What did you like about the film? I liked the way the music added extra dimension to the still images, it clearly showed the different moods.
What didn’t you like? I didn’t like the tone of voice used in the voice over. The images were black and white, and the tone of voice and delivery was deep and mysterious creating the energy to drop.
What ideas could you use? Narrative or style? I like the idea of the still images and voice overs; I think it’s different. However, I won’t use a still image for over 4-5 seconds as that is when the audience’s attention gets lost.
What ideas won’t you use? Why? I won’t incorporate the narrative storyline because it didn’t interest me.
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).
When establishing the protagonist, we are told he is not the first Guinea pig and others have gone “mad” when selecting their next victim, they chose a prisoner with a very memorable and clear imagination helping them when trying to time travel. It says “he was frightened” as he had heard past stories about what it does to people. The whole scene when first addressing the protagonist is used with a close-up which really catches his emotions.
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 scientists are first established at the 4:00-4:45 mark, the voice over is describing what they do (taking prisoners and taking them for experimental reasons with time travelling) it clearly describes that their experiments have not worked yet and made people “mad”.
Establishing location (time and place) – what information do we find out? How is it conveyed?
We were told immediately that the location was Paris. The bombed-out wreckage of the city (real WW2 images) doesn’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.
When establishing the location, when introducing the film production and directors and other people who were involved with the process there is a wide and long shot image of an airport however, when establishing the key location (the jetty) it shows us around three still images of it, the children watching the planes departing, the air hostess walking to the planes. This is when we see the main location of where the plot happens.
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? Do the women know he is going to die? Does he know that if he picks the past he will die? How did his younger self see him die?
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.
This starts off with the women breaking the still images and seen moving. However, this happens in the past (his time travelling) and completely jumps to a worm’s view shot of the scientist quickly adjust the audience mind between past and present day.
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? I think the first experiment is when he is when he spots the women from the airport. His memory recognizes her and now his realisation that he can pick the future or past and he picks the past shows a true reflection into the first obstacle he faced was seeing her and wanting to stay.
Resolution – is it a 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? I think the ending the ending is closed as you can easily gather that the man getting shot at the end was him meaning that when he was younger, he watched himself being shot. I think if you follow the story line and know that the reason he was killed is because picked the wrong time travel (picked the past not future).
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 though memory. It is also about the 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: I think the film makers intentions was that their love was never to be (not meant to be together) no matter how hard he tried, even when picking the past to stay with her he died. I think this was meant to happen for a reason, did the women manipulate him and did she know he was going to die.
Aesthetic binary oppositions The use of still photo images is 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: The past vs feature. The past is the place that is calling him, his loved one is there, and he is enjoying it more. The feature shows new technology and different ways of presenting themselves.
Inspirations – what ideas did this film give you for your own short film?
Establishing characters, setting, plot, theme: The way the characters are seen/shot after the location. It gives the audience a tension of who the characters are.
Creating enigmas: Establishing the location, before any key characters. Talking about why they are at the jetty.
Narrative structure (non-linear? Open/ closed ending?) The ending was closed in this short film, it gave an easy understanding from the audience’s point of view of what happened at the end. I think I would incorporate this in my short film as it rounded off the needing neatly.
Striking use of technical features: This short film uses still images instead of live acting, this is a striking technical feature. It has given me a new feature to work with but getting my narrative across could be difficult.
What did you like about the film? I liked the sound in the movie, I found having the whispering and thumping sound made the movie more intense in parts. I found it really added some mystery into the film.
What didn’t you like? I found some of the still shots and the narrative didn’t completely match up, some of the still shots were repetitive and the narrative didn’t completely explain parts I found.
What ideas could you use? Narrative or style? Not introducing your main character to create mystery, I also liked the shock moment of when the eyes opened for that brief second I found that affect really interesting.
What ideas won’t you use? Why? The still shots I think did not provide a lot of information and did not expand on the plot. As at the end, it isn’t fully explained I think in a short movie you really need a clear plot.
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).
We know that he is a prisoner due to the voice over explaining that experiments are done on them. We also see the large destruction that the nuclear bomb has caused. You see the Prison beds and rooms conveying that is where he must stay. This shows the uncomfortable settings that he lived in and how unhuman the experiments are due to the uncertainty of the time.
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.
Scientists gaze is always on the camera, normally close to the camera with a MCU and CU conveys to the viewer that they are intimating with the focus of the camera being on the face showing the power they possibly have
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.
