Delicatessen

In Delicatessen, Jean-Pierre Juenet casts his usual eclectic assortment of characters, including a Sweeney Todd like murderous butcher, an ex-circus performer, and two men who manufacture cans which make animal sounds—to name a few.  An apartment building in post-apocalyptic France serves as the fun house in which the lives of these characters collide in an absurd series of events.  One of the most strikingly aesthetic qualities of the film is Juenet’s use of color.  The entire film has a very warm quality; some scenes appear to glow orange while others seems to be infected with a surreal toxic lime green light.

  

The film is periodically punctuated with more still shots of the apocalyptic city landscape showing decrepit buildings shrouded in a dreamlike orange mist.  The green illumination is more prevalent in scenes depicting water—either in the underground world or in the bathroom flood scene.  In the sewers and tunnels of the underground the water takes on the color of electric mountain dew.  

In the bathroom scene, the water takes on the color of sea green emerald.  In each instance, Jeunet acts as a painter, heightening the saturation of colors in reality to achieve a certain ambience.  

While the entire film takes on this warm glow, Jeunet also makes specific color choices for set.  He frequently makes use of green and red in clothing, objects, and rooms.  For example, the kitchen is almost entirely green—both in the objects it contains and way it is filmed.  Characters in the kitchen will frequently be wearing burgundy.  There is a dramatic juxtaposition of complimentary colors that is apparent yet subtle.  This effect creates a feeling of surreal implacability--the setting is familiar yet very strange.

            This feeling of implacability is also echoed in the set objects that Jeunet selects.  While the film is obviously set in the distant future, there is a 1940s kitsch quality to the objects shown in it, creating an anachronistic paradox where the viewer is unsure of where to position himself.  There is a certain emphasis on the materiality of objects in film.  In the opening credits, the camera slowing pans over an assortment of odd trinkets, mementos, lost toys, mysterious artifacts, and obsolescent technologies.  Each object is so specific and poignant that it takes on a personality of its own, each with its own history.  Later in the film, there is a sequence of scenes focusing on the television.  The flickering of the old fashioned television seems to reference both the materiality of television set, the screen, and of cinema itself.  During the final fight sequence, there is as much footage of the television as there is of the characters; the television itself becomes an actor in the film, illustrating just how Jeunet manipulates film to create surreal situations where objects become actors and time becomes implacable.  

GREG MAHONEY FILM AREA SUPPORT

Meet Greg Mahoney.  He's the man who makes it all happen behind the scenes at the SMFA Film Area.

For my Film 1 or 2 students looking for their fix of Tri-X Reversal Greg tells me that the goods should be arriving around lunch time on Thursday.  You can find Greg lurking in his office or around the B side of the basement most days from 9:30-5PM.  Bring $15 big ones (exact change only) .

I'm a Cyborg But That's Okay by Chan-Wook Park

I find it really interesting that ‘I’m A Cyborg, and That’s Okay,’ came out of the same mind of man who created ‘Oldboy,’ and that entire ‘Vengence Triology.’ Because, the essence, quality, and overall feeling is something that’s completely different than that of his trilogy.
Chan-Wook Park creates this sort of ‘New World’ of psychiatric hospital movies. In the first 20 minutes, I remember I really struggled trying to think of a movie that it seemed like, one I could relate it to, even. Or, ultimately find some kind of genre to smush it into. But it was impossible.
This movie is about a young woman, Young-Goon, who believes that’s she’s a cyborg. At the hospital that her mother puts her in after she harms herself at work, you are welcome to be introduced to all these bizarre, almost whimsical characters that stay and live in the institution. But, Young-Goon pays no attention to them, for the most part, because she’s too busy trying to talk to electronic devices, recharging herself by licking batteries, and thinking of her Grandmother. Her grandmother was taken away when she was younger by the so-called ‘white ‘uns,’ and left her dentures at home. Her grandmother had also believed that she was something other than human; she believed she was a mouse.
‘I’m a Cyborg,’ is a really fascinating portrait of the life of a psychiatric patient. The idea of this certain level of craziness that just can’t be fixed, and the way that the patients all sort of remedy each other, even though they can’t remedy themselves. You almost want to believe that the patients aren’t even crazy, at all. You almost want to believe that their psychological hallucinations are ones that are realer than the reality we’re used to; the reality of patients being sick, and them needing doctors.
I think my big problem with this movie, though, was that it’s just sitting on this fence between being serious, and getting you to feel really invested in these characters, and just being so nonsensical and whimsical that you can’t even begin to take it even a little bit seriously. All the sets, and scenes have this surreal quality to it that helps fit you into this weird sort of dream-like space, similar to the patients’ views. And the lighting is frequently at this neutral tone, if not a little colder than average, but when it gets to these intense sort of build-ups, it’s almost like Chan-Wook Park underexaggerates the intensity. I suppose that just sort of rubs me the wrong way.
After watching the movie I noticed that on Netflix it was under the category, “Romantic Comedy.” Which is kind of laughable, because it’s very true that Young-Goon meets a boy, at the institution, but there’s really not a lot of romance involved. It’s more of just this beautiful, quirky support system that develops between two people who need the help whether they recognize that or not. And it is humorous, I suppose, because of the strange mental tics these patients have, and they way they’re portrayed.

