Wednesday, April 7, 2010
The Post-War World
Two films we have screened, Bicycle Thieves and Tokyo Story, are set in the years immediately after World War II, in countries defeated by the United States and its allies. What can we learn about the nature of the war from its aftermath? What do these films tell us about the costs of the war? Do we have any clues about the ascent of America and its culture in the post-war world?
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World War II was devastating for both Italy and Japan. Their economy fell through the roof while millions of people were left homeless, injured, or dead. One can only imagine how hard it must have been for these countries to reconstruct themselves. In Bicycle Thieves and Tokyo Story, you can notice the inexpensive set, editing, and special effects. However, you can notice the honor, morale, and culture.
ReplyDeleteIn Bicycle Thieves, there are many cases in which money was a problem. They weren't able to get high paid actors for the roles. They weren't able to use expensive sets for the movie. Instead, they used natural settings. And also, they had poor sound equipment. So they had to record the audio in a small studio and impose it over the actors acting out the scene. Although the movie does seem low budget, the story line and moral is tremendously honorable. The largest attraction to this movie is the relationship between Antonio and Bruno who are father and son. They go through many ups and downs in their relationship, and the scene near the end (which I talked about in a previous blog) shows their relationship can switch roles. This movie shows a strong bond between these two Italians. This may suggest that although Italy suffered a tremendous blow in their economy, their spirit has not died and they will work together with a strong bond.
In Tokyo Story, it's obvious that the movie wasn't expensive. Most shots are still, meaning the camera does not move at all. And usually the scenes take a long time, meaning not much editing is done. However, the amount of culture in this movie is unreal. After every scene, the scene would change to a scenic view of some place in Tokyo. Also, the low camera angles show the tradition of kneeling on the floor instead of sitting. Also, the use of the fan is used greatly. There are so many different cultural showings in this movie that it is impossible to point out all of them. Even though the war brought this country down to its knees, the Japanese culture did not suffer at all. In fact, one can say it became stronger.
I agree with Ryan that the impact of World War Two has proven to the world that Japan and Italy are incredibly resiliant nations. Clearly World War Two was one of the most vicious wars in all of history, however the enthusiasm of people like Antonio to get back to work is admirable, as well as many of the children in Tokyo Story, who worked long hours in order to maintain their livelihood. If these films are both a general representation of the common people in Japan and Italy, then I have the utmost respect for them. However, Bicycle Thieves and Tokyo Story also show the desperate side of the characters. Antonio is so desperate for work that he forces himself to steal a bike, whereas the Characters in Tokyo Story seem to be scrambling each day to keep their jobs. One thing I think Ryan forgot to adress too is the acsention of the United States. Even though I didn't see any particular influences of American culture, I think over time American Culture may have been force into Italy and Japanese culture. After seeing all of the destruction brought upon the Axis Powers by the Allies, it seems to me that there was no where for the U.S. to go but up. With Europe in ruins the U.S. could only benefit financially which then led to America becoming the world's largest hegemonic powerhouse.
ReplyDeleteItaly and Japan's economies were both devastated by the war, and the people had to foot the bill. Bicycle Thieves and Tokyo Story made this evident.
ReplyDeleteReading over the two comments before mine, I find it interesting that the two Ryans had equally valid yet different ways of interpreting the question of what the films tell us about the cost of the war.
Ryan Smith elaborated on how the film producers had limited resources, which in turn affected the overall feel of the films. The choice of actors, the video and sound quality, locations, et cetera were not the same as they would be had the producers been working with a less restrictive budget. Smitty argued that this was actually a good thing and that the film culture of Italy and Japan benefited from the experimentation. I agree.
Ryan Harkey discussed the hardships experienced by the characters existing within the films, an artificial emulation of the times imposed by the directors. This also contributed to culture in that is was a popular theme that people could relate to.
Both perspectives reveal the insight given by the films; both also, through contrast, exemplify the ascent of America. American films were more likely to be of high production value and feature characters who are financially stable – a direct opposite of Bicycle Thieves and Tokyo Story.