Femme_fatale

August 31, 2011 **The Night of the Hunter**

The Night of the Hunter, is a classic film that exposes the “wolf in sheeps’ clothing.” From beginning to end it comes there is a steady pattern to remind the audience of what to come. Miss. Cooper begins the movie with a proverb, setting in the stone the importance of religion in the film. She also foreshadows the plot by telling the children to “beware of false prophets.”

There are repetitive symbols shown throughout the film, and a lot of parallel scenes. The knife is discussed in Harry Powell and Ben Harper’s cell, then later taken out of his pocket by his newlywed wife whom he later kills. John watches the boat closely early in the film, when he visits his uncle, to make sure it does not disappear one day. He later uses it as a way to escape danger and sail to ‘the promised land’ or kingdom.

The use of music helps tremendously in setting a mood in the film. The parallel scenes of Ophelia in the ice cream parlor and Harry coming to town, contrast to make the audience of aware of future corruption. The natural lighting of //Spoons//, opposes the dramatic train scene and its heavy violin music. Scenes that could have created a darker mood, such as the discovery of Ophelia’s body, is lightened with melodic music and soft lighting. The Night of the Hunter captured these emotions by dramatically altering the lighting and contrasting what the film considers good and evil.

September 8, 2011


 * “Stage Coach”**

Stage Coach is a western with comedic flare. It touches on social issues such as prejudices amongst society, racism, murder, and touched on territorial war. The film had multiple characters that paralleled the others.

Kid Rango and the Southern Gentleman paralleled in the way they carried themselves, and the gentleman was subtler about his gambling lifestyle. Mr.Peacock and Doc paralleled in careers and behaved oppositely. Mr. Peacock the whiskey drummer, would more likely be assumed as an alcoholic, however he is very professional. In his first appearance at the bar, he is simply sitting at the bar and not drinking. Doc however, behaves unprofessionally and does not carry himself in the manner most would assume a doctor to act. Lastly, Dallas and Molly.

The film hints throughout that Dallas is not a woman. She is referred to as a creature, sickly, and unwanted in the town. Molly is an established wife of a sergeant, who is referred to early on as an angel. The two are coupled with Kid and the Gentlemen emphasizing the parallel.

The Coach scene I will briefly analyze is the scene Molly asks for water. The gentleman requests a canteen, and before she can sip, he pulls out a silver cup. When she finishes drinking, the Gentleman does not ask Dallas if she would like a drink. Kid Rango has to offers Dallas water, however she does not receive the silver cup. The silver cup symbolizes so much in this scene. Molly lives a comfortable lifestyle, and comes from a respectable family. Therefore they treat her with a silver cup. Dallas is looked down upon and is disrespected throughout the film. Later after the baby is born, the banker refers to the ladies on the coach, and looks at Molly and the newborn, once again leaving Dallas out of the group.

The two women are of major importance throughout the film. Dallas sparked my interest the most, encouraging me to watch on in hopes of knowing what about her makes people dislike her.

September 21, 2011


 * "Days of Heaven"**

Days of Heaven is a tragic love story narrated in the very rare second person perspective. It grandly uses the technique of foreshadowing to warn the audience of what is to come, without managing to ruin the story. For example, the opening scene parallels the scene of the farmers murder. As well as the scene where Bill fights another laborer for asking if "his sister keeps him warm at night," parallels the scene between Abby and the farmer's confrontation on how a brother and sister are supposed to touch. Without knowing, the audience is given a foreshadowing of the end during the opening scene. As well as the concept of secrets.

The movie's most important element is sound. The harsh noises of machinery placed the audience into the factory and on the fields with the characters. The displeasure of work, the dangers of labor as the honks and alarms sound off all brings us deeper into the world of the have-nots. Then the film transitions to the use of natural sound to give the audience a break from all the witnessed hard labor, and symbolizes a break and that the characters are resting. The beauty of the farm is emphasized and the work it takes to get to that particular beauty is now appreciated by the viewer.

Majority of the film is filmed with the use of mute/bland colors. It keeps us in the reality of life, reminding us that there are no vivid colors in their world. Only hard work. We do not see reds and golds until the circus comes to town and the farmer, abby, and linda are watching them in the enclosed booth. Bolder, brighter colors are introduced around this time.

