Project 1 – Immortal combat – Pete's OCA Learning Log https://petewalker-ocalearninglog.com my journey towards a BA in photography Thu, 21 Dec 2017 13:28:05 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 IFC Part 4 Exercise 4.1 https://petewalker-ocalearninglog.com/ifc/ Wed, 22 Mar 2017 07:56:48 +0000 http://petewalker-ocalearninglog.com/?p=1602 Read more]]>

 

“rite of passage”

noun

  1. a ceremony performed to facilitate or mark a person’s change of status upon any of several highly important occasions, as at the onset of puberty or upon entry into marriage or into a clan.

  2. any important act or event that serves to mark a passage from one stage of life to another.

Rites of passage are theme that run through many movies; however, they are very prevalent in film from a mythological nature, for example, The Legend of Hercules (Dir Renny Harlin, 2014) or one of my favourites Jason and the Argonauts (Dir. Don Chaffey 1963) and within films set at a time of conflict such as the The Deer Hunter (Dir. Michael Cimino 1978) and recently Hacksaw Ridge (Dir. Mel Gibson 2016).

Mythological films tend to feature a traditional masculine hero, are heavy patriarchal in nature and the female characters can often be little more setting dressing being portrayed as stereotypically feminine. While The Legend of Hercules is, in many ways a modern film, telling the story of Hercules as an origins story still falls firmly into the hyper-masculine, patriarchal world of the mythological film of the 50’s and 60’s.

Hercules is a demi-God, son of Zeus and mortal woman portrays the classic hyper-masculine behaviours of the traditional military hero. The other male characters also exhibit this hyper-masculine trait, particularly Amphitryon (Hercules stepfather) who in the is shown reacting violently went ever his masculinity is challenged. The female characters within The Legend of Hercules tend to exhibit stereotypically feminine, behaviours and are of course always portrayed as visually and sexually attractive.

 

The film is very linear in its progression, it is clearly obvious from the beginning of the film; how the film will end and this is not because the story of Hercules is so well known. It is a pure good versus evil tale, where the progression is the hero coming to terms with his lineage and destiny and if not literally follow in his father footstep, at least follow the path set out for him by Zeus and become the hero of his people and of course win the girl. The traditional happy ending

In contrast, if we look at the flawed masterpiece of 1970’s cinema, The Deer Hunter, we have seen on the surface the same hyper-masculine traits. Starting in the late 1960’s in follows friends from a tough working-class background, finishing their final shift in steel works and going on a final deer hunt before leaving to fight in the Vietnam War (as volunteers, not conscripts). However, this is where the hypermasculinity ends, for the film boldly lays out the emotional tragedy l that war brings not only those directly involved but there families and friends.

The film uses the metaphors of Deer-hunting and Russian roulette to illustrate the control we have over our lives and how we change within ourselves to keep this control. The main characters change greatly over the film, De Niro’s Michael is the quiet, controlled loner but at times unable to express himself traditionally masculine. Nick happy go lucky one of the group, happy with his girlfriend quietly in awe if Michael but will never admit it – traditionally masculine and Steven, who’s wedding take up the first act of the film, who is marrying his pregnant girlfriend before he goes to Vietnam even though he’s not the father. However, their experiences as prisoners at the hand of the Viet Cong change the all profoundly, Steven is mentally broken and physically damaged so that he finds it hard to return to his wife, Happy go lucky Nick is enveloped in PTSD changed beyond recognition and quiet Michael slowly lets out the quieter more compassionate side.

Taking Michael as an example as the film progresses he does not portray any of the hyper-masculinity usually associated with military characters, although clearly, he is a war hero, he shuns and cowers away from the hero’s welcome, watching quietly and only returning once he know everyone has gone, he is very immodest with the praise and adoration showered on his from his home town and perhaps most tellingly he back away from the advances of Meryl Streep’s Linda in the fact that is Linda that pursues him.

His rite of passage is that he really does not see himself as a hero and this compounded that he is the only real survivor from the 3 friends, Steven is both mentally and physically damaged having lost both his legs and Nick is missing, similar to the traditional mythological story Michael must follow a predetermined path fulfill and promise to never leave Nick behind, it it clearly emotion that is driving his not masculine bravado.

There is no happy ending to The Deer Hunter, Michael cries – a traditionally feminine trait in Hollywood, as he cradles the dying Nick in his arms futilely try to stop the bleeding from a Nicks gunshot, would to the head. Michael does indeed fulfill his promise not to leave Nick in Vietnam, but at what cost to his own mental state.

 

 

 

]]> Hercules and Cinema https://petewalker-ocalearninglog.com/1539/ Fri, 10 Mar 2017 09:05:10 +0000 http://petewalker-ocalearninglog.com/?p=1539 Read more]]> Hercules and Cinema

 

As most of us know from our childhood or film and TV Hercules (or Heracles) is a mythical Greek hero who is the illegitimate son of Zeus and Alcmene. The mortal son of a God, estranged from his father whose feats of strength, courage and his sexual conquests have been a fascination to both men and women for thousands of years.

