Essays on Belton

Art refers to a broad range of human activities in the creation of visual, auditory and performing artifacts. Such activities might include, but not limited to music, poetry, literature and painting. They express the author’s technical or imaginative skill. The authors who partake in these acts often aim to get an appreciation for the beauty and attractiveness of their works or emotional prowess. In general, art entails the production of artwork, history of art and its aesthetic dissemination. History enables lovers of art, and cultural studies understand how various artistic components came about. They learn about the philosophies ...

With the advent of the newest technologies in film making, the quality of the movies produced compared from the beginning of the first walkie-talkie in the late 19th century up to the present times, it should be noted that there has been numerous changes since then that created a lasting impact on how films are produced up to this day. In this respect, this paper examines the effects of the digital media in regards to the film making industry whether these new technologies managed to help film directors and viewers in their analysis of the films. For this, 6 ...

The contemporary American cinema in the 21st century has been dominated with countless of computer graphic effects and numerous camera tricks in order to make the films look presentable, action-packed, and detailed in terms of narration towards the broad audience. When John Belton argued that the purpose of the camera as a storyteller improved the quality of the films produced, it is undeniable that the existence of the cameras led to the creation of several stories some of which deals with phantasms that often requires tricks to produce magic to enthrall the audiences. Yet with this aspect, the discourse ...

Paul Schrader’s internationally acclaimed film; Taxi Driver produced in the mid-1970s tells the story of an ex-Vietnam War veteran named Travis Bickle, a young man who desperately tries to search for the purpose in his life. The theme of the film revolves on Bickley’s attempts to suppress his inner demons in order to live a normal life. What makes Bickley’s attitude different from other protagonist was the fact that he had his own major psychological problems; first, he may be labeled as an anti-social since he detests mingling with people. Second, his training with the military ...

After the first viewing, the film may look too harsh and cruel .It is interesting that the recognized American playwright Tennessee Williams, who headed the jury in 1976 at the Cannes Film Festival, that awarded "Taxi Driver" with the main prize, lamented the rise violence in society and in the movies. After all, the taxi driver named Travis from New York, a former member of the Vietnam War, who can hardly adapt to a normal life, originally wanted to assassinate a man during political elections, and as a result enjoyed a true "massacre" in a brothel. Screenwriter Paul Schrader ...

Genre Critique: The Matrix (1999) The films are generally classified into different types on the basis of their genres. The prime classifications of films on the basis of their genre are like those of silent melodrama, war based, comedy, western, etc (Belton, 2013). A different genre inspired from the usage of true visual effects and dominance of certain characters over the entire plot is called as the Science fiction and Horror genre. The primary difference between horror and science-fiction comes from the fact that the latter has the inclusion of special effects to highlight the presence and impact of ...

British director Ridley Scott was previously famous for skilful adaptation of the historical novel "Duellists" by Joseph Conrad and spectacular cosmic horror film "Alien". In the film "Blade Runner," he creates a unique visual atmosphere of the future. Much credit for this also belongs to the operator Jordan Cronenweth and famous master of special effects Douglas Trumbull (he, in particular, took part in the work on such milestone fantastic films as "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Star Trek" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind") . Even the scenes in normal urban areas or in the interiors acquire the skillful use ...

There is a significant interplay between the American culture and the cinema industry. A chronological update at the time of the kinetoscope to the current state of the art movie places (Belton, 2013) occurred just as the country and technology continued to change. The transition from the visual expression of the past into creation of talking cinema world is well portrayed in as much as there is technological challenges Don and Lina struggle to grow into the talking picture as well. Melodrama, as used in the movie, demonstrates how music and emotions can be blended to show to make ...

Born on the Fourth of July The film Born on the Fourth of July, as directed by Oliver Stone captures the characteristics of war film within the understanding of Belton. There are elements of dangerous situations that demand exceptional heroism on the part of the lead actor. Allusions to historical situations and renowned personalities are used together with fictional situations to capture the themes of choice and achieve the element of realism. There are also mistakes that happen in the battle field. For instance, this can be illustrated in the instance in which the lead character Kovic and ...