Do the Right Thing, written and directed by Spike Lee, provides audiences of all ages, ethnicities, educations and socio-economic status’ with a distinct film experience. Based on one’s cultural identity, audiences have different receptions and interpreted meanings of the film. This 1989 film, mainly comprised of an African American cast, contains numerous strong themes relevant to American audiences today. Powerful messages pertaining to the civil rights movement and cultural relations are explored through the film, topics that still hold sensitivity almost three decades after the film’s release.
This film exploits tensions that exist between those of different cultures. Italian Americans or Caucasian groups may interpret this movie differently than African American viewers. Starting with African Americans, they may see this film as a representation of the historical struggles their race faced during the time of the Civil Rights Movement. With the constant references to both Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, this film both reflects this movement and calls for a continued fight for racial equality.
Examples of these struggles include when in the film, a black man is referred to as an “Azupep” and a white man demands that two black brothers be locked “under the jail” for ruining his antique car. Also, at Sal’s Famous Pizzeria, a restaurant owned by Italian American’s, the “Wall of Fame” only contains faces of Italian Americans. A frequent customer who calls himself “Buggin Out” makes a comment stating this. He believes that because African Americans are the main customers that support his business, they should also be on the wall. Sal, beyond furious, kicks him out of his restaurant.
Along with a representation of history, African Americans could also view this film as a positive artistic piece of film that gives these individuals a voice. One of the most prominent aspects of their “voice” includes the main song used throughout the film, entitled “Fight the Power.” It is used as an empowerment tool for African Americans. Some of the lyrics include “fight the powers that be,” insuating that African Americans need to stand together.
Comparably to African Americans, Caucasians may also not view this film in the same manner. With very few white individuals cast in the film and most of them considered “racists,” many caucasians could view the film as a stereotypical representation of their race. This film can be seen by Caucasians as the way they were treated in all black neighborhoods. For example, “Buggin Out” is accidentally hit on the sidewalk by a white man with his bicycle. When the bike ran over his new Air Jordan shoes, he ran up to him with his possy backing him up and accused the man of ruining his shoes on purpose. He also asked him why he would want to live in an all black neighborhood and that he was “lucky” he was messing with a black man who had a heart, even though he had threatened him not twenty seconds before to beat the living daylights out of him.
Clueless, written and directed by Amy Heckerling, tells the story of Cher, one of the most popular girls at Beverly Hills High School. Taking on the halls with her two best friends, Dionne and Tai, she always feels like she is in control, until she isn’t. This film can definitely be evaluated by using feminist theory because it reinforces many feminist stereotypes.
From the beginning of the film to the end, the female “image” changes. In the opening scene of the film, females are shown through a very stereotypical lens. All of the females, shown wearing very little clothing, are shown only caring about fashion, appearances, popularity and friends. The first time the audience see’s Cher, she is in her room using a computerized system to pick out her outfit. Cher is perceived to be the dumb, ditsy blonde of the film who is way in over her head. Also, in the introduction, Cher’s dad compares her to her ex-stepbrother Josh because of his successes in college and knowing what he wants to do with this rest of his life. Cher, in comparison, is ridiculed for her dropping high school grades. Females, including Cher, are assumed to be less intelligent because of this introduction.
As the film continues, we learn that Cher opposes many female stereotypes. Firstly, we start to see the strength of Cher because caring about one’s appearances is given a different meaning. Cher and Dionne are proud of their appearances, proud of who they are and have no problem expressing this. Fashion is used in this film as an empowerment tool, such as when her and Dionne offer to give Tai a makeover. Cher says in the film that makeovers give her a sense of control through this “world full of chaos.”
Secondly, Cher is much more intelligent than the average person would expect her to be. For example, in order to raise her grades on her report card, she sets up two of her teachers that are currently giving her lower grades. Their new happiness influences them to raise not only Cher’s grade, but all of their students’ grades.
Cher and Dionne play “match-maker” (Image: www.gurl.com)
Thirdly, even though she is perceived originally as the ditsy clueless “blonde,” she really possess a good heart. She is ambitious and not afraid to go after what she desires. She cares deeply for those close to her and is very inclusive. For example, when Tai is the new girl as Beverly Hills, Cher goes out of her way to make her feel welcome, even though she knows it may ruin her popularity status. Cher also accepts everyone, regardless of their race, ethnicity or sexual orientation. Her best friend Dionne is a different race and her shopping partner, Christian is gay. Cher is truly a representation of unashamed femininity.