 I saved some stills of the movie to show the beautiful way he uses lines to shoot a scene. It's such a simple way to compose a frame, or several frames, but something about the symmetry he gets down with is just really fantastic.

"City Lights"

I have wanted to watch Charlie Chaplin's "City Lights" for at least a couple of months, when I started formally learning about movies in a Classics of French Cinema class I took last semester at Tufts. I think my professor must have mentioned this movie when we talked about silent films and Chaplin's work and influence in particular.


After watching the movie, I am certain that it was made for entertainment and not as an art film. Once I started noticing that, I decided to look for shots of motion to see how the film dealt with storytelling and if there were interesting, exciting, and beautiful shots. Most of the moving that the Tramp (Chaplin) and his comedic counterpart, the millionaire, do consists of falls, fights, funny walking, and driving (often drunkenly and recklessly). The Tramp and the millionaire meet when the millionaire, drunk, is about to commit suicide. The Tramp somehow becomes tied up in the millionaire's noose tied to a rock and falls in the water instead. The camera is at a wide enough angle to show the river, a set of stairs down to its bank and the bank itself, where the Tramp and the millionaire wrestle each other and fall again and again.  


There were some sequences of shots that I thought were really strong and excellent at showing and telling a joke. These comedy scenes were the most engaging and compelling for me, whereas I found the idea or premise of the love story between the Tramp and the Blind Girl more lovely than the way it really looked. I think Chaplin's waddle, facial expressions and his character's repeated failures and losses, and more, take away from that plot's romanticism. He is simply too much of a character, or rather caricature to believe in the truth, reality or honesty of his love.

One scene I want to point out as effective and wonderfully light hearted is during "The Party" segment of "City Lights". It felt to me like a an example of the magic of cinema. The film techniques in the scene where the Tramp swallows a small whistle tell a joke so smartly and breezily. In the scene, the Tramp swallows whistle while sitting down on an elegant sofa. A live band starts playing music, which seems to be another example of things that the moving picture can capture really well (I thought of the band that made a couple appearances in "Hugo" and of the big bands in Fred Astaire and other dance-centric movies), and then we hear the whistle, while the camera stays on the band. Then camera jumps to the Tramp and then back to the band, focusing on the musicians' confused faces. The camera jumps between those two shots several times, as the audience watching the movie and the audience in the movie figure out what's happening. Then the Tramp leaves the party and sits outside on a bench, still trying to control his hiccoughing whistle sounds. The camera cuts to a taxi that pulls up, waiting for the Tramp, the driver thinking that he'd called for it. The Tramp waves it away, obviously annoyed. The camera stays on the Tramp now, still sitting. He hiccups some more, and two dogs come and jump up on him! This sequence of shots is brilliant at telling a joke. It also helps attract some sympathy for the Tramp, whose faults seem to be more often the result of circumstance than his own character. 

Irma Vep by Olivier Assayas

The director (Jean-Pierre Léaud) in Irma Vep wants to reshoot an old French film Les Vampires (1915), by hiring a Hong Kong actor (Maggie Cheung) as the main character. Maggie Cheung who arrives in Paris, without speaking much French or understanding the purpose of her role in the film. However, because of not understanding with a professional attitude for her part, her role becomes a strong perspective for viewer to divide from rest of the shooting crew for the new version of Les Vampires.

The crew is completely unorganized from the beginning to the end, most of them blame others when things go wrong, self-center on opinions during interview or conversations, and reaching for any advantage is available. Even though, Maggie is a part of the group for the film, she constantly find herself alone and confused when everyone only cares for their own. As a team, the conflict between profession and dilettante are in most crewmember include the director himself.

The disorder team certainly carry throughout the remake of Les Vampires, however, the film was still making while nothing seems to operate smoothly. At the end, the director disappear, Maggie was the only one who carefully took time to search for him. A new director and another main character was ready to take over at the near end of Irma Vep. Oddly, the remake was finished as the original plan.

At the end of Irma Vep, the new version is present to audience. Due to the image that appears, personally imagine could be done by using black and white film with further editing (screeching and drawing) on the final cuts of the film.

This film is considered as a comedy for the period of French film, and a celebration for the silent serial Les Vampires.

City of God- Directed by Fernando Meirelles

It is always interesting to notice the feelings and thoughts experienced after watching a film. The range of emotions is so wide, that you could leave a screening feeling depressed or jubilant. Our passive experience in films allow us to get sucked in to another world or even the same world, but through a different perspective. 

"City of God" took me to the slums in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 

Based on a book by Paulo Lins, the film depicts the rise and fall of many characters involved in the organized drug crime of the city. Yet, it takes place over 20 or 30 years and effectively tells the story of not only the growth of the neighborhood "City of God", but also the development of the characters in a reality of sparse opportunities. 

