Defiance

I thought that this was an excellent movie.  As soon as I saw the trailer for this film, I was captivated.  I immediately wanted to see the whole movie, and know more about the subject, and tell my friends and family about it, which, I imagine, is what the goal of a movie is.  Not only is this story incredible, but the actors who played the characters in this movie were exceptional.  I particularly liked the man who played Tuvia.  I thought he was an amazing actor and really made an impact on me.  I feel like he was the center for everyone throughout the film.  I am always especially impressed with actors who play roles in movies dealing with such heavy content, such as the holocaust.  They have to be especially talented.  This movie, along with any movie dealing with the holocaust, has a special effect on me.  Although stories about the holocaust are extremely hard to hear about and watch, they make for some of my favorite stories because they are so impactful.  I have been hearing learning about the holocaust my entire life, and I always find it fascinating to learn more about it and hear more about that time period.  There were so many good parts to this movie.  So much can be related to todays world, such as the struggle to maintain humanity in a sometimes particularly hard period of time, or deciding to put the value of your life and the lives of the people you care about above redemption.  These brothers were absolutely amazing; the things that they did, most people would not be able to do.  They were courageous, brave, strong, and powerful: born leaders.  This film definitely left a lasting impression on me, for the content the extraordinary acting, and the educational value it had.  I would definitely recommend this film to anyone and everyone.

Tuvia's statement in the film "Our revenge is to live." is extremely powerful.  The Nazis goal was to completely terminate the entire Jewish population.   Not one Jew was supposed to be left living, or it would taint Hitler's Aryan race.  Escaping into the woods, and being able to survive the holocaust as a Jew when so millions of their brothers and sisters were slaughtered every day, was revenge enough.  The fact that the Nazis did not get them, they were not captured and treated like animals, they were not brutally murdered for no reason whatsoever, was the ultimate redemption.  Staying alive throughout this time was the only thing that they could do.  I do believe that humanity and revenge can co exist, to a certain extent.  In an extreme situation like this one, it is definitely hard to know where to draw the line. How far is too far to go to get revenge before you give up your morals, your values, and everything else that makes you a human being? It is a very thin line.  Zus definitely crossed this line at one point in the film.  Tuvia was constantly intent on preserving their humanity, and by doing that, he believed they would get revenge.  I believe that wanting revenge is a natural human emotion, along with all of the other things that we feel on a daily basis.  However, choosing to act on that feeling, or not act on it, is what makes us human, and helps us preserve our humanity in questionable and hard times.

The Godfather

I did not particularly like The Godfather. I didn't think that it was amazing, but I also didn't think it was completely terrible. I guess I was more indifferent about it. I just don't understand why it is considered a classic, or, by some, one of the greatest films of all time. I did not like the plot of the movie. I am not really interested in this particular time of history though, or the concept of organized crime, so this movie was kind of boring to me. I suppose that this movie portrays organized crime well though, and it would be interesting and a good movie to someone who is interested by that type of thing in history. The only parts of the movie that really impacted me were all the deaths, and how all the deaths occurred. Many of them shocked me and many made me actually cringe. The way they treated people, killing left and right as if people were not alive human beings, was appalling. I can't say I got a particular theme or message out of this movie. I would only recommend this to others if they are interested in the very specific topic of organized crime, otherwise, it would probably bore most people.

Vito Corleone is essentially the "moral" center of this film.  Out of all of the Corleone men, I feel like he is the one with the best moral compass. Although he had done many bad and illegal things throughout his life, it has all been with his family in mind, and to protect them. He also refuses to get wrapped up in the drug business, which shows that he really does have a moral center and cares about doing the right thing. Although I did not really like this movie or connect to any particular characters, it was sad when Vito Corleone collapsed and died in his tomato plants. Allthough many people were freed from the manipulation of the Don when he died, it was still a sad moment and the "end of an era".

I don't know much about organized crime, but I imagine this film is very different from how it is normally portrayed. I imagine that organized crime would for the most part be told from the outside. The stories of the horrors of organized crime would be told from an outside point of view, without truly knowing what the reasons for it are or what is going on inside. This movie lets you see that. It shows you what the reasoning is behind all the crime, what the people are really thinking and doing. This is a fresh new perspective on the concept of organized crime. This new angle could be why many people consider this movie such a classic. I, however, don't agree with that.