A Crash Course in Crash

Bryne Westwood

Professor Bomboy

Arts and Humanities 101

4-28-2015

A Crash Course in Crash

            The film I chose to critique today is Crash. Written and directed by Paul Haggis, this film brings some of the most realistic stories into light. I have chosen to critique the music and it's relationship with the emotions felt by the different characters. Here are my thoughts one music note at a time.

            The film Crash was created to make people aware of the ways of the world. People, in some way or another, are judgmental of each other. Some people vocalize their thoughts and opinions, while others just display their feelings on their faces. Crash is trying to say that presuming about others is wrong and can indeed, cause consequences. Using Los Angeles as the perfect setting, the director was hoping to show California in every aspect that it has to offer. It proves that people are quite similar regardless of location. The opening scene even provides us with a quote that helps predict what life is going to be like: “It's the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We're always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something.”

            Crash  follows the lives of several characters, Graham, Jean, Officer Ryan, Cameron, Christine, Anthony, and Daniel. Based in Los Angeles, California, Crash introduces us to this unique and surprising set of people. This film takes place during present day, which at the time of the film's birth, was 2004. However, there was no evidence of well-known music playing in the film. It mostly consisted of dark and mysterious, modern sounding music. It was definitely used to set the mood during each scene.

            The music featured in Crash paved the film's atmosphere from the very beginning. Music slowly seeps into the introduction of the film easily making the viewer feel a sense of content, but questioning what could possibly come next? It is almost as if the music is tiptoeing into something bigger. However, it continues in an ominous manner into the opening credits until finally coming to a stop. Each time we prepare to meet a new character or a new storyline, the same song plays revealing more mysterious feelings that the characters might be experiencing. When something takes an exciting turn, the music becomes slightly louder and quiet, opera-like vocals are heard. This theme seems to be consistent throughout the film, leaving the viewer to question what the mood will be like or become.

            Crash does feature a lot of dialogue with or without music in the background. The scenes in which only conversation is held, allows natural sound to be heard. If we listen closely, we can hear the sounds of a city such as car horns, sirens, and trucks driving by. The director did a fantastic job with making the viewer feel like they are really in Los Angeles with the actors themselves. It just makes the movie easier to relate to. Some of the most important topics occur when the music is cut and the viewer is forced to understand the meaning behind this film. There is a scene where Anthony and his friend decide to hi-jack a car from Jean and high-tail it out of the area. Both Anthony and Jean, separately discuss the stereotypes about one another and "their type of people." Another issue we face is when officer Ryan pulls over a married couple for no apparent reason and makes them step out of their vehicle. We then witness officer Ryan and his partner pat the couple down to check for weapons. However, officer Ryan sexually assaults the female (Christine), as her husband looks on in fear of the police officers shooting them. Both of these scenes are extremely powerful and display their messages loud and clear. Both scenes also created an uncomfortable feeling for the viewers because of the direct conversations taking place. With no music swallowing up the actor's voices, we get the raw conversations whether they are sad, angry, or happy in this film.

            While hearing the conversations taking place in Crash, with or without the aide of music, it is clear to see how realistic the situations displayed really are. I felt my emotions go up and down like a rollercoaster. I was never quite sure how the scene would play out, but I would make my best guesses. I felt anger during the scene in which Christine was sexually assaulted and felt my own sense of hurt. I wanted to step in and help her! I was also filled with tears and sadness whenever anything was said that was racist, biased, or misogynistic. One scene in particular, was when Daniel returns from work to find an angry customer pointing a gun at him. Daniel's small daughter then runs outside to try to protect her father and then we hear a gunshot. My heart was pounding as I watched the entire scene play out. I felt as though I was losing someone extremely close to me because of a miscommunication with another person.

            Nearing the end of the movie, we start to see how lives really can "crash" together at any time. Some people are changed, while others tried their hardest to change. All of the characters had their own experiences with the same ending result: you get what you give and be kind to others. The movie fades out with the same mysterious, modern sounding music, but ends on a positive note. While the ending credits are rolling, there is finally a different song playing! We now hear a more upbeat song, which pulls the viewer out of deep thought while watching this film. Crash can really be an eye-opener for people and has made me stop to think time and time again. People just need to remember that everyone has feelings and their own stories to tell. As stated before, "... I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something."

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Works Cited

Crash. Perf. Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Nona Gaye, Ludacris, and Michael Peña. Lions Gate Entertainment, 2005. DVD.