Visually, I enjoyed the saturated colors and dark contrasts in the photography. Also, I was impressed by a cinematographic technique of shooting one place without any camera movement but having characters move around and a narrator tell a story. This way, the viewer got a sense of chronology and of how one scenario could rapidly shift. 

The character that interested me the most was the protagonist, Buscape. While the other characters were wild, perverted, addicts, and criminals, Buscape was the connection between the spectator and the ultra-violent reality that was illustrated. All he wanted was to photograph and escape the City of God. Yet, he is dragged down by the violence and corruption. The fact that he can still dream even though he is surrounded by catastrophe is truly inspiring.

I was also impressed by the directors ability to tell so many separate stories and in the end weave them over a long period of time in a ever eye catching manner. The smaller stories contain as much shock value as the main narrative about the drug dealers. I shivered after watching a woman beaten to death with a shovel after committing adultery.

"City of God" made me question the very essence of what it means to be human. What are our limitations? What is the difference between surviving and living? How do our surroundings effect our actions? And, moreover, is there possibility of a happy and fulfilling life if you are in born in a violent and lacking environment?

I do not want to spoil the ending because I do recommend this movie to everyone who hasn't already undergone a brutal but life changing experience of watching it. It was truly eye-opening. 

 

SPACE COAST by Ross McElwee and Michael Negroponte

Filmmaker, McElwee and Papa John Murphy, President of 'The Saints' motorcycle gang and feautured in the film

I can’t stop thinking about Space Coast. I checked out the film last Monday night (1/23/12) at the Brattle Theatre’s Doc Yard. The 1979 film is a documentary, which revealed and provided insight to the lives of three individuals living in Cape Canaveral a few years after the launching of the Apollo moon missions there. The directors, Ross McElwee and Michael Negroponte got their “in” with the community through the connection with Mary Bubb, the official news reporter for the rocket launches on the Cape who had physically appeared at 1,600 launches. In becoming acquainted with the area the filmmakers were introduced to Papa John Murphy, President of ‘The Saints’ motorcycle gang and his family who are weathered by the conditions of their lower middle class lifestyle in this very typical American society they inhabit. The third person of interest in the film is Willy Womack who owns a small construction company and also appears as a clown-host on a local children’s television show. I felt very fortunate to be able to hear McElwee and Negroponte speak and respond to questions in the Q&A session post-viewing. Through this I learned that the two had initially made their trip to the area to make a documentary during their time as grad-students and filmmakers at MIT spotlighting Mary Bubb, the rocket launch reporter. They showed up to the area completely open minded and invested in becoming a part of the community and genuinely became friends with the subjects they were interested in involving in the film. Despite shooting 4 magazines of film per day, this was only a small percentage of the amount of time the filmmakers spent with the people featured in the documentary, developing meaningful and personal relationships with their subjects.

The natural way in which the film was shot and the ease of the subjects in their movements, manner and demeanor made it apparent that their relationship with the filmmakers was very comfortable and that they felt safe to carry on as they would in their daily lives despite the cameras rolling. There are only several instances in the film where the person addresses the camera rather than the person filming by first name and several times you can hear correspondence between the two (this is not edited out). This style of shooting provided for a very intimate portrait of the people and the area and kept my attention in almost a hypnotic way to their every movement, quirk and word. A technical quality I really enjoyed was that the entire film appeared to be shot handheld (albeit with a steady and graceful hand). This style reminds the viewer of the presence of the filmmaker, which for me made the entire experience more impacting and touching.

The framing of the photograph and overall cinematography was tremendously beautiful. There was one shot in particular, a close up of Papa Johns expressive face and his soft blue eyes which seemed incredibly honest, raw, and “charged” and has stuck in my mind all week. Negroponte actually briefly spoke about this quality of the film, which he finds successful to this day. He explained how people tend to only document what is going on in front of the camera rather than photograph it, which really added to the piece as not only a documentary but also a visual experience, a work of art, and is something I want to consider and emulate in my endeavors of documentary filmmaking.

I was interested in Ross McElwee’s reaction to having viewed the film now and that he felt film was somewhat condescending and unkind, to the point where he said that he would not be interested in making a film like this today and that he felt guilty – although he was “not apologizing”. Ross told that with life experience he had a better understanding and consideration for the hardships of raising a family and these people’s lives. He was speaking particularly in reference to his depiction of Papa John’s family life, which consists of his wife and daughter who is young and has a child but cannot find a job. Some moments captured on film did make me feel sorry for their situation and maybe embarrassed for their conditions financially and otherwise but I never felt they were being taken advantage of by the maker’s.  Conversely, Negroponte feels that including these “nasty, degrading moments is part of the commitment to telling a story” and explained to the audience that he is a bit more “hardcore on the matter”.

To explain in words what “happens” in the film is difficult, as the film seems to capture what is unfolding in this experience around the filmmakers rather than shot with the intention of revealing something specific. I would like to share some valuable insight provided by the directors of the film.

1.)  The qualities of a good documentary filmmaker, outlined simply in the words of Negroponte: Non-judgmental, Willingness to “get to know” people, easy to approach, good listener, empathetic.

