The movie North Country is a hard cold movie that faces the facts of reality in an honest and open way. Because it is based on true events and is previewed so in the beginning of the film, its message becomes stronger as you feel for the characters and their predicament. The main character, Josey, fights for her life in sexual harassment. As she hasn’t always had a good experience when it comes to men, she takes on an entire mine of them in fighting for all women of the mine and other cases similar to hers for what went down in history in creating sexual harassment policies in the work place. Even though the movie was frustrating and difficult for me to watch at times, I really liked it, and thought the message was extremely powerful, real.
The main actresses of the film, Charlize Theron, is not a well known actress, however her roles is powerful and outstanding. She does the perfect job at maintaining and creating her character that you become so emotional tied to her story and her life, you feel a sense of empathy and pain for her. Her facial expressions and body language all enhance her performance. One scene in particular is that when her father finally stands up for her in front of the men and the union meeting. She was so moved, and emotional happy that her dad finally stuck up for and as the viewer you can feel the strong sense of emotion and happiness as he gives his speech. Her body language tells everything she is feeling, which makes her character a believable one.
A lot of the scenes in the movie tend to use the same colors. It presents darker, cooler colors from the mine to the bare winter trees outside. You get a cold sense when viewing the film and a dirty, filthy, wet, and cold sense in the scenes with the mine. This enhances the film as you get a feel of what it is like to work in the mines, how it feels. It also enhances the film as you feel the cold and heartless character of the mine itself, and the workers. The light background music doesn’t necessarily enhance the film’s emotional sense but fills the silent parts to give them a little more depth.
The overall storyline is based on a true story, and therefore presents harsh, reality. The dialect and the way it was presented in the film is what made the film entertaining. The film uses flashbacks to tell the story, and what went on during Josey’s life, and how she got where she is. It begins with her on the stand being interrogated, and as the question is asked she has flashbacks in her mind to that time period. All of the flashbacks combine to create a flowing story of how she began her work in the mine, and what all went down while she worked there and how it affected the rest of her life as mom, daughter, woman, and member of the town. This adds suspense as you wonder why she is there and how she got there. As you find out and the story unfolds, it begins to fit together and make sense. The dialect and writing were suiting for the roles being played. The men of the mine said very inappropriate things to the women, and although I find it difficult to believe, I also feel it is reality and believable.
The storyline was an eye-opener, and as the ending concludes, it does not directly state whether she won the case or not. The last scene shows her in the truck teaching her son how to bond. Due to the events of her and her son’s life throughout the movie, the son found it very difficult to understand and respect is mother. With the help of a family friend and learning the truth the son along with Josey’s father begin to support Josey in the court case. The bonding of the two at the end is the last scene that leaves you off on a happy note. It is then typed after that scene explaining that Josey had won the court case and gives factual information of the events that cascaded after thanks to her.
The movies main theme was to convince the audience that Josey was right and that something needed to be done about the issue. The director wanted to showcase human nature during that time era when women weren’t treated fairly, and how it took the brave courage of one woman to prove to them all that she was not really what they deemed her as. It’s a film about courage, strength, hard times, reality, and perseverance. It showcases this main character through dialect, emotional draws, as well as supporting actors and symbolism. One supporting actor, Glory, acts as Josey’s friend from the moment she came to town. Glory is the one that convinced Josey to work in the mines, and as soon as Josey starts “creating trouble” Glory finds it hard to support her. Glory becomes extremely week and withers away at this point in the film. Glory’s medical condition symbolizes the women of the mine. They couldn’t stand up for themselves, or be treated with respect by the men. They just had to take the harassment and keep their mouths shut. Eventually they would wither away in their personalities for they had no voice. Just like Glory who becomes decrepit and voiceless in the end. An irony in the film included that of the head man at the mine hiring a woman lawyer in the court case to make the statement that he did not discriminate against women. It added to the plot and enhanced the miner’s characters as a general population.
This movie has a strong message to all of its viewers. The message of what it’s like to be treated so poorly all your life, and put up with things like sexual harassment and rape and not of the power to do anything about them. It takes pure human nature in some of its most evil ways and tries to prove to the audience that this type of behavior is not okay. It is also trying to educate the audience that things like this in our society do happen. They happen every day and we turn a blind eye to them because it is easier to do nothing about it. Josey had the courage and strength to stand up, unlike the other woman workers of the mine. She had a message and a lesson to teach them all and she succeeded. She is admired and supported in the end and gains the respect and courage that any human should have the right to possess. According to the book The Art of Watching Films this movie would be considered a social problem film, as it is clear and evident that sexual harassment was an issue in the work place and unjust. Any viewer of this film is bound to be moved, as it sends a strong message to society. It may be difficult to view, like the rape scene, but it reflects our own society still today in a harsh reality that is unforgettable.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Cider House Rules
The movie Cider House Rules is a story that pulls you in emotionally and mentally. Because the plot is centered on a central theme involving human nature, it is believable, and an eye opener to what goes on in our society. I really enjoyed this movie as I felt very connected to the characters, enjoyed the scenery, and the overall plot as well. This story about a naive orphan, Homer, draws you in as he must experience life outside the orphan and decided what he wants, and who he wants to be in life. As he makes his journey he learns some hard lessons in life, as well as implements some lessons already learned to those around him. I would give this movie two thumbs up.
The story line was believable, as it centered on the time period World War II. Life was different than today as the cars, medical practices, and way of living was less advanced and less knowledgeable. From the medical practices of the doctor addicted to ether for sleeping, to the African Americans unable to read in the “cider house”. This way of life was captures not only through its scenes, but dialect and actions as well. You felt as if you were also in that time era and it was easy to understand why things were the way they were and what was going on. The dialect I found to be very suiting as well as the acting. From the African American’s accent, poor grammar, and way of life, to Homer’s awkwardness around Candy when he falls in love with her, you really grasp the characters feelings, emotions, and culture. An example of this would be Dr. Rose’s dialect. Although he is a wise and aged man, he uses aint’ and ya’ll often in his language. Another example of this would be the knife fight between Mr. Rose and jack. You feel their anger and difficulty to work out their problems so instead they want to fight. It was their way of life, the way they solved things back then, and didn’t see it as unjust as would be seen today.
The film uses editing techniques like color and musical background to enhance the mood of scenes. Most scenes in the movie are bright like a spring day and often cheerful. When the children of the orphanage are running through the yard happy as can be. The sun is out, the sky is blue and life seems fun, free, and innocent, like the children themselves. Other scenes are much darker, especially the more difficult ones, such as the knife fight scene, and the scene where Homer performs the operation on Rose. Music also adds to the emotional tie to the film through light orchestra music in the background. The music contains no words, however is often play in the film during the lighter, carefree times.
