Orpheus

Orpheus to me was one of those movies where at the end I just kind of sat back and was like, what the hell just happened. I had heard the story of Orpheus before, but only briefly in another class. However, I found it interesting and liked learning more about it before we watched the movie. It seemed to me that the story we talked about in class and the one we actually watched in the movie were only slightly related. I found a lot of differences and wasn't sure what to think about them.

From what I got from the story Orpheus is madly in love with his wife, which is not really what I got out of the movie. She seemed to almost fling herself at him while for the most part, he was rude and ignored her half the time. From the story, it seems that Orpheus would do anything for his wife and is in love with her and only her. However, I then got confused when he was in love with Death too. It irritated me that he was telling Death he loved her when he was supposed to be so in love with his wife. Also, there were times when he was working in the car and she would try to come help him and all he would do is blow her off or yell at her. He seemed very self centered too, like when the driver tried to tell him his wife was in danger and he just blew it off like nothing. Also, what was with them sleeping in two seperate beds? If there was a deeper meaning to this I definitly did not understand it.

However, with the many camera tricks in the movie it made it very interesting. I liked how they used the mirror as the like portal to the other world. I also liked the gloves just flying on Opheus's hands, and the driver like gliding in the other world. I thought the other world was interesting (and sort of creepy) how it reflected the devistation from WWII. It seemed like every shot had something that was run down or falling apart. I also noticed how when they took you to the underworld everything was darker, with a much more sad mood. However, when your in with the living everything was very bright and had a much more upbeat tone for the most part.

Vertigo

I enjoyed watching the movie Vertigo probably more then the rest of the movies so far in class. As a huge fan of horror movies, I usually can figure out what is going to happen next in the plot and this movie threw me for a loop. I like movies that keep me guessing and there were numerous times that I didn't see what was coming next. I also liked the fact that it really was a mystery movie and it had you guessing right up until the end unlike Laura where when she comes into the picture the movie changes directions.

First, I thought that Scottie was defined by only two things: his acrophobia and the fact that throughout the movie he becomes more and more obsessed with Madeline. Scottie also reminds me a lot of McPherson. Both of them I wanted to be able to identify with. I wanted them to be the hero's in the end and neither one of them were. Also, they both became obsessed with a portrait more then the actual person and they went from being the good guys to just weird. Scottie was this good guy and friend in the beginning trying to help his friend and by then end of the movie he became way to obsessed. He was obsessed with turning Judy into Madeline and thats all he was worried about.

Obviously like everyone else I had a problem with the portrait of Midge as Carlotta. Im pretty sure when I saw the portrait I jumped out of my seat. I never saw that coming and was freaked out by it. To me, Midge was like the girl next door. She was plain, down to earth, a good friend, and just very normal. She also seemed like the mother figure asking if he wants dinner and caring about him a lot. However, the portrait then threw me off because I never saw her character doing something like that. Her reaction afterwards didn't really bother me though. The fact that she painted it did but if the guy I liked just left I might do something like she did and play with my hair or whatever. After they showed the painting I had thought that she did go off the deep end and I honestly thought that her reaction was going to be worse then it actually was.

Another thing that really bothered me was when Judy had her hair done but it wasn't put up like Madeline's. Im not sure why this bothered me so much but I really wanted to jump through the screen and grab a brush to do her hair like Madeline's. I feel that as an audience Hitchcock wanted us to really get into Scottie's mindset and I feel I became almost obsessed with Judy's look almost as much as he did. Even when Judy was trying on all the different outfits I found myself saying no, wrong, try again. At last, when she finally steps out with the right outfit and her hair done I felt it was finally right.

I also thought there was a lot more interesting things done with the camera in this movie. I really did feel like that in certain parts the camera almost played more as a character. There were a lot more up close shots like in the beginning with just showing the person's eye. I also thought there were more jarring shots like when she just got up and left after Scottie came out of his bedroom. The music I thought also played a big part because it was creepy music and it would get louder and louder (like when they drove out to the woods) and I really thought that she was going to have jumped off something but instead it just gets you wondering what was going to happen next.

Laura

As much as I liked Laura, I couldn't help but be weirded out after watching the movie. There was a lot about this movie that I just didn't understand and just shook my head at. I couldn't really relate to any of the characters because I felt they all had some weird issues going on with them.

First there was Lydecker. I dont even know where to start with him, except to tell him to put some clothes on. To me, he was the creepy older guy and I felt that all he wanted was Laura as more of an object then a person. I think that if he could have made her into a doll size he would put her on one of his shelves as a valuable. Their relationship was weird, and i'm not sure if either one of them really liked each other.

Next there was Carpenter. I don't know what Laura ever saw in him. He is the scumbag with two other girls on the side - which have some pretty different age ranges - and I feel that he almost wanted to get caught. He was at Laura's house with both of them and the one came to her party where Laura was just feet away. He has no money, no job, and basically thinks he can get by with his looks; which aren't even that great.

Then there was McPherson. I really wanted him to be the good looking muscular police officer to come in and save the day, but boy was I wrong. I think he had more issues then the other two guys. He became infatuated with a portrait of a "dead" girl. Also, even if I was dead I dont think I would appreciate some guy I didn't know going through drawrs, smelling perfume, and drinking alcohol was ok when you don't even know the girl. Also, I noticed that we see him mostly in Laura's hosue, and the portrait of her is in the background behind him almost the whole time.

I had numerous problems with Laura. First, she couldn't make up her mind to save her life. I was constantly wondering what guy she was with and what she would do next. However, what killed me was when she walked into her apartment after the murder, she acted like o.k. with everything. I would have been freaking out, wondering who was murderd and how I got involved but no, Laura's like oh, ok. Furthermore, it seemed that the murder just got lost in the story. The whole movie she had no personality, and I still am not sure who she really is. However, I also feel like I wasn't supossed to know who she is.

All in all with Laura's lack of personality, lack of decsion making skills and everything else she has going on I feel that maybe all these guys are infatuated with the type of girl she is rather then her herself. These guys wanted that skinny pretty girl who is wealthy, and they all see that in her.

The Third Man

While watching The Third Man, I definitly noticed an eerie feeling about the movie. However, I never really put together how this movie could be related to Dracula. But, after thinking it over I realized that Harry Lime and Dracula have more in common then I thought.

Even though I haven't seen Dracula in years, I remember that Dracula had no scense of right and wrong, and neither did Harry. There were numerous things Lime did that I found questionable. However, I found the talk Lime had on the ferris wheel with Holly Martin very disturbing in so many ways. When Lime was talking about the "dots" down below as people and when Martin brings up all the people that Lime has harmed, not only does he not show any remorse but wears a smirk on his face the whole time. I also remember thinking that when Lime opens the door to the ferris wheel, I was not completly sure he wasn't going to shove Martin right out the door to his death. Any of this could only be done by someone who has no sence of right or wrong.


I found the film location very interesting too. I thought the old, rundown, brick setting made it eerie and gave them a lot of options for shadows and camera options. However, my favorite parts would be when Lime is being chased throughout the sewers. This location to me was interesting because not only are sewers creepy and eerie to begin with, but it gives a lot of options for shadow effects and makes for an awesome setting.

Also, I thought the sewers were an interesting part of the Dracula theory. It's said that vampires are damned to hell, and I think that it's ironic that Lime's final minutes are underground in a sewer. It's almost like he tried to escape but ultimately Lime was going to be damned to hell in the underworld for what he had done.

I thought this movie was good but I'm still confused as to who I think the hero and anti-hero are. I'm still not even sure who I want to sympathize with throughout the movie. However, I do know realize that there are more similarities between Lime and Dracula then I had thought.