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What has become of the United States? Is there any difference from the United States that was formed by Puritans and tried to escape from persecution under the British flag? Has there always been a different mentality for the American than that of any other nationality of individual? After September 11th Michael Moore the director and writer set out to make a documentary that addressed these and other embedded questions that are addressed everyday in our news media, school systems, homes, stores and street corners. Attempting to address all sides of the issues as a person of the media Moore used not only his own experiences, his connection to the NRA, but also other persons opinions that ranged from Charlton Hesston, the well known president of the NRA and famous actor, to the average American that was confronted with the violent acts that resulted from the accessibility of fire arms. This documentary took a new approach to the display of information. Not only was animation used to explain history, American's imbedded fear of their own neighbors, but it also used rock music ( gave a beat or a pulse to the film that progress from slow to fast as the intensity of the issues progressed), sarcasm, interviews, and casual conversations. Moore traveled the country to talk to all those that make up the spectrum of the American society, he traveled to the scenes of some of the more recent American tragedies, made impromptu stops in corporations such as Kmart (where the boys from Columbine bought the ammunition used in the shooting), and traveled to Canada to get an outside or foreign opinion. The idea was to move away from the documentary style of `talking heads'; he wanted a film that would not only touch a chord with the American people but one that would also be readily watched. This idea also made the documentary, that there was too much influence placed on the `words of the professional' or the ` findings of the expert'; that these findings and misleadings flooded the news at night to increase the amount of fear that the average American has as it looked for a scape-goat to blame. The information that Moor presented in his documentary did not technically follow a pre-described narrative, but followed more of a form where the audience was left areas to think and to breakdown the information. Elements of the circular narrative were the foundation of the film, where similar elements in opinions and the common American we continually addressed. Yet, the only problem that could be addressed is one of the ways in which Moore collected some of his data. Some might see a use of trickery or manipulation was used on his part to get the responses and such passion-filled opinions stated. While others would see the same information in the light that no instigation was needed, that people have these strong beliefs, opinions and are willing to talk about them but they lack the examples or understanding of the topic to take a well informed stand on one side or the other. Such a problem is not new in the world of documentaries when controversial data is presented to the public. Moore did a great job of presenting a delicate subject to the American people and was deserving of the Academy Award for the project.

India is a heavy populated and modern nation that constantly blends history, culture, social concerns and morals with continually advancing technology as it defines itself as a world power. India's film industry implements these ideals as it becomes more world renound and well know. With a combination of old Hollywood techniques and new editing inspirations, a great soundtracks, and a bilingual script has pushed this film into the forefront of the international film industry. As the movie begins the technique of playing an instrumental overture and showing credits is used. Bright colors such as green, red, blue, and yellow as well as a string image connect the names and starts capture the audience's attention. As the film continued to unfold color continues as a main feature; it is almost another main character as it is incorporated in all the main action, scenery and costuming. This character then addresses social and cultural differences while showing incredibly beautiful images. The image of the string shows the tying binds that family and marriages have upon an individual. In this culture, the patriarch or father was the tying factor that held families together and one that made all the major decisions about money, love, education to allow for prosperity. Though out the film the audience is shown the dual sides of the Indian society by seeing the relationship of Dombey and Alice develop while the preparations for the arranged marriage take place. While the audience sees a financially stable family that has all the luxuries that one could have ( mtv, cell phones, new cars, large home) ; they also see the simpler side of the society where they live from paycheck to paycheck, where they do not have cars and where they must find love on their own since there is no aid to be given to the child. The editing shows a parallel of these two different worlds by a dream like passage of time, where the common man Dombey is thinking about the love he has lost. Social issues are brought to light as the family unit must address them as a whole. What affects one in this culture affects all. As the unmarried older cousin finally confronts the mistreatment and molestation she endured as a child, she saves her young cousin from the same man. This realization brings more good than strain on the family for it forces the father not only to reconnect with his wife but to also put family loyalty above money. The family also had to address the idea of infidelity as the oldest daughter is soon to be married but had a married boyfriend on the side. The idea of the monsoon washed away these troubles and allowed the family to begin anew. For each time there was a rain shower a realization had occurred. The first shower brought an end to the affair and the second shower at the wedding brought the family together, brought a man that could fall for the older cousin, and brought a clean start feeling to the arranged marriage.

