Dartmouth College

August 24^rd 2011 Dartmouth visit:

Today, we were driven to Dartmouth College in which was Dr. Arion’s place of graduation back in 1979. There was a large historical presence among the many discussions that had taken place which was evidently important to Dartmouth college and those who are Alumni’s. Passing what was said to be one of the largest library in the world, onward to one of the building that hosted a resemblance of a place of study for those who wish a quite place to relax, read and study. Within this particular building were painting which could be preconceived as horrific and/or negative stories. This made me wonder what about these images make students enjoy this quite space as horror really should be so comforting that it relaxes you, should it?

Well, we wondered off to aDr. Arion’s fraternity building which gave the group and I a different view of Dr. Arion. A view of someone who was relaxed, have some fun and still managed to proudly pass all the required courses that earned him his Alumni status. During the tour, we met up with a few current students that gladly showed us the rooms and of course, a picture of Dr. Arion, himself, back in 1979, which I just had to take a photo of for kicks, lol. Since history was Dr. Arion’s key point, I looked up some history on Dartmouth, here is what I found:

History

The Reverend Eleazar Wheelock, a Congregational minister from Connecticut, founded Dartmouth College in 1769. He had earlier established Moor's Charity School in Lebanon, Connecticut, principally for the education of Native Americans. In seeking to expand his school into a college, Wheelock relocated his educational enterprise to Hanover, in the Royal Province of New Hampshire. Samson Occom, a Mohegan Indian and one of Wheelock's first students, was instrumental in raising substantial funds for the College. The Royal Governor of New Hampshire, John Wentworth, provided the land upon which Dartmouth would be built and on December 13, 1769, conveyed the charter from King George III establishing the College. That charter created a college "for the education and instruction of Youth of the Indian Tribes in this Land ... and also of English Youth and any others." Named for William Legge, the Second Earl of Dartmouth - an important supporter of Eleazar Wheelock's efforts - Dartmouth is the nation's ninth oldest college.

The Supreme Court decision in the famous "Dartmouth College Case" of 1819, argued by Daniel Webster (Class of 1801), is considered to be one of the most important and formative documents in United States constitutional history, strengthening the contract clause of the Constitution and thereby paving the way for all American private institutions to conduct their affairs in accordance with their charters and without interference from the state.

In over two centuries of evolution, Dartmouth has developed from its roots on the colonial frontier into a college that has a special character and a unique place in private higher education: a superb undergraduate residential college with the intellectual character of a university, featuring thriving research and first-rate graduate and professional programs. The quality of the undergraduate experience is enhanced by close student-faculty interaction, opportunities for independent research, a broad range of off-campus programs, and a diverse student body. Dartmouth was named by the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton as one of the world's "most enduring institutions" in 2004.

An Ivy League institution, Dartmouth College enrolls approximately 4,100 undergraduates in the liberal arts and 1,700 graduate students. In addition to 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences, it is home to the nation's fourth oldest medical school: the Dartmouth Medical School, founded in 1797; the nation's first professional school of engineering: the Thayer School of Engineering, founded in 1867; and the first graduate school of management in the world: the Tuck School of Business, established in 1900.

(Ref: http://www.dartmouth.edu/home/about/history.html )

Arethusa Falls Visit

Arethusa Falls was an unexpected delight to see. After a walk along some unforgiving path, the group and I came across the falls and were amazed at the site we had seen. After taking some pictures and hanging around in awe, we then redirected ourselves back to the van, not not before zoning out in a sort of meditation while listening to the water fall and just be one with the peacefulness that had surrounded us all.  The following information is what I found while researching info on Arethusa falls.

Arethusa Falls is generally regarded as the highest single drop in New Hampshire. It's not, Dryad Fall is a 300' horsetail, but Arethusa Falls is by far the more spectacular. Bemis Brook drops over a broad orange granitic cliff, capping a 1.5 mile hike along (mostly far above) Bemis Brook. Arethusa's height figure is fairly suspect. Let me offer some clarification before I hear the inevitable hymns of protest. I eyeball the total height at about 140', which is consistent with estimates printed in early editions of the AMC White Mountain Guide. Professor Huntington and Moses Sweetser measured the falls at 176' in 1875. The vertical portion of the falls (that which is visible from the base) is likely about 120' in height. As you descend to the base of the falls from the recently rerouted trail, you cans see some upper slides through the trees. Taking those into account, I'll buy 140' total. At either height, this waterfall is a not-to-be-missed feature of the White Mountains.

Geology and Bedrock Structure:

The cliff over which Arethusa Falls drops is part of the Mount Osceola Granite formation.

