THE JOKER – Phillips 2019  

Rating- 7/10  

I enjoyed the film mostly, however it was a little too gory for my liking. The storyline and origin of the joker was interesting to see as i now understand the character and the reasons behind his actions. Though Arthur was continuously doing unforgivable things the movie still allowed you to empathies with him and his struggle. 

A memorable scene of this film was Arthur dancing down the stairs, i thought it was interesting to see the contrast of his mood from the beginning of the film when he is depressed and angry climbing up the stairs to the clip of him dancing down the stairs carelessly and his character as the joker being fully developed.   

The spectrum of the arts refers to how art as a concept is so wide that it must be categorised, into the performance, representational, and recording arts. Ancient historians originally recognised art as being divided into 7 different categories; History, poetry, comedy, tragedy, music, dance, and astronomy. In the 1200’s, art had evolved in meaning, going from a way to classify types of study and performance, to a more practical connotation. Art’s meaning changed frequently from the 1200’s to the 1800’s, becoming synonymous with “skills” towards the 1500’s. Eventually, the sub-category fine arts was made, to distinguish sculpture and painting inside the clause of art. In the 1800’s, sciences like astronomy and philosophy were being associated with the sciences instead of the arts, due to the rise in scientific discovery and understanding.

The spectrum of arts were split into performance art, which relates to art that happens in real time; examples of performance art are theatre and dance. Representational arts relate to art that depends on societal contexts and language codes to deliver a message to an audience; examples of representational art are paintings and sculptures. Recording arts relate to art that more directly links itself to its audience; an example of a recording art is music.

What does Monaco mean by the term “The Spectrum of the Arts”? 

The spectrum refers to the development of ‘art’ throughout decades of history, and it explains how eventually film and other sorts of recorded media found its own place within the form of art.  

In the beginning, the ancients recognized History, Poetry, Comedy, Tragedy, Music, Dance and Astronomy as the seven forms of art. These forms were used as tools to understand the world and culture around them. As for the Greeks and Romans, they further categorized Poetry into three categories: Lyric, Dramatic, and Epic.  

However, as centuries passed, changes to these aforementioned forms of art were made. Dance, for starters, was dropped from the list and replaced by Geometry, which marked the growing importance of mathematics and other more “scientific” forms. And in the twentieth century as the modernized version of science was developing, recorded media was starting to revolutionize.  

Film became an entirely new art form in which there was a much more direct understanding between viewer and creator. Visually, film changed the way art could be consumed. Then, when sound and colour got created within films, marking the end of the silent film era, the art of cinematography really cemented its place in the so called “Spectrum of Arts”.  

Monaco states that the word ‘art’ itself shows us a lot about the history of art and how art was used by our ancestors. Art was once recognized in seven different forms: poetry, history, comedy, astronomy. Music, dance, and tragedy. This was because they all signified an important aspect of the universe we lived in. However, the term ‘art’ started to shift its meaning during the thirteenth century where the term art started to become used more for practical reasons such as geometry, it was also re-order to fit the trivium (grammar. Rhetoric and logic). Although, these changes only applied for a university setting, while outside a university the term ‘art’ was used more liberally for different skills like the ‘art of medicine.’ Eventually. In the sixteenth century the word art and the word skill were interchangeable since to be able to master an ‘art’ or ‘skill’ you would need a lot of practice. During the seventeenth century, the modern term for fine arts started to rise and sculpting and painting started to get recognized as an art, while geometry and mathematics started to be seen as separate. Later, a difference between ‘art’ and ‘artisan’ was made which was a new phrase of ‘creative’ or ‘imaginative.’ As science was developing quickly in the nineteenth century, the definition of art started to decrease, since science was gaining added information, updated terms were created such as ‘chemistry’ to help organize. Eventually the term ‘art’ referred to visual arts or literate arts. As technology improved, art was classified as advanced, creating the Dada movement in 1920 where art became basic and met the minimum quantum.  

What does Monaco mean by the term “The Spectrum of The Arts”?

Monaco idea of “The spectrum of the arts” simply suggests the wide range of art and artist out there, it also suggest the distinctive styles, ideas, and message throughout art. Monaco states there are many types of art for example creative art, or spoken art, or written art an even other art like history, poetry, comedy, tragedy, music and dance, and astronomy.Those are 7 activities that are seen as art. However, astronomy and geometry are no longer consider art in this century

To understand how the recording arts set up their place in the spectrum of art, Monaco implies it is necessary first to define some of the basic concepts of that spectrum. Furthermore, there is a wide range of factors that interrelate to give each of the classical and modern arts its own personality, resulting in some elaborate aesthetic equations. Two ordering systems, one nineteenth- century in origin, the other more contemporary, suggest themselves at once.

There are many differences between the unique forms of art. For example, drama performance vs film is two similar arts in terms of acting however they are also very unique and different. A drama performance is performed on a stage which consists of not as many people acting and not as many props being used in the performance while in a film there is a lot of actors whether it is in the background in a film or help produce and direct it. When performing a drama performance if you mess up you cannot just cut that scene and start it all over again, you must hide you mistake by acting confident.