Works Cited:
Booth, Jessica. “10 Life Lessons From Clueless.” Gurl, 30 May, 2012, http://www.gurl.com/2012/05/30/clueless-movie-lessons/
Lynch, John. “THEN AND NOW: The cast of ‘Clueless’ 23 years later.” Insider, 19 July, 2018, https://www.thisisinsider.com/clueless-movie-cast-then-and-now-photos-2018-7
Messer, Lesley. “‘Clueless’ Turns 20: 7 Stories About the Iconic Film from Amy Heckerling.” ABC News, 19 July, 2015, https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/clueless-turns-20-stories-iconic-film-amy-heckerling/story?id=32451392
Alfred Hitchcock, known as the “Master of Suspense,” is a world renowned film director. Pertaining to the films he’s directed, Hitchcock possessed very distinct directorial styles, making his films easily recognizable. Certain aspects of his films, including styles, characters and plots, occur across many of his works. As the director of both Psycho and Vertigo, Hitchcock utilizes many of the same styles throughout both of these films.
In many of Hitchcock’s films, including Psycho and Vertigo, there are common themes. One theme evident is suspense. Throughout both films, Hitchcock assaults the audience with graphic images, shows the audiences images the characters in the film cannot see themselves and builds tension until the final conclusion is revealed. The next theme evident is mistaken identities. In Psycho, in order to try and cover her tracks from stealing forty thousand dollars illegally, Marion Crane signs into the Bates Hotel as “Marie Samuels” instead of her actual name. In Vertigo, the entire plot surrounds the false Madeline Elster and the woman who disguised herself as her to aid in the murder plot.
Another theme of Hitchcock’s films was the usage of women with blonde hair. Both Marion Crane and Madeline, the female focuses of these two films, have blonde hair. Hitchcock utilized females with blonde hair in his films for two reasons. Firstly, as many films were still being produced black and white, blonde’s photographed better. Secondly, Hitchcock believed blondes served the narrative structure better “due to the surprise factor when their subversive actions undermined their cool blonde exteriors (Saporito, 1).”
Throughout both Psycho and Vertigo, one main focus of the film is cars and particularity, tense driving while handling these cars. Most often, the characters are filmed in a full front, medium close-up shot through the windshield. This is done purposefully so that we can see their emotions and expressions. After the establishing full front shot, Hitchcock would turn the focus to their vision through the windshield of what the driver saw.
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In both films, a similarity that also existed was that the main character was either following or was being followed by another individual. Shots of both a car following another car or the car a driver was following would also appear through the rear view window mirror or other mirrors on the car. In Psycho, Marion Crane is followed by a policemen in the very beginning of the film, after she is found sleeping in her car on the side of the road. In Vertigo, John Ferguson is following Madeline, an old college friend’s wife who he reported has been acting very strangely around him.
Conville, Caitlyn. “On the Eve of His 119th Birthday, a Look Into the Legacy of Alfred Hitchcock.” Study Break, 9 Aug., 2018, https://studybreaks.com/thoughts/hitchcock-legacy/
Haggstrom, Jason. “Marion, Norman, and the Collision of Narratives in Psycho.” Reel 3, 16 June, 2010, http://reel3.com/marion-norman-and-the-collision-of-narratives-in-psycho/
Another Cinderella Story (Santostefano) tells the classic “Cinderella” tale placed in the modern day music business. Mary Santiago (Selena Gomez), a naturally-talented dancer, is an orphaned teenager that works for pop star Dominque Blatt (Jane Lynch). Mary counts down the days until her audition with the Manhattan Academy of Performing Arts. When teen pop sensation Joey Parker (Drew Seeley) attends Mary’s high school in hopes of being treated like a “normal teen,” he meets his mystery girl at the ball. After identifying Mary is his girl using the Zune she dropped at the dance, Joey and Mary fall in love and inspire each other in their respective music careers.
This first image is during Mary Santiago’s dream sequence. A futuristic style of lighting is used to accentuate the dream aspect of this opening scene. A blue background is used with many vibrant colors spotlighted in to highlight the action. The changing colors shows Mary’s distorted reality. Mary’s red jacket also stands out against the blue background and her background dancers, who are dressed in all black. Everyone wears a gold belt around their waists, signifying prosperity, wealth, glitz and glamour, four things Mary does not possess in real life.
