Ed Wood can be considered a postmodern biopic because it parodies the genre and takes what seems to be a less serious look at the life of the title character.
Ed Wood is a man who dreams of being a big Hollywood director, and he will do anything he can to get there. The only problem is that he has next to no talent. He frequently does scenes in one take, no matter how many errors are made, saying that it makes it look more "real." Most biopics are about people, fictional or otherwise, who made some sort of great impact on the world. Ed Wood was only known for making terrible, terrible movies, but the way that Tim Burton presents him to us is what makes this film 'postmodern'.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
How does Citizen Kane exploit the conventions and tropes of the classic biopic genre?
Citizen Kane is widely regarded as one of the best films, if not the best film, of all time. One of the reasons it is so highly praised is because it pushed the boundaries of many aspects of film at the time.
For example, in most biopics in that time period (of which there were many), the lead character was almost always a classic hero; a knight in shining armour who could do no wrong. Charles Foster Kane is certainly not what I have in mind when I think of someone heroic. He is self-centered and greedy, and he treats his closest friends and family like garbage sometimes.
This film made people notice that the lead character did not have to be heroic, and it was actually better to have them shown to be more human and relatable, with problems much like any other person would have.
For example, in most biopics in that time period (of which there were many), the lead character was almost always a classic hero; a knight in shining armour who could do no wrong. Charles Foster Kane is certainly not what I have in mind when I think of someone heroic. He is self-centered and greedy, and he treats his closest friends and family like garbage sometimes.
This film made people notice that the lead character did not have to be heroic, and it was actually better to have them shown to be more human and relatable, with problems much like any other person would have.
Thesis for Fim Critique
Joe Dirt, written by and starring David Spade, is the perfect example of a parodical biopic, or anti-biopic. While recounting the life of the stereotypically white-trash Joe Dirt, it manages to be genuinely funny while making you feel for the main character, even though it takes a fully comedic approach to the genre.
Compare and contrast the closing sequences of "Rembrandt" and "Raging Bull." How is it they represent the biopic subject of self determined loner?
Both Rembrandt and Raging Bull end with the protagonists looking into a mirror talking to themselves. Rembrandt is painting yet another self-portrait, and he the line, "Vanity is vanity."
Jake LaMotta is trying to psych himself up before doing a comedy routine on stage. He says to himself, "You coulda been a contender," and then boxes the air while repeating, "I'm the boss, I'm the boss."
Rembrandt's second wife-to-be had died years earlier, and he dedicated his life to his art until the day he died.
LaMotta was always a jealous, angry man, and he drove away all of his family and friends by being violent.
Both men chose to be alone through their actions, and looking into a mirror talking to themselves is a great way to show that they have no one left in the world but themselves.
Jake LaMotta is trying to psych himself up before doing a comedy routine on stage. He says to himself, "You coulda been a contender," and then boxes the air while repeating, "I'm the boss, I'm the boss."
Rembrandt's second wife-to-be had died years earlier, and he dedicated his life to his art until the day he died.
LaMotta was always a jealous, angry man, and he drove away all of his family and friends by being violent.
Both men chose to be alone through their actions, and looking into a mirror talking to themselves is a great way to show that they have no one left in the world but themselves.
Compare and contrast the opening sequences from Man on the Moon and The Elephant Man
The opening sequence of Man on the Moon starts out with Andy Kaufman breaking the fourth wall and speaking directly to the audience. He makes fun of the movie you are about to watch. He then cuts off the credits, making the screen go black for a while, before returning, saying that he just did that to get rid of the people who didn’t really want to see. We then see him as a child, jumping on his bed, pretending to host a TV show involving his stuffed animals and the baseball players on his wall, and then playing a song for his sister. This shows us that Andy always had dreams of being a TV star, even from a very young age, although he did not start out successfully. At first glance, it seems to be fairly straight forward, but it aks more questions than it answers. Is the person who spoke at the start Andy Kaufman? When did the movie actually start being the movie? It extends the question, who is Andy Kaufman?
The opening sequence of The Elephant Man starts with an extreme close up of a woman’s face, fading to shots of elephants, and then with elephants superimposed on top of her eyes. You see the elephants throw the woman down, and she appears to be frightened. The screen cuts to black, and you can hear a baby cry as the screen fills with smoke. This shrouds the origin of the Elephant Man in mystery.
The opening sequence of The Elephant Man starts with an extreme close up of a woman’s face, fading to shots of elephants, and then with elephants superimposed on top of her eyes. You see the elephants throw the woman down, and she appears to be frightened. The screen cuts to black, and you can hear a baby cry as the screen fills with smoke. This shrouds the origin of the Elephant Man in mystery.
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