What did you like about the film? I found that the narrative was interesting and the main plot point where the old woman stabs the man the most interesting part. The characters in this film, although missing some information are each given a backstory to their behaviour’s.
What didn’t you like? The ending I feel could’ve been made longer and include more such as what happened to the guy’s son.
What ideas could you use? Narrative or style? I liked the use of shot types in this film, by using the environment to create a good set up for a shot. For example, the counter windows.
What ideas won’t you use? Why? I Won’t include any murder scenes as it would require a lot of time creating costumes and doing hair and makeup.
In-Depth study – Mise-en-scène
Feature
Example – how does it convey meaning or create an effect
Set Design
Old fashioned Café – creates a run-down feeling of being stuck in a hard place, especially with the waitresses, the old lady and mobsters’ life.
Costume
Costume represents the individual characters personality in a way, the waitress is dressed cleanly showing despite her hardship she’s remained pure and innocent, the old lady, who was once been to prison is dressed dirty signifying her past actions and the mobster and son are dressed smartly to connote wealth and power.
Space
In a small environment it creates the effect of built-up tension within the Café as the rain and darkness acts as a closed off barrier to the outside world.
Lighting
The dimly lit café and the brightly lit kitchen, act as a metaphor for the girl, concealing her true thoughts she hides them in the shade, it is only when she gets into a brighter place (the kitchen) with the old lady she trusts.
Composition
Framed mainly with Mid-shots and close-ups this creates a constant effect of conversation between the characters.
Hair and makeup
The mobster’s son, who has a bruised face connotes he gets into trouble and fights occasionally.
What did you like about the film? I thought it was very funny.
What didn’t you like? It thought it should’ve been longer.
What ideas could you use? Narrative or style? I liked the idea of the narrative as Pasternak getting revenge on all who wronged him.
What ideas won’t you use? Why? Having the plane crash was unrealistic.
In-Depth Study – Film elements
Film element
Example
Cinematography
Example 1: The ELS and interior shots of the airport where helpful to establish location for the film. Example 2: The mounted camera shot of the wing of the plane tilting downwards as the characters realize he’s going to crash the plane is a good use of cinematography.
Editing
Example 1: Between scenes, the editing from the panicked passengers to the calm old people in the garden was good comedic timing. Example 2: The fast-paced edits between characters during the panic of realization helps create the effect of frantic worrying.
Sound
Example 1: The diegetic sound of the suitcase at the beginning creates an immersive experience to the airport. Example 2: With a gradual realization that everyone on the plane knows Gabriel Pasternak, a silent dramatic score is used to establish tension in the scene.
“If the depiction of the world does aid cognition, then only at the very earliest stages of human development, after which it already becomes either a direct hindrance to the growth of art or a class-based interpretation of it”
– Nikolay Punin, Fine arts Department, 1919.
The Soviet Fine Art Movement, that stemmed out from the soviet revolution in 1917 all the way until the soviet unions collapse in 1991 was a visual art style of ‘socialist Realism’. Taking away from traditional art and western influence, this movement explored the abstract use of shape, colour and composition to depict the “social reality” of the working class, labourers and soldiers, Used occasionally as propaganda.
Some artists from this movement include Antoine Pevsner, Kazimir Malevich, El Lissitzky, Naum Gabo and Wassily Kandinsky.
examples include:
Its influence found its way into other areas such as Architecture, with the aesthetic of Brutalism emerging from it in the early 80s. Consisting of concrete bold buildings, with straight lines and modernist appearance, they played a factor economically as well due to poor improvements made by the government for workers housing.
Explain how the political social and economic upheaval created by the aftermath of both the Russian revolution and WW1 affected the production and content of classic soviet constructivist Cinema?
From 1917 to the 1953, Russia under went massive changes that lead to changes within the country. Due to unpopularity of the Tsarist regime with their neglect to the lower classes as well as their poor management with their frontier in the first world war, popular discontent grew rapidly with the emersion of the the Bolshevik party. Wanting to give power to the people, workers and others alike. Seeing how his ruling grew closer and closer to an end due to his unpopularity, Tsar Nicholas the second abdicated with his family. Taking over the winter palace, the Bolshevik leader, Vladimir Lenin, established the countries new control under the Soviet union.
The new government pulled out of the war, due to its causes of much harm to the Russian society. It came at a loss, however as some of its territory was lost due to agreements with the Germans. This caused former Tsarist military leaders and other Tsarist Loyalists to try and fight against the new Bolsheviks causing a civil war from 1917 to 1923. Due to the Tsars position as a rallying point for the Whites (Loyalists), the decision was made to have him executed. Staged as a photo with his family whist under house arrest, it was soon revealed to him it was a firing squad to crack down on the loyalists momentum, killed with an array of bullets his entire family which included his small children were murdered on the spot.
After finishing off the civil war, The Bolsheviks now named the USSR, could focus on making the country a powerful nation, under communism through different leaders and events such as the second world war under Stalin and Gorbachev at the end of its reign.