History:

Arethusa Falls was discovered by Edward Tuckerman and named by Professor Huntington and Moses Sweetser in 1875. The name comes from the Percy Bysshe Shelley poem describing the story of a nymph named Arethusa who was turned into a fountain to avoid being the love conquest of the river god Alpheus. Those lecherous Greek gods of old...

Photography Notes:

This is one of the few waterfalls that might benefit from sun. If you wish to capture the entire waterfall, you'll need the blue sky as a background for the falls. On an overcast day, you may wish to compose your shot without including the brink of the falls as a large gray sky is a less than ideal background. The waters dance over the cliff face making an ideal slow shutter study. A polarizer is necessary, but a warming filter is optional. A fairly wide angle lens will help get the falls in the frame. I used 28mm for this shot. As you can see by my photo, it's decent on an overcast day, but you have a small and ugly chunk of gray sky visible above the brink of the falls.

Directions:

Arethusa Falls is a well-signed side road off of Route 302 about halfway between Bartlett and the Gates of the Notch. Park in the lot and the falls are about 1.6 miles and 800' vertical feet away, at least that's what the old trail did. The recently rerouted trail picks up another 100 or so vertical feet and another 1/10 of a mile or so. Shortly after you leave the parking log, you'll see a trail junction leading towards Bemis Brook. Here, you will encounter Fawn Pool, Coliseum Falls and Bemis Brook Falls on the parallel trail. I suggest seeing them on the way back from Arethusa because the climb from Bemis Brook Falls back up to the Arethusa Falls trail is a very steep climb over root ladders and erosion. Coming down is not a simple feat either. Special attention should be made to footing as a slip here would result in a nasty fall. I find it easier to go directly to Arethusa, then delicately make your way down to Bemis Brook Falls. I have to take issue with the new trail to the falls however. Obviously, the rerouted trail represents a lot of work, but once it deposits you at the base of the falls, there isn't much to do beyond some slippery scrambling on angular rocks. There isn't really any place to take a seat and admire the view. In my humble opinion, the old trail (which led to the other bank at the base of the falls) offered better sitting rocks and slightly easier mobility near the base of the falls.

August 23rd 2011

There is something to be said about the weather here in New Hampshire. The weather certainly has its funny moments where you see or hear thunder, lightning and you turn back to descend and just about 20 minutes into your return to your vehicle you notice that the storm has just past over your mountain. Something near to that happened today and it sort of felt shorted on the goal of making It to the top of every mountain I climb. A goal I set for myself prior to arriving in New Hampshire, in fact, a goal I had set once I knew I was able to pay for the trip (via school funds). It’s one of those things I have to face, whether it is from a storm or health, its just not safe either way to be on the mountains during issues like that. So, I had to adjust my attitude about it and move onward to the next mountain, Cherry Mountain. I’m trying to repeat Doctor Zorn’s word he said to me about making it to the top, he stated, “It’s not the point”, he goes on to say, “The point is to enjoy yourself and have fun.” SO I guess I have a lot to learn but I guarantee that I’ll do my best to have fun and enjoy my time on the mountains no matter what I experience, Good, bad or otherwise.

With that being said, I would like to thanks everyone for their continued support and teamwork throughout the day today as we encounter changes to our schedule. I don’t know if anyone else noticed anything about the vegetation while we trucked up Cherry Mountain today but I noticed some of the moss was really wet looking but when I tried to touch it, it was of a dry texture and was not budging from the surface in which it adhered itself to, usually a rock or tree, but it seemed odd to me that something can be wet but durable enough to hold strong against something else.

The trails had many rocks and stone that had fallen into the route in which we traveled today which made it a bit of a challenge. The challenge however, was a welcoming one as it gave me the opportunity to prepare myself for the really rough trial, I feel are ahead of us all in the next week or so. I look forward to learning how the Moss, in particular, eats away at the stone or tree and it would be very interesting to learn at what pace it takes the life away from what it has consumed. Does each moss type have the same erosion time or are they different?

Additionally, Toads were found along Cherry Mountain which made for a great picture, not to forget that a snake had been discovered at the summit.   AS a child (long, long ago) I never really knew the difference between a toad or a frog, which still remains the same today, so anyone reading this, HELP! To me they are really all the same but I’m sure there are characteristics that make each one all their own. As for the snake, there was no mention of anyone knowing what type of snake it really was nor whether it was poisonous. One thing many of the group members knew is that we better not disturb it all too much.

An eye catching amount of trees where noticed growing within the rocks and stones as if the hard surface really are the dirt in which the seeds were sown. An amazing survival feat to say the least when you think of where the roots need to be in order to grow properly, you would thing that it (roots) only have one directive, the directive being underground. This didn’t seem to be my recent observation as I scanned the landscape during my travels upward or downward from any of the trails I’ve been honored to hike.

