Uncanniness: Lynch creates the feeling of uncanniness though disturbing images and ominous low hums. This creates a sense of tension and mystery for the viewer as they have no idea about what to expect from the rest of the film. Lynch uses this feeling of unpredictability if a lot of his films.
Doppelgangers: From the German myth: Two people will meet there identical self at some point in there life. This happens with Diane and betty.
Uses of ominous sounds: Lynch uses low rumbas and hums to create a sense of tension and suspense. An example of this would be in the scene where betty and Diane go to look at the house as the viewers have no idea what to expect.
Heightened performance: heigtened perfomee would be an example of over the top acting such as when the garbage monster comes out from behind the corner.
Uncanniness: The fact of being strange or mysterious, often in a way that is slightly frightening
Doppelganger: a mysterious, exact double of a living person
heightened performance: The acting is over the top and theatrical
Tarnished idealism: the idealisation of Hollywood is distorted throughout the film being portrayed as shady and leading to bad things happening to people like Diane calling a hit on Rita.
the narrative of Mulholland drive could be described as non-linear. This gives the film a sense of confusion and mystery as the viewers would have to piece scenes together to get the full story. This would give the film good rewatch value as people will not understand the film on first time watching it.
The use of a non-linear narrative fits into the ideas of surrealist film as it tries to link to link the ideas on the conscious and unconscious mind. and create the feeling that there’s more to the film that meets the eye on first glance.
Industrial context. Mulholland drive was originally meant to be a series but was shut down with in weeks of filming. Lynch took the scenes that had been recorded and ended up producing a feature film. When lynch proposed the idea to Hollywood they ended up giving him a budget of 15 million which is fairly low for Hollywood’s standards. After the plot for the seires was rejected Lynch ended up getting his funding by studio canal which is a european film making company. This enabled him to have more creativity in his ideas. Mulholland Drive premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001, where Lynch won the Best Director award.
socio-political and cultural contexts:
Mulholland drive is a surrealist film and is inspired by the surrealist movement in 1920s to unite the conscious and unconscious mind. The film is very critical of Hollywood and how it can destroy so many young actors dreams. we see this through betty who arrives in Hollywood with the hope of becoming an actress but instead gets quite the opposite. even though this film was released just after 9/11 there is still the sense of fearing the unknown and mystery that surrounds the film
i would give the film a 6/10 i found the film fairly hard to follow and this made things confusing. The use of cinematography made some scene much more entertaining as it gave these scenes added tension. Some if the low hums were very ominous and made scenes unpredictable which is what lynch was after. i think that after watching the film a few times the film would make more sense and i would enjoy it more
my iconic scene would be the scene at the end where the old people attack. the sound was sudden and shocked me and it was a very unpredictable scene.
Kim Longinotto makes observational film documentary’s. however she likes people to know she is filming. She tries and avoids screen time as it may distract the viewer from the messages she is trying to present. She focuses on stories of women who have been victimised by traditional societies.
Michal Moore
Michal Moore specializes in documentary’s that are personal to him. he often features in his documentaries and goes on quests to entertain his viewers and discover the truth. His documentaries are often loft wing and can be controversial to some. Moore uses comedic effect to get people to remember his movies and take home the messages he is trying to get across.
Nick Broomfield: Broomfield features in many different types of documentary however he is most known for his participatory types of documentary where he tries to uncover the truth for himself and the camera. he is often the main character and has a chaotic type of filming with the use of handheld cameras. he is not afraid to ask serious hard hitting question even if they put his own life in danger.
The use of whip pans creates a sense of tension and energy in the courtroom as the camera pans between the defendant and the prosecutor. The whip pans create a sense of verisimilitude as it shows the cameraman has no idea of who is speaking next. the whip pans also make the footage look raw and natural due to the fact that they are sometimes quite messy especially with a handheld camera
sound: Other then the piece of music that plays at the start of the film. most of the sound in sisters in law is diegetic sound such as speech from the characters and other noises such as the gavel banging. At the start of some scenes the sound is quite messy, for example, at the start of one of the scenes in the courtroom there is mumbling going on from some of the audience. This increases the verisimilitude and believability of the documentary for the viewer as had these sounds been edited out in post the scene would be hyperealistic
mise en scene: Due to kumba being a town of low income at the time the movie was filmed The mise en scne of the town is untidy and unorganised. in the state prosecutors office there are big stacks of paper against the wall and a fan of the desk due to there being no air conditioning. in the courtroom the walls are very plain and dull and the floor is hard and unappealing. However The state prosecutors still dress formally and smartly which means they take pride in there job and respect it.
editing: The editing in sisters in law is very minimal and simple. there are little to no special effects added on afterwards to try and keep the film as real as possible. The only bits of editing we see are simple cuts in the film to switch to different scenes and the only text we see on screen is the title, where the film is set and the names of new people.
i would give the film an 8/10. I though the film was extremely odd and freaky. some scene i just did not expect and it just kept getting crazier and more wild as it went on. However i kind if liked the feeling of not knowing what to expect as it felt like every scene was something new.
My memorable scene would be this scene as whereas most of the film is more gory and disturbing i found this scene more slapstick and comedic which i though was a good little change
women. most women in the film are represented as strong minded individuals who want to do the right thing. They show a sign of change from old fashioned views that are outdated in todays society to a sign of gender equality in both men and women. this is see in the state prosecutors Beatrice and Vega . women are also presented as venerable and controlled by the husband is some instances.
men. Men is sisters in law are Presented as bad people and are often defendants for things they had done. Most men seem to have very old fashioned traditional views that are not acceptable in todays society. For example views such as women are male property once married and that they must ask permission to leave the house. Males in a high status position such as lawyers are seen to be arrogant and disrespectful laughing there way through important court conversations and not taking trials seriously.
children. in sisters in law children are presented as venerable and endangered. Throughout the film there are multiple accounts of sexual harassment and abuse that the children appear to deal with. they are seen as scarred such as not being able to report what happened even in the safe hands of the state prosecutor
Muslims. Muslim men are presented as traditional and old fashioned. they are stubborn and disappointed in society for allowing traditional views change. even if it benefits his wife or children.
