THE MASTER OF DRAMATIC ARTS
Auteur Raimi
Written By Gabriel Ramon Lopez
Nevada State College
Prof. James Cho
FIS 110


There is a common theme among the films directed by Sam Raimi that I enjoy. The characters in his movies always seem to evolve, change, and develop as the story rolls along. I believe Sam Raimi shows his brilliance in how he arranges for the characters lose a piece of themselves while showing the audience the hidden, often dark motivations of the characters, and their desire to change for the better. Evidence of Raimi’s trend of leading the characters into loosing a piece of self can be found in “The Gift”, “Army of Darkness” and of course “Spider man“.


I believe “The Gift” is unique among crime drama films because it uses misdirection and fear of the unknown. Raimi is brilliant, in how he plays into the audiences expectations, before completely changing the dynamic of the storyline. Throughout the film the audience is being lead to believe what they want to believe about human nature. Meanwhile, at the same time Raimi has been manipulating the audience into raising suspicions about their own judgment, and ability to determine what is, or rather who is to blame for the murder. While watching this film it is the audience who loses a piece of themselves when they realize their own judgment was misplaced, and it is the audience who leaves with a desire to change for the better.


Another example of this method can be seen when Donnie, the redneck played by Keanu Reeves, approaches Mike, Annie Wilson’s son, on the bridge running over the creek. Because Donnie is seen as malicious and cruel, the audience suspects that the level of violence has escalated to the point where Donnie is plotting to commit murder. If not for Buddy’s last minute appearance, questions of whether or not Mike would have been in the obituaries of the local paper arise. Buddy himself is a riddle, the audience Knows from earlier encounters that he is mentally unstable, as exampled by his violent outbursts, but the expectation that he would commit murder himself is overshadowed by the fact that he is always trying to do the right thing.


This folowing scene takes place on an old creek road in the country, and was filmed from the perspective of a young child. It starts with Mike walking home after school, a truck pulls slowly up behind Mike as he’s crossing the bridge. Donnie is in the passengers side of the vehicle and is filmed through a medium shot at a low angle as he toys with Mike and threatens his mother. Then Donnie throws his baseball cap at Mike and tells the boy to pick it up for him. Clearly establishing his dominance over a ten or twelve year old boy . Fortunately, Buddy shows up in time to rescues Mike by dispensing some southern justice as he beats the living hell out of the pickup truck with a Nine Iron. However, Mike is frightened and run’s off.


In “Army of Darkness,” Raimi’s third and final film in the Evil Dead trilogy, we find Ash being lead to his death by Arthur with the rest of king Henry’s Men. At this point Ash has already lost almost everything , including his sanity. However, fate has chosen him to be “that guy that saves the world and gets the girls.” This is the third film, and Ash has grown tired of being the hero; Ash just wants to get things over with so that he can move on. It is obvious at this point that Ash just doesn’t care anymore. I think whether or not he remembered the incantation to retrieve the book, that would save the world, the result would have ultimately been the same. Ash has a cynically clever remark for everything , no longer the idealist he once was, and doesn’t want to change things for the better. Even though Ash protests, he always seems to do the right thing. Raimi brilliantly manipulates the audiences expectations of Ash’s character by placing Ash in situations where he often puts his needs first over all others; given the circumstances I don’t blame him. One thing you have to admire is even if it is in Ash’s best interests to give up, he admirably doesn’t quit, and the audience can identify with the character.


The best scene to illustrate Ash’s constant internal conflict is during the confrontation between Ash and Evil Ash that takes place in the woods, after the two separate. Evil Ash is taunting Ash by doing a river dance and playing a game of poke the bunny. It is obvious at this point that Ash decides to destroy his other evil self, and in so doing creates his most powerful enemy. An Enemy with the same cavalier attitude and all of Ash‘s best surface qualities. Ash lost a piece of himself metaphorically when he made the decision to ruthlessly kill Evil Ash. At this point it’s strictly business and Ash isn’t playing games anymore.


The scene begins with an itch and a scratch of the now conjoined twin Ash ‘s, next there is a long shot in front of the pale moon light, the two of them howling followed by a brief close-up shot of the two butting heads. This is followed by a brief slapstick homage to the three stooges, followed by an eye-level shot of the conjoined stooges fighting against a tree, and then followed by a mobile frame at a high angle. The scene then cuts to another close up of the two heads of Ash before showing another animatic of Ash in the final stages of osmosis. There is an arguably high-angle, or Eye-level Long-shot of the two from behind dense forest which gives the audience a sense of location. The twins now admire each other’s good looks as they toy with one another briefly in a series of close-ups. Evil Ash gets cocky as they wander slowly around each other in circles within the mobile frame. This is followed by a close up of the Evil Ash as he explains what his purpose is in the grand scheme of things as Ash watches like a deer caught in the headlights in the next series of close-ups and long-shots. Finally, there is a close-up of the footwork that made the river dance so popular. Evil Ash smacks his brother upside the head one time too many and before you know it there’s a close up of a gun pointed at his (evil Ash’s) head.


“Spiderman,” Quite possibly the most well known of Sam Raimi’s films, already had a cult following before it was filmed. This film is about Peter Parker and how he became the hero known as Spiderman. What makes Spiderman so fascinating is that Peter is lost when he looses his Uncle Ben in the very beginning of the film. At this point in the story Peter is just recently discovering himself and gaining his independence, a common theme among coming of age stories. The added loss of Peter’s Uncle ripped him up inside to the point where he is forced into the position of being the man he is, or become the man he wants to be.


An example of this can be found in the scene where Peter, finally, confronts the man who killed his uncle. This scene is very powerful because Peter is forced to face the end result of his inaction. This failure drives and motivates Peter to change who he is, not for just himself, but for the people around him. Unfortunately, at the end of this scene it is possible Peter feels responsible for the death of not one but two individuals. Peter’s character has become a monster who must live with the guilt and shame of his inability to take action for the rest of his life, because it is clear that he had the power to prevent their deaths.


The scene begins after a brief car chase through the streets of New York at an abandoned warehouse or factory. The car crashes through the gate of the factory and in the long-shot the criminal jumps out of the vehicle rushes into the factory as police vehicles rapidly arrive on the scene. The scene than rapidly cuts to the interior of the factory with a close up of the thief cleverly hidden within the shadows, his gun drawn at arms length he carefully scopes his surroundings in the mobile frame. The thief then pulls away from the camera into the interior of the warehouse. His back to the camera, as a helicopter light floods through the fogged windows at random intervals. He quickly changes the clip in his gun in less than two or three seconds. The camera then moves slowly in a transitioning mobile close-up of his hand to his face, which shows wild eyed panic. Briefly he hears a noise , there is a high angled shot as in panic the thief moves like a chicken with its head cut off. He then turns and there is a low-angled camera shot from the thief’s perspective as he shoot’s blindly at Spiderman’s shadow.


A medium shot reveals that Spiderman is behind him hanging from the rafters. In a series of long shots and medium shots a brawl between Spiderman and the criminal takes place. The criminal pulls a knife and Peter quickly disarms him and throws him against a wall next to a glass window. There is a close-up of peter as he removes his mask and confronts the criminal, face to face, with the criminal hidden in the shadows of the poorly lighted warehouse. A light from a Police boat floods through the window to reveal a close up of the face of the criminal…a brief flashback reveals him to be the man who robbed Bonesaw’s manager earlier in the storyline. Peter is in shock and backs away slowly, hoping that isn’t true.


The criminal laughs mockingly, as he points the gun to peters head and prepares to fire. Peter once again disarms the criminal braking the thief’s arm in the process. In a blind panic the thief tries to escape from Peter but a close-up of his sneakers reveal that isn’t in the cards. The criminal looses his balance crashes through the window and falls onto the docks below. There is then a low angle shot revealing peter in the floodlights of a police boat before he vanishes when the police arrive. The scene ends with Peter sulking briefly on the top of a skyscraper, mourning the loss of his uncle.
All of the films directed by Sam Raimi have a similar unifying theme. A character, not always the main character, loses a piece of themselves. Often showing the audience the hidden motivations of the characters and their desires to change for the better. This is demonstrated in “The Gift” by Buddy, in “Army of Darkness” by Ash, and in “Spiderman” by Peter Parker. In this way the audience can identify with the characters frustration that life isn’t perfect, and the desire to do the right thing.

