UWRT 1104 - Assignment one

Channel 1 of 11
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Assignment
One
Student: Matthew Schenck

T.V. Guide
Channels
2. Background Information
3. Actors
4. Artifacts
5. Observation One
6. Observation Two
7. Observation Three
8. Interview
9. Analysis

UWRT 1104 - Assignment one

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Background Information

This movie takes place in

various locations
throughout New Jersey in
1978. Several important
sites include Mrs.
Goldfarbs apartment,
Harry and Marions
apartment, and the
market when Harry sells the
TV.

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Every main character in

the movie is facing drug
addiction and this is a
major role in the movie. It
is important to know that
this movie is based off of a
novel by Hubert Selby Jr.
The movie is not exactly
like the novel so it might
be confusing to
first time viewers
as to what is
going on.

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Actors
Hello, Im Ellen Burstyn but I played
Sara Goldfarb in Requiem for a Dream. I
was Harries mother and could be part of
the reason for his downfall as I was a
lenient mother. I was also my own
downfall because my lack of self control
allowed for me to addicted to weight
loss medication.

Hello, Im Jennifer Connelly and I play Marion,

Harries girlfriend, in Requiem for a Dream. I have
a wealthy background because of my family but
never felt love from them. Harry has been the
only person I have felt passionate about and it
made me weak to fall into drugs.

Hello, Im Jared Leto but I played Harry Goldfarb,

the main character in Requiem for a Dream. I
always knows the right thing to do but I was
brought into a world that leads me down the
wrong path. Every time I suggests the right thing
to do I am pressured into something else.

Hello, my name is Marlon Wayans but I play

Tyrone in Requiem for a Dream. I am Harries
best friend and partner in crime. Im a very kind
guy and want the best for everyone.

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Artifacts
Addiction is the ultimate reason for every
ones downfall in the movie. Mrs.
Goldfarbs addiction to weight loss led to
her addiction for speed and downers.
This addiction put her in a psych ward.
Harry, Marion, and Tyrones addiction for
heroin led all of them to do unthinkable
things that led them to their downfalls.

Mrs. Goldfarbs Red dress that she wore to

Harries graduation symbolizes two things.
One thing that it represents is her loneliness
by wanting to Cit in it so bad to look good for
other people and for a reason to wake up in
the morning. It also causes her addiction, she
wanted to lose weight so bad to Cit in it that
she got addicted to speed.

This show is repetitively playing

throughout the whole show in Mrs.
Goldfarbs house. It relates to her
weight loss because it a show about
weight loss because it is a health show
and it relates to her need to be on TV
because it is a TV show. As the movie
goes on and her hallucinations become
stronger and stronger the show seems

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Observation One
0:00 - 25:00 minutes

Time Taken Notes

Quick Summary

0:00- The movie opens up with Harold Goldfarb stealing his

In the first 25 minutes of
mothers, Mrs. Goldfarbs, T.V. set. Harold trys to guilt his
the movie all of the characters
mother into giving it to him. It is obvious that this isnt the
are introduced. Harry steals his
Cirst time he has done this because this time she has a lock
mom tv with Tyrone for money
on it. Even though she locked it up this time she cannot go
and she lets him do this. Marion
through with keeping the T.V. and slides the key under the
door she locked herself behind.
and Harry interact with each
3:00mins- Outside the apartment waiting is Tyrone,
other in a very passionate way
Harolds best friend. Tyrone addresses Harold as Jim
clearly provoking their feelings for
and continues to do this throughout the movie. They
each other. Mrs. Goldfarb gets a
proceed to wheel the T.V. across New Jersey to a
call from the T.V. station inviting
shop that seems to be mart of a flea market. After
her to be on T.V. which leads to
they get the money for the T.V. they immediately get
some heroin and get high. As they are high they
her need to lose weight.
make mix music and begin to talk about the idea of
cutting and selling heroin.
8:00mins- Mrs. Goldfarb shows up at the market where
Harold sold the T.V. and ask the salesman for her T.V.. They address one another by name showing
that they have obviously been through this plenty of times before. When the salesman ask Mrs.
Goldfarb why she doesnt call the cops on Harry she refused and said told him that Harry is all she
has. When Mrs. Goldfarb gets back to her apartment she turns the set on and the reoccurring
show Juice is on. This show is shown throughout the whole movie. The next scene introduces
Harrys girl friend Marion when they proceed to break into an apartment complex just to hangout
on the rooftop.
10:00mins- The scene cuts back to Mrs. Goldfarb as she is receiving a phone call from a company
that chooses contestants for T.V. shows. She is immediately intrigued by the idea of being on T.V.
and wants to try on her favorite outCit. She goes to her closet and tries on a red dress that she
wore to Harolds graduation. She cannot Cit in the dress and ask a friend to help her put it on. Her
friend suggest she drop a couple of pounds. Then the scene cuts back into Harold and Marion
having a conversation about her life. Harold asked her why she does what she does when her
parents give her plenty of money. She tells him that even though they give her material items,
they dont give her love.
19:00mins- A new scene opens up with Mrs. Goldfarb eating her Cirst breakfast on her diet. She
begins to watch T.V. and the show Juice is on once again. The show is about dieting and losing
weight. Every time the show mentions something she shouldnt eat, she wants to eat it even more.
She is fed up with it and decides to go outside with her friends on the sidewalk. They talk about
the diet and one friend mentions how her daughter lost 50lbs by going to the doctor and getting
some pills. The mailman shows up and she approaches him asking if her application for the T.V.
show has came in. Then Harry and Tyrone Cind some heroin they can cut and sell.

