We are introduced to Ree, her family, and her daily life in the rural Ozark’s. We see that she is struggling financially, having to rely on her neighbours for food and giving away her horse as she cannot afford hay. We also learn from a tense interaction with the local Sheriff that her father, Jessie, has been released from prison, but since he is not appearing for court, the house and lands that Ree lives in are at risk of repossession as they are up for her fathers bond. She commits to finding him before she loses everything.
Key elements:
Cinematography –
The rural environment is shown through a cool, silvery blue colour palette which evokes a cold temperature and still, dead atmosphere. The inside of the home is a contrasting warm, dimly lit, orange palette that evokes a feeling of warmth and homeliness, emphasised by the intimate moments that Ree shares with her family, such as when she looks after her mother and her brother shows them the stray dog he found.
The family is shown to be struggling with poverty and are trapped in it by the way that the kids are shown through a frame within a frame between railing bars near the start of the scene as they play with kittens.
Ree is shown to be isolated when she looks through a window to her siblings in class, and when she looks in on the military trainees, she watches through a physical, translucent barrier, showing that she is held back from joining. She is isolated from adults, people her age, and younger people. Also, the brightly lit hall where people train evokes her ambition and desire to join herself. She is also shown to be trapped by the wide shots eh is shown in, such as when she walks away from Sonya after giving her horse away, simulating her feeling of being trapped by her poverty.
Sound –
The non-diegetic composed score accompanying the establishing shot of the rural environment immediately establish the Missouri Ozark’s as the setting of the film. The song is somber and melancholic, accompanied only by the diegetic sounds of the children playing, lending the film a quiet, dull atmosphere.
The moment that a non-diegetic droning increases in the sound mix rises to add tension to the scene where Sonya questions Ree on where Jessop. It is made more tense by the relative silence that has building up to it.
Editing –
The slow pace and relative silence of the opening scene establishes the loneliness and bleak situation that Ree is in.
Mise-en-scen –
They environment of the Ozark’s is immediately presented as empty and hollow, with dead grass, dark trees, grey skies and sparse, wooden homes surrounded by litter.
The poverty that Ree and her family live in is established through the grim looking food, cluttered and cramped house, messy garden filled with disregarded kids toys, tyres and farming equipment, and the gone-off food the starved and cold looking dog has to eat. The children have no beds, instead sleeping on the chairs and sofa. In contrast, the school seems bright, clean and warm.
The clothing of all the characters in the film is gender-neutral, in that it does not present any characters as more feminine or masculine. This is true for Ree, whose clothing is baggy, with muted colours, and looks as dull as the Ozark’s she lives in.
Ree looks much younger than the older characters in the film, such as Sonya, which, in turn, presents them as more experienced and weathered. Also, by presenting the women as similar to the men in their clothing, or by having older female characters, the movie denies the male gaze.
The sheriff is presented as an outsider by his clean, shiny car and presentable uniform . It shows that he is not like the locals, and conveys Ree’s discomfort near him and subsequent distrust and coldness towards him.
Performance –
The children are shown as innocent and happy, unlike Ree, who clearly takes on the hardships of being a young carer, and so seems relatively hapless.
Ideology:
The films ideology is explicit in that it follows mostly women, the story being told through a female perspective (a female who revolts against conventional female roles in a patriarchal society), and features a strong, self-reliant woman as the protagonist. Much of the audience’s satisfaction also comes from seeing this character overcome the challenges she faces, many a result of the rural, patriarchal community she lives in. However, it is also implicit in that this theme is built up throughout the film as an underlying idea, the main focus of the film’s narrative being the hunt for Ree’s missing father, her growth as a strong female character a large, accompanying aspect of the story.
“A feminist film about an anti-feminist world”.
This quote is backed up every time that a female character goes against a clear gender stereotype or role in the rural society of the film.
Ree is immediately established as the protector of the family, serving as what would traditionally be ‘the man of the house’ in most rural, isolated country communities such as this one. From her first appearance, she looks tired as she hangs up clothes as the children play around her, literally looking up to her. Ree also stands above her mother, showing her responsibility as the carer of the home and the family, without any present or able minded adults. She is established as an independent self-reliant woman by her teaching the children and caring for her mother. We also see her taking the maternal role by teaching the kids lessons and giving them roles, the girl takes on the job of feeding the god and the kittens, the boy looks after a dog he found in the woods, Ree teaches the girl maths and spelling, the boy manners, and both of them how to cook. We also see her looking in on the kids in class, with a hint of pride on her face, presenting her even more as a mother figure.
Ree is presented in a way that denies the ‘male gaze’ theory, wearing baggy and dull clothing, shown in dim or overcast light, surrounded by an unclean home and being seen washing her face in a sink, a realistic but unattractive moment. She is not glamorised by makeup or eye-catching clothing. She is presented as a real person, who is not sexual or treated as a sex object to any extent, rather the opposite.
At school, Ree seems to be avoiding the child-care training room, where women are clearly being indoctrinated into the patriarchal role of being the carer of the house and children. However, there is a man in there being trained to hold a baby, which is a reversal of traditional gender roles in the rural community. This is also seen in the emphasis placed on the women training to join the military. She is not just forced to be a strong individual, but seems to want to be stronger, striving to join the military. This is also evidenced by her seemingly being embarrassed to ask for help from Sonya when she gives her horse to her and her teaching her brother to “never ask for what ought to be offered”.
Ree’s neighbour, Sonya, looks after the horses, a traditionally male dominated farming role. She is also later seen carving up game with her husband, rather than just him doing it. At the same time, though, her husband warningly approaches the sheriff as if protecting his local community, taking on the traditional, protective male role.
The sheriff is clearly hated by this small community, seen in how cold Ree is toward him. Ree takes on the mothers role again here, telling the sheriff “you better just tell me” after he fails to talk to her, symbolising Ree’s assumed responsibility as the mother, and the hardships that involves. She is resolute in her task to find Jessop, interrupting the sheriff and telling him, confidently, that she will find him.
When Sonya enters the home, she addressed Ree first, then the kids, then Ree’s mother, showing the authority and dynamic of who shares most of the responsibility in the home.She also stands up for herself when Sonya accuses her of knowing where Jessop is. The ending of the scene exemplifies Ree’s sacrifice of her comfort to look after her family, seen when she lets out her anxiety at Sonya’s accusations in a huff, then, before having time to relax, turns and begins teaching the kids to cook deer stew.
The film technically does not pass the Bechdell test, as while there are multiple names female characters, their main source of discussion, motivating factor and the thing that drives the plot forward is Jessop’s disappearance, a male character (although, when Sonya and Ree first speak, it is about a horse, so…you be the judge of this!). However, it denies the male gaze, displaying realistic female characters through the perspective of a woman who goes against traditional, patriarchal roles in society.
Ree’s appearance is realistic, the film one of social realism, presented as a person who is not sexual or sexually suggestive in any way.
The film is based of the 2005 novel of the same name by Cormac McCarthy which centres around the violence associated with the drug trade at the border between the U.S and Mexico. The film strays from the book in a few regards, choosing to keep the plot somewhat unresolved at the end, for example, not explaining what happened to the drug money. It does share some qualities though, such as the persistence of Anton, who eventually escapes, leaving Bell contemplating his place in the modern world.
The directors, Joel and Ethan Coen, are known for producing darkly comedic, rural crime thrillers. In the film, they utilise minimal sound design and editing to raise tension through the simplicity of how the scenes are presented to us, allowing the audience to become immersed in the atmosphere and enthralled by the slow buildup, which the Brothers take their time with establishing, before a short but explosive, bloody climax. Roger Deakins, the cinematographer, is recognisable for his use for dark lighting, characterised by strong shadows and sharp contrast tween light and dark, to raise suspense and tension through the films visuals.
As a pair of auteur directors, the brothers have much creative control (Roderick Jaynes edited No Country For Old Men, a fictional name made up as a disguise for the films actual editors, Joel and Ethan Coen), there are reoccurring motifs throughout their filmography. Their films often take place in rural Southern American, dry, expansive landscapes where morally grey characters driven typically by money are hunted by psychopathic hitmen, involving surreal dream sequences and shocking climaxes, and also use reoccurring actors like Frances McDormand and John Goodman. Their films are almost always crime-centred, following immoral characters with dry senses of humour that results in the films often holding qualities of dark comedies. No Country For Old Men makes few attempts to be funny.
They have won many awards, No Country For Old Men winning four like best adapted screenplay and best director, three BAFTA awards and two Golden Globe wins, so fifteen wins overall, with 101 nominations overall (for all of the previously mentioned awards). Their films tend to turn profits, e.g The Big Lebowski had a budget of $15 million and made $46.7 million, No Country For Old Men had $25 million and made $171.6 million, O’ Brother Where Art Thou had $26 million and made $72 million.
No Country For Old Men (Jone Coen, Ethan Coen, 2007) follows Llewelyn Moss, a man who is out hunting one day when he stumbles upon a drug deal gone arry, and comes home with a satchel with $2 million in it. He is pursued by Anton Chigurgh, a sociopathic hitman who ruthlessly always every person who he encounters on the road to finding Moss, often leaving their fate to the decision of a coin toss. Finally, Sheriff Ed Tom Bell follows the chaotic trail of the crimes and tries to save Moss from his own ambition, contemplating the nature of the modern world and the ceaseless violence that permeates within it.
The film utilises moments of long, drawn out silence to build tension, alongside hard lighting to raise suspense and terror within the audience. It is brutal, using strong violence to convey the cruel nature of the world and the character Anton’s ideology. It ends nightly unconventionally, killing off the protagonist offscreen by an unknown group of people before the final showdown that the film has been building up to. It gives out with a whimper, not a bang, the antagonist getting away and the constantly tense film ending with a somber monologue from a character who remained on the sidelines throughout most of the film. This goes against everything that the film has been building up to, shocking the audience and stopping the films placing dead in its tracks. Despite the films violence, it also involves highly profound themes of ambition, evil, despair and human cruelty. This is exemplified through Anton, who, despite being an inhuman killer, has his won set of rules and even morales, often refraining from killing someone whom you expected him to, or killing someone’s for no reason other than he made a promise to do so.
I loved this film. It was gripping from start to (almost) finish, with a thought provoking story and some extremely memorable sequences. I rate No Country For Old Men ★★★★★!
Debra Granik uses the desolate environment of the rural Ozarks and silence in the film to create an atmosphere of horror that permeates through the film’s adventure/thriller plot line. The use of sound design is minimalist, choosing often to not include the composed score by Dickon Hinchliffe, but when it is used it is done so to build tension between characters in a subtle way. For example, in the opening scene a gentle folk song plays, but we cannot hears any diegetic sounds in the scene except fro the creaking of a trampoline. This creates an eerie atmosphere and establishes Ree’s situation as a dark, unusual one. It establishes the protagonist as someone who has never had a childhood. Tension is also created when the Sheriff visits by using on;y the diegetic sounds of his footsteps and the clanging of distant bells. Low groaning sounds are used at time to convey Ree’s rising fear as events in her life take a turn, giving a depth to these moments. At other times, a prominent beating of a drum in the non-diegetic sound mix adds tension to the scene, such as when Teardrop destroys a car’s front window.
The cinematographer, Michael McDonough, elevates the sense of fear through a similarly minimal use of colour and a bleak production design. This can be seen in her time at school or the army recruitment office, where the colours surrounding her are more vibrant and eye-catching, in contrast to the lifeless, grey and bland colour pallet used throughout the rest of the film as Ree’s situation becomes more bleak and hopeless, which is conveyed through the similarly dull cinematography. This reaches a crescendo when the final, and most brutal scene of the film, takes place at night, only lit by moonlight. Granik creates villains in the story by presenting people like Teardrop with intense shadows across their faces combined with soft light to illuminate his weary features and gruff face. The camera movements are also calm, steady, and create a feeling in the audience that we are an observer to what is happening, which makes it more emotionally distressing as we see Ree go through these terrible situations. For example, when she is beaten unconscious and wakes up later, the slow, steady camera movements feel realistic, allowing the audience to become immersed in the tension of the scene.
The Ozark’s in Winter serve as a pathetic fallacy, emulating Ree’s deepening loss of control and safety. It also lends a chilled, bitter atmosphere to the film. It is made to be cold and isolated in its environment and the way the characters interact with each other, the Hillbilly stereotype played here with malicious connotations, showing sexism in the community and a quiet, secretive group of antagonists. Ree herself is isolated from them by acting as a strong female lead despite the way the females around her treat her or are treated by their husbands. The grim atmosphere and bleak prospects that Ree faces is also shown through the rural poverty, methamphetamine addiction, gang violence, domestic violence, metal illness and murder that exists within the community she lives in.
As additional contextual information , the film is based off the book of the same name, brought Jennifer Lawrence to wider notoriety amongst audiences, made $6 million at the U.S Box Office becoming an indie film success.
Winter’s Bone (Debra Granik, 2010) follows Ree (Jennifer Lawrence) who searches for her missing, drug making father who has put their house u for his bond and is not appearing at court. If she is to save her family from the bitter cold of the winter, she needs to find her father, dead or alive.
This is an independent American film, with a feminist ideology that resides in the undertone of the script, as the films takes place in a setting where the men often abuse their wives, who hold traditional roles in society. I liked many sequences, particularly Teardrop’s confrontation with the Sheriff, due to the tension of the moment and the subtext of the dialogue. I also liked the ending, which was suitably shocking for the buildup of the rest of the film. While there were only 2 characters that the audience can attach to, that and the general chilly atmosphere lent the film a cruel, isolated, hopeless tone.
Clyde catches Bonnie, who has snuck away from the gang and ran into a dying wheat field. She says to him that she wants to see her mother again, and Clyde agrees despite the risk, and in the next scene Blanche, Buck, Bonnie and Clyde enjoy a family re-union at an abandoned industrial site. There is an air of tension to the scene which culminates when Bonnie’s elderly and disapproving mother confronts Clyde and questions his plans and the safety eh van provide for Bonnie. His charm does not work on her, and she finishes by saying “You best keep running, Clyde Barrow” and leaves the couple alone by the site.
Key Elements:
Cinematography –
At the beginning of this scene, the style of filmmaking swaps between conventional American commercial filmmaking and the French New Wave style which influenced Arthur Penn’s direction. The scene is filmed on long lenses in the French style, and the camera movements following Clyde and improvised, causing the movement to be rapid, sudden and disconcerting to the audience. However, as Clyde runs next to the car, the camera filming moves backwards on a rig to produce a steady image, mo vying to show Buck as Clyde leans in to talk to him. An extreme wide shot is used as the actors improvise, running across the field. As the lighting cannot be controlled, because the film was shot on location in the French style, the shadow in this wide shot is no longer there when the scene cuts to a closer shot lol Bonnie running. Even in this wide shot though, the camera cranes upwards to follow the movement of the actors up the screen, a more traditional style of Hollywood filmmaking. In the closer shot, a what leaf obstructs the foreground, a sign of shooting on location rather than on a controlled, choreographed set.
Bonnie’s mother is shown in separate shots to everyone, showing her isolation and disapproval. During this picnic scene, the camera shoots through a car windscreen to serve as a filter that makes the image more grainy and giving the scene a dream-like quality. This is also done through washed out colours and far-away telephoto lends shots used for close-ups, such as the one with Bonnie’s mother, separating her from an incoherent, blurred background and adding a strange, incomplete feel to the shot. It gives the scene an other-worldly like atmosphere, adding a surreal quality to this entire sequence and making it feel more profound. This atmosphere serves as a metaphor, as the meaning behind the character’s’ expressions and the heavenly and strange atmosphere to the scene signifies that Bonnie and Clyde will die. This confusing lens the scene is shot through also prevents the audience from seeing clearly the fact that this scene takes place in a hidden industrial wasteland. This is symbolic of the direness of the characters’ situation, showing that they have to hide to survive, and also signifies the distractions Ned happiness they get when they are seen spending time together and playing in the pit. The location is shown through an establishing wide shot at the start of the scene and one at the end of it, a more conventional American style of cinematography.
Bonnie’s mothers’ words of “You best keep running, Clyde Barrow” are made to look more prophetic by the use of a long lens which isolates her from the background and the close up isolating her from everyone else, although this final conversation is done in traditional Hollywood style through shot-reverse-shots, close ups and over-shoulder shots.
Sound –
Editing –
The dissolve cut to the picnic scene is an example of traditional American commercial cinema editing. However, the scene with the family swaps between slow and normal motion and missing frames shots disconcert the audience to create an abstract and dream-like quality in the French New Wave style. There is also a moment of discontinuity when Bonnie;s mother is looking at Clyde in one close up and then down in the next.
Mise-En-Scen –
The dying wheat field serves as a metaphor for the fact that Bonnie and Clyde are destined for death. This is also signified in the funeral-like clothing that the characters are having a family reunion.We see how Bonnie’s character has changed through her lack of bright makeup and her more serious demeanour here.
Performance –
Blanche and Buck seems to be regretful, signifying that they know that Bonnie and Clyde will die, similarly to Bonnie’s mother’s sad demeanour, as opposed to Bonnie’s unsure expression and Clyde’s (and the children’s) clear ignorance. We see that Clyde’s boyish charm does not work on her mother as it did Bonnie at the start of the film, allowing for the mother so speak some actual truth for the first time in the film. In the final shot of the scene, Bonnie and Clyde are isolated, Clyde seeming confused and Bonnie worried, oscillated in a wide shot by being kept far away from Buck and Blanche who are clearly upset, foreshadowing the clear end of Bonnie and Clyde. It also leaves the entire gang alone in frame, showing their isolation from everyone else.
Context:
Representation and Aesthetics:
Auteur:
We can see Bonnie’s clear concern at the prophetic nature of her mother’s words, whereas Clyde is clearly ignorant to the dire reality of his situation, earning the disapproval of Bonnie’s mother.
In this scene, Bonnie and Clyde pull of their first bank heist with the help of their new recruit, C.W Moss, as their getaway driver. The best goes to plan, except when they get outside they cannot find the getaway car since Moss has parked it away from the bank. Chaos ensues as the bank’s alarm goes off and the public begin to converge at the scene. Eventually the couple find the car, but Moss struggles to pull out, causing a wreck and he reverses and accelerates into two other cars. They begin driving away, but a bank worker latches onto their car in pursuit of them. Clyde responds by shooting the man in the face, causing a violent scene as the man tumbles from the side of the car to the ground and Bonnie, Clyde and Moss drive away as people chase and shoot at them and the firefighters arrive.
Key Elements:
Cinematography –
An extreme long shot establishes the scene from under a roof awning. This makes the film look as if we are observing something by accident, adding a sense of realism to it. When Bonnie and Clyde enter the bank and take out their guns, Thayer are framed within a frame through a glass window to draw our attention to them.
As the car escapes, the scene mirrors the initial getaway scene, here without the jovial, jaunty music played before, taking a more serious, dramatic tone after the act of violence committed by Clyde.
Sound –
The sequence begins with a J cut from Clyde in bed transitioned by a loud car beep to establish the new location, which is also done through an extreme long shot with the crossroads outside of the bank centre frame.
Editing –
The scenes of the robbery in the bank and Moss outside are parallel edited to raise tension and signal to the audience that something bad is going to happen in a more conventional way of Hollywood filmmaking.
Mise-En-Scen –
The buildings shown look old and abandoned, showing the backdrop of the Depression and signalling that the south is in an economic decline. As the film was shot on location, the filmmakers choose to film in the Southern states to portray an area suffering the impacts of the Great Depression.
Bonnie wears a beret, a small nod to the inspiration taken by the filmmakers from the French New Wave.
Performance –
The extras in this scene were civilians asked by the filmmakers to serve as extras to add to the sense of realism and truthfulness prevalent in the French New Wave style of filmmaking.
Context:
The scene within the bank is largely improvised, striving for a realistic depiction similar to a documentary or unscripted sequence of events not played by professional actors.
Representations and Aesthetics:
When the pursuer chasing Bonnie and Clyde’s getaway vehicle is shot in the face by Clyde, we see an close up of the impact it creates. A large spray of blood against an agonised face is extremely violent and shocking for a mainstream film in the 1960s. The violence is shown centre frame and close up, even cutting back to it in an unnecessary and brutal shit reverse shot between it and the man who did the act, forcing the audience to confront it and the brutal actions of the protagonists, who we like and are attached to, but we have to face the consequences of their actions. It does not ruin them, but cements them as flawed ‘anti-hero’s’, displaying in graphic detail for the time the consequences of their actions.
Auteur:
Warren Beatty (left) had a massive hand in the films final product as its producer, portraying Clyde as an imperfect protagonist, differing from typical Hollywood strong male leads at the time. He also helped create the films shoddy but realistic dialogue, often improvised, and influenced its feel as an imperfect, casual, fun and low-budget production, heavily inspired by the French New Wave.
Bonnie Parker lies naked and clearly frustrated by her boredom at home. She sees a man outside trying to steal her mother’s car, who she confronts. She quickly falls for the man and walks into town for him, asking questions about him and where he’s from. He shocks her by revealing that he has been released from state prison for armed robbery. She provokes him to rob a store to prove that he did so, which he promptly does, forcing the couple to giddily flee the town in a stolen car together. The man reveals that his name is Clyde Barrow.
Key Elements:
Cinematography –
The film intersperses the opening credits worth real photographs taken from the Great Depression era of the 1930s, grounding the film in the real life time period and economic climate it takes place in. Film camera shutter clicks are times with he cutting of photos and credits to further establish the olden time period. The names of the actors fade to a red font, foreshadowing violence. Pictures of them in character further grounding these characters as real people. A lack of non-diegetic sound here immerses the audience and gives the film a documentary film, also due to the real images shown here.
The film does not follow the conventional Classical Hollywood Style of introducing the location of the new scene is set in to the audience through an immediate establishing shot, instead opening on an extreme close up of Bonnie’s lips, immediately sexualising her. This shot is disorienting for the audience due to the lack of context to buildup to it. The camera pans to show her reflection in a mirror, done with a hand-held camera, new technology at the time that had been embraced by the French New Wave for its casual apparel and easy use. Making films for a low profit utilising a small budget with low cost equipment. The camerawork feels improvised with not pre-planning or choreography, instead filmed in the moment, similarly to the performances and dialogue. The entire sequence is shot through close-ups os Bonnie’s face, keeping the environment hidden to the audience and therefore going directly against the Classical Hollywood Style, instead concentrating on conveying her frustration and boredom over the location. This is seen in how the camera rises up to an extreme close up of her eyes looking off screen at nothing in particular. When this happens, the camera misses the focus point, and we can see it re-focus onto her face, which makes the cinematography feel improvised and causal, taking inspiration from the French New Wave style of filmmaking,
Clyde and her are shown in shot reverse shots through a netting over her bedroom window. This is not removed to improve the clarity of the shot for the audience, instead obscuring the view. This is because, in the style of the French New Wave, the filmmakers always shot on location instead of on set because it was cheaper and gave the films a sense of realism. This also results in no control over the lighting of the scene, seen in how Clyde is in shadow when peering into Bonnie’s mothers’ car. The film was shot on location in southern states since they were the poorer ones in the 1960s that had not yet fully recovered from the Great Depression, and so still looked economically damaged. Zoom lenses are used in the film to captures the action from a distance and reduce the need to stop and start the shooting constantly for new shots.
Despite the story being largely about crime, we are not shown the robbery here, as the film primarily focuses on the relationship between Bonnie and Clyde, a pair of people who rob banks. The film denies the audience the pleasure of seeing the action, which they expect to see, to instead keep their attention on the emotional connection between the two protagonists. As the two escape in a stolen car, inside the car we see a projected backdrop, but outside it the film was shot on a real location in rural Souther Texas.
Sound –
When Bonnie confront Clyde outside, the dialogue is poor quality and very hard to hear, both due to the strongly southern accents and the poor sound quality. This is because the film was short on location, and so the dialogue said while shooting is what we hear, and isn’t added or clarified/improved in post-production.
The majority of the sequence contains only diegetic sound as the films was shot on location, adding to the sense of realism and truthfulness prevalent in the film and how it is made. As the couple escape, a jaunty upbeat bluegrass banjo tune plays to give the scene an excited, jovial and care-free feeling, reinforcing the tone of the film, a love story with a backdrop of crime. It also shows how much fun the two have while/from robbing places.
Editing –
Mise-En-Scen –
Bonnie being shown behind the bars of her bed is symbolic of her feeling imprisoned in her home.
As the two walk though the street together, we see the paint on the walls peeling off, and a quiet and empty street. This shows the backdrop of poverty in the story, but what location shown is real due to the film being shot on location, typical of the French New Wave style of filmmaking.
Performance –
In her room, Bonnie’s movement are random and seemingly in-planned, adding a sense of realism and improvisation to the scene. Her accent is deeply southern instead of an artificial Mid-Atlantic accent to portray a more realistic representation of the regional accent and the characters in the film.
As Clyde walks across the road to rob the store, we see he has a prominent limp. This links to his story about him chopping of two of his own toes in prison to get off of work detail, portraying him as a mysterious and flawed character, and Warren Beatty method acted to achieve a sense of realism in the film.
Context:
F.D.R campaign posters are plastered on walls to immerse the audience in the 1930s time period, alongside the decaying town which establishes the impact of the Depression on society.
Representations and Aesthetics:
For 1967, this is a borderline offensive and at least a risky way of presenting a leading female role. It is provocative and suggestive, establishing Bonnie as a rebellious character in the 1930s and edging what can be permitted to be shown in a film by the Hayes Code. This can also be seen in how flirtatious she is with Clyde, and the phallic imagery used in the coke bottles and Clyde’s pistol, sexually suggestive imagery considered edgy in the 1960s. The film also presents Bonnie’s beauty in a naturalistic way, showing her without much intervention or artificial beauty created through the use of lighting to highlight or enhance her features.
Bonnie is a bored, uneducated waitress living in a small, quiet town. Clyde is an ex-convict bank robber. As is characteristic of the French New Wave, the film follows two real people living real lives, making the story (somewhat) more relatable for the people watching it.
Auteur:
Dede Allen allowed for the film’s sound design to be deliberately shoddy as she took much inspiration from the French New Wave style of filmmaking and editing. Robert Pentonville and David Newman made the dialogue feel real and I provided, which it largely was, to add to the sense of realism in the film. The director, Arthur Penn, and Warren Beatty, the producer, both made the film feel authentic and realistic in its style through a deliberately poor quality for a Hollywood film.
Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn, 1967) follows two young people, Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, who travel Texas and rob banks. The film follows their rampage across the county as they gain new members to their ‘Barrow Gang’, showing us their ethics, methods and relationships with each other, and are eventually cornered and shot down by the laws.
The film was made by Arthur Penn, who took inspiration from the French New Wave movement in Europe, where young and enthusiastic filmmakers were defying traditional forms of filmmaking by utilising low-budgets, cheap equipment and actors and going against traditional forms of filmmaking. Therefore, Bonnie and Clyde takes from many of the techniques popularised in France at the time, containing many (all deliberately) badly edited scenes, rough audio, bad acting and poor scriptwriting. Despite this, it is a completely linear narrative.
I found the film entertaining but confusing in it’s purposeful rough quality and almost ‘anti-film’ methods of conveying the story. There is no effort to immerse the audience in the story, and so the passage of time is hard to gauge and the plot feels fast and disjointed. I rate Bonnie and Clyde ★★!
Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942) is one of the most influential and popular films ever made. It was directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Warner Bros. Studios. It epitomises the glamour and style of filmmaking in the golden age of Hollywood, starring a powerful cast, extensive sets, romantic dialogue and an engaging story. Many of its lines have become cemented in film history. “Here’s looking at you, kid.”, “We’ll always have Paris.”, and “This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” Are all iconic lines from the film.
Synopsis:
Context for the story:
The story takes place in Casablanca, a city by in Morocco where European refugees seeking escape from the Nazis wait for transit to Lisbon, and from there, America. Corrupt police govern the city and attempt to impress the Nazi officers visiting by preventing important officials being pursued by the Nazis from gaining passage to America.
The story:
The protagonist is Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) who runs a cafe in the city after fleeing from Paris to escape Nazi persecution, which sports a diverse cast of characters from all corners of the world, most waiting a seemingly endless wait for passage to America. He is a pessimistic, selfish character who mostly keeps to himself. He claims to care for no one other than himself, but this is contested by some of his co-workers, who point out his past assisting revolutionary groups, and his tendency to turn a blind eye to the illegal activity in his cafe helping refugees flee to Lisbon. Later in the film, he even helps a man fleeing Nazi pursuit cheat at roulette so that he can gain enough money to gain a flight to Lisbon, which, much to his dismay, gains the admiration and respect of his employees.
His world is thrown into chaos when a highly elusive and important revolutionary leader Victor Lazlo (Paul Henried) arrives in Casablanca evading Nazi capture, with him his wife and Rick’s ex lover from Paris Ilsa Lund (Ingrid Bergman) who seek letters of transit which Rick has possession of. A flashback reveals that Rick and Ilsa were passionately in love in Paris, and planned to run away together as Rick was to be arrested by the Nazis. Ilsa agrees to this plan, but on the day it was to happen, she left a note for Rick to explain that she could not come. Rick then fled to Casablanca, where he opened a cafe and became a selfish, pessimistic and isolated man. Ilsa begs Rick for the letters, who refuses to aid them for abandoning him in Paris.
Ilsa reveals that she in fact believed Lazlo to be dead in a concentration camp and was lonely in Paris, and while she loves Lazlo she also dearly loves Rick, which changes his mind, and so he hands over the letters. Rick’s claim that he cares for no one other than himself and his facade of a bleak lack of morality are put into question when Ilsa begs him for the letters, and he eventually consents, pulling off a daring plan to get her and Lazlo to America. His corrupt friend and chief of police captain Louis (Claude Rains) at first is forced at gunpoint by Rick to help him, but betrays his friend by informing a Nazi official of the plot. However, when the official arrives, Rick shoots him, and Louis covers for him by telling his men to search elsewhere. This redemption of character is also seen in how Louis throws a bottle from Vichy France into a bin, symbolising his detachment from being a corrupt, nazi puppet official. By giving the letters of transit to Lazlo and Ilsa, Rick makes a noble sacrifice to help the couple escape, leaving himself in danger of arrest in Casablanca. He and Louis escape Casablanca and Nazi pursuit together, walking off into the horizon, a happy, if bittersweet ending, as Rick will likely never see Isla again. However, he has redeemed himself, as now he has openly and actively done a good deed for someone in need of help, without being embarrassed of it.
Techniques:
The film has a linear narrative, only once using a flashback to explain how significant and important Ilsa’s love was to Rick, back when they both lived in Paris. The film uses a composed, non-diegetic score, the most notable track being As Time Goes By, sang by a character in the film, which is used to create romantic moments between Rick and Ilsa, who share fond memories over the song, adding emotion to those scenes, and the the track itself is romantic, making these moments more romantic. The editing is mostly made up of hard-cuts with occasional fade-cuts. The film is also in black and white, so the lighting and composition are focused on heavily. Characters are often framed alone in close-ups, and encompassing wide-shots are used to display environments, such as Rick’s cafe, to the audience, and characters of significance are placed in the centre and forefront of frame to bring our attention to them.
