Oh and since there has been such a tremendous flood of comments on the blog - put your assignment on here! That's right the entire thing - a bunch of people will see it so make it good!
Here's your assignments:
Pleasantville Film Analysis (pick 2 quotes) - Due Monday 9/23
Compare Great Train to Trip To Moon - Due on the blog by 9/23
In case you miss the two films - here they are:
Hi weisback ...It's apple Cobbler (sade) my Favorite class
ReplyDeleteHey Mama Weisback=) it's apple cobbler -Sade
ReplyDeleteAlthough both movies are of poor video quality and both films have limited camera angles and only limited to different scenes i prefer trip to the moon. The plot in The Train Robbery was not the best . I find it lacked a true story. In A trip to the Moon the plot was a little less believeable but it was much more interesting. I was deffinatly drawn more to it.
ReplyDeleteI liked "The Great Train Robbery" because of the scheme the robbers had of stealing and getting away ... In the short film "Trip to the Moon" the outside the box thinking of launching people to the moon was very well thought out in capturing the audience whom watched it and had a bit of humor to it as well with giving the moon a human like face.
ReplyDeleteI preferred "The Great Train Robbery" because although there were limited camera angles the story kept my interest. The story line in "Trip to the Moon" was not as clear as to who was the main character or why there was a face in the moon. "The Great Train Robbery" had a story about something that was happening in that time period so I'm sure it was something that kept peoples interest at that time
ReplyDeleteIn all honesty, I believe that both movies are better then anything I could come up with even with all the new age technology. After watching them in class, and prior to writing my response, they are actually very interesting films. The fact that the dialogue is absent leaves so many unanswered questions, which actually makes the films fun to watch. However, I do prefer "The Great Train Robbery" over "Trip to the Moon" because of the action in it. "Trip to the moon" was just plain weird at times and the camera angles were always the same which got very boring after a while.
ReplyDeleteI like The Great Train Robbery better. Although both films were cool to watch and I appreciate the work they did with limited technology back then, A Trip To The Moon seemed very "cartoonish". It didn't capture my attention as much as The Great Train Robbery. I am more a fan of realism and A Trip To The Moon had no realism. From wizards to the face on the moon, it took away from the camera angles and special affects. The plot of both stories are very simple. They both do a good job of developing their story.
ReplyDeleteAs examples of early cinema, I found both The Great Train Robbery and A Trip to the Moon to be quite advanced for the time they were made. Though this is true I found A Trip to the Moon to be the better of the two. It had great special effects, and scenery, props and costumes that were very artful and well crafted. Along with that, the characters were very well developed and their rolls were well defined in the story, which was well written and full of imagination, and a prime example of an early science-fiction film. Though it's angles were quite basic- with just a straight on view of the action- I found it to be the better of the two, as The Great Train Robbery was quite dry and lacked excitement or wonder, even though it did have better angles and pretty okay special effects.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, both films were amazing feats in themselves just based off of the available technology at the time they were produced. Personally, I enjoyed "A Trip to the Moon" a little bit more because the plot was not only more complex but consisted of ideas that were both intellectually and technologically out of reach in the time period. It also created the genre that we now refer to as "Science Fiction". George Melies' short film was also narrated which made the series of events more accessible to the viewer. In "The Great Train Robbery" the plot was simple and easy to follow but since it lacked narration the audience had to rely on the background music to supply the tempo. The scene in the saloon where the characters danced seemed random and unnecessary as well. Although it did invent the "Western" genre I think that science fiction has been somewhat more successful throughout film history.
ReplyDeleteI definitely preferred "The Great Train Robbery" over "Trip to the Moon". The intense actions sequences had me falling off the edge of my seat. No, but seriously, the story was much simpler, and it actually made sense. There was a clear conflict, and then a solution to that conflict. "Trip to the Moon" was confusing and kind of disturbing. It just seemed like a bunch of random ideas put into one movie with no overall story line or even moral. It made me think that they were just trying to show off their "advancements" in special effects with all the bizarre backgrounds and terrible costumes. I'm sure the people of that time could appreciate it, but I couldn't really.
