Two of the most popular and critically acclaimed documentaries of our time are “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” directed by David Gelb and “The Gleaners and I” directed by Agnes Varda. Both of these films focus around what we love the most: food. From sushi in “Jiro Dreams of Sushi” to potatoes, cabbages and grapes in “The Gleaners and I” there are delicious foods invading the screens that fill the appetite of the audience, and fills their knowledge with a different perspective on food. But each director has their own style of projecting to the audience their ideas either through scenes of a master sushi chef at work, or in the case of Agnes Varda by expressing her peculiar personality to show that she is part of the gleaning community that finds beauty …show more content…
Varda brings out her childish personality when she is in the car and is fascinated with the trucks passing by that she pretends to catch the trucks with her hand. She also submerges herself in the act of gleaning like when she gleaned heart potatoes to demonstrate how amazed she is with the beauty that others have rejected. However, the scene with the “dance of the camera lens” was unexpected and out of the subject and should be left out of the film because it served no purpose. It was just confusing and distracting from the subject of gleaning. But this scene as well as the scene of the clock with no hands and the leaking in the ceiling is her style of gleaning which can be described as cinematic gleaning. This act consists of capturing images on film that are unappealing and peculiar, and transforming them into beautiful artwork and giving them the spotlight. Despite the fact that the background music was supposed to flow with the scenes and capture the audience into the film, it did the opposite and distracted the audience. Also, the music was not coordinated with the film because at one point the background music, especially the violin playing got weird in a scene that had nothing to do with that feeling, which detracted from the scene in the film. It was also creating this tension where there is none and building confusion upon the
Food Inc. is an informative and revealing documentary film, aimed to expose the dirty truth of the industrial food industry in America. Directed by Robert Kenner and produced by Michael Pollan, this film informs the American people exactly what they are eating and how it’s affecting them, by painting a more realistic picture of the food industry, than that of an agricultural society. With the use compelling images, such as cattle being raised in grassless, manure infested fields with industrial factories in the background, and stories and interviews from farmers, government officials and victims throughout the film, Food Inc. reveals the horrifying immorality of the food industry, to ignite anger and disgust from the audience toward the unethical
Throughout history, investigative journalists have and continue to expose injustices and corruption in America and across the world. In the book Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser retells the history of the fast food industry and exposes its unsanitary environment, unhealthy product composition, and dangerous practices. One could compare this book’s subject to that of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, which exposed the terrible conditions of the meatpacking industry, something Schlosser also discusses within the book. While the conditions of the fast food industry as a whole may be shocking at first, the reader could either drastically change their lifestyle based on the facts presented, or just push them to the back of their mind.
Itzel Juarez September 7, 2014 SOC160 M/W 10:45 Film Analysis Paper: Soul Food Junkies “Soul Food Junkies” Byron Hurt, filmmaker of “Soul Food Junkies,” has created this documentary to inform individuals on why soul food is more than just food to African-Americans. Some of their unhealthy choices are deeper than just wanting comfort food.
Do we eat to live, or live to eat? Food is essential for our survival, but people do not pay attention to the ethics behind the food that they consume. In “Considering the Lobster”, David Foster Wallace aims to regard and think about what people consume. Similar to the idea of Alice Waters, the famous American Chef and owner of Chez Panisse, he explores that eating is a political act that is present in every single choice that people make about food matters. He attempts to criticize the actions of MLF, the Maine Lobster Festival, and open people’s eyes to the cruelty that happens to lobsters.
