Unit 8: Wild West

Movie Settings:

The Movie I chose to watch for this unit was Butch Cassiday and The Sundance Kid. This Movie was an extremely popular movie at the time, and even now, it is known as an American Classic. The movie was released in 1969 and grossed over 102.3 million dollars during its run. The film won four Academy Awards, including Best Song. The song was "Rain Drops Keep Falling on My Head" which ended up being a number One hit Song. The Movie takes place in America and in Bolivia, in the early 20Th century.

Plot:

The Story starts off with Sundance Kid and Butch Cassidy robbing a train. Butch and Sundance Kid are the leaders in the gang called "Hole In The Wall". But the gang has selected a new leader, and he challenges them to a knife fight. Butch wins using a ruse and then the go rob a bank. The movie introduces Etta Place, Sundance's lover, but it appears that both men have feelings towards her. The posse, Butch, Sundance, and Etta find them selves on the run, going to a foreign country and robbing more banks. Eventually, it's just Butch and Sundance, fighting to till their deaths.

Actors:

Paul Newman plays Butch Cassidy and does one heck of a job in portraying Butch. Paul does a fantastic job and a key scene is where He and Sundance are trapped on the ledge, he decides to jump off into the water and shows off his bravery and even displays some comedic parts. Robert Redford also did a great job in portraying Sundance Kid. An excellent scene is where Sundance and Butch are stuck in the empty house in Boliva, and run outside. He seemd sure of himself that they were going to be ok and come out alive. My favorite scen with all three actors, is when they arrive in Boliva and they do not know a word of Spanish and do not know how to rob their banks.

Presentation:

This movie had an excellent presentation. Watching the movie made me feel like I was actually watching something from the early 20th century. In the beginning of the movie, playing along with the credits, is old flim clips from the early 20th century of a robbery on a train. Also, during the tranistion from America to Boliva, there is a wide range of old flims and old pictures of cities and Coney Island. It captured that era of time. The lighting and film sets were excellent and did not look at a bit fake, unlike other westerns and movies during that time.

Comparison:

The movie captured the time era perfectly. During the Wild West, it was common for people to come out and rob from banks, stores, houses, and banks. Even to hide out in the woods or mountains or the desert was a common hide out for robbers. In the flim, it showed how robbers were constantly on the run and still going out and commiting crimes. Sad to say, many were killed by the police or even never heard from ever again. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid showed what it was like to live in that time.

What Have I learned ?

I learned that people were not that different from that time, as much as today. I mean most people think that back in the Wild West, people were scared of everything and Men would come out and kill each other. But really, times hasn't changed. People are still going out and robbing banks and hijacking airplanes, rather then trains and killing each other.

Unit Four: Revolution

Movie Settings:



The movie I choose to watch was Roots volume 3. This was the third part to the six part series and was created by Alex Haley. The movie is based upon Alex's family history and was shown on the ABC station. This episode aired on January 25, 1977 and also had older actors to play some of the younger characters, to show the time difference. The show won nine Emmy's and is considered a TV classic. The movie takes place in Spotsylvania County, Virgina in 1776 and then in 1780.



Plot:

In the beginning, it shows an older Kunta and he is working with the tobacco fields. Later on in the day, there is a celebration going on at the house and Toby is coming up with a plan to escape. He hides in the back of a wagon, and doesn't leave until he thinks its time to come out. Toby finds himself at the same plantation as Funta is living in. He meets up with her and basically tell her that he loves her and has been waiting a long time to see her. Funta tells him that she doesn't go by that name anymore and has forgotten her African ways. They both wake up the next day and Toby is trying to tell her to run away with him, but she positively does not want to. The shouting of their arguments, leads Tobey's master to find him. As a result from that, they cut off his foot with an axe, so that he can't run away again. Tobey awakes and see a fellow slave woman named Bell. Eventually, the two get married and have a daughter named Kizzy. Tobey's friend who has been helping him since his arrival, Fiddler dies as Tobey is talking to him. The movie ends with Tobey talking to his daughter about his life in Africa, so that she won't forget who she is.



Actors:

John Amos from the show "Good Times" plays a grown up Kunta Kinte or Tobey. His performance was fantastic in this film. He made you cringe in the face when he got his foot chopped off! He cried when his friend Fiddler died and it pulled every body's who watches this movies heart strings. Another great performance in this movie was by Madge Sinclair who played Bell. An excellent scene that show cased her performance was when she was telling Tobey that her first Husband was trying to plan escape for her and her babies. When the plan failed, he was hanged and her babies were sold off. That scene she was crying and wailing, it made me want help her out.



Presentation:

The presentation for the movie was really great. The sets seemed to match the time era and the wooden house looked cool. The music seemed a bit off during some scenes, such as during a tense moment, it played happy music. The lighting and the camera work was a bit off because you could visibly see the shadows of the camera men. The outfits they would wear were ok and it certainly matched that era.



What Happened During this time era?

During this time, America was in the Revolutionary War. They were fighting Britain and were trying to keep their own land. If slaves wanted to become free, they had to join the British army and become a soldier. The Britans promised them that they can become free, sadly most of the slaves died during the war and most of them returned to being a slave. During this time, the Stamp Act came in to place, placing a stamp on all newspaper, broadsides, pamphlets, licence and all legal documents. The Stamp Act was to defend, protect and securing all the documents. Also the Boston Tea Party had happened, which was when a group of men dressed as Indians poured all the tea in the ocean. Hoping that all the citizens would buy it and pay tax.

