Topic 3 - Alphaville

Lecture

So this week was all about Alphaville and French New Wave Cinema. Alphaville. I hardly know where to start. A French Film Noir with a futuristic storyline set on another planet. It was oddly intriguing and the thing that struck me was that I actually enjoyed it! The film tells of a world of dystopia, a world taken over by a computer that controls everything in the fictional world of Alphaville. No one may display emotion or have any idea of individualism or ask 'why?' The whole movie was in French which I found to be more effective than had it been in English, though I'm not sure how much of a conscious decision that was by the filmmakers seeing as French was their first language. The film is definitely not for everyone especially these days with so many action-packed blockbusters around. However, I found it intriguing and really enjoyed the old school method of story telling.

Readings

The readings this week focussed on different film terms and information that had relevance to Alphaville. It particularly highlighted how this movie was one of the first of it's kind and was quite the evocative piece, breaking free from all stereotypes of the era and presenting new ideas about technology. It also discusses the release of French New Wave Cinema and the new filming techniques that came with it. Alphaville made quite the impact on audiences and the film industry alike and it's interesting to see modern day cinema try to emanate that.

Tutorial

The main task is to write about my use of New Communication Technologies in communicating with friends and family. I use my mobile phone everyday to text and call my friends - it's been like an extension of my arm since I was 12. I use the computer everyday and am obsessed with Facebook. As much as it's a somewhat unhealthy obsession to be on the computer everyday, I couldn't possibly talk to my friends in Canada and in the UK as much as I do without it. Privacy is an issue, and I make sure that my profile is private and I only ever add people I know. I never put my personal details anywhere on the Internet and use it purely for social means. Without these technologies, my life would be very different and to be honest, I like having all these things available to me.