Mary is placed center of frame, surrounded by backup dancers that help to make her look better. Her dancers always walk behind her to show Mary as the center of attention. Irony arises because comparably speaking, she is never the center of attention until the film’s conclusion. Mary constantly works to make Dominique look better, even when all she wants is to sabotage her happiness.
The next image shows Mary and Joey at the Black and White Ball. Everyone comes to the dance dressed in black or white with the exception of Mary. This is done on purpose, as costume designer Kate Main picked the red dress so that Mary would stand out amongst the outfits framed behind her. Also, everyone strategically wears a mask to hide their true identity. This is all too true for Mary, who is not supposed to be at the dance to begin with. She is dancing with Joey, an individual that knowing her true identity as one of Dominique’s workers, would have never given her the time of day. The spotlight and them being placed center of frame show that amongst the crowd, they are main focus.
Narrative Structure
This film utilizes three-act-story structure and omniscient narration, as the movie is told in the third person through a number of characters, including Mary, Joey and Dominique. Mary progressively develops from being the orphaned worker of Dominque to not only getting accepted into her dream dance school, but also by winning Joey’s heart. Joey progressively develops from losing the reason why he started dancing in the first place to finding his inspiration in Mary. Dominique regressively develops throughout this film because she falls from being a pop star to having Mary leave her when she is in serious medical need.
Act I begins with the audience meeting Mary Santiago, a senior in high school and an aspiring dancer who works for pop star Dominique Blatt. Conflict is established early with Dominique constantly ordering Mary the chores she must complete. We are then introduced to Mary’s best friend and partner in crime, Tami, who acts as the fairy god mother character (Jessica Parker Kennedy). Upon arriving to school, teen pop sensation Joey Parker decides to finish his senior year being “normal.” Joey announces that he will be hosting a dance competition where one lucky winner will dance with him in his next music video. Joey meets Mary as one of Dominique’s workers at an agency meeting, where Joey denies ever doing a duet with Dominique.
Act II begins when Dominique tells Mary that she has to stay home and clean her bedroom by midnight, instead of going to the Black and White Ball. Tami forms a plan to have a cleaning company clean the bedroom. Upon arriving, when Joey asks Mary to dance, he notices how effortlessly they move together. Joey removes his mask and shows her his true identity, Mary, realizing the time, grabs Tami, drops her Zune at the dance and leaves. Joey uses the Zune find his mystery girl. At Dominique’s daughters sweet sixteen party, he finds out that Mary is the one. Their relationship takes a turn for the worst when Mary catches Natasha (Nicole LaPlaca), Joey’s ex-girlfriend, in Joey’s bedroom with him. Finding out that he was set up and that her audition at Manhattan was denied, Joey creates a plan to help Mary.
Act III takes place at Joey’s dance competition. Inviting a scout from Manhattan to come to the show, Joey gets Mary on stage to dance. Not only does she win the competition, but she receives a full scholarship to Manhattan. Mary, finally leaving Dominique, goes to New York with Joey by her side.
Mary Santiago and Joey Parker set sights on New York (Image: www.seventeen.com).
Cinematography
In this film, Cinematographer Jon Joffin utilizes deep focus and many different types of shots to create the atmosphere of the film, specifically both the mansion and aspects of the main villain, Dominique Blatt.
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Cinematography is highly present with any shot of the mansion. By shooting the mansion using low-angle long shots, the audience sees the wealth Dominique possesses. For many of the mansion shots, the shot would move from a long shot to an extreme long shot to show off the whole building. White is chosen for the color of the mansion because white represents light, goodness and cleanliness. These three elements are what Dominique and her daughters want the perception of their home to be, but the mansion is actually the complete opposite on the inside.
Joffin does a fantastic job at using cinematographic elements to accentuate the main antagonist, Dominque Blatt. Dominique’s always shot from a low-angle medium shot slightly right of center so she appears both taller and exudes greater dominance over those she’s communicating with. Before threatening or punishing Mary, the camera would zoom in from a medium shot to a close up exactly center of frame in order to have her message ring clear not only through the dialogue, but through her eyes.
Editing
Continuity editing is heavily utilized by editor Tony Lombardo to establish realism and effectively tell the story. This film utilizes beginning establishing shots of characters, over the shoulder shots and shot/reverse shots. Both rhythmic and metric montage methods are used as well. One prominent place where rhythmic montage is used is during the cleaning scene with Mary and Joey.
