Acting and Acting Styles **The Searchers**

Actors John Wayne, Natalie Wood, and Ward Bond starred in the 1956 film “The Searchers” where John Wayne is a personality actor in this film. Goodykoontz & Jacobs (2014) state “Personality actors are, at some level, playing themselves (or at least that is the perception). Films with strong personality actors can make it difficult for audiences to differentiate between the actor and the charac­ter.” John Wayne had a big personality and most of us saw him as the character in the roles he played. John Wayne played a rugged cowboy in many movies and was selected for this role because he was such a well-known Western actor.

John Wayne

John Wayne as Ethan Edwards returns to his brother’s home to find his brother Aaron Edwards and sister-in-law Martha dead inside their burned home. Wayne’s strong personality shines through this scene and Wayne has the audience believing he is Ethan Edwards or maybe that Ethan Edwards is John Wayne. I think that many people see John Wayne and his characters as one person because he played the same type of strong, rugged, Western cowboy in most of his films.

Natalie Wood

Natalie Wood is a star in this film and could even be categorized as a wild card because of the many different roles she played until her untimely death. She started out as a child star at the age of four and starred in “Miracle on 34^th Street” at the age of eight. Goodykoontz & Jacobs (2014) reports “Stars are actors who are simply famous on screen and off, personalities so magnetic that we are interested not just in their movies, but in their personal lives as well.” Natalie Wood was definitely a star that the public loved and was interested in. The many different kinds of characters played by Natalie made her a wild card star. From her early child roles to her teenage roles in “West Side Story” and “Splendor in the Grass” and adult roles in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and “From Here to Eternity”, she was an accomplished multi-talented actor. Natalie was selected for her role in “The Searchers” because of her acting ability as a young teenage actress who had been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in “Rebel Without a Cause” the year before.

After ten years of searching for Debbie, Ethan finds Debbie and takes her home.

Ward Bond

While Ward Bond played in many different movies, including “It’s a Wonderful Life,” he starred in a lot of Western movies and was cast as a personality actor in “The Searchers.”  He was also a rugged man and was cast in this film most likely because he had made 20 other films with John Wayne prior to filming “The Searchers.” Bond made a total of 23 films with John Wayne and was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City.

Ward Bond is cast as the Reverend and Captain Samuel Clayton who gathers a group of settlers and deputizes them to go after the Indians who scattered the neighbor’s cattle.

    

Many actors find themselves trapped in a particular role that they cannot break from. Goodykoontz & Jacobs (2014) reiterates this by stating “Actors with distinctive personalities who manage to click with audiences often wind up playing similar char­acters in film after film.” Most of John Wayne’s movies were Westerns but he did make several war movies such as “Sands of Iwo Jima” and “The Longest Day” where he also played a strong personality. In “Sands of Iwo Jima” John Wayne plays a tough Marine Corps sergeant who puts his squad through rigid training to prepare them for the battlefield. Although Western movies are not as popular as they were in the 1930s through the 1950s, John Wayne would still be placed in strong and aggressive film roles today if he were making movies.

References

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Google Images. It’s a Wonderful Life. Retrieved from It’s a Wonderful Life

Google Images. John Wayne. Retrieved from John Wayne

Google Images. Rebel Without a Cause. Retrieved from Rebel Without a Cause

Google Images. Sands of Iwo Jima. Retrieved from Sands of Iwo Jima

Google Images. The Alamo. Retrieved from The Alamo

Google Images. The Searchers. Retrieved from The Searchers

You tube. Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) – John Wayne. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRNoESz337o

You tube. The Searchers: John Wayne returns to his family’s homestead. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30N-weocZT4

You tube. The Searchers: Let’s go home Debbie. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ci3a4zc-40I

You tube. Ward Bond in John Ford’s “The Searchers”. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn-0LOPnQNw

THE WIZARD OF OZ – CATEGORIES AND FUNCTIONS OF SOUND

There are three basic categories of film sound;

dialogue, sound effects, and music.

Dialogue

Dialogue in “The Wizard of Oz” draws the audience into the story and builds on what the viewers are seeing to create the whole film experience (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014, Ch. 8.4). Characters talking to each other in a film are part of the movie experience that movie goers expect to take place when watching a film. According to Goodykoontz & Jacobs (2014) “In film, there are three basic reasons to use dialogue: to further the development of the plot, to enhance characterization, and to establish very quickly important information the audience needs to know to understand the action (e.g., names, locations, dates, motivations, backstory)” (Ch. 8.4). The dialogue in “The Wizard of Oz” accomplishes one of these three goals every time there is dialogue between characters.

