Responding to Alfred Hitchcock's "Notorious"

Make one short comment on a film technique that you noticed was (look at your handout “Film Terms” for examples) used in Notorious. We will discuss the film further upon my return from Italy, including looking at key scenes that demonstrate Hitchcock’s mastery of film. 

The Great Dictator

Write a paragraph or two that discusses your personal reaction to seeing Charlie Chaplin’s film, The Great Dictator. Please post your response as a comment and bring a copy to class next week for us to discuss together.

My Favourite Silent Film

All the silent films we've watched, "The Kid" by Charlie Chaplin, "The General" by Buster Keaton, and "Nosferate" by F.M Murnaus, were quite remarkable. I picked "The Kid" for my favourite silent movie. It was released in 1921. "The kid" is described as a picture with a smile, and perhaps a tear. This film was one of Chaplin's best. It's very easy to follow and understand because Chaplin shows you exactly what you need to see and nothing else. The film would draw laughs from viewers of any age. It made me laugh where Chaplin and the boy go to work to gather. The boy breaks the windows and Chaplin changes them and never get paid for it. The other part that was quite entertaining was when Chaplin falls asleep and dreams of heaven. Even in his dream of heaven he was in trouble.

The story begins with a women who leaves her newborn baby in a limousine, and hopes that it will have a better future. Two men still the car and notice the baby in the back seat. They leave the baby beside a trash can, next to a house. Chaplin finds the baby and first he wants to get rid of the baby, but can't. He takes the baby home and raises the boy on his own.



The film was very interesting because it was action-packed and it had a climax where there were some happy and sad moments. The most interesting action-packed was where Chaplin is struggling about what to do with the baby, the climax was where he desides to take the baby and raises him, and the sad part was where he lost the boy and tries his best to find him but can't. The film was inspiring because it shows the struggle of a good hearted man whoo works hard and never gives up. Charlie Chaplin is one of the greatest actor of all the time there is no dout about that.