2.)  Ross explained that as a documentary filmmaker you have the power, because you have the camera, and you have power again in the editing room. This power is also a burden when you are making documentaries. Be aware of the power of the camera and that the way one films reveals qualities of the subjects in a particular manner and implies a connotation, which will permeate the fabric of the film.

3.)  It is not as easy to make films in this style today because people are hyper aware and suspicious of the fact that their footage could be used in a serendipitous way so gaining access to the true essence of a personality is more challenging because people are more guarded today than at the time Space Coast was shot.

4.)  Ross sees that the beauty in a very good documentary is to celebrate and capture the magic in the mundane moments in every day, ordinary interactions. This is the part of the film which really worked for me and set the documentary apart from the many others I have viewed in it’s unique style and poetic qualities. 

The Devil and Daniel Johnston

This week I watched Jeff Feuerzeig's sophomore release the "Devil and Daniel Johnston." I found it to be a captivating look inside the mind of Daniel Johnston. What was most surprising was the amount of footage and audio recordings from Daniel's life. Daniel's super 8 films were unique in that they reflected the dirty DIY aesthetic of his recordings. Daniel made films and songs about his mother, about his poetry, about his first love Laurie (whose parents owned a funeral home), and anything else that happened to stream out of his consciousness at a particular moment. 

Daniel Johnston - True Love Will Find You in the End. 

(with international subtitles so Jeff feels right at home)

Whether it was his mental disorders or a troubled childhood, Daniel seemed to never grow up. Throughout his life he seemed content with pieces of lined paper and crayons. His art reflected a lifetime of unfiltered imagination. The space in which he created his art was incredibly important to him. His room had an inspiration wall filled with images and his entire room was brimming with precious objects and ephemera. When Daniel moved, he recreated the space to exacting standards. 

Casper the Friendly Ghost was a major figure in Daniel's life. Once, Daniel's father was piloting a small plane back to West Virginia with Daniel; they were on their way back from a music festival in Austin (I think it was SXSW). Daniel had a psychotic episode. Thinking he was Casper Daniel took the key out of the ignition and threw it out of the plane (I kno, crzy right?). After his Dad probably pissed himself profusely he was able to take control of the plane and crash-land it. They both emerged with minor injuries and Daniel was (once again) committed to a mental hospital. In the documentary, Daniel's father break down in tears- for the first time- while trying to describe the incident. His parents always said their goal was to live long enough to see Daniel cured.

Daniel's success is still somewhat of an enigma to me. His rise in popular culture was aided by his association to Kurt Cobain, Sonic Youth, and other popular musicians. Kurt wore Daniel's shirt and this brought him a lot of attention. He appeared on MTV beaming with confidence. He always seemed to carry himself like he was important. "I've already been in the limelight," he says. "It's just a bunch of light bulbs." (quote taken from a news article)

Kurt Wearing Daniel's shirt.

Daniel on MTV

Daniels fixation with Satan was very troubling to watch. It is hard to see a talented person become consumed by his fears. He hit his manager with a pipe, he caused an old lady to fall through her window, and he severed his relationship with his longtime manager (who had worked his entire life to build danny's career). He preached that Satan was among us and we should fear him, these views slipped into some of his performances and were some of the hardest moments to watch.

Bonus: Daniel was partial to Mountain Dew. There are shots in the film of him drinking it. While in a mental hospital he decided to write jingles and submit them. He wanted the Beatles to back him up (John Lennon, hollaback from your grave!). The Pepsi corporation did not write back. Remember kids, Demons drink Mountain Dew.

 "I was sinking deep in sin far from Mountain Dew" 

Nice and funny homage to Melies and "Trip to the Moon" in our mainstream media!  That's Newt Gingrich's face overlaid on the moon.

Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans

Part 1 of Sunrise
The above link is the beginning of the film if anyone is interested in checking it out.  You can watch the rest of the film on youtube!

This is a film I saw in my visual theory art history class once.  I thought it was a great film because it used the camera to show two different points of view in one story--the husband and the wife.  There was also a duality with night, and day, dark, and light between the couple, which creates the plot for the entire story.  The film is about the couples struggle to stay with one another.  There is also a juxtaposition between technology and the country, which translates to the man and woman.

The filmmaker experimented with different positions of the camera to achieve this affect as well as lighting affects.  Below is an additional link with more information on this film.  It is a silent film, so the focus is mostly on the image.  There is some music in the background.

Not a typical horror film in my opinion

The 1976 horror film, “Carrie,” directed by Brian De Palma and based on the novel by Stephan King, is a movie which experimented with creative shots, a chilling soundtrack, and several other visual aspects which anticipate surprising turn of events. All of these techniques were carefully molded together to set a mood which captivated an unsuspecting audience with true fear.

                Carrie is a scapegoat teenager, in her senior year of high school. Her whole life, she was teased and taunted by her peers, because she was “different”. This is mostly due to Carrie being raised by a sheltered, psychotic mother who believes that almost everything is a sin. For instance, Carrie is tortured for getting her first period, because her mother believes it’s a sin. Carries house is a dark, with evil images of Jesus everywhere. During the scenes shot in her house, the music is slow and creepy.