Brother 2

Brother 2

Brother 2 was filled with much more action and street slang from all languages’ within the Chicago area. I liked the fact that they visited the different villages to realistically portray the right scenes. There’s nothing like telling someone you are in the Ukrainian Village only to see the background of Lake Michigan. Brother 2 was careful not to make a mistake in its representation of any village in its storyline. The fact is any film that can utilize scenes with real people and real location is beneficial. At First, I did not like this project because of the American comments but then when I looked at every other character and what they say about one another, I let that go. Brother 2 shows the growth in the storyline, characters and the director. Growth that positively helped every facet of the production on camera as well as off can clearly be seen when you watch Brother 1 & 2. Both films are unique and done well, in my opinion, and there is a lot to be said for the openness to explore new and exciting options to enhance ones production.

“Piter FM” Directed by Oksana Bychkova - 2006

“Piter FM” Directed by Oksana Bychkova - 2006

Oksana did a great job with the story and creatively included the fun, exciting and the discouragements within each character. Masha really didn’t love her husband and it was obvious from the start when I noticed that she has little interest in hearing the details of the wedding in which her fiancé was sharing with her. Losing her cell phone created such an interesting story for Masha and the gentlemen named Maksim. Maxim just fell in love with Masha from the start and it became apparent when he mentioned that he couldn’t leave until they actually met and he gave her the cell phone back. “Piter FM” was aligned with some interesting music that enlightened our spirits and left me wishing they just would turn around one more time because they are right near each other, lol. Speaking of the music, I found myself moving to the beat on more than one occasion. I do not recall seeing so much of St. petersburg in any of the previous films we've watched during this class. Taking a St. Petersburg trip might be fit into my long term goals section. I enjoyed the movie altogether and might want to add Oksana’s “Piter FM” to my film collection at home.

“The Return” Directed by Andrei Zvyagintsev – 2003

“The Return” Directed by Andrei Zvyagintsev – 2003

In watching “The Return”, I really kept hoping some form of major discipline would happen to the boys or at least a story were all of their hard work will pay off later on down the road. For example, the western film Karate Kid (original film in particular). In The Karate Kid, we notice how Danielson is waxing a car and he feels that this is so lame and will not really teach him anything about what he was there for. As we discover, those entire lame workouts ARE for a reason and Danielson learned just that eventually. In The Return, I was thinking of a similar outcome, but was taken in a different direction.

The brother had a great deal of character building happening throughout this film. From the very beginning we notice how things were going and then they wake up to father is home and now the boy and father are off to a trip. The home had virtually no decoration and the curtains and carpeting were slim to none in any room, hallway or space shown in frame. The clothing were of dark material unless you see mothers, she wore an off white colored outfit and her part in the film was short.

When the boys had taken off with dad and had gotten into a bit of a jam with the car and then later with father falling to his death, I can’t help but applaud the determination they had shown to make sure that this guy, they called father, made it back home with them. It took a lot of guts, strength and stamina to do all of that, even when no one really knew each other long outside the brother knowing each other the longest. It’s just too bad that they had forgotten to tie the boat up prior to walking away from it, maybe they would have discovered that mysterious box that father put in the boat compartment. At first, I thought the dad was a creep but when you look into his eyes the moment he looked around that wooden board (at the top of the tower, prior to his fall) he was sincerely reaching out to his son.

“Brother” directed by Aleksei Balabanov – 1997

“Brother” directed by Aleksei Balabanov – 1997

Aleksei’s film project titled, “Brother” led us through some interesting individuals through its mobster style story. I can imagine that the young man we call Danila was right for the part he played because he had shown his reluctance toward authority of all kinds. He’s avoided listening in the Military, home and pretty much anywhere he went. The streets is where is seemed Danila became stronger, although he had been shot a couple of times, he certainly built his image through the experiences, as we see in this film.

Viktor and some of the other characters did a great job, such as Kat and her need to focus on the drugs at hand and nothing else, German and his cemetery home and gathering of friends, Sveta and her love triangles, all had portrayed the way and life of the 90’s for Russia. To me, it seems as if the 90’s are portrayed as being worse than the 80’s in Russia.

St. Petersburg was a fight or flight kind of town during this time frame in Russia. It’s you or someone else and in the streets, it appears Danila prevails, but not as one would of thought, as a hardnosed thug or anything. Meaning, he seems to have a side of him in which he upholds his word during this film. For example, He promised a director that he can go and even though he hated directors, he still came to fulfill what he promised. Of course, that was after the chaos and body shifting around and a shot, but the fact he made good on his word says a lot of his integrity. This kind act doesn’t make him look so bad in the bigger picture, but then again, if you were on the end of his barrel, would you upset him in any way?