Cleaning Scene with Mary and Joey (Image: www.gfycat.com).
In this cleaning sequence, the physical length of each shot suggests a constant tempo. Each clips transitions to the next only on “even” beats of the music that accompany the scene. This scene is so rhythmically centered that not only do all dance movements correspond with the counts of the music, but the choreography is so specific that Joey Parker sprays cleaning spray on the table in perfect rhythmic time. This successful rhythmic montage showed the progressions of both lead’s dancing abilities.
Natasha breaks into Joey’s bedroom (Image: www.aothercinderellastory.wikia.com).
This film also uses metric montage, particularly when Mary finds Natasha in Joey’s bedroom. In the shot, we see Mary running down the street at midnight. This shot fades to black and the next shot cuts quickly into Mary walking into the front door of the mansion early that morning. The camera then jump cuts into Mary closing the door to her house. This sequence sped up and manipulated the passing of time.
Types of Sound
Sound plays a large role throughout the entire film. Diegetic sound is used at the dance competition where a live band is on stage during Joey and Mary’s final duet performance. This performance comes when Joey gets his “mojo” back. The band signifies power, dominance and strength. Mary joining this performance shows her strength when facing adversity. The band also heightened the mood of the scene, making their duet standout amongst all other dance competition performances.
Another diegetic sound predominately used through the film was the sound of Mary’s skateboard. She rode her skateboard constantly. Hearing the wheels on the driveway or through school hallways showed her strong attitude and independence. Mary is not afraid to take risks, and hearing the skateboard solidified this. Other diegetic sounds were the Tami’s van’s muffler and the crowd screaming at the dance competition.
Non-diegetic sounds were predominately used through soundtrack music, produced by Antonina Armato. Music is used both as background filler for transitions and to underscore dialogue. The soundtrack of this film comprises R&B, hip hop and pop tracks. The background tracks were purposefully heard by the characters through many aspects of the film, such as during dance competition numbers, the cleaning scene with Mary and Joey and most noticeably, during the mirror scene at the dance studio.
In this scene, Joey teaches the dance class a combination. Mary dances on the other side of the mirror and even though she can see Joey through the mirror, he can’t see her. The music used for the combination is part of the soundtrack, but in order to stay on the counts of the combination, both the actors and audience members hear the track.
Genre Analysis
Mary and Joey harmonizing together (Image: www. fanpop.com).
Another Cinderella Story ties together both musical and comedic genres into one cohesive blend. This movie’s plot line centers around an aspiring dancer, two pop stars and the music business. This movie contains constant underscoring of soundtrack music, a full out dance competition, acoustic guitar playing with singing and a dance battle turned singing duet performance by the two leads.
This movie also brings the comedic genre to light through Dominique’s character. Most of her lines are exaggerated or over the top. Her dialogue used to constantly topple anyone she communicates with, particularly Mary, brings comedic relief. On the flip side, comedic elements also come from Mary’s responses to Dominique’s ridiculous commands, such as when Dominique ordered Mary to clean her bedroom instead of go to the ball.
Grant, Stacey. “Selena Gomez’s Bae from “Another Cinderella Story” Celebrates the Movie’s 10th Anniversary.” Seventeen, 8 Jan., 2018, https://www.seventeen.com/celebrity/movies-tv/a14774422/another-cinderella-story-drew-seeley/
“Joey and Mary images Another Cinderella Story wallpaper and background photos.” Fanpop, http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/joey-and-mary/images/4194296/title/another-cinderella-story-photo
Palmieri, Lea.”‘Another Cinderella Story’: The Addictive Selena Gomez Dance Romance Is Now On Netflix.” Decider, 4 Sept., 2018, https://decider.com/2018/09/04/another-cinderella-story-netflix/
“THINKING TOO MUCH DURING ANOTHER CINDERELLA STORY.” All of Me Now, 12 July, 2009, http://allofmenow.com/2009/07/another-cinderella-story/
Vasia T. “Another cinderella story – Scene (Greek subs).” YouTube, 2 Feb., 2013, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS1p0IlwwFw
Widiastri, Dhea. “Discover ideas about Another Cinderella Story.” Pinterest, https://www.pinterest.com/pin/360991726353487109/
Kill Bill: Volume 1, directed by Quentin Tarantino, is a crime thriller that has appealed to audiences ever since its release in 2003. This film does a fantastic job at genre-blending, meaning it combines together many different structures, effects, characters and motifs into one cohesive piece of film work. The two main paradigms present throughout this film include melodrama and western. Along with these two genre’s, Tarantino combines many other genres to create a truly unified piece of film.