                The film begins with a slight birds eye angle shot which slowly zooms into Carrie. She is in gym class playing volley ball with her classmates, but she is tormented when she misses the ball, causing her team to lose. Right after, there is a slow motion, dimly lit shot of the girl’s locker room with a peaceful ballad playing in the background. Young girls are drying off from the showers and getting dressed, and the music accentuates a sense of grace. Without cutting, the camera slowly makes its way to Carrie in the shower where she is slowly bathing herself. The mood still emulates a sense of sensual purity, calming the audience. All of a sudden without warning, blood is seen dripping down her legs. The music fades, with only the sound of the running shower while Carrie looks down at the pool of blood with shock. All of a sudden, she runs out of the shower to all the other girls screaming, “HELP ME PLEASE,” and even grabbing someone’s white shirt with her bloody hand. All of the girls gang up on her with disgust and start laughing, because she obviously had no idea what a period is. The girls start to throw a bunch of sanitary napkins at her, as Carrie goes back into the shower crouching down in fear. “Plug it up, plug it up, plug it up,” they shout at her. This scene went from a calm beautiful mood, to an anxiety filled bullying. The audience does not know what to expect. During the racket, the gym teacher, Ms. Collin’s, comes into the locker room to settle Carrie down and shew the bullying girls. Carrie is in such emotional distress, that Ms. Collin’s has to shake her to get her to snap out of it. In the midst of Carrie crying and trembling, a shrieking sound affect, reminiscent of the film “Psycho”(1960) sounds right before a light bulb above the shower suddenly breaks. This foreshadows that Carrie has telekinesis, which is the ability to move objects while under an enormous amount of stress. Later in the film it is revealed that Carrie has always had this ability, and its power has progressed with age. There were such unpredictable twists and turns within the beginning scenes, which keeps the audience at the edge of their seat.

                As the movie continues, the audience gets a glimpse of Carries life, and how she tries to fit in more once a boy named Tommy asks her to the senior prom. Between battling her controlling mother and telekinesis outbursts, the ring leading bully from her gym class was punished by not being allowed to attend the prom, so she seeks revenge. It is unclear what Chris sets out to do to Carrie, until the climax of the film. All the audience knows is that Chris got her boyfriend to murder a pig, and later they are both seen setting up some sort of trap inside where the prom will be held. This foreshadowing keeps the audience wondering what will happen on the night of the prom.

Aside from Carrie, the film reveals the points of view of other characters. Sue was one of the girls who bullied her in the locker room, yet later felt a tremendous amount of remorse. To make it up to Carrie, Sue asks her boyfriend Tommy to ask Carrie to the prom. When there are scenes of the characters other than Carrie and her mother, the lighting is bright and beautiful. At most times there is lighthearted and upbeat music in the background, giving a sense of a carefree mood. This is important, because the mood shifts from spooky to happy with comedic moments, so that the audience won’t expect what will happen next. In most horror movies, the mood is constantly anticipating fear, giving the audience fair warning of when something is bad is to happen. This does not happen with this film. The audience knows something drastic will occur, but exactly when, what and how is a mystery. Despite her mother’s strong disapproval of her actions, Carrie overcomes her shyness right before the prom, and she slowly emerges from a depressed somber girl to a smiling quiet soul who just wants acceptance. The mood is positive and exciting right before the prom, which purposely misleads the audience.

                Right before Carrie leaves for the prom, there is a scene in her dark room where her mother desperately and crazily tries to stop her from going. “We’ll burn your dress together and pray for forgiveness,” she cries to Carrie while a forewarning soundtrack plays. “They’re all going to laugh at you,” she continues. Carrie stands up to her mother by using her telekinesis to push her mother down on Carries bed. Her mother is convinced that her telekinesis is “Satan working through her”. Right before Carrie leaves, Carrie assures her that she will come home early. “I love you mama..” She nervously states. Once Carrie departs from her house, the creepy music lingers and her mother states in a low voice, “Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live”. The scene cuts to the next, causing the audience to wonder what her mother will do once Carrie returns home.

                The following scene shows everyone outside of the high school on their way inside. Carrie silently says to Tommy in the car, “Maybe this was a mistake,” for she is hesitant to face her peers. Tommy reassuringly charms her, and opens to Carrie’s door. You see a crooked smile forming on Carrie’s face as an upbeat song begins to play. Suddenly there is another slight birds eye view of the inside of the prom. The same song is being played loudly, the lights are colorful, decorations vibrantly fill the gym, setting a playful and euphoric tone. The camera once again slowly zooms onto Carrie and Tommy as they come inside. Despite a view snickers by her peers, Carrie is treated with respect for the first time in her life by a handful of Tommy’s friends. Carrie is greeted by Ms. Collin’s, who had tried to emotionally support her. They sit and talk while the same peaceful music from the beginning plays. Carrie is complimented by a few people, and swept off her feet by Tommy. The prom seems to be a dream come true for her, and everything seems to be going swimmingly.