Personally, I enjoyed the scenes in the cafe most. The lighting gave a clean, cosy atmosphere to the building, and the bustling, multicultural atmosphere made the area feel alive and bursting with character, in contrast with Rick’s personality. I also enjoyed the flashback sequences showing the relationship between Rick and Ilsa in Paris, which felt genuine and real, making the audience more attached to them and their relationship.
Tarantino utilises dialogue to a high extent in his films, and it is considered a staple aspect of his films. He makes the dialogue enjoyable and engaging for the audience through reference to pop culture, and long conversations often revolve entirely around trivial or non-important topics, which makes it relatable and enjoyable for the audience to listen to. Ordinary conversations between friends are easy and entertaining to pay attention to, especially when between characters such as Jewels and Vincent, hit et that you wouldn’t usually expect to be talking do jovially about a “royale with cheese”.The dialogue provides a flowing pace to the film, as seen in how the drive leading up to the murder in the apartment is as long as the scene in the apartment, but the audience does not realise this while watching either scene since the dialogue in the car flows so easily. It also makes the character archetypes interesting, fleshing out blatantly cliche characters through relatable and unique dialogue over mundane focal points (such as the French equivalent of American fast food names) that is characteristic of Tarantino.
Narrative Viewpoint:
“The character with whom the audience is manipulated to emphasise or sympathise at any oven point in the film.” Tarantino also utilises this in an interesting and nuanced way, as he shifts the perspective between characters every new chapter. At first we are interested in the diner robber’s story, then we empathise with Vincent due to his precarious situation, then we are enthralled by Butch’s risky quest for the gold watch (in which Vincent and Wallace become the antagonists) then we understand Jewel’s sudden moral awakening, and from that perspective Vincent seems like a vain idiot to us and the diner robbers are the antagonists of the scene. This prevents the audience from becoming too attached with any one character, but simultaneously keeps us engaged and attached to all of them.
Character Motivations:
This is the driving force behind the character’s choices and actions. Motivations are fundamental to the audiences understanding of and engagement with the meaning of films. Tarantino’s character motivations are facilitated through his dialogue and so is the films narrative drive. This can be seen in how Vincent’s seemingly pointless defensiveness about the inappropriateness of foot massages eludes to his later apprehensiveness of taking Mia out and sets up his personality, therefore why he reacts to her overdose in the way that he does. It is also done, more explicitly, in Christopher Walken’s explanation of the origins of Butch’s fathers’ gold watch, which sets up why he would later go to such great lengths to retrieve it.
Cause and Effect:
The cause is an event or action and its consequences , which is the effect. All films are constructed around this simple concept, and in Pulp Fiction this can be seen in Vincent’s desperateness to save her with Mia due to the story of the man killed by her husband because he gave her a foot massage. Vividly created characters make cause and effect more esoteric, and creates character nuance and depth.
Chronological Flow:
“The arrangement of things following one after another in time.” Pulp Fiction only flows chronologically in throughout the individual sequences in the film, which contrasts how the film as a whole is not arranged in chronological sequence.
Pacing:
“The rhythm at which the plot unfolds.” Tarantino deliberately paces his films in a nuanced way that goes against film tradition, subverting audience expectations and engaging them through that subversion. Seemingly insignificant scenes take up a lot of time, whereas scenes crucial to the story can start and end very quickly, as seen in the drive to the from the apartment where Martin is shot by Vincent very suddenly and offscreen, after which the scene ends abruptly, just after we see a long, drawn out conversation between Vincent and Jewels about divine intervention. It is also evident in the diner robbers’ long conversation about robbing coffee shops opposed to gas stations right before a sudden start and cut away from the actual robbery in the diner itself, which we only again return to at the end of the film.
Pulp Fiction was written by Quentin Tarantino between 1992 and 1993, and was originally turned down by Tristar pictures for being ‘too demented.’, but was the fist film fully distributed by Miramax after co-chairman Harvey Weinstein saw it. It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes film festival in 1994, having been made with a budget of $8.5 million and eventually making a box office success of $213.9 million.
It is considered by critics as a touchstone of post modern film due to its entirely unique and unconventional narrative structure. It’s use of an A-List cast also brought the film much attention, regardless of the long-anticipated second film by the director, who had made notoriety after his 1992 crime thriller Reservoir dogs brought him into the mainstream.
Pulp Fiction is an experimental film, telling a conventional, cliche gangster story through a nuanced form of narrative. They film was also so influential due to Tarantino’s use of violence to ironically create humour and snappy and clever dialogue that does not add to the plot in any way, self-reflexive style, all which would come to represent Tarantino as an auteur director. The film homages more classic, indie cinema, and is considered his masterpiece particularly for its screenplay.
Tarantino created a riveting and enthralling movie by maintaining an escalating plot that is conveyed in a more nuanced way by the unique narrative. His dialogue is also honest and genuine-seeming, as characters talk among themselves about topics that don’t necessarily relate to the plot in any way, building his characters and their views on different matters. There is always something at stake in his films, creating conflict in all interactions, no matter how trivial, which maintains the viewers’ attention. He also handles subtext in a way that maintains tensity in a scene, and therefore viewer interest, as seen in the prologue scene in the diner.
He was closely involved in the production process, communicating with the actors and giving direct instructions. He uses non-diegetic music to add to his scenes, adding a style, pace to tone to a scene. In pulp fiction, Tarantino uses the narrative structure to reveal things about the characters, such as Vincent’s death due to his dismissal of Jewel’s moral awakening after a near death experience. He also immerses the audience into the narrative immediately by having two people discussing organised crime casually, bringing them into the story and the characters. By the end of the film, our perspective has changed a lot between characters, as Tarantino follows separate characters and revealing things about them between scenes, such as Jewel’s job to kill, the resolution of Butch and Wallaces conflict, and Vega’s death. Characters feel relatable due to the clever dialogue, scenes are engaging through dialogue undertones andcasual violence, and an engaging narrative that immerses the audience through what it reveals about the plot and how it keeps the audience on their toes. It also uses experimentalism in the narrative structure to create a new and subjective experience for the audience who can view the film in a way they want, therefore encouraging audience participation through a structure that demands attention and experimental methods that create a memorable and engaging audience experience.
La Ricotta (Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1962) follows an actor who is taking part in an adaptation of the deaths of Christ who finds himself starving to death mid-shoot.
The film swaps between focusing on the director of the movie, the actor, and the crew. It does this to put on display ones suffering juxtaposed to the other’s ignorance and arrogance, and therefore signifying to the audience the reality of this situation. It also switches from a serious, symbolic drama to a slapstick comedy, as one minute a man is dying from starvation due to the rest of the cast’s ignorance to his existence, and the next he will be ruining across a field in sped up footage to make his movements more comedic.
The themes of ignorance and class divide between working and upper is outlined through actions, as the conversation between the director and a journalist reveals his eccentricity and obsession with his own work. The film then cuts to the protagonist being forced to hoard food in a cave. The same thing happens at then end, where wealth visitors come to see the production of the film, but only find the protagonist dead on a cross. The film also uses symbolism, such as when the actresses dog eats the protagonists lunch, thus causing him to starve further. Another example is when the protagonist being put onto the cross is teased by the people attaching him to it with food and drink, emulating the actual crucifixion of Christ.
One moment that I remember is when the actors are pretending to be figures from famous religious paintings, staying completely still and in careful, planned positions and poses. The wide shot used here and the use of colour brings our attention to what the director is trying to emulate, and when it cuts back to the film crew, the film is in black and white and imperfectly framed shots. The use of the wide shot here to bring the audiences attention to everything in frame, and the potential symmetry and framing of the shot.
Night Fishing (Park Chan-wook, 2011) is a 33 minute short film that follows a man on a fishing trip who catches more than he bargained for after dragging the corpse of a woman out of a lake.
The film is interesting for a number of reasons. Firstly, the entire film was shot on iPhone. Despite this, the film only uses a unique movement once, towards the beginning where a crane shot pans right as the camera moves over the ground. Throughout the rest of the film, usual camera movements and shots are used. However, the camera is remains still and steady, and after some time I forgot that the film was shot on a phone.
The other interesting thing about the film is the fact that it begins as a music video, with a band performing a song. The film remains on them for almost 3 minutes, before eventually swapping focus to the protagonist The lyrics of the song add meaning to the film, but this music video format is a sharp contrast to the supernatural thriller/horror that follows.
Finally, the film includes a twist around 18 minutes in, the reveal being that the protagonist is actually dead, and currently transitioning to the afterlife. The woman they meet is the spiritual medium in real life who he uses to communicate with his family for the final time. This twist is very sudden, but takes a few moments to be explained to the audience, as we cut to a completely new location where the previously dead woman is now alive and screaming in front of a group of people in what seems to be some sort of ritual practice. It is then shown to us, not through dialogue but through mise-en-scene and performances, that the fisherman passed away while on a fishing trip. We see this from an image of him decorated with candles, which reflects people mourning over him, and his family being clearly distraught as they talk to him through the medium. The twist is well done, but very jarring as the camera suddenly cuts from still close ups to a handheld wide shot, and the transition takes a minute as the woman is submerged and hallucinates the lake that she was in previously. It also completely removes a character, and changes the course of the story for the final 15 minutes, which are much more emotional than the previous scenes, which were suspenseful and even disturbing at points.
Some shots that I remember in particular and may choose to include in my final film is the handheld tracking crab shot of the woman after climbing out of the bath, the close low angle shot of the woman’s face, or the arch shot that circles around the fisherman as he sits patiently by the lake with his fishing rods set up in front of him. These are all shots that I may use in my own film, although the idea of using a twist would completely alter my idea and the execution of it, as-well as a musical performance to set up the film, so I will not use them in my film.
Swimmer (Lynne Ramsay, 2012) is a 16 minute short film that follows a man who swims through rivers and lakes, listening to people along his way and finally trying to reconnect with society towards the end of the film.
The film is shot in black and white, which makes the bodies of water water look much deeper and wider, therefore more intimidating to the audience. It shows how the man, the swimmer, feels much more free in these places, as all of this space belongs to him. This is also communicated through close-ups that show how skilled he is at making his way through the water, and long shots that emphasise how deep the water is and how fearless they are of it. The film also inconsistently swaps perspective between him and people on land, which shows how others see him, and therefore how strange this scenario is to the audience, but also by swapping back to the swimmers perspective we can see more sense in his actions, as we see the skill with which he travels, and the stunning beauty of the water.
The film also relies heavily on the non-diegetic composed score, as there is little to no dialogue in it. The music is nationalistic, which doesn’t seem to be for patriotic or propagandistic reasons, but to add a powerful and grand quality to these scenes of a man swimming. They make this strange and bizarre situation more beautiful, as the musics power and grandiose adds a moving atmosphere to these scenes, accompanying the shots of rural scenery and the man swimming through it. It is very intense, and at the beginning adds a peaceful quality to the scene, making it feel more surreal and calming. Here it accompanies wide shots of the countryside to emphasise the beauty of what the man is doing. In the middle of the film, it is used to create more intense and distressing scenes for when the man is attacked by children or tries to walk on land. This accompanies extreme closeups of the man and the carnival rides, making the environment feel much more hostile and intimidating. At the end of the film, wide shots are accompanied by powerful and moving music, which makes the final scene feel more powerful and moving even if what is happening is not entirely clear. A monologue about a runner’s life being lonely is played over here to add more profound meaning to this artistic and visually stunning moment, and partially explains why the swimmer sinks below the surface at the end.
The film uses many close ups of the man swimming, and as the picture is very high quality, this brings to our attention the beauty of the environment and the man swimming in it. The film also uses some interesting techniques, such as reverse slow motion footage, first person perspectives that rise in and out of water, and extreme close of wide shots. These techniques lead to the film having a very dream-like and ethereal feel, as intensity rises suddenly in the middle before falling again in the last few minutes.
Some techniques that stick with me are the use of slow motion, sharp contrast between black and white, reliance on the non-diegetic composed score and use of close ups to impact the audience. These create a powerful, moving and visually striking short film that conveys meaning through music and actions, rather than dialogue or character. A good example of this is when the man leaves the water to see a carnival. Here extreme close ups of the rides accompanied with intense and industrial sounding music makes the audience uncomfortable in this hostile and uncalled environment, and the choice to not show any rides fully in frame makes them seem larger, more intimidating, like uncaring, industrial machines. The lack of colour also helps here, as in the water it creates a beautiful, calm and serene environment, but here illuminates the mist and bright lights, making this carnival seem like hell on Earth. This helps the audience understand the swimmers fear of this place, and therefore why he returns to the water. I may use black and white for sequences that take place in different time periods in my film, or the use of slow motion in shots where the main character is in deep thought. More likely though, the use of extreme close ups to show emotions of the characters or wide shots to bring the audiences attention to the environment. The use of powerful music to convey meaning where there is no dialogue is also an idea I will use.
Pitch Black Heist (John Maclean, 2012) is a 13 minute short film that follows a pair of thieves preparing to rob a safe hidden inside a completely dark safe room.
The film is shot in black and white, which reflects the themes of light and darkness. The characters wear all black, reflecting their professions and personalities, as both are pessimistic or reclusive. It also creates a more dark and gloomy atmosphere for the film, as the characters and environments are devoid of any colour. The noir format makes the film feel more slick and serious, as the environment is kept empty of anyone other than the protagonists who stand out clearly with their clothes that don’t match the background palette, keeping the audiences focus on them. It focuses on the relationships between the protagonists, which is developed not through dialogue, as one is vey reclusive and silent, while on is outgoing and extroverted. What small snippets of dialogue there is very carefully reveals important information about the characters. For example, the older, more sociable man talks about, earlier in the film, how he is not used to more modern robberies of things like hardware and technology, implying his age and time in this line of work. Later on, the more quiet man quickly mentions how he resents his father for leaving when he was a child, and then a few minutes later that his dad was also a vault thief, and he has followed his footsteps, in a sense. This careful choice of what to reveal and what to hide explains the sudden betrayal at the end of the film for those who paid attention earlier in the film. The actions and expressions of the characters in the pub sequence are the main way that the director signals a growing bond between them both.
One moment that I remember is when the two characters are arm wrestling in front of a white background, which illuminates them. They are often wearing dark clothes against a dark background, so when they are in a lighter environment they are easier to see. I also remember the almost 2 minute long scene that takes place in the pitch black room. This reliance on audio places us in the position of the protagonists, and as there has been lots of buildup throughout the rest of the film, this moment is made even more suspenseful by the complete lack of music in the entire film other than the ambient, diegetic music played in the pub so signify the characters’ drunkenness. The deliberate use of silence to build suspense, the careful choice of dialogue to build character and buildup to the sudden ending, the tense silence between characters and use of black and white with contrasting uniforms against backdrops all stick with me, and I may even use on or two in my own film.
La Jetée (Chris Marker, 1962) is an experimental 28 minute short film that takes place in a dystopian future that exists after the nuclear World War 3, where a man is experimented on to see if he can travel through time and find the saviour of what remains of mankind.
The film is very interestingly shot, as every shot is a still image, and the editing between them is not rapid enough, or at all, to make the film stop motion. Instead, it plays out almost like a graphic novel, where each shot is its own photograph. It is a very unique method of storytelling through cinematography, and contributes to the feeling that much of what we, the audience, see is essentially a flashback . This also works for scenes set in the future, but ultimately makes the film feel like an art project that places emphasis on each individual shot which is beautiful in its own right. Another interesting aspect of the film is that there is no actual dialogue by the characters in the film. In fact, they do not even have names. What the film relies on completely to convey information as to what is being shown in each frame is a narrator, who explains the context to the film, what we are seeing, and what it means. This heavy reliance on the narrator results in constant narration throughout the film, which Chris Marker occasionally breaks up with compilations of shots that do not need explanation, such as the scene in the museum, where the audience understands what is happening and can be left to appreciate it for a few moments. These moments allow for you to become connected to these characters, despite their lack of input to the plot and the way that they are presented in the third person by the narrator. This narration and the absence of any real character, combined with the single-shot dynamic make the film feel more like a story that is being told to us with visual accompaniment than a film we become involved in as we feel characters develop and lose ourselves in the plot.
What sticks with me is the use of narration, still images, and sound design to carry along through multiple shots to create pace and intensity where the content and pace of shots does not. Despite the sometimes frustrating and slow nature of these shots, they do make the film feel unique and stylistic, and also contribute to a very interesting way of communicating a unique plot with lots of potential. It conveys this interesting plot through it’s interesting technique, which makes the film so memorable. The use of a sudden, shock ending also makes the story a tragedy, and the somber, neo-noir execution of this pessimistic and grim future scenario makes the film interesting and entertaining in its own right, even without the use of its photographic form of cinematography. It’s use of single, still shots is something that I may use in my own short film, if I include a flashback scene, or single photographs that I may cut to a close up of.
The Grandmother (David Lynch, 1970) follows a young boy who suffers through an abusive relationship with his parents but strives to cope by planting a seed that soon sprouts into a caring grandmother.
The film is immediately distinctive, as it switches between live action and 2d animation made up of paper clippings. Both aspects of the film’s form are artistic, as even the live action uses fast paced and rapidly edited together still shots to create stop motion movement. David Lynch creates extremely unnatural and sometimes disturbing moments by combining live action and 2d animation, and also uses sound design to make very surreal and unusual effects that have a lasting impact on the audience. I remember this film for its very strange and unique story, effects and animation. The performances are also very unnatural, as the characters do not act at all human, which makes the film feel more like a surreal and dream-like experience, that more than often evolves into a nightmare.
The film is artistic, and favours interesting techniques and an unconventional story told through surreal and unusual methods like 2d animation and mise-en-scene to leave a lasting impression on the audience. I remember in particular the impressive cocoon that was built to show how the grandmother came to be born from a single seed. The mise-en-scene here is very disturbing to see, as the spectacle of a human growing from a plant-like organism is hallucinatory, and very ambitious from the director. What is also impressive is how Lynch establishes characters through actions rather than dialogue, as music and performance shows personalities and dynamics between them, as seen in the opening scene where the boy’s father abuses him as the whole family act like a pack of dogs. Another interesting aspect to talk about is how the film will often end a sequence through a sudden and jarring freeze frame where audio will echo out until the shot fades to black. This is very unexpected each time, and is done to establish, over time, the living situation of these characters. It is a unique and abnormal method of showing the passage of time, and the exaggerated expressions and screams of the characters makes the film feel more like theatre, as their inhuman characters seem to echo real emotion, through bizarre screams, barks and shouting. As Lynch’s methods of portraying these themes and emotions are so extreme, I doubt that I will take any inspiration for my own film project.
Characters are established at the beginning, as Lynch uses the 2d animation style in the film to show how they came to also be born from the ground. His use of the animation here is to show what cannot be shown through live action, but his execution is very artistic and makes an immediate impression on the audience as to the tone and aesthetic of the rest of the film. It is definitely the most unique and unconventional shirt film that we have studied for our coursework, and I think that David Lynch achieved in his goal of creating a lasting impression on the audience.
Curfew (Shawn Christiensen, 2012) follows a man who is attempting to commit suicide but decided against it when he is asked by his desperate and estranged sister to look after her daughter. Over the course of one day, he connects with his niece, planning the whole time to finish his suicide after dropping her back off with her mum.
The plot is interesting, as both protagonists are established as imperfect people, as the nice is spoiled and ungrateful while the uncle is irresponsible and makes bad decisions. However, the relationship that builds between them feels genuine, as the uncle does want to connect with his niece, and the niece can tell that her uncle is unwell. As their relationship grows, you come to connect and sympathise with both of them, and understand their situations more.
The film uses focus to keep our attention on the protagonists, but this makes everything in the background are very blurred, which hazy neons colours that emulate a hallucination, which is because the main character is on drugs. The film also uses colours to match the mood, as seen in the beginning when the dark red floor matches the colour of the protagonists blood during his suicide attempt, but later on the contrast is higher when his niece is dancing in the bowling alley. Lens flares are also used here to emphasise the happiness of the moment. As the protagonist looks around here at his hallucination, the camera spins around his head to make the audience feel dizzy and therefore emulates the effects of the drugs he is on. The while dance sequence is shot differently yo the rest of the film, with fast camera movements, bright colours and a crab shot that tracks the girls movement along the alley, which is one of my fav shots from the film. This is a stark contrast to the stationary camera and dark colour pallets and shadows in the rest of the film, which reflects the relationship between the characters and the uncle’s depression. The makeup design in this film is also incredible, as the uncle looks genuinely severely ill, which can be seen most in the first 3 minutes when he is trying to commit suicide and meeting his niece for the first time. Here he is extremely pale, unclean, and looks miserable, tired, ill.
Some other shots that I like were the shot that looks down on the uncle in an extreme close up that is also at a dutched tilt while he is considering answering the phone call that could save his life. The wide shot if him shouting at the women outside the bathroom is also memorable, as it is framed symmetrically, and makes sharp and random cuts to represent the uncles mounting anger and to show the passage of time, therefore emphasising why the women are annoying him. The opening shot is also very clever, as it crabs right to reveal the blood, cigarettes and phone. It comes to rest on the phone, when a bloody and trembling hand also holding a razor comes into frame from above it to answer the phone. This slow reveal builds atmosphere and makes the reveal that the main character is trying to kill the self more shocking. Close ups of bloody cigarettes and a razor imply what is happening before it is finally shown. It also establishes this character while the phone call immediately establishes the conflict that sets the plot up.
This shot emphasises his anguish, and the phone being out of focus is symbolic of the fact that help is there, but he refuses to take it. `his face being in focus makes us concentrate on his expression of pain, and the matching colours of red create a dark atmosphere and reinforce the grim nature of this scene. This shot shows the desperate and fatigued look of the protagonist.
High Maintenance (Phillip Van, 2006) takes place in a not too distant future, where a wife gets into a domestic dispute with her android husband, who doesn’t wish to celebrate their anniversary the way she intends, making her take matters into her own hands.
The film all takes place in one room, so uses close ups to show the conversation between these two people. This brings our attention to their robotic expressions and dialogue, as they have no emotion or compassion in their voice, just saying sentimental words without any emotion behind them. This dystopian sci-fi concept is only kept restricted to how it operates within this boring relationship,and the twist that both people are androids who are both easily replaceable shows the grim nature of this fictional scenario. It uses a real format of a failing marriage but incorporates a fictional sci-fi twist to make it more interesting and imagine how these aspects would fuse together in real life. This interesting fantasy scenario implemented into a realistic one is an interesting way of telling a story, and is an aspect that I may involve in my own short film.
I also liked the moment when the wife shuts off her husband, as a close up on the back of his neck shows slowly tracks her hand movements to show that she is reaching for a miniature switch on the back of his neck. This sudden reveal makes the moment more shocking and entertaining, and this and the sequence afterwards of her buying a new husband shows the dark future of this short film. I also remember the shot where the camera dolly’s out off the room as it shows the wife at her computer telling the robotics company what she wants out of her new husband. This movement away emphasises her isolation and the inhumanity of what she is doing. This and the extreme close up of her face as she eyes her new android with an entranced, obsessed look are both shots that I like, as her obsession with this fake person emphasises the dystopian concept, and it brings our attention to her obsession. The clever use of repeated dialogue from both of the robot husbands also shows their lack of humanity, and signals that something sinister is happening without the use of music to show this.
A Girl’s own story (Jane Campion, 1984) follows a group of young girls who navigate growing up and the various challenges and changes that come with it. It deals with subjects that are difficult to approach, such as teenage pregnancy, affairs, sex and sexuality.
The film establishes its main character immediately, as we see them as their school. The theme of strict religious education is a theme in this film, but when the protagonist is introduced we do not learn their name and the cinematography makes it hard to tell what is happening, as the frame is completely filled with people and it is a close up of this crowd. The narrative is incoherent as it swaps between characters, and it is not made clear where they are or what their relationships are. The themes are also interchanged at random, and sometimes are not made clear.
There is also a swap to an expressive mode of storytelling towards the end, as the main girls sing in together about their troubles. This swap from real and serious subject matter to a more whimsical and expressive way of conveying the meaning and emotions of the main characters is quite jarring, as it is so unexpected.
The main technique that I took away from this film was the final shot, where multiple people are sat in an empty room and looking at the floor. The camera stays near the floor and dolly’s forwards, towards the girl who is furthest away but centre frame. As it moves forward, the people towards the side of the frame move out of fame to slowly direct the viewer’s attention to the girl who is centre frame, and when the camera reaches her it stops, and the film fades to black.
Elephant (Alan Clarke) takes place in Northern Ireland in the 1980’s, , when ‘The Troubles’ were occurring, and follows a number of murders that take place throughout multiple sequences in the film. Each sequence follows a particular murder case, and they all follow a similar format of a mysterious and silent person searching frantically for someone, hiding an object and holding a passive expression. When they find that person, they are shown shooting them, fleeing the scene, and then the sequence ends with the scene focusing on the murdered person.
There is only one word said throughout the entire 38 minute movie, and that is a shout of panic from someone who is about to be murdered. Each sequence lasts a different amount of time, some ending in a few minutes, some lasting for 5 minutes. They use the formulaic time spent searching for a victim to build tension, as wide, open and empty spaces are filled with silence, the only sound being the loud and fast footsteps of the soon to be murderer. The director also uses wide shots and long takes, where the person searching will often be very far away from the camera, to emphasise the quietness and emptiness of these spaces, building suspense as we presume the killer gets to closer to their victim. This time spent searching can last for minutes, which drag on in complete silence, and this is done to build tension, as the killings can happen very suddenly, and when they do, they are made to be very shocking.
The killings are sometimes shown in long shots that let us see the murders happen in explicit detail, and sometimes they are shown through close ups to bring the audience closer to the violence. The receptiveness of the murders gets the formulae stuck in the audiences mind, which emphasises the mindlessness and brutality of the killings. At the end of the sequences, the corpses are also shown in close or long shots, which forces the audience to pay attention to the extreme violence that the film is based off. The film is not fun to watch, as the subject matter is so grim and the execution emphasises the brutality of it all, and the repetitiveness keeps it cycling in the audience’s memory.
My personal favourite aspects of the film were the ways that the camera sometimes followed the killer in tracking crab shots or pans to keep our focus on them, and sometimes would show them walking through large spaces in wide long takes to build tension and emphasise that they may be the focus of this scene, but are not the protagonist. It also makes the sequence where the killer is not shown until the end, and the focus is open the soon to be victim. I also remember the shot where an over-the-shoulder shot shows a man approaching another person, who he has just shot, who is crawling on the floor and bleeding, and as he weakly up and closes the long distance between them, tension is built for around 20 seconds, where tension is built and we form sympathy for the victim, and the drawn out moment makes it all the more uncomfortable for the audience to watch, and the inhumanity and uncaring nature of the killing is made clearer through the horror of the moment.
The Wrong Trousers (Nick Park, 1993) follows the iconic clay stop-motion characters, Wallace and Gromit, in a 28 minute short film where Wallace invests in some self-walking trousers and Gromit is tormented by his new roommate, Penguin.
The film uses pre-existing characters, so does not need to take time here to set them or the time and place up, as the audience is already familiar with their relationship, situation and personality’s. The plot conflict is set up within the first 10 minutes, as the trousers, an important plot device, and the penguin, who establishes the main conflict, are introduced. However the film spends almost 5 minutes introducing the characters and showing us their daily morning routine, which is important as this provides the contrast to what their life, or Gromit’s in particular, is like after the penguin asserts himself.
The main escalation of events also occurs very early, at around 12 minutes into the film when Gromit moves out and Wallace is kidnapped by his own trousers. Since the film is so short, the exposition, conflict, climax and falling action all take place very quickly, with little space between them. Most of the other short films that we have watched have not had such a linear narrative, as they take place over a very short or un-specified period of time, and so they do not even have expositions at the start, such as Connect (Samuel Abrahams, 2010), or do not have rising action as most of the film is spent establishing character rather than comedy or plot, like Stutterer (Benjamin Cleary, 2015). The last 16 minutes involve Gromit trying to catch the penguin and Wallace being made to steal a diamond. Much of this time is spent in silence, as neither animal character speaks at all, so the film relies on dramatic music and animated body expressions to convey information to the audience. The film is also comedic, and most music, situations and jokes serve to make the audience laugh. The plot does come to a climax in the last 5 minutes, where a dramatic and intense chase scene plays out, using physical slapstick comedy that it’s made possible through the animation style to achieve comedy.
I remember in particular the moment where Gromit is looking out of a cardboard box, and a POV shot lets us see from his perspective that the penguin has noticed him, and a dramatic note in the non-diegetic composed score raises the tension of the moment. The penguin eventually moves on, and we see from outside the box that he did so because the box has a dog face drawn onto it, and Gromit’s eyes are essentially camouflaged onto it. This information is hidden from the audience at first to raise tension and keep us focused on what Gromit is seeing, immersing us in his position, but when it is revealed it makes a joke.
When The Day Breaks (Amanda Forbis & Wendy Tibly, 1999) is a 9 minute long short film that takes place in a 2d animated world where animals take the roles of humans, cooking, shopping, shaving, etc. It follows two characters in particular, a pig and a chicken, who go about their human lifestyles and come to meet at a point in the film.
The film uses a unique 2d animation style that is made up of pencil drawings that are all animated together to link up and form a stop-motion animation. There are no characters that we, the audience, connect to. We simply see these people go about their everyday lives, which are normal, except for the car accident that occurs about halfway through. However, this set up does not go far, as the main character it effects quickly gets over it, and the film switches from a dark subject matter to an interesting showcase of a unique animation style. As the film’s focus shifts from the main characters to the various systems of plumbing and electric circuits that connect their homes, we see a rapid succession of shots that outline the wires, pipes, etc. that connect these humanoid-animals. This is an extremely fast paced and rapid sequence of shots that are akin to the soviet montage movement in the way that a selection of images shows so quickly that their content do not convey the meaning, but rather their overall theme. This is a technique I remember from the film. In particular, I liked the shots where wires were followed and shown connecting to devices in rooms and between rooms, which can likely be done without using this unique animation style.
As we do not know or connect to any of the characters, it is hard to feel emotional for any of them, and although the animation style is interesting, it does not keep the film engaging or immersive. It is a fascinating visual art piece, but there is little substance to the plot or characters it focuses on. The film more so exhibits it’s very unique animation technique of pencil and paint on photocopies than it creates a progressing plot or narrative. There is little meaning or symbolism, and the animation style makes the cinematography quite disorienting and jarring at times, making it hard to interpret what you are seeing. Therefore, When The Day Breaks shows how interesting visuals storytelling techniques can give a film a unique and individual style that may interest the audience, but how actual plot, narrative and characters are also important in creating an engaging short story.
Meshes Of The Afternoon (Maya Deren & Alexander Hamid, 1943) is a 14 minute short film that tells a very abstract and artistic depiction of a woman’s dream.