Gabriel R. Lopez
Dr. Gregory Robinson
ENG 477c
8 October 2010

Uncertainty in a Fatalist Universe of One’s Own Creation

Noir films are quite literally documentaries of fantasy. The stories are often told from the perspective of a single narrator, and the visual elements are used to persuade the audience to side with the voice of god. Noir uses high contrast imagery to symbolically highlight the contrast between tradition and philosophy, fate and choice. It is common to all film noir to use the element of unrequited love, displays of human cruelty, and disparate gallows humor. Perhaps what makes Noir most fascinating, is that it lets the audience decide whether the narrator lives in a fatalist universe or a universe of uncertainty. Paradoxically, one has to question whether or not a human being assuming the mantle of god for the purpose of recreation can create a reality where there is an indeterminate outcome. “Out of the Past” and “The Big Sleep” play with this idea expertly, and whether you know the ultimate outcome or not by the end of the film there is still a question of what happens next. However, for the purpose of illustrating the noir paradox of uncertainty in a fatalist universe “Murder, my sweet” and “Detour” are equally valid examples that display the paradox of noir.


The film “Murder, My Sweet” is the story of a recently blinded Philip Marlowe who leads the audience on a fantastic journey. Marlowe’s psychological state as the events unfold is expressed visually throughout the film creating a nightmarish effect. By constructing the story in excess of its material base, the narrator is creating a fantasy (Harris 5). In one scene, at the beginning of “Murder, my sweet,” Marlowe proves he is indifferent to jump scares when a ghostly image of Moose Malone seems to appear and vanish between flashes of a flickering neon sign located outside of his office. The scene begins with Marlowe lighting a cigarette while cupping his left hand over the lighter. The action of cupping his hand over the fire could have three possible meanings. First, Since Marlow is seated before a window at two angles, the obvious reason is to hide the light and disguise his presence. Second, there’s a possibility he’s cold and seeking warmth or comfort, the size of the office is presented as an intimidating empty space. Third, there could be a draft, the window could be open. Unfortunately, since there aren’t any curtains on the window, it’s difficult to know if the window is open or closed. The lack of curtains and other furnishings in the office space also indicates that the office was either recently acquired, or that Marlowe hasn’t used the space with any frequency.


After taking a drag on the cigarette, Marlowe puts the lighter in his pocket. The camera angle changes from a close up to a medium shot on Marlowe’s right side as he removes the gun from his sports jacket. Within the frame we see the neon sign through the window. The word HOT, in glowing neon lights indicates that a cathouse, or hotel is present. As he sets his gun on the desk he looks up. The camera cuts to a medium shot of Marlowe from behind, in a different window we can see that the neon sign was advertising a hotel. The window is covered in frost, indicating that it is cold outside. It is at this point where reality and fantasy intersect. Marlowe sees a ghostly apparition of a looming figure, something that would have been missed if Marlowe had blinked. The apparition appears human, yet that illusion is shattered when one compares the physical proportions of this giant to Marlowe. Our attention is immediately drawn to Marlowe’s reflection when that of the hulking terror disappears. The snowfall directing out attention to Marlowe lets us gauge distance as well, and when the monster in the funhouse mirror reappears it is apparent that there is an eight hundred pound gorilla in the room. According to Marcia Landy affective interactions [in melodrama and opera] are conveyed through iconography, especially, though face and body movement (52). The iconography of the scene may have several meanings, the most obvious of which is fear of the unknown or death. Followed by childhood recollections of powerlessness. Either way the imagery is intimidating and effectively conveys a feeling of anxiety.


A sense of universal malleability is conveyed in both the portrayal of the characters on screen and through their environment. There is an almost nonchalant attitude that many of the characters in noir films display towards death. This casual abandon gives the audience an eerie sense about the value of life in a world where actions are motivated entirely by self interest. Noir follows the conventions of expository films. Primarily because they are structured like an argument based on documented evidence and point toward a future in which problems are likely to be resolved. (Godmilow and Shapiro 84) Actions made out of self interest imply choice, while actions following conventions imply fate. The narrator plays both a victim and a hypocrite at the same time. While it is true that the action has already taken place, the narrator argues fate after the events have transpired. The narration often implies that the outcome was inevitable, while simultaneously ignoring the decision making process that gave the narrator no choice but to accept one option over another.


“Detour,” a cautionary tale for fatalists, illustrates the typical noir narrator. Al Roberts is a semi-talented piano player from New York on a quest to reunite with his former fiancé. Rather than conducting research, finding a better paying job, or seeking a new romantic partner, Al chooses to hitchhike all the way to Los Angeles. Al makes decisions based on fear rather than logic, and then tries to apply logic after he‘s made a decision. He claims he had no choice but to dispose of Haskell’s body because he was trying to survive, yet once the danger had passed he continues to put himself in harm’s way. It is also at this point in the film that Al acts as the voice of god telling the audience exactly what would happen with absolute certainty if he hadn’t taken action. Later, Al claims it was a cruel twist of fate that he would pick up the one person who knew he wasn’t Haskell, yet Al himself knew more about Haskell than Vera did. Plus, anyone familiar with a typical journey between cities when traveling across country through Arizona, Nevada, and California, would also know that there are hundreds of miles of desert with almost no traffic in-between. Therefore, Al had plenty of time to drop Vera off between cities and get rid of the car without getting caught. Even the audience knows that Al’s choice to stay with Vera is based on fear, despite claims it was because fate or some other mysterious force.


The discussion between detective Marlowe and Lindsay Marriot implies that the protagonist is motivated by self interest despite knowledge of the odds against him. The scene begins with Marlowe returning to his office. Marriot has waited several hours to offer Marlowe a job, Marlowe tells him that he’s already on a case and cannot be bothered with another one. Marriot, despite claims he could hire anyone, is looking for someone to act as a bodyguard during an exchange. Marlowe tells Marriot that he’s being blackmailed, or that he’ll be double crossed and shouldn’t go through with the exchange because it will end in a loss either way. Marlowe tells Marriott that there is really nothing that he can do for him as a client, but Marlowe’s curiosity disguised as greed compels him to tag along for the exchange anyway. Marlowe knew he didn’t have to accompany Marriot. Marlowe knew the exchange would end badly, and Marlowe still chose to follow Marriot anyway. Marlowe’s decision could be an indication that he wanted to either reaffirm his beliefs or perhaps to see if he could make a difference.


Examples of unrequited love are peppered throughout noir films. The victims of unwanted devotion may vary from story to story, and yet they are always entangled with the main character in a way that moves the story from point A to point B. In “Murder My Sweet” it’s the relationship between Moose and Velma that is unreciprocated. Detective Marlowe is hired by Moose to find Velma, he eventually falls in love with Ann, who is later revealed to be Velma’s daughter. In “Detour” the relationship between Al Roberts and his former fiancé is the motivation for his journey. Initially Al’s fiancé wanted him to come with her, but he was unable to acknowledge her feelings. Al wants to reconcile a relationship that was damaged by his arrogance out of vanity despite clear indicators that the relationship is over. In “Out of the past” there are multiple stories of unrequited love all involving the main character and all stemming from competition over the most desirable woman available. In “The Big Sleep” the relationship between Philip Marlowe and Carmen Sternwood is also unrequited. However, Marlowe’s romantic advances toward Vivian, Carmen’s Sister, were initially unwanted until after he rescued her sister. When Marlowe later rescues Vivian in the Parking Lot their platonic relationship developed further.


Gallows humor, which makes light of human tragedy, is often used in noir to detach the audience or observer from the cruelty of human nature. In her book, Eva Gruber has proposed that gallows humor is a survival strategy to make unalterable harsh realities bearable so that one could avoid suffering from insanity (43). Ironically, people rationalize human cruelty by distancing themselves from those who are being victimized. Gallows humor then becomes a tool of self defense that uses non violent language to minimize the damage caused by cruelty and human suffering. Considering noir films are action oriented crime dramas that frequently feature violent deaths, revenge, retributive justice, and a cast of narcissistic sociopaths, gallows humor then becomes necessary for survival and mental health.


Noir films use the paradox of a fatalist universe exemplified by predetermined outcomes while exploring the possibility of indeterminate outcomes throughout the story. There is always a psychologically tormented male character and an equally twisted female character. Ultimately, the audience finds some sympathy for the devil as they watch the road to hell paved with good intentions. In fact, one could argue that the presence of choice negates the idea of a fatalist universe altogether, despite the appearance of staged conventions of genre which are presented as everyday life.

Resources
Book
Gruber, Eva. Humor in Contemporary Native North American Literature. Rochester,
New York: Camden House (2008) Google Books
Electronic Journals
Harris, Oliver. “Noir Fascination: Outside History, but Historically so. Cinema Journal. Vol.43 No.1 (2003) pp. 3-24 Retrieved through JSTOR
Godmilow, Jill and Shapiro, Ann-Louise. “How Real is the Reality in Documentary
Film?” History and Theory. Vol.36 No.4 (1997): pp. 80-101. Retrieved through JSTOR.

