Can't Help Falling in Love: Semiotic

Can’t Help Falling In Love

Elvis Presley released the original version of Can’t Help Falling in Love on October 1, 1961.  The song was featured in the movie Blue Hawaii and reached Number 1 on Billboards, Adult Contemporary Chart on January 13, 1962.  On May 10, 1993, UB40 released its version of the song.  The song was featured on the soundtrack for the movie Silver and was nominated for the American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Single, Independent Music Award for Best Song – Cover, and the MTV Best Movie Song.  The song reached number 1 on Billboards, Love Songs twice, July 24, 1993 and November 13, 1993.

Social History of 1961 and 1993

In both years, a new President came into office, John F. Kennedy succeeded Dwight Eisenhower and Bill Clinton succeeded George W. H. Bush.  Both new Presidents were Democrats.  The War on Terrorism was common in both years with the start of the Vietnam War and the first bombing of the World Trade Center and the Bay of the Pigs invasion in Cuba.  Racism was a never ending issue where in 1961, marked the start of the American Civil Rights Movement and in 1993, the extended trial of Rodney King civil rights violation.  

Sources:

http://www.billboard.com/artist/301690/elvis-presley/chart?page=3&f=341

http://www.billboard.com/artist/277578/ub40/chart

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1993_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1961_in_the_United_States

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can%27t_Help_Falling_in_Love

http://www.cdandlp.com/en/ub40/i-can-t-help-falling-in-love-with-you/album/

Grease and High School Musical: Semiotic Data

Danny Hargers

Vrooman

10/5/15

Media and Popular Culture

Grease and High School Musical: Semiotic Data

Disney did it again, and again, and again. Taking an idea and manipulating it to create an illusion of a brand that only produces in genius ideas. The entire time you are watching High School Musical you didn’t even notice that the plot was stolen because you were too busy looking into Zac Efron’s dreamy eyes and beautiful brown hair, or too busy noticing how much Ashley Tisdale has grown up; my oh my. Who am I kidding? None of those things matter because in actuality you were caught up in the same love story that was told back in 1979 about two horny teenagers who fell in love but are from two different worlds. Basically you got caught up in the contemporary version of Grease with a little bit of Disney Magic. But only Disney would use 3 movies to tell the same damn story that was told in about 2 hours the first time.

 Let’s take a look as some similarities.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

-Two teenagers meet in between semesters while on vacation.

-They fall in love a go far enough to keep each other craving more and coming back but not too far to relinquish innocence.

-They think they’ll never see each other because the vacation/night is coming to an end so they say “see you later”, secretly knowing that there’s no chance in hell that they’d meet again.

-Then all of the sudden they both end up enrolled at the same school unaware of each other, but just so happen to bump into each other.

Yeah Disney! You think you squeezed by with this one but you can't slick a can of oil! I’m not even going to get into the similarities in the musical numbers or their choice on what type of song to produce and where to place it into the movie. Pattern’s like the one that I just made obvious are continually created throughout the movie but never actually noticed. I could go on for days about similarities but as I look at differences, thing begin to become a bit more complicated. When it comes down to it these movies are the same in the sense they are telling a high school love story along with other subplots within the movie itself. However the subplots are what Disney uses in order to create differences between the two movies.

            In these movies there are issues that occur beyond the main plot that allow for the story to progress. However most people don’t realize that the issues that occur within the subplot are generation specific, which is why these movies appear to be different

            In the Original “Grease”, which was released in 1978, Danny Zuko, leader of the greaser gang "T-Birds" of Rydell High, falls in love with a goody two shoes girl named Sandy Olsen, of Austrilla, over the summer. As summer began to come to a close the two thought they’d never see each other again because Sandy and her family would be leaving back to Austrilla soon, but to their luck...she begins to attend Rydell High. Upon entry into the school Sandy is immediately accepted into the group "Pink Ladies" and shortly she Danny and her re-meet. Due to his reputation and image Danny no longer seems to be the same person that she fell in love with that summer which eventually drives Sandy away. Regretting his actions he is soon “jumping to hoops” so to speak, in order to win Sandy back but also keep his reputation and image from being what he considers tarnished at the time.

            For teenagers the 1950’s was a time of rebellion, shenanigans, and mischief. Grease does a good job of portraying just that especially within the subplot. Issues such as dancing, race, smoking, and sex were seen as key topics in that generation and all of the issues were touched on thoroughly.