The directors seemed to want to immerse the audience in a very surreal and difficult to visualise scenario, which leads to the film being very abstract and the narrative jumbled. There is no set plot, and events simply play out as the protagonist navigates a very realistic dream in the sense that it makes no sense. Events replay multiple times, which creates the feeling of a time loop, and dutched camera angles, fast, hidden cuts make the actual layout of the house feel like something from a German Expressionist film of the 1920’s, which is done here to create a surreal and express I’ve environment, like something that you would dream up.
Like Connect (Samuel Abrahams, 2010) the film does not use any dialogue, except here this is more apparent as it is a longer short film. The surreal environment and exaggerated performance by the protagonist convey meaning. I particularly remember the use of the first person to immerse the audience and make the film feel more surreal and abstract. I also remember some of the physical ways in which we are immersed into the protagonist’s situation, such as a tube that the camera is placed through when they fall asleep, showing the world through a concentrated and focused view. This and the moment where the screen is actually broken and shatters to reveal another location behind it is symbolic of distorted reality and an interesting technique to create a dream like state, which is what the director set out to achieve. The nun who is revealed to have to face was also interesting, and can be easily recreated in a similar way to make a sudden twist, and the slow and sluggish running of the protagonist also replicates the feeling of being in a dream, as no matter how fast they run, they are never shown getting any closer to the person that they are chasing. This and the repetition of different events and object changing just as they are interacted with, sudden and jarring cameras movements that make hidden cuts between locations make the feel film surreal and dream like, therefore immersing the audience in the protagonists position.
However, the film is extremely repetitive and does not use its time to create characters or plot, only focusing on its abstract and artistic meanings. This is nit something that I would include in a short film, and in a 5 minute time frame would attempt to be more effective with my conveying of meaning and building of themes, aesthetic and characters. This film had more time to do that, but became repetitive through its use of the abstract dream quality.
Connect (Samuel Abrahams, 2010) is a 5 minute long short film that follows a woman on a bus who imagines very unlikely scenarios playing out in front of her as she listens to music, and sparks up a brief and fleeting romance with another passenger.
The film does not have any dialogue at all, which means that it does not set up its plot or characters other than through what we can see through the their actions and expressions. Events simply play out in front of us and the protagonist, and the intensity of events fluctuates as the two main characters are separated by the other people on the bus. There is no actual climax or buildup, as there is little to no communication of the characters emotions or intentions other than through silent performance.
The film does show how information can be conveyed through physical actions rather than dialogue, and the performative dance at the end conveys the main characters excitement through action, rather than narration or cinematography, etc. The film relies heavily on performance and the audiences interpretation of it, and the narrative is not particularly interesting or entertaining. There are a few interesting moments where the protagonist becomes lost in their own reality, but this does not contribute anything to the story, and can be hard to interpret when the character is not set up before hand. There is no context to the character, the audience just has to see what is happening and understand it’s meaning, which is not communicated in a way that makes it clear, as there is no dialogue or set up, character development or narrative progression.
I remember shots like the close up of the two peoples hands slowly touching, as this allows for suspense to be built, and the moment to become more romantic through. The way that it cuts to close ups of their faces and shot-reverse-shots to show that they are building a connection is an interesting technique that I can use to create a romantic moment in my own short film. The sudden flicker of light in the top left corner here was a technique that I wouldn’t use, but it does emphasise the sudden sentimentality of the moment.
The film is short and uses its time effectively, like most short films, to set up a romance between two characters, but otherwise does not establish meaning or characters, and incorporates some symbolism through performance that is difficult to understand as there is no dialogue or character development to explain it. I think the directors intention was to establish a connection between two characters in a short time frame with no dialogue or context, and uses the protagonists imagination to reflect their emotions, which is not entirely clear while watching the film. The establishment of a romance in a short time frame with nothing said is what I remember as the most positive aspect of Connection, but the unconventional ways of conveying meaning did not do the film many favours.
Stutterer (Benjamin Cleary, 2015) is a 13 minute short film that follows a man living in London who suffers from a severe speech impediment that renders him virtually mute, and how he handles the fact that he may be finally meeting his online girlfriend in person for the first time.
I liked the simplicity of the plot and the way that interesting techniques were used to take the audience through it. We can hear the protagonist’s thoughts, as they struggle to communicate them with anyone else, which gives the film a very sympathetic narrator who can give the audience his thoughts and emotions without directly communicating with them and breaking the fourth wall, as About A Girl (Brian Percival, 2001) does. This brings the audience into a close and understanding relationship with the protagonist, allowing us to understand him and why he is making the actions he does in the film, and his coping mechanism to help him through his disability. This was an interesting technique that stuck with me. I also liked the way that he makes “snap-judgments” of people he sees. It emphasises his loneliness and creates a simple coping mechanism for the protagonist which makes the audience sympathise with him. It is also a good way of creating brief moments of comedy in an otherwise gloomy short film.
The film also takes time to establish its protagonist before the conflict that sets the plot in motion. This is important as it helps the audience to understand him and why he behaves the way he does, and when the conflict is established , it changes his behaviour. This change then affects the way he behaves day to day, which the plot mostly follows, his daily life. There is no dramatic buildup to the ending, and no intense climax, just an intimate portrayal of someone in an otherwise romantic situation who struggles due to an unfortunate disability. So the film shows how a plot can remain interesting just through its protagonist and the audiences connection to them, and their development in the short time frame used, and how this can be communicated to the audience in a unique and explainable way.
The climax is resolved, but only right at the ending, which makes for an ending that is partly a cliffhanger, as we do not know what will happen after, but also a happy ending, as we understand the protagonist has worked through the issue they face throughout the film. The use of silence at the end of the film is also a clever but simple use of symbolism that reflects the main characters silence, but also immerses the audience and raises tension as to what is going to happen, but also making the moment feel much more powerful and impactful, as all else if forgotten except for what is important, the distance between the two characters in that moment. About A Girl, Stutterer only follows one main character, but it shows how this can be made to work by establishing a likeable and sympathetic person in an interesting situation, and how the audience can be brought closer to them through intimate and personal narration, and how a detailed or progressing plot is not crucial to a film, as long as the characters are enjoyable and their navigation through it is entertaining.
About A Girl(Brian Percival, 2001) follows a young girl who talks directly to the audience, telling them about her interests, social life, family and dreams for the future.
An interesting technique the film uses is direct communication by the protagonist to the audience. The girl acknowledges the camera and speaks to us, which gives the audience a very personal understanding of the main character. This brings the audience into the film, and helps them to understand the character more. It is also shot in handheld, and made to look like an observational documentary, as the camera is sometimes far away from the girl, and picks up conversations that she has with other people.
The film also cuts back to points in the girl’s day to give the audience footage of the things she is talking about, such as her relationship with her dad, friends, arguments with her mum, etc. This is also done quite clumsily, as sometimes the girl is interrupted by these sudden and fast flashbacks that do not always give important information away, and this is done to help bring us closer to the main character. The film is clearly trying to create a realistic depiction of a young girl living in her circumstances, and therefore uses her narration and footage to juxtapose how she describes her life and what it looks like to the audience, and the perfect moment where this can be seen is the shock ending. In fact, the twist in this film that comes in the last 20 seconds and completely changes the way we look at the protagonist and the rest of the film, is the main thing I remember from About A Girl. It is extremely shocking and grim, which takes the already realistic subject matter and makes it much more serious and powerful. This and the footage taken earlier used to backup or juxtapose the protagonists narration, and the method of communication directly with the audience are all techniques that stick with me.
There is no particular climax, enigma or conflict set up, just the main character describing themselves to us, the audience. I did not like hoe repetitive this mode of communication felt after a few min utes, as the protagonist constantly talks to the audience, with the only breaks being footage taken from earlier, in which she may also be the only one talking. This brought the film down for me, but the film does use some interesting techniques, and also shows how a short film can be centred around one specific character who can involve the audience in their life and therefore, the film. However, it also shows how you can lose the audiences attention through constant dialogue and the lack of any developing plot or progressing narrative, as the film just follows a character describing their life, with a twist ending to add meaning and peak interest but otherwise no devices to advance the plot and keep the audience interested.
Wasp (Andrea Arnold, 2005) is a 26 minute short film that follows a mother who attempts to pretend that her four children do not belong to her so that she can go on a date with an old friend. However, she already struggles immensely to provide for them, and pulling off this stunt causes more disaster for her family than she expects to risk with this act.
The film makes use of its long time frame for a short film to establish its characters, urban setting and narrative. The mise-en-scene immediately establishes where the film takes place and we are introduced to the main character, the mother, through her first actions of fighting other people in front of her children. The main conflict is quickly set up after this event, which was done to establish the main character, and the conflict establishes the lie the mother must uphold while trying to look after her children. The plot leads up to a climax, which is when her children are put in harm’s way by her neglect, which she must abandon her date for to protect them. The plot slowly builds up to this, and the narrative follows the family only throughout this day, and does not use any unique techniques to tell the story.
One thing that stuck with me was the cinematography, as the film is shot entirely with handheld cameras, which make it feel almost like an observational documentary. This makes the film feel real, raw, like its happening right in front of us, immersing the audience. The frame composition is also realistic and cramped at times, with large object obstructing the view, which impacts the audience by making them feel claustrophobic in the pub scene. The movements are also frantic and unpredictable at times, which makes it feel like the filmmaker is following the characters, documenting them. Parallel editing is used towards the end of the film as it cuts between the mum inside the pub and her kids outside. This and the natural lighting make the film feel real and unplanned, which sticks with me after watching it.
The Gunfighter (Eric Kissack, 2014) is an 8 minute long short film that follows a group of characters in a western tavern that are tormented and taunted by a mysterious, hidden narrator who knows a surprising amount about them. The film is predominantly a comedy, as the various truths revealed lead to a comedic scenario and an unlikely situation that mimics classic spaghetti westerns in a format that is slapstick in nature.
I liked the fast pace of the film, which sets up its simple but interesting plot within around 30 seconds, from where events quickly unfold and escalate. The camera movements are sharp and fast, bringing the audiences attention to who and what is important quickly, and the use of the narrator, while a comedic and reflexive device that mocks the cliche here, also conveys information to the audience, but progresses the plot as-well, which is something a narrator does not typically do. This interesting technique and the effective pace of the film sticks with me after watching it a few times. This is created through sharp, snappy dialogue and fast shot-reverse-shots between increasingly aggravated characters, and this can be seen in action when all the characters draw their weapons towards the climax of the film.
The characters are one dimensional, and are also quickly established through the narrator’s information. The time and place is immediately established through mise-en-scene and cliche soundtrack, that establishes to the audience the fact that the film is self aware and mocks the cliches of the westerns it mimicked here. The plot escalates to a climax, rising and falling in intensity throughout as more characters, relationships and truths are revealed, and the plot is resolved through the climax, in which everyone dies. All important information, the crisis, context, humour, characters, conflict and set up are all established through the narrator, who is also an important character and plot point in the film. This shows the usefulness of a narrator for giving information directly to the audience in a short amount of time without having to imply or create meaning through key elements of film form or representation, aesthetics, etc. The film also demonstrates how cinematography can be used to convey information quickly and keep the audience constantly focused on what is most important in a particular moment, creating a pace that fits into a short time frame and how to effectively build up to a climax in 8 minutes with pacing, cinematography and the rapid revealing of information that progresses the plot through narration.
Cops was written and directed by Buster Keaton in 1922, and follows the usual clueless and naive Keaton character getting into insane scenarios. Here, Buster stokes the anger of an entire city’s police force, after a series of laughable events, and ends up outrunning them through some unique and crafty escape routes.
The film is similar to Keaton’s other films of the 1920’s, except Cops involves more outrageous and unbelievable scenes, such as Keaton outrunning hundreds of cops or catching a bomb and using it to light his cigarette while riding a cart full of stolen furniture, in the middle of a police parade! The film suspends realism to a large extent, featuring impossible stunts and scenarios that escalate into outright chaos, as his films often did, involving physical stunts to achieve comedy and reflecting the belief that cops were unnecessary at the time, including one aspect of realism. The film is not expressionist either though, only using impossible stunts and structures to achieve comedy, as Keatons other films of the 20’s did. They reflect the industrial advancement of America at the time, and follows an innocent but chaos-creating man who the audience can sympathise with in his struggles.
I personally enjoyed Cops a lot! It did escalate extremely quickly and ended up being quite jarring with the pace and lack of buildup to the absolute calamity that was the climax. But other than that it involved some of the funniest stunts and wacky moments of any other Keaton film, although the ending was very sudden and the plot was almost too unbelievable at times. I rate Cops 3 and a half stars!
The High Sign was written and directed by Buster Keaton in 1921, and follows a man in a seaside town who accidentally becomes involves in an assassination plot, where he is both hired to kill a man and protect him from harm. Things escalate, as they often do in Keaton films, and the plot intensifies and the stakes are raised as events become more chaotic and ridiculous.
The film combines elements of realism, reflecting the time period in which it was made, and expressionism, with some elaborate stunts and impossible scenarios that are used for comedic effect. For example, Keaton is working in a shooting ranch in one scene, but then creates a coat hanger by painting one on a wall in the next. It is only used for comedy, but the jokes in The High Sign are more elaborate than those in One Week(Buster Keaton, 1920) and The Scarecrow(Buster Keaton, 1920). In these films Keaton achieves comedy by using exaggerated movements and stunts to make physical comedy in wild, over-the-top scenarios. This is done in The High Sign, but here Keaton also creates a more complex plot with more buildup than climax, as the main action sequence only happens at the end of the film. He relies less on physical comedy and more on the bizarre and wild nature of the scenario that he is in and the outcome of the things he does by accident due to his own characters naive and clueless personality, something that the other films feature.
I personally really enjoyed The High Sign! I liked how the small and silly events escalated and spiralled into a funny and exiting climax, and Keaton’s clueless but lovable character moved through them, hanging on by the skin of his teeth but somehow making it out fine. It was goofy, silly, but entertaining nonetheless. I rate The High Sign 4 stars!
The Scarecrow was written and directed by Buster Keaton in 1920, and stars him living in a single house with a man who plans to propose to the same woman as him. As the film continues, Keaton becomes involved in a number of wild and wacky situations that involve physical stunts, comedy and romance, as things escalate and become more ridiculous as they go on.
The film was released the same year as One Week(Buster Keaton, 1920), and involves many of the same themes. A man, played by Keaton, getting into multiple crazy and unbelievably unlucky scenarios that involve him running away from something, or performing some impressive stunts for some reason. Keaton often incorporated physical, slapstick comedy into his films, as many silent film stars did in the 1920’s, such as Charlie Chaplin, using exaggerated movements and seemingly painful stunts performed by a clueless but lovable protagonist who cant catch a break. The film is fast paced, and once the chase scene begins, it remains exiting and intense towards the final frame. The environment is built specifically for Keaton to run around in manic circles from a “mad dog!”, and the house itself incorporated physical comedy in the way that it is built, similarity to One Week.
I personally really enjoyed this film! It was much faster and intense than One Week, which I also enjoyed, and involves less ridiculous situations with funnier outcomes and moments. It feels longer but is consistently paced, and Keaton’s slapstick comedy and stunts bring a lot to the film. It was funny and entertaining, as films were made to be in the Hollywood industry at the time. I rate The Scarecrow 4 and a half stars!
One Week was written and directed by Buster Keaton in 1920 and follows a newly married couple trying to assemble a portable house kit, when they come up against a multitude of obstacles and inconveniences that end to an interesting end result.
The film is in the romantic comedy genre, and features much slapstick and physical comedy by Buster Keaton who performs stunts and tricks for comedic effect. It also falls into both realism and expressionism as the events in the film are completely impossible, but reflect the time period in which it was made and is not artistic. The film is funny as it involves many unrealistic and over the top stunts and situations that are so exaggerated that they are laughable, and the goofy nature of the film and wild shenanigans that the couple get into make it a fast paced comedy.
The film is silent, and a musical score was composed to be fast and jingle, reflecting the lighthearted and innocent nature of the film but also the exiting and dramatic physical comedy, rising and falling in the mix to reflect emotion and tone. The film also uses sped up footage to quicken the pace and make Keaton’s movements look more unnatural and funny, and also. Heightens the pace and comedy.
I personally enjoyed One Week a lot! I found it more funny than most other silent films I’ve seen. It was funny, innocent, and entertaining, and the perfect length for a short film.
Side by Side was directed in 2013 by Chris Keneally and follows the development of digital technology. It is in reflexive mode as it acknowledges that it is a documentary, often showing the film crew and the producers’ (Keane Reeves) thoughts.
The film follows Reeves as he interviews some well known filmmakers, such as Martin Scorsese, and other people involved in the industry, such as cinematographers. It gathers these people’s opinions on the rising dominance of digital film over traditional film, and uses their insight and experience to ask questions such as “is film dying” and why digital is growing so much, what it could mean for the industry and young filmmakers, and the advantages and disadvantages of this form of filmmaking. It discusses the past, present and future of film and digital film, and how they have influenced the industry, and henceforth, the future of cinema as a whole.
I personally enjoyed the film. I felt it covered a wide range of opinions and topics and did a good job of displaying the growth and increasing dominance of digital film, and the advantages and disadvantages of that. The interviewees provided useful insight and theories and the film was interesting enough to stay entertaining. I rate Side By Side (Chris Keneally, 2013) 4 Stars!
Sisters In Law was made in 2007, and is directed by Kim Longinotto. It follows Vera Ngassa and Beatrice Ntuba, two women working in the Cameroonian justice system, specifically fighting against child abuse and abusive relationships, attempting to tackle sexism in the country.
The film is in observational mode, since Kim does not get involved in the film at all, simply staying at a distance from the events shown, documenting them without any interference or input. This allows for a completely uninterrupted film, where the audience watches things happening without narration or opinionated input from the director. Kim probably uses this mode here to show what things are like in Cameroon, and let the audience come to their own conclusions.
I also think the film is in observational mode to get the meaning across in a more subtle way, which is that gender discrimination and inequality still exists in some places, and can be hard to overcome. It aims to show the most unfair and clearly immoral parts of certain society’s, and uses two entertaining and likeable people as a symbol of perseverance through injustice.
The narrative, as the film is observational, follows events as they occur, switching between different cases and characters, and not strictly following Ngassa and Ntuba, instead focusing on whoever’s story best conveys the theme of the film, and showing has events can lead on after court. It also does not switch between time periods to give scenes context or explanations, usually documenting scenes that are self-explanatory.
I personally really enjoyed the film. I felt that a difficult to convey through documentary film was approached in a way that was understandable and entertaining. It’s observational approach made the film easy to follow and immersive, even though the events were real and sometimes slow paced. Another positive was how the film did not cut away from slow or quiet scenes, instead focusing on the reality of the situation, and gave an important message through some interesting filmmaking techniques.
Louis and the Nazis is a documentary on Neo-Nazi life in California, made in 2003. In the documentary, Louis initially meets a few well-known members of the local Nazi community, then proceeds to interview them and follow their everyday lives, also interviewing some of their associates to gauge their views and the background and personal lives of the Nazis.
The film is in performative mode, as Louis is a definite character in the documentary, carrying out interviews himself, provoking the interviewees and giving his own opinion to them, almost coming across more like an inquisitive neighbour than a documentaryfilmmaker looking for answers. He even goes as far as to make fun of the Nazis at times, to their face or via narration, to add humour to the film and provoke them into reacting truthfully in front of the cameras, which they are mindful to act polite in front of.
Theroux also follows the Nazis around to a large extent, gathering footage of their personal lives, relationships, hobbies and personalities. He also theorises about the real opinions of the interviewees, often asking very intrusive questions and giving his real opinion on them. This is one way that he provokes the Nazis into showing their real personalities and behaviours, and also looks into their actual opinions, at one point claiming that he thinks one person is not a Nazi at all, asking persistent yes or no questions to show how deluded and on the fence they are.
Louis does not seek to get an entertaining film out of the Nazis. To add humour he adds his own insight and reactions to their opinions. He asks the questions he does to get the truth, often in the form of real opinions and reasonings, out of the Nazis, and this often leads to funny moments due to their awkwardness. He also narrates over the clips in the film to show the audience his train of thought, and guide them as to why he is asking such provocative questions. He also puts himself at danger at one point by refusing to be completely honest with the Nazis, showing how far he is willing to go to show the real people behind the Swatsika
I loved this film! I feet it was the perfect length for a documentary, with an easy to follow narrative and humour to alleviate the grim nature of the Nazi’s beliefs. It is entertaining and also gives useful information on the real views of such a controversial and explicit group of people. It is engaging and the pace is consistent, staying relevant on the subject matter and also giving helpful narration from Louis, who alone makes the film entertaining by giving his real views and often irritated reactions to their outrageous comments. I rate Louis And The Nazis 5 stars!
Aileen: Life And Death Of A Serial Killer was directed by Nick Broomfield in 2003, and tells the life story of Aileen Wuornos. The film begins by showing how Aileen was sentenced and what for, then proceeding to show how she was brought up, occasionally alternating to present day interviews with her, using archive footage also to show her trials at court.
The film is in reflexive mode, since it occasionally reflects on its purpose as a documentary . The director inserts himself into the film a lot, almost forming relationships with certain characters and even speaking in court at one point. This goes much further than most filmmakers would involve themselves in their films, which puts the film into reflexive mode. Broomfield is certainly a character in this film, usually getting involved in the course of events to a point where he influences them. But is it reflexive mode since it occasionally reflects on the fact that the film is a documentary, often referencing past films made by Broomfield (The Selling Of A Serial Killer, Nick Broomfield, 1982), and also Broomfield being a participant in the course of events in the film.
I personally enjoyed the film. I feel it did a good job of showing how Aileen had been brought up, and what her personal and often disturbing thought process was. It provided interesting insight into a serial killer’s psyche and their motives, not focusing so much on their actions but the reasons for them and the consequences for them. Though the narrative was a bit incoherent at times, I still understood the whole picture, and feel like I learned about the life and death of a serial killer. I rate Aileen: Life And Death Of A Serial Killer 4 and a half stars!
The War Game was directed in 1965 by Peter Watkins. It depicts how the British Government would operate in the event of a nuclear explosion in England. The documentary is in participatory mode since it simply shows the events occurring with out any interference from the filmmaker, who does interview people involved in the events to show how they are reacting to it. The filmmaker exists to guide the audience through the events, remaining outside of the film except to document the events via footage or interviewing people.
The film follows the events leading from the initial explosion, switching between different groups of people, such as children and police officers, to show how government officials would handle the situation and how that would affect ordinary citizens. The purpose of the film is not just to scare people and show what the government had planned, but to show the full extent of how nuclear war would impact and change British society and ordinary people who had no part to play in the explosion. The film also tells, through narration, what the initial and long-term impacts of a nuclear explosion would be, and how the explosion itself works to cause chaos and affect people.
The film is significant since it uses the real examples of nuclear explosions to predict what it would look like to show the British people. It represents a height in the tension of The Cold War, and just how prepared the government was for nuclear disaster. Perhaps that is partly why the film is so violent and intense, to evoke the experience3 of being affected by such an explosion.
I personally enjoyed the film. I felt it told an accurate and unrelenting prediction of what a nuclear explosion would be like, and some of the methods of showing it, such as interviewing people and showing how individual groups would be affected, was an interesting and effective way of telling the story. My only problem with it was that at times the performances were not very believable, but I suppose the film can’t be faulted for that as it was made in the 1960’s. I rate The War Game 4 stars!
Fahrenheit 9/11 is a documentary film made by Michael Moore that exposes the flaws in President W. Bush’s handling of the tragedy of September 11th. The film is in performative mode, since it features Moore as a direct influence on the people interviewed, he gives his own story and opinion on Bush, and often uses archive footage and protests to display his goal in bringing the President’s failures to light.
The film follows the events that took place after September 11th, 2001, and mainly focuses on Bush specifically and the way that he handled the crisis. However, it also cuts to periods before Bush’s election to explain the context of his career and the way he handled foreign policy after 2001. It also cuts from America to Iraq to show the atrocities of the war, occasionally cutting back to show what Bush was saying to justify the war, and bring to the audience’s attention how insensitive he was to the war crimes he was committing.
The documentary, despite involving such heavy material, has a relatively comedic style. This is done by Moore making fun of the government themselves and using performance and music to mock their actions. This is another example of how Moore inserts himself into the film and makes it performative mode, but the film also focuses on the atrocities and grim situation of war with a much more mature tone to emphasise the awfulness of it, mixing it with clips of Bush to show how disconnected he was from his own war.
Fahrenheit 9/11 accurately shows the disturbing subject matter of Bush’s presidency while also making light humour of his failures and crimes. It uses interviews to effectively show the disillusionment of Congress and the view of the soldier’s on the ground and people watching the news from home. It is memorable and funny, but serious where it is appropriate and very informative on just how corrupt Bush’s presidency was. Despite this, I often found the film hard to follow due to the fast narration and non-linear narrative, and the interviews sometimes took fast-paced to process. The amount of names to remember was also confusing at times, so while I found the film entertaining and informative, I also found it difficult to follow at times and hard to process. I rate Fahrenheit 9/11 3 and a half stars!
The film is about a mail delivery service that runs via railway from around the UK. It is a poetic documentary that is used to advertise the efficiency of the railway messenger service. It is in poetic mode due to the poem read out at the end that symbolises the usefulness of the train, and throughout the rest of the film the inner-workings of the railway and postal service is shown to display why it is an effective business. The poem is done to describe the efficiency of the service through a light-hearted and flowing prose.
Blackfish is a documentary by Gabriel Cowperthwaite, made in 2013, that shows the inner-workings of the sea park industry, namely the cruelty shown towards orca-whales in sea parks and how this changes their behaviour. The documentary swaps between cases of orca violence, but mostly follows Tilikum as an example of how captivity can cause violent tendencies in killer-whales that can, and has, led to fatal accidents.
The narrative of the story follows the life story of Tilikum, mainly focusing.on his capture, movement between sea parks, and the accidents he was involved in. The film does occasionally swap to other orca’s being kept in captivity, using the instances if violence they showed towards trainers as evidence of how captivity can alter behaviour patterns in orca-whales. The documentary also includes. Interviews with trainers, fishermen, SeaWorld managers and witnesses to show different sides of the story and help describe events as they happened.
Tilikum
The film holds a significant place in documentary film history as it has brought light onto a relatively niche industry and links it to modern day activism against animal cruelty. It made $2.3 million in the box office and was shown on Netflix, so has gained notoriety in the documentary genre.
I personally liked the film. I found it a very interesting insight on how Orca-whales are effected by captivity and how harsh life is for those that have been captured. The film also effectively focuses not on the violence the whales could exhibit, but rather the causes foe it and how the industry treats these animals, keeping the point of the film constantly, only showing the violence to such a degree to emphasise the industry’s effect on the whales. I also found the scenes involving more violent moments very harrowing, as they were described and shown in ways that effectively impacted the audience and conveyed the danger and un-naturalism in the behaviour of some orca’s. My only problem with the film is that sometimes it is confusing when a killing happens, and what whales are being described, and even the course of events, due to the narrative switching so often between places and whales. By the end of the film, I was not actually sure how many people Tilikum had killed, and septic that not being the purpose of the film, it still left me feeling unsure about the whale the film had focused on so much.
The film is a participatory documentary, since it interviews people who were involved in Tilikum’s life and uses archive footage to accompany the narration of the interviewed.
“How far do each of the films that you have studied represent key characters in ways that reinforce or challenge the audiences expectations?”
Plan:
Introduction – overview how men and women are reflected in how Romina and Ariel act, then describe how the way they act reinforces our expectations but goes on to challenge them later on.
1 – Describe how Ariel and the chef is represented in a way that reinforces our expectations.
2 – Describe how they are represented in ways that challenge our expectations.
3- Describe how Romina and Ariel’s mistress are represented in ways that reinforce expectations.
4 – Describe how they are represented in ways that challenge expectations.
Conclusion – Summarise previous points and explain, link to overall question.
Version 1:
Wild tales represents key characters, who are used to symbolise the groups of men and women, in ways that, at first, reinforce audience expectations. However, as the film goes on, these representations change in ways that communicate themes of revenge and taking power by challenging audience expectations.
As one theme of the wedding sequence is gender inequality, the key male characters in that scene, Ariel and the chef, are at first represented in ways that reinforce the audiences expectations. Through performance, Ariel is extremely happy and exited during the wedding, with a wide grin on his face and happily greeting his friends. He carries himself in a proud and confident demeanour, and we see him touch his mistress, which shows his audacity and belief that he can get away with anything. His power complex and smugness are emphasised by Romina’s hopeless and distraught expression, amplifying the psychological damage that his actions have had on her. His costume is also extremely straight and tidy, showing his obsession with his appearance, and he is never shown at eye-level when in frame with Romina, showing his how he has taken advantage of her and gotten away with it. The chef is different, and at first challenges the audiences expectations by being kind and comforting to Romina, as seen in how he is kept eye-level; with her when in frame together, but his seemingly sentimental attitude is shown to be a rouse when he is seen leaking his story to his co-workers. This representation reinforces audience expectations of the character as he is a male, and the lack of many other male characters in this scene and Ariel’s affair show that a clear theme of this story is negative masculinity and gender inequality.
As the story goes on though, Ariel begins to be represented in a way that challenges audience expectations. His proud and perfect demeanour fade away into panic as he pleads with Romina to remain happy until the end of the wedding, and his facade completely cracks and a terrified expression comes onto his face. He also leans down as he pleads with her. This reflects how she is already bringing him down to her level, and he is spiralling in his attempt to maintain his perfect appearance, and is willing to try and emotionally manipulate her, like the chef does, to make it seem like he has a perfect and happy marriage. By the end of the story, Ariel has completely lost all composure, letting go of his proud and independent masculine demeanour, being cradled and comforted by his mother. He is below Romina’s eye level here, his previously perfect uniform is disheveled and he is is in a mess of tears, showing that she has completely won over him and he no longer has any power over her, and she has taken revenge. This representation challenges audience expectations by contrasting how we expect Ariel to act from the way that he is built up as a proud and masculine figure, certain in himself and exploitative of his wife’s ignorance. So, seeing him represented as weak and fragile challenges our expectations.
Romina, a key character, is a reflection of women who are exploited by un-faithful husbands, which creates the expectation of her being timid and weak. She is at first represented in a way that reinforces the audiences expectation through cinematography and performance. At the beginning of the scene, Romina is extremely exited and has an almost plastic grin plastered onto her face. This obviously exaggerated emotion portrays her as ignorant and perhaps even gullible, which we would expect from how Ariel also acts like a stereotypical male. She is also represented as hopeless and emotionally devastated when she realises that her husband has had an affair, as she is shown in an extreme close up, with an panicked expression and everything else other than her face out of focus, reflecting her feeling of isolation and helplessness in that moment. This represents Romina as a weak and fragile character, and continues as she flees the party in a desperate panic attack, crying and breaking down as she runs away. This makes us sympathise with her as she is obviously distraught, but also reinforces our expectations, as so far she has been represented as naive, so an emotional shock like ethics would have such an expected impact on her.
