fervor for saints and holiness that I
With my lost saints!–I love thee with the breath,
seemed to lose when I grew older. breath: echoes breadth, Line 2
Smiles, tears, of all my life!–and, if God choose,
Smiles . . . life: perhaps too sentimental
I shall but love thee better after death.
their love is eternal, never ending
Rhyme Scheme and Divisions
The rhyme scheme of "Sonnet 43" is as follows: Lines 1 to 8–ABBA, ABBA; Lines 9 to 14–CD, CD, CD. Petrarch's sonnets also rhymed ABBA and ABBA in the first eight lines. But the remaining six lines had one of the following schemes: (1) CDE, CDE; (2) CDC, CDC; or (3) CDE, DCE. The first eight lines of a Petrarchan sonnet are called an octave; the remaining six lines are called a sestet. The octave presents the theme of the poem; the sestet offers a solution if there is a problem, provides an answer if there is a question, or simply presents further development of the theme. In Browning's "Sonnet 43," the octave draws analogies between the poet's love and religious and political ideals; the sestet draws analogies between the intensity of love she felt while writing the poem and the intensity of love she experienced earlier in her life. Then it says that she will love her husband-to-be even more after death, God permitting.
Sonnet 43 Meter
"Sonnet 43" is in iambic pentameter (10 syllables, or five feet, per line with five pairs of unstressed and stressed syllables), as Lines 2 and 2 of the poem demonstrate.
I LOVE thee TO the DEPTH and BREADTH and HEIGHT My SOUL can REACH, when FEEL ing OUT of SIGHT
I LOVE thee TO the DEPTH and BREADTH and HEIGHT My SOUL can REACH, when FEEL ing OUT of SIGHT
Theme: Intense Love
"Sonnet 43" expresses the poet’s intense love for her husband-to-be, Robert Browning. So intense is her love for him, she says, that it rises to the spiritual level (Lines 3 and 4). She loves him freely, without coercion; she loves him purely, without expectation of personal gain. She even loves him with an intensity of the suffering (passion: Line 9) resembling that of Christ on the cross, and she loves him in the way that she loved saints as a child. Moreover, she expects to continue to love him after death.
Figures of Speech
The dominant figure of speech in the poem is anaphora–the use of I love thee in eight lines and I shall but love thee in the final line. This repetition builds rhythm while reinforcing the theme. Browning also uses alliteration, as follows:
thee, the (Lines 1, 2, 5, 9, 12). thee, they (Line 8) soul, sight (Line 3) love, level (Line 5) quiet, candle-light (Line 6) freely, strive, Right (Line 7) purely, Praise (Line 8) passion, put (Line 9) griefs, faith (Line 10) my, my (Line 10) love, love (Line 11) With, with (Line 12) lost, love (Line 12) lost, saints (Line 12) Smiles, tears (Line 13) (z sound) smiles, all, life (Line 13) shall, love (Line 14) but, better (Line 14) but, better, after (Line 14)
References:
http://www.amherst.edu/~rjyanco94/literature/elizabethbarrettbrowning/poems/sonnetsfromtheportuguese/howdoilovetheeletmecounttheways.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Barrett_Browning
http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/ebb/huangbiblio.html
http://www.amherst.edu/~rjyanco94/literature/elizabethbarrettbrowning/poems/sonnetsfromtheportuguese/howdoilovetheeletmecounttheways.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Barrett_Browning
http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/ebb/huangbiblio.html
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