Monday, April 26, 2010

HUM 221: In-class journal, 'Smoke Signals' (Part 1)

What did you learn from following the screenplay of Sherman Alexie's "Smoke Signals" Friday while you watched the movie? How many changes did you notice from the screenplay compared to the movie as filmed? Were they significant? For example, what's different about the opening scene that shows the radio announcer sitting in a lawn chair on top of the KREZ van? What does it add? Does it slow the action?

In general: Were you able to follow the script right through the movie, or did you kind of surf in and out of it? Would you recommend following the screenplay on other movies if you had one available? Why or why not?

Please post your responses as comments to this post.

For Wednesday: Watch for John Wayne's teeth (yeah, that's what I said), as we screen the second part of the movie today. Be ready to write about them.

21 comments:

Shakeria said...

i didnt have my book to follow alone but i think that there were some changes....i liked the movie so far i liked the fact that the boys jumped from young to old throughout the movie... when i read the screenplay i didnt think that it would be as interesting as it was.

Tara Proctor said...

I think the movie is interesting. I like the flashbacks to the past. I think the scene with the news guy in the lawn chair is funny, the broadcasts are really funny. I think that it depends on the person as to if we should read the script while watching or not. Sometimes it can be distracting and if yoiu are reading they you aren't watching the characters and how they interact or the background stuff.

ajgand said...

I really ejoyed the first part of this movie. I didn't think that tht acting was all that good. I thought that it was really sad that Victor's dad left when he was just a child. I also think that the by with the glasses is kind of annoying. I am curious to find out if all reservations drink like the people in the movie.

Michael Hayes said...

The movie is pretty good. Ive liked it so far. The news broadcasts keep the story light and add some humor. It seems like they show how boring the res is. I dont think following the screenplay is a good idea. Its too hard to do both and i dont like it.

Catey Rutschke said...

The movie leaves out a few points that were in the screenplay. It is hard to follow along in the book while you are watching the movie, so I would not recommend following along. I do like the movie and the screenplay however. The movie shows a good comparison from today's Native American life.

dave maziarz said...

ive liked the movie to this point. victors dads leavin made the movie realy sad i thought. i liked the broadcasts. the res seems very uneventful. it doesnt seem to follow the screenplay to a t.

Cait131 said...

-I really enjoyed the first part of the movie. The thing I liked about it was that there were flashbacks to when they are younger and till they're older. I have to admit that I haven't read much of the book yet, but some things are similiar and some are not. That's how books/screenplays and movies usually are though, meaning that they're not always the same and have little changes and differences.

-I think it depends of the person to whether or not they want to follow the screenplay throughout the movie. I think it would be kind of cool to see if everything matches up or ends up changing. But then again it might end up confusing people.

Michael D. said...

That Native Americans live very similar to how we live. They live in a small town but they still dress similar to us, live in simlar houses like we do,drive vehicles, and watch movies. They even have there own radio station. I also learned that they drive backwards and it seemed like they eat a lot of fry bread. I wasnt able to follow the script because I couldnt concentrate on the movie. I wouldnt recommend following screenplays because it takes away from the movie. They are to different pieces of artwork and you should focus on one or the other. I think it would be a good idea to read a screenplay before or after the movie so you can get a better feel for the movie and see the differences.

logan eader said...

It was an eye opener to see how alcohol affected the Native Americans. it was sad to me to see that Victors dad left them because he couldnt give up his addiction. overall though, the first part of the movie was well directed. it isnt the most exciting movie, but then again life on a reservation wouldnt be too thrilling. i liked how they continued to flash back to victors memories as a child; it helps understand the struggles that he has went through.

TMAC said...

I enjoyed the first part of the movie. Not the greatest acting, but still a good movie. There are some funny parts in it which i liked. Following the screen play was alright, but i dont think i would like to do it for any other movie.

Chris Day said...

The movie to this point has been pretty good. Some parts have been funny which lightens the mood a little, but other parts have been serious. The serious parts, I feel, gets Alexie's point across, especially the problems of drinking on the reservation. I do not think that following the screenplay and the movie at the same time is a good idea. It is to hard to focus on reading the screenplay, and at the same time follow the movie for details.

Anonymous said...

The movie is very different. It is trying to show some of the native customs and traditions, but it provides a lot of comic relief. My favorite line is the only thing sadder than indians on tv is indians watching indians on tv. classic

mikefleshman said...

I liked the first part of the movie. It seems that life on the reservation is kind of boring. The acting is not that great but there is some humor in the movie that keeps me interested. The movie tries to follow the screenplay but it seems too difficult to write the movie exactly as the screenplay was written.

Kathleen said...

The movie is pretty interesting so far. I like the flashbacks that show Victor and his fathers past. I think that trying to follow it with the screenplay is hard. I wouldn't recommend it. I would rather read the screenplay first, hten watch the movie.

calenevill said...
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calenevill said...
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calenevill said...

The movie didnt seem very intesting to me at first. The movie started a little slow but built up to greay screen play and great actors. they really portrayed the struggles indians go through each and every day.

Jake Hill said...

I think the movie is a cool movie. I like how it shows his childhood. It is distracting that you try to look at the script and watch the movie.

Brad Selvaggio said...

i thought the movie was interesting. it started out really slow but the play kicked in. it wass kinda sad that his dad left too.

Chris Day said...

I think that the part about John Wayne's teeth was ment to show that he was never smiling when he was dealing with problems unlike the native americans in this movie. I think the themes in the movie have to deal with the problems that surround the Native Americans on the reservation. For instance, the heavy drinking and the violence.

Lucas Baugher said...
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