The movie starts with the planes opening the scene, this tells us that it is a current movie as the planes clearly being identified as Modern. This allows the spectator to understand that is this either set in the current time or the future just from one of the first shots. This first scene allows the spectator to establish the time and the location of the observation deck.
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.
The quick shots of the experimenters show the mystery of them they create many questions for the spectator such as why is a prisoner? who are the experimenters? the close ups of them possibly show the seriousness of them with their face lacking emotion .
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 binary oppositions of maybe Good vs. Evil within the film the way that the experimenters are framed its very tightly and they never show any emotion creating a eerie effect while the movie allows yourself to align with the main character as you see him form a romantic relationship in the future it gives him a better sense of character compared to the experimenters
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?
I think the crisis point of the movie starts from the very beginning, I think it shows that he is troubled from the very beginning having this vivid memory of a woman dying.
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).
The in my opinion is that he is stuck in a loop, the scene starts with the moment on the observation deck and it ends with the child version seeing him die. I believe that this suggests that the narrative continues on.
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:
I think there is a brief moment where she opens her eyes, this breaks away from the normal still image’s and creates a emotional and stand out effect to the viewer this a moment that the filmmaker intentionally.
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:
I think when they travel to the future acts as a opposition to the past vs. present under score changes to a lighter tone symbolizing that they are in love and ion the present the underscore was much darker.
Inspirations – what ideas did this film give you for your own short film?
Establishing characters, setting, plot, theme I think having a overview of the area whereof where your film is taking place as it links your character introduction to a place. I love the idea of not introducing your main character identify I think it creates mystery and questions for the viewer. The plot for this film was interesting the idea of a narrative loop could be something I might use,
Creating enigmas I think having unanswered questions within the movie, is something I will definitely use as inspiration from this movie as I effect it had on me on the viewer was impactful .
Narrative structure (non-/linear? Open/ closed ending?) I think I may follow the linear story setting but may use the technique as inspiration of having a open ending.
Striking use of technical features The black and white setting created a gloomy look of the setting, the still images of the settings are also something that i may adapt into my own movie.
What did you like about the film? I liked the style of using still images and then using a dissolve to make it seem almost as if they were moving because it was very unique
What didn’t you like? The story was a bit confusing, especially when the protagonist was sent into the future
What ideas could you use? Narrative or style? Despite being confusing, I like the idea of using a time travel/post nuclear war story. I would also make my own version in black and white like this as it gives it a more vintage feel which is almost film noir reminiscent
What ideas won’t you use? Why? I probably wouldn’t use the still images because while it is a cool style, I don’t think I’d enjoy making a film like this
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).
A little boy standing on the railing of the Jetée and is suggested to be the protagonist—we never see his face. A POV shot is used to align with him; you can see the women walking to the plane from his point of view, and a few moments later, the point of view of the man dying even before the ending, where we find out that the protagonist is actually the one who died.
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 scientists are shot using a low angle to show how they are important, just as the narration says ‘the victors stood guard over an empire of rats’, to suggest the way they rule over the people who live in the underground and turn them into their experiments. Furthermore, the use of the low angles on the scientists can be used to further suggest how menacing and evil they are—not only because of how they are using people for their experiments, but also for when they plot to murder the protagonist at the end.
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.
Time is established through narration, as well as the images—the narration suggesting when the protagonist is being sent into the past. The future is established by the use of costume design—the people from the future are shown with a mark on their forehead and the futuristic design of where they are As well as this, sound is important in establishing when time travel is happening—there is a thumping noise that is reminiscent of a heartbeat that quickens when he gets closer to a different timeline
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? Is this going to happen again?
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.
La Jetée uses the binary oppositions of beginning vs end by establishing the protagonists’ opinions on when he saw the man die at the beginning – how he was traumatised. This is opposed by the realisation that he was that man at the end of the short film – how his older and younger self coexist.
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?
I think that it is the man dying in the beginning as it poses many questions to the audience—who was the man and how and why did he die? The film is built around it; the man wanting to travel back to when that exact moment happens to meet the woman again in the past
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’s ending isn’t exactly closed thanks to the circular timeline – we know that war is going to break out again and that what we just saw is going to happen all over
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: There is a moment of movement, where the frames merge together to create the illusion of the woman blinking her eyes – suggests that they are breaking away from the time loop to maybe give the audience a glimmer of hope and tranquillity, though that immediately breaks at the cut to one of the scientists
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: The sounds in the background – something reminiscent of birds chirping – gives the audience a sense of reality which gets broken for dramatic effect
Inspirations – what ideas did this film give you for your own short film?