What did you like about the film? I liked the narrative.
What didn’t you like? The narration went on a bit in some parts
What ideas could you use? Narrative or style? I think If were to take influence it would be through the films style as I found that interesting.
What ideas won’t you use? Why? I would use narration for that long and perhaps use text instead.
Part 2: In-Depth Study – Narrative
Narrative Feature
Example
Your own example
Establishing protagonist – what information do we find out? How is it conveyed?
Introduced only in narration – first in third person as “a man marked by an image”; then in first person -memory of incident at the airport. We don’t see him until the first experiment is shown. This shows how core the act of remembering is to his identity – indeed we find out very little about him (he remains nameless) apart from his ‘remembering’ (even when he is travelling in time).
Introduced in a flashback of him as a younger boy, in a familiar environment to the real world unlike the dystopian elements of his world later shown, this establishes the significance of the location as when shown to later when he returns to it all the characters including himself as a younger boy are included creating an interesting narrative feature of a sort of time paradox.
Establishing other characters – what information do we find out? How is it conveyed?
The Woman is the first person we see (“the only image to survive the war”) – and she is defined only by the fact the narrator remembers her. Feminist critics may comment on the fact she barely seems to exist outside the experiences of the narrator and her growing belief in him.
‘The Experimenter’ shown to look futuristic with peculiar glasses and a clandestine appearance, always lurking in shadow, is shown to be a dominant figure in the narrative despite not constantly being shown. By silent whispers of German coming from what we assume is him, it can create a stereotype that he is evil.
Establishing location (time and place) – what information do we find out? How is it conveyed?
We are told immediately that the location is Paris. The bombed out wreckage of the city (real WW2 images) don’t immediately establish that this is the future until the narrator mentions radiation. The underground location beneath the Palais de Chaillot is shown by intercut images of broken cherubs and other sculptures.
With scenes from the past, shown to be in modern day (In the 60’s) it is mentioned with accompanying footage of ww2 destruction photos that the cause of this was nuclear weapons. With the narrator mentioning that it was in the future and WW3 had occurred it is well established to the viewer that the events they are seeing are from a future war caused with unknown reasons.
Creating Enigmas – what are they? How are they created?
The image the narrator obsesses over is the central enigma: who is the man he witnesses dying? How does he die? Who is the woman? The still images and voiceover powerfully evoke the nature of memory.
What other questions are posed throughout the narrative? There isn’t context as to why France was nuked in a nuclear war, it isn’t established who is the enemy.
Narrative binary oppositions
The ‘Living Present’ vs Past/Future. As the film progresses, what constitutes the ‘present’ (for the protagonist) seems to shift from his dystopian subterranean society to the ‘past’ of pre-apocalypse Paris. This is conveyed by the faster rhythm of the montage and the sequence (18:00-18:49) where the images almost become like traditional cinema.
The good from bad in La Jette are shown with the figures from the past and future, people from the past (although still in the future) are secretive and experiment on their people below them trying to reach the further future. The Good are shown to be the people from further future and offer the man sanctuary in the bright future.
Crisis – how was this conveyed?
Is it the first experiment? The moment the man spots the woman from the airport? Or is it when the future society offers him the chance to escape to the future?
What do you think is the crisis point? How does this affect the rest of the narrative? The Crisis point is only when the man realizes the man he witness get killed was himself.
Resolution – is it closed or open narrative?
The narrative is closed – but it is also in a loop: the narrator is both the dying man and the child watching the scene. This ‘time paradox’ has inspired films as diverse as The Terminator and Looper (as well as 12 Monkeys which is almost a remake).
What do you think about the end? Is it closed – or endlessly circular? The film creates a paradox within its self where the actions in the film are bound to repeat themselves forever.
Part 3: Meaning and Effect
What did you think was the intention of the filmmaker(s)? Intellectual message? Emotional response? Everyone is trapped in their time – they cannot escape it, even through memory. It is also about concept of photography and cinema itself, trying to ‘freeze’ time with images despite time always being in motion.
How was this achieved? The use of photomontage separates each frame of the story into a frozen image – even though these are joined together using traditional narrative film techniques such as voiceover, dissolves, fades and music. As the man begins to ‘live’ more and more in the ‘past’ with his lover, the space between these frames speeds up to resemble ‘motion picture’ speed at one point. The stuffed animals in the museum are also ‘frozen’ in a single moment. Your own idea: By using the same locations, the film creates an identity to places where viewers know what will happen. In the future they know they will be safe, in the present they know it is not safe due to experimentation and in the past there is also a sense of safety until the realization that it is not.
Aesthetic binary oppositions The use of still photo images are combined with traditional narrative cinematic techniques that bring them ‘to life’… until the moment around 18:00 when they flow together.
