Blog Assignment 3 Option 3- The Departed vs. Infernal Affairs

     The Departed was a Martin Scorsese film that was released in 2006, and contained an all star cast featuring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Alec Baldwin, Vera Farmiga, and Ray Winstone. It received critical acclaim, and received four Oscars as well as a number of other awards. Less commonly known perhaps is that the plot for the Departed was not original (though what movie is anymore?) The the story for the film was drawn from a Chinese film, Infernal Affairs. This film was released in 2002 and starred Andy Lau, and Tony Leung Chiu Wai. In case you have not seen either film, the plot to Infernal Affairs is that there is a cop who from when he first joined the force went undercover as a mole into a triad gang, at the same time, the triad gang, sent one of their own members as a mole into the police force. Both Moles are unaware of the others identity and they are both striving to figure out and stop the other mole. Now for The Departed, take that same plot, turn the Triads into the Irish Mob, the police into state troopers, move the setting to south Boston, and you have The Departed. As with any film adaption there were additions and subtractions to the interpersonal relationships and minor plot tweaks in each film. Both are decent films, though there are adaptions that would definitely fit better with American audiences. The setting change was crucial, to both making The Departed different and make it more appealing to American audiences. As I watched Infernal Affairs, there was some confusion as to the organization of the Chinese police, though not enough confusion to not understand it. The most notable difference between the films however, was the amount of profanity and gore in The Departed, that Infernal Affairs did not have. This is due in part to a couple of things. Chinese censorship may have cut down on that, though just as likely is that the movie didn't need it.
      The interpersonal relationships, between the characters was also definitely adapted to American audiences. For example, in Infernal Affairs, the mole that is in the police force has a girlfriend who is a writer, and she writes about a man with multiple personalities, this being a metaphor for the mole. Things in the Departed are much more clear cut, There are good and bad guys who are easily recognizable, as well as a plot where everything was shown. To put it harshly it was dumbing it down.USA Today did a brief side by side comparison of the two films and there are distinct similarities and differences in each. The expectation of film is always changing, in the U.S. and internationally. Though there are definitely common traits, that many cultures share. Perhaps the most universal of these is the fact that people like to watch movies about people of their same culture. Chinese movies take place in China or include Chinese main characters. American movies take place in America or include American main characters, etc. Not only that, culture is different, and jokes that may be funny or clever in one culture would not translate culturally (or linguistically) to a different country. Just as I was unclear with the police force in Infernal Affairs, a Chinese Audience may not understand the workings of American police. Fantasy films do not fit into the cultural expectation as much. As they take place in worlds outside this one and can translate more universally, but even then, there can be distinct gaps in culture.
      One thing I noticed particularly in Inferal Affairs was a distinct use of filmography techniques. This is something that is constantly growing and is becoming more and more universal. The first part of this clip particularly impressed me, with the reflections off the windows, there is a scene that takes place there earlier in the film as well. All in all there are definitely cultural differences in movies, though as technology improves and things progress some things are becoming more universal.

Blog Assignment 2 Option 2 - Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock was one of the most influential directors of all time. The majority of his movies were horror/thriller themed, and many of them have become classics. He started his directing career in the early 20's (IMDB) and had films coming out all the way through the mid 70's. He produced a number of films through the golden age, many that are still popular. His most notable films were those from later in his career, among them being, Psycho, The Birds, Rear Window, Strangers on a Train, Vertigo, Dial M for Murder, to name a few. Though even his earlier films have been influential in modern cinema. A number of his films have been remade and/or adapted. This 1998 Psycho is an excellent example. It is even arguable that Hithcocks Mr. and Mrs. Smith is related to the 2005 film of the same name. Strangers on a Train has also been remade and altered, an example is the comedic adaptation Throw Mama From the Train, and there is apparently a remade version due to come out in 2011. Aflred Hitchcock was undoubtedly one of the single largest contributors to the horror/thriller genre, and can be considered the pioneer that explored that genre for film. His nickname "The Master of Suspense" was well earned, as his extensive and successful career showed. He was also well know for making cameo appearances in his films, and sometimes include them in very subtle ways . Here is a list of his cameos and locations in the films.
Here is a link to the IMDB Bio on Alfred Hitchcock if you want more information.