1. How do you think the musical scenes contributed to the film? Did you like them? Which stood out to you the most and why?
2. What role did the women in the movie play? We see Rachel get back together with Dap, do you think she made the right choice? How were the women portrayed?
3. What were your reactions to the ending?
1. I’m not quite sure what direct effect the musical numbers had on the film. I’m guessing that it sort’ve made the film a bit more detached from reality which is an interesting approach since a lot of the many, many, many themes are easily applicable to real life situations The “Good and Bad Hair” song was the most powerful musical number to me just because it set up that specific theme in a very clear and entertaining way.
ReplyDelete2. The role of the women in this movie seems to be just a basic supporting role as far as any of the male characters are concerned. I do think that Jane was the most influential character on the audience’s opinion of other characters just because of how badly she was treated. Both Jane and Rachel do go running back to the men that hurt them, which in my opinion makes them seem weak and overly dependent on their male counterparts.
3. I wish that the movie had either ended a scene or two earlier or had a scene or two more before attempting an ending. There were just too many loose strings or underdeveloped plots or unexplained happenings that didn’t get resolved by the literal wakeup call at the end. I think that that might have been the point, however. As in, the world needs to wake up from all of the ignorance about these issues before they have the chance to get fully resolved. Nonetheless, it didn’t quite sit right to me as a powerful ending.
1. How do you think the musical scenes contributed to the film? Did you like them? Which stood out to you the most and why?
ReplyDeleteI thought that the musical scenes were fun to listen to, but they did not fit make sense. In most musicals it does not make sense when everyone randomly starts singing, but in this the two factions of women just randomly teleport into some random building and then back. I like the singing in them but that one part I just could not get over, even though it does happen in a lot of musicals. My favorite part was the almost fight at the KFC, because it shows the class difference in education between the college kids and the uneducated workers.
2. What role did the women in the movie play? We see Rachel get back together with Dap, do you think she made the right choice? How were the women portrayed?
I really don’t like the way that even after what Julian did to her, Jane still wanted to be with him. It goes back to the question of why people want to join Gamma Phi Gamma in the first place, but why does Jane want to be with Julian after what he does to her? Overall, I think that the two main women, Jane and Rachel, both have an issue where they want to be with a man even if that man insults them or forces them to do something they do not want to. As you can probably guess I do not like that Rachel gets back together with Dap, because he refuse to change until after she leaves him.
3. What were your reactions to the ending?
I think that as an ending to this movie it makes no sense, but has a reference to real life it kind of makes sense. I think that what Spike Lee was trying to convey, is that everyone needs to wake up and notice all the problems with the world, such as the topics we wrote on the board in class. I still think it is a weird decision to make that the end of the movie, because to me it does not feel like it wraps anything up, or even makes sense in terms of the movie.
1) I liked the musical scenes because I thought that both of them, the scene in the hair salon and the step dance scene, showed two well-known aspects of black life. However, I did particularly like the scene in the hair salon because it expressed a very important and prominent aspect of black female life: hair and what it means to have good hair. As a black female, I find myself spending more time doing my hair than any other type of self-maintenance, and my big curly hair has come to represent part of my identity. I thought the dispute between the lighter-skinned girls with weave and the darker-skinned girls with nappy hair was interesting because I have witnessed hair being such a big part of the black female experience, with my friends, family, and even myself.
ReplyDelete2) Women were portrayed as sex objects a lot during this movie, from the swimsuit dance to Jane with the Gammites. When Rachel got back together with Dap, they just went to his dorm, he got undressed, and then he tried to have sex with her. Then, that same night, Dap just left Rachel in his dorm with his roommate while he went "out". Re-accepting Dap was totally not a smart move on Rachel's part. Even when Dap was begging for Rachel's forgiveness soaking wet outside her window, he was just talking about how he had better stuff to do anyways. Dap just wanted Rachel's forgiveness -- he wasn't actually sorry because he didn't really change; he was inconsiderate and unsupportive. Not smart Rachel, not smart...
3) I can't tell if I really don't like the ending or if I can tolerate it. It was a good ending in the sense that a resolution was found: everyone (including Dap and Julien) was united — everyone had woken up. However, it was a very sudden happiness that I feel could not have been achieved so quickly in real life. Not to mention that the whole fiasco with Jane and Half-Pint and Julien had already ruined the movie for me.
1. I don’t think the musical scenes added to the movie in any major way. To me, all the musical scenes did was make a platform for an argument to happen. In the case of when the two groups of girls meet in the hallway, story wise, I don’t think there was a reason for the musical. If Spike Lee had cut out that musical, the story still would have hade sense and people would know that they were arguing about being proud of their race or trying to look like another. I am indifferent to the musical scenes. I am fine with watching them, but I could also do without them. Seeing as I don’t think the scenes added anything extremely huge to the plot, the main song that sticks out is the argument in the beauty shop. This is because it shows the main problem that is apparent through the whole movie, that you should be proud of who you are.
