While watching the film Vertigo I realized that there was one element that gave a stronger presence than the others in this film. Foreshadowing, I found played not only an important role in the plot development of this film, but also can go unnoticed to the naked eye.
The first instance of foreshadowing in the film would have to the title itself. Vertigo, by definition is "dizziness: a reeling sensation; a feeling that you are about to fall "(Princeton.edu). Ultimately this foreshadows the opening scene where Scottie is chasing a criminal on a rooftop and nearly falls to his death. After words he is overcome by vertigo as sort of an after shock to the frightening experience of facing death head on.
Also, when he tries to prove to Midge, a close friend who secretly loves Scottie, that he has overcome the vertigo he has been diagnosed with by standing on a stool and then a step ladder. This foreshadows his future endeavors of having to overcome his fears of heights. Like when he has to chase both Judy and Madeline up the bell tower of the old church.
When Scottie watches who he thinks is Madeline fall to her death it foreshadow when Judy eventually falls to her death at the end of the movie. As well when Gavin insists that Scottie be the one who should follow his wife Madeline (really Judy) it foreshadows the trickiness and difficult of the situation because of Gavin's desperation to have Scottie and Scottie only.
Where Madeline appears to be getting sicker is a clear foreshadowing of Scotties health as well. The more bouts she has with the ghost of Carlotta the more in love Scottie falls with her. The more oobessive she becomes with Carlotta the more attracted he becomes with Madeline.
Foreshadowing is a heavy prevelent and effective tool the the movie Vertigo and gives the audiance a second angle of the movie, if they can see it.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Rear Window
Rear Window is about a newspaper camera man named Mr. Jeffries who is confined to a wheelchair because he broke his leg on the job. Having nothing better to do, he people watches his neighbors in the adjacent apartment building.Each person represents not only a piece of Mr.Jeffries personality but he personality of all people.
Firstly Mr. Jeffries obviously represents curiosity. He achieves this by being the most nosy about Lars Thorwald, I will get to him later. L.B. Jeffries makes an accusation that Lars killed his wife. He tries to figure out how, when and why Lars would resort to murdering wife.
Stella, L.B.'s nurse and Doyle, L.B.'s old Army buddy turned police chief represent logic as well as the conscious and subconscious. Constantly questioning Mr.Jeffries accusations assuming that what he thinks he is seeing and what he is seeing are two vastly different things. Doyle turns out to be the hardest of the two to convince that Lars killed his wife.
Lisa, L.B.'s boyfriend represents love. She represents love because often she tries to love L.B. when his attention is elsewhere, as well she also tries extremely hard to conform to the "kind of girl" L.B. wants. He often tells her that he travels to places and does things that she could never want to travel to or participate in because she is into fashion.
The pianist that L.B. watches represents success and hardwork because he works hard day making songs. He keeps having parties at night where people come to celebrate and enjoy. The lonley woman represents Lisa because just like Lisa she is desperate for love. Interestingly enough L.B. seems more concerned for the lonley woman to find love than to treat Lisa with love. At the end of the story when Lisa and L.B. have solidified their relationship post-murder investigation the lonley girl and the pianist seem to have hit it off fairly well.
The dancer who dances in her underwear represents carelessness. Obviously dancing in your underwear in your appartment without the blinds closed when you have floor-to-ceiling windows is pretty careless. Similar to how careless some of the planning was in L.B.'s investigation of the murder of Mrs.Thorwald. For instance having Lisa explore the Thorwald home while he was out without thinking or planning when he might return or how he would signal for her to leave.
The mixed married couples represent reality, because contradictory to the life Mr. and Mrs. Thorwald seemed to have had, reality is that not all seemingly loving marriges are really loving at all. Fighting and disagreements as well as bickering over petty things is not only common but natural and heathy in any relationship. Maybe the fact that that was never seen led to the murder of Mrs. Thorwald.
The little dog who Mr.Thorwald is suspected of killing represents instinct. This is so because the dog smelled the body of Mrs.Thorwald in the flower bed and got curious and started digging up the body. Mr.Thorwald, not ready to have his secret exposed did the onlything he could think of, kill the dog. Curiously enough though just as the dog was killed for following its instincts, Mr.Jeffries broke his other leg falling out of the window Mr.Thorwald threw him out of when Mr.Thorwald realized that L.B. was the one challenging him and watching him.
To conclude, this is the way the characters were representative in the movie Rear Window.
Firstly Mr. Jeffries obviously represents curiosity. He achieves this by being the most nosy about Lars Thorwald, I will get to him later. L.B. Jeffries makes an accusation that Lars killed his wife. He tries to figure out how, when and why Lars would resort to murdering wife.
