A Comparison of The Big Sleep and L.A. Confidential
For this essay I have taken two films of a similar genre and style
from two different cinematic periods and compared them against to
attempt to highlight the similarities and differences that will
inevitably be present. The two films I have chosen are ‘The Big
Sleep’, made in 1946 with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, and ‘L.A
Confidential’, made 41 years later in 1997 - with a stellar cast
including Kevin Spacey, Kim Basinger and Danny De’Vito. I chose these
two films as they both originated from books; Raymond Chandler’s
legendary ‘gumshoe’ Phillip Marlowe (Bogart) is adapted brilliantly by
40s film noir director Howard Hawks, and the brutality of James
Ellroy’s work is powerfully adapted for the screen by Curtis Hanson.
An additional reason was that L.A Confidential pays homage to Bogart’s
generation of life weary detectives whilst bringing an added and stark
realism which was lacking from the classic film noir pictures of the
30s, 40s and 50s.
The opening sequences and title scenes of both films play an important
role in telling us what to expect from the movie, and both do it to
great effect.
L.A Confidential starts with old footage of a prosperous 1950s Los
Angeles, a city in which the American Dream can be found, and as the
narrative suggests, it is easy to come by. However, this pretty
picture slowly starts to deteriorate and the scenes of families
playing is interspersed with ‘the underbelly of America’, to quote
“the city the politicians don’t want you to see.”. Straight away we
know this is not going to be either cheery or representative of
anything the city...
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...y, the treatment of these racial groups has changed
little since the days of overt racism, it is not quite as easy to get
away with blatantly beating them in the holding cells for crimes they
did not commit.
In conclusion, I think it is fair to say that there are numerous
differences and similarities between these two great films. But what
one has done for this generation the other did for previous ones. L.A
Confidential ensures we get to see the underbelly of democracy from a
stylised, modern point of view. The overall message of these two films
is very similar, the differences come mainly in the levels of violence
that people are now willing to observe and the technology that is at
the disposal of the directors. What has not changed and never will
change is the means and determination to create great film.
As a nation, we have made great strides at improving race relations, but this does not mean that racism is extinct. As was pointed out in the class lecture on the Civil Rights Movement, many things have improved, but the fight for civil rights should be continuing as there is still oppression in operation in our own State as was made clear on the issue of suppressing voter rights. Racism is not born into mankind, racism is taught. This shows that if hate can be taught, then love and respect for others can be taught also.
Although I may not live in a time where racism is a social norm, racism still exists today. As a person of color, I've
Film Noir is a genre of distinct and unique characteristics. Mostly prominent in the 40s and 50s, the genre rarely skewed from the skeletal plot to which all Film Noir pictures follow. The most famous of these films is The Big Sleep (1946) directed by Howard Hawks. This film is the go to when it comes to all the genre’s clichés. This formula for film is so well known and deeply understood that it is often a target for satire. This is what the Coen brothers did with 1998’s The Big Lebowski. This film follows to the T what Film Noir stands for.
As time goes on, racism is becoming more and more unexceptable. This is most likely due to the fact that parents are teaching their children about equality among different races other than their own at a very young age. Some parents are going as far as to taking their children to local Ku Klux Klan rallies to show them that being ignorant and racist is not the right way think an...
The Big Sleep Movie and Novel & nbsp; On first inspection of Raymond Chandler's novel, The Big Sleep, the reader discovers that the story unravels quickly through the narrative voice of Philip Marlowe, the detective hired by the Sternwood family of Los Angeles to solve a mystery for them. The mystery concerns the General Sternwood's young daughter, and one Mr. A. G. Geiger. Upon digging for the answer to this puzzle placed before Marlowe for a mere $25 dollars a day plus expenses, Marlowe soon finds layers upon layers of mystifying events tangled in the already mysterious web of lies and deception concerning the Sternwood family, especially the two young daughters. & nbsp; When reading the novel, it is hard to imagine the story without a narrator at all. It certainly seems essential for the story's make-up to have this witty, sarcastic voice present to describe the sequence of events. Yet, there is a version of Chandler's novel that does not have an audible storyteller, and that version is the 1946 movie directed by Howard Hawks. & nbsp; Hawks' version of The Big Sleep is known to be one of the best examples of the film genre-film noir. "
At this point, the readers create their own movie in a way. They will determine important aspects of how the character speaks, looks like, and reacts. Whereas, in the movie, the reader has no choice but to follow the plot laid out in front of them. No longer can they picture the characters in their own way or come up with their different portrayals. The fate of the story, while still unpredictable, was highly influenced by the way the characters looked, spoke, and presented themselves on screen.
Racism has always been around, from the start of humanity people have always been discriminating or fearing people with a difference race or skin colour. But this was increased a lot when slave traders took more than 12 million Africans by force and travelled by boat to work in North and South America. Throughout the duration of this trip
In conclusion, details involving the characters and symbolic meanings to objects are the factors that make the novel better than the movie. Leaving out aspects of the novel limits the viewer’s appreciation for the story. One may favor the film over the novel or vice versa, but that person will not overlook the intense work that went into the making of both. The film and novel have their similarities and differences, but both effectively communicate their meaning to the public.
Racism in the United States back to the dates XVI century, and despite the struggles, has not ceased to be something that continues
the sense that even though he is the younger of the two he is the role
Racism and prejudice has been present in almost every civilization and society throughout history. Even though the world has progressed greatly in the last couple of decades, both socially and technologically, racism, hatred and prejudice still exists today, deeply embedded in old-fashioned, narrow-minded traditions and values.
Today, people are being treated so unfairly because of their race, and most people can’t see how terrible
Film and literature are two media forms that are so closely related, that we often forget there is a distinction between them. We often just view the movie as an extension of the book because most movies are based on novels or short stories. Because we are accustomed to this sequence of production, first the novel, then the motion picture, we often find ourselves making value judgments about a movie, based upon our feelings on the novel. It is this overlapping of the creative processes that prevents us from seeing movies as distinct and separate art forms from the novels they are based on.
Many times people think they can accomplish more if they could eliminate so much sleeping time. However, they are only hurting their productivity if they lose sleep. Two articles deal with the issue of sleep deprivation. The College Student Journal published an article about the grade-point average of college students and sleep length, while U.S. News & World Report produced an article dealing with the lack of
Racism is a trait that some people sadly have today. It was a great deal when the slave trade started in the 1600s(Slavery). Racism is frowned upon today, because in today's society it is expected to accept everyone’s race, religion, and personal choice. Today most of us have the knowledge to understand the people that are different and why they are different. Humans have distinct characteristics from the area on which their ancestors come from around the world. Before today, all races from all around the world judged other races for their different characteristics. The worst racism epidemic known to man is the North Americans trading African slaves. Another horrible discrimination against race was during World War II when the holocaust occurred. Today American families still have a dislike to other races, but they are finding out that these races are just normal humans like themselves. The lack of education is thought to be a major role in racism(Slavery).