Landy, Marcia. “Which Way Is America?: Americanism and the Italian Western”
Boundry 2. Vol.23 No.1 (1996) pp. 35-59. Retrieved through JSTOR
Film
DETOUR. Dir. Edgar Ulmer with Tom Neal, Ann Savage, and Claudia Drake. PRC.1945
Murder, My Sweet. Dir. Edward Dmytryk with Dick Powell, Clair Trevor and
Ann Shirley. Warner Brothers. 1944

A social group, comprised of French critics, decided that a genre post and pre war movies featuring hardboiled detectives, femme fatales, and a cynical world view belonged to a specific canon. “The Maltese falcon,” like many noir films, was based on a novel. The Humphrey Bogart film was a remake of an earlier film adaptation of “The Maltase Falcon” and the then current production staff had hired Raymond Chandler as a screenwriter. Chandler’s influence seems present in most of the noir films in the cannon because he wrote or participated in the production of almost every early noir film including “Double Indemnity,” “The Big Sleep,” “Murder, My Sweet, “ and the 1941 film adaptation of “The Maltese Falcon.” Perhaps the reason “ The Maltese Falcon” is considered to be on the fringes of the film noir genre is because Chandler created the genre, not the stories within it. It could be argued that the only reason “The Maltese Falcon” is included in the genre is because of Chandler’s role in the film’s creation. Furthermore, unlike other noir films “The Maltese Falcon” was created before America’s participation in World War II. This fact is in opposition with the generally accepted idea that the genre was a result of social cynicism created by the paranoia durring World War II. Although, it could be argued that America was consciously aware of the war long before the Japanese attack on pearl harbor. However, “The Maltese Falcon” does have all the conventions common to the genre including the collaboration between the femme fatale and the hardboiled detective among other similarities.


Shakespeare once wrote “there is noting either good nor bad but thinking makes it so.” Detectives in the film noir genre are there to push a hole through the fabric that is the tapestry of the story like a needle with thread. While it is possible that the detective’s presence can warp and knot the fabric of the story as they weave themselves from one stitch to the next, the tangled mess is never the thread attached to the needle itself. “The Big Sleep” and “Out of the Past” are probably the best examples where a detective’s involvement complicates the matter while simultaneously unraveling the mystery. In “The Big Sleep,” Detective Marlowe is hired to track down Sean Regan, who was supposed to pay off the gambling debt of Marlowe’s client. Marlowe was hired because of his former entanglement with Regan, that is, during the prohibition of alcohol in the United States Marlowe was assigned to keep track of Regan as a federal agent. Therefore, he was recommended to the client through the district attorney because of a pre-existing entanglement with the man who had mysteriously vanished. There is no way for Marlowe to separate himself from the needle unless he chooses not to participate in the story. Similarly, in “Out of the Past” Jeff is more akin to a thread attached to a needle. Jeff’s only responsibility is to track down Sterling’s girlfriend and report her location. Unfortunately, by falling in love with Kathie the matter is complicated, but the entanglement between the detective and Kathie only complicates the situation. On the other hand, the complication was caused by sterling, to an extent that it was not impossible for Jeff to unravel. Nor was the entanglement entirely the detective’s fault.


There is a clear relationship between film noir and the historical period in which it takes place. Nowhere is this more obvious than in “The Big Sleep,” which has two notable and obvious references to the concerns of war torn America. The film makes reference to both the government rationing of meat and the entrance of women into the workforce as a result of labor shortages caused by WWII. Durring the war, women were encouraged to enter the workforce as part of a relief program. At that time it was believed that women entering the workforce would play a large part in determining whether or not America won the war (Campbell Jr. 37). Other films have less obvious and more covert references to social warnings using actors and events of the world around them. “Gun Crazy,” is the story of two lovers who go on a crime spree that could be a possible reference to the legendary Bonnie and Clyde. The events that inspired the film sensationalized newspapers more than a decade earlier and puts this film in touch with nostalgia for the past. Nostalgia is a common theme among the protagonists of noir drama, often leading the protagonists into flashback narratives. The film “Gun Crazy” shares with its audience the story of a lonely soldier returning home from the war. Bart, having nothing in common with his friends falls in love with someone who he can identify with. This probably echoed the feelings of the veterans that had recently returned home after WWII and was probably influenced later film noir.


There is a positive and negative effect to how femme fatales are portrayed in film noir. The women of film noir are often portrayed as being without a paternal family support system. The idea presented is that a lack of familial support has the ability to transform a woman into a manipulative harlot. Simultaneously, this lack of familial support is what gives the women of noir their strength of character. The positive cultural role this has on society is that it shows that women could survive independently from the pressures of family and society. Rather than playing the role of the victim, the women of noir were allowed to make mistakes on their own and suffer the inevitable consequences. A good example would be Kathie from the film “Out of the Past.” She chose to shoot whit, she chose to run away, she chose to steal whit’s money, and she made a conscious decision to shoot Jeff’s friend. Another good example is Vivian, her father the colonel was only financially responsible for his children, leaving the girls to raise themselves. Vivian took upon herself the mantle of a survivor, whereas her sister became a perpetual victim of circumstance. The negative aspect of this portrayal is that there is a constant message that women are inherently evil and (or) vicious. It is therefore the responsibility of men to make sure women can be controlled or dominated. Ironically, this proves to be counterproductive in “Double Indemnity,” since Phyllis’s motive for murder is because she claims she has no freedom allowed her. In theory she was kept a prisoner by her husband financially and socially.


“Sunset Boulevard” is a film noir. Within the story, there is both narrator, and femme fatale collaborating on a screenplay. There is a morbid sense of humor, Norma is a fatalist, there are multiple instances of unrequited love, the least of which is a love triangle involving the narrator Joe himself. There is nostalgia, strangeness, and mystery present in “Sunset boulevard.” Norma is nostalgic for the days of the silent picture. She has formed attachments to things rather than people. Norma‘s behavior is overtly dramatic and increasingly bizarre. Norma seems to almost be looking through objects rather than at them. Inquiring minds want to know what lead to Joe’s death, and how Norma became so conceited. What makes it unlike other film noir is that the narrator has already expired. The investigation which is typical of other noir has now become an examination of only the events leading up to the narrator’s death. In this instance, the audience has to evaluate and interpret the information as it becomes available to them. There is no crime syndicate, unless you count the studio that blacklisted Norma. Additionally, there is nothing material that can be won or lost in “Sunset Boulevard” other than things which are of immeasurable value such as self respect, freedom, and dignity. Another factor that makes “Sunset Boulevard” unique from the cannon of noir is that one could argue that the narrator of the story is not the protagonist of the narrative. Rather, one could argue, femme fatale Norma Desmond is the protagonist of the story.

Resources
Walker, Nancy A. ed. Campbell, Levin H. Women's Magazines, 1940-1960: Gender Roles and the Popular Press. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1998. Print.

Double Indemnity. Dir. Billy Wilder with Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and Edward G. Robinson. Paramount Pictures. 1944

Gun Crazy. Dir Joseph Lewis with Peggy Cummins and John Dall. King Brothers
Productions .1950
Murder, My Sweet. Dir. Edward Dmytryk with Dick Powell, Clair Trevor and
Ann Shirley. Warner Brothers. 1944

Out of the Past. Dir. Jacques Tourneur with Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and
Kirk Douglas. RKO Radio Pictures. 1947

Sunset Boulevard. Dir. Billy Wilder with William Holden, Gloria Swanson, and
Erich Von Stroheim. Paramount Pictures. 1950

The Big Sleep. Dir. Howard Hawks with Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and
John Ridgley. Warner Bros. 1946

Neo-noir is characterized by the use of color in addition to other features. Neo-noir was created after the traditional noir cycle which ended in 1958. The genre makes use of nostalgia, mystery and suspense in a way that is different from traditional noir. In traditional noir, moral and ethical dilemmas were subject to institutionalized justice, wherein there was a system of punishment for violating what was considered a social faux pas. For instance, a man who committed a murder would have to face justice for his crime, whether that be arrest, suicide, or justifiable homicide. In neo-noir the characters are regulated by retributive justice. Meaning, there are still consequences for a character committing unethical or immoral actions, but the audience is left to decide the outcome for themselves. For instance, in the movie “Brick,” we know the mastermind of the situation within the story is rooked. However, we don't know if she escapes justice or not. In other films like “The Spanish Prisoner,” “Memento,” and “The Long Goodbye” this model of retributive justice is also employed. It seems, audience participation is required in order to determine or accept the outcome of justice within the story. With few exceptions, there is often a twist in the typical neo-noir that adds to the suspense and builds audience curiosity. This misdirection probably preys upon audience expectations of conventions that were established during the initial noir cycle or within everyday life. Another feature of neo-noir is the lack of covert dialog and double entendre that was used as a way of getting past censorship of themes and ideas that that were once considered immoral in the context of the 40's and 50's.