Through beautiful imagery, family values and ties, and a modern editing style the audience is lead on a narrative that brings international stereo-types and misconceptions to light. It also shows a hope or a determination to bring a resolution to these ideas, where all persons can unite with a common understanding.

This modern German film from 1999,that was so stunning and brilliantly edited won many awards at the Sundance Film Festival. The audience was taken away on this fast pace exhilarating ride which in turn warrants those watching to think about the circular narrative and its elements. All elements of the film including soundtrack and opening credits are incorporated into this them of a story being told through three different threads and three different experiences. The opening credits are displayed in cartoon form, as well as some of the traveling/running that Lola (Franka Potente) does through out the film. The soundtrack fills the film with a fast paced feeling and adds to the heart-pumping adrenalin rush that element of limited time creates. Fast camera angles, the use of panning, the incorporation of cartoons, the use of outdoor scenery ( no sound stage used), and close face shots are some of the main filming techniques used to make what I can only describe as an MTV video style of film making. The use of high speed camera shows areas of the plot that remains constant while the hi 8 camera is used in portions of the plot that changes in each of the 3 episodes. Also the use of red tinting shows a difference from real life and inside the characters thoughts. The audience is placed into the middle of the plot, there is no real introduction to the main characters, Lola and Manni, ( Moritz Bleibtreu) until after the main crisis of a loss of a bag filled of money that is suppose to be in the hands of a crook/ gangster with in the next 20 min from the time of the main character's conversation. This discussion is repeated 3 times until the characters successfully complete the task that lays before them. They either have to produce a replacement bag of money, or find the missing sack. In each of the 3 episodes the same characters are present as well as the same events but they either are incorporated or interact differently. For example, each episode has glass shattering. If the red ambulance does not crash through glass that is being carried across a main highway, then glass is broken by Lola screaming. Each episode also has elements of time, breaking of time, the different use of fire arm, running, and the use of the same script by the characters. The episodes are broken apart by either Manni or Lola dying, and in these deaths the audience is brought into the head of the characters to where they talk of love, life, death and loss. The audience is shown a place where the characters have a choice, which in turn is how they can relive the same morning events. This allows the audience to discover new interactions amongst the characters, discover new pieces of each story and how fit into one overall tapestry of a day in the characters lives. This film grabs the audience from the very beginning and proceeds to take them on an intense ride filled with lows and highs. One that can be watched over and over again due to the lack of information or images that is constantly being discovered. The complex and layered tale that unfolds in Run Lola Run is amazingly and almost unbelievably made better through the editing, film footage style, and soundtrack. The unusually dramatic images and different style than other films of the latter 90's sets Run Lola Run in a class of it's own

The film Daughters of the Dust is argued to be a stand out film in the genre of feminist film theory. The film is to show a break from the traditional male and female roles in a society; to break away from the traditional narrative to represent the present, past, and future as one to show woman as a strong active influential being. Yet, it did not accomplish this task.

The film's narrative has a circle feel bring elements of the past, present and future together as one unit in the form of the child with the indigo ribbon. Images of the enslaved people of the islands are counter set by images of the modern dressed family awaiting the boat to go to America's main land. The family is to be mainly formed on this island after slaves were brought there to work in the indigo market, it is to be formed around this one woman. She takes on the lead role of the family, the matriarch in this instance instead of the patriarch. This attempt to change from the patriarch fails for the matriarch takes on the same role with the same strong masculine tendencies. The feminist ideals and theories are also lost as the woman of the family cook and tend to the work of packing for the journey while the men are relaxing and talking the day away. Yet, as the woman of the family do work they argue and talk. These woman in turn are to represent the different woman of society; the audience sees the daughter, the mother, the wife, the modern social woman, the elderly, the religious, the rebellious and the quite individuals that make up all social structures.

