Mutual Decision – Bart A

This was a very dry and difficult piece to read. Throughout the whole thing i was looking for the cut and dry information, but it was not there. The first half of the writing is mostly just background about what the case was all about. This was all very boring and made me read without really paying attention to it. When we went over the decision in class, it became much easier to understand. Basically what this decision was saying is that any films that display evil characteristics will be censored. Films that are moral, educational, and innocently entertaining are able to be aired, but still subject to censorship. This was because despite what characteristics the film displays, it is still subject to evil due to the large audience a film caters to.

Rewriting Mutual – Bart A

During the case of  Mutual Film Co. v. Industrial Commition of Ohio, it was determined that any film that showed values in education, innocent humorous entertainment, or harmless morals will not need to be censored. Though this sounds like good news, they also stated that even though the film may display values that are appropriate, it still is very susceptible to being evil. Their reasoning behind this is that film is a very cheap source of entertainment that reaches the men, women, and children of every social class. Also that the film companies are mainly producing films that will get them the greatest profit, not necessarily what is for the greater good of the public.

Scarface Endings – Bart A

Personally, I think the ending of Scarface that was shown to most audiences is very disappointing. As a viewer, I have to honestly say that I was rooting for Camonte. I wanted him to beat all the cops and make it to the top just like the wanted. I feel that even if he didn’t do so, the best ending would have been for him to go out in a hail of gunfire like was originally planned. When an infamous criminal reigns havoc over a town for a long period of time, for him to cower and die with his back turned running from cops is just wrong. I think as Americans we look up to the criminal, the gangster, the outlaw. Bonnie and Clyde, Jessie James, Billy the Kid, these people were all made infamous for turning their back on the rules and regulations society put out there for them. When we think of these outlaws, we do not think about how their greed and violent tendancies finally lead up to their demise, rather we think about their rise to the top, the fear and admiration they recieved from people. When i think of Tony Camonte, all I can remember is how he punked out in the end. Either he put up a big show in the beginning to show how he is such a big shot tough guy, or he tried to put one on in the end, either way I think that the publicly released ending ruined the movie. There is almost a sourt of courage that criminals display when they decide that they won’t be taken alive, and for Tony Camonte to display his “true cowardice” in the end it was very disappointing for me.

As for the difference between the two released endings, i do not think there is much of one. Both display how the Justice system finally succeeds and Tony Camonte is brought to justice. They both show him act cowardly. The only difference between the two is that one of them shows how despite the corruption in the court system, eventually a judge will be chosen that will do the right thing, and when that happens the shit will stop.

1st Amendment – Bart A

To be honest, when I take a look at all of the changes that were forced upon Howard Hawks’ film Scarface, i’m not so sure where I stand on the issue of whether or not his film was protected by the first amendment. From one standpoint, the film industry is a private organization, and if they are going to help produce and endorse this film, then it is their decision what content is released or what content is not. If Hawks was that adament about his film being released exactly the way he wanted it to be then he would have made the film privately and distributed it himself. We all are protected by certain freedoms illustrated in the first amendment, but these freedoms can still be held back by a private company. For instance, if you were to work for a multi-million dollar coporation, and one day you decided to put up posters advertising some of the less than positive activities that went on behind the scenes, you could do so. Whether or not you would keep your job is a completely different issue. Of course I would like to see the film be released exactly how Hawks wanted it, but from a realistic stand point, I can understand why he would be told to censor some of the material.

Production History: Bart A

The writing of Jacobs and McCarthy go to show what kind of man Howard Hawks was. Hawks knew that it was him who the production companies relied on, and his artistic direction shouldn’t be swayed by the wishes of said company. Howard Hawks knew that his name was a big part of what pulled people into the theaters to see movies, so he kept following his own decisions rather than what the companies wanted him to do. This made Hawks one of the outstanding directors of his time. Rather than being a puppet to the film industries or censoring board, he used different methods to portray what he wanted in his films, almost going behind the backs of the executives.

Intro text: Bart A

The text shown in the beginning film serves some very important purposes. This text is like a disclaimer; telling the audience that whichever way they are swayed by the film, the film does not promote the gangster lifestyle. The opening text is also asking the people press their government to put an end to gangster rule over cities.

Scarface: Reaction to Camonte – Bart A

After watching the first 20 minutes or so of Howard Hawks’s 1932 film Scarface there were a couple of things I noticed about Tony Camonte. At the start of the movie, we get to see the dark side of Tony Camonte. After a big party thrown by who we learn is Big Louis, we see a shadowed figure come into the room. We see the silhouette of Tony Camonte murder Big Louis.

From the start we know that Tony Camonte is the bad guy, but he is also the protagonist in this film, so as an audience we are automatically biased to take his side. The next scene takes place in a barber shop that is obviously run by an ally to the gangsters. A cop pulls up in front of the barbershop and they hand their guns to the barber, who quickly hides them. A police officer goes to Tony Camonte and asks him to get up and go with him. Tony Camonte responds very smugly to the officer’s demands. He gets a look on his face and starts moving very slowly as if to say, “I move on my time, not your time.” Tony continues with this smug attitude by turning his back on the cop (who we learn is Guarino) and checks the mirror to see how his hair looks. This was a major sign of disrespect. Despite his obvious dislike for cops, he realizes that though he doesn’t have to respect them, he does have to follow their orders if he wants to stay out of trouble. He shows this when the cop punches him. Tony’s face clenches his fist as if to fight, but he calms himself with great discipline. After seeing this, it is apparent that Tony is very professional in what he does. He doesn’t let himself be swayed by quick emotions; he thinks things through and evaluates his decisions. He is very professional.

Introductions – Bart A

Hi everyone,

I’m Bart Altmann, I am a freshman here at GMU and it has been great so far. I like music, mostly hard rock but i will listen to anything. I’m from Virginia Beach. I love animals, I have two dogs and a cat that is even older than I am. My favorite sport is football, I am a big fan of the Redskins. I only have one sibling, an older sister who I don’t see much but that’s OK. I do not have a major chosen yet, but I think i will most likely major in business with a minor in psychology. Part of me wants to be a high school teacher but in today’s world the pay is jus t not enough. If i did teach it would be either history or English. One of my main interests and activies is Sigma Alpha Epsilon. It is a growing colony here at mason and it takes up alot of my time, but it is alot of fun.

That’s about it, see all of you in class!