The best of 2014: Grease once again

35 years after its successful premier, “Grease” main characters, Olivia Newton John and John Travolta, had reunited to once again bring us back memories of that popular musical film which made a generational change among people. Alcohol, peer pressure, pregnancy, sex and smoking were some issues presented in this film, what made people develop on a more open minded society. This film which was released in 1978, but set in the 50s, is considered by many as one of the best films of the decade, and even now it stills being considerer like that, as nowadays is one of the most played “last-century film", and its soundtrack has been qualified as one of the most successful soundtracks in hollywoods history. 

 

Olivia and John on the final movie scene, singing "You are the one that i want". Source: www.allposters.es

The success was so widespread that Rotten Tomatoes, a website launched in 1998 and devoted to film reviews and news about films, wrote years after its premier "Grease is a pleasing, energetic musical with infectiously catchy songs and an ode to young love that never gets old.” 

In this unexpected (Being precise, both actors coincided on a festival, and without anything planned they show up together on the stage) meeting, John and Olivia, the teen principal characters of the film, and idols of one hole generation, put their voices together and sang the popularly known song “You're the One That I Want”, making their fans, full of surprise, remind what that music meant for all of them. Even though lot of time has passed, both actors demonstrated that their voices still sound as good as they did on the film, film which as i've told before, obtained fame not only for its interpretations but also for its soundtrack, selling thousands of CD’s all over the world. 

John and Olivia’s voices were heard in every disco, shop and house 35 years ago, and now (last march twenty-seventh) they gave us the opportunity to hear them live, to revive once again those years of the 70’s, 80’s… those years of high school and the confusion of teen romances with infectious exuberance and humor.

Paula Ezcurra
Audiovisual Communication

Sundance on the Social Media

Each time society is paving its own way within the technological world. Technologies are a really important part of our daily lives and social media, specifically, let us be connected and participate of every service that the network provide us. Every aspect of life can now take part of this world, also cinema, trough the usage os social media platforms. 

For Americas cinema the network has meant the increase of audience to whom direct their messages and suggestions, the introduction of platforms where they can be in contact with people and tell them about their films…  after all they are the ones who are going to watch their films. Thus, for actors, producers and even film festivals its really important to be connected with people, and let them take part of important decisions as users and consumers, and its what social media its letting nowadays. 

One of American cinemas most acclaimed section and which has benefited the most of this immersion in the social media are the film festivals. They are benefitting themselves of many social media websites the internet provides, as for example the  Sundance Film Festival, one of the most “Connected” film festival in the world. 

 This festivals most used media platform is Facebook, which allows producers to have and immediate contact with its followers, ask them questions, inform them with new updates about the ceremony, show them pictures of latest edition, and also let them comment on their personal timeline leaving their opinions. 

Other platform its Twitter, which allows easy accessibility between the user and the organizing comitee. It also allows followers to stay updated with the latest news, latest events, or new american films premiers. User can directly and instantly communicate with the festival and make suggestions, about who to nominate, which was the most well dressed, opinions about the winners.. 

The festival also has Youtube channel, where they upload videos with interviews to the nominates, to directors, to actors or actresses, also trailers, unseen scenes…  

Its Instagram account its also a really frequented one, it has more than 27k followers, which can see pictures and videos about the preparation of the festival, the ceremony itself, funny selfies took by actors during the ceremony, the awards before the delivery…

The festival its also on Pinterest, Kickstarter, Tumblr, Google+,… Which show us that in this technologized world its really important to introduce ourselves in the net, just to let people introduce themselves in the project and create an experience, which would let people enjoy with their contents.  

Paula Ezcurra
Audiovisual Communication

Prominent Character: AL PACINO

"Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer"

I want to specially dedicate todays post to an icon of the American cinema of the 70s, even though there have been lots of exceptional actors during the decades of the 60s&70s, this actor called Alfredo James Pacino, who’s most commonly known as Al Pacino, stands out for his strenght, aim of overcoming difficulties and perfect actuation. Born in April 25, 1940, he’s nowadays not only a really well-known actor but also a filmmaker. His fame came in the 1972 with the premier of the film “The godfather” when he was 32 years old, but his career as an actor and passion towards acting came earlier, when he only was a teenager. At the age of 17 he left school willing to start his studies at the Actors Studio (where he wouldn't enter at first, but would years after). He had a really difficult life, Alfredo’s character was really though and difficult to support, what made people see him as a mysterious person and a troublemaker, very important people for him passed away when he was really young, so he entered in drugs life when he was only 13.