Toby McGuires job in this was phenomenal as he played and innocent sheltered orphan boy trying to experience the world. Like when he witnesses a crab for the first time, or learns to drive. Also his brilliant character shows in his drive and ambition when working in the orchard and learning the culture from his African American roommates. Although he may seem innocent and sheltered one thing that he does not a lot about comes in handy when Rose Rose finds herself in trouble. He “takes care of her” and proves to be brave and supportive through what was frowned upon. He knew no better though due to his bringing up. All the years at the orphanage he refused to perform abortions due to his moral standards; however, when his friend Rose finds herself in trouble of no accident he puts aside his beliefs in fear she will die like he had seen before and helps her out. This is the turning point for Homer as it signifies his passage from boyhood to manhood. It is at this point where he decides to return back to the orphanage and take over the dead Dr. Wilbur’s place.
The ending I felt was a bit of happy and sad one. Although you were happy that he decided to return back to the orphanage where you really felt his character belonged, his love with Candy was left behind and that was a bit of a disappointment as she chose to be with her boyfriend who was returning from war. The love that he had for her was his first love, and although it hurt him, it was an experience, and a passage of life that was that push towards returning “home”. The people who truly loved him, were the children of the orphanage that grew up with him, and showed their love in full as he returned and received numerous hugs and greetings. It ends with the final line “Goodnight princes of New England and Kings of Maine.” That line was that repeated by Dr. Wilbur every night to the children at bedtime.
This film took a risk at previewing what the time era was like without modern day means of birth control. Back then abortion was not as frowned upon as one might say in today’s society. Abortion was one of the only means of birth control in that time era, and more commonly accepted as that, rather than what it is accepted as in today’s society. The film shows how Dr. Wilbur delivered babies of mothers who did not want their children, and ran the orphanage that housed these kids, as well as terminate pregnancies. However, this is not the main focus of the film to show abortions in the early 1900’s but rather the theme is to focus on the growing up, and maturing of a man. This man is Homer, an orphan in the orphanage taken under Dr. Wilbur’s wing and trained as his assistant in his medical practices. Dr. Wilbur wants Homer to fit the mold he has made for him, but Homer wants to experience life on his own and decide for himself. This movie uses symbols and common themes to get it’s message across. One theme is that of deciding for yourself what you want in life, and experiencing life. Another theme would be that you have to make your own rules in life. All of these revolve around shaping your own character, as the main character tries and finds what his character in life is. One symbol of the movie would be the knife. The African Americans working in the Cider house used knifes to fight and defend themselves. It was their defense and shield in life. They didn’t handle things with words and compromise, but with threats and shields. They knew no better. When Rose runs away from Mr. Rose in the end she stabs her father with a knife which kills him. He wanted to be killed for he felt he deserved it after what he had put her through. He was proud of the way she had defended herself with the knife, even though it was going to take her own life. He knew that as she was running away she would be safe for she had been taught well to use the knife and had one on her as a defense. This knife also signifies irony as Mr. Rose was not one to be reckoned with for his well known knife skills. In the end it is the knife that kills him by his own daughter that he taught how to use it. Another symbol in the movie includes that of which the title was named for. The Cider house rules is a printed sheet of paper in the bunks where the workers stay. None of the African Americans could read them, but wondered what they had said. When Homer finally reads the rules to them, they laugh and the absurdness. Half of the rules had already been broken, like the one that stated not to smoke in the bunk house. The ones that hadn’t been broken were shown broke in the next scenes as it shows them all sitting on the roof at night time. Although this scene was seconds long, it strongly signified one of the main points of the film. As stated by Dr. Rose himself along the lines of: those rules are made by people who do not have to live among them. You make your own rules in life to get by. This is a turning point of Homer as he is trying to figure out what he wants to do with the rest of his life. He realizes that he must follow his own path and make his own rules, and experiences. Although he wasn’t morally stable with performing abortions, he made his own rule by doing so with Rose, and finally in the end committing to the clinic for he wanted to help people who desperately needed them. He wanted to make his own rule of accepting it because he didn’t want anyone to “take care of it themselves” and end up dead like the girl he saw. Right before Mr. Rose dies he says to Homer “That's right. That's the truth. I'm just tryin' to put things straight. Sometimes, ya gotta break some rules, to put things straight. Ain't that right, Homer?” That implicates Homer breaking his own rules.
This movie may be offensive to the public in that it has such a passive view of abortion, although that was not the main focus for the film. To the viewer the director was trying to get a message across of life and love through entertainment. It’s simply a story, based on a book that wants you to become attached to Homer and his journey of finding himself in life. The director wanted to open the viewers eyes to the harsh and cruel world out there, and to simply show one side of life that is different than most. I think the impact that it will have on people and society is that of a sad and cruel view of what life can be like, and how Homer makes the best of every situation. From Rose being raped by her father, to the young girl dying from an abortion gone wrong, to Wally losing his legs in war, to fuzzy dying and never finding a home, there is great truth to human nature in this movie. It shows a raw side of life that people choose to ignore. However sad this movie is, there is also happiness and joy as well. This is a great reflection of our society even today. Sad, disturbing things are happening all around us, whether we want to recognize it or not. Homer was innocent and learned quickly the harshness that life presented. It’s reality, human nature, sad but true. Everyday women are getting abortions, men are losing their lives and body parts in war, children are dying, children never find a home in orphanages, and women are getting raped. Our society and culture is reflected in this movie immensely, even if the time era is almost a hundred years ago. I feel as though Dr. Wilbur wanted to protect the children of the orphanage from this reality as he lied about Fuzzy’s death, and every night repeated: “Goodnight all you princes of New England, and Kings of Maine”. He wanted to know that they were special and important to him, and that they were the world. They all had no knowledge of the outside world, and its harshness.
The cider house rules. DVD. Dir. Lasse Hallström. Perf. Tobey Maguire, Michael Caine, Charlize Theron, Paul Rudd, Delroy Lindo, Erykah Badu. Miramax Films. [2000]
The story line was believable, as it centered on the time period World War II. Life was different than today as the cars, medical practices, and way of living was less advanced and less knowledgeable. From the medical practices of the doctor addicted to ether for sleeping, to the African Americans unable to read in the “cider house”. This way of life was captures not only through its scenes, but dialect and actions as well. You felt as if you were also in that time era and it was easy to understand why things were the way they were and what was going on. The dialect I found to be very suiting as well as the acting. From the African American’s accent, poor grammar, and way of life, to Homer’s awkwardness around Candy when he falls in love with her, you really grasp the characters feelings, emotions, and culture. An example of this would be Dr. Rose’s dialect. Although he is a wise and aged man, he uses aint’ and ya’ll often in his language. Another example of this would be the knife fight between Mr. Rose and jack. You feel their anger and difficulty to work out their problems so instead they want to fight. It was their way of life, the way they solved things back then, and didn’t see it as unjust as would be seen today.
