The Piano (1993)

The art film The Piano is like no other film I have seen before. The director Jane Campion, known for her feminist approach to films, does a wonderful job of just that. Though the film was produced in 1993, the story takes place in early times, around 1850 and does a good job of defining masculinity and feminism of the earlier times through a unique portrayal of a mute woman who will do anything for love, love for her piano, and love for her unexpected partner.
Campion’s film would definitely be classified as a contemporary film (398) because of the present era it was made in. When Ada and her daughter Flora, arrive to their new home in New Zealand and move in with her husband who her father had arranged marriage with, things almost seemed to be going as planned. I think this particular instance in the movie portray two views of the earlier times male dominance. Not only was Ada sent away by her father to get married, no choice or say in the matter, but as soon as she arrives her new husband Alisdair also displays his “ownership” over his unknown wife. When she and her property arrives, Alisdair immediately makes a deal for some land and in exchange for the land he would trade Ada’s piano away, despite her love for it, and it not belonging to him and all.
When Ada finds out about her piano, despite her reluctant but open-minded approach to her new marriage, she is devastated and if nothing else, has lost her loyalty and any chance of loving Alisdair. Because of the realism (377) in this film it is easy to get lost in its plot, and as soon as you do Campion shocks you with literally a “smack in the face” twist that you never saw coming. Despite her unwillingness, Ada is forced by Alisdair to go teach the man he sold it to, George Baines, how to use the piano. The two could be considered exact opposites in many ways, she is a well dressed seemingly polite woman, and George is a native tribe member of New Zealand with a tattooed face.
Their piano lessons almost immediately turned into what I can only describe as blackmail. You can tell that George does not have very much interest in the piano, or how to play it, but was much more focused on Ada herself. George offered Ada to give her piano back to her if he was able to “do things to her as she played” and at first she was reluctant, but out of desperation for her piano she agrees to give one lesson for each black key on the piano, and during each lesson George could pretty much do what he wanted. The visits got increasingly sexual, and at this point you feel like George is doing something wrong, and despite Ada’s willingness to engage in these acts to get her piano back it just seemed morally wrong.
Eventually, Ada had finished her lessons with George and got her piano back. When she did, she returned to George’s house, and after she slaps him for doing that to her she leaps in his arms because she has fallen in love with him. With the unintentional help from Flora, Alasdair soon finds out of the affair, and prohibits both Flora and Ada from ever seeing George. When she disobeys him, through another portrayal of male dominance he severely punishes her by cutting her finger off, disabling her from playing the piano.
Although I never expected it, Alasdair and George seemed to change personas throughout the film. Because in the end, George was the hero and Alasdair was the bad guy. Luckily for Ada, she managed to get away from Alasdair and sailed off to a happy ending with Flora, George, and her piano. Ada originally insists on her piano coming on board of their small sailboat, despite the captain’s advice to leave it behind. Half way through her trip she seems to have a moment of realization, and because the piano symbolizes everything bad in her past, after the many obstacles she overcame to get it this far, she decides to throw it over board and start her life from scratch.

Works Cited
“The Piano.” Dir. Jane Campion. Perfs. Holly Hunter, Sam Neill, Harvey Keitel. Miramax Films.
1993. (film)
Armond White “The Piano.” Photo. Wordpress.com. Accessed April 26, 2010.
www.armondwhitebook.wordpress.com

The Best Years Of Our Lives (1947)