“Little Vera” Directed by Vasily Pichal - 1988

“Little Vera” Directed by Vasily Pichal - 1988

The film project titled, “Little Vera” was, in my opinion a made for TV reality style show. I can picture this being a TV show later on down the road when we had the reality television phase. Although, this was a film project it left room for future character options. For example, Sergei could have helped fix the toilet afterwards to show he forgive Vera’s father for stabbing him and we can see a stronger bond between everyone during the recovering from the drama time frame. Vasily spent a great deal of time displaying the emotions of the enraged father on a negative level and Sergei’s locking Vera’s father in the bathroom, but we don’t see the same level of strength in the forgiving and moving on part of the story.

I sense that this teen has a lot of growing up to do and hopefully Vera doesn’t continue smoking for fear of injury a child for her Sergei. In almost every corner of the world a teen watching this film can relate to much of what happens in Vera’s family. It’s not only her family, but the things that happen with other characters in the film. Remember the police station were Vera is sitting at a desk, there was another gentleman that appeared shortly afterward. This guy had an interesting role that wasn’t fully reveal and would of helped me figure out a bit more of why he was really part of the project. It felt as if that particular role would have made no difference if it were removed.

It must have been a normal reaction for ever family to have dramatic issues take place at home and everyone ends up pretending it never happened. I’m not sure that it would be that way in my neck of the woods, but for them, it was apparent that it just ended up a hush-hush situation after all.

I would love to see a remake of this film and with a little more attention to the recovering from the dramatic event and pulling together as a family. Like I mentioned above, Maybe show Sergei make the first move towards this goal and help fix the broken latrine.

“Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears” directed by Vladimir Menshov – 1979

“Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears” directed by Vladimir Menshov – 1979

I really enjoyed this film because of it’s fine portrayal of the many characters in each scene. At first, I thought it was just about a single lady being stubborn and hateful towards the guy who is her Childs father. As the film went on I realized that all the people, places and things in this film were all connected. From the landscape in the country to the streets in town, I noticed how the outfits had changed, not only for the season, but for the time period as well. I’m not sure who has the best story in the film as I liked them all. Katrina with her dedication to her factory work, the camera man (Rudolph), Lyudmila and Antonina each had compelling parts. It rare that I haven’t any harsh critiques about a film project, this one earned a two thumbs up from me.

Every credited role had hopes for a great future and we rode with them to wherever they led us. I could see this film remade where some of the character’s shared more of their childhood and what their upbringing was like. I do not remember any of them talking in great details of their parents or grandparents. Don’t mind me, I’m a bit tired and had thought of an exciting sequel for this film, lol. Did anyone else notice that they artwork was minimal in the rooms during the 50’s? Also they tended to use curtains that are the same for windows AND doorways in the 70’s?

“Ballard of a Soldier” by Grigory Chukhra – 1959

“Ballard of a Soldier” by Grigory Chukhra – 1959

Grigory did some amazing things with lighting for the project titled, “Ballard of a Soldier.” For example, the close-up shots of Shura and Aleksei while they were on the train. I noticed some scene were a soft lens was used to great brilliant edges of some of the important moments in the film. You must not forget that the film seemed to not only be about Alexsei nor is it about Shura. This film is about everyone that they encounter through the entire travel. Each time the train door opens, it opens to unfamiliar townspeople and station workers. Each stop was filled with the changing times during the stages of war, for the businesses and residents. How people dressed and reacted towards one another was different as they went along. But on the other hand, the radio station repeatedly announced of how the front line hasn’t changed.

Think about it for a second, While Alexsei is traveling to his home, he is going through changes along with those he interacts with, and meanwhile everyone on the frontline is still the same. It’s important to process the moments we have in life, there are people who are in our lives for a split second and others you’ll know all your life. Make every moment worthwhile and accept the changes in life and keep in mind that changes happen to every person, place or thing.

Change is Life; Life is Change, in my opinion. In addition, I see that he is still a boy that yearns for acceptance from his mother and Shura is not out of the equation for she too was looking to be accepted.