When Dorothy lands in Munchkin Land the dialogue is relaying important information to the audience.

Sound Effects

Sound effects in a film are used to complement and enhance what the audience is seeing on the screen. The sound effects for the tornado, and the Tin Man were important elements to pull the audience into the action. The 1930s Oscar Movies web site claims “Another technical achievement is the liberal use of sound effects that enhance the tin man as well as explosions of forest settings. The tornado sequence also relied heavily on sounds to enhance the experience.”

Music

Concertedly Goodykoontz & Jacobs (2014) state “Music has been a crucial part of the moviegoing experience since before the advent of recorded sound in films. So important was its use that over time directors began inserting indications for specific music to be played at specific times” (Ch. 8.4). Music is such a big part of films when it is done right no one notices the music but if the audience notices the music, it is done wrong (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014, Ch. 8.4). Music score is the music that plays in the background of the film. The music can be played by a full symphonic orchestra, a handful of instruments, or a single instrument. The musical score in “The Wizard of Oz” adds to the mood of the film. There is fun, whimsical music playing when Dorothy meets Scarecrow and he is explaining about which way to go.

The music soundtrack for “The Wizard of Oz” is timeless and some of the greatest songs ever written with “Over the Rainbow” winning the Academy Award for Best Original Song as well as winning the Oscar for Best Original Score. Songs like “Over the Rainbow” and “Ding Dong the witch is Dead” made the film more memorable and gives the audience something to take away from the film. Soundtracks can also be promotional products for movies too.

Dialogue, sound effects, and music are all part of the recipe for a great film. Great films incorporate and blend these together to give the audience a memorable experience, when done right. Goodykoontz & Jacobs (2014) summarize the categories and functions of sound eloquently by stating “The three categories of movie sound—dialogue, sound effects, and music—work together with the picture but are treated separately during production. Good movie dialogue may become so popular that it enters everyday conversation as a cultural shorthand. While dialogue conveys much story information, the best dialogue enhances the image rather than replacing it.”

References

1930s Oscar Movies. (n.d.). Wizard of Oz. Retrieved October 10, 2014, from http://oscarmovs.com/oz.html

Dorothy lands in Munchkin Land Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TP_wx0qrKu0

Dorothy Meets The Tinman (The Wizard of Oz 1939) Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-RHfXZkT1g

Dorothy sings “Over the Rainbow” Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSZxmZmBfnU

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Google Images – The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz: WHICH WAY DO WE GO? Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yejtZgzB5Ik

The Wizard of Oz (1939) – Tornado Scene Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQWSh7Db-_E

The Use of Lighting in the movie “The Searchers”

In the movie The Searchers, we can see low-key lighting and natural lighting used in order to create the mood or effect that the film creator, John Ford, is trying to convey.

The majority of the movie was filmed outside using natural light in Monument Valley in Arizona and Utah but also used locations in Aspen, CO; Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; Goosenecks State Park, Utah; Gunnison, Colorado; and Durango, Mexico (IMDB.com). While natural light is being used, the angle of the camera and the time of day also add to the mood and ambience that is being created.

The natural outdoor light portrays the beautiful landscape of Monument National Park and shows the reality of the harsh desert landscape. The movie viewer can feel the wide open space of the Wild West and experience the vast uninhabited scenery.

The indoor scenes are dark but we can see how light is used to make the actors stand out and to see their facial expressions. Low key lighting is described as “high-contrast lighting dominated by deep shadows with a few bright highlights” (Goodykoonts & Jacobs, 2014, Ch. 6.4). The low-key lighting adds to the mood of the movie and feeling of the rough and dangerous life of the frontier.

Lighting is also used to create drama. There is a scene where John Wayne is standing in the doorway where we see him as a silhouette looking into the house with the contrast of bright light outside.

The use of natural lighting as well as the limited indoor lighting adds to the authenticity of the movie . Electricity was not available for lighting on the wild frontier and the low-key lighting adds to the legitimacy of the time period and the realism of the film.

References:

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Google Images. The Searchers. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/search?q=screenshots+from+The+Searchers&biw=1344&bih=740&tbm=isch&imgil=ZcFssKTyFUS5xM%253A%253B4YWuuAAEP4RxvM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fbasementrejects.com%25252Freview%25252Fthe-searchers-1956%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=ZcFssKTyFUS5xM%253A%252C4YWuuAAEP4RxvM%252C_&usg=__XmK6cWH48MMkEe0YixUco7wwsTU%3D&ved=0CDQQyjc&ei=1sssVNDjDIneoATjmoHYDQ#tbm=isch&q=screenshots+from+The+Searchers&imgdii=_

Internet Movie Database -IMDB. The Searchers filming locations. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049730/locations

YouTube. The Searchers movie trailer. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI2AZb04HAc

Week 1 Blog – The Rundown

Title: The Run Down

Writer: R.J. Stewart

Year: 2003

Major Actors: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Beck, Sean William Scott as Travis Walker, Christopher Walken as Cornelius Hatcher, and Rosario Dawson as Mariana.