Having the present, past and future working together as one creates too much confusion in the eye of the audience. At different instances the ideas are hard to connect to the ideals of the film theory and follow the themes of the narrative for it jumps around too often. Not introducing all the characters is another flaw of the film. The audience is lost as to how they fit into this family, how they are important to the plot of the new daughter changing the lives of the family members in the mainland, and how they affect the feminist film theory. In the end, not all the questions or problems that the film poses are answered and not all the loose ends are tied up. The style chosen to show a strong feminist woman was made in a too particular way. It was made for only a small subset of society where not all persons could identify with the characters and care for the meaning of the migration to the mainland. Instead the film creates a feeling of detachment, where the audience becomes uninterested. The ideals and theories for such a film are strong in context and in thought but fail to come across in the execution of the project. The true concept of the film is lost within the frame work of the circular plot and the feeling of randomness to some of the films content. This film does in turn do a good job of showing the complexities of a family, mixing old traditions and new as they are passed to different generations, and addressing fears that come when entering into a new society or world that one does not truly understand or know.

Following the Second World War the continent of Europe was divided not only by political beliefs and economic strife but the continent was also physically divided by a wall that was constructed through Berlin. This wall built by the satellite communist countries under the orders and pressure of Moscow to keep the ideals of the capitalist west out of their city and the minds of their people. The wall was to instate this `out of sight, out of mind' mentality in to the hearts of the people that the communist were trying so hard to control as their system was failing in the post war world economy. The wall remained intact until 1989, but during this time period a dramatic era of film was created that begged the main questions of the time: Where do I belong? What country do I call my own? Do I turn to others?

Wings of Desire uses the idea of an omnipotent force that watches over the world from the beginning of time and records the actions and thoughts of man, a creature that amazes and bewilders them. This force of angles know the world and mans mannerisms through and through but yet does not truly know the extent to what man experiences and feels in everyday life. To show a stark contrast between the living world and the angles, the angels are portrayed in black. This same black and white footage is used to show East Berlin as a collection of persons who are not really living life either. They are instead people acting out the basic image of what modern life should be. As the main angle falls in love with a French circus tumbler her image switches between black and white ( as she discovers the clam feeling he brings her) to one of vibrant color after he falls from `grace.' The West side of Berlin is also shown in this collage of vibrant color as he discovers this grand new existence that he was missing.

The main angle also has several interactions with an American film and TV star Peter Falk (Colombo) for the actor senses the presence of the angle. He entices the angle to give up what he has and come to earth by being one of the first actual persons to talk directly to him. The audience later is presented with Peter Falk being a previous angle that fell from `grace.' He represents temptation of what can be found when one crosses from one life path to the next. This idea is also the pressing idea of crossing from the East Berlin side to the West, of crossing from a world that is limited and controlled to one where there is unending possibility. Where man can discover all that he wants to know on his own, for it not to be feed to him.

Through voice-overs, where the character does not participate in the common dialog that a script would have, the audience experiences life in this torn city through the thoughts and feelings of the people that live there. The voice-overs continually address the complex and intriguing questions that all persons could not audibly ask, for no one knew the real answer. The difficult questions of longing, unplanned futures, anxiety filled the hearts and minds of people all over the world but the people of Berlin embodied them. `History is ours, and the people make it' ( Salvador Allende 1973) is a fitting quote for the people of Berlin as they were the leaders of the world as the guided and survived such a torturous time. Wings of Desire is a film that leads the audience on a narrative that is gripping and induces thought and discussion of the world's social issues.

