Chinatown

Chinatown started out fairly simply – a detective is given an assignment to discover if Mrs. Muwlray’s husband is having an affair. He follows Mr. Muwlray and sees her with a woman several times, takes photos, and the affair is publicized because he is an important businessman. Things become complicated when Mr. Gides, the detective, realizes that the woman who came to his office was not the real Mrs. Muwlray, and more complex when Mr. Muwlray is found drowned.
This is a classic case of film noir- the police mainly disregard the death, labeling it accidental, but Mr. Gides refuses to stop investigating it as murder. Traditionally, the police were too quick to judge, and the detective continued alone on a search for the murderer and the secrets of everyone involved.
What threw me off a bit was the character of (the real) Mrs. Muwlray and her relationship with the detective as they spent increasingly more time together. She seemed like a classic example of “femme fatal”- the two slept together, yet we still don’t understand her secretive behavior. I anticipated the scene when he would prove her guilty and the film would resolve. Frustratingly, it deviated here, and he learned that she was hiding something unrelated to the murder of her husband. This left her off the hook for murder, but it left me vaguely confused about some previous parts of the movie.
The ending also disturbed me by challenging the traditional narrative that I normally expect, especially in film noir with a distinct protagonist and a conflict he is working to resolve. Just when I was prepared to see everything resolve in a final scene, a sudden change in action took place and all control over the situation was lost. I thought there must be at least some additional dialogue or action in response, but it ended. I was left with unanswered questions and without the satisfaction of seeing the guilty taken away by police before the credits rolled. The movie was engaging, but its startling variations to the expected detective storyline left me disappointed, feeling like the previous two hours were useless.

"Touch of Evil": an edgier, more complex example of film noir

“A Touch of Evil” began with a long, continuous shot – showing the night life of a town along the Mexican-American border, and honing in especially on a man and a woman driving in a car and a young couple walking along the street. The shot suddenly broke off in response to a loud blast, and cut to a shot of the car exploding. The young couple, Mike Vargas and his wife Susie, runs over to the scene by the car. This moment sparks the ensuing story of danger and dishonesty because Vargas, a Mexican cop, becomes involved along with the American cops in the search for the killer of the man and woman in the car.

Reminding me of the previous film noir style movie we watched, “The Maltese Falcon,” the first bit of action in the movie was a murder. This was the most significant similarity they shared, however, because I found “A Touch of Evil” to be much edgier and more complex. It touched on issues of police corruption, abuse of suspects, racism, gangs, and while there were still a few laughable, fake punches, there were also some very violent scenes.

This film noir was darker than the other, and I could only trust two characters for sure – Vargas and Susie. The others were unpredictable, and I remained unsure of how far certain characters would go, as far as undermining the law versus maintaining some respect for the people involved. There was great contrast between Vargas and the American police captain, as the two opposed each other until the very end. Vargas valued honesty and tangible truth, and he was devoted to his wife (besides neglecting her at a motel in the middle of nowhere). The police captain valued his personal career and pinning down a suspect, and he lashed out in violence in remembrance of his wife who was killed. I appreciated the depth of many of the characters and the interesting themes resulting from a plot with an interracial couple in a setting alternating between Mexico and the U.S. I wouldn’t mind watching this one again to catch all of the subtleties.