            In Disney’s “High School Musical” release in 2006, Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez come from two different worlds: Troy the Basketball God and Gabriella the Smart, Stunning Geek. After meeting at a Ski resort during Winter break and being forced to sing together at a New Year’s Eve celebration they instantly fall for each other, but are forced to say goodbye at the strike of New Years. Not knowing then they might meet again they exchanged phone numbers and said their goodbyes. When Troy and they meet again it’s by accident at East High School in Albequerque, New Mexico. While attempting to catch up Gabriella convinces Troy to audition for their high school's musical just for fun, but when the teacher loves their performance and schedules a call back for the lead roles the cohesion of East Side High stopped all at once. While the social cliques that both Troy and Gabriella belong to don't approve of this new relationship in the making and try to separate them, Troy and Gabriella are now faced with the adversity of following their hearts or sticking to the status quo.

            Looking at the generation of teenagers in the 2000’s not much has changed as far as being rebellious and mischievous, however the main issues of the decade are different. High school musical did a good job at addressing issues/topics of interracial couples, gay rights, being who you are, and being a part of a change. While the issues/topics of the 1950’s all still remain they are not as common nor are they seen the way they used to be.

 

Sources: www.hercampus.com

www.deviantart.com

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077631/plotsummary

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grease_(film)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0475293/plotsummary

www.netflix.com

 

Sleeping Beauty - Maleficent Contrast , David Andrew Ortiz

SLEEPING BEAUTY - 1959

• King Stefan is the best father there is to be in that he is a protector , loving king , and great human being .
• Maleficent's wings are a constant and evil looking
• Maleficent is the evil sorceress of the land who has nothing but evil intentions for the kingdom and the King
•  Maleficent is hell bent on destroying Aurora
• True love's first kiss is the key to breaking the curse of eternal slumber , Phillip
• Maleficent is killed and everyone lives happily ever after

MALEFICENT - 2014

• Maleficent was played by Stefan who took her wings to become king
• Maleficent's wings are beautiful and powerful. She doesn't regain them till the end of the film.
• Stefan is a very deceitful human being
• Maleficent was actually a peaceful fairy
• Maleficent put the curse on Aurora with the twist that true love doesn't exist in her mind Aurora has known Maleficent her whole life as her protector ,  not her destroyer
• Maleficent actually lives and relinquishes the forest of all the magical impurities she had cast and becomes the protector once again with Aurora ruling the kingdom  

The Wizard of Oz - 1939

• Dorothy's house is sucked into a tornado and goes from Kansas to Wonderland. 

• She is accompanied by her dog toto. 

• Dorothy is a female and the first person she meets is the scarecrow. 

Oz the Great and Powerful - 2013

• Oscar Zoroaster (Oz) was part of a traveling circus in the mid west. 

• He tries to flee in a hot air balloon when he's then sucked into a tornado and arrives in the land of Oz. 

• The first person he meets is Theodora, who later in the film becomes the wicked witch. 

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Semiotics Analysis

Syntagmatic Analysis:In this scene, we see the characters’ facial expressions and analyze how this pertains to what is happening as they make their expressions. You see Grover(left), Percy(middle), and Annabeth(right) looking up at something, so it looks like they are scared of something that is much larger than them. You can also see that Annabeth and Percy have weapons in their hands which suggests that they are prepared for a fight with some kind of monster. By the looks on their faces, they are clearly looking at something that they aren’t used to seeing, which could mean that it’s a very large monster.

Paradigmatic Analysis: Imagine that there are heart eyes over all three of the characters. This changes the entire outlook on the scene. Because without the heart eyes, they all look scared and ready to fight, but with heart eyes it makes it seem like they are loving what they are looking at, which is clearly not the case.

Adaptation Data: Psycho- Bates Motel

Adaptation Data: Psycho- Bates Motel

 In the original film Psycho came out in 1960, which was during a time that a transition was happening from the 1950’s ideology of conformity to the 1960’s which is known as the protest era. This film laid the track for future horror films and is still regarded by many as the best horror film.

Ø  The opening scene starts with the actress Janet Leigh wearing skimpy white undergarments in bed with a man.

Ø  Main actress is killed off early on during the movie, in a shower scene.

Ø  Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is having a secret affair with a man named Sam

Ø  Reflection in mirrors

Ø  Discovered that Norman’s mother has been dead for 10 years

Ø  Norman/Mother are the same person

§  Dawn of a golden age

§  Strong military power

§  Civil Rights movements

§  Anti - Communism

§  “Baby Boomers”

§  Many People moved to the Suburbs

 The Bates Motel came out in 2013, and unlike the film, no major transitions were happening in our country. The show follows the Psycho film, in regards to the character of Norman Bates, his mother, and the motel. The show follows a young Norman Bates and how he becomes the Psycho killer.

Ø  The opening scene starts with Norman watching a black and white movie, and discovers that his father is dead.