                After a memorable slow dance, Sue sneaks over to the high school to see how everything is going. The audience sees her skipping down stairs in the middle of the night. The muddled sounds from inside give an eerie sensation. Meanwhile Chris and her boyfriend are hiding under the stage where the band is playing. Soon, the announcer says it’s time to vote for Prom King and Queen. Each table gets a balled, and on the very bottom are “Carrie White and Tommy Ross”. Though hesitant, Carrie and Tommy decide to vote for themselves. The lighting in this scene is still romantic and lovely. “The devil with false modesty,” Tommy states proudly, as Carrie agrees and checks off their names.

                Soon, one of Chris’ friend Norma comes to their table to collect their balled. The camera follows her to each table as the collection gets larger. During this time, there are only sounds of people talking with no music. Norma then sees her boyfriend where she sneaks in a kiss, while secretly dropping the ballads on the floor and kicking them under a table, while receiving fake ballads from her boyfriend. At this time, frightful music starts to play, giving a cue to the audience that something big yet unknown will happen. Without any cuts, the camera continues to follow Norma, as she hands the ballads in to the announcer, then sneaks near where Chris is hiding and gives a couple warning knocks, as a cue that all is going according to plan. The camera pans to the divide between the stage and backstage, where Sue finally arrives to catch a peak on how prom is going. The camera slowly pans away from Sue’s curious face to the dividing edge, where there seems to be a rope leading up above the stage. With the camera following the rope, it leads to another birds eye view of the stage, and the rope is attached to a bucket balancing on a rafter, filled with a mysterious dark liquid. These transitions all occur in under thirty seconds. As the audience first see’s the bucket, the frightening music fades with a lingering minor chord. Simultaneously, the camera is still looking down onto the stage, and you hear the announcer say, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I’ve got the winners…I give you…Tommy Ross and Carrie White.”

                Leaving the shot of the bucket, the camera zooms in on Carrie and Tommy, with a bright blue spot light shining on them. The soft musical theme from the shower scene plays. The song reflects an innocent and peaceful feel. All is in slow motion. Carrie smiles and seems to tear up out of disbelief and joy. The camera shows Carries point of view, as she makes her way through the applauding crowd, and onto the sparkling stage to receive her flowers and crown. Once again, the music and slow motion calms the audience down.

                The camera starts to go back and forth between shots of Chris holding one end of the rope, as Carrie and Tommy climb the stairs to the stage. Still in slow motion, Sue is watching them, with a smile on her face. The music shifts between the peaceful theme, to a sinister theme. While the crowd is still clapping for Carrie, Sue notices the rope and bucket. She realizes someone is trying to pull a prank on Carrie, and tries to stop it. Before she reaches Chris’ hiding spot, Ms. Collin’s grabs Sue to escort her out of the gym. The suspenseful music picks up pace. The mood is tense and keeps the audience guessing. Carrie is smiling with glee, Chris’ hands are shaking while holding the rope, and Ms. Collin’s finally throws Sue outside of the gym, and once the door slams, Chris yanks the rope. The bucket then dumps pig’s blood all over Carrie, and the music stops.

                As Carrie stands there in utter shock, everything is still in slow motion with no talking. The only sound is the slow swaying of the bucket hitting the rafter. After about ten seconds, Carrie starts to hear her mother’s voice inside her head repeating, “They’re all going to laugh at you, they’re all going to laugh at you.” She starts to imagine evil laughter echoing from the audience in sync with her mother’s taunting remark. With Carrie’s hands on her bloody face, she tilts her head backwards in agony.

                The camera quickly cuts to Chris and her boyfriend backstage giggling and trying to escape, in regular motion. Soon after, the camera returns to Carrie covered in blood with the taunting voices shrieking in her head. Carrie slowly holds her head forward to the crowd, except this time her eyes are wide open and almost rabid looking. Suddenly, the camera shows a split point of view. One point of view is of Carrie’s face, and the other showing all the doors shutting while the shrieking sound effect once again plays. It is now evident to the audience that she is controlling the doors with her mind.

Returning to a single view, Carrie uses her telekinesis to then break all the lights. The scene is shot with a red lens, perhaps symbolizing the reoccurrence of blood. The laughter ceases. A deep tone plays as Carrie stands still on stage, yet moving her head to control the objects around her. She soon turns on the emergency fire hose with her mind, spraying the screaming crowd and electronic equipment, causing minor explosions and fire. She continues to destroy the gym, injuring and knocking people out. All the years of pent up rage rupture. Lights are flickering, sound feedback and static play, and no one in the crowd can escape. The prom turned into utter chaos. Chris and her boyfriend peek in through the window in utter terror. Chris is seen with her jaw dropped, slowly turning her head towards Carrie in disbelief.