Dirt roads, no plumbing, wages lower than the standard living condition rates, abused mentally and physically by a large monopolistic corporation, and a lack of a full education are all factors that led to the strike of the minors in Harlan County. A county that time as well as the nation forgot. A county that did not progressed on beyond the persecution and disgraceful treatment of the 1930's proletariat. A county where the average man lived in constant fear that there would not be a constant and or adequate income; where the only way to see change was to unite and to revolt by any means to force people to see the intolerable conditions that they live in.

This documentary was filmed over a period of 4 years which in turn showed the lack of speed for a change from a peon work ethic to one of equality. The men of the mine saw the results that a union in other parts of the country and the standard of living that most Americans enjoyed as compared to their own situation. The community of Harlan County had a desire for change from an almost forced labor to one where the worker could make choices, have health care and to not live from pay check to pay check. The men and the woman were willing to risk everything for a better future for their children. The wives of the minors not only lived in the same conditions but had the same drive for changes and a difference. The women not only increased the numbers for picket lines but they also brought the importance of the strike to an `at home' feel. The rough terrain, harsh living community, and dirty, dingy way of life that a miner and a miner's family lived in was adequately represented in the film via the raw nature of the interviews and the in the field live spontaneous coverage. You as the viewer did not sit back and watch the film but instead were brought in to the lives of these men and woman. The filming brought a sense to the audience that you were there on the picket line, you felt the terror of being attacked, and you experienced the chaos when shots were fired at unarmed citizens. The falling of the camera and the blackness of the shot exemplifies the nature of not understanding what was going on at that moment. This in your face type of filming also show all aspects of what a strike of this nature entails. The viewer saw the aftermath and hospitalization of the battles between unarmed men and the `gun -thugs' sent to end picket lines. Like Bordwall and Thompson state the film crew used was small and more mobile, this not only rejected the traditional ideals of script and structure but also allowed the film makers to almost disappear into the back ground and let the action unfold in font of their eyes. This form of filming were there is a no holds bar or in your face tactic shows all portions of the incident, meaning that there is a feeling that the camera was never turned off. It brought light to a subject that most would not have known about, a subject that it profoundly influenced. The press that such documentaries bring to these hidden incidents carries a strong level of change and importance that otherwise would not be there. The filming of these events is intense. The film must express the telling of a complete story, one that ties the events that previously unfolded through the elapsed filming time to a coherent ending, being it either good or bad. The documentary film is a modern day form of passing on a lesson or an experience to a new audience, the modern day word of mouth story telling.

Majority of films can be classified quite easily from different instances in the plot to either place a movie as thriller, comedy, musical or mello-drams. Yet, there are films that cross the boundaries to form a more complex genre. These films cause the viewer to think more and to consider all the social and political implications as it ( the film) attempts to reach a more diverse and complex audience. A perfect example of the more complex film genre is A Place in the Sun (Stevens 1951). The format of this particular film is a mix of the thriller and the mello-drama. Through its interpretation of class structure, social responsibility, the complexity of relationships between man and woman, and the moral decisions that plague the common man all levels of society are expected as the proper viewing audience. As the film unfolds, there is a noticeable distinction between the two socio-economic classes that make up the American society. There is the upper class in which time and money is spent more on parties, clothes, and cars. At the same time there is a lower class of individuals that make up the working blue collar class. The idea of the differences can be seen from the entrance of George into the Eastman house. His tweed suit, which in turn was expensive to him, was not of the same standards of suits that his rich family counterparts wore. The theme of desire to jump socio-economic classes due to the lack of material possessions is carried through out the film as George's main motivation for all actions that he takes.

George is employed by his uncle to work on the packaging line in the Eastman plant; there he encounters a woman that he physically desires. Going against policy, he decides to begin a love affair even though he has no true feelings for his co-worker. George, being the stronger and more confident male figure, convinced her of his love and forced his way into her house and life. During this time they take part in premarital relations and a `trouble' or a child is the result of the affair. Yet, the audience must infer that such things have taken place due to all deviate action or conversations take place in complete darkness or off screen.