However, Romina is also presented in ways that challenge the audiences expectations, to a large extent too. As Romina threatens to ruin Ariel’s life on the roof, her sadness transforms into anger and fuelled obsession as she screams with hate, and looks down her nose at him. Here, Ariel is also shown to be panicked and terrified by her outburst, showing that she is growing to stand up for herself, surprising the audience as it is such a sudden change in the couples power dynamic. As the wedding sequence continues, Romina assumes more influence over Ariel, which challenges audience expectations to a large extent. She is kept above his eye-level, reflecting her new-found power over him, and her previously beautiful and white dress is now spattered with blood and her make-up ruined by tears. This change in her previously perfectly organ used demeanour and appearance reflects her change in personality and sudden obsession with revenge, abandoning public image in favour of ruining Ariel’s life as he ruined hers. This sudden seizure of power and independence is a drastic change from the giddy and over the top performance and perfect appearance of Romina at the start of the story challenges the audiences expectations of how Romina acted as a character.
Wild Tales represents key characters in ways that initially reinforce audience expectations, but as power dynamics change and the themes of the story become more clear, our expectations are challenged to a far extent. Characters fit or stray from audience expectations through cinematography, performance and mise-en-scen, and these reflect the changes in their character from how they were introduced at the beginning of their arcs, and from that they are represented in ways that heavily reinforce audience expectations and ways that suddenly challenge them as a character progresses and changes.
“Discuss how aesthetics are used to communicate themes in Wild Tales. Make detailed reference to particular sequences in your answer”.
Essay Plan:
Introduction – Each story has its own aesthetic. Mention this then talk about how each one communicates the theme intended in each story.
Middle – Talk about wedding sequence. Talk extensively about the techniques used, how they communicate themes, what said themes are. After two paragraphs move onto diner sequence, and talk about how aesthetic differs from previous one, and repeat process.
Conclusion- Explain how both sequences use their individual aesthetics communicate their individual themes.
Version 1:
Each individual story in wild tales has its own specific aesthetics that are used to communicate the themes of each story, which differ form the others. Cinematography, mise-en-scen, performance and sound all combine to create the aesthetic, and through these the themes of each story can be inferred.
The wedding story has a clear aesthetic that sets it apart from the other story’s. The sequence begins with an extremely large and filled wedding party, adorned with expensive furniture and decorations. The mise-en-scen here gives the scene a clear opulent aesthetic, communicating the story’s theme of wealth. When the newly-weds enter the scene, the camera pushes in on them and keeps them centre frame to symbolise that they are the centre of attention and events, as is also shown through the lavish red carpet they walk in on, and the crescendo in the diegetic compiled score. When they reach their family and friends, the couple immediately separate and talk to their individual groups. We see, through performance, the couple seem extremely happy, and they have almost plastic seeming smiles on and act in stereotypical ways, perhaps as they would be expected to act at a wedding. The bride screams in joy as she runs up to her friends, and the groom shakes hands and laughs with his friends. The characters act as if their movements and expressions are completely scripted, which gives the scene an aesthetic where the characters do not act as themselves. The couples obvious separation is also shown from the shot-reverse shots between the bride and groom, whose backs are facing each other. This communicates the theme of superficiality in the story, but more specifically the couple’s fake affection for each other, which is apparent in how they never speak to each other with actual respect or adoration throughout the entire scene.
The entire ballroom is filled with flashing lights and bright and dark costumes. The contrast in the mise-en-scen and cinematography is extremely sharp, symbolising the differences between how the men and women act in this story, communicating the theme of gender inequality. This is also shown through how Romina, the bride, is kept at eye level throughout the scene, whilst her husband, Ariel, whenever in frame with her, is shown as above her via low-angle shots. This represents his expectation of being a stronger figure than his wife, playing into the theme of gender inequality. Romina’s inability to stand up to the actions of her husband are also shown when she calls his mistress, which is shown through a shot where Romina is stood in the backdrop of the shot, whilst the woman is at the front, far from her, symbolising Romina’s weakness and helplessness. This is shown to have changed at the end of the story when Ariel begins to break down, letting go of his happy and perfect facade, crying and curling up into a ball on the floor. He is then shown as beneath Romina, as the camera looks up at her from a low-angle shot, showing how she now stands over him, communicating the theme of overcoming gender stereotypes and taking power, the story arch that Romina goes through.
The theme of superficiality is also shown through the scenes tense and uncomfortable aesthetic, which is accomplished through sound as-well as performance. This is seen at the end of the scene when Romina re-enters the ballroom and the music stops playing. All of the guests and Ariel have concerned expressions on their faces as they watch on at the scene Romina is making, and this sharp contrast from their previous joy emphasises the seriousness of the moment, and communicates the theme of superficiality, combined with the lack of music that symbolised the attempt at hiding the couples obvious disdain for each other. The couple lavished their wedding in expensive jewellery and furniture and loud music and happy faces, a combination of sound, performance and mise-en-scen, as when these all take a sharp contrast to make the scene feel more serious, it communicates the theme of superficiality being broken by revenge and obsession.
The theme of revenge is communicated through mise-en-scen and performance and cinematography, which give the scene a violent and brutal aesthetic. At the beginning of the scene, Ariel towers over his wife, grinning madly knowing that he has gotten away with cheating on her. As Romina becomes aware of his actions and exposes him, she becomes more loud, clumsy and out-going, whilst Ariel beds down to be eye-level with her, and his voice becomes evidently uncomfortable and panicked. At the end of the scene, Romina stands above her husband, staring down at him, and is shown to have won over him through the low-angle shot of her looking at him. Her dress is also covered in blood, symbolising how her wedding, and chance at a perfect, happy, if pretend, life has been ruined by her obsession with revenge. Ariel’s costume also becomes rugged and messy here, symbolising him letting go of his facade of happiness in his panic and desperation to keep Romina quiet and submissive to him. When Romina spins around with Ariel’s mistress, she and her are kept in focus, whilst everything else is kept out of focus. This represents Romina’s obsession with getting revenge on the woman who ruined her marriage, and nothing else matters to her in that moment.
The themes of superficiality, revenge, obsession and gender inequality are communicated through the wedding sequences aesthetic. The aesthetic has a sharp contrast which reflects the differences between men and women in the story, and the way that the characters performances and costumes change throughout the scene reflects the theme of superficiality. Mise-en-scen, cinematography, and performance and sound create the scenes aesthetic, and therefore communicate the themes intended in the wedding sequence.
Key tip: consider and name this sequence a shirt film, and split this short film up into sequences within itself, such as the rooftop sequence, etc.
Cinematography:
The scene begins with a frame within a frame, where a picture of Romina as a child is kept-centre frame to bring our attention to it. The camera pulls out to reveal that it is part of a slideshow and being showed at a party. The camera then crabs to the right to show off all the guests and the scale of the wedding party. We then cut to a shot from even further back to reveal the full-scale of the party. A handheld camera shot immerses us in the scene, as it is being filmed by a cameraman, making it feel more real. The frame is repositioned to have the archway centre-frame to signify the importance of the people coming through it. The camera pulls back to follow the couple, almost making it a tracking shot to show us how important they are. As they begin to dance the camera follows them to keep our attention on them. The camera also glides around to show them from different angles, and they are shown to be facing away from one another in parallel edited cuts. This also implies that the couple are married more so for the sake of appearances, rather than actual love.
Another wide shot of the whole room displays the expense and glamour of it all. The handheld camera shows that they know they are being recorded, hence, putting on a false face of happiness. The camera pushes forward to keep the couple centre frame bring our attention to their false happiness. The next shot of people sat at a table is framed like a photograph, showing that Romina feels observed and recorded. After she realises what has happened to her, she is left alone in the shot, showing her feelings of isolation and fear. The camera tracks her alone, signifying that she is the only character of importance at that moment, and comes to rest on a short of her looking in the mirror to symbolise self-reflection. This also allows the woman Romina calls have room in frame, showing her importance but also Romina’s concentration on her, and desire to keep herself hidden from her. We then see Romina’s reaction as we push in to focus on her face. The camera then arcs around into an over the shoulder shot to show what Romina is focusing her anger on, and the look on her face.
We then have our attention shifted from Romina to the girl by a focus pull, and the second phone call is shot with Romina in the background to show what the woman’s perspective is like, how she does not notice Romina but Romina has not stopped looking at her. It also shows her grieving process. As Romina walks away from the dance, a canted angle shot symbolises how her world has fallen apart. We then see a POV shot from her perspective to emphasise how observed and frightened she feels. We see her calming down when the camera is at eye-level and more steady, but when shots are more frantic is shows the breaking down of this perfect facade the couple has created. This communicates the themes of superficiality, power and obsession.
A birds-eye-view shot tracks her and leads to the audience thinking that she is about to commit suicide, raising the tension of the moment, and also emphasises the sheer size of the building, and thus, the danger of the fall. A shallow depth of field keeps Romina in focus and everything else out of focus, showing that she is the only thing of importance in this moment, and is very deep in thought/grief. This also reflects how things look when you are crying. The camera stops moving around and the editing slows down as the chef consoles Romina, showing how he is sensible, wise, and how his words are calming Romina. After Romina storms back into the hall, the camera is shaky, reflecting her anger and broken facade. We see a shot of the chef in the kitchen, centre frame to bring our attention to him, and how he is laughing at the encounter he had. We then see a reaction shot of how humiliated and distraught Romina is. The dancing is shown as more chaotic by the camera staying on Romina and the woman she hates, showing her obsession with her and her desire for revenge, and how everything else is out of focus for her. It also makes the audience feel dizzy and match the feeling of Romina and the woman she is spinning with.
Lots of canted angle shots emphasise the mayhem of the scene and the escalation of events. The camera moves unsteadily around the scene to match Romina’s drunken haze, and a series of two shots of Romina and her husband show their faces close together, that they no longer love each other, and are desperate. This communicates the themes of gender inequality and barriers, more specifically those set up by male power complex’s, being overcome/destroyed.
Sound:
The upbeat and popular song titanium plays in the diegetic, compiled score. This matches the couples apparent happiness, but also links to the theme of Romina standing up to her terrible husband later on. The song also enters the pre-chorus’s as the couple enter to build suspense and signify their importance. As the song builds up to a crescendo, the pace of the editing speeds up to match/reflect it. After a temporal cut, the more music is more classical and traditional, to symbolise the grand and expensive nature of the wedding. It is quietened after a temporal cut to let us hear the dialogue. As Romina looks on at her husbands mistress, we can hear their conversation, though we know that she cannot, showing that she is probably fearing what is being said. The diegetic sound of her breathing rises in the diegetic score to bring attention to her state of panic.
The next diegetic complied music played is very light and airy, but the volume increases as she touches hands to signify the importance of this moment. Her quavering voice is also contrasted by the romantic music playing, making the scene feel more ironic and grim. The diegetic sound of the door closing matches the end of the song, making way for complete silence on the roof. Our attention is brought to her conversation with the chef by the silence, the only sound other than the two characters the sounds of the cars below, immersing us in this environment on the roof, reflecting the isolation and safety there. Little music is played when Romina begins causing chaos in the ballroom, making the events seem much more serious and embarrassing, adding emphasis to to them. It also makes the diegetic sound of the bottle popping more shocking, and also makes it seem more like a gun shot has happened, similar to earlier when we were tricked into thinking that Romina has jumped off the roof.
Mise-en-scen:
The background of the image of Romina as a child symbolises anger and danger, a foreshadow to her later outburst. The couple sat at the table are completely surrounded by food, wine, expensive times that show how rich and elaborate this wedding is, and the expectations placed on the couple. The party lights are flashy and bright, showing excitement and reflecting feelings of joy and ecstasy. The party smoke and beautiful chandeliers show that a lot has been spent on making the wedding seem nice, which reflects the couples fake joy together. Their entrance is also made more theatrical by the red carpet, making them look like royalty, almost. Romina’s dress looks expensive, intricate, beautiful, and so does her husbands, showing their want to look happy and successful as a couple.
The colour palette is very light and blue, filled with cold colours that foreshadow bad events. In the new setting of the roof the palette becomes filled with more orange colours to signify a change in atmosphere. The ball room is filled with cameras to show how Romina feels observed and without privacy, and how much expectation is on the new couple. As Romina becomes more frustrated, hair makeup is drained away by her tears, and her dress and hair becomes ragged and dirty, where it was once so delicate and elegant. This symbolises her spiral and descent from a false face of happiness to her real emotions of grief and frustration. Communicates themes of superficiality, or rather the destruction of it.
There always seems to be a camera on screen, showing that this entire wedding is almost just for show. As her husband walks up the stairs, the colour palette is made green by the lighting there, symbolising envy and jealousy, the negative qualities of his character. As Romina delivers her monologue, lighting strikes to symbolise her rage, an example of pathetic fallacy. The white dress and chef’s uniforms match, showing a similarity between the bride and him, and also implying honesty, which makes the chef’s later telling of the story all the more crushing for Romina.
When the groom’s mistress is thrown into a mirror, the entire room is specked with glass to emphasise the severity of the moment, as-well as how much blood the woman is covered in when we next see her. The entire ballroom is in a state of disrepair by now, with tables toppled over and food littering the floor, emphasising how everything has fallen apart, and the facade has been shattered, also symbolised by the mirror breaking. As Romina rips out her hair extension it symbolises that she is completely done with her facade of happiness, and is at the final stage of her descent into disarray. An example of expressive costume that communicated the theme of superficiality.
Editing:
The camera cuts from a shot of the slideshow to a happy couple at a table to show how fond people are of the newly married pair. There are various cuts to people laughing and having fun to create a happy and up-beat atmosphere. This cutting also shows off the glamour of the wedding, and fits the pacing of the song. There is also one long shot of the couple entering to signify their I’m portable in this scene, over everyone else there. The scene is parallel edoted as the camera cuts between both of the newly weds in their separate friend groups to show that they are not as close as it would seem. A shot of the couple kissing has a camera interface edited over it to make it look like its from the perspective of a camera, putting the audience in the position of bystander to these awful events, forced to watch but not interfere, much like the on-lookers at the party. Shot-reverse shots do not show who is talking exactly all of the time to also show other peoples reaction to what is being said. This is seen on the roof when Romina and the chef talk to show that she is taking in all that he is saying.
As the scene progresses, the camera focuses more on Romina than her husband, which puts us in her position and makes us sympathise for her more. The separate movements of Romina and her husband are parallel edited to keep them separate, showing their secret desire to stay away from each other, which manifests as their physical distance now that the wedding is ruined. There is a glance-object of the shoe on the floor to show it’s importance as a symbol of false public appearance being dropped. After the woman is thrown into the mirror, a temporal cut slows the pace of the scene and gives the moment more gravity, and the atmosphere a more tense and thick feeling. It also serves as a cut to a new time period. The scene does not cut at all towards the send, making the audience look on at what is happening, immersing them in the moment.
Performance:
Everyone in the scene seems happy, almost to an ecstatic extent. As the couple walk through, they do not talk to each other at all, which implies that they are only doing this for public appearance, not actual love. They don’t even look at each other, and immediately separate when they have the chance. Everyone around them is so happy that it almost looks fake and put on like the couple themselves. The couples friends are also acting in stereotypical ways, with the men begging up their mate and the women ecstatically screaming in excitement. They are almost acting the way that they are supposed to as friends at a wedding. Romina’s husband, Ariel looks straight at the camera, implying his obsession with how he looks and acts when being watched.
The smiles for the camera look fake, acted. This is seen in how Romina smiles at people talking to her. Romina also try’s to walk away but is forcefully dragged back, which shows that she is not really choosing to be there. Her frequent mentions of Facebook also represent her artificiality and attention to appearance. We only see her joyful expression change as she sees someone she doesn’t recognise, which signifies that what she has noticed is of importance. We see Ariel lean over and touch the woman, which makes it clear that something has occurred between them. We also see this in how she turns around to grin after he has left. She also acts suspiciously as she quickly begins talking to someone else after accidentally making eye contact with Romina. For the first time, Romina does not look happy at all, emphasising just how concerned she is, and how important this moment is.
Even after being exposed by Romina, Ariel plastically smiles in front of everyone to keep his image happy and perfect. His eyes also frantically dart around to show that he is trying to see how other people are viewing him. Even though he has been caught cheating on his wife, he is still more concerned with maintaining his perfect image. Romina’s voice trembles after her fear is confirmed, and she stumbles and staggers around to show that she is disoriented and confused, shocked. She is visibly broken out of this hazy stupor when someone tries talking to her, showing how distracted she was.
After cheating on Ariel, Romina has a sudden newfound confidence which come out as she has her monologue, but there are also notes of sadness and grief in her voice, showing that she is doing this in self-defence. Ariel looks scared and mortified by his wife standing up to him, and at the threat of his perfect image being ruined, he cannot handle it, so breaks down and cries, completely ruining his image. Romina clearly enjoys this chaos she has caused, where Ariel does not, showing that she believes she has nothing left to lose. Her joy is clearly bittersweet though, as she revels in the madness, but obviously misses the pace she had before, and the happiness, whether real or not. Ariel is clearly beneath Romina as he is cared and consoled by his friends and family, whilst she does not care and walks around alone, done with her fake identity. She seems to take a certain peace after the mirror incident, accepting the chaos of her life, and the tatters of her image and marriage. She mocks her husband and the wedding itself, which she now admits was a facade, as she goes through the usual wedding traditions like cutting the cake and throwing the bouquet. Ariel is clearly resentful of her for ruining his life, and no longer cares to look happy and perfect for the cameras. As the couple makes up, they seem to take excitement and eagerness to repair their lives, or simply live them, now that they can take peace in the fact that they can’t fix it.
This low-angle shot of Ariel shows Romina’s new found power over him.
“Copy the text below into a new post. Research and answer the questions. Augment your post with whatever you see fit — pictures, videos, stills, or anything else that might be helpful.”
“1.Define a portmanteau film. What are other notable examples from recent years?”
A portmanteau film is a film that combines two or more stories in the manner of a portmanteau(a blend of words). Some notable recent portmanteau films are The French Dispatch(Wes Anderson, 2021) and Ghost Stories(Andy Nyman, Jeremy Dyson, 2017).
“2.Give a brief synopsis of each of the stories in the film. Which are the most effective? Why do you think these stories have been chosen?”
The first story involves multiple people on a flight realisation through conversation that they are all related to one person, who is responsible for them being on the plane, revealing that the story is his revenge story, as he crashes the plane, killing himself and everyone on board. The second story is of a woman who realises that her most recent restaurant customer is a loan shark responsible for her fathers suicide, and she is tempted by the chef to take her revenge on him. The plot to murder him is complicated as the waitress becomes conflicted as to what she should do, and eventually the chef takes matters into her own hands by murdering the man herself. The third story is of a man who insults a reckless driver on an isolated road, and is forced to confront him after breaking down. The story evolves in a brief saga of revenge and obsession between the two men, who end up killing each other when their cars blow up. The fourth story is of a demolitions expert who’s life crumbles when he is fired, publicity humiliated, loses custody of his daughter, and frequently/unfairly fined. He eventually takes matters into his own hands by detonating a bomb in a tow company car. Park, and ends up being revered as a hero in prison, who stood up to a corrupt system, and is appropriately nicknamed “dynamite”. In the fifth, a wealthy man hires his groundskeeper to take the fall for a hit-and-run committed by his son, but events begin to spiral out of his control as his lawyer, prosecutor and groundskeeper all demand higher compensation. The story ends with a deal being arranged, but is made pointless when the groundskeeper is, presumably, murdered by the drive-by’s grieving husband as he is escorted out of the house. In the sixth and final story a bride discovers, at her wedding, that she has been cheated on by her new husband. This sends her into a drunken spiral fuelled by obsession and revenge, which ends by ruining the entire wedding and mentally breaking herself and her husband. The car and dynamite stories are the most effective, since they do not last too long or little time, and also use their time effectively to build subtle character arch’s and get across their themes, and also build suspense to satisfying yet unexpected endings. The stories have been chosen since they involve themes of violence and revenge, building suspense through their character development and the actions that they take, often through unpredictable routes.
“3.The literal translation of the title is Savage Tales. How is this a more appropriate title and how well does it apply to each of the stories in the film?”
This is more appropriate since the actions that the characters often take are outright or more implicitly savage, for the effects that they have on the people around them. It applies well to each story in the film since all stories follow characters who lose their innocence and even sanity in the face of unfortunate events, often leading to acts of incredible violence and savagery.
“4.Explain the title sequence — how is it an appropriate choice for the tone, message and aesthetics of the film?”
The title sequence shows clips of wild animals. This is appropriate since may of the story’s portray certain characters as prey and others as predators, which adds an interesting theme to the classic revenge formula, by making the method of revenge and questions about morality lend depth and seriousness to the simple plot of revenge.
“5.What does the viewer learn about Argentine society from watching the film? Does this accurately reflect the political and social reality?”
Some of the stories deal with social issues of sexism, the poverty and wealth divide, and government incompetence. These social issues are mostly focused on in the dynamite story, in which the protagonist takes on a powerful tow truck company, and the wedding episode, where a grieving bride takes revenge on her husband who takes advantage of her, and the hit-and-run story where a wealthy man tries to entice a poor man into taking the fall for a horrific crime with the promise of money. This is accurate, as reflected by the most wealthy 3% of Argentinian society, and the issue of corrupt politics is reflected in the restaurant story, in which a loan shark runs for mayor.
“6.Are there aesthetic differences between each of the stories? How do the aesthetics support the story being told?”
The aesthetics are gritty and violent, reinforcing the themes of brutality in the film through blood, dirt and uncleanliness. This portrays the loss of innocence, as seen with the blood soaked wedding dress, or dirty and blood stained suit. It symbolises the loss of civility and rationality through corrupted versions of neat clothing and appearances.
“7.Are there any notable similarities or differences in the representations of men and women, rich and poor?”
Yes! Women are depicted as powerful but often underestimated by men, who are portrayed as obsessive and power-driven. Some of the stories in this film explore themes such as women standing up to men who attempt to undermine them, and how men can get into conflict when their pride is damaged or challenged.
Wild tales was directed by Damien Szifron in 2014, and tells multiple unique stories of violence, love and revenge. The film holds an important place in the portmanteau/anthology genre because it is a relatively recent and low budget($3.3-4.5 million) film that made substantial success in the box office($30.6-44.1 million) and includes many differing and un-flinching stories that do not stray from the genre to make it more accessible to audiences.
The film switches at unexpected intervals to new stories that follow different characters in usually intense dilemmas that involve themes of morality and violence, revenge and conflict with other people or inner-conflict. The narrative is structured in a unique way, following an anthology of stories that are connected in no ways. The characters it follows have somewhat small amounts of time to play out their arch’s, but the film uses it as time effectively to create audience investment in the characters and their story plots, and also raise suspense and get across the themes and messages intended by each story.
The film is important as it is one of the most famous Argentinian films outside of the country, proving that the film is respected on a global scale, and also that the anthology genre can be executed in a successful way that can be entertaining and engaging for international audiences.
I personally loved Wild Tales! I felt that the method of storytelling was pulled of perfectly and the transitions were done seamlessly. The characters and plots were memorable and the film had some deeper meanings that were portrayed in otherwise entertaining and exiting sequences. I personally found the broken down car sequence the most exiting due to its unrelenting intensity and horror aspects, but the dynamite story was my favourite for its genius character development and fascinating portrayal of morality and revenge on society. My only critique is that the last two stories in the film were rather confusing and less entertains, also containing less meaningful and understandable themes, and uncomfortable scenes that made it hard to get invested in the plot or characters. Other than that, the film proves that a seemingly complicated genre/form of film can be made to work in a way that makes it more entertaining than many other films. I respect it for its success in gaining audience engagement in its short stories, and the memorable moments in the film.
“How far do each of the films you have studied represent key characters in ways that reinforce or challenge the audiences expectations?”
Vidal (left) is made to represent that evil fascist regime of the Civil War. Ofelia (right) represents that good in the film, and thus a direct contrast to Vidal and his faction.
Essay Plan:
– Vidal represents the fascist regime in the war so I will focus on an analysis of his faction instead of him specifically.
– I will do the same for Ofelia as she represents the moral and good forces in the film, so I will avoid specific analysis of her and more so the faction she stands for.
– The soldiers are shown to be evil primarily through performance and mise-en-scen, but Vidal is made to be a dominant and intimidating presence via cinematography also.
The good faction directly contrasts the evil via mise-en-scen and performance, but specific characters like Ofelia and Mercedes are shown as good people via cinematography, like Vidal, also.
Version 1:
Cinematography, sound, editing, mise-en-scen and performance are all very important in creating representations that reinforce the audiences expectations. Characters that represent the good and evil factions are represented as such via the fundamental aspects of film form that make the audience see them in a certain way.
In the fig tree sequence, Vidal and his men are established as cunning and ruthless members of a fascist regime through mise-en-scen, sound and cinematography. As he and his men take off on horse-back, the non-diegetic composed score quickly picks up into a dramatic and intense mixture of trumpets and drums, signifying a grand entrance. This symbolises the patriotism and pride he and his troops have, and also makes them seem like a more intimidating and imposing presence, reinforcing the audience expectation of them as evil fascists, likely due to the context of the Spanish Civil War. He and his men are also represented as evil via mise-en-scene, as their uniforms are extremely neat and tidy, organised and decorated. They show great patriotism amongst the army, and also serve as a direct contrast to the clothes worn by the good characters in the film. They symbolise the wealth and strict protocol of the army, while the more ragged and dark-coloured clothes of the protagonist show that they are poor, and more honest and kind. Performance is also used to build an imposing and obsessed representation of the antagonist forces in the film. This is seen in how Vidal seems completely concentrated on the abandoned campsite once he reaches it, and stares intently off into the woods in search for the rebels.
In this same sequence, the forces of good are shown as a direct contrast to the forces of evil, represented through mise-en-scen and sound to portray them as moral and just characters. When the scene cuts from the Captain and his men to Ofelia leaving the mill, the non-diegetic composed score picks up into a fast-paced mix of horn instruments that give the scene a light and happy feel, reflecting Ofelia’s feelings of excitement and adventure. This gives her character a more welcoming demeanour, as opposed to the intense music that plays as Vidal and the troops leaves the camp. Ofelia’s outfit is also much more quaint and simple than Vidal’s, made up of much lighter and warmer colours that fit into the scenery of the woods more. This represents the difference between her and Vidal, as she is represented as a person less obsessed with her appearance and removing rebels, but instead going on a fantastic quest. She does not move with aggression or intensity, like Vidal, but a calm and peaceful pace, with a content yet curious look on her face, a direct contrast to the intensity with which Vidal and his men search for rebels. This is how the key characters are represented in ways that reinforce the audiences expectations, but it also challenges them by representing the rebels in a way that puts them into a positive light. From contextual knowledge, the rebels that the fascist nationalists were hunting were communist, and used guerrilla style combat methods to fight the nationalists. When they are showed at the end of Vidal’s side of the scene, they are dressed in dark and brown clothes that let them blend more into the environment, and these more simple and humble uniforms make them seem more kind and less boastful than the soldiers. The non-diegetic composed score picks up in the mix at their reveal, and has a light yet dramatic tone, that is less dark and foreboding than that what plays when the soldiers ride away, and so portrays the rebels as forces of good who directly oppose the forces of evil. Therefore, the film uses mise-en-scen and sound and performance to create representations of key characters that challenge and reinforce the audiences expectations.
In the first shaving sequence, mise-en-scen, performance and cinematography are all used to represent Vidal, who represents the forces of evil, in a way that reinforces the audiences expectations of a fascist Captain. As he shaves, the various items scattered around his room symbolise his wealth, such as the gramophone, razor, and cigarette, which also provides smoke that gives him an intimidating appearance. These all show his control over resources and rations, and is also shown by the fully stocked log shelves and large fireplace, mug, and table in the dining room. The Captain also seems completely focused as he shaves, looking intently in the mirror and taking great care as he prepares for and then shaves himself. This, combined with the diegetic music playing from the gramophone, which has a classical and traditional tone, implies that Vidal sees himself as a sort of patriotic hero, and views this shaving as a ritual of masculinity, basking in his authority. This reinforces the audiences expectations of how fascist soldiers of high ranking likely viewed themselves during the civil war.
We also see the difference in uniform and representation of Vidal through cinematography as ways that the audience’s expectations are reinforced. When Vidal is in the dining room, he polishes a very clean and expensive looking boot, symbolising his wealth and attention to detail when crafting his appearance. Hid uniform is blue, which matches the colour palette at night, symbolising his control over the environment. Even as he polishes this boot, he seems extremely intent, as if it was the most important thing to him in that moment, showing his obsession with how he presents himself as a Captain. When Mercedes enters, her uniform is almost not a uniform, as it is of simple brown and green colours, similarly to the rebels and Ofelia, showing where her true allegiance stands, but also representing her as a more humble and hipness character than Vidal. It also shows the difference between the traditional roles of women and men in the film, which from context, we know were very prejudiced and often put women in lower roles whereas men had higher roles of authority and power which is shown through cinematography in this scene. When Vidal stands, there is an over the shoulder shot from behind Mercedes of him putting his hand on her shoulder. This keeps Mercedes at eye level but is a low angle shot facing up at Vidal, showing how much taller and intimidating he is than her. This also represents his authority, obsession with maintaining control through fear, and authority over Mercedes as a Captain. However, this traditional expectation of the characters is challenged when Mercedes stands up to Vidal, when she says that the rabbits are too young to be cooked. This does not sound like much, but no one else in the film, even the doctor, has shown defiance to the Captain, instead saying what he wants them to say and following his lead. However, the Captain is shown more in this scene, and so he is represented as more powerful and intimidating than Mercedes, who represents the good in this scene.
To a large extent, Pan’s Labyrinth uses cinematography, sound, and mise-en scen and performance to represent key characters in ways that reinforce and occasionally challenge the audiences expectations. The audience is made to view characters in certain ways that may differ from or, mostly, confirm their pre-conceptions of them through the tone of the non-diegetic composed score, cinematography that frames them in ways to convey their character traits, performances that convey emotion and psychology, and mise-en-scen that contrasts key characters and the forces they represent.
“Discuss how aesthetics are used to communicate themes in your two chosen films. Make detailed reference to particular themes in your answer.”
Essay plan:
– Guillermo Del Toro uses many different unique methods of filmmaking to create a dark and fantastical aesthetic in pan’s labyrinth. – For this essay on aesthetics in pan’s labyrinth I will discuss the key elements of film form in certain key sequences from the film, and how these are combined to create an aesthetic. – Specifically the first shaving sequence and first bedtime sequence, and for these I will go into detail about how cinematography, sound, editing, mise-en-scen and performance are used to combine and create an aesthetic, and from there how this communicates themes. after these two sequences are done I will expand onto an overview on the whole film. – Here I will simplify how Del Toro uses film form to create aesthetic, using what I discussed in detail in the sequences as evidence for how the entire film is given an aesthetic, and from here how this is used to communicate themes. (The essay question is on pan’s labyrinth and wild tales but I am only discussing pan’s labyrinth)
Essay: Version 1.