The film uses editing techniques like color and musical background to enhance the mood of scenes. Most scenes in the movie are bright like a spring day and often cheerful. When the children of the orphanage are running through the yard happy as can be. The sun is out, the sky is blue and life seems fun, free, and innocent, like the children themselves. Other scenes are much darker, especially the more difficult ones, such as the knife fight scene, and the scene where Homer performs the operation on Rose. Music also adds to the emotional tie to the film through light orchestra music in the background. The music contains no words, however is often play in the film during the lighter, carefree times.
Toby McGuires job in this was phenomenal as he played and innocent sheltered orphan boy trying to experience the world. Like when he witnesses a crab for the first time, or learns to drive. Also his brilliant character shows in his drive and ambition when working in the orchard and learning the culture from his African American roommates. Although he may seem innocent and sheltered one thing that he does not a lot about comes in handy when Rose Rose finds herself in trouble. He “takes care of her” and proves to be brave and supportive through what was frowned upon. He knew no better though due to his bringing up. All the years at the orphanage he refused to perform abortions due to his moral standards; however, when his friend Rose finds herself in trouble of no accident he puts aside his beliefs in fear she will die like he had seen before and helps her out. This is the turning point for Homer as it signifies his passage from boyhood to manhood. It is at this point where he decides to return back to the orphanage and take over the dead Dr. Wilbur’s place.
The ending I felt was a bit of happy and sad one. Although you were happy that he decided to return back to the orphanage where you really felt his character belonged, his love with Candy was left behind and that was a bit of a disappointment as she chose to be with her boyfriend who was returning from war. The love that he had for her was his first love, and although it hurt him, it was an experience, and a passage of life that was that push towards returning “home”. The people who truly loved him, were the children of the orphanage that grew up with him, and showed their love in full as he returned and received numerous hugs and greetings. It ends with the final line “Goodnight princes of New England and Kings of Maine.” That line was that repeated by Dr. Wilbur every night to the children at bedtime.
This film took a risk at previewing what the time era was like without modern day means of birth control. Back then abortion was not as frowned upon as one might say in today’s society. Abortion was one of the only means of birth control in that time era, and more commonly accepted as that, rather than what it is accepted as in today’s society. The film shows how Dr. Wilbur delivered babies of mothers who did not want their children, and ran the orphanage that housed these kids, as well as terminate pregnancies. However, this is not the main focus of the film to show abortions in the early 1900’s but rather the theme is to focus on the growing up, and maturing of a man. This man is Homer, an orphan in the orphanage taken under Dr. Wilbur’s wing and trained as his assistant in his medical practices. Dr. Wilbur wants Homer to fit the mold he has made for him, but Homer wants to experience life on his own and decide for himself. This movie uses symbols and common themes to get it’s message across. One theme is that of deciding for yourself what you want in life, and experiencing life. Another theme would be that you have to make your own rules in life. All of these revolve around shaping your own character, as the main character tries and finds what his character in life is. One symbol of the movie would be the knife. The African Americans working in the Cider house used knifes to fight and defend themselves. It was their defense and shield in life. They didn’t handle things with words and compromise, but with threats and shields. They knew no better. When Rose runs away from Mr. Rose in the end she stabs her father with a knife which kills him. He wanted to be killed for he felt he deserved it after what he had put her through. He was proud of the way she had defended herself with the knife, even though it was going to take her own life. He knew that as she was running away she would be safe for she had been taught well to use the knife and had one on her as a defense. This knife also signifies irony as Mr. Rose was not one to be reckoned with for his well known knife skills. In the end it is the knife that kills him by his own daughter that he taught how to use it. Another symbol in the movie includes that of which the title was named for. The Cider house rules is a printed sheet of paper in the bunks where the workers stay. None of the African Americans could read them, but wondered what they had said. When Homer finally reads the rules to them, they laugh and the absurdness. Half of the rules had already been broken, like the one that stated not to smoke in the bunk house. The ones that hadn’t been broken were shown broke in the next scenes as it shows them all sitting on the roof at night time. Although this scene was seconds long, it strongly signified one of the main points of the film. As stated by Dr. Rose himself along the lines of: those rules are made by people who do not have to live among them. You make your own rules in life to get by. This is a turning point of Homer as he is trying to figure out what he wants to do with the rest of his life. He realizes that he must follow his own path and make his own rules, and experiences. Although he wasn’t morally stable with performing abortions, he made his own rule by doing so with Rose, and finally in the end committing to the clinic for he wanted to help people who desperately needed them. He wanted to make his own rule of accepting it because he didn’t want anyone to “take care of it themselves” and end up dead like the girl he saw. Right before Mr. Rose dies he says to Homer “That's right. That's the truth. I'm just tryin' to put things straight. Sometimes, ya gotta break some rules, to put things straight. Ain't that right, Homer?” That implicates Homer breaking his own rules.
This movie may be offensive to the public in that it has such a passive view of abortion, although that was not the main focus for the film. To the viewer the director was trying to get a message across of life and love through entertainment. It’s simply a story, based on a book that wants you to become attached to Homer and his journey of finding himself in life. The director wanted to open the viewers eyes to the harsh and cruel world out there, and to simply show one side of life that is different than most. I think the impact that it will have on people and society is that of a sad and cruel view of what life can be like, and how Homer makes the best of every situation. From Rose being raped by her father, to the young girl dying from an abortion gone wrong, to Wally losing his legs in war, to fuzzy dying and never finding a home, there is great truth to human nature in this movie. It shows a raw side of life that people choose to ignore. However sad this movie is, there is also happiness and joy as well. This is a great reflection of our society even today. Sad, disturbing things are happening all around us, whether we want to recognize it or not. Homer was innocent and learned quickly the harshness that life presented. It’s reality, human nature, sad but true. Everyday women are getting abortions, men are losing their lives and body parts in war, children are dying, children never find a home in orphanages, and women are getting raped. Our society and culture is reflected in this movie immensely, even if the time era is almost a hundred years ago. I feel as though Dr. Wilbur wanted to protect the children of the orphanage from this reality as he lied about Fuzzy’s death, and every night repeated: “Goodnight all you princes of New England, and Kings of Maine”. He wanted to know that they were special and important to him, and that they were the world. They all had no knowledge of the outside world, and its harshness.
The cider house rules. DVD. Dir. Lasse Hallström. Perf. Tobey Maguire, Michael Caine, Charlize Theron, Paul Rudd, Delroy Lindo, Erykah Badu. Miramax Films. [2000]
Monday, July 5, 2010
Brokeback Mountain
The movie Brokeback Mountain is a story of two characters and their unusual quest for love. Most love stories follow similar plots; however, this story is different for it is one between a man and a man. Both Heath Ledger, and Jake Gyllenhaal work hard to portray their characters in what I can imagine a very difficult way. Another character, Jack’s wife, Anne Hathaway plays a surprising role as well. As the two main characters struggle for their love over a period of about twenty years, you become fixated with their character, and the overall development of the plot, and what will become of them as they struggle for a normal life.
