The Godfather

The Godfather is a 1972 American mob-drama film based on the novel of the same name by Mario Puzo and directed by Francis Ford Coppola from a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola, and Robert Towne (uncredited). It stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard S. Castellano, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard Conte and Diane Keaton, and features John Cazale, Talia Shire, Al Martino, and Abe Vigoda. The story spans ten years from 1945 to 1955 and chronicles the fictional Italian American Corleone crime family. Two sequels followed: The Godfather Part II in 1974, and The Godfather Part III in 1990.

The first shot I liked was a reverse shot of Don Corleone, the leader of the family. He is listening to a request from another man whilst sat a desk, and the reverse shot shows Don Corleone in the shade. The reverse shot also hides Don Corleones face, which could be used to hide his emotions and his reaction to the request.

One shot I liked in the movie was of Michael, the Corleone family lawyer. He is talking to a famous movie director, and trying to get an associate of the Corleone family the lead role in a new film. They are stood in a hangar, and one side of Michaels face is lit whilst the other is in the shadow. I liked this shot because the light on one half of his face and the dark on the other shows his two conlficting emotions.

A scene I liked was the famous scene when the movie director wakes up to find his prized horse's head at the foot of his bed as punishment for not granting Michael's request. I liked this scene because of the music and camerawork before he woke up. The music was very sinister and foreboding, and the camera showed different shots of the house, ending with a shot of the mans bedroom from the outside.

Pirates Of The Carribean : At Worlds End

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is a 2007 adventure fantasy film, the third film in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. The plot follows Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann and the crew of the Black Pearl rescuing Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), from Davy Jones's Locker, and then preparing to fight the East India Trading Company, led by Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) and Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), who plan to extinguish piracy.

This movie is particularly good at using camera shots to provide the viewer with a certain feeling. An example of this is below, where the three protagonists are walking to meet important enemies. This shot is an establishing shot which shows their isolation, and the composition which shows them at the front and centre highlights their importance.

Another shot that is particularly effective is pictured below, in particular the composition. This shows the character at the foreground to be more important in the scene and the movie than the characters in the background.

Another shot used is a high angle shot of the two characters pictured below. These two characters in the Pirates of the Carribean series are significantly less intelligent and important than the other characters, even within the pirate crew. This high angle shot shows their weakness, and the way they are covered in ice highlights their lack of intelligence.



My Name Is Khan - Representation of Disability

My Name Is Khan

My Name Is Khan was released in February 2010, and is about a muslim named Rizwan Khan, who suffers from Asperger's syndrome. After the death of his mother he moves from India to San Fransisco to work for his brother. Whilst working, he meets a Hindu woman (Mandira) and her son (Sameer) from a previous marriage, and eventually marries her. However, their perfect life is disturbed by the events of 9/11, and the prejudice against Muslims as a result. As a result, Sameer is the victim of a racially motivated assault, which leads to his death. Mandira blames Rizwan for his death, stating that Sameer only died because of his Muslim second name of Khan. In her grief, she sarcastically tells him to tell the people of America and the President that his name is Khan and he is not a terrorist.

He takes the request seriously, not attempting to contact her until he fulfills his mission. He attempts to meet President Bush, but his shouts of "My name is Khan, and i'm not a terrorist" creates a panic in the crowd and leads to his arrest.

Mandira rediscovers her love for Rizwan, and joins him in Georgia. With Mandira's help and nationwide interest, he meets President-in-elect Barack Obama who tells him: "You are Khan, and you are not a terrorist."

Disability is portrayed throughout the film to help and hinder Rizwan in different scenarios. Because of his disability, he is immune to understanding jokes and sarcasm, and also does not fully understand peopl's emotions. This appears to help at sad points in his life, such as the death of his mother and Sameer. He also learned very quickly as a child to repair things, and is extremely intelligent.

However, his disability can also hinder him. An example of this is at the start of the film, where the viewer doesn't know he is disabled. The viewer sees him staggering through the airport with a large rucksack and talking to himself, and makes assumptions about the character.

His disability can be used by the directors to manipulate the reader, through different techniqes such as sound and camera shots and angles. A primary example of this is sound, when Rizwan sees something he doesn't like due to his disability e.g. the colour yellow, or hears loud noises, the noises and sights are amplified to attempt to convey the feelings that Rizwan is experiencing to the viewer. High angle shots are often used in situations where is a weaker character, such as when being interrogated by the police.