Summarize the story and plot of your chosen movie.

Story:

The Run Down is an action/comedy about a bounty hunter who takes one last job to pay a debt to a mob boss in order to retire from “the business” and start his own restaurant.  He travels to Brazil to retrieve the mob boss’s son and encounters an oppressive mine owner, a group of rebels fighting against the oppression, and becomes involved in a race to find a golden treasure.

Plot:

Beck, the bounty hunter, is trying to get out of the bounty hunter business to become a chef and open his own restaurant but needs one last job to pay his debt and have enough money to start his new business.  Beck heads to the Amazon to find Travis Walker and bring him back to his father.  Travis the Amazon jungle in search of a missing golden artifact “El Gato do Diablo”, that will make him rich.  Beck runs into Cornelius Hatcher, owner of a mining operation in El Dorado, Brazil who tells Beck that he can find Travis at the local bar owned by Mariana.  Beck finds Travis at the bar and is ready to take him home when Hatcher shows up and tells Beck he can’t have Travis until Travis brings him the golden “Gato.”

Hatcher, refusing to let Beck leave with Travis, turns into a big brawl that ends with Beck and Travis escaping into the jungle.  The jeep that Beck is using to escape with goes off a cliff and Beck and Travis end up in the Amazon River.  While trying to find their way out of the jungle, Beck and Travis run into trouble with some monkeys and then end up in the camp of the local resistance that are fighting against Hatcher who treats all the locals as slaves in his mining corporation.  Travis tells the local rebels that Beck works for Hatcher and was sent to kill them all.  Beck is fighting with the rebels when Mariana shows up and stops the nonsense.  Mariana, come to find out, is head of the rebel resistance and tells Beck that he cannot take Travis until he takes her to the Gato.  The Gato will bring the locals enough money to escape the harsh life under Hatcher.  Suddenly, Hatcher shows up with his thugs and starts shooting the rebels.  Mariana, Beck and Travis escape in a boat and head down the river.  Beck promises Mariana that Travis will get her the Gato and Mariana promises Beck that she will get him back to the small landing field so Beck can return Travis to his father.  Travis locates the Gato and Mariana gives the two men some fruit called konlobos that temporarily paralyzes them.  She explains how to get back to air strip in El Dorado and then leaves with the Gato.

While Beck is loading the small plane, the pilot of the plane tells Beck and Travis that Hatcher has Mariana and the Gato.  Beck decides he needs to keep his promise to Mariana and go and try to help her escape from Hatcher.  They start a cattle stampede and world war three breaks out.  Hatcher’s brother is trying to escape with Mariana and the Gato but is stopped by Travis.  Beck does not carry guns and avoids using them because “they take him to a bad place.”  Travis is caught between cross fire and is yelling for help when Beck finally takes up a gun and saves the day.  Mariana got her Gato and Beck got Travis and headed back to the U.S. to deliver Travis to his father.  Once in his father’s house, his father verbally abuses him and starts hitting him.  Beck tells Mr. Walker that they are even and Mr. Walker agrees.  Before leaving Mr. Walker’s house, Beck says he wants to celebrate with some Brazilian fruit konlobos.  Beck gives Mr. Walker and his two friend some of the fruit that temporarily paralyzes them and then Beck and Travis leave the house together.

Discuss whether your film is presented chronologically or non-linearly. In your discussion, address the following:

 How did this aesthetic choice contribute to the general effect on the audience?

The film is presented chronologically which add to the effect of going on an adventure in search or Travis to return him to his father.

How are elements like character development or foreshadowing impacted by the choice of storytelling methods?

Beck and Travis start out working against each other but we see them eventually work together in the end for the good of the small Brazilian village.  It is sort of the classic good against evil but the funny one liners and the fast action make the film a fun experience if you are not looking for the film to be an intellectual experience.

If the film had followed a different presentation style, how would the general effect on the audience have been different?

If the film has been presented non-linearly the audience would not have understood what was going on and it would have been just a bunch of confusing fight scenes with special effects.

Resources:

The Rundown Trailer (2003). Retrieved from YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-d1LJ66Nyw

Ebert, Roger (September 26, 2003). “The Rundown”. Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved from http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-rundown