The book the Art of Film Watching says ” because we naturally respond to films most human ingredient, the actor’s contribution is extremely important.” (pg. 329) This movie has two very strong lead roles, played by very strong actors, who do a fabulous job at portraying their characters of rough, tough cowboys, who had a love for one another in a time and place where such a thing was unwelcomed, and looked frowned upon. Because of this fate, they were limited to seeing and being with one another and the sadness of their love story is strongly felt by the characters as an audience, and the viewer gains an understanding and empathetic feeling towards the characters as their love struggles to survive. In Jay Antani’s review he agrees upon their performances as he states: “Ledger and Gyllenhaal deliver brave, creditable performances and each serves his character honestly: Gyllenhaal’s Jack is an open-hearted soul, apt to express his love and angst directly, and he alone can see through the armor of macho reticence that Ledger’s Ennis continually wears. Ennis, for his part, harbors a barely-controlled hostility towards the world, towards himself, and it’s scary to witness those moments when it is unleashed.”
The actors of this movie pull you in through features such as emotion, facial expressions, and this talent of portraying a character other than oneself can be difficult, especially in roles completely opposite of the true self. Both Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal pull together an amazing job of two homosexuals, even if in real life they are not. The books would recognize this as “ actors must have the ability to express these things (intelligence, imagination, sensitivity, and insight into human nature) convincingly through voice, body language, movements, gestures, or facial expressions, so the qualities seem true to the characters portrayed and to the situation in which the characters find themselves.” (pg. 320). Picturing myself in their roles as straight in real life and trying to have an intimate seen with a character of the same sex would be extremely difficult and frustrating for me I would imagine.
The film uses extras in both the rodeo scenes, the bar scene, as well as the 4th of July picnic scene. These extras add to the film as you get a sense of place. An example of this would be the bar where everyone is dressed in country getup, and interacting in the background to enhance the scene. You get a feeling of a country bar, in a small town, where everyone knows each other, and everyone is friendly. The supporting actors also enhance the film, as the wife’s of both lead characters illustrate their struggles as well. Anne Halthaway, Jake’s wife, does an amazing job at portraying her role as a Texan cowgirl. From her accent, to her clothing, to her strong character, you go from seeing her as a character in other movies or a person, to this wife of a cowboy raising a son in the Southern state of Texas.
As the love for the main characters develops over a period of twenty years in the course of the film, the characters grow older, and so do the supporting actors. The book describes two ways to show this trick of aging. One being using different characters from young to old and the other using makeup and props to physically make them younger/older. The main leads use facial hair to signify that they are older, and time has passed. The supporting actors such as Ennis’ children use different characters from the roles of the babies, to the young children to the end of the movie when the young daughter Jenny is practically a young adult.
Although I felt the movie drug on, I thought the scenery, the characters and the plot of the story was fascinating and believable. Both main characters did a great job, and I became enthralled and curious about their relationship and what would become of it. Although nothing ever really did besides their yearly visits to primitive areas, I still wanted them to be happy in the end. Because jack ended up dying nothing ever did become of it, and the plot just grew even sadder. I felt however this death took a toll of Ennis, but it also relieved him in a way because from that point on he no longer had the stress of hiding his love of another man from his friends and family and didn’t have to worry, miss of think about him and being together from that point on. This film created strong emotional ties to the characters thanks to the actors’ wonderful job, and I would strongly recommend this movie to anyone for a new perspective on love.
Antani, J. (2009, August 17). Brokeback mountain. Retrieved from http://cinemawriter.com/2009/08/17/brokeback-mountain/
Boggs, Joseph, & Petrie, Dennis. (2008). The Art of watching films. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill College.
The book the Art of Film Watching says ” because we naturally respond to films most human ingredient, the actor’s contribution is extremely important.” (pg. 329) This movie has two very strong lead roles, played by very strong actors, who do a fabulous job at portraying their characters of rough, tough cowboys, who had a love for one another in a time and place where such a thing was unwelcomed, and looked frowned upon. Because of this fate, they were limited to seeing and being with one another and the sadness of their love story is strongly felt by the characters as an audience, and the viewer gains an understanding and empathetic feeling towards the characters as their love struggles to survive. In Jay Antani’s review he agrees upon their performances as he states: “Ledger and Gyllenhaal deliver brave, creditable performances and each serves his character honestly: Gyllenhaal’s Jack is an open-hearted soul, apt to express his love and angst directly, and he alone can see through the armor of macho reticence that Ledger’s Ennis continually wears. Ennis, for his part, harbors a barely-controlled hostility towards the world, towards himself, and it’s scary to witness those moments when it is unleashed.”
The actors of this movie pull you in through features such as emotion, facial expressions, and this talent of portraying a character other than oneself can be difficult, especially in roles completely opposite of the true self. Both Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal pull together an amazing job of two homosexuals, even if in real life they are not. The books would recognize this as “ actors must have the ability to express these things (intelligence, imagination, sensitivity, and insight into human nature) convincingly through voice, body language, movements, gestures, or facial expressions, so the qualities seem true to the characters portrayed and to the situation in which the characters find themselves.” (pg. 320). Picturing myself in their roles as straight in real life and trying to have an intimate seen with a character of the same sex would be extremely difficult and frustrating for me I would imagine.
The film uses extras in both the rodeo scenes, the bar scene, as well as the 4th of July picnic scene. These extras add to the film as you get a sense of place. An example of this would be the bar where everyone is dressed in country getup, and interacting in the background to enhance the scene. You get a feeling of a country bar, in a small town, where everyone knows each other, and everyone is friendly. The supporting actors also enhance the film, as the wife’s of both lead characters illustrate their struggles as well. Anne Halthaway, Jake’s wife, does an amazing job at portraying her role as a Texan cowgirl. From her accent, to her clothing, to her strong character, you go from seeing her as a character in other movies or a person, to this wife of a cowboy raising a son in the Southern state of Texas.
As the love for the main characters develops over a period of twenty years in the course of the film, the characters grow older, and so do the supporting actors. The book describes two ways to show this trick of aging. One being using different characters from young to old and the other using makeup and props to physically make them younger/older. The main leads use facial hair to signify that they are older, and time has passed. The supporting actors such as Ennis’ children use different characters from the roles of the babies, to the young children to the end of the movie when the young daughter Jenny is practically a young adult.