Stella, L.B.'s nurse and Doyle, L.B.'s old Army buddy turned police chief represent logic as well as the conscious and subconscious. Constantly questioning Mr.Jeffries accusations assuming that what he thinks he is seeing and what he is seeing are two vastly different things. Doyle turns out to be the hardest of the two to convince that Lars killed his wife.
Lisa, L.B.'s boyfriend represents love. She represents love because often she tries to love L.B. when his attention is elsewhere, as well she also tries extremely hard to conform to the "kind of girl" L.B. wants. He often tells her that he travels to places and does things that she could never want to travel to or participate in because she is into fashion.
The pianist that L.B. watches represents success and hardwork because he works hard day making songs. He keeps having parties at night where people come to celebrate and enjoy. The lonley woman represents Lisa because just like Lisa she is desperate for love. Interestingly enough L.B. seems more concerned for the lonley woman to find love than to treat Lisa with love. At the end of the story when Lisa and L.B. have solidified their relationship post-murder investigation the lonley girl and the pianist seem to have hit it off fairly well.
The dancer who dances in her underwear represents carelessness. Obviously dancing in your underwear in your appartment without the blinds closed when you have floor-to-ceiling windows is pretty careless. Similar to how careless some of the planning was in L.B.'s investigation of the murder of Mrs.Thorwald. For instance having Lisa explore the Thorwald home while he was out without thinking or planning when he might return or how he would signal for her to leave.
The mixed married couples represent reality, because contradictory to the life Mr. and Mrs. Thorwald seemed to have had, reality is that not all seemingly loving marriges are really loving at all. Fighting and disagreements as well as bickering over petty things is not only common but natural and heathy in any relationship. Maybe the fact that that was never seen led to the murder of Mrs. Thorwald.
The little dog who Mr.Thorwald is suspected of killing represents instinct. This is so because the dog smelled the body of Mrs.Thorwald in the flower bed and got curious and started digging up the body. Mr.Thorwald, not ready to have his secret exposed did the onlything he could think of, kill the dog. Curiously enough though just as the dog was killed for following its instincts, Mr.Jeffries broke his other leg falling out of the window Mr.Thorwald threw him out of when Mr.Thorwald realized that L.B. was the one challenging him and watching him.
To conclude, this is the way the characters were representative in the movie Rear Window.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Paths of Glory Review
In Paths of Glory their are several factors which contribute to the theme of the film. The theme being having to face the realities of war and unlike how the title portrays, war is not always a path to glory.
At the beginning General Mireau is asked to lead an attack to take "the ant hill" of which he advises against. Thought when the thought when the idea of a promotion is thrown around he is convinced that the once impossible mission is now seemingly possible. This first part of the movie works as a foreshadowing for the rest of the movie because as I later explain General Mireau's worst fears will soon materialize.
When the day of the attack arrives the men under heavy fire are ordered to advance to "attempt" to overtake the ant hill. Many advance, several stay behind unable to advance under the heavy enemy fire. Angered by his soldiers unwillingness to take (a seemingly impossible advancement) orders, he orders the artillery commander to fire on French coordinates. The artillery commander denies the General Mireau's request. This represents the greed that comes with war because the General was willing to lose thousands of lives for his own advancement even going so far as to order hundreds of his own men be killed on the spot by the artillery commander. Which was to me done so that a reason could be supplied to the the higher ups as to explain why the men did not advance on the anthill and pose as a rebuttal to the soldiers refusal to follow orders.
Mireau, obviously unsatisfied decides that as punishment, one man from each company will face trial. The chosen men are Corporal Paris, Privates Ferol and Arnoud. The trial though is a going throught the motions act to adhere to military protocol and the defendants are volintarily defended by Colonel Dax, a former lawyer. Though defended well General Mireau gets his wish and the men are sentanced to death by firing squad to be an example to the rest of the soldiers. Corruption continues to bleed throught to this part of the story. Very similar to the movie/book "To Kill a Mockingbird", no matter how effective the defence, a vertict was reached before the trail ever began. As well the fact that French law states that you are guilty untill proven innocent didnt help the defendants either.
Dax tries to help the soldiers by approaching General Broulard , the superior to Mireau, at his party that evening to tell him of Mireau's original plan to fire on his own troops. General Broulard is baffled and surprised at this announcement but decides to go through with the sentance anyway. Lt. Roget is then assigned by Dax to be head of the firing squad because he chose one of the men to be sentanced out of his own greed as well. This sequence of events not only shows Dax's determination but it also shows how far somone will go to have faith in one person over another and also how Dax assigns Lt. Roget to head the firing squad is Dax's way of making Lt. Roget see the reality of his decision and a way for him to take revenge on one of the men who reveled in the idea of putting three men in front of a firing squad.