In Pan’s Labyrinth, the film has a dark and mystical aesthetic that creates and emphasises themes of the supernatural, mystically, fantasy and violence. They are predominantly created via the films unique mise-en-scen and cinematography, but all fundamentals of film form are used by the director, Guillermo Del Toro, to communicate these themes.
For the first bedtime sequence, Del Toro mostly uses cinematography and editing to give the scene a fantasy aesthetic that evolves into a dark and intense tone. The scene begins in Ofelia’s mothers’ room. This is shown by a tracking shot of Ofelia that pan’s to the right to reveal the room. The room is made to look dark and gloomy via the silvery and blue-tinted colour pallet used in the film at night. This creates a dark and still environment, and also symbolises the Captain’s control on the setting, as his uniform is blue as-well. The scene is given a slow and calm pace to immerse the audience in the dialogue by keeping the camera on Ofelia and her mother and not cutting. The camera leaves this shot via a hidden cut when it pedestals down into the darkness in the sheets. When it reemerges it is showing the inside of Ofelia’s mothers womb. This makes the movement through the scene feel fluid and constant, creating a dream-like feeling and fantastical aesthetic. This communicates the themes of imagination, and the conflict between fiction and reality in the film.
The camera continues this smooth and gliding movement pattern as Ofelia tells a fairy-tale, as seen when it pans to the right, exiting Ofelia’s mothers’ womb and entering the mountain-top setting. This makes the audience feel like they are in a dream, symbolising Ofelia’s undying imagination and the fairy-tales that she believes in, helping us to understand how she imagines these stories. The hidden transition is also made more smooth by the red colour of the womb matching that of the sky in the mountain shot, making the audience not even realise a cut had been made, reinforcing the dream-like quality of the sequence, and also giving the environment a dark and sinister aesthetic with the deep colour of blood. The colour palette once again changes to a dark and silvery-blue as the camera pedestals down from the mountain top, making the transition back into the real world all the less noticeable, creating a dark and gloomy aesthetic that makes it hard to differentiate the story from the reality in the film, communicating the theme of Ofelia not knowing the difference between reality and fiction.
Mise-en-scen is also used to create aesthetic in the bedtime sequence. For example, Vidal’s uniform is pristine and organised , decorated and clean. This gives him a sinister and cruel aesthetic, showing the themes of his obsession with appearance, expanded on more in the first shaving sequence, and his dedication to patriotism for the fascist regime he serves under. The performance by him and his soldiers emphasises this, since his posture is upright and assertive, dominant, whilst his men closely follow him, staying behind him and completing his commands immediately. This shows his authority and ranking above everyone else. The theme of Vidal’s violence is also enforced further when his men look on in visible disgust at the murder of the farmers, emphasising the effect he has on people, and his lack of empathy. This gives Vidal a grim and cruel aesthetic as a character. When the doctor is talking to Vidal, Vidal is shown through low-angle shots which show the height contrast between him and the doctor, making the Captain seem like a much more imposing and intimidating figure. The gears and mechanisms shown in the backdrop of the basement give the scene an almost steampunk aesthetic, which emulates the cold heartless and robotic nature of Vidal, communicating the theme of cruelty and un-caring tyranny of Vidal.
When Vidal confronts the farmers, the camera stays on an over-the shoulder shot of them looking at him. This shows off their concerned expressions and postures, Vidal’s height compared to theirs, and also builds suspense as we see him searching their bags. This adds to Vidal’s powerful but evil and imposing aesthetic, showing the theme of his violence and indifference to innocence. The camera cuts between a close high-angle shot and a close low-angle shot as Vidal beats the farmer’s son to death. This rapid editing makes the scene more intense, amplifying the shock of Vidal’s violence. The camera angles place us in the position of Vidal to bring the audiences attention to the brutality, and the farmer’s son to show Vidal’s calm and collected expression as he commits this act. This distressing and memorable scene adds to Vidal’s aesthetic, making him a cruel and sadistic character as-well as a collected and cunning commander. This communicates the theme of Vidal’s two-sided character, who is both calm and authoritative, yet has the capacity to be extremely violent and is prone to outbursts of rage.
The first shaving sequence uses mise-en-scen and performance to create the aesthetic of Vidal’s character and portray the themes involving him and the relationship he has with other characters, such as the wealth divide. As Vidal looks into his mirror, we see how intent and concentrated he is, as-well as the way that he confidently strolls around his room and carefully prepares his shaving equipment. The lack of hair on his face, combined with the immense care with which he is going about such a simple task as of shaving, give the character a sinister and powerful aesthetic, which reflects the themes of Vidal’s pride and self-obsession
As Vidal sits in the dining room, mise-en-scen is used to represent his control over the wealth and rations of this part of Spain, and his attentiveness to his presentation. He sits, polishing his boots with full attention, reflecting his obsession with his appearance, and his tidy and decorated uniform represent his patriotism as a Captain, and also his careful attention to his presentation. When Vidal stands and places his hand on Mercedes’s shoulder, an over-the-shoulder shot shows how much taller he is than her, making him a more intimidating and imposing presence to the audience, giving him a threatening aesthetic and communicating the theme of his power over the environment and those in it. The kitchen is also designed to reflect his power, as seen in the completely stocked space for the fireplace, which is very large, and the very long dining table. These represent the Captain’s wealth and power over rationing, and also effects the pale-man’s dining room. His large coffee mug also contributes to the Captain’s powerful but corrupt aesthetic as a character which delivers the theme of the wealth divide between the peasantry and nobility/government in Spain during the Civil War. The theme of Vidal’s dominance and authority is also shown through low-angle shots that face up at him. This makes him seem like a much more giant and physically imposing figure than those like Ofelia or Mercedes, who are kept art eye-level.
In Pan’s Labyrinth, Guillermo Del Toro uses aesthetics to communicate certain themes, mostly via mise-en-scen and cinematography.. The first bedtime sequence is best for analysing how he can give a certain scene and environment an aesthetic, and the first shaving sequence shows how he can give characters aesthetic and can deliver themes through them and their surroundings. These aesthetics deliver certain themes such as wealth divides, the supernatural and the line between reality and fiction. This is done through cinematography that makes the audience see a character in a certain way, editing that creates a sense of fluid movement through a scene, and mise-en-scen that reflects themes and symbolises messages to the audience.
The scene begin’s with an arching wide-shot to show where the scene is taking place, what characters are involved, and establish the environment. It also show’s that Ofelia is alone in this moment. We then cut to a close-up of what’s in her book, signifying its importance, and the camera follows the images hat match up with the narration, creating a visual link between the story of fiction and the reality playing outer in front us. When Ofelia beings drawing on the wall, a close-up shows the shape that she is outlining, eluding to its significance later on in the scene, and also the effect that the chalk then has on the wall.
The camera cuts to the other side of the door to give the audience an un-obstructed view of the new environment. It also shows the scale of the hallway compared to Ofelia in a wide-shot. It also makes room for the contrast between the real and fantasy world, emphasising the nightmarish nature of the fantasy world. The wide-shot also shows how long the hallway is, which will be important as Ofelia fells from the pale-man, and also the alien architecture of the room.A close-up shows the hourglass and its importance, signifying that time may run out.
There is a wide-shot from over Ofelia’s shoulder to reveal the wide scale of the pale-mans room. The camera also stays near Ofelia to immerse us in her position, and make the audience feel like they are part of the scene. The camera crabs from left to right to follow Ofelia, keeping her centre frame and therefore the centre of the scene’s attention, but the camera is also placed on the other side of the table, allowing for us to seen all of the food placed on the table and her reaction to it.
This shot stops abruptly and rises to a slightly high-angle shot facing down at Ofelia. The stop makes the reveal of the pale man more surprising and shocking, and the camera pedestal makes him seem more imposing and also display the scale of the creature compared to Ofelia. It also rests for a moment on the pale-man to bring its horrific features to the audiences attention, allowing for them to become fearful of the monster, as they understand what it looks like.
This wide-shot brings the audience’s attention to the grotesque form of the pale man.
After picking up the Petri dish, a close-up signifies that it is important, and an over-the-shoulder shot brings the lack of eye sockets on the pale man to our attention, making us question why there are eyes on the plate and where they fit into his character. A close-up of Ofelia shows that she is looking up, and so when we see the arching shot of the tapestries we, the audience, understand where they are in the room, and the camera movement shows all of the tapestries, showing the pale-mans history without audibly explaining it.
The low angle-shot of the shoes rises to make it seem like a very tall and intimidating pile, and the camera switches focus to show Ofelia’s reaction to the shoe’s. Letting the audience know that she is realising the danger of the situation. A wide-shot shows all the key-holes, and therefore establishes the risk of this moment. A close-up of the key signifies its importance, and a close-up of it being put into the lock raises suspense as we wonder whether it will work or not.
The camera is inside the hole as Ofelia reaches for the dagger, which makes us fear for what is inside the hole and how much danger she is in by putting her arm in there, and the silhouette in the bottom right corner makes us wonder what that is, increasing the tension of the moment. A close-up of the blade shows its importance.
The pale man is kept out of focus in this shot to show that Ofelia is oblivious to him. It also keeps him in frame though to show how close he is to her, and also how she has not noticed him, and is instead focused on the food.
As Ofelia leaves, another shot lingers on the pale-man, since now we are wondering whether he will move or not. As she walks away, a close-up shows that she has come to a realisation, and the camera pans to the right to show what her attention has been caught by. A close-up of the grape brings to attention how enticing it is, and how delicious it looks. As Ofelia eats it the camera pedestals and pushes forwards, swapping focus to the pale-man to bring our attention to him and emphasise that he is about to do something, building suspense. The close-up of his hands shows the disgusting look of his fingers, and also pedestals up to show him coming to life and breathing for the first time. The next close-up shows his hands and him putting the eyes into them, answering the question posed by why the eyes were on a plate if he had no eye sockets.
The camera stays on Ofelia and keeps the pale-man out of focus to show that she is oblivious to him, and also raise tension as he approaches her. When Ofelia finally see’s him, the camera switches focus and remains eye-level with Ofelia to show how much taller and imposing he is compared to her, and install fear of the pale man in the audience. The closeup of the pale-man shows the gore when he devours the fairies, showing what he is capable of. As Ofelia turns and runs, the pale-man is kept in frame to show him wiping his mouth, and that he is ready to chase Ofelia.
The camera rapidly pans to the left to show that Ofelia is running back home, keeping her centre frame and therefore the centre of attention, and the fast movement of the camera creates tension and a frantic moment. The camera cuts back to the pale man to show that he is now in pursuit of Ofelia. The shaky camera used as she is running creates tension and reflects her panic. The shot of the other side of the wall slowly pushes out/dolly’s backwards, implying that there is no hope left. The pale-man is also shown entering the hallway and holding up his arm to let the audience know that he can see her, and is going to approach her.
As the pale-man walks down the hallway the camera follows his feet by quickly crabbing to the left, showing that he is heading towards Ofelia and also showing the speed with which he is moving, raising the tension of the scene. A close-up shows the chalk dropping, showing where it landed and how Ofelia can’t retrieve it, the chair legs wobbling, showing how close it is to toppling Oliver and therefore raising the risk and tension of the moment, and Ofelia’s horrified reaction to the pale man. The camera also quickly cuts back and forth between her and the pale man to emphasise how quickly he is catching up to her. When Ofelia climbs out of the doorway, there is a close-up of her hands on the floor to show how desperate and close to safety, and the camera quickly cuts between her feet and the pale mans closeness to them, raising tension and fear, keeping the audience on the edge of their seats. The doorway lets in light from the other room, emphasising the contrast between the two worlds and making the atmosphere and themes portrayed by the colour pallets more prevalent. There is also a close-up of the door to bring our attention to it shutting permanently.
There is clear similarity between the pale man and Vidal, such as their dining rooms, and the glassware on their tables.
Sound:
As the images come onto the page some fidgeting scribbling and scratching sounds can be heard, establishing a connection between the drawing and the magic of the moment, due to an invisible artist. The twinkle sound heard also adds to the fairy and fantasy themes/environment of the film. The non-diegetic narration shows Ofelia’s closeness to the story, and also shows the context for the images in the book. The non-diegetic composed score is subtle, with piano notes that adds a peaceful yet mysterious and somber atmosphere to the scene.
The chalk produces a sharp scraping sound on the wall, showing how rough and in-welcoming the architecture of the mill is, helping us understand Ofelia’s desire to escape. It also signifies the importance of the chalk in that moment, as important objects are the loudest in the diegetic sound score at their moment of significance. The later fizzing contrasts this, emphasising that the foaming and fizzing chalk is unnatural and adding to the fantasy element of the scene.
The music builds into a grand finish as Ofelia finally opens the door, signifying a change in environment and an important moment in the scene, keeping the audiences attention on the new world and building suspense as the door is slowly opened. The music here also signifies a grand entrance by Ofelia, showing her royal status in the fantasy world. The door also sounds extremely heavy as is it opened, showing Ofelia’s determination and obsession in the fantasy world. It also sounds like a boulder being pushed aside, adding a secretive and ancient feel to the new world.
As the camera shows the hallway, the music again builds into a trumpet filled climax, making the new environment feel un-welcoming and sinister. The distant diegetic sound of the pale man’s nasally and weak breathing makes the audience feel uncomfortable and concerned as Ofelia goes deeper into this fantasy world. This also establishes the pale-man’s power and dominion over the place, and eludes to a dark undertone to the new place.
The non-diegetic score regularly hits high notes that make the fantasy world feel more imposing and powerful. The diegetic sound of the chair wobbling also eludes to the later importance of it. A deep, fast sound of wind plays to make the environment feel cold and hostile, almost serving as a warning to Ofelia. Ofelia’s footsteps are quiet and isolated in the thick silence of the moment as she walks down the hallway, raising suspense as the audience anticipates a sudden rise in the sound mix or something to be revealed on screen. Otherwise the silence and unnerving ambient sounds like fire crackling and wind moving through the hall puts the audience on edge.
As Ofelia moves down the table and gets closer to the pale man the pitch and tempo of the breathing sounds increase, implying that they are coming from the pale man, making him more of an uncomfortable and intimidating presence, invoking fear of him in the audience. The composed score also reaches a sudden high as the pale man is revealed, making it more of a shock to the audience, creating fear of him in them, and also showing how invested Ofelia was in the food to the extent that she did not notice the pale man sat there.
This high-angle shot shows Ofelia’s terrifies expression at the pale man’s display of violence, and also how much taller he is than her.
As Ofelia picks up the Petri dish with the eyes on, a wet squelching sound can’t be heard. This establishes the texture of the eyes, creating disgust in them and adding to the detail of the grotesque nature of the pale man. While Ofelia looks at the tapestries on the ceiling, the distant and faint sound of babies crying creates an audible link to the images on screen, signifying the violence and brutality of the pale man. As Ofelia brings out the key, a sharp ringing sound emerges in the diegetic sound mix, showing that it is an item of significance at this moment, and is about to play an important part in the scene.
The skittish and chirping diegetic sounds of the fairy’s movement signals to Ofelia and therefore the audience what they are trying to communicate, and their light and quick chirps convey emotions of happiness and a sense of victory, which quickly changes once the pale man wakes up, making the violence of the moment when he devours them all the more visceral and shocking to the audience.
The blade that Ofelia retrieves produces a sharp yet faint ringing sound, emphasising its importance to the plot, making it also more memorable once it becomes an important item in the film, much later on. As soon as Ofelia turns back to the pale man the non-diegetic composed score evolves into a deep and sinister toned moment, which creates feelings of tension and discomfort in the audience, as they, and Ofelia, are now expecting him to move, raising the tension of the scene.The non-diegetic sound of a harp also signifies and conveys Ofelia’s captivating by the fruit, showing why she has stopped and what has caught her attention, adding a heavenly and holy importance to the food on the table. The score also gradually picks up as Ofelia gets closer to eating the fruit, and this conveys to the audience that a direct and immediate consequence of this is about to occur, which we understand to be the pale man since the camera comes to focus on him.
The tapestries bring attention to the grim history of the pale man, and how he specifically poses a threat to Ofelia.
As the pale man finally wakes up the non-diegetic score abruptly cuts off, making the moment more surprising and forcing the audience to keep complete attention on the pale man. The diegetic sounds of his movements are sudden, like bones cracking as they move for the first time in ages. His breathing too comes in long and deep and rough gasps, showing that this creature is ancient, and also making it seem more appealing and repulsive to the audience. This is also done by the sounds of his movements as he begins to walk, which are crooked and wet, which also increase in the sound mix as he gets closer to the camera, making the audience physically want to get further away from him.
We understand that the quick and frantic chirps from the fairy’s are intended to prevent Ofelia from eating the fruit, adding to the tension of the scene as we understand that they know about the pale man and the threat he poses. As the pale man moves his fingers, the string instruments in the composed score suddenly pick up, adding to the crooked and unnatural movements of the pale man with sudden and violent musical notes.
The non-diegetic composed and diegetic scores are layered, exampled by the manic chirping of the fairy’s and the building of the pitch of the intense and sinister music. This layering of sound makes the scene more intense and engaging for the audience.
Ofelia’s breathing deepens and accelerates, emphasising the fear that the pale man creates in her, and therefore the audience is left on edge too. The sounds of her footsteps as she sprints down the hall are rapid and heavy, showing her desperation to escape. When the pale man enters screen again and lifts up his arm a loud and screeching sound plays and temporarily dominates the diegetic sound mix, making the pale man a much more imposing and terrifying presence. We hear the diegetic sounds of his footsteps as he approaches Ofelia, increasing the tension off the scene. The chalk makes a faint but noticeable diegetic snapping sound, bringing the audiences attention to this and therefore establishing it as important. The diegetic sounds of the pale mans screeching sounds similar to a child in pain, naturally creating feelings of discomfort in the audience, making the creature more revolting and terrifying, and also adding tension, reminding the audience constantly that he is getting closer to Ofelia. The scraping sound of chalk on concrete is once again inserted to emphasise the importance of it as Ofelia draws one the ceiling. As Ofelia crawls into the real world, the close-up of her hands on the floorboard is accompanied by the diegetic sound of squeaking, which emphasises her desperateness to escape, and her closeness to safety and yet, danger. The same thing happens as the pale man thrusts his arms at Ofelia, showing his desperation in killing her. As the door shuts we also hear the diegetic sound of burning to show that it is shutting permanently.
The biblical amount of exotic food makes it enticing and tempting to both Ofelia and the audience, helping us understand why she chose to eat it, despite the earlier earning not to.
Editing:
The scene is kept at a slow pace by leaving shots long and in-interrupted, letting the audience, and Ofelia, take in the environment around them, and giving the scene appropriate time to raise suspense. As the camera dolly’s back down the hallway after Ofelia opens the door, the shot fades to a further away position, showing a passage of time and creating room without an unnecessary cut for us to view the hallway and new colour pallet. It also works better than a regular cut since Ofelia is still in the same place as in the previous shot, so a cut would be jarring as we, the audience, typically expect a change in shot after a cut, so a fade gives us more time to process this change in camera position.
We understand the scene with Ofelia opening the door and beginning to explore the pale man’s world to be continuity edited, as each shot takes place after the last. The scene changes to parallel editing though as the camera cuts back to the hourglass to remind the audience that time is running out. This is because we, the audience, understand that these two moments are taking place at the same time, and this serves the purpose of keeping in the audiences mind that time is running out for Ofelia, even when the hourglass is not on screen, raising the suspense of the scene and keeping the audience invested in the film as they know that things could go wrong for Ofelia at ant moment.
Post-filming, a red and hellish colouring has been added to the scene to make the environment seem. More intimidating and sinister. Every time an important objest is shown, it is done so via glance-object shots, signifying their importance as the camera keeps them as the only thing on screen. After releasing the fairies, the camera cuts back to Ofelia after holding focus on them for a moment, and she has moved, signifying a passage of time to avoid pointless scenes of the character walking around when the layout of this new world has already been established to us.
The scene cuts between Ofelia and her hand inside the hole to show that she does not know where her arm is reaching, what may be in the hole, and also her pained and struggling expression. As Ofelia leaves the room, her mental process is shown by moving the camera between her face and the fruit on the table, and the scene does not cut here so that we can see her turn her head and the camera move with it via panning to the left to show what she is looking at, and therefore what she is thinking about it.
As the pale man approaches Ofelia, the camera only cuts twice to slow the pace of the scene down and capture the audiences attention with the horror of the moment, and also raising suspense by making the moment feel longer by lack of edits. The scene begins to cut more rapidly between Ofelia and the pale man to show their proximity to each other, create tension in the scene and reflect the chaos and panic of the moment, immersing the audience in the process. There is more parallel editing when the camera cuts between the pale man and Ofelia to show that he is chasing her, making the scene more intense. A reaction shot shows Ofelia’s desperate reaction to the doorway shutting, emphasising how much worse the situation is becoming. The camera cuts rapidly between Ofelia on one side of the door and the pale man on the other, significantly increasing the tension of the moment. The scene finally stops cutting and rests on a wide-shot of Ofelia above the trapdoor after a close-up brings our attention to the door shutting, and this slows the pace of the scene and allows for the tension to dissipate.
This in-cut close up forces the audience to witness the horror and gore of the pale man.
Mise-en-scen:
Ofelia’s outfit is similar to that of Anne Frank, which links to the time period of world war 2 and also emphasises the themes of suffering and hiding and imprisonment by Ofelia in the wake of ruthless of fascism. This also links to the pile of shoes shown later on, creating fascist symbolism in the pale man. The fairy tale drawings are similar to fairy tales of medieval Europe, contributing to Ofelia’s desire to escape the present to live in another world. The colour of the room she is in is blue and silvery, adding to the sharp contrast between it and the fantasy world. It also makes the room feel cold and still, and the old objects randomly scattered around the room establish how hidden and secluded it is, and why Ofelia chose to go here to complete the task set by the faun. The colour of the room also reflects the colour of the Captains uniform, symbolising his control over the real world.
The size of the doorway is quite small, making it seem more claustrophobic , and also references Alice in wonderland, in which the young protagonist takes a journey into a beautiful fantasy world through a portal, except here the horror is amplified by the supposedly idealistic world of Ofelia’s imagination being a nightmare in disguise.
The walls of the fantasy world seem to be coated in blood, which gives it a hellish and nightmare like quality. The hallway is filled with pillars that seem to resemble those one would expect to find in ancient cathedrals, which may be done to reference instances of child abuse or demonic religious imagery. The hourglass is a clear link to the theme of time in the movie, more specifically time running out. There also seems to be fingers clutching the hourglass, symbolising the pale man’s control over time in this world, or a tree’s branches, perhaps in reference to the tree in the film earlier.
The large fireplace behind the pale man creates hellish imagery, and references the Captains fireplace, inventing a link between the two characters and their control of wealth, and destruction of innocence, and tendency for violence. Ofelia’s costume her also makes her stand out, and signifies her innocence in a world built on top of death and suffering. The bountiful food on the table references fairy tales such as Hansel and Gretel, in which evil witches lure in innocent children via food. The food on the table also references Vidal, and also looks fake, as if imagined, filled with jellies and fruit. This is done to reference the colour red again, and therefore blood, and also to create an image of what a child of Ofelia’s age may imagine a feat to look like.
The pale man is sat at the head of the table with his arms layer out in front of him, showing his dominance over the room, and also referencing the Captains same place at his table, and his control over his world. The pale man’s body is revolting and deformed, humanoid yet alien, with sagging skin, red eyes, sharp fingers, and extremely pale skin, exposing the veins beneath. This creates feelings of repulsion in the audience, creating a disgusting and hideous creature that matches its actions of cruelty and violence, perhaps showing what Vidal looks like beneath his own skin. The pale mans sagging skin also shows that he has not eaten in a long time, and his previous fat has just come to hand off his body. The lack of eye sockets also removes all capacity for emotion. The blackened fingers also show corruption and greed. The eyes on the table also seem stuck to the petri dish due to a sort of disgusting slime attaching them both, adding to the disgust that the pale man’s physical from conveys.
The tapestries are shown to convey the pale man’s violent history without unneeded dialogue. The architecture also links to medieval catholic cathedral architecture, and they also show that the pale man may have a disturbing pride in his cruel history. The pile of shoes is an obvious link to the Holocaust and themes of child suffering and Fascism, also showing how deadly and ruthless the pale man is, and how many other people have tried, and failed, to defeat him.
The key that Ofelia holds is gold and crooked, showing its importance but also fantastical nature. The dagger, also, is gold and bright silver, with elegant engravings and a curved hilt that looks to the faun’s horns, which makes it seem like a beautiful and valuable weapon, fit for royalty. The grape that Ofelia notices as she leaves is large, plum-sized even! It also has water on it, making it seem enticing and delicious.
After devouring the fairies, the pale man has blood all over his mouth and dripping down his chest, making him seem even more ruthless and un-caring for the suffering he causes to others. His now visible legs are skinny, crooked and frail, showing his previous inactivity, and how his form is almost human, just not completely, almost as if it is trying to replicate a human. When Ofelia finally shuts the door, we see a bright light spilling out from underneath it, showing that the door is shutting.
The tracking shot shows all of the food on the table, and Ofelia’s interest in it, by keeping both in focus and frame.
Performance:
As the drawings come onto the page, Ofelia seems completely immersed and fascinated in the drawings, showing her persistent child-like interest in magic and fairy tales. As the chalk begins to dissolve into the wall she seems surprised, showing that even she cannot predict how the magic will effect her world, yet she does not seem scared or apprehensive, signifying that she is not scared of the fantasy world, just eager to explore it. She also takes a good amount of time to study the hallway, showing that she is eager but not reckless in her exploration of the fantasy world. She takes her time as she walks about, which we, the audiences, knows to be foolish, as time is running out. This shows that she is mindful of danger but can be distracted by her obsession with the stunning and alien world in front of her, and become oblivious to her time limit in it.
She does not take her eyes off the food on the table as she walks down it, displaying her interest in it, and foreshadowing her later folly in being tempted by it. This also gives a reason for her to be shocked by the sudden appearance of the pale man. As with everything else not from the real world, Ofelia is absorbed by her curiosity in this foreign creature, yet still seems disgusted by its physical appearance. Her breathing gets more rapid and heavy as she looks around and notices the numerous signs of the pale-man’s danger, showing that she has caught on to the danger she may be in herself.
When she pulls out the key, Ofelia seems temporarily completely engulfed by her fascination in the item as she stares at it with a surprised expression for a few seconds. As she tries to retrieve the dagger from the hole, Ofelia briefly stands on her tip-toes to remind the audience that she is still small and vulnerable, and amplifies the risk and therefore suspense of the moment as we know that she cannot see what is in the hole. Her struggling expression shows that she is in possible danger, and is also not an invisible protagonist.
The diegetic ringing sound brings our attention to the dagger and its importance, and its intricate design makes it seem like an important and precious item.
As Ofelia walks up to the pale man she seems nervous, letting the audience realise that she expects something to happen now, raising the suspense. When she tries to eat the grape she frustratedly swats the fairy’s away, and puts on an expression of pure joy and euphoria as she eats the grape, which show the audience the extent of her ignorance in this moment.
The movements of the pale man are sudden and crooked, his legs wobbling as he walks, showing how frail they are. His breathing is rough and laboured, showing his age, and his hands sake, showing his hunger and recent wake up from, presumably, a very long nap. Ofelia’s reaction to the pale man matches that of the audiences, disgusted and disturbed. Her breathing quickly becomes fast and heavy as she runs away, showing her panic, and her face and voice is terrified as she see’s the door closing, showing how desperate she is to escape. The pale man is clearly blind and reliant on his hands, as he recklessly stumbles about and holds his hands out before him to see where he is going.
After the chalk breaks, Ofelia looks back to see the pale man approaching her, and at his her face becomes pained and terrified, showing how much more serious and urgent the situation has become, making us, the audience, sympathise with Ofelia and also making the scene all the more intense and engaging. The pale man is also shown to be sadistic by the malicious grin on his bloody moth, showing his morbid pleasure in making others suffer.
As Ofelia finally escapes, we can see her face as she crawls desperately out of the hole, showing her eagerness to escape. As her legs are pulled out of the fantasy world we see a frustrated expression on the pale-man’s face and his arms frantically swinging to catch Ofelia, showing his desperate greed and hunger. When Ofelia shuts the door her breathing slowly slows to show that she has finally escaped danger, but suddenly picks up as the banging and screaming temporarily increases, establishing the fear that the pale man has created in her. But her panic evidently dissipates as the silence overcomes the screaming from the pale man.
At the beginning of the fig tree sequence, the camera pans to the right to follow the movement of the soldiers rushing into the woods. This shows that they are the dominant force in this moment and keeps the audiences attention on them. The movement of the soldiers and Ofelia’s are also from the left side of the screen to the right, implying a journey on both sides of the story. We then cut to Ofelia and the shot has her in frame to show that she is the centre of her side of this scene, and also that she is running away from the mill. It also stays at her eye-level, putting us in her position and creating relatability and empathy in the audience for Ofelia.We cut back to the Captain and see the camera rapidly pushing past trees to keep up with him and his horse. This creates a fast pace and feeling of movement, and how fast he is moving, and brings the audience into the scene. A wide shot quickly crabs to the right to show that he is ahead of the rest of the soldiers, showing his position at the heads of authority, and his obsession to find the rebels. It also shows how many men he has under his command, and how loyally they follow him into danger, displaying his power and control.
After cutting back to Ofelia, a low-angle shot shows how small she is compared to the rest of the woods, and therefore the daring of her quest, and therefore the danger that she is in. the shot after this one is a high-angle until Ofelia approaches and nears the camera. It then becomes a mid-shot to show that Ofelia is looking out into the woods in adventure. The movement of the camera also keeps the pace going and immerses the audience, making them feel less like an observer to the events in the film but that they are actually in the film, involved in what’s going on.
The camera then arches around her to reveal the tree she is looking for. It also begins to tilt upwards to reveal the full scale of the tree and its scale in comparison to Ofelia, implying how much danger she is in and also framing it like a dominant building, making it feel more intimidating and imposing, like its in control of the environment around it. This also show’s that Ofelia is not at all afraid of the tree, and in the face of mysterious and possibly dangerous forces she is only overcome with curiosity and child-like joy, not fear or apprehension.
The wide-shot shows just how large the tree is compared to Ofelia.
A glance object show’s what she is holding, stones, and this temporary focus on them signifies their importance to the plot. There is also a glance-object of her shoes. This could be a foreshadow to the shoes he gains later on in the film, but here it is primarily for the purpose of signifying how rotten and in-clean this environment around and inside the tree is. A wire shot then brings the camera up to bring the branch into frame, keeping focus on Ofelia and it to show what her expression is like, showing that she has noticed, and what has captured her interest, signifying its importance in this scene.