Although I felt the movie drug on, I thought the scenery, the characters and the plot of the story was fascinating and believable. Both main characters did a great job, and I became enthralled and curious about their relationship and what would become of it. Although nothing ever really did besides their yearly visits to primitive areas, I still wanted them to be happy in the end. Because jack ended up dying nothing ever did become of it, and the plot just grew even sadder. I felt however this death took a toll of Ennis, but it also relieved him in a way because from that point on he no longer had the stress of hiding his love of another man from his friends and family and didn’t have to worry, miss of think about him and being together from that point on. This film created strong emotional ties to the characters thanks to the actors’ wonderful job, and I would strongly recommend this movie to anyone for a new perspective on love.
Antani, J. (2009, August 17). Brokeback mountain. Retrieved from http://cinemawriter.com/2009/08/17/brokeback-mountain/
Boggs, Joseph, & Petrie, Dennis. (2008). The Art of watching films. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill College.
Little Miss Sunshine
The movie Little Miss Sunshine, shows a wide range of characters. From the little girl, who knows no difference in the world, the sane mother, the bankrupt father, the suicidal uncle, the silent brother to the crazy drug addict grandfather. Although the main role is played by that of the little girl Olive, all of the side actors also portray strong characteristics that are very essential to the overall story. All of the actors/actresses do a spectacular job of playing their specific characters and how they function. An example of this would be the crazy grandpa, who is a crack addict and the whole movie does a wonderful job of acting like one as he’s always giving advice and asking questions. He’s crazy to the audience and yet admired by the audience at the same time for his comical nature.
All of the actors/actresses make us believe in their character. The book The Art of Film Watching states: “the ultimate goal of any actor should be to make us believe completely in the reality of the character” (pg. 319) In Little Miss Sunshine one of the only characters that seem somewhat normal is the mother. She does a great job acting out the mother role and keeping the family in line. An example of this is when they pull over because the son realizes that he can’t become a pilot in the army because he is blind. The mother goes out there calms him down and begs him to get back in the car because Olive needs him. Her mother role is so strong and comforting, and believable. You believe her strong emotional pull to comfort her son and care for how the daughter’s feeling will be affected as well. The uncle played by Steve Carell is done greatly as well. Often times his characters are often similar in the crazy awkward guy, like this movie as well. This would be defined in the books as typecasting, when casting “consigns an actor to a narrow range of almost identical roles.” (pg. 341) He is placed with the family on their journey because he tried to commit suicide. Although he is often an observer to everything going on around them, he has the brains of the group, and remains placid throughout the film. A film review by Jamie Gillies agrees “Carell’s performance as a gay academic is credible and impressive. His surprisingly effective pathos works alongside Dano’s (plays grandpa in movie) struggles as the two sort out life’s troubles.”
The main actor Abigail Breslin, Olive, does a fabulous job. She is a girl who doesn’t know much in life, but the fact that she wants to be a beauty queen. She is a girl who doesn’t notice that her family is crazy, that she is chubby for a beauty queen, not as pretty or rich, but loves her life anyways. This little actress at such a young age captures the character perfectly as she enjoys life for what it is and thinks that what she has around her is normal. An example of this from the film would be when she gives her final dance for the talent show at the end. Everyone in the crowd is disgusted, but she is enjoying her obscene dancing, and going all out. Her family jumps on the stage and begins dancing with her because they want to support her in the dance and protect her from feeling ashamed by the crowd. She doesn’t have a clue what is going on, but instead just enjoys it more. All of her family members in the film would be considered supporting actors in the book as “the support the major roles” (pg. 345). All of these supporting actors enhance her character as a girl who knows no difference in the world because she has grown up with these crazy family members.
This movie is a great movie about one dysfunctional family that although their quirks pulls it together in times of need and supports one another and manages to have a good time. The actors and actresses do a fabulous job to believe their characters, and the overall plot of the movie. Although this movie is different than most films, and tends to be a bit awkward at times, I really enjoyed this movie. It made me laugh, and realize that every family has their problems. I was impressed with the little girl, Olive, in the movie. I admired her character, and wanted things for her to turn out for the best. Although she did not win the little miss sunshine pageant, she had a great time and in the end I was still pleased with how things turned out.
Boggs, Joseph, & Petrie, Dennis. (2008). The Art of watching films. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill College.
Gillies, J. (n.d.). Litte miss sunshine (2006). Retrieved from
http://www.apolloguide.com/mov_fullrev.asp?CID=5929
All of the actors/actresses make us believe in their character. The book The Art of Film Watching states: “the ultimate goal of any actor should be to make us believe completely in the reality of the character” (pg. 319) In Little Miss Sunshine one of the only characters that seem somewhat normal is the mother. She does a great job acting out the mother role and keeping the family in line. An example of this is when they pull over because the son realizes that he can’t become a pilot in the army because he is blind. The mother goes out there calms him down and begs him to get back in the car because Olive needs him. Her mother role is so strong and comforting, and believable. You believe her strong emotional pull to comfort her son and care for how the daughter’s feeling will be affected as well. The uncle played by Steve Carell is done greatly as well. Often times his characters are often similar in the crazy awkward guy, like this movie as well. This would be defined in the books as typecasting, when casting “consigns an actor to a narrow range of almost identical roles.” (pg. 341) He is placed with the family on their journey because he tried to commit suicide. Although he is often an observer to everything going on around them, he has the brains of the group, and remains placid throughout the film. A film review by Jamie Gillies agrees “Carell’s performance as a gay academic is credible and impressive. His surprisingly effective pathos works alongside Dano’s (plays grandpa in movie) struggles as the two sort out life’s troubles.”
The main actor Abigail Breslin, Olive, does a fabulous job. She is a girl who doesn’t know much in life, but the fact that she wants to be a beauty queen. She is a girl who doesn’t notice that her family is crazy, that she is chubby for a beauty queen, not as pretty or rich, but loves her life anyways. This little actress at such a young age captures the character perfectly as she enjoys life for what it is and thinks that what she has around her is normal. An example of this from the film would be when she gives her final dance for the talent show at the end. Everyone in the crowd is disgusted, but she is enjoying her obscene dancing, and going all out. Her family jumps on the stage and begins dancing with her because they want to support her in the dance and protect her from feeling ashamed by the crowd. She doesn’t have a clue what is going on, but instead just enjoys it more. All of her family members in the film would be considered supporting actors in the book as “the support the major roles” (pg. 345). All of these supporting actors enhance her character as a girl who knows no difference in the world because she has grown up with these crazy family members.
This movie is a great movie about one dysfunctional family that although their quirks pulls it together in times of need and supports one another and manages to have a good time. The actors and actresses do a fabulous job to believe their characters, and the overall plot of the movie. Although this movie is different than most films, and tends to be a bit awkward at times, I really enjoyed this movie. It made me laugh, and realize that every family has their problems. I was impressed with the little girl, Olive, in the movie. I admired her character, and wanted things for her to turn out for the best. Although she did not win the little miss sunshine pageant, she had a great time and in the end I was still pleased with how things turned out.