1975 film titled “Mirror” by Andrei Tarkovsky

1975 film titled “Mirror” by Andrei Tarkovsky

The beginning of the film “Mirror” was not less than confusing as the strange guy comes up out of nowhere and then goes off into the abyss? Now, I may have missed it but did he even come back or is there a part of the bigger picture in which I fell asleep (figuratively speaking, of course). I’m not sure what to make of Andrei’s project as a whole, but there are some things I thought was interesting enough to share. In my opinion, the largest thing I picked up was the fact the story hit on a sensitive situation between the link of a mom and son. Now this may have been on purpose for the resemblance of Mother Mary nurturing Jesus, it is a similarity which frequently appeared in “Mirror.”

I enjoyed the fact that the son had watched mom leave, then shut the door, only to find himself with other people in his home. Even if the kid wasn’t scared, it sure made a great scene and then it was his house again. I wonder what happened to everyone and when you think of a mirror, do we think of a boy always looks for someone that is as loving, caring and nurturing as his mother? If he doesn’t, will he forever be isolated, alone and away from everyone else. I sense another option the boys love for his mother being similar to a soldiers love for the motherland. Well, it was a challenging film to stay with but there were a lot of neat transitions and some colored scenes I recall. Overall, I can say that this project was intriguing.

“Ivan the Terrible” (Part I) a 1944 (of 1500’s) Socialist Realist film by Sergei Eisenstein

“Ivan the Terrible” a 1944 (of 1500’s) Socialist Realist film by Sergei Eisenstein

This particular Eisenstein project (Ivan the Terrible) was done in 1944 and already starts the opening scenes with the Tsar being accepted by his superiors as the choir sings a song about how the Boyers have unleashed a treacherous plot. During this scene we see a multitude of people around the massive cathedral size structure, all of which are participating in this ceremony for the Tsar. Not all are content with whom the Tsar is currently and it is unsettling to say the least. We find this out throughout the film as the camera takes us in and out of various characters conversation pieces and it’s clearer that many want nothing to do with the Tsar, especially when he makes his announcement in a few seconds. But first, we need to place the crown on the Tsar and give him a sword and orb. Alright, we see the money flowing over the new Tsar, the choir still singing, then all of the sudden the choir stops. This is when a soloist chimes in with an abundantly healthy set of bass sounding lungs. I nearly jumped out of my seat because I never saw that coming, then the big guy stops, choir adds a few more verses, the big guy does one or two more as well and we move to the Tsar Speech scene and angle(s).

Tsar says he wants everyone to give him money, even the bishop and the higher ranked individuals are to obey. They will help and obey so that Tsar can get the trained people, tools, weapons and anything else he need  for the preexisting battle ahead. A lullaby is caressing our delicate ears at this particular time in the film.

As the Tsar continues his requests, he is unaware of the gossip that has the palace going crazy because of the mega celebratory things that overwhelm him currently. The gossip is about the townspeople heading toward the Tsar as the celebration is commencing. All of the sudden, I recall someone mention wedding, a baby and the scene didn’t really change much before the guests were chanting for the couple to kiss.

Suddenly, as if it was out of thin air, the cathedral was filled with townspeople with sickles and such, shouting things like, “I want to see the Tsar” and “Where is he”. There was one man who happened to push through everyone and ended up smack dab in front of the Tsar himself. Once the Tsar was acknowledged, everyone within the room had bowed and/or gestured to the Tsar. A gesture of approval, I think, it was hard for me to tell in this section of the film.

Tsar says, “We must weed out Boyars, too Kozan.” The townspeople echoed the Tsar and off they went to with weapons like sickles and cannons. They dug a tunnel over a period of a month, when Tsar’s helpers were finally through; he instructed that he had enough gun powder to fulfill their goal. So, off to the gunpowder stock they go and with four strategically placed pieces of wick and a single candle to burn down for contact, they blew up the entire area, went to war with Moscow and succeeded.

The story takes us back to the castle-like structure, where everyone appears to be discussing how the fact their Tsar is “ILL” from the war. Holy Sacraments are then brought to the Tsar, he laid bad for his final resting position, holding a lit candle, which looked about as creepy as it can get. Only to be met up with a huge biblical looking book, this towers his skull in comparison. At this time, everyone is vying for the label Tsar, but it backfires when the Tsar is on his feet again, Stating, “The Sacraments Cured me.”

The Tsar strongly urges a move toward the Baltic States, while acknowledging he is alone outside the fact his wife (Anastasia) and child (Alyoshka or Rigy are the two names that popped up on screen at the same time) are with him. No men, weapons, help of any kind to complete his goal for the Motherland. It was not long before new outside resources teamed up with the Tsar and created, vast numbers, comrades which ultimately fought alongside the Tsar; for the sake of the Motherland.