ReplyDelete2. The women in the movie played a secondary role in the movie and were portrayed mainly as objects. We see this prominently in the last scene where Julian “gives” Jane to Half-Pint as if she is something and not someone. I don’t know if Rachel made the right choice in getting back together with Dap. We saw Dap be a bit of an asshole while trying to reconnect with Rachel, and we also never get a clear sense of his intentions of being with her. It could go both ways depending on who you asked and what they thought of Dap and Rachel individually.
3. I didn’t like the ending mainly because the music, sound, lighting, and general vibe of the scene prompted a huge reveal. But all we got was “Wake up.” I think the reason Spike did this, is because he wants the audience to realize that those two words, is what he wants us to take away from this movie. It may not have been the reveal I was expecting, but I think that this was on purpose.
1. How do you think the musical scenes contributed to the film? Did you like them? Which stood out to you the most and why?
ReplyDeleteOn their own, I thought they were fine. Nit terribly memorable, but they were well-choreographed and fairly catchy. The song "Good and Bad Hair"middle a decent job touching on the divide in black culture (albeit no better than the rest of the film did). However, I found they took away from the movie as the stopped the story dead in its tracks and kind of wasted run time. A common piece of advice for writing musicals is that at the end of each song, the characters should be in a different place than when they started. A musical number should move the story along just as much as a dialogue scene or an action scene. At the very least, the song should give us some insight into the characters we wouldn't have gotten otherwise. All the musical numbers in "School Daze" feel aimless. Even "Good and Bad Hair", which at least addresses the conflict between the two groups of girls, just tells us what we already know.
2. What role did the women in the movie play? We see Rachel get back together with Dap, do you think she made the right choice? How were the women portrayed?
I appreciated the fact that the women play a more active role in the story than they did in "Do the Right Thing". In my blog on "Do the Right Thing", I said that I thought that the film tried to explore the culture of this Brooklyn neighborhood but neglected the experiences and contributions of women to that culture. This film does a better job of exploring the tensions on both sides, showing us the similarities and differences between the way the conflict is addressed with the men and with the women. Rachel is an interesting character who doesn't just feel like a stereotype. I may have been frustrated by her decision to go back to Dap (I thought that his apology was insincere and that he didn't seem to have any interest in actually being a better boyfriend), but I could understand why she might go back to him. However, I still feel like the women are sometimes portrayed as sexy objects in the sex scenes. I also felt like the scene with Jane and Half-Pint, while most likely well-intentioned and meant to make a point about how dangerous toxic masculinity can be to women, was so quickly glanced over that it kind of trivialized the issue.
3. What were your reactions to the ending?
I thought that the ending had the potential to be powerful and thought-provoking but, due to it not being well tied in with the rest of the film, ended up being confusing and meaningless. Because the themes of the film are so messy that it was hard to tell which of them this wake-up call was alluding to, if it was alluding to any of them. What should we "wake up" to? The importance of Dap's cause? The dangers of toxic masculinity? The cultural divide amongst black Americans? It was confusing, and the build up to Dap saying "wake up" again at the end and nothing else felt incredibly underwhelming and disappointing. I was also somewhat confused and troubled by the fact that, after the horrible thing he had just done to Jane, Dean was allowed to join Dap in this triumphant moment.
-Joanie
1. How do you think the musical scenes contributed to the film? Did you like them? Which stood out to you the most and why?
ReplyDelete2. What role did the women in the movie play? We see Rachel get back together with Dap, do you think she made the right choice? How were the women portrayed?
3. What were your reactions to the ending?
I enjoyed them in general, but I almost feel like they took away from the weight of the movie and the problems it was introducing. I think the one I remember the best was the hair salon scene. I’m not sure why i remember it so well, but I felt like it showed many aspects and problems, but it seemed so lightweight that it took away from the problems.
I felt like they all seemed to be secondary characters. None of them were on their own. Every significant woman seemed to have a man she was tied to, like Julian and Jane, and Dap and Rachel.
I absolutely hated the ending of the movie. I think anything could have been better than the breaking of the fourth wall. They could have had Julian and Dap say it to each other and I think that would have been alright, just something else.
1. How do you think the musical scenes contributed to the film? Did you like them? Which stood out to you the most and why?
ReplyDeleteDuring the movie, I felt the musical scenes were unnecessary and especially too long. I think that instead of a serious movie, challenging intra-racism, Spike Lee added unimportant musical scenes that didn’t really add much to the movie. Although they scenes were good, they weren’t essential to the movie.