What does Monaco mean by the term “The Spectrum of the Arts”? 

James Monaco’s concept of the “spectrum of the arts” refers to the idea that art comes in many forms, varying sensory inputs and executions – whether that be history, music, poetry, comedy, tragedy, dance or astronomy (these were what the ancients considered to be art). In the Roman and Greek times, only three were recognised: Lyric, Dramatic and Epic, their muses were Euterpe, Melpomene, and Calliope. By the 16^th century, art equated to skill, such as musicians, craftsmanship or medicinal skills; In the late 17^th century the range narrowed down to what we now know to be ‘Fine Arts’, this included painting, sculpture, drawing, architecture. 

With the rise of modern science, astronomy and geometry were no longer regarded as an art form. 

The 19^th century introduced the ‘avant-garde movement’, this means new and experimental, so things such as plays rose to popularity. Back then all arts were in ‘real-time’, meaning it was all performed live and produced live, elements like post-production and recording weren’t implemented until the 1910/20s. The adaption of novels and playwrights into performances (theatre and film) allowed a new perspective on stories, for example, using sound effects and facial expressions from the actors to imply background sounds and emotions – instead of just reading the description of them on paper. Film is an art form which incorporates sound and sight, making it stand out from poetry, music, comedy and dance. 

Mainstream films-  

The breakfast club 

Genre- drama 

Date- February 15, 1985 

Director- john Huges  

Plot “group of teenagers in detemntion and become frineds “ 

Love Simon  

Genre- lgbtq+  

Date- March 6, 2018  

Director- Greg Berlanti 

Plot-” Simon Spier keeps his sexual orientation a secret from his family. However, when a blackmailer threatens to reveal it, he goes on a roller-coaster journey to come to terms with his identity”. 

A bugs life  

Genre- kids, animation  

Date- 1989 

Director- john Laseter 

The shape of water 

Genre- romance fantasy  

Date- 2017   

Director-Guillermo  

Plot- “Elisa, a lonely janitor, stumbles upon an amphibious creature that is held captive in a secret research facility. She then develops a unique relationship with the creature.” 

Historically significant  

Battleship potkimin 

Genre – war  

Date- 1925 

Director- Sergei Eisenstein 

Plot- “When the sailors of battleship Potemkin are fed rancid meat, they decide to fight for better living conditions. In the process, their leader Vakulinchuk gets killed.” 

Seven Samurai  

Genre – action, adventure 

Date- 1954  

Director- Akira Kurosawa 

Plot- “A veteran samurai gathers six of his men to protect a village from the cruel bandits. As the samurais teach the natives how to defend themselves, the village is attacked by a group of 40 bandits” 

Wizard of oz  

Genre- fantasy  

Date 1939 

Director-victor Fleming 

Plot-” A young Kansas girl who dreams of a better life” somewhere over the rainbow” is caught in the eye of a tornado and lands in the fantasy world of Oz.” 

The magnificent seven  

Genre- western, war 

Date- 1960 

Director- john sturges  

 lands in the fantasy world of Oz. 

Plot- “Chris Adams, an experienced gunslinger, forms a team with six other men in order to save a Mexican village from a group of bandits led by Calvera. However, each of the seven men have their own plan.” 

Art film  

Fitzcarraldo 

Genre- adventure/ action  

Date- 1982  

Director-werner herzog 

Plot- “An Irishman, who lives in Iquitos, dreams of opening an opera house in the city. In order to collect money to pursue his goal, he decides to get involved in rubber business.” 

Art Film 

Alphaville – 1965, sci-fi/noir. This is an art film because its aesthetics are stronger than the actual plot of the film. 

Fitzcarraldo – 1982, adventure/drama. This is an art film because it is independently produced, as well as a weaker storyline in comparison to the visuals. 

Mainstream Film 

A Bug’s Life – 1998, family/adventure. This is a mainstream film because it’s made for everyone, mainly children, as the topics aren’t difficult to understand and its purpose is entertainment, not a statement. 

The Shape of Water – 2017, fantasy/romance. This is a mainstream film as it did well at the box office. 

The Breakfast Club – 1985, comedy/drama. This is a mainstream film because it’s widely known by all cultures, ages, genders. 

Love, Simon – 2018, drama. This is a mainstream film because the topics within it are widely accepted, and to some people it’s relatable. 

Historically Significant Film 

The Wizard of Oz – 1939, musical/fantasy. This is a historically significant film because it was made over 80 years ago, it has a deeper meaning, representing various flaws in people, and it’s Judy Garland. 

Battleship Potemkin – 1925, war/thriller. This is a historically significant film because it recounts the events which occurred during the Russian Revolution. 

Seven Samurai – 1954, action/adventure. This is a historically significant film because it influenced The Magnificent Seven, as well as many other films of the same genre. 

The Magnificent Seven – 1960, western/action. This is a historically significant film because it is one of the most accurate representations of professional gunfighters.