In terms of film, Melodramatic films utilize the plot to appeal to the heightened emotions of the audience. Music is often used in melodramas to increase audience reactions. In the film, “The Bride” was a previous member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. She wakes up four years after her soon to be husband is shot by Bill, the leader of the squad. When she wakes up, she also realizes that her child is gone. She chooses to seek revenge on the five individuals who killed her child and devastated her completely. The plot line of Kill Bill: Volume1 does not focus as much on “The Bride” and her character development throughout the film. This film does focus on our leading lady beginning to kill the five individuals on her “Death List,” the process to which she finds these individuals and the obstacles she has to face in order to battle against one of the individual who destroyed her life. Prominent melodramatic elements in the film include when “The Bride” finds out her baby is gone and the battle sequence between the winner, “The Bride,” and head of the Japanese mafia who ends up dead, O’Ren Ishii.
Another paradigm used predominately throughout the film is western. The beginning of this film was placed in El Paso, Texas. Through the beginning sequences of the film, black and white scenes are used to accentuate aspects of old western themed movies. This film uses not only the setting of a small Texas town to accentuate the western genre, but it uses western attire, guns and southern accents to further exemplify this particular theme.
“Texas Cowboys” (Image: www.xahlee.org).
Aside from the two major paradigms, this film has many similarities to that of Asian culture. Through the usage of oriental settings and costuming, martial arts, samurai sword work and anime, Tarantino acknowledged the film’s inspiration drawing from the cinematography of Asian culture. Different genre’s that were used were anime to tell the story of O’Ren Ishii and comedy through the fight sequences. Anime was not only used to explain the story of O’Ren Ishii, but it was used to show a brutality that would have proved to have been difficult to show through actors. Comedy was used best through the fight with O’Ren Ishii’s private Japanese army. The usage of both sound effects and blood splattering everywhere were used to lighten up the mass killings that were occurring by “The Bride.”
“Chapter 3: The Origin of O-Ren.” WI Kill Bill, http://killbill.wikia.com/wiki/Chapter_3:_The_Origin_of_O-Ren
“Kill Bill Screenshots.” http://xahlee.org/Periodic_dosage_dir/skina/skina9_kb.html
“Kill Bill Volume 1.” NYT Watching, https://www.nytimes.com/watching/titles/kill-bill-volume-1
Rife, Katie. “Kill Bill 3 rumors awaken suddenly, begin preparing death list.” The A.V. Club, 7 Dec., 2015, https://news.avclub.com/kill-bill-3-rumors-awaken-suddenly-begin-preparing-dea-1798287095
Mulholland Drive, a mystery film directed and written by David Lynch, contains narratives that do not always make sense, seemingly unconnected segments, and scenes rich with symbolism. Audiences viewing this film can interpret it in a multitude of different ways. Since it’s release in 2001, this “self-referencing” avant-garde and abstract film has encapsulated audiences around the globe. Combining together meta cinema and postmodernism into an artistic medium, this film is much different than other traditional narratives.
Set in Hollywood, California, this film tells the story Diane Sullivan, an aspiring actress with dreams of making it big on stage. This movie shows Hollywood politics, casting details and behind the scenes takes on the film production process. Throughout the entire film, one aspect that stood out predominantly was the camera movements.
For example, in the beginning of the movie, after being affected by a car crash, “Rita,” or Camilla Rhodes as we find out later in the movie, is very dizzy. When the camera switched to the audience seeing her own view, we saw the skyline of Los Angeles as the camera was shaking. Throughout the film, the camera would focus in on certain objects, such as the phone outside of the diner, the entrance sign for the diner or the blue key at the end of the movie. Even the second time the camera zoomed in on the phone at the diner, the focus was not on the phone itself, but on the word “Stop” on the public phone. This was a symbol for Diane, or “Betty” at this moment, to not continue the phone call regarding Rita’s accident. Also, the usage of jump cuts and nontraditional editing tactics were used to try and break up the long periods of silences through the film. During all of these camera movements, the audience is constantly reminded of the distorted reality the film presents.