Effect of these oppositions? Shows the intensity of emotion the narrator feels with his lover: like he is finally ‘living’ in moving time rather than a series of frozen, separated moments. Your example: Repetition of the photo used of him being experimented on and the photos of him exploring the past more, creates the effect to the viewer that this is all set in his mind.
Who where buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd and why were so influential?
Buster Keaton:
Buster Keaton, an American actor, comedian and director was known for his slapstick films from the 1920s, his use of physical comedy and genuine stunts made his films highly popular at the time, additionally with stoic deadpan face at reactions, he earned himself the nick name “the great stone face” . This can be seen with his film ‘The General’ where by setting a bridge alight he genuinely had a steam train collapse. His dangerous stunts would go onto inspire the other comedians of his time such as Harold Lloyd.
Charlie Chaplin:
Born in England, but moving to LA to start his own film studio, Chaplin was famous for his slapstick comedy also. His most recognisable character was ‘The Tramp’ which he played in numerous films playing a dopey man of the people. His films also used emotional impacts such as with his film ‘The kid’.
One of his most famous films was ‘The great dictator’ in 1940, due to his similar appearance to hitler, he mocked him through the film, playing a child-like, waltzing military leader obsessed with the world.
(Chaplin’s film ‘The Great Dictator’)
Harold Lloyd:
Born in the US. Harold Lloyds early film Career started off inspired by the Chaplin’s ‘tramp’ character, however when he progressed into film he soon adopted his new character that wore “Dorky” glasses. Like Keaton, Lloyd was known for dis dangerous stunts such as in his film ‘Safety Last!’.
According to Cousins, why did the hub of film production in the USA move from the east coast of America to Hollywood?
The reason for this large move was due to the laws such as copyrights made by inventors such as Thomas Edison on the patents of using Cameras, film makers and producers moved far away to not be prosecuted. Hollywood’s climate was also very sunny which was good for film making.
Which nations film industry does cousin’s describe as “the best in the world” in the 1910s and why?
Scandinavian, mainly Danish film makers were credited as the best film makers as they utilised more natural lighting. Additionally having far less censorship’s than other nations, they were more able to explore different topics and themes early on.
Give an example of two films and two directors from this place and time cited by cousins as remarkable.
Benjamin Christensen, who was the director of Häxan, created one of the first horror films, his exploration of capturing witchcraft, demonology and Satanism.
Victor Sjöström, who directed and starred in the Phantom carriage, uses double exposures to capture a drunkards wasted life time.
Who directed “Birth of a Nation” (1915) and why is the film continue to divide opinions among film critics, practitioners and theorists?
Directed by D.W. Griffith, the film made its controversy through depiction of black people and the racist cult, the Klu Klux Klan. set in the civil war, the film showed black people in the government as drunkards and sexually provocative, whilst the south as hero’s who protect their women from them. Causing harm to American society it lead to black audiences being attacked in cinemas, resurgence in membership of the Klu Klux Klan and laws later on such as the Jim crow law and segregation.
What was the name of the first film made by the Lumiere Brothers and when was this?
“Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory” – March 1895.
What is the “Phantom ride?”
Being the first example of the technique, a tracking shot, Cameramen achieved this by strapping themselves and their cameras to the buffer of the train, creating a phantom like shot of a floating camera. This is how it therefore got the name “Phantom ride”.
What was ground-breaking about the silent films “The Sick Kitten” and “life of an American fireman”?
“The Sick Kitten”, directed by George Albert Smith, was the first film to ever include the technique of a close-up shot, this was done to capture the kitten having its medicine. Usually in prior films, shots were wide to capture the entire environment of the shot.
“Life of an American fireman” directed by Edwin S. Porter, was significant as it was the first use of continuity editing. This is seen where an exterior shot of the street with the fireman cuts to an exterior shot of the house on fire and the victims of it.
What was the name of the first “Film Star” in Hollywood?
Florence Lawrence. Being the first actor to be named publicly, she gained a recognisable appearance on screen.
Diegetic – Used in scenes such as Glass breaks, a gun fires or a car speeds away, diegetic noise is used to set a dramatic mood within the film.
Non-Diegetic – Used in scenes of chases, examples include banjo music to set a mood of location of being out in west of the US.
Dialogue –
When being told off by Clyde for not keeping the car in the same location because he was distracted, Clyde describes him as “Boy” this shows that he is young and naïve and treated as so by the gang.
Underscoring –
During the scene where Bonnie runs away due to missing her mother, emotional underscoring is used to establish her sadness and longing to see her again.
Sound Motif –
throughout the course of the film, a recognisable sound motif of a banjo is played whenever the gang are in a highspeed chase. This use of a sound motif makes what is going on in the scene recognisable.
Sound mixing (Atmos/Foley) –
Due to the dangers of real ammunition on film sets, weapons fired blanks to replicate the visual appearance of gun fire, due to the sound being damped due to the blanks, Foley sound of gun fire was recorded and used for shutouts.