“L.A. Confidential” and “Chinatown” are cynical portrayals of the political corruption and moral decay of humanity. The urban setting in the desert is a secondary feature. The locations are fairly general ones that could be present in any city, so in that sense it is the characters and characteristics that make them unique. For instance, “L.A. Confidential” takes place around Christmas, but there are only a handful of locations that reenforce the idea that they are in Los Angeles. Both stories take place in a city where power and respect are determined by image, politics, and financial capital. However, where the action takes place, an office, a restaurant, a car, or villa, are all manufactured illusions of an era of time. The music is likewise generated from knowledge of the traditional styles that were contemporary during the era in which the events took place. The characters are not corrupted by the city but rather the people within it, if the people within the city are indeed corrupt themselves, the audience must question what corrupted them. The obvious answers are greed, lust, power, and fear, all of the tools used by politicians to parlay favor and establish dominance. In a sense, politics is portrayed not as a double edged sword, but as the ultimate corrupting influence. Ultimately, “Chinatown” and “L.A. Confidential” end in tragedy, and it seems that corruption is somehow rewarded in the end. Corruption itself has become a form of drug within the story's ecosystem, despite both the damage it has caused, and the danger it poses to the public. Nevertheless, corruption has become accepted as a necessary evil.


Competing themes one could argue as present throughout “Memento” are manipulation and trust. Everyone in “Memento” is trying to manipulate Lenny/Sammy into helping them accomplish some goal. Lenny cannot trust anyone including himself , he trusts himself more than others because his conditioning has reinforced his judgment as being the best when confronted with the unknown. These themes, while seemingly at odds with each other, surprisingly compliment one another as well. Within “Memento,” Sammy is being manipulated by his wife, who is being manipulated by the insurance adjuster into believing she is being manipulated by her husband. The audience is similarly manipulated as the story unfolds, because it is later revealed that Lenny the insurance adjuster is Sammy and it is up to the audience to decide where the true story lies. Another manipulation is the misdirection of audience wherein the story leads one to believe that Lenny is being manipulated by the bartender into killing Teddy. The reality of the situation is then revealed in the truth that Lenny manipulated himself. These examples work for trust issues as well, the audience trusts Lenny is telling the truth about his mental condition and Sammy only to discover that the trust was misplaced. Whether the problem is neurological or physical is an audience decision. This is where the two competing themes start to compliment each other. Teddy trusts that he can manipulate Lenny without fear of retribution. The bartender thinks she is manipulating Lenny into killing his friend Teddy, by using the bond of trust between the two without knowing that Lenny had already planned on killing Teddy.


The femme fatales of neo-noir are neither overtly nasty, murderous, or compulsive liars. In fact, the femme fatales of neo-noir are more devious and manipulative than those found in the traditional noir cycle. The similarities between the two types of femme fatales would most likely be the illusion of the innocent persecuted heroine. The women of noir film are seemingly innocent and need the protection of an excellent strong male archetype. However, as the story unfolds the truth is revealed, then, any illusions about their innocence are shattered. Additionally, both traditional noir and neo-noir use the femme fatale to pique the interest of the investigator at the beginning of the story. The sophistication of the audience may have played a role in the changing characteristics of the femme fatale from that of the traditional noir cycle. During the traditional noir cycle, and in the context of the 40's and 50's, women were seen as inferior to men. In order to highlight this inferiority, the women of traditional noir were often portrayed as either inexperienced in using any form of power that was overtly masculine. Such as, physical strength or manipulation based on competitive coercion. In traditional noir women would use their physical beauty to manipulate men while playing the role of the helpless victim. In Neo-noir women were no longer victims, they had a greater freedom to choose with whom they allied themselves with. Additionally, the femme fatale of neo-noir, as seen in “The Spanish Prisoner,” and “Brick,” has all the information, about all aspects of the situation. Meanwhile, she deliberately sabotoges the investigation or feigns ignorance. Finally, the women of neo-noir seem as fascinated by the investigation as the investigator himself, making the femme fatales seem more like an equal rather than a tag-along or sidekick.


Noir is a depressing soul crushing commentary on what everyday life could be, with a problem to solve and no one to solve it. Without a femme fatale and hard boiled investigator there is no romance, no energy, and above all no fiction. The film may as well be a documentary on corruption and evil of mankind. Despite being in an urban setting the film would be little more than a recreation of Satan's vision for humanity. A cynical review of everything wrong in society, and a melodramatic farce with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. Pessimists might argue that film noir is an accurate representation of the real world and that all the details perfectly reflect the horrors of the real world. If that is the case, then it is no wonder the genre fell out favor with the public the minute the romance, mystery, suspense, and intrigue disappeared from the genre. Why would anyone go to the movies to see real life on the big screen, when you could do it from the comfort of you own home. Without the femme fatale and the hard-boiled investigator the story is just a detail oriented exploration of how bad the world could be if there were no solution to existing problems. Without the investigator the story isn't a mystery and without the femme fatale the story isn't a romance. Without the cover of darkness a gangster is nothing more than an underhanded businessman or a successful lawyer. Optimistically, without the femme fatale or the investigator, the noir is little more than a biased documentary of a time, a place, and the problems therein.

Gabriel R. Lopez
VIS 362
Professor Gregory Robinson
21 March 2010


Beauty by definition is undefined

Beauty is a term of abstraction; it holds a subjective meaning that can refer to the physical or metaphysical. Plato, is often misquoted as saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder." The truth however is that Plato believed beauty, harmony, and grace depend on simplicity. Ironically, like art, there is no simple definition of beauty. This is because, like art, beauty is an illusion. Strangely however, many people seem to agree that beauty is something that can be measured or defined. Beauty is often seen as a measure of quality, and in some cases the appearance or sound of an object can make that object seem more unique and valuable. Overall, the question of beauty is not whether it can be defined, but why people are so fascinated with beauty. Beauty is subject to the whims of current culture, the community, and the individual. In as much as, beauty is a complex series of ideas that transform and transcend reality.


Social scientists such as Theodor Adorno might argue that physical beauty is a judgment based on social conditioning. Beauty is a product that has been marketed as a fetish for so long that even the alternative of beauty is a commercial product that has been marketed as a fetish. (Gauntlett, p. 24) Psychologists could just as easily argue that beauty is a compromise of ideals. For instance people who are marginalized because they are different will find that they fit into a category. In American culture a good example of this would be people who are overweight. Based on the current stereotypes presented in movies, people who are overweight are not as healthy, may not live as long, are emotionally depressed, lazy, intellectually inferior, financially unsuccessful, etc. Again, people might also believe these same stereotypes apply to people of color, of a specific region or country such as Mexico, Russia, Germany, or the southern United States. My reply would be to quote Joyce Kilmer, "I think that I shall never see a thing quite as lovely as a tree."


Measurements of quality, such as beauty, are almost always measured in simplistic opposition to another medium. Since everything that is beautiful is almost always believed to have one or more aspects that are genuinely good. Something Ugly is associated with things that are bad. Beauty reduces the value of an individual to a thing. It is logical then to conclude, that people like to objectify things, themselves, and others in a vain effort to control their own reality. In order to make any significant comparison to an object one must first define an object for comparison. Beauty is therefore a matter of perception. According to Roberto Freidmen and Mary Zimmer perception is said to characterize those things which are most salient in an individual's reaction while describing the degree or direction of its affectivity. (p.32 column 2) Any individual with a skill can create something beautiful, but not everything that is produced by an individual will hold the same affection among other individuals.

Alternatively, a poet, a philosopher, a mathematician, or scientist, are often believed to have beautiful minds. Beautiful people are physically attractive, like precious metals or gems that have been smelt into bricks or cut into a pleasing form. When someone looks good it is said they look sharp, cut to the teeth, or decked to the nines. Sharpening, cutting, and decorating all require a measurable skill. When an image looks good there is a certain passion, energy, or skill, which entrances the viewer and captures one's attention. While affection describes one level of enchantment, it doesn't necessarily describe the fascination or skill typically associated with beauty. Modern psychology believes fascination begins with the separation of a child from its mother. When an individual is born the world becomes a field of indistinct objects and the first thing or object that becomes most precious and important to an individual is its mother.(Weiss. p.88) Whether this is because the mother is the first thing that is considered an extension of one's self, or because one's life is dependent on the existence of the other still precedes any understanding of beauty. Skill on the other hand, is something both learned through experience and is passed on from one generation to the next. A skill usually reflects ones experience and fascination with an object or subject. To be considered a professional one has to first master and acquire knowledge. A professional artist has mastered his craft because he honed his skill. A master of any craft has come before a novice, just as a novice will one day become a master of the craft, provided the novice continues to develop. As an example of this a professional musician is usually acquainted with the history of music, and improves their ability through practice.


