Career Of Pedro Almodovar Film Studies Essay

Career Of Pedro Almodovar Film Studies Essay Pedro Almodovar is undeniably one of the great film auteur’s of our age, having defined decade’s worth of Spanish national cinema. As stated by Isabel Cadalso â€Å"By the time Franco’s death released Spain’s seething subculture, Almodovar was at the centre of it.† (Cadalso)His combination of witty, flamboyant and daring scripts, brilliant performative actors and the vibrant setting of Spanish culture in Madrid always manage provide an in depth insight into the turbulent lives of his characters. â€Å"Madrid has figured prominently in Pedro Almodovar’s cinema, gradually coming into focus as the implicit protagonist of nearly every work. In these films, the city is regularly images as a cultural force, producing forms of expression and action that challenge traditional values by tearing down and rebuilding the moral institutions of Spanish life: the family, the church and the law.† (D’Lugo)There are always many layers to Almodov ar’s films, particularly in the setting and social context, usually being Madrid. Throughout his career we can see how they have developed with the changing political climate of Spain as well as his maturing age, with his films being particularly different from the 80’s to the 90’s and onwards. Madrid is a metaphorical subtext in his films in many different ways, be it relating to characters, situations they are in or the political climate. As stated in A Punk called Pedro â€Å"Madrid functions as a ‘character’, breaking down boundaries between the public and the private arenas. Madrid provides a framework for the new interactions between social behaviours and ‘becomes the site of a radical series of social desires.† (Toribio) Madrid is a place for Almodovar’s character’s where â€Å"They are able to seek kindred spirits in an atmosphere that†¦ is socially liberating and the impetus for new artistic creativity.† (Toribio) As the city it changes, adapts and explains much of the action that is not in Almodovar’s films. Early in Almodovar’s career, he directed two fantastic, yet very different films; Labyrinth of Passion and Matador. These films were both critically acclaimed and duly noted for their vibrant display of Madrid as setting and as a representation of the new Spanish culture. As written in Pedro Almodovar: A Spanish Perspective during the 1980’s†Spain was experiencing a fascinating period of giddy and radical changes. It was a country thousands of miles away from the distorted portrait Franco had shown to the rest of the world, a portrait that fit only within the hypocritical moral values of a dictatorship.† (Cadalso)It was during this period that Almodovar thrived and these two films were made. â€Å"Madrid is the realistic, almost unaltered decor in which Pepi, Luci, Bom and Labyrinth of Passion were filmed and in which the characters could mo ve more freely, reflecting the experience of a generation of Spaniards, like Almodovar himself, who could only quench their thirst for creativity in the large urban areas: cityscapes in these early films tend to emphasize the concept of physical movement and social mobility underscored the very word, Movida, ‘movement.'† (Toribio) We can see in Labyrinth of Passion the colourful new wave of Spanish culture, so vibrant and different to anything previously known to Spain. A prime example of this is in El Rastro a Sunday street market of Madrid, which â€Å"was an important showcase for all subcultures, but significantly for the movida, because of its unsanctioned and vaguely transgressive status. It was used as a meeting place and some stalls displayed their fanzines, records of emergent punk groups etc. For this reason it is an apt setting for Labyrinth of Passion (1982), especially the opening scene where it becomes Sexilia’s ‘shopping area’ for sex partners.† (Toribio)We see the completely different society to that of what we would have seen under the Francoist regime, there is liberty and freedom, life and passion, which had not been experienced before, culminating in a paradise of difference. As kinder states â€Å"The tortuously complex plot follows the tangled passions of an ensemble of young Madrilà ¨nes trying to escape the crippling influences of repressive fathers in order to pursue their own pleasure.† (Kinder) The subtext of Madrid is telling us how â€Å"†¦The Castilian director unfolded his passions amid a society that had just started to enjoy its own freedom. His uncontrolled and colourful films found a receptive audience in a population that was eager for spontaneity and light, for new stimuli that could again bring joy to the living. The Mediterranean spirit of freedom had been squeezed for four decades, and suddenly there was Almodovar, who dared to show on screen all the passion that previ ously had been politically impossible for Spanish society or its arts to express.† (Cadalso)We see as Sexilia moves through the city how there are many kindred spirits reciprocating the feeling and the buzz, yet there are also occasionally â€Å"non-movida city people, dressed in drab colours and expressionless, provide a background against which Sexilia, in her colourful attire, is distanced from the Spain they conjure up.† (Toribio)This heightens her difference from traditional Spain and the old regime. â€Å"In hiding the city’s shortcomings Almodovar was able to reveal the mood of the country once more as it progressed through the initial euphoria of democracy into disenchantment.† (Toribio) This shows how Maria fits into the Madrid setting and population easily with the new mentality and expressionism present in the place and her peers.