Ironically named The Best Years Of Our Lives explores a unique point-of-view regarding World War II. Whereas most films created during, or about this post-war era typically would portray the actual events of the war, actual battles, and actual losses suffered by the armed forces, This film focuses particularly on a crucial battle that every surviving veteran, in any war will face, the battle of “fitting in” when you return home.
Although it may seem simple for someone like me to act as a normal civilian in day to day activities. The simple may seem closer to impossible for someone who is returning from serving in a war, and who has faced horrors that seem unimaginable to me. With that being said, and the closest to these horrors that I have ever been is through a good movie, In my opinion it is safe to say that, once a man or woman is lucky enough to made it home from war, the battle has only just begun.
The Film starts out with three men returning home from the war, and the obstacles they are yet to face, despite already surviving the war. The three men: Homer, a navy man who had lost both his hands in an explosion on board his ship and is worried what his family and girlfriend will think about his prosthetics, Al Stevenson, a Sergeant in the army who has been married for twenty years with two children, and last but not least Fred Derry, an air force bombardier who was married just before leaving for duty. Although the three men lead normal lives before joining their branch of the service, they are all faced with some serious social re-adjustment issues and they all somewhat aware of the challenges that lie ahead, Sergeant Stephenson compares going home to storming a beach at war, just before he is dropped of at home by the taxi he says to Derry “I feel as though I am about to hit a beach”, an ironic way to start the best years of their lives.
The irony of that replayed over and over again in my head the whole time I was watching the film. I also could not help but admire Homer’s gratefulness to life, in my opinion he had it worst of all three men, though they all faced some serious issues, all but Homer, the once high school star quarterback, came back fully intact. All three men lost valuable time, endured changes they never thought possible. But Homer suffered the loss of his hands in addition to all the things Al and Fred also lost, yet he still stood optimistic, and even more impressive he was very grateful to the navy, not for the devastation, but for giving him the capability and training to still continue living. I think that even though he was dealt the worst hand he handled it best, and as a character with great strength, he portrayed a strong, courageous, and grateful person that we all should strive to be.
As I had hoped while I was watching The Best Years Of Our Lives there was a happy ending. Despite the war, the social re-adjustment, and the domestic difficulties all three men find away to go about their lives. In a sense, the title of the film seemed less ironic the more I thought about it, the best years of their lives refers to the years after the war, and it makes sense to me, because in reality the war really does not end until you make the necessary changes to become a normal civilian again, and because of this film, I truly appreciate just how hard making those changes can be.

Works Cited
The Best Years Of Our Lives. Dir. William Wyler. Perfs. Myrna Loy, Fredric March. Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1947. (film)
Kelly. “Best Years Cover.” Photo. www.utoronto.ca Accessed April 18, 2010 http://www.utoronto.ca/stmikes/kelly/movies/classicspre.html (photo)

The Seventh Seal (1958)

If there is anything that has been questioned more than whether or not God exists, I cannot think of it. Time after time people ask themselves and sometimes each other if there is a God, and if there actually is, why he would allow such tragedies throughout history, throughout the world to occur. If there is an all forgiving man upstairs, why is there war, why is there poverty, and in the case of The Seventh Seal why is there the black plague. Antonius Block, a Knight returning home to Sweden from the Crusades, has worn out faith because of the war and has a rare opportunity, to ask death himself the almighty question: “Is there truly a God”.
As I mentioned, Antonius was returning from The Crusades to Sweden where the Black Plague had swept the country and killed thousands of people. During his journey home Antonius and his squire Jon where visited by death. Although because of the black plague, Death is busier than ever making his rounds, he accepts Antonius’s challenge to a game of chess, after all Death admits he never loses at anything. Although Antonius’s challenge was accepted it did not give him a free-pass, and that was not what he was looking for. Antonius was certain he would lose, but only wished to buy enough time to answer the question that he, and so many others wonder, does god exist?
After being denied a direct answer from Death, although frustrated Antonius is determined to find out the answers he longs for and refuses to give up. He visits a priest and asks the same question, and after a fade-out (145), it is revealed that the priest is actually Death, who’s only response is to laugh at Antonius’s helplessness. Although outsmarted by Death in this particular case, which maybe representing the way the chess game is also going, Antonius again, refuses to leave this question unanswered and continues his quest.
I found it ironic, how throughout the film, Antonius see’s all the horrors of the black plague and his ravished country, and not only comes face to face with Death, but actually plays chess with him. But on the other hand Jof, the acrobatic performer has visions of the exact opposite, the Virgin Mary and child. In fact, Jof and Antonius seem to contrast each other throughout the whole film. Whereas Antonius has witnessed many horrors and no longer can think positively, Jof is optimistic throughout the whole movie, seemingly unaware of the plague that surrounds him.
Although it becomes clear throughout the film that Antonio only continues for himself out of selfishness, he has somewhat of a character development towards the end. He eventually met his inevitable defeat in chess and ultimately in life itself, and even though he never actually got the answers he was looking for, he found meaning in life in another way. In what I would consider a surprising, but happy ending, he enables the escape of Jof, Jof’s wife Mia, and his infant son Mikeal.

Works Cited

Timothy Corrigan and Patricia White"The Film Experience: An Introduction". Boston, Ma. Bedford/St. Martins Publishing. 2009 (text)

Salvad, Jay. "Chess Game."Photo. People.USC.edu Accessed April 10,2010.

The Seventh Seal. Dir. Ingmar Bergman. Svensk Filmindustri. oct. 13, 1958.