Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Introductory Post

Hi! My name is Jennie Snyder and I'm dual majoring in Spanish and Communication. Unfortunately, I am a senior at PITT and am currently in denial about only having one more year here before facing the...real world.

It is times like this that I wish I shared my dad and older sister's interest in Science Fiction, old movies and comic books. However, over the years I have managed to pick up on a few tidbits of knowledge about their geeky hobbies and interests. With that said, last Monday's class was the not the first time that I have seen Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

As one of the first horror movies ever made, Frankenstein opened up a whole new genre and changed the film industry forever. America cinema was still in it's infancy when Frankenstein came out in theaters. Even though the film is shot in entirely black and white, Frankenstein set new standards for lighting, editing and camera techniques such as close-ups and extreme angles. Seeing the film again recently, not only refreshed my memory, but gave me a new prospective on how words and images can directly relate to each other and how images themselves can hold such great meaning. When I think of horror films, the stereotypical villain, and Halloween, I cannot help but think of Frankenstein's large, square-shaped head with the two nails sticking out of his neck. But was he the real villain in this story? Or was it the man who created Frankenstein and brought him to life? As soon as Henry Frankenstein screams, "Oh, in the name of God! Now I know what it feels like to be God!" it is perfectly clear to me who the real monster is.

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