Beauty is not a fact, it is an opinion. If one were to take the label off of a can of beans, and place it upon a can of soup, the can of soup would remain a can of soup regardless of the label. However, if an authority figure were to place the label of beauty on a can of soup, or simply the image of a can of soup, the can of soup would then become beautiful because of the opinion of one in authority. This is because labels condition nothing but your mind. (Herron, p.137) Beauty has no actual structure or quality ascribed to it other than good or better. How an individual knows one thing is better than another is through personal experience. If one knows a can of beans should not contain chicken soup, that individual would be an expert on what a can of beans should contain. However, an expert on beauty does not exist, because one cannot say that there is an absolute definition of beauty, because in order to judge beauty one has to be first conditioned to believe there is a physical limitation on the definition, of which there is not. Beauty is a term of abstraction that is given structure through the use of contrast. Human reality is a binary culture, good/bad, right/ wrong, top/bottom, superior/inferior are all labels that can be changed through movement or development. Flip a box on its side and the top of the box has changed, the right things can be done for the wrong reasons, and good things happen to bad people. In theory, a fact cannot be changed to suit the situation. Yet, an opinion is almost always in question, because what is true for one individual may not be true for another.


According to Alexander Alberro, today's advocates of beauty, following the 20th century's attempts at revealing the reception of art based on historical conditions, is concerned with reviving the beautiful as a legitimate measure of quality based on Kant's division of the aesthetic. (p. 38 ) Meaning, beauty had such a vague definition that it needed to be sublimated into two parts. One then has to wonder if the origin of the sublime came before or after the scientific term of sublimation came into existence. Sublimation in science has to do with changing states of matter, diverting the energy to modify or transform it. Kant's creation of the sublime was a way of controlling the idea of beauty. Under the relatively new and yet unchanged definition of beauty there was another state of beauty known as the sublime. Under Kant's model of beauty and the sublime the new definitions hold feminine and masculine qualities. A male and female are both humans in the same way that that something good is both beautiful and sublime. However, there is a problem with Kant's reformation of beauty, beauty is associated with the feminine but still remains entirely subjective to the individual. This is because humans cannot appreciate beauty as objective observers. Therefore, all things that are beautiful are agreeable because people like them.


By examining the works of Kant further we learn that Kant's basic principle is one where human knowledge is strictly conditioned by our own minds. Kant then further breaks things down into two categories: as we know things, and as things as they are. (Williams, p. 121-123) Beauty falls into the category of things as we know them. Psychologists like Ivan Pavlov have proven the effects of conditioning through scientific research. The knowledge that something is beautiful does not make it a matter of fact. Just as the knowledge that fire is hot, cannot tell you how hot a fire is, nor can it tell you how long the fire will last. Knowledge makes it easier for one to guess and anticipate. If knowledge truly is the sum of one's experiences, then everyone should be knowledgeable about their perception of reality. This would seem to invalidate the idea that beauty is a measure of quality. Since it (quality) has no structure, it cannot be defined, nor does it have any accepted definition, or purpose. The function of beauty is to create a set of vague limitations, rules, or standards upon what is good. Standards are a way of explaining why something is good. Rules are guidelines for making something good, and limitations are set up only to prevent pain, fear, or confusion.


How one defines beauty is not a matter of what beauty is, but why it is important. People are fascinated by beauty because of conditioning, affection, fascination, and individual experience. Beauty exists without form, but is a unique product to each individual despite being a product of limited alternatives. Because it is not tangible, beauty is not a true measure of quality. Beauty is an opinion, and is therefore subjective to the individual. The accepted definitions of beauty are agreeable only because knowledge is a conditioned set of limitations that serve as guidelines to prevent misunderstandings. Since there are no truly objective observers, all knowledge is a subjective to one's experience and personal beliefs. Facts are ideals that have, and can be, proven in accordance with the laws of the universe. The ideal of beauty is important, because it transforms something "as it is," into something that people can know or understand. One can know beauty exists, and define its meaning, and provide examples of beauty in simplistic terms of contrast. However, the complex nature of beauty as it exists is something that is intangible. Just as any definitions would only serve to further sublimation into further categories of the unknown.


The history of beauty is that it remains undefined. Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle tried to define beauty. The seventeenth century rationalists tried to rationalize beauty. The empiricists thought they knew what it meant but had to experience it first, before they could be sure they were right. German philosophers, such as Kant, no doubt agreed with the idea of sublimating beauty. Modern philosophers believe that beauty is irrelevant, because in a consumer culture even that which is not considered beautiful to the majority, is a product for the minority, and by rejecting one form of beauty, you have no choice but to accept another form of beauty, or go without.

Resources
Gauntlett, David. Media Gender and Identity: An Introduction. New York: Routledge, 2008

Alberro, Alexander. �Beauty knows no pain.�Art Journal volume 63 (2004) pp. 36-43 Retrieved
from JSTOR < http://www.jstor.org/stable/4134519 >

Williams, John T. Pooh and the Philosophers. Great Britian: Egmont Books Ltd. 2003

Herron, Ron. Archigrahm. New York: Princeton Architectural Press. 1999

Freidman, Roberto and Zimmer, Marry R. �The Role of Psychological Meaning In
Advertising.�Journal of Advertising volume 17 No.2 (1988) pp. 31-40 Retrieved from
JSTOR < http://www.jstor.org/stable/4188662 >


Weiss, Alan S. �An Eye for an I: On the Art of Fascination� SubStance Volume 15 No.3 (1986)
pp. 87-95 Retrieved from JSTOR < http://www.jstor.org/stable/3684716 >

Gabriel R. Lopez
Prof. Sean Russell
ART 261
28 February, 2010

Two weeks ago, on Saturday February 13th, I attended the Kush Fine Art Gallery at Caesar’s Palace. The gallery features the surrealist works of Vladimir Kush and is located on 3500 Las Vegas Blvd. It can be found amongst the forum shops on the third floor in Suite G-27.There is also a photography gallery located on the third floor that features the works of Peter Lik, which can be found near the fountain of the gods. On the fourth floor there is also a gallery that features the works of Peter Max which hosts 60's pop art. All three galleries were commercial enterprises, which makes them no different than the Bellagio. Of the galleries that I visited on February 13 I found the works of Vladimir Kush to be most agreeable, because the artwork seemed exciting and sparked my imagination.

Beeing A Tiger is an example of forced perspective, atmospheric perspective, naturalism, contrast, and metaphysical transformation. The basic structure of the image is that of a tiger running through a field of wheat-grass in a valley before transitioning into a swarm of bees. The colors that adorn a majority of the canvas in Beeing A Tiger are warm shades of red, orange, black, yellow, purple, and white. The warm colors are in stark contrast to the murky green of the grassy field in the lower quarter of the image. Using the illusion of one point perspective, the vanishing point in the painting appears just above the horizon of the visible land based topography, where we can see a series of mountains, as well as a volcano that are partially hidden in the far distance by an atmospheric filter. At the furthest point in the sky, visible in the upper right hand corner of the painting, rests a crescent moon, the twilight of sunset is obscured by clouds that are layered over the sky with differing transparencies, opacity, and shading. The vanishing point for the eye or camera seems to be beyond the mountains in the background and just under or beyond the tiger's body which is leaping through the air in the foreground. The body of the tiger appears anatomically correct and the fur is as detailed as the individual blades of grass if not more so. The head of the tiger seems to explode into a swarm of black and yellow dots. By following the direction of the grass and the trailing pattern of the itsy bitsy, teeny weenie, black and yellow polka dots we find a giant bee clutching to a stalk of wheat-grass in the foreground. The bee, which appears to be the second largest object in the painting is in sharp focus, and is also the most detailed, which contrasts both the indistinct swarm of insects and the soft blur of the mountains in the distance. Overall the image appears to depict realistic objects in a natural environment coupled with natural movement and fantastic, almost supernatural, action.