Soon George meets the woman of his dreams at one of the family functions that he attends at the large estate of his family. When she shows interest in him there can be no controlling of his desire to be accepted and wanted in this prosperous world. The use of multiple soft fade in to Elizabeth Taylor's character's face show a more glorified or dream quality to her existence. They also depict when George is dreaming and fantasizing about his new love and new idealistic life. Now George is faced with a decision and the mistakes of his past. He knows that he cant change his future without be riding his life of his first girl friend and their illegitimate child. Slowly he develops the plan of isolating the woman on a boat so her death can be considered accidental, but he can not commit the act due to his moral and faith filled up bringing ( his mother's influence affects his life path). There is an altercation an her death is the result. George is then tried and sentenced for the death of a woman that he manipulated. Elizabeth Taylor's character continues to love George to the very end and George continues to dream of the idealistic life and woman to the very end. The film is to be one of love and loss but takes on a more informative role, one to show the viewer that the past is important to one's future. That all actions have consequences and that thoughts or dreams can motivate or carry a man through life. The use of multiple fade in and overlay of images shows such themes in a way that no narrative could capture.

It Happened One Night directed by Frank Capra was made and released in 1934 by Columbia Pictures as a small budget film that was not expected to do well at the box office. Yet, after its release the film gained many accolades and won the Academy Award for best picture in 1934. Due to the original small nature of the film, the leading man role was surprisingly filled by Clark Gable who was on loan from another studio. He stared opposite of Claudette Colbert. Capra's film was a combination of many ideals, emotions and social perceptions of the American society of the thirties but it was also a combination of many new and innovative filming techniques and sound advancements. The film unfolds the story in such a attention-grabbing and remarkable way that most of today's cinema use his style and ideals when producing and creating films. Capra used the idea of a moving camera, one that was not fixed upon a box, but on a moveable crane instead. This produced more sweeping shots, more angles for filming and fewer distance shots. It allowed for more movement of the actors as well as a more realistic and real life feeling to the movie. The film also incorporates back projection of images. This is were a scene is filmed previously and played in the background while the actors perform the scene in front of the projection. Back projection is used for car scenes to give the impression that the actors are driving but in reality they are in a sound stage. Capra also incorporated the use of a wipe in his film. The technique of moving left to right and fading in or out to change a scene or show elapsed time took the place of the traditional place cards in silent films and allowed for a more constant stream for the film. The film was also all talk, the new technology of a sound strip on the side of the film was used. The text cards of silent films were completely discarded. Another camera trick by Capra is to show a change in feelings within Clark Gable's character for Claudette Colbert's character by depicting her character in a different light. This happens two times within the film at key moments to the development of their relationship. Claudette Colbert is seen in a close up of softer light to emphasize Clark Gable's character seeing her in a `different light.' In this romantic comedy Capra not only showed new styles and techniques but also addressed social issues of the time. Through comedy he showed the outlandish nature of the rich (King arriving for his own wedding in a helicopter) and the nature of man being the controller in relationships as well as in society. The fighting and struggles between the two main characters showed the man taking care of the woman, the social norms of how men and woman should act around each other in that era. But the fighting and the banter also show a strong-minded and intelligent woman. The two strong-willed main characters balanced each other out.

Capra's techniques for showing the social relationship between the rich and working classes as well as a relationship between man and woman in the 1930s captured film makers and film viewers for over 70 years. Films are now compared to his style of camera movement and his style of capturing the American ideals. When movies of today make a similar statement of achieving what one wants they are referred to as Capra-esc. Capra's imagination and style is one that changed the outlook of American films and introduced a new genre to film goers everywhere.