Video of Al Pacino's early life, it describes perfectly the hard times of Alfredo when he was only a child. Source: Youtube

In 1967 he shot his first movie Clifford Odets' Awake and Sing!, which was not financially rewarded, but which he found really worth it to start in the medium. Pacino debuted in broadway in 1969, with the film Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? for which he won his first Tony Award. In 1971 he met director Francis Ford Coppola, who cast him as Michael Corleone in the blockbuster Mafia film The Godfather. Pacino's performance earned him an Academy Award nomination. 

Al Pacino when he won his First Tony award with Barry Bostwick, Dorothy Loudon. Source:dorothyloudonfoundation.org

Al Pacino on a frame of "The Godfather" starring his character Michael Corleone. Source: www.moviecitizens.com 

From those years till nowadays Al Pacino hasn’t stopped, he had shot more than 40 films, and had received 10 awards from 33 nominations. He is considered one of the most important interpreters of the history of american cinema, and he stills aim to remain active, as he said last August in Venice to the newspaper “El Universal” . He’s 74 years old, nevertheless has the necessary "appetite" to keep on doing movies. "My plane has not landed yet” he assured. 

Actual pictures of Al Pacino last August in Venice. Source: www.ctvnews.ca

Cinema Best Online Sources

There are lots of online platforms about cinema. Cinema in general, American cinema... but from all those, two of them have to be distinguished. The first one, an the one which interest us more is “THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER", this is an online magazine where you can not only get information about the latest premiers or film projects, but you can also read reviews, get to know popular stories about film festivals or film trailers, and even read about famous actors and actresses lives gossips. Its a magazine which covers lots of different issues, all related with this exciting and fascinating world. Even though someone may be only interested in a particular section of the seventh art, with this magazine can be informed only about that issues that interest him really easily, by accessing to it directly, and with the security of being given a reliable information, because all the editor, journalists and writers of this magazine are really professional workers specialized on the audiovisual world, so to give you the best news. 

The other magazine is an spanish one called “FOTOGRAMAS” . It’s a really good and entertaining magazine for those which love cinema, in general it talks about spanish cinema but on each issue of the magazine it dedicates a section to American cinema of the 60s,70s and 80s. It's very interesting reading about ways of shooting on those years, how did the appearance of new technologies affect, lives of actresses as Marilyn monroe and also first auditions of our nowadays best actors. 

Picture from the movie "The Sound of music" in which Robert Wise directed Julie Andrews, the image it's from a report of the "FOTOGRAMAS" magazine, due to the directors 100th anniversary. Source: Fotogramas

This two magazines are the best online sources of information nowadays, where you can enhance knowledge while having fun and enjoying what you are reading. 

Barack and "How to kill a Mockingbird"

On the 5th of april 2012, Barack Obama, the actual president of the USA made a tribute to the very known american film “How to kill a Mockingbird”. This film which its one of the best american films in history, was really important in the 1960s (the years we are talking about in this blog) because it was a shout for respecting the black people rights, it broadcasted a message of tolerance, and it was an anti-racist defense statement, an statement full of courage which travelled around the world. It was a beginning in the history of cinema, a new cinema was starting, a cinema which respected color people, and treated them as equals.

Ton Robinson an adro-american man, in court. Being judged for raping a white woman.  Next to him , Finch, his lawyer. Source: Creative Commons Search

Flinch children with Robinson's family. Together as a sign of respect and tolerance.  Source: Creative Commons Search 

Now on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the releasement of the film, Barack Obama, the first black president of the united states, wanted to recognize all the importance that this film had have in americans life. Barack made a private pass and invited a group of people, among those were students of Washington-Lee High School of Virginia and familiars of the film main character. The film, which was retransmitted on channel USA network for every american citizen, was visualized by those special guests in the theater of the White House.    