Mulholland Drive is definitely a meta film that let’s audiences know they are watching a film. This film covered many different aspects of the film-making process. In the film, when “Betty” is doing her first Hollywood read through, her scene partner tells her that they are going to do the scene “nice and close, just like in the movies.” Intimate scenes are a large part of what attracts audiences to the film industry and close partner scenes are a staple of the Hollywood film. Towards the end of the film, the audience witnesses the director, Adam Kesher, is auditioning females to be the lead of a “Doo-Wop” group. Doo-Wop groups, starting to blossom in popularity in the 1950’s, was an element of pastiche used in the film. In this scene, starting with a focus light behind the auditionee, the camera zooms out to include the backup singers of the act.
The audience is then exposed to the studio where they are singing, cameras, behind the set, production members and the director in his chair. This section was used to remind the audience they are watching a film.
Lovat, Simon. “Asking the Wrong Questions: Reiteration and Doubling in David Lynch’s Lost Highway, Mullholland Drive, and Inland Empire.” Bright Lights Film Journal, 26 Feb., 2018, https://brightlightsfilm.com/wp-content/cache/all/asking-wrong-questions-reiteration-doubling-david-lynchs-lost-highway-mullholland-drive-inland-empire/#.W8k-fi-ZPR0
Chinatown, directed by Roman Polanski and derived from a screenplay written by Robert Towne, is frequently considered one of the greatest screenplays of all time. This movie is full of so many different genre’s, including mystery, romance and thriller. There are no easy answers throughout this movie. When one question is answered, two more questions arise. No answers are left behind and all of the answers the audience needs to solve the mystery are presented throughout the first act of the film.
Jameson stated that movies are only a “simulation of reality.” Chinatown is often viewed as a Simulacrum, or a presentation of the past. The screenplay of Chinatown is based on the Ohio River Valley scandal that occurred in 1908 and the film is set in 1937 Los Angeles. This film both changed events and distorted history of the film after the events. Chinatown is not a movie about an actual reality. There are made up and created using a series of different techniques, such as the sound, lighting, editing, performances from the actors, their intentions and what they wanted from who they were talking to and the colors used in the film. Chinatown is a recreation of 1937 Los Angeles, even though the film didn’t premiere to the public until 1974.
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There are many similarities that can be drawn from the movie and 1930’s Los Angeles. One major similarity are the cars used throughout the film. The cars used in the film are very similar to models of cars driven during the 1930’s in Los Angeles. In the film, the yellow car was a 1938 Packard Twelve Convertible Victoria and the black car was a 1935 Ford V8 De Luxe Phaeton. Polanski definitely stayed true to the time period by using period cars. This allowed the audience to further dive into the action of the film because of their enhanced understanding of the time period in which the film is placed. Another similarity comes from the gardening and landscaping throughout both the film and 1930’s Los Angeles. Chinatown films at many nature filled locations with lots of landscaping and well-constructed buildings. In the film, warm colors are used to show the beauty of the land and nature around the characters.
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Chinatown was a film that caused a lot of conspiracy pertaining to Los Angeles. The conspiracy that Chinatown brings to the table did not start with the film. Conspiracies are rooted from the earliest days of the Owens Valley Los Angeles controversy and have grown throughout the years following. In this film, the darker aspects of Los Angeles’ history is explored head on. The filmmakers wanted to convey almost a dissatisfaction with the current Los Angeles of the 1970’s. Chinatown serves to alter this cities “optimistic image” by using both unconventional public figures and scandalous events. By doing this, the film created a new image for the city that is flawed.
Works Cited:
“1935 Ford V8 De Luxe Phaeton [48].” IMCDB, International Internet Movie Cars Database, https://www.imcdb.org/v076888.html
“1938 Packard Twelve Convertible Victoria [1607].” IMCDB, International Internet Movie Cars Database, https://www.imcdb.org/v076889.html
By using grotesque imaging and incredible performances, The Silence of the Lambs still engages countless audiences. Directed by Jonathan Demme, this film follows the three-act-story structure with flashbacks mixed in. On the surface, this movie is about the hunt for a serial killer and more specifically, using the mind of one killer to track another. This movie is all about transformation, both character wise and situationally.