I certainly see the similarities between some of the Socialist Realist lead character traits. Meaning, the dedication to the Motherland takes presence over friends and family. Also, the character’s of Anastasia and Tsar appear to have more of a darker side, in which is only hinted, but evidence such as Anastasia’s occasional flirtation with that other guy even while the Tsar was supposedly laid to rest in his final bed. I didn’t know what to think of it, but it sure leaves the character open for future scripts. The Tsar with his naive way of accepting everyone’s reasoning for almost assassinating him around every corner. The film had a lot of funny part, where I was giggling and a few parts were I blurted out, “Of course” or “Why not.” It’ll be interesting to see part II of, “Ivan the Terrible” and those links we had seen prior to this film starting.

Burnt by the Sun Directed and featuring Nikita Mikalkov – 1994 (film of 1936/7)

Burnt by the Sun Directed and featuring Nikita Mikalkov – 1994 (film of 1936/7)

 

This 1930’s based film opens with a star on top of a building structure and a scan through the street of Soviet Russia. There are RED flags on each light pole and some larger ones on buildings which are seen from just about anywhere you walk or drive.

Once the downtown had its debut the first minute or so into the film, we are brought to a room where one older gentleman and younger gentlemen are talking business. This business doesn’t seem to be of any real purpose to anyone else but those two gentlemen as they talk in codes and/or other languages to avoid anyone else knowing what they are saying. It wasn’t long before I figured out that this must be the scene where plans are made to get rid of someone, as the sense of spy came to mind for me. Those types of people would be using codes and such to avoid getting the info they are sharing into the hands of the wrong person(s). To ensure the person they are currently around ARE, indeed who they say they are.

Once, all details are worked out and they understand who each other is, the details are now shared. I found it odd, that the younger guy by the name of Mitsya, didn’t even pay no mind when his elder was sharing important information. All Mitsya did was pull out a revolver and place a bullet in it (at least from what I could tell), spun the dial and then pulled the trigger once he placed the barrel to his head. I guess it wasn’t the day for him to die; the bullet wasn’t in that particular chamber, this time around.

We now see a couple being serenaded outside in what looks like a very small ice rink decorated with make-shift fence pieces to signify the boundaries. While the talented instrumentalists were doing their music we hear AND see a little girl in the nearby distance singing to herself, in the tune of what she is hearing by the few people that were playing their instruments.

The story in the film had now brought us to a cottage, where we see Sergei Petrovich Kotov and Nadya in the sauna area in an awkward, to me, but natural to their culture, situation. The daughter was on top of dad without any clothes, although she was just on his back, it made me feel a bit uncomfortable. They weren’t without someone knowing, mind you, as mom (Marusia) is certainly there in site, but it seem as if she was in another part of the room talking to the both of them and nothing was out of the ordinary for anyone in the household. It was just time in the sauna for relaxation, I’m gathering from the scene.

Suddenly, we are shown multiple tanks ruining wheatfeild and creating havoc to the owners and workers of the field without hesitation. Not knowing why or being able to stop them heightened the panic. Word of this rampage reached Col. Kotov and he went to the supervisor in charge of the tanks, called someone and off the tanks went without anymore chaos.

By a swift clip of the editor we are met with a scene in which a marching band is working their way through the forest at the entry gates to this cottage. Nadya runs to hear the band and watch as they go by. It’s not long before suddenly, a rambunctious older gentlemen pops out of the marching line towards Nadya which excites Nadya as he plays a guessing game. She is trying to guess who he is,

maybe a doctor or Summer Santa but none of that really is who’s arrived at the cozy cottage as a guest, as we will soon find out. The bearded gentlemen works is way through the gate with his game of guessing, while telling each person he comes to a bit of something about themselves that he knows. This is strange and fun at the same time. Now, everyone is eager to find out who IS this unrecognizable character. They didn’t have to wait for too long as the gentlemen in disguise shows everyone his talneted piano skills; it’s off with the beard and white hair. It’s Mitya, scream a few members of the household as they run up and hugged him, some just laughed and other just simply wondered around the house.

Although the cottage has it’s fun time and laughter, by all means, it’s trouble with a past in which only Mitya and Marusia know about, outside one other family member. It slowly becomes apparent to the rest of the family that Mitya and Marusia had a relationship in the past and it was broken up during its prime moments. The time Mitya was sent out of town and when Kotov was the person who instructed him to go. Now, it wasn’t made clear that Kotov every knew about the past but the message was very clear this time when Mitya told Nadya a story and Marusia appeared agitated by it then walked away. Kotov picked up on it as well, then had his talk, sex and more talk with Marusia. I must say, their way of coping is different, but a learning experience none-the-less.