The special thing of these visualization was the contribution of the president, making an introduction to the film before it started. Every american could watch Obama talking about the film, about the importance of “how to kill a mockingbird” for history and the message it transmites.   

Barack Obama, the actual president of the USA, an also  afro-american. He is the first color president of America. Source: Biography.com

This film which was shot in the 1962 talked about Atticus Finch a lawyer in a small town which defends Tom Robinson, an Afro- American man, accused unjustly of having raped a white woman. Scout, Finch's daughter, who stills being a girl, also has to confront the racism of its neighbors and realize that the justice not always triumphs over the prejudices and the fear. 

Paula Ezcurra
Audiovisual Communication

"No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world"

Cinema it’s an art, its a way of expression. Its a way of telling stories which inspire the human being. The capacity of directors to reach so many people and change their lives is something that have always impress me. We are on a really technological era where multimedia and audiovisual communication are in the spotlight. People prefer to watch a film rather than read a book, that’s why cinemas role in our century and the past one its really important. Cinema has the power of changing peoples way of thinking in a matter of time, the power of controlling people's mind and people's personality. This power has to be used in a correct way, which differentiates a good film and a good director from mediocres ones. A good director knows the consequences a bad movie can have and avoid this kind of cinema, in order to educate people and make them enjoy. As the title of this entry says (it's an inspiring quote from "The dead Poets society"), ideas can change the world! Just develop them in order to make a better world. 

As you could see in my future entries or posts, the topic im going to talk about its cinema. I’ve always love this seventh art. There’s something in the movies that makes me feel really attracted to them and love everything in relation with this mysterious and fascinating world. Many people say that all this likes and hobbies came from surrounding people. People in contact with you are the ones which transmit their own passion to you. They hand over the baton to us. And i really think that’s, in a way, true. I believe that this passion towards the cinema it’s something I carry on the blood. I love watching films and reading reviews about any kind of them, and the most important fact in the development of this hobby was that I have really huge people, professionally talking, in my family which fortunately had passed me over this precious baton.  My aunt Cristina acts for a living, and my uncle, even though he doesn't act any more, he used to shot films too.

             

My aunt Cristina it’s a really professional actress, I’ve aways admire her determination and hard-work and I really would love to be at least half as professional as she is when I get older. She never seems to get tired (at least she never outlines it) and she really enjoys what she does, which is reflected on her work. I would sound like a really proud niece but this perseverance had led her many times to be nominated for some prices, and even won a Goya Price (one of the most important national prices nowadays). 

But this is my connection to the world of cinema in general, to be more concrete I also love american cinema, I used to watch lots of american films with my aunt when I was little, and this is something which has grown with me. The american cinema it's a nearly perfect art, its a really complete cinema, which has stand out in every genre. From comedies to action films, from Science fiction films to cartoons. Even though they weren’t the fathers of this art, the americans started throughout the years to dominate the sector, until becoming nowadays the principal cinematographic potency. In this very interesting process I'm going to focus my posts in the latest 40 years but all this process over the time is briefly explained on an spanish blog I saw last monday. I copy the link in case you want to read a  summary about american cinema to have a general idea. 

http://laestaciondelfotogramaperdido.blogspot.com/2013/08/breve-historia-cine-americano-estadounidense-eeuu.html

 

                     

I think and believe that if something is taught to you with love and passion this start to be really important in your life, if someone transmits you through their words all her love to the spoken subject, that love starts to grow in you and it never stops. This is something that my aunt has given to me, I’ve never heard anyone talking about anything with such a tact and passion at the same time. Admiration and respect. Love and fear. Expectation and hope. Wisdom and inquisitiveness. And well, all those things that my aunt mades me feel while talking with her about cinema, are the things that I want to make you feel too while reading this posts, so I hope you’ll enjoy all this entries as much as I know I will do while writing them. Never stop believing in the power of dreams and passion. 


Paula Ezcurra
Audiovisual Communication