                Carrie starts to slowly descend down off the stage, as a raging inferno engulfs the stage. She walks as though in a trance to make her exit, as the screaming and crackling of fire continues. Then the camera shows a shot of the entrance to the gym from the outside. All the audience sees are flames in the windows of the gym, and the double doors opening. Carries figure eerily appears like a ghost, as she leaves the building, shutting the loud doors with her mind. The audience now knows that all the people inside whom weren’t already dead, were left to burn alive. The deep tone is still playing, and chilling sounds of wind blowing. In the next scene Chris and her boyfriend try to run Carrie over with their car, yet Carrie uses her telekinesis to flip the car over and set it on fire. The only person to survive is Sue.

                Carrie walks home, where her mother awaits. The house is illuminated with hundreds of candles. A church organ plays as Carrie steadily lurks through her home. Her mother is seen hiding behind the doorway to the bathroom in a dark attic and Carrie doesn’t notice. She draws herself a bath to wash the pigs blood off, and begins to weep. Once she is dried off and dressed, her mother emerges from behind the door. As Carrie throws herself into her arms, her mother starts to say, “Sin never dies.” And “Now, the devil has come home, let’s pray.” Desperate and broken, Carrie and her start to chant a prayer, as her mother reaches for a knife and stabs her in the back. The sinister music sounds, as Carrie falls down the set of stairs to the attic. Soon, Carrie uses her telekinesis to defend herself and kill her own mother with knives. After her mother exhales her last breath, Carrie drags her mother into a prayer closet. In distress, Carrie’s telekinesis goes out of control for the last time, and the roof begins to slowly cave in. Awaiting her death, a night shot of the outside of the house shows the light of the candles burning. Somber music plays, and the house begins to sink into the ground until there is nothing left but ash. This scene is so hellishly, and it finally ends with a burning figure of Jesus’ which hung in the house.

                The next scene shows a sunny day, where Sue is traumatized and asleep. Sue’s mother is seen talking on the phone about the situation, and what that they were planning on leaving the town after all of her friends had been killed. The scene fades to another, where Sue is seen in a glowing white gown. She is walking with a bouquet of flowers to where Carrie’s house used to stand. The reoccurring peaceful theme song plays for the last time as she approaches the rubble. Atop of the ruble there is a sign that reads, “Carrie White, burn in hell!” With a tear glistening in Sue’s eye, she slowly lays the flowers onto the rubble, where suddenly a bloody hand rises out of the ground and grabs her as Loud frightening music interrupt. The scene goes from peaceful to terrifying in only a split second, once again, surprising the audience with immediate terror. After all, it was just a nightmare. Sue awakes screaming, as her mother cradles her. The music stops, the scene cuts to credits.

                This film has moved many people, because of its creative plot, and surprising nature. This wasn’t a film about an over-the-top villain. It starts out giving the viewer little tastes of terror only to build up for the climactic scene. I feel “Carrie” conveys more fear because it has characters you can relate to, with a fairly realistic setting, with the exception of Carrie having the power to move objects with her mind. The idea of prom mixed with horror was an interesting hook. The movie made twists and turns without much warning most of the time, which is very important in a thriller. This is the best approach to build suspense, and leaving a long lasting impression on the viewer. With the soundtrack shifting from one emotion to the other, and the vivid images the film displays, “Carrie” was successful in that sense.

Hunger By Steve McQueen

The film follows two men, one is an officer in the jailhouse and the other, a prisoner.

Set in Ireland in 1981 concerning the hunger strike against England, to acknowledge the prisoners as political prisoners.

There is very little dialogue throughout this film, but the dialogue that is present - is very meaningful. For example: a scene in which Bobby, the main character is sitting across from a priest in which he begins to discuss his plan to orchestrate a hunger strike in the prisons. This dialogue is vital, otherwise his behavior throughout the rest of the film would be harder to understand.

I loved McQueen's usage of sound in the film, all of the sounds are man made or natural. By man made, he uses an emphasis on collective sound, or sounds created using many people in a unified fashion. The first scene in the film, prior to the title being shown, is an abstract a close up of a woman beating something against the ground, as it pans out you realize the sound is collective and numerous people are all beating the same object against the ground in unison. There is something very powerful about being able to show a unification in man, and McQueen uses that power to his advantage in this film.

He follows again with another collective sound when the SWAT are beating their clubs against the fiberglass shields as they await for the prisoners to be released.

The only natural sound in the film is that of birds, which is an absolutely beautiful scene.

McQueen overlays these images of birds flying about and chirping as Bobby begins to wretch and it becomes evident that he's dying. I thought that using the sound of Bobby along with the sound of the birds was very important, especially in the scene where he dies and the birds show up again - making no noise. Through this, the sound of the birds represented a lot of what Bobby was trying to create by imposing the hunger strike.

McQueen did a lot of close-ups in this film, what was interesting about them, is that almost all of them are of the hands of individuals. He does close ups, further in the film, with the lesions on Bobby's body from being beaten and the bed sores toward the end of his life.

Through this, there is a distinctive emphasis on damage of the human body and possibly the primal aspects of the human spirit. He shows guards soaking their bloodied knuckles after beating a prisoner, and the head trauma on a prisoner after being beaten with a club.