Comparison

In the movie, it did not really show any of the fighting or anything that had to do with this era. They only talked about what was happening. For example, Bell was saying that any young black boy that wanted to be free, had to join the British army. Also Bell was saying that George Washington is a great leader and one day he should become president. In real life, slavery was still taking place, but it shows that this era didn't have a dramatic impact on them.

What I have learned

I have learned that this era had a lot of pride. The Colonist were egar to win and never gave up on their dream to be an independent nation. Also, the army that was fighting was relatively small compared to the British army and it seems like a miracle that they had won. It seems like everyone should be thankful that we live in a free land that doesn't have rules that effect peoples beliefs.

Unit 3: Roots

For this unit, I watched the movie called Roots: episode one and two. In the beginning of the series, it takes place in 1750 then 15 years later in 1765 in Gambia, West Africa. In episode two, it takes place in 1767 in Annapolis, Maryland. The miniseries was created by Alex Haley and it is based on his family history, of when his Great Great Great Grandfather arrives from Africa to America. Roots premiered on ABC on January 23, 1977. The miniseries was a successful hit and went on to win nine Emmy awards and a Golden Globe and even a Peabody Award.

Plot

The movie starts off with the main character, Kunta Kinte being born and his dad choosing his name. Then fifteen years pass by and Kunta Kinte is a fifteen years old and is learning how life is. In his tribe, a male must leave his tribe as a boy and return as a Mandinka Warrior. So Kunta and many other young boys are taken and go through intensive training, even getting their male body parts cut off. While attempting to kill a bird for as his mission, he runs into a young girl named Funta and knocks over all her food. While he is still chasing the bird, he sees a bunch of Africans chained up and white men leading them. Kunta returns to his training and tells the elders that their are white men in the area. Life continues and Kunta returns to his village as a man and promises to make a drum for his brother. As he is searching parts for the drum, Kunta is captured by four men and taken to the ship. On the ship he sees Funta and notices that she is all alone without her family. Kunta also sees a Warrior that trained him from the camp. Time goes by and Kunta and 140 other Africans are on slaved on the ship and eventually, the slave numbers down to 98. Meaning the others jumped off the boat or were killed. Kunta arrives in Annapolis, Maryland and watches Funta get sold off to a white man. Then about five minutes later, Kunta is sold off to a man named John Reynolds and a fellow slave named Fiddler has to teach Kunta how to be a proper " slave". Kunta is then taken to the home and his name Kunta is replaced with name Tobey. Kunta is learning the new lifestyle and hates it very much. He then makes an attempt to escape and breaks free. The next day, he awakes in the snow and is happier then ever, until Mr.Reynolds is chasing after him with the dogs. As they return back to the house, Fiddler pleads with him not to whip Tobey and hopes he can learn how to be proper. The plan fails and Kunta is whipped until he can say his new name.

Actors

LeVar Burton did an excellent job in portraying Kunta Kinte and made you really think about what the Africans went through during those hideous times. I would say his best parts was when he was being whipped down and when he was crying. LeVar made it his own and really came out great! Another great scene was when LeVar's character ran off, he looked extremely happy just be outside in the snow and to be free. LeVar smiled and pulled it off. Kunta's Mother also gave a really great performance. When she found out that her son was moving into a different hut, she cried and surely it touched our hearts. Then when she found out that her son got captured by the white men, she cried and cried and it for sure made every one's eyes watery.

Presentation

The Presentation was set off mediocre. The sets seemed accurate and the scenes that took place in Africa were moderate. I mean the area looked alright, but I think it could had been a whole lot better. The special effects were not that good, in the scene on the boat, where the little white boy shoots the canon on the African warrior, it looked like a piece of paper with red marks was on his head. Well I would have to get credit to them, because at the time, the effects were outstanding. The music was a bit off, it didn't sound like African music and they played really happy music when Kunta arrives on the plantation, when he is about to work.

What Happened during this era?

Well during these times, America wasn't a country yet, it was still owned by the British and the Americans needed helpers, also known as slaves. The trade route, which was extremely popular during this era. The trade route was from Great Britain to Africa to The Americas to drop off the slaves. The slaves worked in all thirteen colonies, but in the south there was a great dependence on them. In the south, they relied on the slaves for everything and in the North, they just used them to help them out. It was still common to see Indians in their reservations and to see people with white wigs on. The Colonial period ended around 1776, when America earned its Independence.

Comparison

Well none of us were alive in those days, but by doing research and studying, the movie seemed to hit the nail on the coffin for portraying the what happened in those days and what happened in the movie. It was ultimately accurate on the part on slaves coming to America and captured Africans jumping of the ships to escape the horror, even if that meant killing themselves. Also, it went well when showing us when the Masters would buy the slaves, what they would do and why they did it. They would harmful liquids on them, just to heal their wounds, sometimes it didn't even work.

What did I learn about this?

I learned that not all the white people in those days, weren't mean to the slaves. Mr. Reynolds wife wanted to teach the blacks how to read and to be more normal. She viewed them as humans who eat, drink and use the restrooms, like everyone else. So that shows me that not everyone was crucial to them. From this lesson, I learned that the Colonial Period ended around 1776, and I had always thought it had ended around 1812. Overall, I would say that I learned a lot.

- Jessie Gonzales