During the post meeting when Dax, Mireau and Broulard meet Mireau shows no remose and Broulard procedes to bring up the fact that he is going to open an inquiry about the fact that Mireau ordered his own men be fired at and procedes to offer the promotion Mireau as supposed to recieve to Dax who rejects because of the corruption. Here is the example of goodness occurign too little to late because had Broulard acted sooner than the men could have been saved, Dax's wish, and yet Dax's good will disables him from accepting a promotion on account of Mireaus misfortune, even though he disliked him for his wrong doings. He acted upon the do on to others cliche and how disrespectful it would have been if he had benefited from the demise of three innnocent soldiers.
When Dax finds the 701st they are in a bar and the men beginb are blessed by the presence of a German woman who is pushed to entertain and she beings to sing The Faithful Hassar. The men begin to hum along and even tear becasue they realize that everyone the German woman, the French, and the German troops are all in the same boat Prisoners of the same war.
At the beginning General Mireau is asked to lead an attack to take "the ant hill" of which he advises against. Thought when the thought when the idea of a promotion is thrown around he is convinced that the once impossible mission is now seemingly possible. This first part of the movie works as a foreshadowing for the rest of the movie because as I later explain General Mireau's worst fears will soon materialize.
When the day of the attack arrives the men under heavy fire are ordered to advance to "attempt" to overtake the ant hill. Many advance, several stay behind unable to advance under the heavy enemy fire. Angered by his soldiers unwillingness to take (a seemingly impossible advancement) orders, he orders the artillery commander to fire on French coordinates. The artillery commander denies the General Mireau's request. This represents the greed that comes with war because the General was willing to lose thousands of lives for his own advancement even going so far as to order hundreds of his own men be killed on the spot by the artillery commander. Which was to me done so that a reason could be supplied to the the higher ups as to explain why the men did not advance on the anthill and pose as a rebuttal to the soldiers refusal to follow orders.
Mireau, obviously unsatisfied decides that as punishment, one man from each company will face trial. The chosen men are Corporal Paris, Privates Ferol and Arnoud. The trial though is a going throught the motions act to adhere to military protocol and the defendants are volintarily defended by Colonel Dax, a former lawyer. Though defended well General Mireau gets his wish and the men are sentanced to death by firing squad to be an example to the rest of the soldiers. Corruption continues to bleed throught to this part of the story. Very similar to the movie/book "To Kill a Mockingbird", no matter how effective the defence, a vertict was reached before the trail ever began. As well the fact that French law states that you are guilty untill proven innocent didnt help the defendants either.
Dax tries to help the soldiers by approaching General Broulard , the superior to Mireau, at his party that evening to tell him of Mireau's original plan to fire on his own troops. General Broulard is baffled and surprised at this announcement but decides to go through with the sentance anyway. Lt. Roget is then assigned by Dax to be head of the firing squad because he chose one of the men to be sentanced out of his own greed as well. This sequence of events not only shows Dax's determination but it also shows how far somone will go to have faith in one person over another and also how Dax assigns Lt. Roget to head the firing squad is Dax's way of making Lt. Roget see the reality of his decision and a way for him to take revenge on one of the men who reveled in the idea of putting three men in front of a firing squad.
During the post meeting when Dax, Mireau and Broulard meet Mireau shows no remose and Broulard procedes to bring up the fact that he is going to open an inquiry about the fact that Mireau ordered his own men be fired at and procedes to offer the promotion Mireau as supposed to recieve to Dax who rejects because of the corruption. Here is the example of goodness occurign too little to late because had Broulard acted sooner than the men could have been saved, Dax's wish, and yet Dax's good will disables him from accepting a promotion on account of Mireaus misfortune, even though he disliked him for his wrong doings. He acted upon the do on to others cliche and how disrespectful it would have been if he had benefited from the demise of three innnocent soldiers.
When Dax finds the 701st they are in a bar and the men beginb are blessed by the presence of a German woman who is pushed to entertain and she beings to sing The Faithful Hassar. The men begin to hum along and even tear becasue they realize that everyone the German woman, the French, and the German troops are all in the same boat Prisoners of the same war.
Monday, February 2, 2009
Lawrance of Arabia Review
In Lawrence of Arabia there are several themes that are accomplished using cinematographic effects.