ReplyDeleteAfter viewing both films, I have to say I preferred "The Great Train Robbery" over "A Trip to the Moon" . I favored "The Great Train Robbery" because the story made more sense and came off more believable. I also like the fact that there was no narration it allows the audience to experience creativity and come up with their own story to the picture. My favorite part was the ending scene where the character broke the fourth wall by pointing the gun towards the audience. I find it interesting how back then people fled the theater in fear because watching films was such an unknown thing to them. One scene I didn't particularly enjoy was when all the passenger were coming off the train, it was a little over done and I lost interest. The special effects in both films are very unique coming from a time where there was a lack of technology. The ability to color objects and discover how to cause explosions and gun shots is very advanced. "A Trip to The Moon" was an compelling film, but I'm not a huge fan of science fiction, although it was neat to see how the genre started off compared to now. One thing I did enjoy about " A Trip to the Moon", was the sets and costumes used, the sets were very detailed and came across as theatrical stages. One of the reasons I chose "A Great Train Robbery" was because I didn't thoroughly understand some of the story's aspects being portrayed in "A Trip to the Moon". For instance, the reason they chose to use the faces on the moon and stars or why it snowed on the men, but the ability to come up with the idea and portray it is very intriguing. Both of these films were enjoyable and had well thought out storylines, that showed advancements in film and became stepping stones to lead us where we are today in filmmaking.
ReplyDeleteTruthfully, I didn't enjoy "A Trip to the Moon" all that much. It goes without me saying that I really liked "The Great Train Robbery." Not only was Trip's plot very cartoon-y and far from realism, but I like my oldies when they're realistic, which is where Robbery succeeded. Wizards and aliens don't grab my attention like how brigands of a train do, and did.
ReplyDeleteAside from the plot, however, of both "The Great Train Robbery" and "A Trip to the Moon", I liked "The Great Train Robbery"'s filming and special effects more, as well. Or, rather, lack of special effects. For one, although both films were merely a year apart in release, Robbery's filming and camera angles and shots were much better, with a variety, too. It succeeded in taking advantage of what a camera was capable of back in 1903. Like mentioned, although "A Trip to the Moon" was released in 1902, only a year before the other, it didn't utilize the camera, which is why "The Great Train Robbery" caught my attention a lot more.
Frankly, after viewing both "The Great Train Robbery" and "A Trip to the Moon" I was tremendously impressed by the quality of the films for their time periods. Both films plots were exciting and grabbed my attention, even with the lack of dialogue. However, I prefer "A Trip to the Moon" for it's Sci-fi genre and ideas that surpass that time period. The film goes beyond what was known and what you'd expect. Furthermore, the special effects of the film were extremely impressive for the equipment and technology avaliable. Although the camera angles were more diverse in "The Great Train Robbery", the camera quality was more viewable for "A Trip to the Moon" and therefore won my vote for the better of the two.
ReplyDeleteTo be very clear, neither of these films sparked my overall interest. Even though they were amazing for the time period they were presented in, I just couldn’t help but wonder how much running time was left while watching them. The pacing was slow, the camera angles were limited, and I couldn’t resist letting my attention wander from the screen. However, between the two, I would have to say that “A Trip to the Moon” is the superior film. “The Great Train Robbery” had a predictable, drawn out story line taking place right here on planet earth, while “A Trip to the Moon” created an alternate “wonderland” for the main characters to explore. The audience was placed amidst a new and uncharted world with never before seen creatures. Also, the scenes were so overwhelmingly bizarre that it was difficult to predict what was going to happen next. Coupled with its narration and advanced camera tricks, this film had a better feel to it, and I’d much sooner watch “A Trip to the Moon” than “The Great Train Robbery” on my Friday night.
ReplyDeleteBoth The Great Train Robbery (TGTR) and A Trip to the Moon (ATttM) were great films for their time, doing some pretty neat things. Both films were a year apart (ATttM was released in 1902, and TGTR was released in 1903), so there weren’t too many differences between the two in terms of technology; from the videos that were presented on the blog, both were black-and-white (though TGTR was somewhat colored in class).