Establishing characters, setting, plot, theme I really liked the use of narration, especially in French, to establish key points of my film
Creating enigmas While I do want to include a narration to give exposition, I also want to include mysteries that will be solved in the form of plot twists, as it is in La Jetée. You hear about this mysterious figure who the protagonist saw die when he was younger, who ends up being himself from the future
Narrative structure (non-/linear? Open/ closed ending?) I’d rather do a linear plot rather than the non-linear story in La Jetée, but maybe include an open ending
Striking use of technical features I don’t want to do the still images concept and would rather make it like a regular film, but I do really like the look of black and white/film noir which I will probably do for my own film
What did you like about the film? The darkness and bleakness of the post war society, and how the music blended
What didn’t you like? I liked the whole film
What ideas could you use? Narrative or style? Pictures in film (mix media) circular narrative and the mystery genre
What ideas won’t you use? Why? Post apocalyptic settings and dystopia
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).
When first introducing the protagonist, the narrator describes him as a “prisoner” and “guinea pig”. These descriptions give the audience a key insight into the fate of the man and ultimately what he means to the story- his life ends in tragedy. As most of his adult like was being a “guinea pig” for the scientists
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.
We first see the woman through the eyes of our main protagonist, showing us that she is only a memory, like something that the protagonist is grasping onto. She is portrayed to have no agency, only existing throughout the story to serve as emotional motivation for the male protagonist
Establishing location (time and place) – what information do we find out? How is it conveyed?
The audience are told immediately that the location is Paris. The bombed-out wreckage of the city (real WW2 images) doesn’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.
In the beginning of the film, we are initially told that the traumatic death that the man seen many years ago cements Orly airport And Paris itself as a place which holds a lot of emotional strength for the man- not including the repeated images of a woman that he cannot rid himself of.
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? -= who are the scientists- how are they sending the protagonist back in time, how are they in his memory
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.
In the present, there is a stark visual contrast between the architecture seen in post/pre apocalyptic Paris. The set design and visual appearance of the set show the binary oppositions throughout the transition of Paris. There is no clear indication of what the underground tunnels look like, showing the desolate-ness of Paris post apocalypse.
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 would be, the man figuring out that the scientists want to kill him, leading him to gain help from the future humans- which he ultimately rejects.
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 story is circular, similar to the ending of lost highway by David lynch, these events will forever repeat as the protagonist cannot recognize their cations or mend them until it’s too late. but the spectator may feel robbed as there is not a resolution which is common in western mainstream cinema.
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 though memory. It is also about the 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:
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: Alternatively, this technique could be seen a an attempt to create a look of “found footage”- someone in the diegetic world or le jete, presumably in the future has found documentation of the man and his memories that the scientists recorded. The use of still image filmmaking creates the effect of someone looking through an album of pictures. Additionally, the score in this film could be an indicator of this presumed person’s feelings and emotions while looking through these findings.
Inspirations – what ideas did this film give you for your own short film?
Establishing characters, setting, plot, theme- The tragic romance and themes of memory in this film inspired me to base my stylistic choices on a French new wave technique, although I would like to take a different route away from having my film be a romance. The post-war industrial setting was not my preference, although the characters being doomed from the beginning is a plot/theme that I would like to explore further.
Creating enigmas- The themes of mystery and tension created throughout this scene have inspired my thoughts about set design. I liked the dark lighting and cinematography which influenced the dark themes of this short film. Although I do not plan on having a romantic interest in this film as I want to keep the cast as small as possible so that the audience can be enriched with the themes and aesthetic of the story.
Narrative structure (non-/linear? Open/ closed ending?)I like the idea of a circular story, finishing where I started
Striking use of technical features. I liked the idea of the circular story line, while also keeping elements of mystery. We do not find out if this process will repeat forever or if a resolution is ever found.
La Jetée (Marker, Korea, 1962) – Analysis Sheet for Evaluative Commentary
Part 1: Brief Reference
What did you like about the film? I liked its unique use of photos edited together rather than one continuous video. I also liked the style of shots used focusing on light and dark.
What didn’t you like? I didn’t like how it was hard to follow, you had to focus on it to understand it. I also didn’t like how the characters had no dialogue.
What ideas could you use? Narrative or style? I could use the idea of still black and white shots to create a almost moving image.