This film’s perspective is restricted narration, as Clarice Starling’s interactions with both “killers” are presented in the third person. Clarice Starling’s progressively develops throughout the film. She successfully reports on Dr. Lector, saves Catherine from Gumb and graduates from the FBI academy. On the flip side, Dr. Lector’s character regressively develops because he goes from being kept in solitary confinement to being free, returning to his cannibalistic ways by the end of the film.
Act I of the film begins with the audience meeting FBI trainee Clarice Starling. She aspires to work in the Behavioral Science Unit under the direction of Jack Crawford. Jack asks her to question Dr. Hannibal Lector, a psychopathic serial killer, to try and solve another serial murder case dealing with “Buffalo Bill” Gumb. She was chosen by Crawford because she was a female and he hoped she could get an emotional reaction from him that would cause him to share increased information. As she begins to talk to him more, she realizes that she has to read between the lines of the psychological game he tries to play to get her to “open up.”
After news breaks of Catherine Martin, daughter of United States Senator Ruth Martin, being abducted by “Buffalo Bill,” Act II begins with Crawford ordering Clarice to offer Dr. Lector a fake prison transfer deal if he shares information that will help save Catherine. Lector then begins his own game where he offers clues about Buffalo Bill in exchange for traumatizing memories of Clarice’s childhood, which is where flashbacks are used. Dr. Chilton, leader of the Baltimore State Hospital, makes his own deal with Lector. By transferring him to a local courthouse in Memphis, Tennessee, Dr. Lector reveals information on Buffalo Bill. The rising action of the film could either been seen as Catherine being kept hostage in a well located in Gumb’s basement or Dr. Lector’s transfer.
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The climax of this movie could also be seen as two different, but very distinctive events. In the first event, Dr. Hannibal Lector kills the paramedics watching his cell, escapes and heads for the airport. In the second event, Clarice Starling finds “Buffalo Bill’s” home, saves Catherine and shoots Gumb. The film resolves in only one regard because Clarice graduates from the FBI academy after shooting Gumb. Dr. Lector’s ending is not resolved because at the graduation, Clarice receives a call where she finds out he’s still alive. He’s in the Bahamas, he is free and he is in disguise.
Works Cited
Bradshaw, Peter. “The Silence of the Lambs review – psycho-killer Hannibal still chills.” The Guardian, 1 Nov., 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/nov/01/the-silence-of-the-lambs-review-anthony-hopkins-jodie-foster-jonathan-demme
“Hannibal Lector images The Silence of the Lambs HD wallpaper and background photos.” Fanpop, http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/hannibal-lecter/images/5080602/title/silence-lambs-screencap
Sims, David. “The Spirit of The Silence of the Lambs Lives On.” The Atlantic, 15 Feb., 2018, https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/02/the-silence-of-the-lambs-criterion-jonathan-demme-true-crime/553418/
“Team Top 10: Horror Films AFTER “The Exorcist.” The Film Experience, 22 Oct., 2013, http://thefilmexperience.net/blog/2013/10/22/team-top-10-horror-films-after-the-exorcist.html
Requiem for a Dream, directed by Darren Aronofsky, is a film prominently propelled forward by bold, dramatic and specific editing choices. The editing used in this film drives the story forward without explicitly revealing the entire story, and the cutting style enhances the sensations of momentum found throughout the entirety of the film. Throughout the film, as the stakes rose, each cut to the next shot grew even faster.
Throughout the entire movie, the audience is on the edge of their seat. This metric and rhythmic montage is a perfect example of how the editing was quickened in order to keep engagement constant. This sequence shows the passing of time, drug usage and its effect on the individual using it. This montage highlights how quickly the “user” is affected by the drug. Three main characters in the show have an extreme drug addiction to cocaine and heroin that dictates many of their actions throughout the course of the movie. This sequence, for the most part, is repeated anytime Harry, Marion or Tyrone use drugs. Drugs are addictive and consume the body, soul and mind. These characters go from just using drugs and being completely hooked on them to hitting rock bottom. The characters completely succumb to the drugs they are using because of how dependent they have become on them.
Also, in this montage, the audience is denied distance from the drug usage by being brought up close and personal into the action. All shots used are either close ups or extreme close ups to bring the audience further into the day to day “regimen” of the three characters.
Throughout the movie, not only are both metric and rhythmic montages utilized for cocaine or heroin usage, but this style of montage is used also for the popping of pills. In the movie, Sara Goldfarb receives a call where she is told she is going to be on TV. In order to fit into her beloved red dress, she needs to lose 50 pounds. So, she sees a specialist, who then puts her on four different weight loss pills.