These men, the prisoners, are a unified force all following Bobby's actions.

For example: the collective way in which all of the prisoners made a paste out of old food and waste to plug up the bottom of the door, while creating a spout - and then poured out a bed pan full of urine into the halls. Also displayed, when the guards mockingly gave the prisoners "civilian" clothes, and once Bobby displayed rage in his cell by breaking chairs and tables - the other prisoners followed suit - in their cells.

I really enjoyed a scene where the janitor was cleaning up the urine, and the way that the light framed the hall way. Doors to the cells on both walls and a long corridor, with strips of light and strips of dark framing the hallway as the janitor made his way from one end, to the other. Most of the light in the movie was dramatic within the cells themselves, the only light coming from a grated window - and very clinical outside of the cells.

The clinical feeling of the rest of the jail added to the reflection of these men as jail dehumanized them. They were forced to hide important information, like pictures of their girlfriends inside of their bodies. But not even their bodies were safe anymore; the guards would drag them out of the cells by their hair, kicking and biting, fighting with the numerous guards. Punching them and cutting off all of their hair, and then forcing them into a tub, where the guards vigorously cleaned them with brushes used to clean the dirt off of floors.

However, the light was neither warm nor light for most of the film, but once Bobby began to deteriorate the light became colder and bluish.

Another technique McQueen used, other than close ups, were blurring out scenes. He had a few scenes that he blurred out almost to the point of abstraction, where only colors and vague outlines indicated what you were viewing. He would pair up the blur with an extreme acuteness to the hands too. Where the scene would be blurry, but someones hand would come out and be perfectly clear, as a close up.

McQueen divided the screen once during a visual shot, distinctly. Sometimes he would use man made structures (pillars, doors etc.) to break up a scene, but he only had one where he not only broke it - but he completely changed the lighting. When the SWAT is beating the prisoners, one young man who seems anxious and unnerved by the situation at the beginning - releases all of his negative and unknown feelings onto a prisoner by beating him relentlessly. The same prisoner is then seen on the right side of the screen in a blue light, hiding in a cell, weeping. Where as the rest of the men are on the left side of the screen, taking up over half of the division in warm yellow light - still creating that unified sound of beating.

Once Bobby begins his hunger strike McQueen started implementing different visual techniques, like the birds I previously mentioned. But also, he shows us a few scenes of what Bobby sees, as though we are viewing the people in the room through Bobby's eyes. I liked this, because there was a sense of actually seeing through his eyes as he looks at his mother while he's dying. He struggles to open his eye, and then keep it open. By doing this his vision is blurred and fades in and out, and I felt that McQueen did a really great job with this perspective in specific. He also overlaps Bobby with images of his son experiencing life outside of the visiting room where he visits Bobby.

I really really enjoyed this movie even if parts of it were hard to watch.

Le voyage dans la lune

I know that with this post I may have gone way back in history of film, but I happened to see “Le voyage dans la lune” for the third time these days and I liked that film too much to not talk about it.

To refresh your minds a little bit, this is a 1902 French Black and White silent film based on two popular novels; Jules Verne’s “From the Earth to the Moon” and H. G. Wells’ “The first man in the moon” and it is made by Georges Méliés.

The film is about a group of astronomers who decide to go on an expedition to the moon. Once there, they encounter some sort of way of life going on, and they also witness surreal things happening as: human faces coming out of stars, Saturn leaning out of a window in his ringed planet, the goddess of the moon appears seating in a crescent-moon swing, a snowfall happens and so on. At the end of the film they return safe to planet earth and land into the ocean.

First of all, I want to say that the whole science fiction concept in this film is not only constructed by the fact that traveling to the moon in 1902 was impossible, but the surrealism and the special effects used create a whole fantastic world, and this is amazing.

The design of the sets and the beautiful costumes gave me a very theatrical feeling, not to mention expressions of the actors which are very exaggerated and fun.

The whole film happens in several shots placed with different scenes and stages, but all of them are wide shots and with a front point of view. Maybe Georges Méliés didn’t know other shot techniques, or maybe having only wide shots was a deliberated decision, but I have the feeling of wanting to see things closer in order to get more information and details about people’s faces expressions and textures. I wish he have done middle shots and close ups.

I also really liked how in one scene an astronomer kills a Selenite (a moon habitant) by hitting it with a hard force, then the creature exploded and immediately a lot of smoke appears in scene. I assume that for doing this special effect Méliés cut one frame of the man hitting the Selenite and jump to another where the smokes comes in without the creature. I wonder if this scene inspired the creators of Mario Bros game, where in order to kill the enemies, Mario has to squash them. At least, this is what I thought about.

Other scene worth to mention is the very well known part where the bullet formed spaceship lands into the moon, which has a human face and it smiles. This scene is just beautiful, and it probably uses the same cutting effect that the one of the killing of the Selenite, because in one frame you can see the complete moon face and in the next frame the moon has the bullet in it’s eye.

 

There is also a hand colored version of this film that is really beautiful, it adds more to the fantasy. Even though the hand coloring is not perfect, it is very nicely done.