What ideas won’t you use? Why? Maybe not the vague voiceover as I found it difficult to understand what was happening.
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).
This man is introduced as a protagonist but not as the most powerful being within the film which is unconventional for films where heroes usually come out on top. He is represented as a dull and depressed man this is shown through his introduction, his introduction being him as a child watching a man die on the pier, with his characters baseline being a negative traumatic experience it allows the audience to understand that his storyline is going to match that of his introduction and become full circle. He is a depressive and melancholy character, and his experience haunts the narrative.
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 woman in this movie is the only woman conveyed through. This could mean not many women being left due to the nucellar destruction or it could relate to the stereotypical ideology that woman cannot do technological things such as time travel and is only represented for love. Her character seems to add a positive twist to the plot, her character seems to lift the narrative’s mood when mentioned or featured. The choice of real rolling footage being her represents and reenforces the idea that she is the key within this story, she is present for his life and death and is a key factor within both those things within both of those things.
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.
We discover that the place this is set is through of establishing shots, an example being the Eiffel tower surrounded by the wreckage and damages, establishing to the audience where it is set and also what is happening in the time of the film
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? I think there are many questions throught the narrative, the key ones i have is…when this man comes back from the past does this place freeze in time as it only exists because he has gone to it. Did the man who shopt him send him there to meet that woman purposely or unintentionally. Why kill him at the end, is it because he chose to go back to the past, why kill him?
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.
I think a dominate binary opposition ideoligy represented in this film is the idea between peace and war. I think the sheer stark contrast between the effects of war on people and the effects of people due to love is very key. The idea that hate drives some people’s motives and love and peace drives others. It gives off them (scientists) vs me (the main man) vibe.
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? I believe the crisis point is when he realizes that he is the man he saw shot on the pier, the realization that he is the reality of his worst nightmare.
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? I believe visibly the story is closed and ended as the man is dead. However, i believe there is a lot of plot holes as to what characters did certain things for.
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:I think the pint of la Jetée is to highlight our unknowing and how naive we are to what could be happening around us without our knowledge.
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: I think the opposition in this film shows how happy just one person could make you and change yor life.
Inspirations – what ideas did this film give you for your own short film?
Establishing characters, setting, plot, themeTo establish setting i like the idea of photo like elements.
Creating enigmasI like the use of a plot this with a unresolved narrative
Narrative structure (non-/linear? Open/ closed ending?)I like the use on non liner narrative
What did you like about the film? The concept was good, there was some very cinematic and beautiful stills
What didn’t you like? There is a plot hole – how did his murderer travel back in time if they needed the main character to travel in time? Still images were jarring
What ideas could you use? Narrative or style? The use of dissolves was creative, improvising with props was nice. I liked the time travel element.
What ideas won’t you use? Why? Really predictable ending, I definitely won’t use still images. I think they could have gotten more out of the time travel
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).
Only talked about in 3rd person. No name given. First seen a full six minutes into the film. No name conveys a more “guinea pig” character. We are shown no backstory apart from this memory, and the only hint to a past for this character is when he is asked about his “combat necklace” from time as a soldier, as well as being referred to as a “prisoner” (though the German whispers of the scientists suggests Frace lost the war and was taken over by another country) Despite not appearing till later, the film opens with the man’s childhood memory at the airport, which is the focus of the action that takes place later.
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 woman is the first character shown, as part of The Man’s memory. Then we are shown the scientists and other guinea pigs, creating the setting for the films “present”, all before seeing the main character. The “future” humans are distinguished with a dot on their forehead.
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.
The setting is told to the audience to be Paris in the third line of the film, and the inventive scene showing the bombing of Paris through whiting out portions of the skyline tells the audience of the post-apocalyptic setting. The tunnels underneath Paris form the majority of the “present” setting.
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.
The main enigma presented by the film is the memory of the main character that allows him to travel through time, which is slowly answered by introducing the character if The Woman as a central character and the ending revealing that the whole plot was leading up to creating the memory The Man saw which allows him to time travel
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 predatory and cruel “present” contrasts with the kind past and future. While the “present” is confined in small tunnels and are always claustrophobic scenes filled with darkness, with shadows or sunglasses obscuring the scientists faces, the past is bright and sun lit and open and the future is wide and the people show their faces clearly, and in both times The Man is treated with kindness
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?
