If one owns a television, the likelyhood of having viewed  a commercial surrounding “snuggies” is high. When I first saw the commercial for the blanket with arms, I could not stop laughing. The thought that we need to have a blanket to wear at all times seemed ridiculous; but in fact people do want this easy comfort and easy flexibility while being warm. This correlates with our culture where we are always on the go and want to be able to do many things at once.

With a blanket we are only able to stay wrapped up and cannot perform other activities because we will constantly have to be holding onto the blanket. With the snuggie one is able to do a variety of activities while staying warm at the same time. The commercials for snuggies are ridiculous as they show people wearing giant blankets in a variety of situations. My video displays how ridiculous the concept of a snuggie is by wearing it in a variety of situations which are outlandish to wear a blanket in.

The other day when I was babysitting, the children began watching a show on PBS called “The Electric Company.” This show struck me, because although I found the teaching techniques strange yet interesting, the children I was babysitting were sucked into the show, and loved it. They were truely learning along with the show. The show uses “hip” symbols to express the lesson of the day, and use music such as rap or slow jazz like songs as displayed above. Though the show does not relate to me and is humorous to me just as “Teletubbies” is to adults as well, the television show does its job at targeting children and creating a television show that relates to them and teaches them while entertaining.

This is a picture of an audience viewing the “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” I found this interesting because if you have ever been to a viewing of the movie this is exactly how the audience is. They feel the urge to participate in the movie, as if to re-live it as the movie goes on and experience the film in reality with everyone in the audience. The first time I went to a viewing of the film, I was surprised to realize that I was one of the only people who did not know every line and was not dressed in the proper attire; as characters in the film. “Rocky Horror Picture Show” audiences appear to be generally in synch as far as how to present themselves while watching the film and in sharing their love for the movie.

This photomontage portrays how just as with fashion, one day things are in with media technology and the next day they are not. Watching television shows on the television was a social normality up until very recently. Now, there has been a shift in watching televisions shows for free online. Watching your shows online is now the new “hip” thing to do, as there are fewer, shorter commercials and it is free. Also, by having this ability one is able to watch television anywhere, anytime as long as they have Internet access. Quick, easy, fast and cheap are  four qualities society values today, being accustomed to fast results with our technological advances as well as being interested in anything cheap or free with the current economic climate. The photomontage conveys how television is progressively becoming out of fashion, while hulu is becoming the new trend in watching television.

The television has truly become one of our main sources of communication. Storytelling used to be most dominant between people, and through interpersonal communication, whereas now we hear our stories through the Internet and television. The television has now become one of our primary ways of communicating and learning about the world. For instance, in the first picture every chair is set up to be directed towards the television. I came over unexpectedly, and did not tell the inhabitants the focus of my topic so that everything is left the exact way it always is. Even the table chairs are focused towards the television, so that all eyes face the television. In the second picture it can be seen as well that every chair is facing towards the television. Though this may make for an awkward and uncomfortable social environment, as when sitting, people are not looking at each other when speaking. The third picture also illustrates how the focus is towards the television, so that the television is the main attraction in the room. 

The television is now the main focus of the majority of living rooms seen across campus. I always found it interesting when I would come into a room and we would all talk but none of the couches would actually be facing each other, they would be facing the television, as it is the main attraction.  Although students are able to arrange their rooms in any way they want, the rooms all look very similar besides the fact every room that is seen is equipped with the same furniture. The layout for each room focuses on the television as the main part of the living area. Our shift from talking amongst each other for entertainment has changed to looking towards the television for our

The first difference that audiences view in the two movies is the opening credits. In the older version of the film, the credits feature the old Universal Pictures logo with the stars surrounding the text as well as old-fashioned letters in white with music playing in the background. In contrast, the 1954 movie has music playing in the background as well, the words are more active than just scrolling down the screen as in the older version; they are presented one by one and feature fancy black cursive writing. Also, in the older version the credits as well as the entire movie is in black and white while in the newer version, the credits feature color as well as the movie.

The acting is also a key differential element of the two films. In the original film, the acting is much more obviously drawn out as compared to the more dramatic and stylistic acting that we see in the 1954 movie and are more accustomed to today. For instance, in the original version, the actress playing the daughter signals that the man in the elevator is crying by pointing to her eyes and rubbing them. From these clear, blatant symbols signifying that the man is crying the audience is then able to understand what the man is doing, just in case his acting out the crying was not enough. This supportiveness from the other characters in the film, to convey what is happening and what is being acted out highlights the difference in acting as compared to films we are used to today as well as the remake film.

The transition and change of melodrama can be viewed in comparing these two films. In the original film the acting is less realistic, with the drama being visible within the storyline but not as visible in the actors choices. In comparison, in the 1954 film the melodrama is in full swing; from the dramatic music playing throughout to the artistic screen shots symbolizing the loss and dramatic pain that the actors are feeling. For instance, at the end of the first opening clip of the 1954 remake, when the wife discovers that her husband is dead; she walks outside into the immense beauty of Lake Tahoe, where her house is located. The world around her is green and beautiful, while her world personally is shattered and destroyed. These artistic elements and the tie in with beautiful nature in the midst of the greatest despair displays the 1954 film’s artistic qualities that and creative screen shots that were not seen in the original film. Also, this play on the setting to aid in conveying the feelings of what is occurring in the film illustrates the development of not only filming but also melodrama’s as a whole and how they have developed from the 1930’s to the 1950’s as more artistically beautiful than just a drama and tear jerker film.

The two different versions of the movie Magnificent Obsession display a difference in time and the culture of that time period. From watching the two movies, one is able to view the changes that were made in the nine years that separated the original from the remake. Not only were new technologies introduced that transformed movies from black and white film to color, as well as better quality video cameras that make the 1954 movie more artistically pleasing; the development of melodramas as well as acting can be seen in comparing the two films as well.

References:

Stahl, John (Director). (1935). Magnificent Obsession [Motion picture]. United States:

Universal Pictures.

Sirk, Douglas (Director). (1954). Magnificent Obsession [Motion picture]. United States:

Universal International Pictures.