The Man with a Movie Camera by Dziga Vertov made in 1929 is a silent film that clams to break away from the use of film cards, actors, and all other theatrical aspects that the film industry had been using as it has been developing. To capture this break from the set standards Vertov filmed life over the course of five to six years then edited down the film and added a score. There is no specific cast, nor a specific narrative them that the film follows. From the very first sequence of images of this film the viewer is brought into a world that focuses on the association of man and machine; how man not only controls the machine, it's out put and maintenance but also how man is like a machine. Man is the driving force of modern society; man is the backbone behind production and advances. Vertov expresses this idea without words, but instead shows a city waking up and dependent on the labor force. The pace of the images flows this slower morning pace to more of a flowing fast pace where images fly past the viewers at such a high rate it is almost impossible to see all action that has taken place. He interlays people and machines in both paces, to show not only the technological advances of that time but to also show how production, machines, and people enjoyment/fascination never stop. There is always this sense of progress. He shows that there is always two sides to every part of life. He shows images of life and death, marriage and divorce, young and old age as well as work and recreation. To offset the impact of all the images of only a workforce life, Vertov shows how society also has sports, games, pubs, and the beach to entertain the masses. The main theme of The Man with a Movie Camera is political. The film shows a Proletariat dominated society under the rule of Lenin. It is a propaganda tool of the time. All scenes show people in mass enjoying and partaking in the same action, whether it be working, travel, or recreation. The film tries to express a feeling of grandeur and delight with a society that shares everything and one that is based on a large working class. The repetitious images of machines and lower class individuals expresses the idea of a structured society that must function properly like a machine; that each person must carry their weight due to the whole nation's as well as society's prosperity being dependent on them. There is no difference of the sexes in this work force. That all individuals work and all do similar jobs. This idea is a complete opposite from Hollywood films and America's mindset of the same era. Vertov created a film where the view felt as if they were being shown a special side of society that not all individuals see. Tricks in editing and in photography allow him to interlay images of the camera and the human eye, which in turn implies the camera is a window into a different world. He wanted to create a film that showed society at the time. A film that broke away from the theatrical mindset that all films of that era followed. He wanted to show how all aspects of society are intertwined and that there is an over all happiness and contentment within Russia under Lenin. This propaganda film was used to invoke emotion as well as a feeling of awe for the association of man and machine.

Cops a short film by the director Buster Keaton was made in 1922. It addresses social norms and what is expected out of a properly functioning man of society in a comical form. The film follows the narrative form of most films of that era where the plot is laid out for the viewer. The idea of using one's imagination is removed from the film. Instead the viewer is focusing more on the use of special affects and the score to tell the story. Keaton's film defines the quest for everyman, not only of that time but of every era. He addresses the issue of a man being able to support the woman he loves so that he would be able to marry her and have a family; but, in Cops this turns into an adventure and miss opportunity for the main character. There are many visual tricks where camera angles and lighting affect the viewer's interpretation as well as the main character's understanding of the plot and the action that is unfolding upon the screen. The film is one where the score is light and cheery due to the comic nature Keaton uses but the main narrative of the story is in a snowball fashion. One mistake or misunderstanding of a sign or in a conversation with another person of the cast leads to another and another. Yet, the comedic feature of the film is the blind eye that the main character turns towards the mistakes and misunderstandings, he does not grasp that anything wrong has occurred in his day. The snowball affect continues through out the film until the very end where he does not accomplish his goal and does not get the girl.

Keaton tells his story of lost love and constant misunderstandings in a short amount of time. He compresses the action and follows the strict form of introducing the characters, leading to a climax, and then concluding the action all within a half hour. The time element is not a main descriptive tool of the films of this time period as it is today. Instead there is more of a focus on the editing and the ability to entertain an audience with a story that all persons can relate to. Keaton's film is a prime example of a simple story that relates to all persons of a society but a complex film in the sense of editing and special affects. He implements many old and new tricks that film makers have used and developed in the short time that the industry has been growing. He attempts to expand the visual aspect of the film due to the lack of dialog. Keaton's film Cops pushed forward the film industry in a way that no one else could.