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Observation Two
25:00 - 66:00 minutes

Time Taken Notes

Quick Summary
At first it seems that
everything is going great, Harry
and Tyrone are making money,
Mrs. Goldfarb is losing weight,
and Marion is making clothes.
It soon changes when Mrs.
Goldfarbs addiction becomes
stronger and the kingpin heroin
dealer is shot. This puts Tyrone
in Jail and leaves them with
nothing to sell or use.

25:00mins- Harry and Tyrone Cinally got the

drugs they needed to start selling and Tyrone
suggest they try it. Harry explains to Tyrone very
seriously that they cannot use all the drugs
instead of selling them. Tyrone agrees and just
said they should try it to see how much they
should cut. The scene cuts to Mrs. Goldfarb who
is now having visions of food because she is
craving it so badly. She breaks and calls her
friend about the doctor who can prescribe
weight loss pills.
28:00mins- A new scene opens up and Marion is
on a date with her therapist so she can take his money and make sure that her
parents still think she is seeing him. The scene cuts to Mrs. Goldfarb while she is at
the doctors ofCice. The doctor doesnt pay her much attention and just writes her
a prescription without asking her anything. She begins taking the medication and
states that her pills are her meals for the day. Meanwhile Harry and Tyrone are
selling their drugs and are very proCitable and Marion is making clothes.
33:00mins- Tyrone had a vision of him and his mother talking. Tyrone told her
that one day he would make it and his mother told him that he didnt have to make
anything, he just had to love her. His girlfriend interrupts his vision and he quickly
hops in bed with her. Meanwhile Harry is telling Marion about how he wants to
give his mom a T.V. as a present, she thinks it is a great idea. The scene cuts over to
a time lapse of Mrs. Goldfarbs day, she is cleaning, sweating, grinding her teeth,
and eventually falls asleep watching T.V.. This deeply showed the effects of her
new prescription
38:00mins- Harry visits his mom and notices her excitement and it annoys him
because he cannot tell her what he wants to say. When he Cinally tells her about
the present he can hear her grinding her teeth and immediately asked about what
pills she was on. She tells him they are weight loss pills but he knows that it is a
drug called an upper. He tries to explain to her that they are not good for her and
he wants her to stop. She rebuttals with a sad excuse about how it is a reason to
wake up and that she is going to be on T.V.. Even though he knows they can kill her,
he sees how happy she is and he cant say anything else about it.

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Observation Two Cont.

25:00 - 66:00 minutes

47:00mins- A new scene opens and Tyrone is a car with

one of the king pins in drug trade. The kingpin is
complementing Tyrones work and is offering him a
higher position when the partition begins to roll down
and the driver starts shooting at them. Tyrone begins to
run away and his caught by a cop and taken to jail. The
scene cuts back to Mrs. Goldfarb as she is on the phone
with the doctor about the pills. She explains that they are
not giving her the same effect and the nurse explains she
has a tolerance now. When she hangs up she takes two pills instead of the
prescribed one pill and begins having visions.
50:00mins- Harry bails Tyrone out of jail and it cost most of their cash they have.
Harry explains to Tyrone that the street are going to be dry of heroin because the
MaCia is killing all the other drug dealers and hoarding the drugs in Florida.
Tyrone then mentions a guy named Big Tom that has heroin but only gives it to
females that give him sexual favors. The scene cuts to Mrs. Goldfarb as she now
takes three pills at one time. The scene ends with Mrs. Goldfarb pacing in circles,
Marion mentioning dipping into the funds and saying everything will be okay, and
Harry noticing a bad sore on his arm where he injects.
53:00mins- The scene opens up with Mrs. Goldfarb visiting the inattentive doctor.
She tries to explain her side effects and that she is not well but instead of listening
he just prescribes her Valium(downers) contributing to her addiction. The scene
switches to Harry and Marion arguing about having no money or drugs, Harry
becomes furious and heads to Tyrones house to dip into the funds. Tyrone
explains some good news and bad news to Harry. The good news is that a
shipment of drugs are coming in but the bad news is that they are doubled in
price. Since the prices are doubled Harry ask Marion to go get money from the
therapist but she explains to him that she will have to have sex with him. She does
it.
63:00mins- Harry and Tyrone are going to the meet the maCia to get the drugs. As
they are waiting in line a junky starts a Cight and the maCia began shooting and
they were left empty handed. Harry suggests that they drive to Florida to get some
drugs. Meanwhile Marions addiction is taking over and she is scavenging to Cind
some heroin.