Most famous for his 12 labours:

  1. Slay the Nemean Lion.
  2. Slay the nine-headed Lernaean Hydra.
  3. Capture the Golden Hind of Artemis.
  4. Capture the Erymanthian Boar.
  5. Clean the Augeanstables in a single day.
  6. Slay the Stymphalian Birds.
  7. Capture the Cretan Bull.
  8. Steal the Mares of Diomedes.
  9. Obtain the girdle of Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons.
  10. Obtain the cattle of the monster Geryon.
  11. Steal the apples of the Hesperides(he had the help of Atlas to pick them after Hercules had slain Ladon).
  12. Capture and bring back Cerberus

He was an Argonaut on Jason’s quest for the golden fleece (one of my all-time favourite films by the way) and many other adventures. Hercules story is a classic tale of the rites of passage that has fascinated film and television leading to many retellings and I have found this brief research fasimating as to how many times this story has been retold.

Below I have compiled a list from brief research using mainly Wikipedia (accepted not always the most reliable but adequate for this quick and dirty summary).

Italian Sword and Scandal movies – films are listed below by their American release titles, and the titles in parentheses are the original Italian titles with English translation.

  • Hercules(Le fatiche di Ercole / The Labors of Hercules, 1957) starring Steve Reeves
  • Hercules Unchained(Ercole e la regina di Lidia / Hercules and the Queen of Lydia, 1959) starring Steve Reeves
  • Goliath and the Dragon(La vendetta di Ercole / The Revenge of Hercules, 1960) starring Mark Forest (this Hercules film had its title changed to Goliath when it was distributed in the U.S.)
  • Hercules Vs The Hydra(Gli amori di Ercole / The Loves of Hercules, 1960) co-starring Mickey Hargitay & Jayne Mansfield
  • Hercules and the Captive Women(Ercole alla conquista di Atlantide / Hercules at the Conquest of Atlantis, 1961) starring Reg Park (alternate U.S. title: Hercules and the Haunted Women)
  • Hercules in the Haunted World(Ercole al centro della terra / Hercules at the Center of the Earth) 1961 (directed by Mario Bava) starring Reg Park
  • Hercules in the Valley of Woe(Maciste contro Ercole nella valle dei guai / Maciste vs Hercules in the Vale of Woe) starring Frank Gordon as Hercules, 1961
  • Ulysses Against the Son of Hercules(Ulisse contro Ercole / Ulysses vs Hercules) starring Mike Lane, 1962
  • The Fury of Hercules(La furia di Ercole / The Fury of Hercules) starring Brad Harris, 1962 (alternate U.S. title: The Fury of Samson)
  • Hercules, Samson and Ulysses(Ercole sfida Sansone / Hercules Challenges Samson) starring Kirk Morris, 1963
  • Hercules vs Moloch(Ercole contro Molock / Hercules vs Molock) starring Gordon Scott, 1963 (a.k.a. The Conquest of Mycenae)
  • Son of Hercules in the Land of Darkness(Ercole l’invincibile / Hercules the Invincible) starring Dan Vadis, 1964. (This was originally a Hercules film retitled “Son of Hercules” for inclusion in the U.S. syndicated television package The Sons of Hercules).
  • Hercules vs The Giant Warriors(il trionfo di Ercole / The Triumph of Hercules) starring Dan Vadis, 1964 (alternate U.S. title: Hercules and the Ten Avengers)
  • Hercules Against Rome(Ercole contro Roma / Hercules vs Rome) starring Alan Steel, 1964
  • Hercules Against the Sons of the Sun(Ercole contro i figli del sole / Hercules vs the Sons of the Sun) starring Mark Forest, 1964
  • Samson and His Mighty Challenge(Ercole, Sansone, Maciste e Ursus: gli invincibili / Hercules, Samson, Maciste and Ursus: The Invincibles) starring Alan Steel as Hercules, 1964 (a.k.a. Combate dei Gigantes or Le Grand Defi)
  • Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon(Ercole contro i tiranni di Babilonia / Hercules vs the Tyrants of Babylon) starring Rock Stevens, 1964
  • Hercules and the Princess of Troy(No Italian title) starring Gordon Scott, 1965 (a.k.a. Hercules vs the Sea Monster) — This U.S./ Italian co-production was made as a pilot for a Charles Band-produced TV series that never materialized & it was later distributed as a feature film.
  • Hercules the Avenger(Sfida dei giganti / Challenge of the Giants) starring Reg Park, 1965 (This film was composed mostly of re-edited footage from the two 1961 Reg Park Hercules films.

Also, the following Italian films were released with Hercules names attached although there was no intention them being Hercules film buy the Italian filmmakers.

  • Hercules Against the Moon Men, Hercules Against the Barbarians, Hercules Against the Mongolsand Hercules of the Desert were all originally Maciste films in Italy. (See “Maciste” section below)
  • Hercules and the Black Pirateand Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas were both originally Samson movies in Italy. (See “Samson” section below)
  • Hercules, Prisoner of Evilwas originally an Ursus film in Italy. (See “Ursus” section below)
  • Hercules and the Masked Riderwas actually originally a Goliath movie in Italy. (See “Goliath” section below)

Other non-Italian and Hollywood films featuring Hercules:

 

Television too has featured Hercules, perhaps most famously Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and its spin off Xena: Warrior Princess, although a comprehensive list is below:

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