September 28, 2011


 * "Notorious"**

[Good descriptions of techniques from the beginning of the film. Good practice for your essay. -MH] Notorious is a romance that dabbles in suspense. The film overall, was okay, but I'm not sure if I would watch it again. It has a basic love story plot of boy meets girl, boy loses girl, then boy gets girl back. However, the screenwriter was a quite creative in the way "boy loses girl".

The cinematography in Notorious overshadowed the story line. The director was very creative in providing the audience with various angles and character perspectives. Within the first ten minutes of the film, I witnessed the most interesting scene of the entire flick. After Alicia's party. She decides to drunkenly drive herself and Devlin down the coast going over 65 mph. This scene seems ahead of its time and strikes me as very innovative. First, the camera brings us into the drivers seat as we see the road from Alicia's perspective, winding roads and our hair blowing in the wind. Almost emerging us into her being, and as an audience we get to know her better.

Later in the scene, Devlin spots a police vehicle in the review mirror. As he grabs the mirror, a shot of the policeman on his motorcycle appears. This impresses me even more because they were able to edit this into final productions through use of film and cutting. It provoked me to wonder how many man hours it took to pull off these effects with such little technology.

Finally we come to the following scene of Alicia awakening in her bed. The camera shows us her distraught perspective as she views Devlin standing in her doorway. The angle seems unnatural because even when our head is at that kind of angle our natural eye would not view him in such an extreme manner. As he approaches the screen seems to spiral until we return to a natural state. I strongly dislike this scene because it is uncomfortable to watch. However, I enjoy the scenes' diversity.

Although Notorious is creative with the camera, a lot of its methods were not adopted. Techniques similar to the rear view mirror are not used in.modern films.

October 11, 2011

I will be writing my analysis on the film //Antwone Fisher//. The paper will focus on the usage of flash backs and how the director uses the camera to tell the story. How lighting and color palettes affect the tone of the film will be discussed. As well as, the parallel characters, scenes, and patterns. Currently, I have chosen to analyze a scene between Fisher and his mentor, Dr.Davenport. In this Fisher confesses to having been sexually molested and abused as a child. It incorporates the poem, who will cry for the little boy? This poem has much meaning to the underlined moral of the film, and explains why he is the man he has become.

October 13, 2011


 * Walkabout**

Walkabout is a coming of age film. In my opinion, it cannot be categorized into a genre, but it does possess the journey motif. In the film, two children are left stranded in the Australian outback after their father tries to kill them, blows up the car and commits suicide. They journey through the desert in hopes of finding civilization. They meet an aborigany boy who hunts and shares his food with them. The young boy communicates with him, through hand motions, as a slight love story forms between the native and the girl.

Walkabout is a film that incorporates a lot of cinematography. There are numerous still shots in the film, to bring better attention to emotions. The cultural difference is easily noticed throughout the film. The wild animals within the modern Australian world as well as the animals that are seen in the Outback, are completely unique to the Australian continent. There is also a lot of artistic nudity.

A prominent scene in the film is the dance scene. The native is wearing white decorative paint. At first, I thought it was a follow up scene to the animals killed by the hunters. However, as the dance progressed, it seemed like a dance for the girl. It did not seem scary as it did in the beginning. The costume was well thought of, feathers in his hair, and the time it took for him to carefully paint himself. The culture clash between the two is found in this scene. The children do not understand the high meaning of this dance, and the native has high meaning to it. He dances all night without food or water, waiting for her response until he is tired.

October 19, 2011


 * "HighSchool"**

Highschool is unlike any documentary that I have witnessed. The format initially seems unorganized. The scenes jump from one situation to another, however as the film continues the connections are understood. For instance, the detail in proper clothing causes controversy for the school formal and is silently compared to the noncontroversial female gym uniforms. The student restriction is very prevalent in the film and parallels what was considered rebellious behavior.

Camera techniques throughout the film are consistent. Extreme close ups on the eyes, mouths, expressions and everyday tools emphasize the passion in the subjects matter or voice. There are no headings throughout the film. Subjects are on the screen in the light in which they are filmed. There are no interviews to add detail. The principal is introduced walking down the hall commanding to see hall passes. His speech and authoritative walk give way to his title. Despite that some students are larger then him, he still expects respect. Other faculty members are assumed by the scene in which they appear.

