Organized Crime in America photo

Organized Crime in America

  1. Organized Crime in America
  2. Evolution of Organized Crime
  3. Organized Crime : Expression and Repression
  4. Organized Crime and the Prohibition
  5. Organized Crime: Repression and Censorship

Organized Crime in America (1929 – 1951)

1929: Wall Street crash, which forced gangsters to find a new way of making money in a time of recession. 1951: middle of the Cold War.

Kefauver hearings started the huge mystification of the Mafia, discovering that organized crime was still on in the U.S. First TV debates on organized crime.

In history, gangsters and Organized Crime did exist. Between history and culture, there are matters of ideology: in what way does that interact with what was seen on screen?

Presence of censorship and self-regulation for films. Sometimes people wanted to ban or censor gangster films: interactions between politics, culture and crime. Movies influenced the war against crime.

The history of Hollywood is that of people for and against those movies. Creation of compromises: “production code” (not censorship) to see what people disliked and to escape post-censorship.

But how censorship is possible in the US? (c.f. the first Americans and the liberty of expression). It was considered as a commercial venture. A way of skirting the censorship was to show 2 shots to see a person killed instead of one (the latter was prohibited).

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Introduction to Puritanism and Expansionism photo

Introduction to Puritanism and Expansionism

  1. Introduction to Puritanism and Expansionism
  2. Antebellum South
  3. Life in the Plantations
  4. USA: North and South
  5. O’Sullivan’s Manifest Destiny
  6. The social context of America in the early 19th century
  7. The American Civil War: 1861-1865
  8. America: The New Nation
  9. After the American Civil War: The Reconstruction
  10. America: West to the Pacific
  11. Years of Growth

Puritanism

Puritanism is a radical version of Protestantism, which is rooted in the movement called the Reformation (16th century).

American Puritanism and English Puritanism are fairly different. American Puritanism became the ultimate, most coherent of Protestantism because it grew in virgin soil. It is an experiment in America with European roots.

The most famous characters are Luther and Calvin, who both had a great influence first in Europe and then in America.

The most radical movement was led by the Separatists. For them, the Church was hopelessly corrupted. Only the elect, “God’s invisible saints”, could be Church members. They believed in personal religious rebirth and the regenerating experience.

This Puritan version is prompted by the notion of sin: people are sinful, especially women. It is the basic corrupt notion of human nature. For Puritanism, it is impossible to reach perfection: “In Adam’s fault we sinned all”.

Puritanism is not only a matter of theology but also a matter of social organization: God also rules the collective life of the people. Man is linked up to God with a covenant. By respecting this covenant, man could get rid of his depravity (covenant of Grace).

These notions were Puritan before America. Puritans were looking for a place to experiment with this system.

In 1620, the Pilgrim Fathers landed in America: they were separatists and belonged to a cult (kind of sect). What they did was sign a covenant: the “Mayflower Compact”, which is not only religious but also civic and political.

Between 1630 and 1640, 20,000 English Puritans settled down in the Massachusetts colony. Many people were university-trained, especially in theology. The power of the Church was so profound that some people talked about “Theocracy” (Government of God).

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English Expansionism photo

English Expansionism

  1. The Reformation in the British Isles
  2. English Expansionism
  3. The Glorious Revolution of 1688
  4. The American colonies : Religion and Politics
  5. USA: Birth of a Nation

Introduction

The Anglo-American World is but colonial. Its present extension is the result of England’s self-affirmation and ambition to become a major world power. Therefore, the words “empire” and “imperialism” describe England’s struggle for national and international sovereignty.

The first consequence of English expansionism was the westward impulse of the Anglo-Saxon element, first into the Celtic periphery of the British Isles, then across the Atlantic and finally into Africa and Australasia.

The second more recent consequence is the emergence in the 20th century of multi-cultural societies both in Britain and in America but also across the British Commonwealth, which is constituted of the former British colonies.

Early English expansionism in the British Isles

The origin of British colonial adventures lies in the early steps taken by English Kings towards the political, economic, and religious integration of the British Isles.

The Anglo-Norman enterprise

In 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, became the master of England. His successors, the Anglo-Norman Kings, tried to increase their authority and international prestige (especially in front of France) by controlling the British Isles (first Ireland and then Wales).

In 1171, the English King Henry II landed in Ireland and was accepted by the Irish Kings as their overlord (=master). During the 13th century, many Anglo-Norman barons settled in Ireland where they were given land by the King. They introduced the French system of feudalism and forced the native Irish to become serfs.

In 1366, the English Parliament prohibited mixed marriages between Irish and Anglo-Norman and Irish laws and customs were abolished in English-controlled areas. The colonization of Ireland had started.

In 1277, Edward I of England invaded Wales after the last Prince of Wales refused to acknowledge his authority. The country soon became part of the English Royal Estate and was re-organized into 5 countries, after the English model. In 1301, the English King became the Prince of Wales.

The Anglo-Normans never managed to conquer Scotland. After a series of unsuccessful invasions, the English were finally forced out in 1314. Scottish independence was secured for 4 centuries.