The camera pulls backwards and pedestals upwards via crane shot to reveal the dress. This shot establishes that Ofelia is now heading straight into the danger, and the dress in kept centre frame to show that it is important that it is placed there, and foreshadows that it will play a part in the film later on, which it does. As Ofelia crawls through the tunnel we cut back to Vidal via hidden cut, but she and him are still moving from left to right, showing a nearing end to their journeys. The lighting in the tunnel is also dark and gloomy, creating an unsafe and uncertain atmosphere, but the lighting is bright enough for us to see Ofelia’s face, keeping her expression clear and visible to the audience. After cutting back to Vidal’s side of the scene, we see a close-up of his boots hitting the floor to establish that he has confident footing, and the force with which he hits the ground signals his intensity and aggressiveness. The camera also follows him and keeps Vidal centre frame to maintain him as the focus of this scene.
There is a glance-object of the fire to create a connection between what Vidal is thinking and why he has come to the conclusion that the rebels are still nearby. The camera then pedestals up and arch’s around the Captains head to show his thought process and also keeps the other soldier in frame, but not at the centre, to show his loyalty to the Captain and show to them audience that he is not saying anything important in this moment. The camera pushes in slowly to show that Vidal has noticed something. A glance-object show’s what he has noticed and the fact that this is important to the Captain, holding the viewer’s attention as an important plot device is revealed.
This low-angle shot frames Ofelia’s as a heroic protagonist.
The antibiotic bottle is kept centre-frame in the close-up shot as the Captain lifts it up to make it obvious to the audience what it is, and why it is important. The Captain himself is also kept centre-frame to keep the audience’s attention on him and his movements. As Vidal shouts into the woods, the camera is positioned in a low-shot from behind him to show where he reckons the rebels are and where he is shouting at, and then a high-angle wide-shot shot from in front of him shows the size of the forest and emphasises that the rebels could be anywhere, building suspense, and also making the audience question whether this shot is from the perspective from the rebels or not. An extreme close up of Vidal then Showa how intense and obsessed Vidal is to the cause of destroying the rebels.
When the rebels are finally revealed, they are all kept in a wide-shot which shows how many there are and how they are all glaring at the soldiers after they retreat. After we cut back to Ofelia, who is now crawling through the tunnel, she, like Vidal was, is kept centre-frame to keep our attention on her and her reaction to the environment around her. A long-shot of the hallway creates suspense, and the camera slowly pushing in creates the feeling os claustrophobia and makes the atmosphere more tense, making us wonder in fear where the danger is coming from and what it will look like.
the toad is revealed by the camera moving from Ofelia to the shot in a single take, building suspense and slowly bringing the toad into frame, showing what it looks like, where it is, and how Ofelia reacts to it. There is then an over-the-shoulder shot from behind the toad, which personify it, adding to the fantasy element of the scene, and also showing how much bigger it is than Ofelia. After the toad licks Ofelia’s face, we see a close-up of her hand that also serves as a match on action to signify that she has dropped the stones, and that this is about to have an important consequence to the scene.
A match-on-action shows her picking them up, and then a wide-shot is done to show how far the toad is from Ofelia, and therefore the power of the burp. The way that the edges of the frame are also covered by mud adds to the feeling of being trapped, immersing the viewer in Ofelia’s situation. The camera then cut’s to a close-up of Ofelia’s hand to show what she has picked up and how this is important. After the toad has died, the camera follows Ofelia to build suspense as she approaches the key, and keep the audience immersed in the moment as a participant in the story, not just a mutual bystander, since we see the key at the same time she does. As she crawls towards the key, we see what it is, and by keeping Ofelia in frame we see that it is her objective to obtain. The key is then kept centre frame, like the antibiotic bottle earlier, to show its importance to the plot and the character. There is then a close-up of Ofelia after she escapes the tree to show how tired and exhausted she is. It also tracks her movements and moves the right enough to reveal that she has lost the dress, and establish the trouble she faces now. The camera also moves back to eye-level to create sympathy for her as she realises the trouble that she is in.
The over-the-shoulder shows the scale of the toad as opposed to Ofelia.
Sound:
As Vidal and his troops leave the mill, the non-diegetic score immediately picks up into an intense and dramatic orchestral tone which is emphasised by trumpets and other horn instruments signalling a grand arrival but with a dark undertone, indicating the power of the men but also their dark and immoral motives. The diegetic sounds also increase suddenly as the scene is quickly filled with the sounds of multiple horse hooves, neighing and the shouts of men. This immerses the audience and also emphasises the intensity of the moment., and the speed and purpose with which the men are moving.
the trumpets decrease in tone and pitch as we cut to Ofelia, but does not put the scene in complete silence as the heroic and exiting tune keeps playing, keeping the audience’s attention and focus on the scene, and not losing the fat and aggressive pace. However we can still hear the muffles and distant sounds of men and horses as we are with Ofelia which immerses us in the setting and makes it feel more realistic. It also establishes that Ofelia and Vidal are leaving the mill at the same time, making the rest of the sequence parallel editing. The contrast between the aggressive and dramatic music that plays when Vidal is on screen and the bright and peaceful and heroic music that plays for Ofelia contrasts their characters.
As Ofelia walks through the forest, we hear the sounds of mud and rustling beneath her feet. This immerses the audience in the setting of the scenes, so even something as small as ambient diegetic sounds can contribute to how much the audience is attached to a scene and environment in a film, including the stones in her hand, which signifies their importance. After reaching the tree, a dramatic horn sound picks up in the mix to foreshadow that something is wrong, and that danger is possibly approaching. This keeps the audience invested and on the edge of their seats and building suspense, and also adds a dark and serious atmosphere to the scene.
The diegetic sounds are drowned out by that of the Roy this beating of horse hooves, showing their force and drive.
As the camera pushes in on the dress, the diegetic sound of wind picks up in the sound mix to signify that something bad is going to happen to the dress, a foreshadow and an explanation for when the dress is found on the ground later on. As we cut to Ofelia inside the tree, the diegetic sounds are muffled and distant, as if from underwater, which creates a tense and uncomfortable environment and atmosphere in the tree, and puts us in Ofelia’s position. A low violin sound picks up in the non-diegetic composed score to signify a tragic aspect of the scene, creating suspense and fear for Ofelia’s safety. A sound of wind rushing also creates a cold and un-safe atmosphere as Ofelia enters the tree and signifies a change into the fantasy world again.
After cutting back to Vidal, the sound of the horses slowly disappears as they leave frame to reduce the sound in the mix, keep the pace slow and calm, and make space for the audience to pay attention to Vidal and what he is saying. The loud and powerful sound of Vidal’s boots hitting the floor temporarily drowns out all others in the sound mix, showing how much authority and dominance the Captain holds over the scene when he is in it.
As he investigates the campsite, we can hear the diegetic sounds of birds tweeting in the forest. These calming and peaceful sounds keep the pace of the scene slow and patient but also prevents the scene from being too quiet as Vidal looks around. It lets us hear his words, immerses us in the scene, and builds suspense without leaving the scene in complete silence. It also contrasts the constipated and muffled sounds of the inside of the tree, helping the viewer adapt to the new setting.
As the Captain shouts into the woods, his voice echoes throughout the trees to shown that the rebels most likely heard him, how truly massive the woods are, and how commanding and intimidating the Captain is. It also implies that even the creatures of the forest cannot escape the influence of the Captain. As we cut to a close-up of Vidal, horn instruments pick up suddenly and sharply in the score again. This subtly symbolises his mounting frustration and disdain for the rebels, and also creates the feeling of fear from something as simple as the look he makes in this moment. The music also builds up to a dramatic reveal of the rebels, and build into a climax as the scene cuts back to Ofelia. The way that the music suddenly cuts out here implies that the scene will be following here from now on.
Vidal is intently staring, even though he cannot see the rebels, attempting to intimidate them and control his rage and fury.
A low and guttural sound emerges in the diegetic sound mix as hits shot of the tunnel continues which builds tension and implies that something large and powerful, possibly dangerous is nearing, building tension and suspense, and therefore keeping the audience’s attention. Once the toad enters frame, it produces deep and rough, wet and moist sounds. These make the audience uncomfortable and evokes disgust in them for the toad. As the camera gets closer to it, the sounds increase in pitch and volume, making the audience more repulsed by the creature and again making them feel more like an actual participant in the movie as opposed to a bystander only witnessing the events.
When the toad burps, the diegetic sounds in the mix massively pick up and the roaring noise overcomes all others. This establishes the toad as a powerful and imposing creature that seems to have dominion over this territory. This moment disturbs the audience and raises the stakes as we now understand that Ofelia is in danger.
After Ofelia picks up the beetle it uncurls itself, and as it does he hear the diegetic sound of scuttling. This makes the insect seem more alive and biotic than a CGI monster, and also establishes to the audience that it is an object of significance in that moment. The score picks up into a hopeful and calm toned moment that signals to the audience that Ofelia has noticed something, as shown in the previous shot, and the music shows that this has led her to a realisation.
The men instantly quieten at this hand gesture, showing Vidal’s authority sand control over them.
When the tongue shoots out from the toads moth, we hear a loud roaring and squelching sound that makes this fantasy creature seem more real and organic, adding a realistic and serious tone to the fairy-tale monster, as if done again in the film later on. As the toad dies, we once again hear roaring but also a cracking sound to match the image of the toad’s jaw unhinging as it dies, adding to the gore of the moment. As its corpse deflates we hear a sound like rushing air, and as Ofelia retrieves the key from the contents of it’s stomach we hear sticky squelching. These diegetic sounds act as an audible sort of mise-en-scen, making the scene feel more real, immersing us by putting us in Ofelia’s position, and making the scene feel more real by adding to the texture of the objects on screen. Non-diegetic sounds also signify items as important though, as seen, or rather heard, when Ofelia picks up the key and a sharp ringing sound emerges in the mix, focusing the viewer’s attention on it.
We again hear wet and sticky sounds as Ofelia wipes her forehead to emphasise just how in-clean she is, creating sympathy in the audience for her, and making them think about just how much she has been through. We are introduced to the new setting outside of the cramped and claustrophobic environment of the tree to the the open and spacious forest by the sound of Ofelia’s footsteps crunching on the leaves beneath them. The distant thunder hints towards the coming thunderstorm, building suspense and an impending feeling of danger and fear for Ofelia.
Editing:
The first hidden cut in the scene is made when the camera moves behind a tree and when it emerges on the other side we are with Ofelia. This serves as a seamless transition that keeps the pace of the scene going and is hard to notice, linking the left to right movement of the characters between shots, and making the transition less jarring and distracting than an ordinary cut.
The scenes are established as parallel since we know that Ofelia and Vidal leave the mill at the same time, and the mid-day lighting implies that these events are happening at the same time. The locations of the different parts of the forest being similar also makes the movement of the scene feel more seamless and more like an uninterrupted sequence and experience of the events on screen. The hidden cuts are also used to keep in the audiences mind that the scenes are taking place parallel to each other. Another hidden cut is made from behind another tree to keep the fast-paced scene of horse-riding not lead to a sudden cut to the more calm and measured scene of Ofelia walking in the woods alone. It also signifies that both characters are approaching their destinations/goals in this moment.
Another hidden cut changes the position of the camera and signifies a passage of time between the cut. Every time a hidden cut is made the characters are kept centre-frame to keep them as the centre of the audience’s attention and they are also moving in the same direction, creating a similarity between both scenes and therefore a seamless transition that keeps the pace going smoothly and not suddenly cutting between shots. Once Ofelia reaches the tree there are no more hidden cuts. This is done to slow the pace of the scene and build suspense without cutting back to Vidal. This is continuity editing, since the lack of hidden cuts allows for the scene to play out before us in-interrupted, letting the audience follow the scene with clarity thanks to the continuity and lack of transitions.
This tree is not used for a hidden-cut, making those that are unexpected, and immersing the audience in the scene since they cannot guess when it will cut, and the trees obstructing the view makes it feel like we, the audience, are actually there, in the forest.
After Ofelia enters the tree, a hidden cut is made from the tunnel to a tree, and from there we are following Vidal again, making the change again smooth and not at all surprising, since it has been done before in the scene and the audience has a slit second more than they would with a normal cut to interpret the new environment of the scene. It also keeps hold on the audience’s attention throughout the scene, keeping them involved in the story and immersed in the. narrative.
The camera only does another hidden cut from behind a tree to show a passage of time, as the horses are further away afterwards, and change the position of the camera to where the rebels are standing, revealing where they were watching from all along. The scene does not do a hidden transition back to Ofelia to imply that the scene will be following her from now on.
As Ofelia talks to the toad, there are shot-reverse-shots that personify it, and therefore make it feel like a much more real and organic creature, making the audience question whether or not it is all in Ofelia’s imagination. It also makes for room to show off how large and indifferent the toad is to Ofelia, making the audience concerned but also fascinated in the huge monster on screen.
The wide-shot shows the rebels and we=here they were watching from. The movement of the horses from right to left also signifies that they are now going back to where they came from, retreating.
Mise-en-scen:
Ofelia’s outfit is quaint and simple, a clear reference to typical fairy-tale protagonists who were from humble beginnings and would wander off into the woods on some grand quest, as she does in this scene. It also looks similar to Alice from Alice in Wonderlands dress, creating a link between the two characters, and their story’s. The book she is reading is large and antique, signifying the grand scale and ancient legend of her stories, and the one that she herself is creating.
The tree, once it enters frame, is large, old and rotten. This adds to the still a new tense atmosphere of the scene, and making is teem much more imposing and intimidating than the other trees in the forest, and matching the description of the fairy-tale, giving the first grain of truth to the seemingly childish story. The entrance is shrouded in darkness, making it seem feel more mysterious and dangerous, and creating fear in the viewer for Ofelia’s safety. The tree itself is also shaped like a uterus, adding tonic themes to the film by serving as hidden imagery/symbolism to create deeper and subtler messages in the film. The ribbon that flys off the dress foreshadows the affect that the wind will have on the dress later on.
As Ofelia enters the tree there can be seen dusty particles in the air, giving the scene a surreal and fairy-tale like atmosphere, and thereby immersing the audience in the setting of the tree, and making it easier to understand what Ofelia is going through, literally! The inside of the tree itself in completely coated in mud and dirt, infested with large and unsettling insects, cramped by withering branches. This setting is uncomfortable for the audience to see, and the other aspects of the scene, especially cinematography and sound, make us feel out of place and nervous as Ofelia explores it, showing her bravery and bringing to life these ancient grim fairy tales. The mud collecting on Ofelia’s previously neat outfit shows how little she cares about it, and her persistence to drive on, whilst most, if not all, people in the audience would of turned back by now.
This wide-shot is used to show how many rebels there are, and their fire-power.
As Vidal investigates the fireplace, there is still steam coming off of it, acting as a visual clue that the rebels only recently left. The antibiotic bottle is small and clear, implying that it is valuable and also allowing for the audience to see it clearly. The Uniforms of the soldiers are very straight and clean and also a deep shade of blue, a sharp contrast to the green, in-organised and dirty woods around them, implying that they do not belong there. The gear and weapons they brought with them does indicate their power though, and willingness to commit violence. Their uniforms also contrast and conflict with those of the rebels, which is darker, less done-up and fashionable, like a personification of the woods themselves, and also showing that they are literally more suited and adapt, even in control of the environment of the forest. The weapons are also heavily armed, showing that they, like the Captain, and even though we haven’t seen it yet, are also willing to commit acts of violence for their cause.
Back in the tree, Ofelia now has dried mud on her face, signifying a passage of time. The toad is covered in bumps and rubbery looking skin, with thick and slimy saliva drooling from its mouth. It has long eyelashes and goat eyes, a huge moth and wet and sticky tongue. All of these factors in its physical appearance contribute to it evoking feelings of disgust and repulsion in the viewer, who as a result has a physical reaction to what they before just suspected was a harmless fairy tale, emphasising the real life scale and danger of these stories.
The toad is warty and ugly, creating repulsion and disgust in the viewer.
After the toad licks Ofelia’s hand, it is completely coated by slime and muck, making the audience sympathise for Ofelia, but also admire her bravery and lack of fear at this mighty beast, signifying her dedication to become the princess. As the toad deflates, its previously rubbery and wet skin now looks slightly like plastic, or a deflating balloon, instantly reducing the power of the animal and the fear it evoked whilst kit was alive, once again immersing the audience in the reality where the toad is not a reality, and therefore not a threat. In other words, the toad is not as monstrous when it is alive and breathing.
It’s(previously) insides are orange and made of slime, creating more repulsion in the audience as the camera nears it, and ensuring that the disgusting nature of the creature, if not the fear it evoked, is still alive after the toad dies. After Ofelia finally leaves the tree, her hair is completely plastered down by slime, her face covered in mud, and clothes soaked. This creates sympathy for her and the detail of the filth helps for us to imagine how much she has been through and how she feels in that moment.
Performance:
We can tell that Ofelia is running away from the mill from her sudden break into a run after turning back to indicate that she heard the soldiers setting off and momentarily thought that they were after her. She seems curious and full of wonder as she explored the woods, showing her excitement at being a part of the fairy-tales she has read about for so long. She seems cautious as she enters the tree, showing that she knows their could be danger about, but she makes no hesitation as she approaches the tree, indicating her bravery and fascination. As she crawls through the tree, her uncomfortable expression and laboured breathing shows that she is apprehensive and possibly re-considering her depiction tom go this far, but most of her reaction seems to be out of disgust as she studies the tunnel she is in.
The mud on Ofelia id dirtied here to show that’s she has been down in the tunnel for some amount of time.
The Captain also acts with intense purpose and authority as he approaches the fire, refusing to break his gaze from it, indicating to the audience what is important in this moment. As the Captain holds his hand up, his soldiers instantly silence themselves. This quickly establishes his power and authority over three, their loyalty and the un-caring and in-human nature of the Captain. Vidal seems sure in himself as he assesses the campsite, and even more confident that the rebels are nearby, signifying his skill and experience as a military leader. As approaches the tree line, he once again refuses to break his gaze, making him come across as a sort of un-caring machine, completely obsessed with carrying out its purpose, and shows Vidal’s inner anger and hatred for the rebels. Vidal’s voice as he shouts out into the woods is extremely booming and powerful, assuming control of the entire area around him.
The submissive silence of his men here also shows his authority over them, and his willingness to take charge. His dark and brooding expression hints at the the evil and disturbing things that must go on in Vidal’s mind, and also references the look he made as he killed the two farmers, showing how he always looks that calm yet intent. It also shows how inwardly infuriated he is over being too late to stop the rebels, and that they are probably just out of his reach and sight, but still has enough command to control his emotions, except for when he brutalises innocent people in cuts of um-measured rage, but even that he does with a cool and collected look on his face. There is another sign of his authority as the men instantly follow his suit from a gesture as simple and him holding up his hand. He also does not wait for them to follow him, because he know that they will follow his commands exactly as he says to. Or rather, signals to.
The jaw can be heard in-hinging in the diegetic sound mix to make the moment more impactful.
As Ofelia questions the toad, she seems genuinely confused at why it chooses to live down there, showing that she does not question the reality of what she is seeing, but rather the more mundane and simple questions about it. E.G not why is there a giant frog, but rather why he likes to live in the tree. It also shows her childish imagination/wonder and her fearlessness. She does seem concerned when she loses the stones though, keeping in the viewers’ mind that she is still a child, just one mostly concerned with completing a magical quest.
She looks fascinated and even hypnotised as she approaches the key, showing her dedication/devotion to getting it. After leaving the tree, Ofelia wipes her forehead and sighed, breathing heavily and leaning against the tree, emphasising her exhaustion and allowing for the audience to put themselves in her shoes. She also seems more vulnerable once outside of the tree, showing that she is much more comfortable, strangely in the wet and muddy underworld of the fantasy world, rather than the real one where Vidal has the power, signifying that he, a single man, evokes more fear in her than the giant toad and claustrophobic tunnel filled with insects was.
The razor that the Captain holds is sharp and imposing, a clear symbol of his tendency for violence and aggressive solutions, whether for dealing with rebels or shaving. The ring is on his left hand, which may be means to symbolise Vidal’s false love for his wife. The gramophone he plays music on is showed to display his wealth, and contrasts him to the peasants shown in the rest of the film. This establishes the power he holds over the area and the rations. Throughout the shaving sequence, Vidal has no uniform on, which signals two the audience that he is alone and in a truly private moment, but even here he carry’s himself with dignity and pride, as he is that obsessed with image and integrity as a military leader.
The cigarette also shows Vidal’s control of luxury resources like tobacco, and the smoke illuminated by the light coming into the basement hangs around his head gives him an intimidating presence, almost like smoke steam from the nose of a stag. The cigarette is also shorter after a hidden cut, which shows a passage of time. The many scattered and stacked papers at Vidal’s desk show his efficiency and attentiveness to his work, and the various shaving equipment also hints at his obsession with maintaining a clean and pristine appearance.
This shot is made more biblical by the light and symbolism of the razor, and the low-angle shot that makes a monster out force out of Vidal.
The cogs and mechanisms that are seen in the background of the basement are symbolic of Vidal’s efficiency and machine-like personality. He has no emotion, only an end goal and mission to destroy the rebels. This shows that he is a truly cruel and viscous villain to the otherwise fairy-tale aspects of the story, like a human form of the various monsters seen in the rest of the movie.
The boot that Vidal polishes is very shiny and clean, and this signify that it was probably expensive and also signify, again, the Captains attentiveness to how he looks, and his pride in being a Captain. This is also seen in how tidy and neat his uniform is, especially in contrast with the more humble and simple design of Mercedes’ and the kitchen staff outfits. The dining table is long, which shows that it was likely expensive (it also eludes to the later one “place man” sequence, showing how much of a monster Vidal is) and the mug is large and the fireplace completely stocked with wood, and also big and imposing. This all contributes to subtly signalling to the audience the military’s, or more specifically the Captains control over the ration’s and resources and money in this area of Spain, and his power that comes with being a military official in a fascist country. This can also be seen with the amounts of buckets and food in the kitchen.
Vidal clearly takes pride in this ritual of masculinity and dominance most people call shaving.
Cinematography:
There is a close-up of the gramophone to bring attention to it and the Captains hand, which the camera then follows upwards until it lands on Vidal’s face. There is a mid-shot here to make room for the razor, Vidal’s face, and the light coming into the basement behind him. This is also a low-angle shot, looking up at Vidal to make him seem more intimidating and imposing to the audience. The shot here almost looks like a portrait, the light giving a biblical sense to the image, and the razor a symbol of Vidal’s violence and power. This shows the Captains inflated perception of himself and his status as a Captain.
The camera then moves from a mid-shot to a long-shot as Vidal walks towards the mirror. This allows for us to see the entire basement and his position in the centre of it. This symbolises his authority and status in the centre of the mill as the Captain, and also his small part in a much bigger fascist machine. The camera then arches around the mirror to push into a close-up of the Captains face as he shaves, forcing the audience to get closer to him and see the precision with which he shaves, how he has no hesitation in using a dangerous razor, and how impassive he looks as he does it, a reference to the face he made as he killed the farmers earlier, calm and casual.
The over the shoulder shot shows how much taller Vidal is than Mercedes, and puts us in her position, letting the audience know how intimidating he is.
A glance object shot shows us all of the equipment that the Captain us using to shave, showing, again, his particular carefulness with creating an appearance. Once the Captain is in the dining room, the lighting is hazier and warmer, a sharp contrast to the cold and metallic environment of Vidal’s room. This also eludes to the contrast between Vidal and Mercedes as characters. The camera pedestals up as Vidal stands, which shows how much taller he is than Mercedes.
This is re-enforced when we cut to an over-the-shoulder shot of Vidal leaning down to intimidate Mercedes, which shows how imposing and threatening he is physically. This shot is also very tight, which creates a feeling of claustrophobia and fear in the audience, of Vidal. The camera then cuts to a wide-shot to show the entrance to the kitchen and how Vidal menacingly stared at Mercedes as she leaves. Only we, the audience, see this, so only we know that he may have suspicions of, or dark intentions for her.
Sound:
The non-diegetic sound of the gramophone picks up in the mix as Vidal turns it on. The audio is loud and slightly scratchy, which immerses the audience in the time period. The music is also very grand and patriotic in nature, which shows Vidal’s sense of patriotism and self-pride/image. The razor produces diegetic sounds that are sharp and sudden. This establishes how sharp the razor is and therefore how much danger Vidal is putting himself in by using it. It also puts the audience on edge slightly, since it is an unpleasant and rough sound that makes the audience feel uncomfortable, which they are supposed to with Vidal on screen, since the is so menacing.
The music also comes to a climax as Vidal begins shaving , which shows how he views this simple activity as a sort of symbol of his power, authority and masculinity. The grand and powerful tone of the music symbolises his obsession with how he presents himself and how he goes about completing his mission. The complexity and liveliness of the music also serves as a stark contrast to Vidal’s otherwise passive and calm expression.
Vidal is careful yet fast as he handles the sharp razor, showing his daring and confidence.
No music is played when Vidal is in the dining room. This creates tension and keeps focus on what he and Mercedes are saying. It also makes what seems like a vaguely awkward conversation come across as a lot more intense and threatening, as the awkward silence combines with the Captains terrifying demeanour to evolve into a disturbing silence that hangs in the air as thick as fog. This all emphasises the fear that Vidal creates in the audience, and the effect on the people around him, including Mercedes, who’s perspective we see here. As Mercedes enters the kitchen, there are many diegetic sounds of metal and glass inserted to emphasise how busy the staff are, and also the amount of rations they have, and immerses the audience in the environment, of only for a few moments.
Performance:
As Vidal goes about the basic task of shaving his face, he seems to be taking great care and joy even in it. This is seen in how he carry’s himself around the room confidently, asserting his power over the environment. His movements are fluid and constant, showing how much pride he takes in maintaining his appearance. The seriousness and attentiveness with which Vidal shaves his face eludes to how he goes about his work as a Captain, efficient and concentrated. The face he makes as he looks in the mirror is also very similar to the one he made as he killed the farmer’s son earlier, showing that he truly had no regret or remorse/hesitation as he murdered that man.
He also makes the activity of shaving almost like a ritual, in the way that he plays music and apples the cream with a brush, carefully studies the blade before using it, smokes and study’s his face in the mirror, and uses a hot towel to get ready. This all contributes to our perception of the Captain, and how he seems so obsessed with himself, his country, career and appearance. This is also seen in the dining room as he intently stares at his boot as he cleans it.
Mercedes answers back to the Captain, which eludes to her role as a rebel, and also her silent disdain and hatred for the Captain. He responds by asserting himself by standing up and placing a hand on her shoulder. This solidify Vidal as a threatening and dominant figure who is fine with keeping people in line by using fear as a tactic. Mercedes’ concerned expression shows this. The way that the kitchen staff also seem happy and even joke when not in the presence of the Captain creates a less tense and uncomfortable atmosphere, emphasising the effect that Vidal has on people by creating that same effect on the audience.
Mercedes is clearly quieter after Vidal’s threatening words.
Editing:
The scene is done in a lone-take until the camera crabs behind a pillar in the basement. As it passes through the darkness, a hidden cut is made, since when it emerges time has passed and the cameras is in a new location. This makes the shaving sequence almost seem like one long cut, which makes the various cuts seamless and un-noticeable. This keeps all focus on the Captain, and also makes the pacing of the scene match the fluid and precise movements of the Captain match each other. The pacing also matches up to the intense and fast music, and keeps the audience up to speed with the course of events in this scene, as we understand them to be continuous, which makes this continuity editing.
There is also another hidden cut when the camera moves behind the Captains head. This could be done to ssymbolise the fact that we, the audience, do not know what goes on inside Vidal’s head, what his inner-thoughts are, which makes him all the more terrifying. It also then brings us into a wide-shot of the basement, but then the scene cuts to the kitchen. The cuts that show a passage of time make this temporal editing, done to progress the story and keep the basic scene of Vidal shaving brief and filled with symbolism, not content, and progress the story more. A cut is possibly used here to end the fluid and constant movement/pacing of the scene before and brings the audience into the new environment. There are few cuts from here, as the shaving sequence is over and now Vidal is not alone, and the focus of the scene has switched from him to Mercedes, which is done by leaving Vidal off-screen as she leaves into the kitchen.
The shot where Ofelia and her mother are talking in the bed is one long and continuous shot. The director avoids cutting here to keep attention and focus on the two characters and their dialogue. The shot also slows down the pace of the film and prepares the audience to hear this story. The camera then pedestals downward in a fluid and floaty movement to create the feeling of a fairy-tale narration. The darkness on screen is used to make the transition and enter into Ofelia’s mothers womb, and then the camera dolly’s right and once again enters darkness to reveal the fairy-tale world. the same thing happens with the rose. It takes a moment to realise that the scene is now in a different environment, making it feel surreal and dream-like. The movement is created by the transitions and feels constant as it avoids making cuts and keeps moving throughout the sequence. It also makes the change from the CGI setting to a real one un-noticeable. The dream-like feel is also achieved by only using movements like pedestals and pans and crab shots. The transitions are fades, which blurs the line between reality and the fairy-tale.
The whole sequence is also done in continuity editing, since the events take place in chronological order. Finally the camera pedestals down to reveal the Captains room, once again secretly transitioning through the dark floor. A J-cut is used at the end of the scene to show the doctors reaction to the Captains threatening words, before cutting to the next scene. This also links the scenes together and establishes that no time has passed since the end of the scene with the doctor and the start of the scene with the farmers. A long take again slows down the pace of the film, creating a contrast between this and when the scene begins cutting rapidly as the farmer’s son is killed. The editing also matches the pace of the action, as here with an intense and violent burst of movement. The cuts between the Captain and the farmer’s son also shows his reaction, which is impassive and calm, to the disgusting act that he is committing. The pace of the editing also becomes sedate and slow as the action ends, matching, again, the movement of the characters.
Cinematography:
The room in which Ofelia and her mother are is very cold and dark, shown trough the blue tinted and silvery colour palette which also gives it a gloomy and dull atmosphere. It pans to the left to follow Ofelia and bring into frame the fireplace and bed. This serves as an establishing shot used to build the atmosphere of the room and follow Ofelia’s movements, keeping her as the centre of frame and therefore scene. When both characters are on the bed together a wide shot is used to keep focus on them and their dialogue, but also makes room for the darkness on the right side of the screen, building more atmosphere and tension. The shot also leaves plenty of empty space above the characters to create the feel of the large and empty room, and also makes makes the engravings on the bed frame clear to the audience. The camera slowly dolly’s forwards as the conversation continues, bringing the audience further into the scene.
The camera then pedestals downwards and transitions into a new environment. Then it crabs to the right and again transitions to a new place, pedestals down and crabs right, finally falling into an arch shot around the bed. These fluid and smooth movements make the scene play out like a story, which is narrated by Ofelia. Therefore, the camera movements contribute to the fairy-tale aspect of this scene, and almost makes it feel like a dream.
A low-angle shot is used here to give the audience a sense of scale of the mountain.
The doctor is kept at eye-level in the scene in the basement, perhaps to contrast how the Captain is usually above the camera in low-angle shots, and this subtly implies that the Captain is a better person that Vidal. Meanwhile, Vidal is sat in a chair shown to be looking up at the doctor, which signals that he has some dependancy on the doctor for looking after his wife and child. This changes after the captain stands up though, when he is once again shown from a low-angle shot. This and the over-the-shoulder shot from behind the Captain show how much taller the Captain is than the doctor, making him an intimidating presence and showing his superiority over the doctor. The soldiers are kept in the background and out of focus to keep the audiences attention on the doctor, but they are kept in frame to increase tension and block the exit, which gives the scene a tense and uncomfortable atmosphere.