Boggs, Joseph, & Petrie, Dennis. (2008). The Art of watching films. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill College.
Gillies, J. (n.d.). Litte miss sunshine (2006). Retrieved from
http://www.apolloguide.com/mov_fullrev.asp?CID=5929
Sunday, June 27, 2010
War of the Worlds
The Movie War of the Worlds is a thrilling movie that uses contrasts of colors as well as strong sound, and music to create an emotional tie to the movie’s dramatic effect. From the dark scenes with bold contrasts to the emotional music in the background the movie will keeps the viewer entertained till the end through emotional ties and curiosity.
Because the movie deals with this mysterious storm coming upon the entire world most scenes appear to be distorted in color with a darker shade to it, creating a more emotional tie of darkness. As the main character Ray struggles to keep his two children alive as mysterious creatures begin to terminate the human population, most of the movie takes place during the night time. These dark scenes contribute to contrasting colors of the fire and laser beams from the creatures. The book The Art of Film Watching would describe these colors as advancing colors described as “when high intensity and dark value, they seem to advance, making the objects appears larger and closer to the camera than they are.” (pg. 229) An example of this would be then Robbie decides to join the arm to defeat the creatures, and Roy must choose between his daughter being taken away by strangers or his son joining the soldiers. Roy lets go of the son and chases after the daughter, and right then an army vehicle goes rolling down the hill on fire. The fire is really the only color in the scene; thus, really standing out as it moves down the hill, advancing to the human eye and catching the attention. A lot of the time also the scenery appears to be a bit hazy and smoky adding once again to the mystery and suspense of what is going on. With these affects it emotionally draws you to the plot and adds to your senses. As the book states: “ the added richness and depth that color provides make awareness of color and its effects on the audience essential to perceptive film watching. “ (pg. 233) Even the noises that the robotic “creatures” make is a musical boat horn type sound that becomes almost eerie after you realize what the sound indicates.
Not only does War of the Worlds provide a good example of how color is used to enhance a plot, music and sound are well used tools used in this movie to heighten and contribute to the plot. The movie contains little background noises, so whenever you hear something moving, rustling, or noises from the creatures it is almost a startling affect. An example of this would be when they are hiding in the basement and the creature sticks one of its “tentacles” into the basement to see if anyone is in there. Because the characters have to remain quite from getting caught in hiding and dying on the spot, the movie provides no noise, until the girl accidently moved her boot. The noise is exaggerated then and creates tension as the tentacle then swiftly moves in on them closer. As the books says “ these elements of sound added levels of meaning and provide sensual and emotional stimuli that increase the range, depth, and intensity of our experience far beyond what can be achieved through visual means alone.” (pg. 257) Besides the sounds, there is a lot of background music that plays in the background almost continuously in the background. This music sets mood to the plot. When something is about to happen fast pase, loud, deep music will play. When something scary occur you hear a high pitched repetitive violin music that begins to get faster and faster. An example of this would be when Rachel goes to the river and see’s a dead body floating. Her facials indicated that she is horrified and the music begins. As she the rivers flows on more and more dead bodies are floating down the river and her face grows more intense, and the music gets faster and faster and adds to the mood, capturing you emotional as well. The book describes this as “an effective sound image can trigger a response in our imagination much stronger than any visual image.” (pg. 263) Thus, they used the added sound in the background because not only her facial expressions could tie you in to the feelings she was feeling, thus they added the sound to trigger the feeling of the viewer as well. The book would describe these musical sound clips as “building dramatic tension” (pg.295)
I found the movie to be very intense and somewhat believable. Roy was a smart man even though his character wouldn’t suggest so. He loved his family to death and used his wit to keep them alive. I was emotionally attached to the movie throughout the entire time, and curious as to what would happen next. One thing that I found to be very interesting when watching it was the characters facial expressions throughout. During a lot of the movie there are often times of no talking but you can always tell what is going on with the characters by looking at their facials. From the dead bodies floating in the river to Robby’s facials when the gun shots go off when they are sitting in the diner after getting their car taken away, to Robby and Roy reuniting, you can always tell how they are feeling. I would definitely recommend this movie for a well developed movie full of suspense and action.
Boggs, Joseph, & Petrie, Dennis. (2008). The Art of watching films. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill College.
Because the movie deals with this mysterious storm coming upon the entire world most scenes appear to be distorted in color with a darker shade to it, creating a more emotional tie of darkness. As the main character Ray struggles to keep his two children alive as mysterious creatures begin to terminate the human population, most of the movie takes place during the night time. These dark scenes contribute to contrasting colors of the fire and laser beams from the creatures. The book The Art of Film Watching would describe these colors as advancing colors described as “when high intensity and dark value, they seem to advance, making the objects appears larger and closer to the camera than they are.” (pg. 229) An example of this would be then Robbie decides to join the arm to defeat the creatures, and Roy must choose between his daughter being taken away by strangers or his son joining the soldiers. Roy lets go of the son and chases after the daughter, and right then an army vehicle goes rolling down the hill on fire. The fire is really the only color in the scene; thus, really standing out as it moves down the hill, advancing to the human eye and catching the attention. A lot of the time also the scenery appears to be a bit hazy and smoky adding once again to the mystery and suspense of what is going on. With these affects it emotionally draws you to the plot and adds to your senses. As the book states: “ the added richness and depth that color provides make awareness of color and its effects on the audience essential to perceptive film watching. “ (pg. 233) Even the noises that the robotic “creatures” make is a musical boat horn type sound that becomes almost eerie after you realize what the sound indicates.