One theme would be a death. This can be seen when Lawrence is forced to execute one of his own men and as the execution is finished you can see the lighting go dark as Lawrence's eyes bulge from the stimulation of the event and other people try to console him. Another instance would be when they attack a small village in which they could have gone around but Lawrence had a thirst for blood and he leaves the village ravaged and the look of death comes over the picture as you see carts smoking and black is everywhere and the sun hides behind thick dark clouds as gloom sets in for Lawrence. Throughout the many journeys between the cities and towns as the men travel the deserts many men find themselves lost in sandstorms, it is as if the sandstorms represent death or the grim reaper themselves. Once you are swallowed by the storm rarely do you make it out alive if you become separated from the group. The sandstorm played and important role when Lawrence decided to go back to save on of the soldiers he traveled back to essentially save this man from death. He finds the man and on there way back they encounter a sandstorm eventually they get out of that sandstorm and the man is "freed" from death. Lastly, at the beginning of the film we see Lawrence ride a motorcycle to his death and it shows that his true passion was for the people of Arabia.
During that same storm Lawrence looses he compass. The significance in that represents change. Lawrence's change began when he was given the white robe and it represented honor, he had become an honorable member of their group, he had become an accepted figure. Then as mentioned above when he loses his compass it represents that he has lost his loyalty to the crown, but rather he now his loyalty is held with the people of Arabia. Lastly, they began to call him "La Arance" and he is viewed as a well respected leader of the tribe, they begin to call him this after he saved the man from the desert.
The Music that is played for the beginning as well as the intermission portions of the movie is something that now producer today has tried to replicate, but plays a special role in Lawrence of Arabia. In the beginning the music is quite a tease and plays on your emotions of wanting to "hurry up and watch the movie already", it plays to excite you and get you to immediately want to dive in as soon as the first frame is displayed. Sort of like smelling cookies baking in the oven or a pizza cooking at lunch time, all you can think about is why can't i eat that right now. Then, the intermission music is there to wake you up and redraw you interests as well as give you a few minutes to analyze what has happened so far in the film. Both the intermission and the introduction music play both to both a creative as well as a practical purpose.
Lawrence of Arabia has several different themes that play strong roles in developing a the plot of the story and are useful in pointing out key situations and points of great intrest.
One theme would be a death. This can be seen when Lawrence is forced to execute one of his own men and as the execution is finished you can see the lighting go dark as Lawrence's eyes bulge from the stimulation of the event and other people try to console him. Another instance would be when they attack a small village in which they could have gone around but Lawrence had a thirst for blood and he leaves the village ravaged and the look of death comes over the picture as you see carts smoking and black is everywhere and the sun hides behind thick dark clouds as gloom sets in for Lawrence. Throughout the many journeys between the cities and towns as the men travel the deserts many men find themselves lost in sandstorms, it is as if the sandstorms represent death or the grim reaper themselves. Once you are swallowed by the storm rarely do you make it out alive if you become separated from the group. The sandstorm played and important role when Lawrence decided to go back to save on of the soldiers he traveled back to essentially save this man from death. He finds the man and on there way back they encounter a sandstorm eventually they get out of that sandstorm and the man is "freed" from death. Lastly, at the beginning of the film we see Lawrence ride a motorcycle to his death and it shows that his true passion was for the people of Arabia.
During that same storm Lawrence looses he compass. The significance in that represents change. Lawrence's change began when he was given the white robe and it represented honor, he had become an honorable member of their group, he had become an accepted figure. Then as mentioned above when he loses his compass it represents that he has lost his loyalty to the crown, but rather he now his loyalty is held with the people of Arabia. Lastly, they began to call him "La Arance" and he is viewed as a well respected leader of the tribe, they begin to call him this after he saved the man from the desert.
The Music that is played for the beginning as well as the intermission portions of the movie is something that now producer today has tried to replicate, but plays a special role in Lawrence of Arabia. In the beginning the music is quite a tease and plays on your emotions of wanting to "hurry up and watch the movie already", it plays to excite you and get you to immediately want to dive in as soon as the first frame is displayed. Sort of like smelling cookies baking in the oven or a pizza cooking at lunch time, all you can think about is why can't i eat that right now. Then, the intermission music is there to wake you up and redraw you interests as well as give you a few minutes to analyze what has happened so far in the film. Both the intermission and the introduction music play both to both a creative as well as a practical purpose.
Lawrence of Arabia has several different themes that play strong roles in developing a the plot of the story and are useful in pointing out key situations and points of great intrest.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Current Event-Tomorrow's Technology
The American Society of Cinematographers was started by a group in 1913 with a concern for pressing technical issues including static electricity issues due to their crank cameras, hence their original name the Static Club. Today the ASC takes part in several different areas. One of these is a groups of sub-commities search for the latest products and services as well as its implementation. The day to day work for the Technology department includes developing ways movies of the future will be made through several different processes. A new common issue is how much control and how much a cinematographer plays in the movie production process. Archiving media has also posed a problem because there are no industry standards regarding how
media migration should be done. All of these different technological developments are eveloving cinematography as we know it.
media migration should be done. All of these different technological developments are eveloving cinematography as we know it.
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