Butterfly Apple uses symbolism, color, shape, form, asymmetrical balance, and conceptual repetition to create the impact. The image depicts an apple cut open with a wooden handled knife in front of a grey background. Resting on the knife is a caterpillar and above the apple is a fly, no doubt rubbing its front legs together in eager anticipation. The apple itself has been sliced in half to reveal a Butterfly or Moth hidden within. Two seeds rest outside of the apple, the line connecting the two seeds creates an invisible line that parallels the length of the knife. The curve of the caterpillar balanced on the knife looking up at the butterfly also parallels the curve of the actual blade. Color has both symbolic and psychological meanings that have long been established to convey specific meanings that are universal to many cultures. Yellow, the color of the sun, is regal like the mythical god Apollo. According to psychology, yellow is the happiest color in the spectrum. Many western cultures associate yellow with spring, and it is frequently used to signify danger or caution. And, in eastern cultures, yellow is frequently associated with royalty and respect. The flesh of the apple is a soft yellow that conveys life, danger, and respect all at once. The message of life is contrasted by the ashen color of gray, which has long been associated with age, wisdom, and mourning. The skin of the apple is both red and green. Red being truly symbolic of an oxymoron, as the color has meanings that contradict one another. Red is the color of both luck and failure, of passion and remorse, blood and fire. Green is a sublime color of peaceful beauty; it is the very color of life, in as much as, it is a color associated with healthy plants and sickly animals. The apple is a symbol of life for many cultures, in Greek mythology it symbolizes eternal youth, in the Judeo-Christian faith it represents the fruit from the tree of life and in some mythologies an apple is considered the fruit of the dead (unknown Wikipedia). The butterfly or moth is also considered a symbol of life and death in both eastern and western cultures thus reinforcing the idea of nature, life, and death that was presented to us by the apple and the colors chosen for the composition. A fly is symbolic of death because it uses dead flesh to create new life. The fly's chitin, or exoskeleton, has a blue shine. Blue is the color of energy, it is also a spiritual color that is symbolic of sacrifice and mourning in some Latin based cultures. Blue is the color of the Madonna, the sky, electricity, and it is the color of propane burning on a gas stove. The presence of the fly makes use of conceptual repetition that repeats the idea of an insect and the end of a life, just as the caterpillar reinforces the idea of the beginning of life for a butterfly. This idea is also repeated with apple seeds which have the potential to grow into an apple tree. In this image the knife is a tool that represents both experience and death. A knife is a tool that requires some experience to use, and one has to apply the right amount of pressure in order to cut an apple which is a hard fruit. The blade of the knife is pointed away from the apple, and was probably used to dig out the seeds from the endocarp of the apple's core. The image holds an organic appeal because it is asymmetrically balanced. A majority of the objects in the room are at rest in the left half of the image while the right half of the image is almost completely barren. The closest to an alignment one can find in the image is to use a ruler to bisect the painting by lining up the fly with the seed that is furthest from the apple. By doing this the image is divided in half with a diagonal line and the asymmetrical balance becomes more apparent. To the left of the painting the knife, the caterpillar the fly and the seeds all occupy the space from back to front. The butterfly seen in the flesh of the apple is not entirely symmetrically balanced either, even if one were to draw a line from the head of the butterfly though the mesocarp to the caylyx the weight of the apple would favor the portion to the right.

Laser Tune-up is the first image I think of when I remember my trip to the gallery, of all the images within the gallery I found it to be the most agreeable. The image itself depicts the assembly of a dragonfly in a factory with broken and open cathedral windows. The scale of the dragonfly however is not what it seems; it is a machine the size of a 727 airplane that is being constructed, with intricate and ornate detail, by more than a dozen humanoid figures in silhouette. Because of the natural lighting provided by the cathedral windows another feature of the image is that one can immediately take part in the action within the painting, because when one sees the image they can immediately create a narrative for the actions taking place. This is because the human figures in the painting are indistinct enough that one can imagine themselves taking part in the action of the assembly of the dragon fly. According to modern day philosophers, this is because “humans are a self centered race that assigns emotion and identities where none exist.” (McCloud, 1993) Underneath, in front, and above the dragonfly is scaffolding which the very small shadow like figures use to aide the construction of the ornate vehicle. Behind the dragonfly is a nymph which is housing some of the parts waiting to be assembled. There are figures carrying ladders, there are figures using the scaffolding to crane the wings into place, there are characters constructing the legs, there are characters threading the wings, and there are characters that appear to be running from one section of the room to another. To the right of the image there are two figures shooting at the dragonfly with a laser beam that appears to reflect off the lens of the eye and into the ceiling. The hanger where the Dragonfly is constructed appears to use natural lighting which contrasts the incandescent lighting being used in the next room over. The windows are broken, but are also open to let in some cool air, indicating that the temperature within the hanger is hot and humid or at the very least manageable. Beyond the window are indistinct structures that indicate the hanger is not at ground level. The characters within the image could just as easily be deconstructing the dragonfly as well. Taoist wisdom would suggest there are endless changes that occur in cycles of construction and deconstruction. Perhaps the image is asking you whether you are the dragonfly or the one constructing the dragonfly. One could just as easily be both the dragonfly and the mechanic, as one could also imagine what it would be like to pilot a dragonfly and see it as an extension of one’s self.

Finding the galleries within the forum shops was a bit tricky since we had to use a map to find them. The Kush Fine Art gallery was dark and mysterious, at the entrance of the gallery there is a flat screen television that shows an animated motion graphic of the paintings within the gallery as they come to life with movement. Within the gallery itself, the images were illuminated but they were in a dark room with dark walls and rich subject matter. Perhaps it was the lighting that was chosen that helped the viewer accept the reality of things that exist in the stream of consciousness. It was interesting to see all the sculptures that were based on the actual paintings, on display with the paintings themselves, as it added to the mystery and overall wonder one would feel if they saw a pink elephant in the room. The lighting of the Vladimir Kush gallery was in contrast to the Peter max gallery, which was well illuminated by florescent and natural lighting. Although, to be fair, the colors in the works of Peter Max were brighter and more whimsical. Also, the lighting of the forum shops on the third floor of Caesar’s Palace in general was very dark and mysterious. The forum shops were also a unique experience as there are fountains with sculpture surrounded by kiosks and mock Parthenon’s surrounding you.


Resources
Barnard, Malcolm. Approaches To Understanding Visual Culture. New York: Palgrave, 2001


Graham, Lisa. Design: layout and typography for beginners. New York: Thomson Delmar
Learning, 2005


McCloud, Scott. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. NewYork: Harper Collins, 1993


Unknown. Janson’s History of Art: Portable Edition Book 3. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. 2007

Gabriel R. Lopez
(student of) Dr. Gregory Robinson
VIS 362
4 May 2010

The Lightening Trapped in a Bottle

Modern day comic books are the equivalent of Colonial chapbooks, and Victorian era dime novels, not because they were and continue to be considered novelties of popular culture, but because they exist as illustrated stories of fantasy, drama, comedy, and horror. Comic books are similar to chapbooks and dime novels in that they are form of art that has at once captured the imagination of western society while simultaneously remaining dismissed as a legitimate form of art. Comics, chapbooks, and dime novels were admired to the point of destruction, and until recently were frequently recycled and updated for the purpose of making the medium more accessible, affordable, and enjoyable to future generations. Additionally, This paper will also attempt to argue that the mythical “Hierarchy of the Arts” was created to exclude and enslave artistic freedom, in as much as, it has transformed art into a vehicle that maintains social order. This paper will then compare the similarities between the influences of japonisme on impressionist realism and the positive effects that Manga has had upon American Comics in recent years. Furthermore, this paper will discuss the social and political affect of American comic books, and how they have been used to spread fear, reinforce public opinion, and encourage tolerance and acceptance of human differences. Finally, this paper will also discuss the effects of the digital revolution of comics and its effect on other forms of media such as film and television.


Since its invention in 1440, the printing press has influenced the way people have experienced the world. The ability to reproduce the written word of the Judeo-Christian Bible and empirical study in a common language allowed for both the greater mobility of ideas, and made the cost of obtaining knowledge relatively inexpensive. Chapman books, or chapbooks, --developed 300 years after the invention of the printing press—were an inexpensive pamphlets of reading material that were peddled to working class Americans.(Monaghan, 305) Named for their publisher Chapman Whitcomb and Generally 16 to 40 pages in length, chapbooks contained illustrated and abridged novels, fables, courtesy books, religious works, and tales of mystery and the unexplained. As with comic books, popular narratives among chapbooks were melodramatic stories of great tragedy befalling a protagonist that ultimately worked themselves out for the greater good. For instance, the Indian captivity narrative has been used frequently to tell the story of a young woman who watched her entire family slaughtered by Native Americans, only to have her life spared by one of the braves so that he could later rape her. However before she is raped, the heroine manages to outfox or kill the native and manages to escape captivity. Eventually, she is discovered several months later, living in a cave and hunting for her food like a wild animal. Finally, she manages to return to civilization where it is then revealed her father was the disinherited son of a millionaire and she soon discovers she’s a wealthy heiress. The influences of this narrative can be easily found in the origin of Batman. Bruce Wayne witnesses the murder of his parents, becomes a detective to outfox enemies, is a master of escaping captivity, lives in a cave, adopts the persona of a wild animal, spends his nights hunting criminals in Gotham, and was the son of a wealthy billionaire.
Dime novels, also known as penny dreadfuls, first appeared in 1860. The first dime novel, titled Malaeska, was written and illustrated by Ann S. Stephens, who was an established journalist and editor of a magazine titled William Snowden’s Ladies’ Companion. Malaeska was a three part story that had originally appeared in the pages of the Ladies’ Companion between February and April of 1839. (Worthey 2-5) popular among dime novels were the stories of Horatio Alger Jr. who wrote over a hundred books that supported the idea that if you work hard enough you can accomplish anything. As one of the founding fathers of the American dream, Horatio Alger’s mythos supports the ideas of meritocracy. One of the founding principles of the meritocracy is the idea that people judge you solely on what you’ve accomplished, and not on your education, appearance, race, religion, popularity, and so on. Nowhere is the Horatio Alger mythos more apparent than in the history of Captain America. After growing up in a tenement building, Steve Rogers, a poor working class fine arts student from a Judeo-Irish family that lived in the lower east side of Manhattan. Rogers attempted to enlist in the army to elevate his socioeconomic status, but was turned away because of chronic or mental health issues. Rogers was not willing to give up on his dream of becoming a soldier and earning the benefits that come with it, Steve agrees to let the government use him as guinea pig to test their new miracle drug. Following rehabilitation from his drug addiction with physical therapy and vita-rays, it is discovered that Steve’s body has been transformed from its frail state into one of maximum human efficiency. Despite the overwhelming odds against him, Steve still believes that he can overcome any obstacle with bulldog determination. With his newly discovered strength and musculature Steve became an ideal candidate for the counter intelligence agency, he was immediately hired by the state department, handed a side arm, issued a shield, and sent overseas.


