Luka Keats

1st Jun 2016

Pete's Dragon (1977)

Chosen answer: No specific year is given, but it's set in the early 1900's.

Bishop73

Chosen answer: While no specific date is given, Mel Brooks wanted to do a tribute parody to the classic 1930's horror film, thus the Black and White film and the 30's style film techniques. However, Hans Delbrück (the brain Igor is suppose to steal) was a real-life person who died in 1929. Given that and the cars seen, it's a safe bet it's suppose to be set in the early 1930's.

Bishop73

Answer: Near the end of the film the (now improved) monster is in bed reading the Wall Street Journal. The article in the top left corner refers to the Brown Vs. Board of Education Supreme Court case after 25 years. That puts the film in 1979. (It was made in 1974.) Also, the young Dr. Frankenstein refers to his grandfather, the infamous Dr. Frankenstein. The original movie was made in 1931. That places the movie two generations later.

Leicaman

Question: What year is this film set in? The clothing and architecture don't make it clear. Is it meant to be timeless?

Luka Keats

Chosen answer: Theodor Seuss Geisel, or Dr. Suess as we know him, published most of his books between the late 1930's and the late 1980's. "The Cat in the Hat" was first published in 1957. Dr. Seuss' works generally tell the stories of fantastical characters in imaginary places, meant to be timeless. Illustrations and animated adaptations show buildings and objects with unusual proportions, odd shapes and bizarre functions. The live action film of "The Cat in the Hat, " however, is rooted to reality by its decidedly human child protagonists in an ordinary house in an ordinary neighborhood. The production design, costume design and set decoration of the 2003 film seem also to have the goal of achieving a certain timelessness. No date reference is given. However, there a decidedly stylized quality of 1950's-1960's suburban architecture and design, complete with its generic forms, chimneys, picket fences, and colors such as yellows and avocado greens, reflecting the common decor of the time. Similar to the 1971 TV short, which seems to provide a reference point for the design aesthetic of the film, nothing appears exceedingly futuristic nor rooted in period styles like victorian or colonial. I have also posed your question to Rita Ryack, the film's costume designer, whom I found on Facebook. If she sees my questions and decides to respond, I will add her insights to this answer.

26th Apr 2016

Hugo (2011)

Question: Why does the Station Inspector chase children who are on their own and threaten to send them to an Orphanage? Is that what it was like in the 1930s?

Luka Keats

Answer: He's not making it a point to chase down random children - he's like a security officer at an airport. It's his job to apprehend thieves and troublemakers and keep the station safe, and he only threatens to send children to the orphanage if they don't have parents for him to return them to. Also, it's implied once he finally apprehends Hugo that his particular harshness toward orphans (and most of his character flaws in general) is due to apparently having been one himself. He spells out the kinds of lessons he was forced to learn by growing up without a family, explaining how he became so cold, bitter, and antisocial.

Chosen answer: It is more than likely an early form of our modern day child protection. Just as today if children are found to be at risk, they can be and are taken away by social services and put into foster care. In the film, orphans may have been seen as a plague in an area that attracts posh looking people in stark contrast to urchins in rags eating out of bins. Most European orphanages/care homes/hospices/whatever you want to call them at that time were no better than anything depicted in Charles Dickens 50 years previously.

Neil Jones

12th Apr 2016

Music and Lyrics (2007)

Question: What type of dress is the red dress Sophie wears when Alex makes her talk to Sloan?

Luka Keats

8th Apr 2016

102 Dalmatians (2000)

Question: When Cruella reverts back to her former personality why is everything spotty?

Luka Keats

Chosen answer: This is due to her obsession of wanting a spotted dalmatian puppy coat.

5th Apr 2016

Hello Dolly! (1969)

Question: How does the movie actually end? Do Dolly and Horace go into the Church to get married?

Luka Keats

Chosen answer: Yes.

Question: In the last shot of the film, Huck runs off into the sunset. Where could he be running off to? Did he run to get on the steamer boat or did he just run anywhere he could be going to?

Luka Keats

Chosen answer: It is implied that he is off to his next adventure - whatever that might be.

raywest

21st Mar 2016

Oliver (1968)

Question: Why was this movie rated G? It does contain some violence and a murder scene and some content that's inappropriate for children.

Luka Keats

Chosen answer: You are correct that "Oliver" does have some material that might be intense for young children - including a murder, some minor violence, issues of adoption, child abuse, kidnapping, and even some sexual content (but only by innuendo). Drinking alcohol is also involved, and some of the characters with whom we are meant to sympathize are, in fact, thieves. But intense content does not necessarily preclude a movie from obtaining a "G" rating. There have been several G-rated movies which have content, including killing, that could be frightening for children, including "Bambi," "The Lion King," "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," and "The Wizard of Oz," to name a few. In "Oliver," most of the violence is alluded to, and the murder of Nancy is committed out of sight (only Sykes' hand is visible, and Nancy's screams are heard), though it is frightening and realistic. Violence can be permitted in G-rated films, as long as it is "minimal." Sexual innuendo is permitted, in small doses, as long as lewd acts aren't shown. Intense content is also permitted. Drug use is not permitted, but I suppose the tavern scenes are cartoonish enough as to not warrant a more harsh rating. The bottom line is that ratings are determined by the MPAA - Motion Picture Association of America, and that association is given wide latitude and discretion. Apparently, the "mature" content of "Oliver!" was not viewed as rising to a level which the MPAA felt would warrant a more stringent rating.

Michael Albert

21st Mar 2016

Mad Max (1979)

Question: What happened to Fifi, Roop and Charlie - they are not seen or mentioned for the rest of the film?

Luka Keats

Chosen answer: We don't know - Max was on leave after his wife and child were killed. He changed into his police uniform and stole the interceptor to revenge their deaths. He did not have to see his colleagues to do this, as he had access to the police garage.

Question: In the very last shot of the film the Wonkavator flies up into the clouds and disappears but a few seconds later the clouds appear very thin and the Wonkavator is completely gone. Did the Elevator turn and fly back down or did it fly more up into the sky?

Luka Keats

Chosen answer: From the way the shot is filmed, we can presume the Wonkavator continues to fly further up into the sky until we can no longer see it. Once the machine disappears from our sight into some thicker clouds, the camera pans left slowly to show us more clouds, including some thinner ones. But the whole shot was created using special effects. I am fairly certain the intent of the filmmakers was to have us believe Charlie was flying off to an adventure above the clouds.

Chosen answer: The 1971 version of this story focuses on Charlie and the other children finding their tickets, followed by all of the action that takes place within the chocolate factory during the tour. While some narrative exposition of past events is given by various characters in the film's present time, it is absent any of the flashback depictions that peppered the 2005 version starring Johnny Depp. Not only is Prince Pondicherry's story not told, but we also see none of Wonka's strained relationship with his father as a child, nor the escapades which lead him to discover the Oompa Loompas, nor any of the scenes depicting Grandpa Bucket's past association with the factory, some of which were created for the 2005 film rather than coming from the original novel.

Michael Albert

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