The Maltese Falcon

This detective film started off rather quickly­­- we were barely introduced to the detective and his partner before detective Spade’s (Humphrey Bogart) partner Miles was shot. Another man was shot directly following this murder, and into a tangle of characters and uncertain motives we’re thrown. I’m glad it began this way- I knew it was going involve some sort of mystery so there’s no use wasting time. Spade was sent on a job to follow a man at the request of a young woman who came to the detective office. While on the job that evening, he was shot and killed. Soon after police were investigating this death, the man who Spade was following was also killed.
Police question Spade concerning the death of his partner, whose wife he was having an affair with, and Spade wonders what the beautiful young woman’s motive was for having Spade follow this man.
The plot was complicated enough to keep me guessing until the end- when I was still unsure exactly how certain characters were involved and how dangerous they were. Keeping it more lively was some humor inserted here and there. Whether it was completely intentional or not, I’m not sure. The film is from 1941 so the shots that made me laugh may just be dated attempts at being serious or dramatic. However, when Peter Lorre’s character Cairo was the recipient of the woman’s fake kicks and punches, it was a good laugh and prevented the scene from becoming tedious. The ending was terribly corny, but I was satisfied – I was grateful that Spade made the right choice instead of falling for the girl’s tears. This would be a good rainy-day mystery but not one that I would take too seriously.

Monsoon Wedding and Daughters of Dust don't conform to Hollywood conventions

Monsoon Wedding and Daughters of the Dust were different from nearly every American movie I’ve experienced- both of these films differed little in standard movie length, yet they managed to accomplish more than the typical single-plot, single-protagonist Hollywood movie.
Monsoon Wedding had numerous narrative points of view. The audience experienced situations from the point of view of the bride, her father, her cousin, her brother, the event planner and other characters, seeing moments from perspectives that no other characters could experience. The multiple narrative points of view allowed for many plots to be underway simultaneously, making for a more complex and meaningful film than most I have seen.
Daughters of the Dust also had no single protagonist for me to relate to, recording the experiences of numerous family members at once. This film was less effective than Monsoon Wedding because its complexity made for a confusing narrative and I felt unattached to any characters instead of feeling as though I was sharing all of their experiences. However, I imagine that the meaning that was meant to come across in this film could not be limited to the narrative point of view of a single character. Unlike the traditional Hollywood film with a clear establishment of a conflict and progress towards a simple resolution, Daughters of the Dust created an experience where the characters’ progression towards a final decision was unclear. There were scenes of conversation that seemed to contribute little to the ultimate problem they were facing. Perhaps it better reflected life in its jumble of characters and dialogue than a typical Hollywood film with a main character following a clear-cut beginning, middle and end.
Both of these films are more similar to classical European narratives than they are to classic Hollywood narratives. According to Hollywood, a narrative should maintain a clear and understandable perspective for the viewer and include a clear conflict and resolution. Both films have numerous perspectives, and Daughters of Dust is especially difficult to follow. According to The Film Experience, “The European model tends to situate the story in large and varied social contexts that dilute the singularity of a central protagonist and is usually less action-oriented than its U.S. counterpart” (263-264). Monsoon Wedding works through many conflicts, and Daughters of Dust has several underlying issues that the characters must deal with. These particular films worked with a similar technique, but Monsoon Wedding was most successful in creating something enjoyable that I would watch again. After watching this film, I would like to see more directors deviate from the classic Hollywood narrative style and achieve more depth in the allotted two-hours.

Monsoon Wedding, colorful and profound

Monsoon Wedding had my attention in the first shot with a vivid view of orange petals falling on the upturned face of Aditi’s father, and I remained interested in the characters’ relationships and the colorful shots throughout the film.
What I possibly appreciated most was the number of characters who were important and revealed a certain depth of their vulnerability, rather than a singular focus on the young woman getting married and her troubles. One character in particular, the event planner for the wedding, was an argumentative man who was initially irritating (but occasionally humorous). His character was developed beyond this first impression, and I saw his insecurities and the loneliness he felt at home with a complaining mother who “may never see the face of a grandson.” When he began falling in love with Alice, the rough exterior began to disappear and it was replaced by a man clumsily trying to flirt with a pretty woman. This was a surprising glimpse into the life of a character I expected to remain a minor one, but we were even invited into his run-down home where he returns after work.
Other areas of the movie were troubling and emotional, such as when Ria confronts her past and the father struggles knowing that his girls have not always felt safe and happy. And, of course, Aditi deals with a past relationship and accepting this new one which has been arranged by the parents of her and her fiancé. Unlike other movies with one conflict that is easily resolved, this film spoke to numerous realities that complicate the lives of family members. One moment people might be laughing together and in another they may feel at a loss, but the problems of each individual is important because it affects the others. It would have been shallow for this film to claim that once Aditi's relationships were straightened out, the wedding would be problem-free. A wedding is not just for the bride and groom (which would be much simpler), but it is an important, and even stressful, day for each member of the family.
I can’t think of another movie I’ve seen in which so many subplots occur, involving nearly every character the audience is introduced to. I expected Aditi to be the main character, but I slowly realized that there were at least five or six characters with significant stories. There were a few points in the film when I was afraid the plot was wrapping up to end, and luckily it didn’t end until the big wedding celebration was underway because I wanted to see all of the plots resolve.