An article by Theodore Adorno and Max Horkhiemer, refers to the American culture industry as a product of mass deception. Film, radio, and magazines,(comics included,) make up a system which is uniform and whole in every part. The artificial framework of something that pretends to be art, but what is in reality a business industry used to peddle rubbish. (Blunden 98) Whether looked at as an act of mimetic mutation, or through the lens of anti-essentialism’s definition of art, it is clear that people will always find ways to create a barrier of jargon that excludes individuals from either knowing or obtaining the true knowledge of a particular subject. One could argue that art is, any form of thought that has been given space to exist, whether physically, digitally, or mentally. And, one could argue that art itself can only be perceived through its creator, the creation, or the act of its creation. However, the problem with both of these definitions is that they are both broad and limiting. In order for one thing to become greater in scale to something else, one has to first think spatially, then mathematically, or metaphysically. For instance, religion is the study of God; it is not, in fact, God. Just as astronomy, being the study of the universe, is not exclusively limited to what one can see with or without a telescope. Having a greater knowledge of God, the universe, or some limited understanding of how reality works, does not make one individual superior to another. A Hierarchy whether based on meritocracy, aristocracy, plutocracy, democracy, theocracy, and so on, was created as a way of establishing dominance or control over freedom. Once established, an individual’s preference or choices became limited to the whims of a handful of individuals who supposedly represent the best interest of the majority. Granted, in some societies one can become a member of the controlling body and create alternatives to the existing options, but the options available almost always exist as hegemonic alternatives that maintain the existence of the hierarchy. These strong social agreements blind us from seeing one another’s true potential for greatness. Therefore, one can consider Adorno and Horkhiemer’s arguments invalid since works of art have always been used to propagandize the cultural morals and values of their respected homelands since long before the sack of Rome.


Perhaps the reason chapbooks, dime novels, and comic books were taken for granted is because the fact that they were considered ephemeral. During the 18th century, paper was manufactured with low quality fabrics and plant fibers, the books were widely available, inexpensive, and paper shortages meant that the material was often recycled. If not recycled, the paper found other uses. For instance, when the books weren’t being read, they were often used as toilet or wrapping paper. Perhaps their popularity wasn’t related to the content the books provided for its audience, but the context of how the books themselves were used that attributed to a public perception that the books weren’t really art but decorated pamphlets of paper towels. According to one documentary about superman, world war two was a time of moral certainty, America’s favorite superhero cheered on the troops, urged people to buy war bonds, and recycle scrap paper. (Burns, Golden, James, DVD) According to the same documentary it has been argued that this recycling campaign is what contributed to the rarity of golden age comics. Although, one could also argue in favor of the velveteen rabbit rule of destruction, something loved so much that it is given life and starts to fall apart the more real it becomes. Ultimately, whether destroyed by negligence, obsolesce, or an opulence of love, the comics, dime novels, and chapbooks that survived have become collectable treasures almost as coveted the Rosetta stone.


According to Janson’s history of art, In 1853 commodore Mathew Perry Steamed into Tokyo bay with four warships and forced the Japanese to open their borders. Within a decade the market had become flooded with Japanese products. Notable artists such as Edgar Degas and Vincent VanGoh had become collectors, and the public was enraptured with the Japanese concept of total design.(Jacobs, 873) The text also implied that Japonisme had a influence on impressionist realism and the art nouveau movement. While one could easily draw the parallels between Japonisme and America’s love affair with Japanese products, one has to remember that those products only make up a small 10% of the market that only seems to hog 90% of the shelf space in comic book stores. Like Japonisme, or Orentalism, Manga is a novelty item that has captured the public imagination by allowing for the exploration of socially taboo subject matter. Unlike American cartoons, which have to compete for public attention while attempting to avoid a public scandal with watchdog organizations, Despite being altered in language, dialog, and context, Manga is an unrestricted art form from a society with a different set of social and moral values. While there are always complaints that American licensing companies are essentially altering the Mona Lisa, or how the entirety of our society should feel ashamed for tattooing someone’s baby. Despite being a melting pot of cultures and ideas, one has to respect the power of Law, America is a partially closed society that has boards and committees of people who ensure the public is safe from the influence of harmful products or ideas, by altering anime and sentai shows for the greater public good; Keeping in mind there are restrictions to the amount of gore, violence, objectification, harmful stereotypes, political statements, and wise cracking remarks a character is allowed to explore. American artists have to self consciously exert caution, and think of the potential ramifications of guilty knowledge. Additionally, Japanese Manga already have an assortment of products, including ready to own animated movies and commercial tie ins that create enough buzz to put a bug in someone’s ear long before the product is released, and if the shows are better than the commercials it is only because they are they commercials. In much the same way Japonisme influenced the composition of impressionist and post impressionist painters; Manga has affected dramatic storytelling and one’s ability to visualize the emotional turmoil of youth the through symbolism. Manga appeals to a youth market that is obsessed with the physical, and unlike Japonisme which appealed to the public because of its unique qualities, Manga is potentially harmful because it has created a niche market that limits the exposure of domestic attitudes and products.


Wonder Woman was created by William Marston, the same man who is credited with inventing of the lie detector. The comic was released in 1941 to harsh criticism, and featured biographies of individual women’s roles in history in much the same way the comic strip Marmaduke featured short stories and letters from its readers. It has been argued that Wonder Woman was created in response to in house policies among comic book publishers that literally discouraged the inclusion of women in stories.(Aikin, 46) This might also explain the frequency with which Jimmy Olsen appeared in drag in golden age Superman comics. Strangely, enough while contemporary comics now seem to include more male and female social interaction, the characters, both male and female, seem to have grotesquely exaggerated features that hyper sexualize the characters to a point where they’ve been objectified to an extent that the characters are no longer human. Since knowledge is conditioned set of limitations that allows us visualize a reality, I find it interesting that comics, as a communication tool has long been used as a tool of separation longer than it has been one of attaining a greater understanding.
Resources
Monaghan, E. Jennifer. Learning to read and write in colonial America. Massachusetts:
University of Massachusetts Press, 2005. Print. Retrieved May 4, 2010

Daryl, Jones. The Dime Novel Western. Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1978. Web retrieved from < http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/dp/pennies/cover.html>

Aikin, Katherine G. “Superhero History: Using Comic Books to teach U.S. History.”Organization of American Historians Magazine of History Vol24.No.2 (2010) pgs.41-47. Print.

Blunden, Andy. “The Culture Industry: enlightenment as Mass Deception.”Marxist Literary Critisisim. 15 Feb. 2005.Web < http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/adorno/1944/culture-industry.htm >


Burns, Kevin (dir.) and Golden, James, and Smith, Stephen. (writ.) Look up in the sky it’s the amazing story of superman.” Warner Bros. Entertainment. (2006) ret. May 4, 2010

Jacobs, Joseph. Janson’s History of Art: The Modern World. Toronto: Prentice Hall. 2007. pg.873 print. Ret. May 4, 2010

Gabriel Lopez
History 485
Professor Pete LaChapelle
7 April 2010

Book Review: Hard Times
Hard Times by Studs Terkel is a compilation of stories as told by survivors of the great depression. Retrieved thirty years after the depression ended, this compendium also tells the story of the Americans who found themselves in Chicago in the years following the great depression. Terkel makes it clear from the beginning that Hard Times isn't a book of facts, but of memory and it's subtle nuance. The compendium is divided in to five books, each book is divided into a series of themed chapters, and each chapter contains several sets of articles that are presented as if they were told by the survivors. Hard Times doesn't really explore the what caused the great depression, as much as it explores peoples reactions towards the economic downfall. Themes within the book range from racial, ethnic, and social equality, as well as prohibition, unions, and the road to financial recovery.


