Red Tails: a Film Critique

The paper I decided to do was on “Schindler’s List”. I have seen this movie four times and yet had not really noticed the many ways in which the director, Steven Spielberg, used the camera to emphasis a “million words”. It was interesting, when watching this film from this stand point, how I was able to see the importance of the way the director uses sounds and color to make some much significant points of a film.

There are many different elements of film that filmmakers can utilize to make a film. Direction, storyline, cinematography, mise en scene, as well as point of view and tone can all lend a hand in making a film great. One might say that the most important aspect of a film is the script. Others might argue the actors are the most important part. However, an impressive balance of all of the different elements of film are what can elevate a film to greatness. That is why the best film viewed this semester is Night of the Living Dead.

“No loyal citizen of the United States should be denied the democratic right to exercise the responsibilities of citizenship, regardless of his ancestry… Americanism is not, and never was, a matter of race or ancestry. Every loyal American citizen should be given the opportunity to serve this country… in the ranks of our armed

The debate over Casablanca and Citizen Kane has been a classic argument between film critics and historians alike because both of these pieces contain great cinematographic value, and are timeless pictures that have managed to captivate audiences well beyond their era. However, the real question at hand is which film is the greatest? Which film transformed the future of American film making? It is these questions that I as many others have, will attempt to answer in the following essay as I explain why I believe Citizen Kane has achieved the status of greatest film ever made.

We possess the most powerful and dedicated military in the world. We’re deeply indebted to all currently serving as well as to all that have had their lives taken from them in the battle to keep us strong and free—I’ve never met anyone eagerly awaiting the chance to “GIVE” their lives. I certainly know that I wasn't.

America’s political climate during the Cold War greatly influenced America’s depiction of glory in American World War II films from 1949-1980. The three American war films that were picked are films that come from three separate decades of American history. The first film comes from a time where America is plagued by mass hysteria caused by the Red Scare. The second film was developed during the Vietnam war this event created great public distrust in the American government. The third comes from a America that has come to terms with Vietnam and wants to forget and yearns for classic American heros. American Cinema’s portrayal of glory during the Second World War was greatly

“Yeah, we’re both part of the fucking military and it’s our duty to serve our country.”

Transcendentalism is an extremely difficult philosophy to truly understand and even more difficult follow and apply to everyday life. Chris McCandless, from the movie Into the Wild, goes on a long journey after college attempting to live freely by the principles of Transcendentalist philosophers such as Emerson and Thoreau. Chris attempts to live happily, but what matters is whether or not Chris believes that his life was successful at the time of his death. He tries to find happiness within himself and discover truths in the world and in his own life. Chris McCandless does follow the ideas of Emerson and Thoreau because he abandons his family and possessions and gives up his potential success in order to discover truth and find happiness. His pursuit of these ideals teaches that transcendentalism is not a practical philosophy because Chris fails to find happiness through these ideas.

The debate over Casablanca and Citizen Kane has been a classic argument between film critics and historians alike, and this is because both of these pieces are timeless pictures that have managed to captivate audiences well after their era. On a broad spectrum analysis this is an apples and oranges debate as the two films both have great cinematographic value but for different reasons. However, the real question at hand is which film is the greatest? Which film transformed the future of American film making? It is these questions that I as many others have, will attempt to answer in the following essay as I explain why I believe Citizen Kane is the greatest film ever made.

to attack the US Army. John Pilger discusses this film by saying “this film offers a vicarious thrill through yet another standard issue psychopath, high on violence in somebody else’s country where the deaths of a million people are consigned to cinematic oblivion.” (“John Pilger On Why The Oscars Are A Con”)

“We did not ask for this fight. On September 11, 2001, nineteen men hijacked four airplanes and used them to murder nearly 3,000 people. They struck at our military and economic nerve centers. They took the lives of innocent men, women and children without regard to their faith or race

Critical Evaluation of a Published Film Screenplay No Country For Old Men By Joel & Ethan Coen No Country For Old Men (Coen, 2005) is an adaption of Cormac McCarthy’s book of the same name. The film is both written and directed by the Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan. It tells the story of Llewelyn Moss, a man who happens upon a drug deal gone wrong and decides to take the two million dollars he finds there. He is pursued by Anton Chigurh, a hitman hired to retrieve the money, and Sheriff Ed Tom Bell who is investigating the drug deal murders.

Some more accurate than others, they all concern the similar themes of a mission above others, a personal conflict, and the character development to become iconic by the end of the film. For example, in Red Tails, its accuracy can be somewhat, when concerning itself to the controversy of black males in the American Air Force. Surprisingly, the directors of the movie did get the accuracy of the aircraft they acquired throughout the duration of the movie. It pinpointed the racial tension between troops, but also showed the desegregation that occurred after the two racial groups started journeying in more missions. Its inaccuracy comes in the fact that not that many main characters die besides two, but it's understandable that only 50 some lives were lost in the traps.

Many films have captivated the hearts and minds of Americans, however a true film goes in-depth into the current social tensions and customs of the modern world. Such a film, was The Wizard Of Oz. Beneath the surface of the film, one may examine many characteristics of real world struggles through creative flair. In films, directors will strive to make characters, storylines, backdrops, lighting and other creative factors up to par with modern day events (Lewis 2007). So too, The Wizard Of Oz offers viewers something rather unique and made the world of Hollywood more esoteric than ever before.

Regardless of the object being reviewed, there are a number of essential features of writing a review at a professional standard. This essay will examine each of those features with reference to two reviews of films which explore a specific theme.