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Observation Three
66:00 - 97:00 minutes

Time Taken Notes

Quick Summary
Things get bad very
quickly as they have no
drugs to use or sell. They
begin going to great lengths
to get their fix. Mrs. Goldfarb
is extremely addicted and
delusional landing her in the
psych ward. Harry and
Tyrone are thrown in jail.
Marion is reaching the
depths to get a fix.
Conclusion.

66:00mins- Mrs. Goldfarb takes four pills and is

having awful visions. Her house is a mess and so is
she. She looks very sleep deprived and her hair is
very ugly.
67:00mins- Harry faces Marion and tells her they
didnt score. They get into a huge Cight and Harry
tells her if she needs a Cix so bad that she should call
Big Tom and then storms out. The scene switches
over to Mrs. Goldfarb who is now picturing herself
on TV. The people on TV were in her house and
making fun of her. They were talking about how
dirty her place was and how bad she looked. She began making excuses for herself
and was so scared that she left her house.
74:00mins- Harry and Tyrone are headed to Florida and Harrys arm is really
infected now and they have to go to a hospital. The scene switches over to Mrs.
Goldfarb who has arrived at the TV Company. She asked them why they havent
contacted her and they explained it was long process and sent her to a hospital.
They labeled her as crazy and sent her to the psych ward to detox. Meanwhile
Marion cant control her addiction and forced herself into calling Big Tim.
80:00mins- Marion shows up at Big Tims and preformed sexual acts to get the
heroin. Big Tim tells her that Sunday night he is having a party and that she
could get some more then. Tyrone something and Harry arrive at the hospital and
they are thrown in jail. Mrs. Goldfarb isnt responding to any of the drugs they are
giving her so they try electric shock on her head.
85:00mins- Marion talks on the phone with Harry and then goes to the party
where she preforms more sex acts for drugs. Tyrone and Harry are in jail and they
are with drawing really bad. They have to line up and see who can go to work and
who cant. Tyrone is forced into working and Harry physically cant because of his
arm. Harry is sent to the hospital while he is asleep and wakes up without his arm.
Marion returns home from the party and crys herself to sleep. Mrs. Goldfarb is
sent to a psycho ward and is visited by some of her friends. They cannot stand to
see her in this state and they begin to cry for her. Mrs. Goldfarb lays down and still
has a vision of herself being on TV.

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Interview
Q&A with Interviewee

Background of
Interviewee and
connection

Q: What lengths have you went to, to Lind

money for Heroin? Was it hard or did it
always come easy to you?

My interviewee was an
addict who had suffered
from heroin and opiate
abuse. He has gone through
rehab and is now clean. I
chose him for the interview
because of his connection
with the movie Requiem for
a Dream. He Lits the
demographic of the
characters and suffered from
the same addiction. Although
he recovered, the actors of
the movie didnt. This Line
line between him and the
actors of getting clean or
staying addicted shows how
vastly your iLle can change by
choosing the right or wrong

A: My addiction was hidden from my parents

for a long time. A lot of the money I used to
pay for my addiction was their money they
gave me. They did not know where the
money was going. Getting the drugs was
never hard, it seemed that the more addicted
I got the more connections I gained.

Q: Was there someone in your life that

you felt you affected or brought to
your level of addiction? Maybe
someone who didnt do drugs but was
brought into them by you?

A: Yes, one of my best friends

before I got addicted was
brought into it by me. She wasnt
on the same level I was on so she
didnt end up in my situation but
she was very close. Im glad that I
was sent away from her so I
couldnt inCluence her anymore.

Q: What hobbies or activities

did you enjoy while addicted to
Heroin? Did Heroin affect old
hobbies and interest or
introduce new ones?

A: Before my addiction I was very

athletic and outgoing you know that,
we played football together, you
were one of my closest friends
before you moved schools. Heroin
affected everything about my life, I
quit wrestling and football, I stopped
going outside, and I really shut

UWRT 1104 - Assignment one

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Analysis
Conventions and
Examples

Throughout the movie
there were several examples of
conventions being portrayed.
The conventions mainly
revolve around drug users and
how they go about their
everyday lives. One convention
that stuck out in the opening
scene was Harry stealing his
own moms TV and everyone
being okay with it. In a normal
world this would not be okay
and Harry would most likely go
to jail. It also showed how
Harries mother needed him so
much due to her loneliness.

Conventions and
Examples
Another convention used
throughout the movie was the
use of excuses. Every time
someone argued about
someone using drugs, they
always made up an excuse to
use them and then every thing
was okay. For example: When
Harry tried to get his mom to
stop taking the weight loss pills
she fed him some long excuse
and he just let her keep taking
them.

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Propose

Inevitably, drug addiction will cause some sort of downfall in your life
whether you see it coming or not. Darren Aronofskys, Requiem for a Dream,
portrays that exactly. At several points in the movie, leading up to the climax and
downfall, you can see the effects of drug abuse. Some of the effects you see are
depression, loneliness, and addicts doing obscene things to get their hands on a
Cix. Even though this is a movie, it represents how drug addiction can change your
life.