Once Marusia and Kotov were done with their moments, Marusia came out of the room and suddenly she saw Nadya tap dancing, a new step she learned from Mitya, in the hallway. Since, Mitya was also standing there he noticed Marusia and gestured to talk to Kotov. Mitya asked Nadya to play this humming game and since Marusia wasn’t in the immediate area, it was time for Mitya to let Kotov know the real reason he was visiting. It appears that Mitya had arranged to have Kotov and himself picked up in two hours. While, Nadya was humming, which just helped her not hear what they were talking about, the message was delivered and the reaction on Kotov’s face was one in which you knew that he understood the message and had no choice but to go along for the ride.

Before the vehicle gets here let’s finish what we always do on Sunday and keep the routine, "As is" was a great way to not let anyone else in the family know that Mitya’s ultimate purpose, his job, was to make sure Kotov was no longer alive. Mitya fulfilled his job requirement then ended his own life with the slit of one wrist while in a tub of water.

 I feel that Mitya used personal motives to train harder in the political arena so he can fulfill his ultimate goal and get revenge for sending him away from Marusia. Mitya clearly had a strong bond for Marusia, a dangerous bond in which, he only realized once it was too late to undo the deed at hand. The killing of Kotov didn’t have any rewards for Mitya after all.

“Circus” a Socialist Realist (Soviet) film directed by: Grigory Alexandrov – 1936

“Circus” a Socialist Realist (Soviet) film directed by: Grigory Alexandrov – 1936

Circus by Grigory Alexandrov was a film project that took on a society challenge of racism, creatively depicted its harsh side, while gently showing you the warmth of a community that embraces racism as it does with so many other changes in life. Mr. Alexandrov does this with abundant amounts of comedy and high energy spirit for the right transitions. The transitions, in this film, really felt like they were right for the chosen section of the film project. For example, the very beginning had a globe that spun and while you were watching it spin on and on, you were led to a similar globe but in a different setting. Now, that’s down right neat way to take viewers to and from just about anywhere a director wants to take you. Other transitions, were present in Circus, such as, the full moon switched to a quarter moon upon Mary’s arrival, the transitions between special effects when the Montague was on the screen had well thought out effort. Speaking of special effects, the Dracula hands a letter off and then mentions the word, “Incognito” or “unknown” then he disappears right before your very eyes.

Grigory not only plays with comedy in this project he throws in the society’s uneasiness of race, in particular, a black baby, which is the son of Mary. Mary ran from her past, bringing little infant with her, finding shelter in someone else’s arms. That someone else kept her little child, a secret until one day Mary fraternizes with another man. Once the helpful man got wind of Mary’s love interest, he became angry and even threatens to tell everyone of her wrong doing. The idea of a white woman giving to a black child was not acceptable, at least where Mary previously came from.

After, challenging ones love, four amazing Circus performances onward to the thirtieth AND final performance for Mary, the truth has stopped the last performance prior to the ultimate climax. The truth of Mary being the mother of a black child was suppose to destroy Mary emotionally, and psychological. But what happened, instead, was the entire crowd followed suit in opening their hearts and minds to this little child Mary called little Jimmy. They welcomed him with a song and each of the members in the crowd held the little boy. They passed him around showing that the community doesn’t care about the race, it a child of the community and who cares, he’ll stay with this particular area and grow up to be an adult.

Extra Side notes I wanted to share with you about “Circus”

The circus performers in the sideshows reminded me of the Laurel and Hardy comedies

She ignored her own baby crying, what?

Nonsense doesn’t translate to Russian (at least in this film)

The transition from the lions POV and the man in the cage was “THE BEST”

The way they introduced how a community welcomed another race was better than many films I’ve seen- well done.

The overlapping images turned out decent, in my opinion

Chapaev – 1934 Directed By: The Vasilev brothers

Chapaev – 1934 Directed By: The Vasilev brothers

It amazes me to realize that projects can be altered to chose the mindset of the viewers in which was to the best interest of the director(s). The propaganda that was allowed to give people false accounts of not only historical events, but current ones as well onward to what the future would be like.

In watching this film I had realized that the directors attempted to show change within some of the characters in how they reacted toward one another. I’m not sure if that was a major part of the story but it stuck out to me as a viewer. I did question, however, the legitimacy of the change when Chapaev, made remarks while he was being talked to in one part of the film. There were emotional tid bits throughout the storyline that helped make the characters real to me, as a viewer. For example, When Petka had groped Anka all in the name of showing her the “right” way to build the Maxim Gun, she caught on real quickly though and they moved forward with the training as planned.

