You Say Tomaito, I Say Tomahto

In the opening episode Paisan set in Sicily, the American soldier Jersey Joe attempts to communicate with Carmela, an Italian peasant recruited to guide them.  He goes so far as to pantomime a cow and drinking milk in an impromtu English lesson, even showing his family photos (which causes his being shot by German sniper).  Yet at the end of the episode the other American soldiers mistakenly believe that it was Carmela who killed him  What does this episdoe  and other episodes in this flim tells us about the possibility of communication?  How is it hampered -- or made more urgent -- by violence and war?  What divides us, what unites us?

Is It All Black and White?

In the Naples episode of Paisan, an intoxicated African-American soldier is nearly kidnapped by a group of street urchins who want him as "a slave." Later he is befriended by a young boy who takes him to a traditional puppet show in which the "white" hero Orlando battles the "black" villain the Moor (whom the soldier feels compelled to defend).  After the soldier falls asleep the boy steals his boots.  At the end the soldier attempts to retrieve his boots but upon seeing the squalor of the boy's situation, he relinquishes the boots.  What is this episode saying about race and poverty in both Italy and America?  What is it telling us about power? What is it saying about sympathy and solidarity?

To Excavate Reality

Cesare Zavattini, screenwriter and theoriest of Italian Neo-Realism, stated in an interview that the goal of the movement is "to excavate reality, to give it a power, a communication, a series of reflexes, which until recently we have never thought it had." He contrasted the traditional cinema's insertion of a "story" to make reality more "exciting and spectacular" with Neo-Realism's  "unlimited trust in things, facts and people."  Yet, does Rosellini follow this program?  What is "real" in the movie Paisan and what is more classical storytelling or even expressionistic? How "real" is this Italian Neo-Realist classic?

Jigsaw Narrative

Multiple narrators tell he story of Charles Foster Kane's life.  We see his life in a newsreel format, in Thatcher's memoirs, and as told by Bernstein, Leland, Susan Alexander, and even Raymond, the butler.  What is the point of telling the story in this way?  Does each narrator give a specific "spin" or have a particular bias?  Does each see a distinctive aspect of Kane's personality?  Is each section told in a different way, utilizing different techniques of filming (such as camera angles, deep focus, lighting, or even choice of music)?  What" bang for our buck" do we get from this jigsaw narration?  Is it equal to or greater than the sum of its parts?

Rosebud

Rosebud is perhaps the most famous symbol in movie history. What is the significance of the name "rosebud?" What is the significance of the sled? Is it the key to understanding Kane's life or just one missing piece of a jigsaw puzzle that does not explain much at all? A meaningful symbol or a MacGuffin? Are there other symbols in the film that are more meaningful or complement you reading of the sled (such as statues, jigsaw puzzles, Xanadu, etc)?

Celluloid Newspapers

We have seen two films, His Girl Friday and Citizen Kane, in which the protagonists work in the newspapers business (Walter Burns is an editor, Hildy Johnson a reporter, Charles Foster Kane a publisher). What do these films tell us about the job of a reporter or publisher in the 1940's? What is the role or status of the newspaper at that time? How have things changed since that time?