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Feminist Perspective: A Woman in a Man's World

Bryne Westwood

April 8, 2015

Professor Bomboy

HUM 101

Feminist Perspective: A Woman in a Man’s World

While choosing a painting for a narrative piece, it is important to keep in mind that the picture itself should speak to you. The painting must have its own personality, as well as, tell a story to the critic. After careful selection, I have chosen to critique a painting titled, “Mademoiselle V…in the Costume of an Espada,” by Édouard Manet in 1862. This painting not only struck a chord with me, it also made me question some things. Using only my best judgment and throwing in a feminist point of view, this is my critique on Manet’s beautiful artwork.

At first glance, we can see that this painting by Manet is nothing special. Most of Manet’s paintings were not much to look at, but they still created a story that really made the critic question what his motives were when creating this piece of artwork. Born in Paris, France in 1832, Édouard Manet had always been interested in different forms of creativity (“Biography”). He had always enjoyed painting, especially if his painting made a bold statement (“Biography”). In “Mademoiselle V…in the Costume of an Espada,” a woman, (known as model Victorine Meurend), is pictured within a bullring, dressed in a bullfighter’s uniform. Typically a man’s sport, the viewer of this painting, immediately wonders why a woman was placed in a man’s wardrobe within such a tough sport. I truly believe when looking at this painting, that it stands for the strength of women. I can see it as being a message that women are indeed capable of anything that a man can do. However, it is easy to see that Manet could not help but throw in the stereotypical women’s items within the painting such as pink hues. The cloth used to lure the “victim” in, her shoes, and hair covering, are all saturated in a light pink or brown hue. This pink hue demonstrates that the artist believes that woman should still have feminine features. Such features help support the artist’s use of the elements and principles of design.

When looking carefully and with an eye for detail, you can see how the artist created a type of radial balance. The woman is centered while the left side shows empty details of the bullring and the right side shows other bullfighters. The emphasis in this painting is obviously the woman or “Mademoiselle,” herself while the others kind of get lost in the background. When taking a look at the proportion of the painting, we can see that the woman is not exactly built in a feminine form, but seems as though she is larger than the other men in the painting. This makes me wonder if things were properly sized. Some might question if the artist was trying to make the viewer think that the woman was standing closer to them, while the bullfighters are set back in the bullring. The colors of the painting can convince anyone that it is a very dark setting. The little light that is showing, tries to focus on the woman, but seems to shine more so on the other bullfighters. The woman’s shadow fades into the dark lighting, making it hard to connect this to a form of realism. Why did Manet paint it this way? Going along with the darker colors, it also appears as though Manet did not supply much texture. “Mademoiselle V…,” seems flat and frankly, a little dull without the textures giving the viewer a realistic idea.

When thinking realistically, this painting is easy to relate to in modern times. However, during 1862, there was little to no consideration of women being equal to men. Édouard Manet was trying to portray two different messages in this piece of artwork, in my opinion. The woman represents equality for women by being dressed and showing bravery within a bullring. A bullring was seen as only a place for men to be and would have never allowed a woman to fight. On the other hand, this painting could also be Manet making the statement that women do indeed belong elsewhere. He could have placed this woman in a man’s costume to make it look like she does not, in fact, belong there. It is almost as if Manet is making fun of women. He chose to put feminine colors on her such as the pink head covering, pink cloth, and slipper-type shoes. Was Manet perhaps telling women that they have no place anywhere in a man’s world? Why make the woman try to give the image of strength but give her specific feminine features? Édouard was truly walking a fine line with critics and women alike.

Personally, I found “Mademoiselle V…in the Costume of an Espada,” to be quite intriguing. It really made me question my place in the world as a woman, as well as, trying to figure out what the artist was really trying to accomplish. I felt as though I could relate to this painting as far as showing that women can be strong and equal to men. I have had to put my foot forward many times with the opposite sex just to make my voice heard. No one, whether man or woman, should ever feel like they are not capable of something. People need to push forward and believe in themselves. With that in mind, what a fantastic piece of art Manet created. Not only does it push several buttons, especially during the 1800s, but it makes a statement. I also found through further research, that Manet painted quite a few paintings with women portraying “men’s jobs.” What side is Manet on? What an inspirational painting with a beautifully conflicting twist.

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 Works Cited

"Edouard Manet." Bio. A&E Television Networks, 2015. Web. 09 Apr. 2015.

"Édouard Manet | Mademoiselle V. . . in the Costume of an Espada." Édouard Manet. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Web. 8 Apr. 2015. <http://www.metmuseum.org/collection/the-collection-online/search/436945>.