Analyze a Piece of Music from a Concert Hall Essay

Analyze a Piece of Music from a Concert Hall - Essay Example Several times through the rendition observed the major key D exudes positivity and the desire to simply lean back and enjoy is overwhelming. There is a full orchestra accompanying the verbal portion of this particular piece which is reminiscent of the full sound that can be seen in Claude Debussy’s La Mer. While relaxing La Mer had more significant changes in its harmonic rhythm than did Ave Verum Corpes. There was no unresolved dissonance within the recitation itself. As I believe Leonard Bernstein is one of the pre-eminent conductors of our time a small amount of bias may in fact exist from my viewpoint. This rendition was completed and recorded in 1990 and is grainy yet beautiful. Ave Verum Corpes was composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and reflects his rendition of the Eucharist hymn with the same title; this hymn dates from the 14th century and is frequently used during the Benediction of Blessed Sacrament. This particular hymn is attributed originally to Pope Innocent VI dating approximately 1362. In 1791 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote his rendition for a friend Anton Stoll and it was used to celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi. (Ave Verum Corpus 1) With a small 46 bars of music this particular piece serves to introduce transition and end the piece. ... When he was born in 1756 his given name was, Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart. He personally preferred Wolfgang Amede Mozart to the given name and the name he is known by today. The middle name spelled in that manner reflected his appreciation of French culture and language. Mozart never attended a formal educational facility to advance his abilities. (Mozarts life 1) When I listen to the piece I feel as though the very sky is around me, I feel relaxed, and as if I am floating on the clouds. I am also immediately transported to the past and religious services attended. I see robes, crosses, sunlight and clouds. This is a piece that is easy to enjoy and I am no exception to those who enjoy it. It is short, however, even in its relative shortness it is complete and lends itself to the easy listening sometimes required to relax. I enjoyed this piece simply because it allowed me to feel as though I was in another place if only for a few short minutes. By closing oneâ₠¬â„¢s eyes the full quality and beauty of the piece is made readily apparent. With the vibrant crescendo of sound from the full accompaniment in the background it is easy to find myself slipping from the now into the warmth and comfort provided by my imagination. Additional repetitions listening to the piece from a variety of composers lends credence to the idea that a well written musical number is hard to play or perform poorly. One of the more easily enjoyed renditions was the poorly recorded rendition performed by Diana-Marina Fisher in 2008. This particular rendition brought forth a variety of tonal qualities and did nothing to hinder personal enjoyment, in fact

How Much Weekly Exercise Is Needed To Achieve Lasting Health Benefits Research Paper

How Much Weekly Exercise Is Needed To Achieve Lasting Health Benefits - Research Paper Example It was found that 10 minutes of exercise per day, two to three times a week may contribute significant impact on physical and mental health. A study was conducted in order to find out if the impact of perceived notion about the benefits of exercise. It was found that a 10-min bout of exercise has substantial impact on mood (Anderson & Brice, 2010). This was found out by having exercise group in the study who jogged for about 10 minutes and then their moods were assessed prior and after of the session. Another study was able to identify which mode and intensity of exercise program is effective (Delecluse, et al., 2004). The study was able to employ older men, 55-75 years old and were assigned to control groups and had undergone exercise two to three times per week within twenty weeks. The result was staggering considering that there were remarkable results in heart rate, work capacity and recovery, waist girth, insulin response, knee exterior strength, body composition, resting metabolic rate and postural control. Based on conducted scientific studies regarding exercise in different field of expertise, the study of Tanji (2000) was able to explore the benefits of exercise for women in the hope that it can relatively contribute to change of one’s lifestyle. It was suggested that an exercise of 30 to 40 minutes per day or everyday per week should be allocated for moderate intensity aerobic exercise. The above results prove that a good quality and regular physical exercise has significant impact on the human body. ... The above results prove that a good quality and regular physical exercise has significant impact on the human body by cultivating sound and healthy mind resulting to good body condition. The other impacts of exercise However, it is not only on maintaining the healthy physical condition of the body exercise has a significant contribution. It also shows significant benefits to healing and prevention of human illnesses and other related health problems. Using an evidence-based approach, Diehl & Choi (2008) found that the lack of regular physical exercise, which in the case of the United States around 50% of the total population was found not to have it, results to significant health problems such as on mental health, disease prevention and productivity. A scientific investigation using randomized trial approach was conducted in New Zealand to find out if exercise has relevant impact on smoking-cessation outcome (Maddison et al., 2010). Home and community-based exercise were found to hav e significant contribution to smoking cessation. In this study, exercise is particularly determined to contribute to a healthy lifestyle. There was a study conducted employing postpartum-depressed women as respondents (Dritsa et al., 2009). The study was in line with finding the effect of home-based exercise on the reductions in their physical and mental fatigue. This study was part of finding significant mediators for changes in physical fatigue. The result suggests that exercise is a significant activity to reduce physical fatigue especially among postpartum depressed women. Another study was able to determine other significant impact of exercise on the human physical health (Perez, 2008). The study was able to employ significant information from various studies showing