2. What role did the women in the movie play? We see Rachel get back together with Dap, do you think she made the right choice? How were the women portrayed?
The women in the movie were all objectified by the men, especially with Jane. Even though what Julian put Jane through was bad, it played an important role in the movie, showing that under appreciation of woman, only to be used as sex objects. I think Rachel that shouldn’t have gotten back with Dap because it seemed to me that Dap only wanted to for her skin color and looks.
3. What were your reactions to the ending?
I was really confused. I just sat there looking at screen, wondering how the movie could just end like that. I understand the meaning of “wake up”, as being a call to the viewers to wake up about intra-racism and open their eyes to difference. I just thought the ending was very abrupt.
ReplyDelete1. I personally think that the movie didn't need to have musical aspects to it. In a way it took away from the movie and made it seem like the bad version of Grease but in college. That being said I really liked the Hair song. It was interesting to see how easily these women were able to put each other down for ideas that were so superficial like hair. I just think the other songs didn't need to be such a big deal in the concept to the movie.
2. Women are very one dimensional in this movie and they are almost always seen with men, arguing with men, or being objectified by them. The scene where the Gamma Rays went and picked up the Gamma's capes and hats really angered me. They were always fighting with other women and trying to impress other men which I don't think is right. They are really seen as just objects for the men to just pass around and throw away when they want. I was really disappointed to see Racheal get back together with Dap, especially after his sorry excuse for an apology to her. I think it really just shows the double standard that guys are able to get away with how the negatively treat women and women are just supposed to except this fate.
3. I HATE the ending. I was really upset at how Julian turned Jane and Half Pint sleeping together into her fault, and an excuse to break up with her. The end also made me hate Half Pint for actually going through with that insane plan. Also I don't really understand why Dap screamed "wake up" for like 3 minutes and everyone came out. Maybe this movie was showing how dumb, damaging, and sad college life can be and possibly exposing people to the dangers of it. I feel like the ending left too many loose ties and questions. Spike Lee really can't write an ending to save his life.
1. How do you think the musical scenes contributed to the film? Did you like them? Which stood out to you the most and why?
ReplyDeleteI think that the purpose of the musical scenes was to use vibrant images and sound to keep the audience interested in specific parts of the plot. For example, the first musical scene focused on the divide between black girls with natural hair and black girls with straight hair. In my opinion, this particular musical scene added a touch of life to the situation; I feel that without it, the exchange between the two girls would be a little dull. I also believe that, because of its relevance to the plot, well-choreographed dances, and overall catchy tune, this musical scene stood out the most to me. However, the other scenes were not without their charm; I enjoyed them all because it seemed like an innovative way of not letting the movie drag on.
2. What role did the women in the movie play? We see Rachel get back together with Dap, do you think she made the right choice? How were the women portrayed?
I believe that "School Daze" could be one of the minor reasons why Spike Lee was seen as being sexist. Similar to "Do the Right Thing," the women were not as involved in the plot as the men were. Jane was ultimately used as a sex symbol and is then degraded as being Julian's "gift" to Half-Pint. The only other significant female in the movie is Rachel, who, in my opinion, did not make the right decision in taking back Dap. I really wanted them to get back together; that is, until (while he begs for forgiveness from his girlfriend), Dap says that he has "better things to do." This made Dap's apology seem more like the act of a guilty conscience, not an act of love. Besides these two women, the rest of the females in this movie are used for sexual appeal and make little to no contribution to the plot.
3. What were your reactions to the ending?
Against popular belief, I really enjoyed the ending for two reasons: the first is the message that the ending portrayed. Dap is telling everyone to "wake up," not only from their physical slumbers, but also their "social" slumbers as well. Today, we call this social awakening "being woke." This was a positive for me, because it showed that while everyone in the movie had their differences, they all have one thing in common: they all need to "wake up." The second reason is that it revealed the particular theme of waking up, which Spike Lee exhibits in all of the films that we have seen so far. His first film, "She's Gotta Have It," begins with Nola waking up; "Do the Right Thing" begins with Mister Señor Love Daddy telling people to wake up over he radio, and "School Daze" ends with Dap telling the audience to wake up. I personally love when different films can connect with one another; so, the ending was a "cool" film moment for me.
The musical scenes that I was able to watch really added a different narrative to the story. Spike kind of stepped away from reality and described his characters struggles between each other in a different creative way. I think it shows more emotion, because with dancing and singing you can show things that would otherwise look awkward normally. But, the musical scene with the girls dancing on stage didn't seem as necessary to me. Now, I only watched one half of the film, but still it just kind of seemed for pure entertainment with out any real meaning.
