Our Journey to the 70's and Back

This class was a very good experience for me in all aspects. One way that this class was a good experience, was just the enjoyment and entertainment that I got from seeing all of these movies from the 70's. not only was this class entertaining, it also helped me to expand my critical thinking skills. I loved being able to take an in depth look at a period of time that I was not a part of and get a good understanding of what it was like during that time.

It was interesting to me how we saw many of the same themes come up throughout the class in the different movies that we saw throughout the duration of the class. For example one of the main themes that was often in the films that we watched, was the Vietnam war. Not all of the movies were directly related to the Vietnam war but there were many references to the war. I think that filmmakers in the 70's just wanted to get their opinion out about the major issues of the time, that they were referencing them in their films.

I really enjoyed being able to take each of these films and analyze them in a way that I would not normally do if I were watching the film on my own. I was challenged to see these films in a different light and look past the surface. I feel that to often I find myself watching a film only to be entertained, this is not necessarily a bad thing but I may be looking past the message that the filmmaker is trying to get across. This class has made me want to take a deeper look at all of the movies that I watch from here on.

This class has taught me many things that I will be able to use for the rest of my life. I will never forget the time that we were able to share through the duration of the class.

Assault On Precinct 13

Assault on precinct 13 was from beginning to end full of non-stop violence and action. You are thrown right into the beginning of this movie with a scene of the cops shooting up a gang called street thunder in Los Angeles. From there you see a few gang members make a blood pact, saying that they will get revenge for their lost members. This act of police brutality is the only explanation that I could find for all of the violence that street thunder inflicted upon the police station on precinct 9.

I am sure that this film took it's audiences by surprise. Of course there were many other violent films that came out in the 70's but this one in particular I believe took the violence to a different level. Not only was this movie a complete bloodbath but the director John Carpenter pushed the limits to a whole new level that people were not used to at that time.

The first thing that I feel was different that most films, was that street thunder had no emotions. This gang was so cold, they had no problems just going out and killing people. It's almost as if they are not even human, they always were straight faced and never seemed to be worried about the pain that they were inflicting on others or even themselves.

The next decision that Carpenter made that brought his film to a new level, was his decision to have a gang member kill a little girl for no apparent reason. In one part of the movie there is a little girl that goes to an ice cream truck to get an ice cream cone, after getting her ice cream she realizes that she got vanilla when she in fact had asked for vanilla twist. She proceeded to go back to the truck and switch her ice cream cone, when she gets there and tells the man that she didn't get what she ordered without thinking about it he pulls out his gun and shoots her.

Even today if you see a child get murdered in a movie you feel very uneasy about it. So the decision for this girl to be shot, was a big risk on Carpenters part. It is apparent that Carpenter was not afraid to make decisions that might drive away people that might have seen his film if he would have chosen to leave this scene out. I believe that Carpenter was trying to brand himself as a filmmaker that made films that would push the envelope. I think that Carpenter was successful in his attempt to brand himself.