The camera arch’s around the mill to follow the Captains movement, and the fact that he is between the two soldiers shows that he is the centre of focus for this scene. The shot of him searching the bag is long and goes not cut until he starts attacking the farmer’s son. This gives time for the situation to be explained by the soldiers, the farmers to plead their innocence, and tension to be built as Vidal searches their possessions. The dialogue establishes the stakes, and the shot makes for suspense building, and also illuminates the harm already done to the farmer, which implies that the soldiers are brutal and cruel. Vidal’s previous behaviour makes the audience wonder and fear to what extent he will punish the farmers if he finds anything too incriminating. The camera also slowly dolly’s forward again to build tension, immerse the audience, and establish how claustrophobic the farmers feel, completely surrounded by soldiers.
The camera quickly cuts between the Captain and the farmer’s son to show the violence that he is committing, and then the calm and neutral expression he wears on his face as he does it, showing how evil and cruel he is. One shot of Vidal also shows the farmer in the background, showing his reaction to the brutal scene in front of him, making the scene all the more stressful and intense. The low-angle shot makes it feel like Vidal is towering above us, making him all the more intimidating. There is also a close-up of the brutalised mans face to display how horrific the violence is. A wide shot is used to show how Vidal casually fires rounds into the two men, and how the soldiers just stand around, looking at this happen. Vidal is also always kept centre frame to show that he has authority and the centre of the attention in this scene. This displays Vidal’s authority, and the fear he puts into people, and how dangerous he is too.
The next shot is an over-the-shoulder from behind one of the soldiers, and this shows who Vidal is talking to, what his expression is, and the left side of the screen has space for the rabbit corpse in the bag, implying that Vidal murdered the two men for nothing. The shot then lingers on two soldiers to show how they reacted to the murders, and this imply that even Vidal’s own men are afraid of him, and opposed to his brutal actions/methods.
Sound:
As Ofelia walks from the door to the bed, diegetic sounds of her footsteps and the fireplace are comforting and homely, building a warm and safe atmosphere. The creaking and sounds from the house build a tense and eerie atmosphere, and the sound of laboured breathing from Ofelia’s mother implies that they are on edge. The non-diegetic score builds as Ofelia’s mother opens up to her about her loneliness. It is slow and somber, and prepares/signals the audience that there is about to be another scene in the fantasy world, and also emphasises the gothic tone of the film, and the emotions Ofelia and her mother are feeling.
When we see the baby, the heartbeat can be heard in the background, muffled and slow, and this is possibly done to show the relationship building between Ofelia and her brother. Diegetic wind and other cold, ambient sounds play, as the camera movements. This adds an ominous quality to the scene, and also adds to the sense of movement through the story, and the cold outside environment. The diegetic sounds of the insect increases the closer it is to the camera, immersing the audience. The sound of the score also gets louder as the scene goes on, and the choir like sounds to it give it a religious quality, that emphasises the beauty of the story, and lends it a small sense of truth.
When Vidal finishes fixing his watch, it begins ticking to a rhythm, showing that there is a purpose to it for Vidal, signifying importance. The sounds are also mechanical, creating a link between Vidal’s cruel and cold efficiency and the machine he holds. The ticking is also heard over the conversation about Ofelia’s mother, and this creates the sense that time is running out for her. As Vidal and his soldiers walk outside, the diegetic sounds of their footsteps create the atmosphere of the outside of the mill, and the Captains footsteps are louder than the others, implying authority and dominance, and get louder as he gets closer to the camera, making him seem more intimidating and making the audience feel like they are actually in the scene.
The important objects can be heard more, as with the watch and the bottle. The diegetic sound of the Captain slamming the bottle lid down implies that he has snapped, and lost patience. The diegetic sounds of the mans face being bashed in gets louder and wetter as the scene goes on, emphasising the gore and brutality, and creating more of an impact on the audience. The score also picks up here, making the situation more distressing and disturbing. The gunshots can also be heard echoing, once again building atmosphere and the dominance/authority of the Captain, and the fear he creates in people.
The non-diegetic score builds in intensity as the scene progresses, which makes the murder all the more hard to watch for the audience. The scene once again goes silent as Vidal walks away, slowing the pace and intensity of events, but still leaving the audience and the guards on edge from what trust happened.
Mise-en-scen:
The moonlight in the scene gives the room a gothic and theatrical feel. The design of the fire and the rest of the room is quite gothic, which builds atmosphere and adds to the tone of the room. The lighting on Ofelia and her mother is very soft and smooth, showing the warm and loving relationship between them. The bed frame also has a similar design to the underworld in the beginning of the film. It resembles goat horns or a uterus, which acts as symbolism and foreshadowing. The clothes that Ofelia is wearing is quite humble and simple and symbolises her as a kind person, who does not show off. The make-up on both characters is also naturalistic, and does not seem done-up or over-done, but genuine and reflective of the characters it’s on.
The blanket is black so that the un-seen transition can be made. The red colour of the womb matches that of the rose, dark and deep, allowing for another transition and creating a dark and ominous atmosphere. The hill that the rose sits on seems rough and brittle, implying danger and matching the narration of how people were scared to climb it, and the sky looks like a storm is brewing, making the atmosphere of the setting gloomy and grim. The thorny branches are also very foreboding and sharp.
The CGI gives the creatures and environment in the story scene seem fantastical and unreal. The basement is filled with gears and tools, which reflects the cold and precise efficiency with which Vidal operates. It also looks like a clock, which links to the stopwatch he is fixing in that scene. Vidal’s uniform is decorated and pristine, showing that he takes his profession seriously and is very strict with how he presents himself. The doctor is dressed well to show that he is professional and that the Captain trusts him, but is less done up and up-tight with his appearance.
The smoke coming off Vidal’s cigarette gives him an intimidating and confident appearance. It is also a symbol of wealth, to show that he is in control of the goods and resources that other people need and want, such as the peasants. The setting of the mill in the woods is similar to many old fantasy book and fairy tale tropes, which establishes an atmosphere for the film, and also makes the area feel more remote and isolated, therefore trapped and claustrophobic.
The soldiers all have clean and tidy uniforms, which reflects how obedient they are to the Captain. The farmers, on the other hand, have dirty and rugged outfits, which shows that they are poor, and provides a direct contrast to the Captain. It also implies that they work hard, struggle to make money, and, like Ofelia, are more honest and good people than Vidal is. The blood and bones that are shown as the farmer’s son is brutalised emphasises the aggressive nature of the Captain, and the extent of how cruel and awful this crime is. It is repulsive for the audience to see, and solidify the Captain as an evil, unforgivable villain.
The rabbit body is held up, and its limp and still body hanging by the ears instantly signals to the audience that the farmers were telling the truth, and therefore the Captain brutally injured two men.
It also looks like a crime scene in this low angle wide shot. Even when the camera gets further away from the violence, we are still engrossed yet mortified by the scene playing out in front of us.
Performance:
Ofelia looks happy to see her mother as she walks across the room. After the chaotic and in-happy events of the previous day, this context and facials expression shows that she has a good relationship with her mother. However, It also shows that Ofelia and her mother an only feel safe together when the Captain is not there, as Ofelia’s previous reactions to the Captain show that she does not trust him. Ofelia is evidently scared as she looks frantically around the room and stays close to her mother for comfort.
Ofelia’s mother is clearly uncomfortable, and we, the audience, subconsciously realise that this is due to the baby, as she has struggled with them before this scene. We also see her mothers’ face go dull and take a conflicted and hurt expression. This establishes how she feels guilt for her daughter, but also feels she had no choice to marry the captain, which makes him seem even more evil to the audience. The way that Ofelia narrates the story is also very full of bravado and confidence, which imply that she knows the story well, and this links with her already established love for fairy-tales.
The Captains expression is intent and concentrated, which shows how important the watch is to him. The doctor seems concerned and uncomfortable around the Captain, which implies that he is afraid of him. The Captain is also shown to be the figure of authority over the doctor, since he does not look up to address him when he walks in. The small hand gesture also shows how much power he has over his men, and how used he is to having people obey him instantly. The doctor also recognises his authority, as he stops talking immediately. This implies to the audience the danger that’s the Captain poses.
Vidal also seems offended when the doctor asks why he has assumed the gender of the child, shown by the way he slowly blows out smoke and looks down his nose at him, almost as if he’s been challenged. This shows the aggressive and impatient personality of the Captain. The soldiers walk behind Vidal, subtly showing his rank above them. The farmers seem breathless and concerned, and the son takes his hat off as soon as he’s told. This shows that they know something the audience does not, how dangerous he is, which builds tension and fear of what Vidal is capable of. Vidal even seems too be taking pleasure in the interrogation, they way he tells the men what to do so much, which shows how sadistic he is.
The way the Captain slams the bottle lid down is aggressive, and the way he does not brake his gaze as he approaches and murders the man shows the extent of how evil and heartless he is, as-well as the calm and disappointed look on his face as he kills the man. The soldiers also make no reaction, which signals that they too are scared of him, and have seen this sort of violence before. This contrasts with the farmers terrified and expected reaction to such violence. Only when Vidal leaves do the soldiers react, and that shows how scared they are of him, and that he is the only person there with no sort of remorse, guilt or repulsion to what he just did.
The Killing Of A Sacred Deer was released in 2017 and was directed by Yorgos Lanthimos. The film follows a seemingly very happy family. The father Steven, played by Collin Farrell, and mother Anna, Nicole Kidman, have two children who seem to be doing well at school, well-paying jobs, a beautiful home, are respected in their fields and seen as pillars of their community. However, Steven has a dark part of his past as a surgeon sticking to him, Martin (Barry Keoghan) who slowly worms his way into Steven’s social and personal life, and as his intentions become clearer, begins to spark chaos in his perfect, pristine life.
One thing that the film does well is its pacing. The first act of the movie may seem slow and even boring, but it shows that the filmmakers are patient, and building up to important plot points and events by placing subtle hints and foreshadows in the time where not much is really happening. This captures our attention when the pace picks up and peoples true intentions are revealed, and also gives plenty of time to build mystery, suspense, and introduce/establish characters. The time taken, for example, to build and emphasise how truly perfect and seemingly spotless Steven’s life is makes the slow and painful downfall of it more powerful and involving for the audience.
The cinematography of The Killing Of A Sacred Deer is also very notable. The shots are often long and wide, giving the characters plenty of space to move around screen. This creates the atmosphere of the film, which is tense, and often feels like something is missing. The way that the characters talk and interact also conveys this. They seem to have such a happy and perfect life, yet all seem devoid of any emotion or feelings. It is akin to how psychopaths are depicted in other films, like they are using people to suit their own purposes. It makes the people feel fake, unreal and distrust worthy, bringing into question who the real villain is. The obsessive and intrusive martin, or violent and impatient Steven. It is a theme that the film portrays excellently and when the revenge aspect of the plot is revealed, it brings into play themes of morality and justification, which give the film a deep inner-meaning. The close-shots used when people are talking one to one also creates the feeling of claustrophobia, making the audience feel trapped, much like Steven does at points in the film, portraying his descent into madness without words.
The sound design in the film is also very impressive. Often long periods of silence are inserted to keep focus on the dialogue and the subtle meanings and foreshadows included in what is being said. These build up to very shocking and disturbing sounds akin to an engine starting, or motor revving up. It is always used in times of distressing situations, and creates a suddenly tense and powerful scene and atmosphere. It forces the audience to become involved in the film, keeps their attention and does not let them take their eyes away from the screen. It is an interesting technique, as these unnatural sounds in the non-diegetic composed score make us feel uncomfortable to hear, therefore affecting us more. It is also used to break the perfect peace of Steven’s life, symbolising a turning point in events, and portraying just how distressed he is.
The film is also very violent. The fates of the characters is very cruel and sadistic, and, like previously mentioned, makes the audience question where justification for a wrongdoing does not justify the means. It perfectly portrays a young man obsessed with revenge, which seems justified but the film regularly blurs the line between just and unfair, and makes this character seem more and more evil as the film goes on. it also portrays a man obsessed with maintaining a perfect life, who is suddenly confronted by an imperfect part of his past , and his life begins to fall apart, along with his sanity.
Regardless of all of the films subtler meanings, the method with which revenge it taken is extremely fascinating and grim and unique. The development arcs of each character is tragic, Shakespearian almost, and done perfectly. The film also builds suspense very well, with a slow and calm events slowly escalating into stunningly gruesome and powerful scenes, moving the audience by breaking of cinematic boundaries, and eventually builds up to an extremely intense and memorable ending through its shock value and deeper meaning.The killing of a sacred deer is a staple of revenge films, suspense-building, character development and hidden meanings. That’s why I rate it 5 stars!
Real world: It is 1944 and General Francisco Franco is the fascist ruler of Spain. Captain Vidal and his fascist troops have taken control of a mill in the mountains of Spain. They stockpile food there, giving the civilians barely enough to eat so that they can’t afford to give any supplies to the leftist guerrillas in the woods. Vidal has married Carmen, who bares his child. He sends for her because he wants to be present at the birth of his son. Vidal has little time for Carmen’s young bookish daughter, Ofelia. Unbeknownst to Vidal, his housekeeper (Mercedes) has a brother who leads the rebel maquis. She and Doctor Ferriero secretly supply the guerrillas. The communist rebels retake the mill shortly after Carmen dies during childbirth. As the falangists are overrun, Ofelia kidnaps the newly born child. Vidal follows her into a nearby labyrinth where he shoots the girl and reclaims the baby. He is confronted at the entrance of the labyrinth by Mercedes and a large group of maquis. Pedro (Mercedes’ brother) shoots Vidal under the right eye and kills him. A weeping Mercedes cradles Ofelia. Ofelia dies. Fantasy world: Princess Moanna sneaks out from the underworld to become mortal and dies. Her spirit passes through countless humans. The king of the underworld vows to wait for Moanna’s return. A fairy leads Ofelia to a labyrinth where a faun tells her she is a reincarnation of Princess Moanna and that she needs to return to the underworld. However, to make sure that her magical spirit is still intact, Ofelia has to successfully perform three tasks — obtain a key from the belly of a giant toad (that is killing a tree where enchanted creatures rest); use the key to retrieve an item from a locked door guarded by a demon (the Pale Man); spill the blood of an innocent into the portal of the underworld. The faun instructs her in sorcery. Ofelia is distracted because of her sick mother and fails the second task. Ofelia passes the final test by sacrificing her life instead of her brother’s. Princess Moanna returns to the underworld where she rules with “justice and a kind heart”. There are two sides of the story that take place parallel to each other. Ofelia’s adventure into the underworld kingdom, and Captain Vidal’s pursuit of the rebels in the woods. A realistic scenario tied to a real-life event that actually happened, and a imagined scenario infused with nuanced aspects of traditional fairy tales.
2. When and where do the events in the film take place?
“The period featured, 1944 in Spain, is intriguing as it is clearly a period where the rumblings from the Spanish Civil War are still being felt despite the war itself having finished in 1939.” Captain Vidal has been assigned to the task of hunting down and executing the remaining communists, who are hiding out in the remote woods. The civil war has ended but some groups still fight on, resisting the fascist rule of the nationalists. The majority of the film takes place in the small cabin where Vidal, his family, and troops are stationed.
3. Briefly, what was the Spanish Civil War about? When and how did it start and end?
The war started in 1936 and ended in 1939. It was fought between the fascist Nationalists and the more liberal or communist Republicans. The Republicans were divided and had inferior supplies, whilst the Nationalists were supple by other fascist powers in Europe and had been united under one fascist dictator. Eventually the Republicans lost major cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, and the Nationalists assumed control of Spain.
4. Which of the factions does the captain represent? Why is he stationed at the mill?
Captain Vidal represents the fascist army of the Nationalists who have just taken control of the country. He is stationed at the mill to hunt down and kill the remaining opposition to the dictator and the country’s new government.
5. Which of the factions do the people in the mountains represent? Why are they hiding?
The people hiding in the mountains represent the remaining communist opposition/rebels to the new fascist rulers of Spain. They are hiding since they will be executed if found out to be communist, and so they are armed and preparing an attack on Captain Vidal and his soldiers.
6. Which of the factions do the religious and elite support? Why?
“A local priest, attending a meal held by the Captain, dismisses the possible pain felt by the rebels on theological grounds. His representation lacks humanity and is clearly a barbed commentary on an out of touch and complicit Catholic church: “God has already saved their souls. What happens to their bodies hardly matters to him.” Del Toro uses the cinematic conceit of a banquet to heighten the corruption of the local middle classes and ruling elite. Despite his criticisms of Catholicism as a dogma and institution it is clear that Del Toro admires the spirituality of his native religion — in a later film Crimson Peak, a ghost story, he commented on his belief in ghosts. The scene above is strongly redolent of a stylised heaven with its church-like setting, a rosary window flooded with golden light and a grey bearded father figure flanked by a doe-eyed mother. It is all rather stuffy and formal befitting a royal court perhaps but not a fairy domain. That said it is clearly Ofelia’s (Princess Moanna’s) ‘happy place’ — she has come home to a loving warm family and an adoring people.” The priest represents the Spanish Catholic Church, which sided with the Fascist dictatorship that had won the civil war. So did the elite classes of Spain, which are represented by the wealthy landowners that visit Vidal for dinner. These factions supported Vidal in the film and the Nationalists in real-life most likely since they had won the war, and had to win the trust of the new and violent government. The Nationalists also did not influence or negatively affect these factions, unlike the civilian population in the film which goes hungry so that Vidal can kill the remaining rebels. He does not take away any food from the church or the elite’s.
7. Which of the factions do the peasants support? Why?
The peasants support the communist rebels hiding out in the woods. This is because the rebels are trying to get rid of Captain Vidal and his troops, who are seen taking away the peasants food and even brutally murdering a group of innocent civilians in the movie. The Nationalists are brutal and indifferent to the peasants, and harm them in their attempts at removing the remaining communists.
8. What role do women play in the two factions?
“The representation of women is evidence of the social problems women faced in this patriarchal and macho era.” Mercedes is the woman who serves both sides of the conflict. She aids Captain Vidal and his troops by working in the kitchen, like the other women, and tending to Ofelia when her mother is ill. She help’s her brother and his communist allies by secretly bringing them food, messages, and supplies. Never does a woman get involved in any physical combat, but more espionage activities, which is accurate to ideals on gender roles that were held at the time.
9. How is food an important symbol in the film?
Food can be seen as a metaphor for the deprivation and suppression that people were subject to during the war. This can be seen in how the peasants have their food taken away from them, Captain Vidal and his guests hold big, expensive seeming meals regularly, and Ofelia steals food from the ogre because she is so hungry. It can also show how corrupt someone is. The rebels in the woods are represented as a good force, fighting against the dictatorship poof the Nationalists. Meanwhile, Vidal and similarly the ogre are seen with long tables of delicious foods, and both of those characters are villainous and corrupt. It also shows Ofelia’s childish wonder at all of the fairy-tale scenarios that she is living through, and this is even when she steals the grape from the ogre despite being seriously warned not too. It shows that she is naive and susceptible to temptation.
10. How is poverty an important theme in the film?
Poverty is used similarly to food as a symbol of corruption and evil in people. The people living in the woods, along with the peasants are seen as poor and heroic people who are repressed by the government but still fight on for the sake of their cause. On the other hand, Vidal lives in a luxurious and romantic mill, with access to milk and bread and meat, and he is the main source of evil and the cause of most of the problems in the film. It also show’s how people suffered throughout the war, whilst the upper-classes thrived unfairly. Del Toro also paid tribute to the tragedy of the civil war in his 2001 masterpiece The Devils Backbone.
11. How is time an important theme in the film?
The film begins with a shot of Ofelia dying in the Labyrinth, and ends at the same point. This circular narrative is perhaps meant to represent the pain and constant struggle of civilians living through the civil war. It is also perhaps done to show that Ofelia’s story is infinite, as apparently thousands of others girls like her have attempted to pass the faun’s tests, but have failed. This continuous cycle of death and reincarnation, since the story begins with her first body dying, and ends with her last dying, is done to show the fairy-tale likeness of her adventure, and the brutality of the Spanish Civil War.
12. How is disobedience an important theme in the film?
Disobedience is a more underlying theme in the film, used to convey a message about the war and gullibility. Ofelia is obedient to the faun at first, completing his quests and doing as he sits. This puts her in dangerous situations, such as the pale-man sequence. When she finally disobeys it at the end of the film and refuses to draw the blood of her innocent brother, does she make it into the underworld where she is re-united with her family. A similar thing happens in the real-world between Captain Vidal and the doctor who helps his pregnant wife through child-birth and also secretly supplies the rebels in the woods. When Vidal realises that the doctor is betraying him, he asks why he didn’t obey him. The doctor insults the captain by saying that only people like him can obey without thinking. Vidal then kills him but his death was in servitude to the rebel cause. His death was heroic and was done to show that the doctor would rather die serving the cause he believes in rather than the evil Vidal, so only when he openly disobeys and defies the captain does he realise how to help the rebels win. It shows that blind obedience brings death and suffering, and freedom, the opposite of what the fascists believe in, is how to win over evil.
13. How and in what ways does pans Labyrinth draw on classic fairy tale and fantasy tropes and archetypes?
The movie portrays many fascinating and various monsters. The giant frog is comical and quite confusing to behold, the pale man is like an ogre, terrifying and repulsive, and the faun is mysterious and mystical. These creatures are all similar to monsters from classic fairy tales, such as ogres, giant animals, witches and myths. The faun is even a representation of the Greek God Pan, hence the name of the film. The settings, such as the rotting tree, big dining hall and labyrinth even seem like they are plucked from fantasy stories. The young and naive Ofelia is filled with child-like wonder at the events that unfold before her, and even eats the food from the ogre, despite being frequently warned not too. This is similar to how many fairy tale protagonist would actually, and her motivation to become a princess in an underworld paradise is similar to old and classical fairy tale character motivations. The ogre scene is even similar to the story of Hansel and Gretel, with the repulsive witch who lures in her child prey with enticing and luxurious food.
14. How is fascism portrayed in the film?
“The negative depiction of Franco’s fascist forces is clearly intended to be extended to the imaginative poverty of fascism in general — in contrast to the more benign and sensitive (although hardly democratic) fairy kingdom. A more realist political representation is that of the guerrillas who are presented as resourceful and determined and egalitarian. Mercedes’ love of children (Ofelia and her baby brother) suggests a tenderness and a celebration of all things childish — indeed, unlike Ofelia’s weak and dismissive mother, Mercedes gives advice on the handling of fauns.” We see the contrasts between the resourceful rebels and Captain Vidal in his dining scenes, where much enticing food is laid out before him on the table. These subtle details hint at how the fascists are unfair and treat their people wrongly. This is also done more obviously with how the fascist troops brutally murder civilians and effect the people around them, keeping all the food for themselves, torturing captured rebels, and neglecting the need of the peasants in the area.
15. How does Guillermo Del Toro employ uterine and sapphic imagery in the film?
The image/shapes of the uterus is referenced/portrayed in the film Guiana the rotting tree in the woods. The way that this tree is apparently rotting due to the toad inside is perhaps meant to reference how Ofelia’s mother is going to die in child-birth. It can also be said to represent how the Faun has secret and mysterious motives for Ofelia’s quests, or how when she crawls out of the uterus, it is almost like being re-born by it, like how she becomes the princess in the underground kingdom at the end of the film. Yonis imagery is seen in the opening of the tree, once again referencing the theme of re-birth and childhood, which of course begins with birth.
16. How are maternal instincts portrayed in the film?
We see Mercedes’ paternal instinct to protect Ofelia when her mother is not well enough to do so throughout the film, for example when she cradles Ofelia’s dying body and sings her a lullaby. It is also seen in Ofelia’s mother herself, when she is concerned at the loss of her daughter. Captain Vidal is portrayed as cruel and indifferent to his daughters existence, so his lack of paternal instinct shows that he is a villain. Even the doctor looks after Ofelia and comforts her. It is the more evil characters like the Faun and Vidal who do not care for Ofelia, or have seemingly malicious intent for her.
17. What was the significance of faces and shaving in the film?
We see Captain Vidal shaving a few times in the film. Each time we see a cruel and cold look on his face, which shows that even in private, he never betrays his image of a hardened captain by showing guilt or remorse, which signals that he is a truly evil and un-caring villain. The actual action of shaving itself is perhaps meant to represent how Vidal is obsessed with upholding his image, or how he regularly washes and leans himself of the violence that he has committed. Vidal is later on shoe in the face, and his face is cut open by Mercedes, and a civilian has his face bashed in by Vidal. This is either done to show that Vidal’s previous acts of violence have come back to make him suffer through h=what he made other people suffer through, or to show how no matter how many times he shaves of his guilt and criminality, he will eventually break and fall to the violence that he has left in his wake.
18. What is the significance of flowers in the film?
Flowers often represent the theme of re-birth, blooming and youth. This is seen at the end of the film when a flower sprouts from the tree that Ofelia visited. It shows that traces of her still exist in the real world, and this links back to the fairy-tale aspect of the story. It also shows that she still holds her childish wonder and joy fullness that she had whilst she was alive.
19. How does Guillermo Del Toro operate a ‘one for them, one for me’ filmmaking policy?
Del Toro often reveals a pice of information in the film through scenes like Mercedes taking hidden supplies out of a hidden floorboard, or how the captain finds penicillin in a similar bottle at the rebel camp to what the doctor supplies them. This particular scene signals to the audience, despite a lack of dialogue in it, that Vidal has realised that the doctor is a traitor,and that he is about to kill him. However, Toro also keeps many things hidden from the audience, like the fauns secret motives, or if Ofelia is seeing all of these monsters in her head or if they are real. This is seen when Vidal looks at Ofelia but does not see the Faun, despite Del Toro tricking us into thinking that it was real. This is done by keeping Ofelia’s adventure and Vidal’s campaign separate until the end of the film.
20. How far is Pans Labyrinth representative of Guillermo Del Toro’s oeuvre?
“Del Toro as an effective and idiosyncratic fantasy/horror auteur is evidenced in his earlier films such as Cronos (1993), The Devil’s Backbone (2001) and Crimson Peak (2015) as well as in his much more mainstream Hollywood work such as Hellboy (2004) and Pacific Rim (2013).” However, despite the conception that The Devils Backbone was Del Toro’s magnum opus, Pans Labyrinth showed that the director was capable of creating a deep, though-out and fully realised work of art. The concepts and story of the film is unique, with memorable characters and scenes that cement is as a powerful and individual piece of filmmaking that cannot be compared to any other of Toro’s films, or any other film in general. It is what the director is know for. He and the film are completely attached to one another.
21. How did the critical reception of The Devils Backbone influence the production of Pan’s Labyrinth?
After the massive positive receivable of The Devils Backbone, Del Toro was left with the necessary budget for creating Pans Labyrinth. This helped lead to a high production cost, and making the movie feel like it was backed by a large studio, despite Del Toro being in control of the project. The quality of the production led to more people watching the film, and the amount of money to invest in production, sets, costumes and actors was enough.
22. Was the film financially successful?
“Released in the UK by Optimum. Premiered at Cannes in May 2006 to great acclaim. Co–produced by a number of Spanish, Mexican and American production companies the $19 million budget is reflected in the complex production design, period dressing and relatively large cast. The eventual worldwide box office of $83.3 million was seen as a triumph.” The film nowadays is viewed as a classic, and the magnum opus of an already well known and respected auteur director.
23. Why is the year of the release of The Devils Backbone and PansLabyrinth significant?
Pans Labyrinth was released in 2006, just 5 years after The Devils Backbone. Nowadays Guillermo Del Toros films are made at similar intervals, and this is likely because it is these two films that made his name as an iconic director. The Devils Backbone’s success allowed for the production value of Pans Labyrinth, which is part of why the film is so good. It’s impressive practical effects and beautiful location, for example.
24. Why physical effects over CGI?
“The key technology used in this film is the animatronics and green screen work as discussed above and its effective creation of a magical-realist production design.” The practical costumes and real sets create the feeling that these fairy-tale like settings are real, and that makes the terrifying monsters all the more real and disturbing. CGI is only ever used for the more graphic gore in the film, such Vidal being shot in the face or the farmer’s son having his face bashed in by Vidal. This is because that’s harder to make with physical effects, but when Toro could use physical effects he did, and it makes the whole film feel more real, grounded, and serious.
25. Why did Guillermo Del Toro write the DVD subtitles himself?
“Del Toro wrote the subtitles for Pan’s Labyrinth himself after becoming disillusioned with the translation of The Devil’s Backbone — a film also with the Spanish Civil War as its backdrop and the informal prequel to Pan’s Labyrinth.” Del Toro clearly takes his films very seriously and puts a lot of thought and effort into them. TheDevils Backbone and Pans Labyrinth are the clearest examples of this. So it would make sense for him to make sure the message was conveyed correctly.
26. How does Guillermo Del Toro use distinct colour palettes in the film?
Different colour palettes are used in night-time scenes, day time scenes, and scenes in the underworld, or mythical/magical places in the film. The one used for the day is light and vibrant, bringing out the beautiful colours of the forest, and also perhaps meant to show how Ofelia feels safe at this time, and her wonder and curiosity in this new place. A darker, gloomier palette is used at night, increasing the shadows in the scenes, adding to the feeling of mystery and danger in these moments. The one used in the other world is less easy to notice. It is subtle, probably done to intentionally to signify , to those looking closely enough, a change in the atmosphere, and show that this place is not normal, safe, or human-made even.
27. Look at the “context starter questions” on the Contexts Of Film mind-map. How many could you answer? Add your answers to the end of this post.
I answered one question for each film context.
Institutional: What studio produced the film and how has this changed the films content?
Pans Labyrinth was produced by the Telecinco Cinema studio. This studio is Spanish, which is possibly why the film had such a high production value, since they wanted to fund a project that displayed some of the country’s history and culture. It would also be supporting a Mexican director producer an independent passion project, so they were perhaps more inclined to help fund the film.
Political: Does the film engage with politics directly or is it in the subtext?
The politics of Pans Labyrinth is strictly kept in the subtext of the script. There is never any clear political message, though the villains, who are fascist nationalists, are shown as the obvious villains, whilst the communist rebels are depicted as strong-willed and justified heroes. So the film has political sidings, but no clear message, meaning or manifesto.
Social: Is the film challenging or reinforcing hegemonic attitudes to particular social groups or concepts?
Pans Labyrinth seems to be challenging hegemonic attitudes to the concept of socialism and the group of socialists in the woods. This is seen in how it portrays Captain Vidal and his fascist comrades as the clear villains of the film. This is because they are the hegemonic class in Spain when the film is set, and the socialists are rebels hiding out in the woods, and they are portrayed as the protagonists of the story.
Cultural: Is the film typical of films from its country of origin at the time?