Language in the film is censored. However, the faculty use language that seem offensive. For instance, the teacher who points out to the class that the girl with the weight problem designed a dress to hide her figure well. Or the gym teacher who authoritatively commands the male student to put on his gym uniform, "or else!" It was surprising to see teachers speaking in such a manner, in 1968.

The greatest ideal of this documentary is that it is still relevant. "High school" is still representative of the difficulties within present day high school. Teachers still behave the same, demanding respect. Students still go above and beyond to prove that they too deserve respect. High school is the final stage of childhood, and teens are ready to become an adult. Most feel as though they already are. This film depicts these views of students who are coming into their own weather their parents and teachers like it or not. The scene of the student refusing to go to detention, walked out of the classroom to prove his manhood and that he is worthy of respect. A falculty persuaded him to do the time, and talk with the teacher after his punishment; this would prove he is the bigger person. Although they fight for their individuality, they are yet in the realm of freedom and must abide by many school rules.


 * Grizzly Man**

Grizzly Man is one of the most powerful documentaries I have ever seen. It has the characteristics of a regular documentary such as a narrator and captions. Although this is a film that takes place primarily in nature, a lot of the sound is non-diegetic. The voice of the narrator, the soundtrack, and voice overs of people being interviewed were not all apart of Timothy Treadwell's world.

What is most prevalent to me in the documentary are not the bears, but the man observing and 'protecting' them. When he is first introduced, a caption of (1957-2003) is below him as he speaks. It begins to change my perspective of him and how I watch the film, I am aware that he will die, and that it may possibly be caught on tape. My intention is no longer to be educated on his message, it is now to learn why the messenger was so dedicated to his commitment. How could a man be away from human contact for months at a time?

Treadwell's footage features a variety of shots, and incorporates the rule of thirds. Extreme close ups, close ups, wides, mediums, etc. Since Treadwell is secluded, we are not only behind the camera, but we are in the mind of Treadwell. We see what he sees, hears what he thinks, and are enveloped in his full perspective. He is the director and lead character. We see what he sees. When the fox runs into the hole with his hat, we are chasing the fox as well. We are aware that he is alone because we see him returning to his camera multiple times.

As the film progresses, the director informs the audience on a detail, then uses witness or Treadmill himself to confirm his statement. Treadmill had a dark side. A man filled with flaws and insecurities. As the film progresses, I begin to feel sorry for him. His loneliness and troubles with women and success, lead him to turmoil. The bears saved him from alcoholism and drug abuse. For this reason he promised to never kill a bear. Treadwell's behavior is laughable, sentimental, and courageous. He lived everyday on the edge, and died how he wanted... or so he would tell his friends.

A rebel without a cause seems to be a coming of age film about the importance of family and family roles. I found it liked how the characters were introduced in the start of the film. We see the child inside the rebellious teens, who struggle with earning the respect of an adult and following the rules of a child. I was surprised to see how much freedom the teens had throughout the film. They were extremely rebellious throughout the film, maybe to reach all aspects of what parents or teens were experiencing in real life. I found it interesting that the title is rebel without a cause, because both Jimmy and Judy had a cause. Jimmy's reason for rebellion was to gain honor and respect for himself, because he feels its something his father never had. Judy's reason for rebelling was to gain popularity so she could be with the kids, and to gain respect from her father. She was big on trying to remain daddy's little girl, but wanted to dress like a sexy woman. Something her dad refused to allow. I believe Plato was truly the rebel without a cause. He was always there in each scene, willingly placing himself within the danger. He had no reason to be rebellious, he had no one to rebel against. The film around this time told the story of the youth and their reasons for being misunderstood. It was also valuable to families looking for a solution, it let them know that the problems start within the home. It displayed to the audience the worst case scenario of who their children can become (Plato and Buzz). Although Buzz's death was overlooked quickly, Plato's death held a little more weight to it. All he wanted was his mom, and his father figure. He found that in Jim and Judy.
 * A Rebel without a Cause[[image:Jim-Judy-and-Plato-rebel-without-a-cause-11790128-780-439.jpg width="390" height="219" align="left" caption="A Rebel Without A Cause"]]**