In the pill sequence, many fast paced jump cuts are used to show in a short amount of time the action taking place. The consecutive close-up shots puts an extra added emphasis on the action and brings the audience further into the world of Mrs. Goldfarb. This sequence also serves as an intellectual montage because even though her main intent is not to “drug” or “harm” herself, the audiences sees that using pills can become just as dangerous as actual drugs. These shots possess a deeper intellectual meaning, especially when this sequence is showed and then the camera almost freezes in a completely still, low angle shot looking up at Mrs. Goldfarb, looking absolutely drained.
Works Cited
Brownstone, Toi. “Archive for Requiem for a Dream.” WordPress, 2012, https://toirock.wordpress.com/tag/requiem-for-a-dream/
“Jared Leto Film Gif.” 31 Aug., 2015, https://giphy.com/gifs/jared-leto-pills-requiem-for-a-dream-69whyJt5ZfpO8
“REQUIEM FOR A DREAM SWAG GIF.” Giphy, 7 Feb., 2014, https://giphy.com/gifs/swag-drugs-hipster-9FpTaIzV89tny
Runyon, Christopher. “The Darren Aronofsky Retrospective: ‘Requiem for a Dream.'” Movie Mezzanine, 20 Jan., 2013, http://moviemezzanine.com/the-darren-aronofsky-retrospective-requiem/
Movies serve as windows into lives and worlds that are not our own. The movie, EdwardScissorhands, is a perfect representation of this. Combining a fable-like plot line, mystical imagery and lovable characters, this film completely encompasses audiences imaginations. One of the reasons this film is so successful is because of the cinematography work in the film. Cinematography is used in films not only to capture the action of the scene, but how the action is shown and communicated to the audience. Cinematographer Stefan Czapsky utilizes many different shots to create the atmosphere of the film.
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Throughout the movie, there are two worlds that are created. The first world is the pastel filled suburbia located just down the hill of Edward’s mansion. The suburbia, pictured above, is shot often from high-angle and includes many panoramic shots. This is done purposefully to show the uniformity of this town, the commonalities, the sterility of American society and it’s inability to accept “difference.” In this shot, many different houses and shown to signify the cohesiveness and similarities of the suburb as a whole. The pastel colors are used to represent the “perfect” neighborhood full of many hopes, ambitions and possibilities for those who fit in. This uniformity theme is also portrayed by the usage of a deep focus for the depth of field. No matter where the object is in this shot, it is equally balanced in terms of focus.
The second world created is the dark, gothic and mysterious mansion that Edward lives in. Edward’s mansion is shot often with low-angle long shots and uses a variety of dark palate colors. The mansion is shot in this way to truly show the contrasting worlds and to only accentuate how truly sterile American society is. When Edward joins this “menagerie” of a world that is so stylized, he is seen as someone very different from the rest of the residents and is never fully accepted because of his differences.
The common theme of “difference” is also shown above. In this scene, a drunk driver was headed right towards Kevin. Edward jumped in front of the truck, saved Kevin, and they both went down. Edward was trying to help Kevin, but all he was doing was scraping his face with his hands. This particular moment is shot in such a strategic way. Firstly, we have a low-angle, medium close-up shot directly pointed upward at Edward. The black sky encapsulates his face. This shot shows that he is the individual in power, as opposed to Kevin. Kevin’s close-up is shot from a high-angle to signify Edward being on top of him. Staying in the theme of pastel colors, Kevin’s face is encapsulated by vibrantly colored green grass, the blood is bright red, and he’s wearing blue’s and reds. This gif also shows the contrast between the two worlds this play brings together.
“Edward Scissorhands (1990) Filming Locations.” The Movie District, http://www.themoviedistrict.com/edward-scissorhands/2/
Kirsch, Becky. “Johnny Depp’s Weirdest and Wackiest Movie Looks.” Popsugar, 9 June, 2015, https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/photo-gallery/23033916/image/23045425/Edward-Scissorhands
Loughrey, Clarisse. “Here’s what the Edward Scissorhands suburb looks like 25 years on.” Independent, 7 Dec., 2015, https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/heres-what-the-edward-scissorhands-suburb-looks-like-25-years-on-a6763486.html
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