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Because the audience just saw a bathroom resolution scene ten minuetes prior to this scene, a viewer can assume this conversation will lead to a resolution. The setting itself is confined, meant to force the characters to confront their truths out in the open. Acknowledging their vulnerabilities, the characters are finally able to communicate and have a seemingly strong connection as the film comes to an end. It is truly interesting how the director manipulates settings in her favor to work hand and hand with the theme of communication within this film.
This video takes a deeper look at a specific scene between Bob Vaughn (Charles Fleischer) and Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal). It was difficult to choose just one scene from the film, but I believe this "basement" scene perfectly highlight's the film's theme of paranoia and obsession. If you haven't seen the film, I highly reccomend watching it before watching this analysis.
The audience is merely supposed to be peering in to certain moments of these character's lives. The purpose of this film is not to be entertained by an enthralling plot, but to view the "solitude" of these womens lives. By not acknowledging the reason for this character to be in a tent right away, the audience starts to make inferences like maybe she is homeless, maybe there house burnt on fire. The point of this is the viewer tries to assume somthing interesting in order to make the plot more exciting. As the movie continues, the reality of the situtaion is pretty underwhelming.
Instead of a happy ending, the story is once again uneventful, because Beth does not show romantic interest in Jamie. This is important because it converys the theme of lonliness. The structure of this stories hints at a romantic connection between the two, but leaves the audience empty-handed at the end. Overall, this film is a statement about the lives of women, and the uneventful reality of their lives.
September (1987), directed by Woody Allen, is an interesting film exploring the lives of multiple people within one setting. The plot is rather basic, "At a summer house in Vermont, neighbor Howard falls in love with Lane, who has a fling with Peter, who's falling for Stephanie, who's married with children.". Allen's intention for September was that it be like "a play on film," hence the great number of long takes and few camera effects. The camera work in this film helps the audience understand certain characters without having to examine them in different settings. Throughout this blog post, I will analyze certain scenes from September and how they are used to create a cohesive character understanding.
When questioned about the film, Allen said “I had kicked around for years, that a traumatic incident will happen in one's life and there are kinds of personalities that just simply get wrecked by it and there are other kinds of personalities that it just washes off them.” Anyone can have a traumatic incident happen in their lives, and that's what makes these personal shots so important. The viewer can relate to the character they are watching on screen, and even though the scene is not filled with visual entertainment, the dialogue is intriguing.
Films each have a different technique of introducing certain goals of its protagonist. This can be seen in forms of secondary characters or specific plot details revolved around a certain goal. Films like A Man Escaped or Saturday Night Fever reveal the main character’s goal early in the exposition, where films like Light Sleeper or The Passenger build up tension, eliciting audience confusion until a goal is introduced later on in the film. Directors and screenwriters each have different techniques on how they reveal these characters goals, and throughout this blog post, I will be discussing how films like A Man Escaped, Light Sleeper, The Passenger, and Saturday Night Fever use multiple techniques to reveal certain goals about their characters.
All of the films mentioned in this blog post revolve around one-protagonist, possibly because it’s easier for the audience to identify a singular goal and relate that to their own lives. Interestingly, film critic David Bordwell states "Determing which character(s) can function as protagonist(s) depends on the goals, the obstacles to the goals, and the relationship between the goal-striving character and other characters and story lines." In Light Sleeper, the singular protagonist is John LeTour. Not much is revealed about the others around him nor himself and the audience can only develop information based on the character narration and client interactions.
Film critic Roger Ebert notes that "He is not running way, or toward. He is simply in motion." His character desires to keep going, to keep moving forward and seeing what the world has to offer him. A key similarity between Light Sleeper and The Passenger is how a love interest is used to convey the protagonist's emotions surrounding a certain idea or lifestyle. Secondary characters often play an important role in these films because they aid the protagonist who is in search of reaching their goal.
This scene showcases the protagonist upset that his father does not respect what he does in his free time. Tony’s hair represents the love and care he puts in to his hobby of dance, but his father only seems to care about his brother and his goal of becoming a religious figure. In this case, a picture of a sibling is used in order to communicate that the character aspires to be on the same level as his brother. Through this scene, the audience determines that Travolta‘s character wants to prove that dancing is something he is passionate about and craves respect from his family. Exploring the goals of a protagonist in film is necessary because it helps outline a certain plot synopsis. By introducing the main characters goal’s early in the film, it is easier for the audience to understand what is going on. Each director and screenwriter purposefully introduce goals in different ways to elicit a wanted response from their viewers. Even though all these films are of different genres and introduce the character’s primary goal in different ways, it is interesting to examine the similarities and how each of theses techniques aid in communicating the overall message of the film.
The scene above is one of the most noticeable implemenation of a dialogue shot in this film. The seating arrangement of the characters symbolizes the disconnect between them. The physical connection between the two characters is symbolized by the camera movement, and zooming in on the character's conversation implies that they are getting closer just by having this conversation. Director Paul Schrader explained in an interview that the format of his films follows "A person who goes from day to day, place to place, and has a job which takes him into other worlds. [---] And events happen and sometimes they seem of consequence and sometimes they don’t." This secene does not contain any action, but it still reveals the importance of this secondary character and the audience gets a glimpse into LeTour's past life.