daughters of dust

Daughters of the Dust is a film that I might watch several more times and still feel uncertain about all of its meanings – but if Julie Dash (producer, director, and writer) wanted it to be clear, she could have developed a more structured and straightforward plot, so her intention must be hidden in the film’s complexity.
The film began with several scenes of characters I did not yet know and unfamiliar places, making for a confusing beginning to a story that became only slightly more logical as it went on. The Peazant family has always lived on an island off of the coast of the south-eastern states. The film begins with a few family members returning from the north, along with a couple of companions, to recruit the rest of the family to join them. Some of the film was frustrating, due to disjunctive editing, including unexplained clips of hands pouring dust onto the ground, and dialogue that was often hard to follow. Thankfully, for a scene that was confusing or unresolved, there was often beautiful cinematography in a scene to follow. If I wasn’t completely following the plot, I could at least appreciate the scenes on the beach with striking colors of the food and place settings of a large family picnic or the contrast between the girls’ dark braids and white dresses when they were dancing and spinning on the sand. Most interesting to me was the character of Eula’s unborn child – a joyful little girl who followed her parents around as they individually struggled with the complexity of her conception. Her father, Eli, was perhaps taking the knowledge of Eula’s rape the hardest, and the child said that she had to convince her dad that she was his. I hoped that the film would allow us to see Eli’s interaction with his daughter, but the film ended before Eula gave birth. I enjoyed aspects of the film, but when it was finished I felt like the meaning in its characters and symbols was reserved for those involved in the production or those already familiar with this culture and people.

Rick's attitude towards love in Casa Blanca

The various takes on “love” in Casa Blanca interested me most in this film. I saw Rick, the owner of Rick’s Café Americain, faced with multiple attitudes towards romantic love as he listened to the stories of other characters and – to my surprise – he displayed a practical and deep love for a woman rather than acting romantically or spontaneously.
In the beginning of the film, Rick seems like a cynical person who holds no tender feelings towards anyone – not even a beautiful woman who wants to spend the evening with him. As more characters are introduced, I discover that Rick’s attitude is the outcome of being hurt by a woman he deeply cared for. As Rick angrily deals with this freshly opened wound when Ilsa returns into his life – but remains out of his reach – he is faced with challenging questions about love and relationships. A young Bulgarian woman asks if it is right to do something ethically wrong for the sake of her love for her husband and a future they might have. There is also an underlying question of whether what Ilsa did was considered an affair if she believed that he husband was dead, and if her husband deserves to know. Rick also sees and rejects Captain Renault’s attitude towards women – which is superficial and physical. The questions that are raised by the characters, mainly “what does a loving relationship look like?”, caused me to think critically and realize that there were no easy answers. I could not guess what Rick’s decision would be because I could not decide for myself how it should all be resolved. Ultimately, Rick chose to disregard his personal rule that he should lookout for no one but himself (“I don’t stick my neck out for anybody”) and he considered Ilsa first. In reflection of Rick’s actions, the Bulgarian woman who needed a visa and even Ilsa in her honesty with her husband, the film rightly left me questioning, “Would I have done the same thing?”