Not only does War of the Worlds provide a good example of how color is used to enhance a plot, music and sound are well used tools used in this movie to heighten and contribute to the plot. The movie contains little background noises, so whenever you hear something moving, rustling, or noises from the creatures it is almost a startling affect. An example of this would be when they are hiding in the basement and the creature sticks one of its “tentacles” into the basement to see if anyone is in there. Because the characters have to remain quite from getting caught in hiding and dying on the spot, the movie provides no noise, until the girl accidently moved her boot. The noise is exaggerated then and creates tension as the tentacle then swiftly moves in on them closer. As the books says “ these elements of sound added levels of meaning and provide sensual and emotional stimuli that increase the range, depth, and intensity of our experience far beyond what can be achieved through visual means alone.” (pg. 257) Besides the sounds, there is a lot of background music that plays in the background almost continuously in the background. This music sets mood to the plot. When something is about to happen fast pase, loud, deep music will play. When something scary occur you hear a high pitched repetitive violin music that begins to get faster and faster. An example of this would be when Rachel goes to the river and see’s a dead body floating. Her facials indicated that she is horrified and the music begins. As she the rivers flows on more and more dead bodies are floating down the river and her face grows more intense, and the music gets faster and faster and adds to the mood, capturing you emotional as well. The book describes this as “an effective sound image can trigger a response in our imagination much stronger than any visual image.” (pg. 263) Thus, they used the added sound in the background because not only her facial expressions could tie you in to the feelings she was feeling, thus they added the sound to trigger the feeling of the viewer as well. The book would describe these musical sound clips as “building dramatic tension” (pg.295)
I found the movie to be very intense and somewhat believable. Roy was a smart man even though his character wouldn’t suggest so. He loved his family to death and used his wit to keep them alive. I was emotionally attached to the movie throughout the entire time, and curious as to what would happen next. One thing that I found to be very interesting when watching it was the characters facial expressions throughout. During a lot of the movie there are often times of no talking but you can always tell what is going on with the characters by looking at their facials. From the dead bodies floating in the river to Robby’s facials when the gun shots go off when they are sitting in the diner after getting their car taken away, to Robby and Roy reuniting, you can always tell how they are feeling. I would definitely recommend this movie for a well developed movie full of suspense and action.
Boggs, Joseph, & Petrie, Dennis. (2008). The Art of watching films. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill College.
Avatar
The Movie Avatar is a movie full of explosions of new colorful world, as well as sound effects, and technology that will make one great movie experience. Jake was a marine who lost his legs and after the death of his brother was offered the chance of going into one of the most hostile environments of the planet Pandora. The setting begins with a narration of his character and how he got where he is now, which was headed to the planet of Pandora. This movie provides a native like musical score, sounds that depict fantasy animals, machinery as well as thoughts, and color like never before.
As the movie starts with self narration of the character, it is often brought back throughout the film as the main character, Jake Sulley, thinks to himself. It is later revealed in the film that this narration is really Jake giving his video diaries for observation, however the visual effect is not always there so you are often left with just the sound of his voice along with his thoughts and feelings of what is going on. Often times there will be transition sounds often depicted with fast pace drumming. This sound is often heard when the character is thinking to himself in silence about something another character has said. An example of one of these moments would be when he is asked to take over the place of his brother in the research. Other sounds include that of the forest. There is so much background noise of clicking, whistling, brushing, and such that you feel as if you are really in a forest/jungle of types except these sounds are not of human/earthly type nature. The sounds of the animals are like no animal on earth, but are very believable. These sounds would be considered mechanical sounds.
Often times while viewing a scene in the Pandora jungle you will hear the musical score of some type of native flute playing. The music in the movie often reflects the mood. Like when they are talking about his dead brother softer music plays. When they are at war against the humans, intense and loud music plays in the background. The book The Art of Film Watching would describe this as building dramatic tension. When Jake is running in the Pandora Jungle from the animals when he first goes in there is very fast pace, loud intense music. As he runs the music begins to match his steps and actions. This would be considered mickey mousing, as described in the book as “the rhythm of the music precisely matches the natural rhythms of the objects moving on the screen”. (pg. 294) When Jake is safe from the animals the music ceases which allows a type of sigh of relief. This is described in the book to be called a dead track.
The color of the movie is absolute candy. When you are at the “human” camp on Pandora you think the planet to be just like that of earth; however, during dark the fluorescent colors of Pandora shine through in light pinks, lavenders, bright blues and light greens. An example of these colors is during the scene when the natives all gather around the tree in their ritual to Eywa the tree to try and save Grace. The roots of the tree and everything around it is a bright fluorescent color. Also the scene Natiri and Jake go to the tree and are in love. The flight colors and beautifulness along with the music add a mood of a magical love and romance. All of these colors give you a magical fantasy feeling of a wonderful place. However Pandora at night is not always a safe place and during these scenes you see the dark, eeriness of Pandora like when Jake is running from the dog like creatures. During the day it seems like Pandora is mostly like the colors of earth, however the greens are not as deep and green but brighter and the colors, designs, and shapes are eccentric, bold, and bright. The books states that often times color will be altered to signal a different world as worded “color also provides a transition between two separate worlds.” (pg. 233) that is exactly what you feel when you go from seeing the site of where the “humans” have set up camp to the wildlife of Pandora. The movie also showcases montage and discussed in the book. It does this when Jake makes the link into his avatar body. The screen shows an array of colors, similar to traveling down a tunnel that changes colors.
In my opinion I found this movie to be fascinating, stimulating, and genius. I really enjoyed the connection they talked about throughout the movie between all living things on Pandora. The energy that flowed between everything represented life, and truly made me think. One irony I found was between this energy that was discussed throughout and the beads on the Avatar bodies. Being a future heath professional I have studied somewhat the nature of the India chakras. I found it interesting that the avatar bodies had these light up beads of light on their body that were especially noticed during the night time. These lines of dots subsequently outline the chakra, and energy flow believed by the India, and natural healers. The script I felt was very thought out, the technology enhanced it very well and overall I felt it had a very strong powerful theme and message. I was so enthralled and captured by this movie I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.
Boggs, Joseph, & Petrie, Dennis. (2008). The Art of watching films. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill College.
As the movie starts with self narration of the character, it is often brought back throughout the film as the main character, Jake Sulley, thinks to himself. It is later revealed in the film that this narration is really Jake giving his video diaries for observation, however the visual effect is not always there so you are often left with just the sound of his voice along with his thoughts and feelings of what is going on. Often times there will be transition sounds often depicted with fast pace drumming. This sound is often heard when the character is thinking to himself in silence about something another character has said. An example of one of these moments would be when he is asked to take over the place of his brother in the research. Other sounds include that of the forest. There is so much background noise of clicking, whistling, brushing, and such that you feel as if you are really in a forest/jungle of types except these sounds are not of human/earthly type nature. The sounds of the animals are like no animal on earth, but are very believable. These sounds would be considered mechanical sounds.
Often times while viewing a scene in the Pandora jungle you will hear the musical score of some type of native flute playing. The music in the movie often reflects the mood. Like when they are talking about his dead brother softer music plays. When they are at war against the humans, intense and loud music plays in the background. The book The Art of Film Watching would describe this as building dramatic tension. When Jake is running in the Pandora Jungle from the animals when he first goes in there is very fast pace, loud intense music. As he runs the music begins to match his steps and actions. This would be considered mickey mousing, as described in the book as “the rhythm of the music precisely matches the natural rhythms of the objects moving on the screen”. (pg. 294) When Jake is safe from the animals the music ceases which allows a type of sigh of relief. This is described in the book to be called a dead track.