According to pop culture, history is not about facts, it's about the context; and, who is telling the story.(Slavkin, Swimmer, May) It should then come as no surprise that Hard Times begins with a short biography about Studs Terkel. Within Terkel's biography we learn that Terkel attended a law school for three years. He was hired on as a writer at the Chicago Tribune, and how he eventually became a voice actor for WGN radio. While reading Hard Times, one would learn very little of Terkel's family history other than a brief mention of his mother, and how the collapse of the banking industry, unemployment, and unionization affected the relationship between her job as a hotel manager, and humanitarian. During a 2003 video interview with Harry Krieser, Terkel revealed he later went on to become a disc jockey and producer, but was evetually blacklisted because of his political beliefs. In the same interview Terkel also reveals that he enjoys debates, arguments, and contradictions. This is evident in Hard times during the discourse of several interviews. One interviewee believed that the morality of the generation that succeeded the survivors of the great depression was so low that the younger generation wouldn't have a problem killing a man in cold blood. Another interviewee believed that the generation born after the depression was soft and basically implied that it consisted of nothing but a bunch of sissies.


The forward of Hard Times acknowledges that the title is a throwback to a song by Stephan Foster. Released on wax cylinder in 1905, Hard Times was a popular folk song during it's time, which asked people to count their blessings, sympathize with those less fortunate, and its refrain pleads with an unseen force to never allow “hard times [to] come again no more.”(Coleman) The title is an appropriate fit for the subject matter of Hard Times the book, as it involves poverty, and a glimpse at another time when almost everyone was afraid and focused on what they didn't have. Hard Times,the book, uses public memory to explore the causes of the depression. Based on what was read in hard times, during the time period of the great depression, the United States government had no control over the commodities or the stock market. In order to prevent livestock and other crops from being devalued, crops and livestock were slaughtered to drive up prices. Harvested crops of oranges were covered in gasoline and set aflame while people starved. There was a livestock boom that was the result of corn being considered completely worthless, which in turn devalued the livestock. Stock traders were taking advantage of the dropping value of stocks through short sales, wherein an unscrupulous businessman would sell stocks they didn't have at a high face value, knowing the price would drop the following day at which time they would purchase the stock and keep the difference.


Hard Times clearly illustrates one of the main causes of the poor economy during the great depression was inflation. Following World War I, prices went up because people were earning more money and no new goods and services were being created. At that time money was being backed by gold and could be converted to gold on demand. However, money has no intrinsic value. What gives money value is the expectation that others will value it.(Madariaga) The U.S. government was partially responsible for the inflation, as it was responsible for printing its own money and pumping the money into the economy. This caused the value of gold to rise while the value of the dollar went down. The Banks, which were unregulated at the time, tried to prevent inflation by borrowing money from Peter to pay Paul. This was such a great idea that banks started to extend credit to its customers as well. Customers would borrow against money they had in the bank, and the bank would borrow money from another bank at interest. The economy collapsed like domino's because the value of commodities dropped, then the value of goods and services dropped, then people failed to cover the debt they owed to the bank, and the bank failed to cover the debt owed to its benefactor. The cost of living had increased, so the government pumped more money into the economy hoping that would solve the problem, however that just made the value of the dollar drop further, making the problem worse. This in turn validated the argument that outside forces were to blame for some of the problems of the great depression. It wasn't until the government started regulating the market, and provided new goods and services through the works progress administration, that the economy started to recover.


Hard Times illustrates how the WPA and public charities helped jump start the economy by setting up relief programs to help educate and improve the lives of those most affected by the depression while improving the living standards of the American people. Teaching people how to sew clothing out of flour and gunny sacks, in as much as providing housing, plumbing, and welfare, for those under a certain income. The red cross also provided some relief during the depression although, it had little power to improve the living conditions. In fact, in some areas, where the relief was provided, it was terribly misused. One of the many stories within Hard Times tells of how relief provided by the red cross was used to manipulate the workers into performing a day's labor for little more than a sack of flour. Another story mentions how some of the food banks set up by the WPA were taking the stores of food and selling it to the markets, while providing the poor with rotten food. In fact, the book seems to shine disapproving light on many scandalous and underhanded business practices that occurred during the depression, the sole exception being the sale of moonshine during prohibition.


The only problem one might encounter with Hard Times, or that might cause trouble for the reader is the structure of the books. Hard Times frequently interrupts the interviewee's narration of events with italicized exposition by Terkel himself, or more frequently, by expository quotes by the interviewees themselves. The extra information provided by the exposition would be great; However, I'm not sure if it's Terkel's interpretation or what they actually said or if what we're reading is the notes of what they said off the record, off the tape recorder, or while editing the transcripts. Of course, questioning the exposition means you have to question the validity of the narratives themselves, since all of the events in Hard Times are already hearsay, does that mean Terkel constructed the narratives himself based on his interpretation of what was said, or were the histories the presented as what the interviewee's actually said. The book is an oral history of the great depression, and yet Terkel also seems to have interviewed anyone and everyone who is willing to talk into the microphone about it, including those born right after or at the end of the depression. In these few instances, the book seems to be creating a single social group centered around what one subjectively thought and remembered about the depression, rather than trying to discover what one objectively knew about the depression. The book never makes it clear where the oral history is being stored, or how it is being stored. Terkel makes a point of mentioning Cathy Zmuda as the transcriptionist on the acknowledgments page, but does not mention the organization she is affiliated with or if it is part of his personal library.


Another reason one might question the structure of Hard Times is that it seems to have been sublimated into smaller books with no noticeable theme separating them from one another. The copy of the book in my possession has 462 pages. Book one being a 147 pages of the text, and book four consisting of only 7 pages, makes one question why he didn't just lump book four with book three or book five to begin with. The arrangement of the narratives within the books themselves seem to have been compiled by subject. However, none of the books seem to have an underlying theme running through them. One could argue interviewees of book one mentions things that happened at the start of the depression, while the the interviewees of book two and three were discussing the relief efforts of the government. Another could argue that book four was about how one person can seemingly make a difference and book five was about the end of the depression. Unfortunately, one could also argue that book five was about relief efforts, and book one was about the years following the depression. There doesn't seem to be a specific block in time for the narratives other than depression era. I realize that in the mosaic of history, parts tend to overlap. However, when it's more than a hundred voices and none of them seem to have a specific point to add to the actual history, their discourse becomes nothing more than information glut.


The account of the depression given in Hard Times is a broad outline of an actual history. Perhaps that was the point. The reader is meant to interpret the events and create a narrative or a social connection with the past and see the similarities with those of the present. The arrangement of the narratives make analyzing Hard Times a perplexing task. In my opinion, it doesn't create a full picture of the events that took place during the depression, and there doesn't seem to be anything linking the narratives together other than Terkel's arrangement of them. While it is clear that Terkel successfully manages to find the important moments that shaped many an interviewee's experience during the depression. Their deeper motivations are never fully explored in favor of a more superficial understanding. When reading Hard Times, one might wonder who would be interested in this book outside of a scholar, a student of history, or folklore. Because, the subject matter of the book doesn't seem to be of any interest to the general public at this time. However, there is a statement on the back cover of the book that says if you “Open Studs Terkel's book to any page rich memories spill out...” this statement would be accurate whether or not the subject or title is of interest to the general public.


Hard Times has all the entertaining elements that are unique to oral history. It is a compilation of the excruciating, exciting, and fantastic wonders of the human condition. The survival of humanity depends on an ability to adapt to the unexpected. The narratives in Hard Times expressed love, stamina, ingenuity, and strength of character among the people that survived the great depression. Ultimately, One quickly realizes that the voices of the past are not much different than the voices of today. The question is whether or not we can learn from the mistakes of the past in order to build a brighter future.


Resources
Coleman, Susie. “Hard Times, Come Again No more:Traditional American Folk Song written by Stephan Foster.” susiecoleman.com. 2009. Web.
< http://susiecoleman.com/folkslingers/docs/hard_times.pdf >

Madariaga, Bruce. Economics for life:101 lessons You Can Use Every Day!.Massachusetts:Houghton Mifflin. 2006. Print

Marshall, James (director) Slavkin, Todd and Swimmer, Darren (writers). “Smallville:Aqua.” Warner Brothers. Season 5, episode 4. 2005. DVD
Resources Cont'd
Kreisler, Harry(Interviewer) and Terkel, Studs (interviewee). “Conversations With History:Keeping the Faith in Difficult Times.” Uctelevision:University of California at Berkeley.2003. Web
< http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmDUwlseN4M >