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Glossary of film terms

Angle
The position of the camera in order to show a certain scene. A camera may be placed
straight on to a scene, at a side angle, high angle or low angle.

Camera movement
– a dolly shot: the camera and the base to which it is affixed move toward or away from a stationary object.
– a tracking shot: the camera moves behind or ahead of a moving person or object.
– a crane shot: the camera moves up or down on an automatic crane.
– a pan: the camera moves left or right on a fixed base.
– a tilt: the camera moves up or down.

Close-up
A shot which shows a limited and magnified view of a character or an object. It usually has a psychological, dramatic or symbolic value.

Deep-focus
The immediate foreground and the deepest parts of the background are in clear focus.

Dissolve
Gradual transition from one scene to another.

High-angle shot
A shot which looks down upon a scene or a character.

Long shot
A shot which provides a wide-angle view of a scene.

Low-angle shot
A shot which looks up at a character (object or scene).

Medium shot
Shows the object from waist up.

Voice over
Film narration/commentary in which the speaker remains unseen.

French equivalences

Dolly shotplan ou prises de vues en travelling.
Tracking shottravelling (objet ou personne filmé en mouvement).
Crane shotprise de vues sur grue.
Panpanoramique horizontal.
Tiltpanoramique vertical.
Deep focusprofondeur de champ.
Dissolvefondu enchaîné.
High-angle shotplongée.
Low-angle shotcontre-plongée.
Close-upgros plan.
Close shotplan rapproché
Medium close shotplan Américain.
Medium shotplan moyen.
Medium long shotplan de demi ensemble.
Long shotplan d’ensemble.

The Black Donnellys saison 1

The Black Donnellys The Black Donnellys est une série de la chaîne NBC qui narre les exploits de quatre frères de la classe ouvrière à New York et leur implication dans le crime organisé face aux différents gangs.

Les frères Donnelly, au nombre de 4, sont prêts à tout pour se protéger les uns les autres, même à mentir, tricher, voler ou tuer. Par ordre d’importance, nous avons Tommy (Jonathan Tucker), Jimmy (Tom Guiry), Kevin (Billy Lush) et Sean (Michael Stahl-David).

L’histoire est racontée par une tierce personne, l’aspirant gangster Joey “Ice Cream” (Keith Nobbs), au moment même où les Donnelly s’apprêtent à faire leurs premiers pas dans le crime organisé.

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Dexter saison 1

Dexter (Michael C. Hall) est un médecin légiste spécialisé dans les prélèvements de sang le jour et serial-killer la nuit, s’occupant des personnes malfaisantes qui réussissent à passer entre les mailles du filet judiciaire.

Orphelin, soutenu par ses parents adoptifs et notamment son père, il travaille en coopération avec sa soeur Debra (Jennifer Carpenter) qui est agent de la police criminelle mais il n’éprouve aucun sentiment : amour, tristesse, remords lui sont inconnus. Il a bien une petite amie, Rita (Julie Benz), mais éprouve-t-il réellement de l’amour pour elle ? Dur à dire.

Ce petit train de vie est perturbé lorsqu’apparaît un autre serial-killer, bien décidé à pimenter sa vie.

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Why people believe Americans are stupid photo

Why people believe Americans are stupid

Trouvé au hasard de mes pérégrinations, un petit micro-trottoir aux Etats-Unis sur des questions d’actualités et de culture générale.

Le reportage n’est peut-être pas entièrement subjectif mais il faut bien avouer que certaines réponses sont vraiment édifiantes. Cela va du comique à l’inquiétant, en passant par le pathétique.

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Desperate Housewives saison 3

La saison 3 de Desperate Housewives est déjà bien entamée et il est temps pour moi de venir vous faire mon petit rapport.

Les derniers épisodes de la saison 2 nous avait laissé sur des charbons ardents et cette nouvelle saison s’annonce décidément pleine de rebondissements et avec une plus grande maturité dans la caractérisation des personnages.

Susan Mayer (Teri Hatcher) a un peu évolué par exemple et semble faire un peu moins de gaffes débiles, ce qui contribue à faire évoluer la série vers quelque chose de plus intéressant et de plus varié. En gros, la série décolle un peu et c’est vraiment plaisant à regarder.

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Desperate Housewives : saison 2 lancée !

Non !!! Ne me dîtes pas que mes amis américains ont oublié de me prévenir ! La saison 2 de Desperate Housewives a déjà commencé!

Heureusement qu’ils ont pensé à enregistrer les 4 premiers épisodes qui sont déjà sortis, maintenant il faudrait qu’ils pensent à me les poster (tu la vois bien l’allusion là non ?! ;-)).

Je vais vous dire, cela m’a fait un choc de voir que j’étais à la bourre : j’étais tranquillement en train de vérifier mes favoris pour les mettre à jour lorsque j’ai découvert le lancement de cette fameuse saison 2 que nous autres anglicistes attendions avec la plus grande impatience.

Après le choc vint l’excitation de pouvoir enfin voir la suite de la série que nous avions délaissé en mai/juin si je me souviens bien. On a dû finir cela juste avant le CAPES.

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