The color of the movie is absolute candy. When you are at the “human” camp on Pandora you think the planet to be just like that of earth; however, during dark the fluorescent colors of Pandora shine through in light pinks, lavenders, bright blues and light greens. An example of these colors is during the scene when the natives all gather around the tree in their ritual to Eywa the tree to try and save Grace. The roots of the tree and everything around it is a bright fluorescent color. Also the scene Natiri and Jake go to the tree and are in love. The flight colors and beautifulness along with the music add a mood of a magical love and romance. All of these colors give you a magical fantasy feeling of a wonderful place. However Pandora at night is not always a safe place and during these scenes you see the dark, eeriness of Pandora like when Jake is running from the dog like creatures. During the day it seems like Pandora is mostly like the colors of earth, however the greens are not as deep and green but brighter and the colors, designs, and shapes are eccentric, bold, and bright. The books states that often times color will be altered to signal a different world as worded “color also provides a transition between two separate worlds.” (pg. 233) that is exactly what you feel when you go from seeing the site of where the “humans” have set up camp to the wildlife of Pandora. The movie also showcases montage and discussed in the book. It does this when Jake makes the link into his avatar body. The screen shows an array of colors, similar to traveling down a tunnel that changes colors.
In my opinion I found this movie to be fascinating, stimulating, and genius. I really enjoyed the connection they talked about throughout the movie between all living things on Pandora. The energy that flowed between everything represented life, and truly made me think. One irony I found was between this energy that was discussed throughout and the beads on the Avatar bodies. Being a future heath professional I have studied somewhat the nature of the India chakras. I found it interesting that the avatar bodies had these light up beads of light on their body that were especially noticed during the night time. These lines of dots subsequently outline the chakra, and energy flow believed by the India, and natural healers. The script I felt was very thought out, the technology enhanced it very well and overall I felt it had a very strong powerful theme and message. I was so enthralled and captured by this movie I would highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.
Boggs, Joseph, & Petrie, Dennis. (2008). The Art of watching films. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill College.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Munich
The movie Munich is a tragedy story of a true event, and the following events afterward. It follows four men in their search to seek out the terrorist of the Munich tragedy and kill them. This movie uses low-key lighting, noise contrasting, shadows, and an intriguing plot as you become wrapped up in the suspense. The story however is a period piece, as described in the book The Art of Film Watching as “a film that takes place not in the present but in some earlier period of history” (pg. 106). Although this event did not occur that long ago in time, the style’s were different, the building, and even language. This movie does a great job through dialect, costumes, makeup and stage setting of preserving the time period to be representative of the time era.
Most of the movies settings occur during the nighttime for that is their usual plan of attack occurrence. Because of this, the film scenes are often dark, with lots of shadows, and contrasts. As described in the books as “the nature of the story and the shooting location have a significant effect on the contribution of the lighting to the look of the film.” (pg. 114) This darkness and shadows help enhance the suspense of the quest to hunt down the terrorists. You become involved in the hunt as well as the film is shot in an objective point of view. You never know who will be behind the next corner of the alley ways or dark streets, and the darkness contributes to the limited visibility as if it were happening in real life. One scene that really gets to you is when the go to Beirut which is a Palestinian territory, the must be assisted because they are Jewish. The go with their backups to this place where supposedly three terrorists are living. It becomes a big shoot out in the dark, as several more people are involved.
As you follow the four men and their quest for the terrorists you feel a sense of rhythm as the characters all become so familiar with each other and execute every motion so perfectly with one another. Although you never know what is going to happen next there is always this sense of rhythm throughout. This parallels to the book as it states: “the continuous and simultaneous interplay of image, sound and motion on the screen sets up varied, complex and subtle rhythms”. (pg. 126) One scene that sticks out in my mind is that of the first terrorist they plan on attacking. The first scene shows the man setting up the explosive in the phone. The second part to it is when the girl comes back up the room and answers the phone. The man at the bottom finds out that the girl is on the phone and he as well as the main character Avner run to the car to warn the other two men not to set off the explosive for it is not the terrorist who answered the phone but his daughter the young girl. All of the motions seem tense and keep you at the edge of your seat but there is rhythm to everything that they do.
Although this movie is a extremely well developed, it can be hard at times to understand what is going on and how they relate. There is some background information I feel that is necessary to know before watching this film. You know it deals with the country of Israel and conflict between the Palestinian and Israelite nations quest for peace, however it can be hard to understand who the Mossad are, or even the conflict at hand without some background information. After watching the movie I did some more research and the events become more lucid to me, as well as the situation and the plot. I would highly recommend this to anyone, as it not only portrays an important part of history in an entertaining way, it does so in a suspenseful, artistic way.
Boggs, Joseph, & Petrie, Dennis. (2008). The Art of watching films. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill College.
Most of the movies settings occur during the nighttime for that is their usual plan of attack occurrence. Because of this, the film scenes are often dark, with lots of shadows, and contrasts. As described in the books as “the nature of the story and the shooting location have a significant effect on the contribution of the lighting to the look of the film.” (pg. 114) This darkness and shadows help enhance the suspense of the quest to hunt down the terrorists. You become involved in the hunt as well as the film is shot in an objective point of view. You never know who will be behind the next corner of the alley ways or dark streets, and the darkness contributes to the limited visibility as if it were happening in real life. One scene that really gets to you is when the go to Beirut which is a Palestinian territory, the must be assisted because they are Jewish. The go with their backups to this place where supposedly three terrorists are living. It becomes a big shoot out in the dark, as several more people are involved.
As you follow the four men and their quest for the terrorists you feel a sense of rhythm as the characters all become so familiar with each other and execute every motion so perfectly with one another. Although you never know what is going to happen next there is always this sense of rhythm throughout. This parallels to the book as it states: “the continuous and simultaneous interplay of image, sound and motion on the screen sets up varied, complex and subtle rhythms”. (pg. 126) One scene that sticks out in my mind is that of the first terrorist they plan on attacking. The first scene shows the man setting up the explosive in the phone. The second part to it is when the girl comes back up the room and answers the phone. The man at the bottom finds out that the girl is on the phone and he as well as the main character Avner run to the car to warn the other two men not to set off the explosive for it is not the terrorist who answered the phone but his daughter the young girl. All of the motions seem tense and keep you at the edge of your seat but there is rhythm to everything that they do.
Although this movie is a extremely well developed, it can be hard at times to understand what is going on and how they relate. There is some background information I feel that is necessary to know before watching this film. You know it deals with the country of Israel and conflict between the Palestinian and Israelite nations quest for peace, however it can be hard to understand who the Mossad are, or even the conflict at hand without some background information. After watching the movie I did some more research and the events become more lucid to me, as well as the situation and the plot. I would highly recommend this to anyone, as it not only portrays an important part of history in an entertaining way, it does so in a suspenseful, artistic way.
Boggs, Joseph, & Petrie, Dennis. (2008). The Art of watching films. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill College.
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