Powelton Village is a beautiful historic neighborhood located in the northern part of University City. It is also the neighborhood in which I grew up. Growing up, I have always been very close to my neighbors. The community that we have formed together over the years has been a very influential part of my life. While brainstorming how I wanted to capture the past four years, I immediately gravitated towards Powelton. There are many topics of interest that I could have focused my project on: from the history, to the architecture, to the people. When thinking about all of the unique stories that I could tell, I quickly realized that many of the names that came to mind were names of artists. And then the question hit me: Why are there so many artists in Powelton Village? This became my guiding question as I set out to make a documentary exploring and celebrating the diversity of talent condensed in this small region. I made three short individual profiles where each artist got a chance to share their backstory, their process, and to show off their work. Each one describes their own unique connection to Powelton and how the community and the region has influenced their art and their lives.

Here is a link to a website that I created to compile everything into one place: Artists of Powelton

Bibliography

This is the updated poster and name I chose for Blade Runner (1982). I retitled the movie More than Human. This title takes direct inspiration from a famous quote in the movie, the motto for the Tyrell Corporation: “More Human Than Human”. I chose this quote to base the title off of because I feel that the replicants need more representation in the marketing of the movie. The original title of the film, Blade Runner, focuses on Rick Deckard, the protagonist of the story, and his role as a blade runner. Given that this is the primary focus of the movie, the original title fits well. However, in my opinion, the position of blade runner and that overall story arc was not what I found most captivating about the movie. I was much more fascinated by the replicants themselves. How were they created? Why do they act in the way that they do? What really makes them stand out from a genuine human being? This movie was not one of my favorites that we have watched so far this year. I think that if through the marketing of the film, the viewers were guided into examining the complexities of the replicants, it would appeal more broadly to viewers such as myself who aren’t as into violent action movies like this one.

To build off of my theme for this poster, focusing on the replicants instead of the blade runners, I decided to only include images of the replicants. In the pictures, the replicants look very still and robotic. However, there is something a little bit different about Rachel. For starters, she stands out within the poster. The color theme is white and blue with both Paris and Roy having bright white hair, blue clothing, and standing in a harsh blue light. Rachel has brown hair, brown clothing, and standing in an orange light. In addition, if you zoom in on Rachel’s face, you can see a teardrop streaming down from her right eye. The teardrop symbolizes human emotion, something that is discussed in the movie. Coupled with the title, the reader of this poster should begin to question whether these “people” are really people and what makes them more than human.

By leaving out images with guns, the reader does not immediately assume the type of movie that it is. This should help draw in a broader audience. The addition of a unicorn also adds a fantastical element to the film. This slightly changes the perceived tone of the film while also paying homage to the director’s symbolism about Deckard being a possible replicant as well.

I read the New York Times review of Rear Window, published back in 1954. While detailed in its descriptions of the film, I found it interesting how the author did not include any distinct opinions on the movie. Unlike other film reviews, like Roger Ebert for example, there was no numerical rating, nor was there any strong language indicating whether this film was enjoyable or not. Instead, the reviewer explained and analyzed Hitchcock’s cinematic and theatrical techniques and let the reader decide if they appreciate what he has done. They talked about what parts of the movie were well done and what parts were lacking a little bit. The style in which this review was written made it enjoyable for me to read. Oftentimes I am turned off by reviews from other people, especially strangers, because people’s tastes can vary dramatically. How can I know if I can trust the reviewer? I appreciated how this reviewer detached themselves from the film and backed up their claims with evidence from the movie.

When I read this review for the first time, I was immediately captivated by the first line. “The boorish but fascinating pastime of peeking into other people’s homes.” I just loved this line and I feel like it sums up the premise pretty well. Hitchcock chose to create a film about something that we all do, whether we like to admit it or not. But it is not something we ever really do willingly. Every time I have found myself staring into other people’s homes was when I have exhausted just about every other form of entertainment that I have to the point where I have to turn to something that most of the time is not entertaining at all. It truly is very boring and you almost never see anything juicy. Yet, we all still do it to fill this strange biological need to know what everyone else around us is doing. Describing a movie as boring, but in a good way is such a great way to encapsulate the reader.

Towards the middle of the review, the author says “Mr. Hitchcock’s film is not ‘significant’. What it has to say about people and human nature is superficial and glib.” I understand this perspective. When you boil it down, I don’t see any hidden message or underlying moral to the story. Hitchcock is not trying to sell you some idea. But I don’t necessarily see this as a problem. Not every movie needs to be commenting on an issue in order to be taken seriously. In fact, I found this movie to be quite pleasant to watch as a second semester senior because I didn’t have to try that hard to understand the narrative. I felt that the spectacular writing and beautiful set design fully compensated for any narrative shortcomings.

The review dedicated an entire paragraph to describing the side characters in the film. For this film specifically, they are obviously worthy of that space. I liked how this was a main focus in the article and that the reviewer chose it as one of the selling points of the movie. In my opinion, nothing beats a well thought out cast. Deeply developed side characters are a good indicator of a quality film. The reviewer said just enough to interest the reader while leaving out just enough to avoid spoilers and keep them wanting more. The characters are all so absurd that as a reader, you can’t help but wonder how they all fit together into the story. If I hadn’t seen the movie yet, this paragraph would definitely have made me add it to the list.

I understand completely why the author chose not to speak of the ending for fear of spoilers. After all, many people read reviews before they set out to watch the movie. However, from someone who has already seen the film, I craved for some discussion about the end. I want to hear other thoughts about whether the ending came as a shock. While I could relate to LB Jeffries’ curiosity and voyeurism throughout the film, I could not relate to his confidence and need to interfere. I simply do not have the courage to confront people like that. For me, I spent the entire movie doubting LB Jeffries just as I would doubt my own thoughts if I were in his position. Therefore, when Thorwald actually ended up committing the crime, I was truly surprised. Despite seeming like a straight forward ending, Hitchcock subverted my expectations by not including the classic twist ending.

Works Cited Crowther, Bosley. “A ‘Rear Window’ View Seen at the Rivoli.” The New York Times, 5 Aug. 1954.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hsIRrxwzP8A3b6Dp5FtERP-cwRYuwgU4/view?usp=sharing