Ø  It is unknown if Norman is a killer, or if his mom is

Ø  The mother kills someone

Ø  Norman is portrayed as a quiet young man, who is close to his mother

Ø  Norman likes a girl, who is not his mother

Ø  Norman has a brother who thinks he needs to get away from their mother.

Ø  It is discovered that Norman is the one who killed the father

§  Social Media

§  Internet Age

§  Mass Public shootings

§  Reality Television

§  People are having less children

Relationships between Adaptations:

v  Norman is a killer

v  The mother has a big influence on what Norman does

v  Norman uses his mother to justify what he has done

v  Unsuspected to be a killer

v  Norman has a very deep love for his mother

While the movie Psycho starts off with a female lead, the Bates Motel show focuses heavily on Norman and his mother. In Psycho the female actress is killed off early on in the film and that is when the main focus goes towards Norman and the unknowing darkness that surrounds him. In the Bates Motel show, the mother seems to be a very important part to the story and she is almost all the scenes. The main difference between the two adaptations is that the movie has a plot that involves the murder of a woman, a young man who seems guilty, and the resolution that Norman’s mother is dead; while the show focuses more on how the mother treats Norman and how Norman is lacking in basic social skills. 

2005 Fantastic 4 to 2015 Fantastic 4

The main difference in the 2005 Fantastic 4 and the 2015 Fantastic four is the changing from the human torch being white, to the human torch being black. There would be lots of reasons they would do this. First off their main goal with the change is to not pose as the Fantastic 4 being racist. The cultural shift in the past 10 years has brought racism back into the spotlight. Many types of movies have been bringing African Americans into their films to set some kind of balance to the people and to our culture. This is so movies are not seen as racist. The Fantastic 4 has been knwon to just represent white culture as shown in the 2005 movie, so the remake gives us something that both cultures can enjoy.


                                                               
Another reason for the change is for a difference in attitude, Its pretty obvious the attitudes and mindsets of the two different human torches has changed. The attitude of the black human torch has a more serious attitude and look while the white human torch is much more playful and doesnt take things very seriously. This is also because of the change in culure and the effect of different phenomenons through out the 10 years. The movie attitudes shift with the way the world's culture is at that time and both movies reflect their cultures in that time period.


The Last reason is the cast reflects a certain type of audience in both movies. In the 2005 Fantastic 4, the cast brought in an older, white audience, while the 2015 fantastic four is directed at a younger, black and white audience. The change in the audience reflects the change from 2005 to 2015. There was a significant change in the racial cultures in the past 10 years, which is why you see the change in character.

Captain America Comparison

Clear Lines:

• In 1941 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor the Writers War Board used heroes to incorporate support for the government's political ideas

• Captain America projected his heroism and support and this was visible through his symbolic costume and shield in the American colors: red, white and blue.

• Superheroes were easy to distinguish during this time because the victories in the war were clear.

Grey Area:

• Starting in the 1950's (Korean War & Cold War Era) the victories were not so clear.

• America having an atomic bomb was seen as a positive because "it was the policy of the United States to support free peoples who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or outside pressures" (Henriksen, 1997, p.17).  Russia having a bomb was a a negative and America made everyone fear Soviet bombs.  So basically, Americans having an atomic bomb is good and everyone should trust them, but Soviets having the same is bad and everyone should be afraid.

Captain America is a symbol of American freedom and power.  In the early 1940s the world was coming to war for the second time creating WWII.  America and allied forces needed to combat the enemies in Germany.  Adolf Hitler assembled an entire military force with a mindset of purity and a belief that everyone that was not of Aryan descent needs to die.  The genocide of the Jews invoked the United States to take action and join allied forces to overthrow the Nazi Regime that Adolf Hitler was in charge of.  The above photographs depict the power that America instilled in its people in hopes of winning the war and freeing a war torn area.  On the left picture Captain America is seen alone punching Adolf Hitler and on the right Captain America can be viewed as America alone standing up against the evil of Nazi Germany, which may be a form of propaganda for the American people.

In the 2011 film Captain America: The First Avenger, the story line is roughly the same.  Captain America is portrayed in times of the 1940’s trying to defeat the “Nazi” Germany again.  Except in this movie, the villain is Red Skull and is depicted in a way that Adolf Hitler is.  Captain America and American forces defeat Red Skull without any help from the Allied Forces.  Once again this is showing the power and justice America wants to display to the world with every value of the word Freedom.  This film is closely related to the idea of Captain America in the 1940’s.

In the movie, The Avengers, Captain America is in his same red, white, and blue suit with weapon of choice being his shield.  However the plot is not Nazi Germany anymore but rather America saving the world from an alien invasion from a different universe.  Captain America works with other superheroes to defeat this enemy.  This unknown enemy can also be related to terrorism that the world is seeing today.