Review of Foley Room and Cinerama

This happened to be the third time I have seen the Foley Room Documentary and I still thoroughly enjoyed it. I personally love seeing what goes on behind the scenes on a film. This was a great part of the film making process to see. I was surprised by the props they used to replicate such recognizable sounds. My favorite example is the rags being shaken to sound like birds flapping. Until I saw this film I had no idea how many sounds were added in post production. I always thought added sounds were saved for fake explosions and other dramatic effects. I would happily watch this film again and again.

Cinerama was an interesting concept to discuss in class, but the film itself became boring very quickly to me.  I think this is because the film was not plot driven. It was essentially a demonstration of what was a new technology. Sony and other technologies do these types of demos regularly when showing off a new operating system or video game. I personally found the content very dry. I'm sure if I had been around when Cinerama was invented I would have thought it was visually stunning. Since I have high definition and IMAX to compare it to, Cinerama does not seem that impressive to me. I can absolutely appreciate how important it is to the film industry, but it's difficult to enjoy watching it in current times.

I'm sorry if Cinerama is spelled incorrectly. This was the most popular way of spelling it I could find online. However, the blog is telling me it is incorrect.

Jewish Experience Films

I'm really glad that we got to have the Jewish Experience films during our class, since there was such a wide array and they were all entertaining in varying ways.  "Lunches With Mel”,”Show Folk" and "Do You Believe in Love" were much more uplifting than the other two films that were shown.  Although "Lunches With Mel" and "Show Folk" weren't exactly about Jews and the Jewish experience, they did give the evening a lighter and less depressing tone to the night.  "Do You Believe in Love" was interesting because we got to learn about the matchmaking business in Israel, as well as listen to people speaking Hebrew and learn a little bit more about the culture in Israel with influences from the Jewish faith.

"Silent" and "No Love Lost" were the heavy hitters of the evening.  The first being about an old Jewish man dealing with his traumatic memories during WW II, being tormented by the guilt of survival, and how he must face his memories before leaving this world.  The second film was about how a Jewish boy is in a secret relationship with a Muslim girl despite the realities of their different backgrounds and faiths, and how they are unaware that an incredibly prejudiced young woman is stalking them. While the couple struggles to be open about their relationship, the stalker's obsession shows a thought-provoking climax that ends with the three coming face to face.  Although these films were much more difficult to watch, they were incredibly well done and showed the realities that many people have to deal with everyday.