I was lost in the fight as the horseman came up after the war seemed to have been won (Defeating Colonel Borozdin?). They seemed as if they were going to shoot but I do not recall anyone saying that they were on their side, maybe it was a quick word or two that I missed or the action wasn’t as big as the battle for me to catch that reaction or acknowledgement that the individuals on the horses were their comrades.

Does anyone question, in the film, whether or not Chapaev really was shot in the water as I did? It felt as if he really gave up after only having one wounded arm. He was limping and looked as if his sidekick (Petka) had to hold him a bit more for an arm wound. I’m not saying, I’d want to have someone shoot my arm and see how it feels, but in reality, your feet have nothing to do with your elbow. The waterfront wasn’t THAT far from the door. I can see the water being a problem but not beforehand.

The Vasilev brothers or the character generator had used two unknown words to me: Steppe and Slovenly.

Name calling was a big thing as once I heard a derogatory comment such as, “Red-Tape Worm”

Even with the nit picking I am doing with the characters and their response to one another, I still would watch this project for its attention to the characters relationships, timeline of the story, the use of multiple locations, and the continuity of the props and outfits used during the period of 1934.

Does anyone know whether or not this was a single camera project or not? Also who chose the lighting of films on set for the Russian Cinema projects? Is it always a rule for the director to choose or is there another position that corrects any lighting during filming or location changes. How did they depict night or day and yet obtain quality footage in the early 30’s like we see in this project.

This project may appeal to a larger audience because of the relatable events that happen personally. There were so many individuals that had seem to have an open mind enough to listen to what someone else had to say and ended up changing how they are themselves. I hope that what I just wrote makes some sense at all.

When I think of the sound in the Battleship Potemkin, I think of loud and over the top in many instances, but for this Vasilev brothers project I feel that the dialogue makes is possible to tame the dramatic music and keep an even amount of music Vs vocalization to attract a larger part of the crowd that watches the film.

“The Man with the Movie Camera” Film By: DZIGAVERTOV - 1929

“The Man with the Movie Camera” Film By: DZIGAVERTOV

The Man with the movie camera film project had many great qualities, in which I’d like to share. The use of natural light was increasingly obvious as well as some candles were added for lighting was necessary as with the cave scene and any closed room shots captured. I also notice the fact a second camera was used in almost 70 percent of the film project which is how he was able to capture the array of moving clips of himself at his best, working on an idea for his film project(s).

There is something to be said about all the relationships his monologues have with one another. For example, a scene capturing a trolley and a girl, afterwards we see a whole different angle, location and position, a girl on a bench and a trolley driving right behind her. Two different footages and two different setups but they have similarities in what or who is shown in the frame.

The entire film project had all of the behind the scenes, inside closed doors, feet chasing, trolley riding, horse grabbing action that a western movie has but all in one film. It was a treat to see that there wasn’t a location he wouldn’t try to get the footage he set forth to collect. The ropes and bucket over the water fall had me on the edge of my set. Don’t neglect the fact he rode on moving trains, trolleys and other things to fulfill his passion.

I must be honest; the finale really bored me at the end. I mean, how much faster can you get before you just hold your hands up and say, “I give up”. Lol

DZIGAVERTOV must have had a budget to go by, right? He had story boards, vehicles, people, camera, locations, etc… I wondered who funded this huge project all together and how long it took to complete from conception to final edit.

Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 film project titled, “Battleship Potemkin” (based on year 1905)

Sergei Eisenstein’s 1925 film project titled, “Battleship Potemkin” (based on year 1905)

The “Battleship Potemkin” project was well made in many ways. The acting was much more in line with what really was going on in each scene. The music lent itself to be a great accompaniment to the entire film project as a whole. It’s amazing to me that there isn’t much I can really pick out that left me feeling like I want to fall asleep. Even the trampling over everyone in the crowd was done in such a realistic way that it made you feel as if you wanted to help the women, children and those who cannot make the next hop, skip or jump to safety.

The most impressive of all was the camera angles and views we are shown, such as, the multiple Points of view (POV) that this film shared with the viewers was beyond my expectation. I can count at least four changes of POV throughout many of the battle scene in which the crew had entangled themselves with the captain and staff members alone.

Sergei even went to great lengths to utilize transportation to follow a boat or two from another moving object solely for the camera angle. Not to forget the heights he used to give the viewer that large circumference of area in which the masses either fought with one another or the townspeople rushed to shore to the funeral. I felt as if I was there, at the funeral and once again running to safety with the fellows townspeople and crew that for awhile there, stood up to the captain and gunmen, yet we are on the other end of the gun for a short period of time.

Luckily, we had the smart to retaliate and overcome the small defeat and persevered through it all and to our benefit; the bright red flags were hung to show that we are not alone in this effort any longer.