Probably not. Guillermo Del Toro is known for making extremely unique and powerful story’s that can’t really be compared to the work of other directors. His films are completely the brainchild of his mind, as he is a very original and individual auteur who does not use troops or trends in his films, as is seen in the time period that Pans Labyrinth is set in, and its very strange yet beautiful story.
Historical: We’re the filmmakers restricted by and contextual factors?
Most likely not. The issue of the Spanish civil war is not off-limits for filmmakers to include in their film, and this being a personal project completely controlled/produced by Del Toro, and not influenced by studio interference, there were no limitations in the creation of Pans Labyrinth.
Technological: (There is no question for technological factors so I made one up) How are the technological aspects of Pans Labyrinth reflected in the film?
The film has a very high production value. This is clear in its good-looking CGI, impressive and intricate practical effects, large cast, beautiful location and ambitious story that would seem very hard to adapt from script into film.
Pans Labyrinth was made in 2006 by director Guillermo Del Toro, and follows the story of Ofelia (Ivan’s Baquero) who moves, with her mother, to a remote area in the Spanish woods to meet her father, the brutal fascist Captain Vidal (Sergei Lopez). Whilst there, she begins to discover there is a labyrinth in the woods, and is involved in more and more dangerous tasks by a mysterious faun humanoid, who claims that she is the princess of a powerful, hidden kingdom.
Del Toro uses different filters throughout the film. It is never specified when the filter changes, but I think that there was one used for the daytime, one for nighttime, and one for the other world in the film. These filters are all very different, for example the one used during the day is bright, rosy and brings out the natural beauty of the woods. Meanwhile the one used at night is dull and gloomy, and increases the darkness of the shadows to add to the mystery and supernatural element of the movie.
Pans Labyrinth holds a special place in film history since it is most likely Guillermo Del Toro’s most famous film. The unique and disgusting monsters are instantly recognisable, and the magical yet horrific aspects of the plot make the story interesting ands captivating.
I personally really admired the film! The terrifying and fascinating mythology that Del Toro invented for the movie is constantly keeping the audience interested, and leads to some extremely memorable sequences, such as the “pale man” sequence. The movie is also extremely suspenseful. The characters are all memorable for their arc’s, and usually violent deaths. The gore factor in the film is a perfect example of how Toro pictures how brutal real-life scenarios would be affected by the more supernatural and fairy-tale scenarios. This same scenario is explored in Guillermo’s other film The Devils Backbone (Guillermo Del Toro, 2001) which imagines how a ghost/haunting would effect people taking refuge during the Spanish Civil War. Pans Labyrinth explores how Fascist and guerrilla soldiers would be affected by the magical and often terrifying creatures that exist in the woods.
One thing that I liked about the film was how the soldiers of either side of the war are never actually influenced by the monsters. The combat taking place between Vidal and the rebels in the woods runs as a parallel story to Ofelia’s adventure with the faun and the labyrinth. The movie will often cut to the war crimes that Vidal is committing, to the repulsive monsters that live in the labyrinth. This shows how humans can be monsters too, but Vidal’s evil is slowly revealed to be more than initially suspected throughout the film, whilst the monsters are instantly disgusting and obviously evil. This comparison, the excellent performance from Sergei Lopez and the complex inner-thought and violence committed by him all make a compelling villain out of Captain Vidal.
Del Toro’s creatures are unique but instantly repulsive, and often very memorable, including all the ones in Pans Labyrinth.
The film is also surprisingly emotional. The struggle and hardships that the rebel’s must go through, and the hidden motivations of Captain Vidal all make up a shockingly human aspect of a film that on the surface is about hideous monsters and faeries. The ending is emotional, and the brutality of the relatable and sympathetic characters’ deaths makes it all the more crushing and impactful to watch.
That is why I respect and admire the undoubtedly masterful filmmaking of Pans Labyrinth. The characters are very realistic and likeable , the violence perpetuates the gruesome and dark undertone of the film, and the way that the real scenario of the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War and a magical but dangerous underworld collide make a fascinating and compelling film. So I rate Pans Labyrinth 4 and a half stars!
The Devil’s Backbone was made in 2001 by director Guillermo Del Toro. The film follows a young boy, Carlito (Fernando Tielve) who has been brought to an asylum for children during the Spanish Civil War. However, whilst there, he begins to notice strange occurrences, and eventually comes to the realisitation that the place is haunted.
You can tell that the film is made by Del Toro due to certain events and aspects of the film that are similar to things that happen in his other ones. For example, the film revolves around an old and abandoned building where its inhabitants learn from visions of spirits that some characters are hiding secrets from their past. The plot of Crimson Peak (Guillermo Del Toro, 2015) can be described in the same way.
The film begins a flashback, intriguing the audience and establishing the mystery element of the film.The first act follows Carlito being brought to the asylum, and the rest of the first act follows how he interacts with the other children there, how he discovers the ghost, and subtle hints are made to foreshadow events that occur later on in the film. The second act is the consequences of the ghosts existence, and the buildup of tension between the adults. These tensions amount in the final act, and that’s also when all of the previous foreshadowing/hints come into play.
The film holds a special place in Guillermo Del Toro’s career as a director. Before this film he had directed one film by a studio, which was not received well by audiences. So, Toro invested into his own project, The Devil’s Backbone, which established him as a clever, unique, and talented director, who in modern day is an instantly recognisable “Titan of terror” in the horror genre.
The ghost in the cellar. Unlike most horror films, the ghost in The Devils Backbone serves as a plot device to progress the story, not just create cheap scares.
I personally really liked the film. Whilst I was not overly impressed with the slow first act, I was completely engaged to the story thorough out the rest of the film, when tensions amount and events start to occur. The film is cemented as a violent, grim, mystery that is made unique by its fantasy and horror elements.
Blade Runner 2049 was released in 2017 and directed by Denis Villeneuve. It is the sequel to the 1982 classic made by Ridley Scott. The film is a sci-fi thriller that takes place in the not so distant future of Earth, where clones of humans, named replicants, are forced to work so that the rest of humanity can thrive. Our protagonist is K (Ryan Gosling), a replicant blade runner, who’s job it is to hunt down escaped replicants. But on his latest job, he has made a discovery that brings into question the morality of his job, and may decide the future of humanity.
One of the greatest shots in cinematic history!
The movie cannot be talked about without spending a good portion of the analysis on the movies visuals. Blade runner 2049 is one of the most stunning and visually striking movie’s that you will lay eyes on. The scope of the dystopian landscapes is massive, and the extreme wide shots are done perfectly to emphasise how absolutely huge the buildings are. The massive, cramped buildings, and old decaying statues all create the atmosphere of a future and alien world. This is easily one of the most aesthetically stunning films I’ve ever seen, and one of the most breathtakingly beautiful too. Every shot keeps the viewers eyes glued to the screen. I’d say this is thanks to the excellent cinematography, fascinating imagination of Denis, and amazing mise-en-scene.
The sets are completely fleshed out to invent an entirely different feel and air to each place. The massive, overpopulated cities feel dirty, cramped and dangerous. This is due to the strange and dirty clothing, and the soundtrack in these scenes is often loud and filled with surprising sounds. On the other hand, when we are in the large, replicant-producing company buildings, the lighting is much darker, and this makes it feel more clean, but also more sinister and even subtly evil.
The architecture is also mind blowing. The buildings are huge, and they all even seem like massive monsters that reach the cloud line. They perfectly accompany the dark and gloomy climate that is often present in the film, and they even come across as intimidating at times. When inside these buildings it is much the same, with giant halls that make people seem tiny and insignificant, or the enormous abandoned spaces, or dark and silent library we see in one scene. It all contributes to the movie having a grand and stunning scope, one that leaves an extremely profound impact on the audience.
A good example of how baffling yet stunning the scenery is in Blade Runner 2049.
The film does not just excel in the visual department though. The story of Blade Runner 2049 is also extremely engaging and emotional. The environment and world which the story is set in is quite miserable, but the story has a much more somber and powerful meaning. It is about a hero who does not matter in the end, and the small glimpses that we see of his inner thoughts lead us, the audience, to ponder on what he is. Human or replicant? The concept of replicants is also explored brilliantly here. We really see how cruelly they are treated by humans, and how dystopian a world is when these living, thinking beings, synthetic or not, are made to massacre each other. We also see the production of replicants in one scene, which exposes how brutal and disgusting it is. The process is similar to a birth, but the product is an adult human, which makes the sight extremely repulsive yet fascinating.
The main character, K, is also a very interesting person. We see, throughout the film, a synthetic being come to the realisation that he may be more human than he thought. This brings some philosophical questions into play, like “does this mean he’s been living his life a slave despite being a person”, or “is he the next step in human evolution?” It also puts him into an extremely dangerous situation, and flips everything that the viewer knew before on its head. It is an interesting plot twist, but is no where near as powerful and brutal as the one at the end. All of this is without mentioning how incredible Ryan Gosling’s performance is as k. He is extremely calm and reserved, since he is a replicant, but when his emotions show it is completely compelling and powerful, since they feel real and genuine, making him an extremely sympathetic character to watch.
Another thing that I like so much about this film is how well it executes the neo-noir genre. Neo-noir is a modern revival of film noir. Blade Runner 2049 does it so well by following the classic noir format of a detective with a pessimistic view on life living in a grim world as he puts together the pieces of a puzzle. This film also flips the genre on its head though, by putting it in a completely sci-fi setting. One that is unlike any other put to screen as well.
The soundtrack to the film is also remarkable. Composed by Hans Zimmer, the score perfectly matches and accompanys the settings of the film, but also adds to them. The score is powerful in emotional moments, and stunning when the scene is of a large and grand environment. It not only accompanies the film, but makes up an essential part of it, like any good score should.
I also stated in the title of this blog post that Blade Runner 2049 was and is the greatest sequel of all time. I say this because the film does not just piggyback off its predecessor, but adapts and adds to the lore and world that the story is set in. It has essential characters from the first film, and the plot in this one is a direct consequence of the one in the first, making it an actual sequel. But, at the same time, the movie has a new plot, and does not waste time on making shallow references to the first film, letting it use its time effectively. The film also has just as much, though probably more depth and power as the first Blade runner movie, with the same philosophical themes and dark outlook on the future, but new characters and lore to use to make a great film.
Because of its grim and dark atmosphere, absolutely incredible cinematography, memorable soundtrack, outstanding performances, beautiful scenery, powerful aesthetic and unforgettable moments/story that will leave an emotional impact on the audience, I think that Blade Runner 2049 is a perfect film, and on of the few sequels that is actually better than its predecessor . It is also my personal favourite film!
The City Of God was released in 2002 and directed by F. Mierelles and K. Lund. It tells the real story of young boy Rocket(Alexandra Rodriguez) who lives in Rio, known by everyone who lives there as the city of god. The course of the film shows how the various characters in the city operate in the city’s drug and weapon trading, gang violence, and other crimes that run the city.
The story is told through multiple flashbacks and foreshadowing to events that happen in the future. The film begins by showing part of the ending sequence, capturing the viewers attention immediately by showing,briefly, how the events climax at the end. This makes the audience want to know what events lead up to this, and who the characters are. Throughout the rest of the movie, usually when characters are fist introduced, the scene flashbacks to their backstory, introducing them and giving the viewer a general idea of what they are like.
The City Of God is a very atmospheric film. The set design is perfectly made to picture a poverty stricken, crime ridden environment. The buildings are cramped close together, everyone’s clothes are dirty, there is trash and stray animals everywhere, and by doing this you are constantly drawn into the film. You are made to feel a part of it, like you are there, and that is why the film can be so distressing at times.
The movie also has some great characters. Particulars like Knockout Ned(Seu Jorge) are introduced later in the movie, but still have fascinating arcs and can get the viewer to relate to them, sympathise with them, and keep invested in them and how they change throughout the film. Even the main villain, Lil Ze(Leandro Firmino), who is completely despicable and unforgivable because of his actions in the film, is interesting and enjoyable to watch. He also represents a lot of the themes in the film. How crime can corrupt young people, someone can become obsessed with something, and lose compassion for others.
Whilst on the subject of themes, it is worth explaining a few of the movies’. The city of God is a sad and ironic name for the one depicted in the film. The statue of Christ The Redeemer stands looking out upon the city of Rio, but all that we infer from the film is that, if anything, he is not there. Also, the film starts off showing all of the characters as children. As the movie progresses, we see them grow up into adults, but at the same time we see how they become more and more corrupt and lose their innocence. Characters like Lil Dice, who start off as a small kid with dreams of becoming the king of the city of God. Later on in the film, Lil Ze is an adult who has murdered and raped, sold weapons and cocaine to children. He is the perfect example of the effect gang mentality has on children, and his corruption and abuse of the children in the film is what makes his fate all the more fitting, symbolic, and satisfying. His corrupting of the kids in the city is what came back to bite him.
The City Of God perfectly summarises its main theme of the loss of innocence in the pursuit of revenge in Knockout Ned’s story. He starts off as an innocent man whose life is completely ruined by Lil Ze. In his pursuit for revenge, he begins to kill more and more innocent people, until he almost becomes a second Lil Ze. And when he comes the closest he ever did to getting revenge on him, Ned is killed by a young boy who’s own father he had previously killed in a bank heist. This and the ending of the film subtly emphasise how crime leads to death which leads to revenge, and then to crime, restarting the cycle.
The theme of death is also prevalent in the movie. There is a lot of death in the movie, usually depicted through extreme violence and brutality. It is also portrayed through the way that characters are killed off. The people in the film are introduced to us, the audience, and usually after we establish a connection with them, they are killed off, and in an extremely horrible or disrespectful way too. It goes to show that no matter how good of a person you are, you will end up in the dust with everyone else, killed by the hand of one psychopath, who was made by another, and another, and so forth. Most characters we see grow up, develop, grow, and then we see them shot and left to die in the streets, like an animal. It shows off the true brutality pop gang violence, and how there is no God in The City Of God.
The film is also extremely difficult to watch! There a few scenes involving child abuse and rape that are incredibly shocking and disturbing. They are made this way, I imagine, to imprint the sight of violence and cruelty on the viewer, making more of an impact on them and getting across the film’s message too. The message being to not seek revenge, and remain innocent, even when everyone around you, no matter how good of a person they are, eventually succumbs to evil. Whether they are killed by it, or become it themselves.
I personally loved watching The City Of God. Despite how tough some of the scenes were to watch, I still feel like I’ve learned an important lesson of how some people are forced to live. It was an uncomfortable story to witness, but one that I will never forget, for that reason. The film was also very enjoyable most of the time. The characters were interesting, the film was engrossing, and it was all weaved together seamlessly. I rate The City Of God ★★★★★!
The Revenant(Alenjrando Gonzales,2015) is a historical drama that follows Hugh Glass(Leonardo DiCaprio), an American fur trapper in the 1820’s who is ruthlessly mauled by a bear, then left for dead by his co-workers, played by Tom Hardy and Will Poulter. The movie is brutal, gritty and violent, and follows the character of Hugh Glass almost constantly, as he, against the impossible odds before him, hunts the man who betrayed him for revenge.
Leonardo DiCaprio delivers one of his best ever performances in this film, one so powerful that it won him the Oscar for best actor. He perfectly portrays the image of a broken and revenge-obsessed man, with only one thing on his mind. Thoughts of violence. His past is mysterious, which draws us to him as a character, and his struggle is entirely believable too. Every hit he takes feels genuine, and you can just tell hoe tired and damaged he is by the end of the film. He actually feels like a ghost, a man who is supposed to be dead, but was killed in so brutal a way that he has come back to avenge himself and his son. A haunting performance, and one of the most investing and sympathetic character that I’ve ever seen in a film.
The movie is also stunning! The cinematography won an Oscar, as it should of. The images of 17th century America are genuinely breathtaking, and are so grand and powerful they they feel almost unreal. It also shows how unlikely Hughs’ chances are at survival, since the environment is so hazardous and intimidating. It really portrays the image of a grand, powerful environment, almost one not made for man to roam, and one that is yet in-tamed or colonised.
The film Is also incredibly violent. Usually violence in films can seem pointless, or just there for show. While violence rarely subtracts from a film, it can be used to add to it. In this, violence and gore is used to display the brutality of life at this time, in this place. It is used to portray how evil people could be, and how selfish everyone was. No one cared for another person, only looking out for themselves. It almost feels like a post-apocalyptic movie. It reduces people to their primal instinct, almost like animals. Also, the violence is used to have an impact on the audience. If the movie was not violent, then it would be less of an experience on the audience, and they’d be more likely to forget it. More violence has more of an effect on those who see it.
Another way that Gonzales immerses the audience in what is happening in the movie is by using very prolonged and lengthy shots. These often just follow characters moving between places, but, whether being used in a slow-paced scene or an action sequence, this method of filming brings the audience into the scene, making them feel like they are there surrounded by all the violence. The camera cuts between characters, but when following one, it is usually just one long continuous shot, following them but also paying attention to details in the background. This also helps build tension and show the events happening around the character were following.
The movie also splendidly helps the viewer grasp just how harsh the environment is, and immersing them in the time period. All of the costumes feel real because of the dirt and grime on them. The weapons are accurate, and the environment is cold and cruel. You feel everything that the people in the film do. You can get a very good idea of just how cold and brittle the landscape is. It is this immersion that makes The Revenant such an experience. You feel uncomfortable watching it, because you see and feel every injury inflicted on Glass, and gauge just how awful it would be to be in the situation that he’s in.
Gonzales also does an incredible job at portraying each characters motives. There are four characters in question, all of which, despite only one being the protagonist, you understand perfectly. Glass(Leonardo DiCaprio), Fitzgerald(Tom Hardy), Bridger(Will Poulter) and Henry(Domhnall Gleeson). Hugh has been betrayed and abandoned in an extremely horrible way. All he had was taken from him, right in front of his eyes, while he couldn’t do anything about it. It is a miracle that he is even alive, so all he has to life for is vengeance. Fitzgerald has found himself in a sticky situation. While serving his best interests he has left a man for dead, but now that that man is back from the dead and looking for revenge, Fitzgerald is terrified and desperate to crawl out of the hole he dug for himself, and Hugh Glass. Bridger is a young boy, terrified about what he’s been dragged into, only wanting to escape the responsibility of Fitzgerald crimes, and the consequences of his own gullibility. Henry is a local lawman, who wants to be fair and honest in his justice, but finds that more and more difficult in a world where everyone serves themselves, and revenge and chaos run rampant.
Understanding every character is crucial for gauging why people do what they do, and what leads the film to the fates of everyone. Right from the start of the film Gonzales establishes the personality’s of the the characters and their philosophies, and at the end of the film that leads them to their fates. For example, Fitzgerald has seen the darkest sides of the world, and has been tortured to the point where he can only care for himself, but that’s what leads him to ruining what’s left of Hughs life, which eventually leads to Glass handing Fitzgerald over to the Natives, the very people to made him such an evil person. Full circle.
Lastly I will touch on the more subtle undertones and meanings in the movie. The one that I noticed was the relationship between Hugh Glass and the Native Americans. At the start of the film we see that Hugh has a Native son, but this does not stop him from engaging in battles with tribes, like at the beginning of the film, where we see much violence shown from both sides, the fur trappers and Natives. So after establishing that Hugh has a personal connection with the Natives, but still is violent towards them, the movie starts. Hugh’s son is ripped away from him, and he is forced to go on a somber journey to avenge him. The hypocrisy of killing Natives but still being heart broken over his sons death shows that Hugh is a flawed person, which sets off the start of his punishment.
Throughout his quest, Hugh is both hunted by Natives and also finds comfort with them. At first he runs from them, but as the movie progresses, he meets more and more Native Americans, even establishing friends with some, and going as far as to risk his life saving one of them. His relationship with the Natives is completely subtle, and is hard to notice, except for when you think about it. It quietly improves over the film, until Hugh almost only ever see’s them. He lets a group of Natives kill Fitzgerald, and by this point at the end of the film you understand that he has completely let go, and accepted that this impossible land that has almost consumed him, ultimately belongs to those who were here first, and handing over the man he has travelled so far to kill is his form of sacrifice for his wrongdoings to them.
The film also subtly references Native American beliefs on the environment in which they lived. The grand, beautiful shots of the landscape, with Glass as such a tiny, minuscule presence in it symbolises his life being at the mercy of the world around him, almost humbling him. The film never presents Hugh as an unstoppable force, but a ghost, a husk of a man travelling through a world with no mercy, slowly accepting his fate and weakness. Native Americans used to value paying respect to the Earth and its creatures, so being mauled by a bear and forced to trek through America is a fitting punishment for Glass.
The movie even ends with Hugh seeing a vision of what we assume to be his child’s mother, a Native American woman. So after all of his trials, as it were, Hugh is finally taken up by his deceased wife, after finally establishing a respect for the people he has waged war with for years. A somber, beautiful ending.
Overall, The Revenant is a gritty, hard to watch adventure of revenge and obsession on the surface. But underneath there is beautiful, meaningful story of punishment and redemption. Made perfectly, and impossible to look away from, The Revenant is a modern masterpiece that I rate ★★★★★!
AMarriageStory(Noah Baumbach, 2019) is an academy award winning movie that follows play director Charlie(Adam Driver) and actress Nicole(Scarlett Johansson) who are going through a divorce, and the movie follows their individual struggle, changing relationship, and desperate fight for custody and integrity in a painful and destructive situation.
Firstly it would be good to pay some attention to the way that the movie plays out. It tends to follow Nicole for a while at the start, just before she and Charlie separate, and this time is used to tell what her side of the story is like. The way that she presents her story makes her ex fiancé Charlie come across like the selfish one in the relationship, using his wife and never doing as she wanted. But later on in the film we seen what Charlie does when he’s alone, and since he is more hesitant than Nicole to hire a lawyer for the divorce, it takes a lot more time to see how he perceives things, and how he feels of the marriage and his ex-partner.
This grounded format of story telling makes the characters feel real and genuine, almost like they are being documented, not written. The way that the protagonists act, usually imperfectly, exposes their flaws and shows to the audience what kind of people they are. Their differences let us know why they are divorcing, and why you can’t route for either one of them, since both have character flaws and moments of selfishness.
The movie also cleverly uses film en scen and cinematography to convey subtle messages to the audience. The best examples of this are how often objects are placed between two characters to show that they are divided. This is obvious in the images above, used early in the film so say, without words, how the two characters in frame are related. Close but separate. Together but apart. This also happens when one character goes into another room but the frame remains on the person outside said room, to emphasise that there is a subtler meaning behind this.
Another thing that I noticed about the story was the cruelty of it all. A big aspect of the film is how Nicole and Charlies story is slowly used more and more by their lawyers to attack the other ones case in the divorce. The lawyers are not villains, you understand, but they are very aggressive in court, and over time make their clients look more and more selfish and greedy, making the relationship between Nicole and Charlie worse, despite their best intentions and efforts to remain friends. But one thing that I noticed early on in the film was that Charlies style of play directing seems to focus heavily on the emotions of the character. We see in a brief scene how he portrays his characters and symbolises their emotions, through dramatised and artistic directing and scenery on stage.
It is an ironic twist of fate later on in the film that he and Nicole, who often acted in his plays, should have their own emotions twisted so bitterly, to the point where Charlie and Nicole are almost acting out their own tragic play. Except in real life, the way that people portray their emotions is a low more raw and ugly, as seen in Charlies later breakdown. So it is almost like Charlie is learning that real life is different from his plays. He has no control over it, and his emotions are on display for everyone to see. His obsession with doing only what he wanted to do was the main reason Nicole divorced him after all, and we see as the movie goes on Charlies desperate effort to have control grow and grow, and this is symbolised through his fight for custody. Over his son, Henry. And the ending of the film shows that Charlie must come to accept he can’t control real life, and must settle for being content with what he has.
Adam Driver plays the husband, Charlie, in the film, and his performance is one of the most genuine and real I’ve seen in a long time. He was nominated for best supporting actor, but I honestly believe he should of won it. His crying is heartbreaking to hear, his anger feels real, and his trying soon becoming desperateness creates a flawed but sympathetic character. Scarlett Johansson also gives an incredible performance, one that won her a nomination for best supporting actress. Both of them are so realistic that you are completely engrossed in their story arc’s, development, and emotions. Even to the point where you forget it isn’t.
Their son, Henry(Azhy Robertson) is also used strategically as a plot device to reveal more about the characters. He is still a character in himself, but is mostly there to show what Charlies motivation is, how Nicole views her ex husband, and why they are struggling here. Charlie wants only to new a good father, Nicole wants to be more of a mother, without Charlie looming over her, and how the marriage is failing due to their failure to share their kid. A goal that they end up striving towards through realisation of their flaws and shortcomings as parents and people.
I think that that is the main message that the director, Noah Baumbach, was trying to convey. No matter how much you may hate someone, or how much you fear you may lose to them, being kind to those who rely on you id the kindest trait that one must try to have, and never forget. At their end of the day, when all is settled, the best thing that you can look back on, is the memories where you did something for someone else, and forgave someone for doing something wrong to you. And even forgiving yourself for your own inadequacies.
I personally loved this movie! I thought the writing was raw and compassionate, the acting real and believable, the pacing perfect and the story a strong and engrossing one. This movie is beautiful and truly a piece of art. I was never bored, confused, or in-interested. I wanted to know how this story ended, and when it did I was happy for watching it. I rate A Marriage Story ★★★★★!
ColdWar (Pawel Pawlikowski, 2018) is a Polish drama that follows two characters. Young woman Zula (Joanna Kulig) is an orphan seeking refuge after the events of World War 2. She finds shelter in a home ran by two music tutors, one being pianist Wiktor (Tomasz Kot) with whom they promptly fall in love together. Throughout the course of the movie these characters are pulled apart and then brought back together throughout the Cold War, and puts focus on the strains on their relationship, their emotions, and how they adapt to the new changes in their surroundings and culture of the times.
The story is told by following the characters individually for long periods of time, showing how they live alone and how they have changed since the start of the film. The director also brings the viewers attention towards the background a lot, by having the characters in frame usually far away from the camera or taking up a small space in frame. This shows how the culture of the times are changing, when you see fashion change, peoples behaviour, I.e kissing in public, and music change to match the time period. When the characters meet up, there is a lot more dialogue, and often they are placed closer to the camera, to display their emotions, and symbolise how close they are in that moment, physically and emotionally.
The narrative is structured in a way that shows how much time is passing and how the protagonists deal with the situation they are in. You see every seen or so, usually once the characters go their separate ways again, that another few years have passed. This conveys how much the people in love actually get to see each other, and how this effects them. Hence explaining why they act the way they do in certain scenes, and also how time has passed in between these scenes that we see. We see the characters by themselves, then together, then apart again after a few years.
I personally reacted to the film in a positive way. I appreciated the way that the director subtly incorporated hints as to how the characters are feeling and how the test of time has influenced them both. It is a compelling Ballard of how war and political conflict, borders and prejudice effect the ordinary people on the ground, and how love is changed by it. I think that the directors wanted to say how the delicious made by the people at the top effect those who have no say in them. And how love will persist over time, but the people are changed, for better or for worse, by the test of time.
No Country For Old Men(The Coen Brothers, 2007) is a crime/thriller directed by the Coen Brothers. The movie tells the story of Luwelin Moss( Josh Brolin), a young hunter who one day accidentally stumbles across the crime scene of a drug deal gone very wrong. Upon finding a brief case of 2 million dollars, Moss decides to take the money and run, attracting the attention of local sherif Tom Bell(Tommy Lee Jones), and ruthless killer assassin Anton Chigurah(Javier Bardem). As the movie goes on, more characters are introduced and more are killed, as the events gradually escalate into a 2 hour long sequence of suspense and violence, in a country unfit for old men.
One of the best aspects of the movie is the character of Anton Chigurah. Played to a T by Javier Bardem, who actually won an Oscar for his performance, this unstoppable force kills almost everyone who he meets in the film, and savagely mocks his prey with taunts and ironic philosophical questions, before putting them to the gun, or the coin. In a few instances in the film Anton gives his victims the choice of heads or tails, and if they choose what side the coin will land on correctly, they win. If they lose, they die. These moments make for some of the best scenes of suspense in cinematic history, but they also serve as a metaphor of death, and the complete randomness of it.
We see throughout the film the completely brutal efficiency and violence that Anton dispatches people with, and his complete lack of emotion and hesitance in doing so. After a while, it may become evident that Anton is almost a walking image of death. But in these coin toss scenes, we see that he still has his own set of morals. If they win, he lets them live, and vice versa. But in these moments the Coen Brothers show that Anton, like death, is random, and may or may not happen at any moment, hence the 50/50 chances of the coin toss.
Anton Chigurah(Javier Bardem).
Another aspect of the film that makes it so successful and beloved amongst film lovers and critics around the world is its genius scenes of suspense building. Scenes such as the coin toss moments are extremely good at creating tension, both from the excellent writing, acting, and use of cinematography. There is also no music whatsoever in the movie, which is perfect for creating suspense and letting the course of events play out uninterrupted, and lets the audience stay immersed in the situation. The mise en scene is also utilised well, with a lack of interesting items in the background of a scene, The Coen Brothers direct all attention on the characters and the things happening in the foreground.
The sound design also plays a crucial part in the method of suspense building in the movie. The long, drawn out silences build suspense, and these can go on for minutes at a time, with the only noises being footsteps, the wind, or even just the breathing of the character in the shot. This massive suspense is, in some scenes, slowly bled out, like in the first coin toss scene, where nothing intense happens, but the viewer is left on edge from the suspense built up throughout the scene. In other scenes though, that suspense comes to a climax in a sudden moment of intensity. This happens a few times in the movie. For example, when Anton arms himself, and then slowly approaches the motel room. He takes his shoes off to avoid making noise, which quietly signals to the viewer that something violent is about to occur. At the same time, the perspective cuts back to Moss, who is desperately trying to drag the briefcase of money through a vent. The lack of noise up to this point makes the squeaking of the case on metal an agonising moment of nail biting tension.
The way that the perspective keeps on switching between Anton and Moss is how the directors make the audience wonder what will happen next, and if Anton will enter the room as Moss has his back turned, or if Moss is prepared. The moment when all of the drawn out suspense climaxes is when Anton’s cattle gun shoots out the lock of the motel room, which, due to an abundance of silence up to this point, is extremely loud and shocking to the viewer, making it an effective use of built up tension. The intensity and violence of the events that follow are just the icing on the cake of this already incredible scene.
Lighting is also used amazingly throughout the movie. The way that shots are often placed on dark areas force the viewer to wonder whether or not someone or something is there. In some scenes, Anton is mostly covered in shadow from being in darker areas, and this is a good method of making him seem inhuman. Like a monster hiding away from the light, making him and even more terrifying antagonist.
All in all, no Country For Old Men is one of the most intense, immersive, exiting and engrossing movies of all time. It has one of the most terrifying yet believable villains in cinematic history, uses lighting and sound design to create suspense, and expert cinematography to keep attention where the Coen Brothers want it to be. It is easily one of the best movies of all time, and that’s why I rate it 4 and a half stars!
Finley Cairns A-Level Film Studies Blog 
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