LeTour narrates “They figure you can tell a DD anything. My philosophy is if you don’t have anything to say, be quiet". This scene shows the significance of conversations between clients. This dialogue shot conatins specific character narration that aids the viewer in determing the signifigance of the scene, causing a direct relationship between the audience and the protagonist. LeTour was previously a drug addict, and at the time of his addiction, it didn't occur to him how awful it truly was. He is able to reflect back on his previous life through his interactions with current addicts.
When he finally opens the door, the camera stays steady in the car and the sound of fighting and gunfire ensues before we see the main character returned to his postion, not handcuffed. It is not necessary for the director to show what is going on outside the car because we gain that information via sound. The steady camera conveys that the audience is trapped within that car, symbolizing the journey Fontaine will take locked up in prison throughout the remainder of the film.
The director purposefully has his characters react in a realistic, understanding type of way. According to Tony Pipolo, the director was "impressed by what he called Devigny’s “straightforward, very precise, technical account of the escape . . . written in an extremely reserved, very cool tone,” Bresson sought an approach that served those qualities, privileging the physical aspects and details of Fontaine’s endeavor and avoiding exaggeration, melodrama, and sentimentality. Even the protagonist’s narrative voice-over, based on Devigny’s text, keeps to the facts and is delivered in a neutral, uninflected tone." The experience needs to be as real as possible, and since this film is told through the recounting of Fontaine's memory, it is only right for the camera to stay on Fontaine and experience what he's experiencing.
The silence is taunting the audience, and it seems as though it might never end. The silence is uncomfortable and it conveys what the characters are feeling in this situation. Viewers of this film do not have a firsthand experience of escaping from prison, but the use of sound in this film helps mimic a realistic, tension-filled enviorment in which one can imagine themselves in.
Lucky (2017) directed by John Carroll Lynch, follows a man nicknamed "Lucky" through his everyday life, until his declining old age threatens him with the idea of death. Throughout the film, the character is "thrust into a journey of self exploration, leading towards that which is so often unattainable: enlightenment." While watching this film, it is obvious that many objects have symbolic meanings that relate to the overall theme of embracing life.
In a way, this scene represents one of the most important aspects of actor Harry Dean Stanton's life. A friend that used to attend bars with Stanton said "He’ll tell ya, “You’re nothing.” Everybody would get mad, because they didn’t understand why he’d always be saying that. It’s his way of expressing that we’re all just individuals on the planet Earth—that you’re no bigger or better than anyone else." The people at the bar joke around with Howard because they think the tortoise is insignificant compared to them, but that is soley not the case.
Often times, a certain movie communicates important themes to its viewers by manipulating their knowledge of certain characters and ideas. A commonality I've observed while watching these movies were the certain avoidance of a character's past, and how the character's backstory was often revealed gradually throughout the film. Supporting actors are key in movies without narrative dialogue because they help further the plot, recalling information about a protagonist naturally. Films like The Fugitive Kind (1960), Wendy and Lucy (2008), Fool for Love (1985), and Paris, Texas (1984) all rely on family members to reveal important plot points, and the information is released in small sections for the audience in hopes of creating a natural environment for the viewer.
By excluding footage of Val's past life, there is a certain rawness to the character. The director purposefully does not show these scenes because it is what the character is trying to escape. It is difficult to focus on the "new" in life when a previous wound is still at the forefront of any thought. "A character’s backstory directly impacts their front story by the beliefs and people they were raised with, their education, emotional development. Often something in their backstory caused a wound—either physical, psychic, or both. Anything in their past that now directly interferes with a character achieving their dream or goal in the front story is called a backstory wound". Because these "backstory wounds" are only revealed through conversations, an audience member is more likely going to connect with the characters because talking about your issues is the only way to find relief - it is unrealistic for a flashback to be played because that's not how memories work. A viewer can easily relate with the character on screen because the viewing experience becomes personal. Another form of revealing a character's past is through other characters
The scene and meaning is subjective, and it is up to the viewer to determine what to make of the information they are presented with. We can infer there is some tension and disconnect between the two sisters, and it leads to the audience questioning why isn't Wendy asking her sister for help, and what happened between them previously. By including this scene, the viewer sees some the character's backstory and can infer previous events in the protagonist's life.
Viewers are entranced by the stories and start to develop emotional ties to the characters. Flashbacks are hidden within the film to create a more natural environment, like I've previously mentioned, sometimes flashbacks within a film can stray the viewer away from relatability. By using the family visiting the motel to symbolize May's past, the flashback is not something of a dream and the reality of the situation is not lost on the viewer. It is helpful to watch movies written by the same writer to notice certain similarities, especially how a character's backstory is revealed.
Directors and writers use a multitude of elements to reveals a character's past in films, thus making the audience experience interactive. At times, the viewer can imagine themselves in a similar situation to the characters on screen and they are able to relate to the character’s experience. It is extremely interesting to discover the various elements filmmakers can implement on screen to get their message across to their audience.
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Author(savannah hink) |