ReplyDeleteI have mixed feeling about the role of women in this movie. On one hand, Rachel seemed like a strong and independent woman. Often denying her boyfriend's wishes and staying with her own beliefs. On the other hand, the sorority women where displayed in a very sexist way. They where seemed to be all about pleasing the brothers and to make sure they look good and have good hair. The most sexist scene was definitely the stage singing scene, when the girls sing "don't leave me home alone."
I didn't watch the end of the movie. Soooo.... yeah.
1. How do you think the musical scenes contributed to the film? Did you like them? Which stood out to you the most and why?
ReplyDeleteI think that the musical scenes made the film stand out as opposed to other basic movies about the college experience. I found the musical scenes to be very entertaining. I think that Spike Lee learned from “She’s Gotta Have It” and refined his musical/dance scene ideas by the time of “School Daze.” My favorite part of the film was the musical scene where the two groups of women were debating over what is considered “good and bad hair.” This scene stood out to me because of how the conflicts between the two female groups were expressed through the choreography.
2. What role did the women in the movie play? We see Rachel get back together with Dap, do you think she made the right choice? How were the women portrayed?
There were few instances in which women in this film filled a substantial role. In most cases, women are seen as objects that further the reputation of men in the film. For example, Jade was clearly treated as an object when Julian set her up to have sex with Half-Pint against her will. I don’t think Rachel made the right choice when she got back together with Dap. She clearly was ignoring the fact that his ideas regarding Greek life are ridiculous and overly controlling, and got back together with him because she felt bad for him. There are many instances in the film like just like this one, where women are constantly manipulated by men.
3. What were your reactions to the ending?
I thought that the ending was aggravating. It seemed like a very lazy move of Spike Lee to build up so much tension and end it all with an abstract ending that leaves no solutions. The ending was very characteristic of Lee, who tends to make the meat of the film very compelling and complicated, but lacks the knowledge of how to tie everything together.
How do you think the musical scenes contributed to the film? Did you like them? Which stood out to you the most and why?
ReplyDeleteI personally don't think the musical scenes added much... if anything I think they actually took away some of the seriousness in a bad way. The homecoming dance scene was fine and I actually enjoyed it because it was funny, but the hair salon scene, even though it was well choreographed, was a little too long. It was also stressful to have these groups of girls yelling slurs and awful things at each other about how they chose to do their hair.
2. What role did the women in the movie play? We see Rachel get back together with Dap, do you think she made the right choice? How were the women portrayed?
The article I chose talks a lot about how the movie is extremely sexist, which I have to agree with. From the frat brothers taking about needing "new gamma-rays" to Jane being traded and raped like an object.
3. What were your reactions to the ending?
I am a little bit frustrated with the ending because I think it would've been the perfect ending if Spike had made Dap's movement against apartheid a more central theme. Even though I did like it, it juts doesn't quite work with the movie as is.
1. I’m not certain whether or not the musical scenes were a positive addition to the movie, mostly because I only saw the second half. Thee musical scenes that i saw included the fraternity dance-off and the Gamma Phi Gamma Butt song. I can’t really discern whether or not they added to the movie, but in general I didn’t really enjoy them. The Butt song stood out the most to me because I think it was representative of the objectification of women that was present throughout large portions of the film.
ReplyDelete2. In the parts of the movie that I saw, I think that women primarily played the role of sex objects. I felt as though there was considerably less depth in the female characters than the male ones. As I only saw half of the movie I cannot say for certain whether Rachel made the right decision when she decided to get back together with Dap but I thought it was a reasonable decision to make.
3. The ending left me confused and disappointed. It failed to give any resolution to many of the characters’ storylines and it did not make a great deal of sense.
I don’t know if the musical scenes really were necessary but they were my personal favorite parts. They were a break from tension and contributed some cultural aspects. I loved “Good and Bad Hair” because the dancing was so fun and the song was catchy. The production of it was so fun and I almost like the messiness of it. It was awesome to see the choreography in the movie and compare it to the choreography I’ve seen my tap teacher and her husband (the choreographer for this film) because it was sooo their style and I was so drawn into finding Otis’s choreography quirks. I think the women were a somewhat classic Spike Lee portrayal, though this time with larger female roles. I thought they represented the wiseness of a stereotypical woman and those ideas of telling the men what is right or wrong, though also the frailness of a woman portrayed by Jane when she has sex with Half-Pint. The women are super important. I think Rachel and Dap are cute together so… I think they are good together. I think that their strong opinions and the way they stand their own personal ground makes them keep each other in check and doesn’t give one power over the other as much. The ending was weird and a little confusing. I think Spike Lee purposely made the first and last face/voice we see Dap but it looks like some sort of religious situation or something… I didn’t love it.
ReplyDelete