Culturally, people are fighting against statistics such as, “40 percent of Americans watch television during meals— viewing food as fuel rather than sustenance, discarding family recipes and foodways, and denying that eating has social and political dimensions.” (Pollan, FMR, ¶34), and are trying to make dining an experience rather than a primal necessity. Throughout this chapter, local farmer’s markets are continually used as an example of an open inviting atmosphere where the public can meet those that have harvested the ingredients essential for that night’s dinner. Instead of checking out of a grocery store with a monotone beep in the background with each new item added to their cart, conversations are buzzing in the background of a farmer’s market, “people have ten times as many conversations at the farmers’ market than they do in the supermarket” (Pollan, FMR, ¶24). Farmer’s markets also go hand in hand with the other standpoints behind the food movement that encourage people to eat fresher local foods and promote sustainable farming
The American documentary film, Food, Inc. creates a rhetorical, ceremonial argument that is to anger and disgust consumers that are most prominently of the lower and middle classes by showing them the horrors of the present day industrial food system that tend
The evolving nature of food is affirmed using the evidence presented through visuals, varying sources and expertise of individuals, in the documentaries Supersize me and Food Inc. To begin with, the use of varying visuals is exhibited in the camera angles that the documentary possesses, manipulating the way the viewer sees the subject. Furthermore, the documentaries contain data that is backed up by multiple sources, assuring the reader of the validity of the information being presented. Additionally, their information is further ascertained using interviews from people who are experts in the subject matter and factual statistics that favour their argument. Overall the documentaries provide valid and well supported ideas that convince the viewers that the presented subject matter is significant.
Through,the film he interviews with soul food cooks and historians,as well as with doctors, family members, and everyday people, the film puts this culinary tradition to observe positive and negative consequences of junk food. Hurt, also explores the socioeconomic conditions on several black neighborhoods, where it will be hard to find healthy options. It shows the encouraments on communities to invest by creating sustainable and eco-friendly gardens, advocating for healthier options in local supermarkets. In addition,avoiding highly processed junk foods, and cooking healthier ways of traditional soul food. In addition, soul food is loved by black and white individuals alike.
Never being an “attentive eater,” (Sedaris 31) David Sedaris details his own ever-relentless attempt to form a relationship with food. Taste is arguably one of the most important aspect when it comes to food. While there are other factors, such as presentation, consistency, as well as color, taste plays a very large role in enjoying food. In “Tastless”, Sedaris talks about his personal outlook on food as well as an attempt to regain taste, which he realizes may never actually be possible to do.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi The camera keeps a close watch on Jiro Ono and his apprentices, documenting the perfection and precision in which they delicately handle each slice of raw fish. A whole kitchen staff can be seen working diligently in the background as they prepare for the first customers of the day. With three Michelin stars, Jiro has achieved the highest level of skill and respect for his dedicated work with sushi. For 75 years he had dedicated himself to perfection, accepting only the highest quality of ingredients.
Food, Inc. leaks a certain mystery behind, which contains the true secrets about the journey food takes. Food, Inc., a documentary that demonstrates the current and growth method of food production since the 1950’s, is designed to inform Americans about a side of the food industry. Food Inc. also used persuasion to demonstrates some components of pathos, logos, and ethos while uncovering the mysterious side of the food industry in America. Robert Kenner, the director of Food, Inc., made this film for a purpose. Uncovering the hidden facts and secrets behind the food industry in America.
Article “If You Are What You Eat, Then What Am I?” was published in 1999 in the Kenyon Review. The author describes her childhood life growing up with Indian immigrants. She feels a deep separation from not just her parents but her culture as well. Writer Geeta Kothari explores her personal identity through food. Kothari uses unique writing structure and personal stories to form a well-written piece.
Forward tracking shots, often from a point of view shot, also suggest a movement from the painting and it implies an intimate moment between the portrait and its spectator. Even though the visual aspect is important, to play even more on the living aspect of the painting, the filmmakers also use the music. In the museum scene of Vertigo, the magical feeling of the scene is conveyed because of the editing but also because of the score that matches the different cuts of the
Bourdain travels to several different restaurants and homes of inviting chefs learning how culture and ethnicity can effect the way food is prepared and consumed. While in these restaurants and homes he also discovers how the political affairs have bitter sweet effects on people. In conclusion, Anthony Bourdain does not beat around the bush, he is blunt and will let you what he thinks no matter who you are or where you come from. Bourdain has created an informational and amusing way to show his viewers the extravagant background to food in
What makes food and memory so complex is the inability to separate the two. Because of the social norms of Fisher’s childhood, she grew up with set family roles, little say in the household, and a “speak when spoken” to mentality. Ultimately, this structure helped pave the way for her idealogical breakthrough. As Fisher describes throughout her memoir, The Gastronomical Me, what makes food memories so complicated is not the taste of the food, rather the memories and the people with whom these meals are shared with. Through these mealtime experiences, Fisher develops her own philosophies, adopting a newer generation’s ideals regarding the power a meal holds and the people that participate.