ReplyDeleteThe two movies, in terms of plot, focused on very different things; TGTR was a western tale and ATttM was a sci-fi story. TGTR had no dialogue, like ATttM, but no narration, unlike ATttM. It relied on a very simple story – guys rob passengers on a train and escape, but not for long. They don’t succeed in getting away. TGTR had good angles, allowing the audience to view all the action. I hated the lighting in this particular video (it seems the other versions of this movie don’t have as much of an issue with this), since it would get incredibly dim and hard to see at times, which was distracting and took me away from what was going on. The music of the film also helped to define the action and setting, such as the tension-building music when the criminals were robbing the train, and more joyful sounds when there were dancing scenes. I think, in terms of special effects, there was perhaps some during the parts involving the train, since it didn’t make sense to me that the camera could stay so still on a moving vehicle. I especially liked the body switch when one of the criminals threw someone off the train, which was in reality, just a dummy that had been switched with the real person in a quick, though noticeable transition. The ending was interesting as it broke the fourth wall, though it seems dissonant when we’ve been watching the story of the criminals the whole time and all of a sudden a guy shoots at us, the audience, though it did have a sense of finality to it.
ATttM, on the other hand, had narration which helped the story move along, and helped the audience better understand what was going on. I found the backgrounds (or sets), which seemed 3D at first (which is awesome), very attractive and nice to look at, like the backgrounds on the moon or near the end of the film, and made the film seem more realistic and helped me sink into the reality of the movie. It let me believe this story better than if the backgrounds were terrible, which would’ve made it much more apparent that this was fiction. The music was fitting to what was going on, similar to TGTR. The special effects were fun, like the dissolves (the transitions between scenes) or the superimposition (in the moon scene). I especially liked the water effects (like with the bubbles or the sinking and rising of the ship) when the rocket sinks into the ocean – that was very cool. The ending was alright; much happier than the ending of TGTR.
I have to say that I personally liked A Trip to the Moon more than The Great Train Robbery, because the sci-fi story was more appealing to me. I enjoyed the fantastical and unpredictable elements of the tale compared to the more predictable telling of The Great Train Robbery. I also liked the special effects and backgrounds more in A Trip to the Moon.
Compared to today's standard of filmmaking, both of these films are pieces of crap. However since these two films were made over a hundred years ago, I'll be a little considerate and won't be as harsh on them. In terms of camera angles and such, "A Trip To The Moon" and "The Great Train Robbery" are at a draw. Both films feature relatively basic camera angles without much variation. When it comes to plot and special effects however, "A Trip To The Moon" is light years ahead of "The Great Train Robbery". It is well thought out and its theme of discovering the unknown must have captivated the minds of viewers at the time and got them wondering what was really out there in space. Also, the set and costumes for "A Trip To The Moon" were visually pleasing and seemed to be pretty advanced for its time. "The Great Train Robbery" was pretty interesting, but it lacked the feeling of awe and wonder that "A Trip To The Moon" brought to the table. All in all, they are both impressive films given the technology that was available at the time, but I think "A Trip To The Moon" is the superior of the two.
ReplyDeleteA Trip to the Moon is a sci-fi film and definitely tells more of a story with a beginning, middle, and an end. It's also narrated and give more illusions throughout in comparison. George Melies also builds elaborate sets for every scene and is filmed inside.
ReplyDeleteThe Great Train Robbery is a western film with a simpler plot. Besides the two sets, most of it is filmed outside. The whole thing is also paired with simple piano tunes. I found it a little annoying to have to guess at everything they were doing.
Both films use special effects like superimposition. Overall, A Trip to the Moon is more appealing and it's easier to follow.
Thanks everyone - great analysis!! Hi Apple Cobbler!
ReplyDeleteI really liked The Great Train Robbery because it seems like a classic story that anyone could follow. I also liked A Trip to the Moon but it was hard to grasp the concept and it seemed like a hodgepodge of creativity, too much going on at once. I didn't like the narration in A Trip to the Moon because it took away from the film.
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