The crisis point is when the man is to be executed, which is when he makes the choice to use the Future People’s offer to go back in time to the airport to see The Woman again, which leads to one of the Scientists shooting him at the airport, which his child-self witnesses, allowing the plot to happen
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).
The narrative is closed in a way that means The Man will relive the plot over and over again, repeatedly witnessing his death and going back in time to be there to be killed.
Part 3: Meaning and Effect
What did you think was the intention of the filmmaker(s)? Intellectual message? Emotional response? The film gives the idea of being trapped in one’s past: always preferring life in the past to the present. It also gives the idea of being afraid of the future or what might come, choosing to live in nostalgia rather than giving in and going on to your own future. It says that no matter what opportunities life presents them with, people will choose to trap themselves in the past.
How was this achieved?Your own idea: The collection of stills creates an idea of a fading memory, only recounting a story in still images. The photographs also create an idea of being frozen in time, trapped in moments rather than “moving” along. The only moving image in the film being from the woman, who is symbolic of the main character’s link to the past, also shows this idea of remembering the past more fondly than anticipating the future.
Aesthetic binary oppositions The naturalistic representation of the past greatly contrasts with the more interpretive, symbolic representation of the future society
Effect of these oppositions?Your example: This contrast contributes to the main character’s preferable view of the past.
Inspirations – what ideas did this film give you for your own short film?
Establishing characters, setting, plot, theme The film manages to do a lot on a low budget, which is admirable
Creating enigmas I liked opening the movie with a mystery to have it resolved at the end
Narrative structure (non-/linear? Open/ closed ending?) Opening the movie with the ending with a lot of information absent and then filling in the information at the end was a cool concept
Striking use of technical features The transitions between images were artistic
La Jetée (Marker, Korea, 1962) – Analysis Sheet for Evaluative Commentary
Part 1: Brief Reference
What did you like about the film? I like the film because there was a narration over the top allowing you to see the emotions and facial expression of the actors and actress, although the imaging was still shot images, it didn’t always feel like it, which was conveyed through dissolves.
What didn’t you like? Although I like some of the still image shots, some of it felt very repetitive, making the story feel very hard to follow along with and keep up with it. Some moments of the plot were hard to follow along, making the story quite confusing.
What ideas could you use? Narrative or style? I might use a narration to help introduce my film.
What ideas won’t you use? Why? I don’t think my film will be in all still shots as I think it doesn’t convey the whole story.
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).
There is an image of a young boy alongside two grownups (possibly parents), this could convey the young boy watching the scene and not seeing his face leaves a sense of mystery. Using text at 1:35 describes the emotion of what the protagonist felt without seeing an actual image of him. “The violence scene that upset him” this shows that the death and the scene caused him sadness and impacted him quite a lot.
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.
There is a lot of mid shots of the scientist, there is a few close-up shots of the scientist showing their important status in the film. There are also some low angles shot showing that they are in control and leaders and are the ones controlling the time travelling.
Establishing location (time and place) – what information do we find out? How is it conveyed?
We were told immediately that the location was in Paris. The bombed-out wreckage of the city (real WW2 images) doesn’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.
There are many locations shot in Gardens exploring the romantic theme of the film, this also shows the peace and calm life before bombing and war
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? Why were the protagonists chosen to time travel? What is the significance of the women? Why did parents take their children to watch planes on Sunday morning? Were the women a decoy for the scientist to kill the man?
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.
Men vs women – the women are represented as an interest to the man but also appears at the end of the film to look like a decoy for the scientists to kill the protagonists.
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? I think the crisis point is the first experiment because that is the time when things change for the man, and he isn’t really his normal sense.
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? I think the ending is closed, as the man has seen the future and has been in the past and present so therefore there is an ending to the film.
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.
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.
Inspirations – what ideas did this film give you for your own short film?
Establishing characters, setting, plot, themeI really liked the setting of the film and the minimalistic look, it felt very powerful but also very simple.I really liked the plot of not knowing some of character and the reveal of the ending was really good and interesting to watch.
Creating enigmasI really liked the enigma of not knowing who the man was at the start, it really made the film worth watching as this enigma pulled me as the audience and spectator to continue watching the film.
Narrative structure (non-/linear? Open/ closed ending?)I really liked the use of non linear narrative. The nonlinear narrative helped develop the character which resulted in in-depth emotional involvement of the audience.
Striking use of technical featuresThe use of singular image put together, creates greater involvement for the viewer, after a while the use of singular images felt like it had merged into actual videos as you got used to the shots.
New Hollywood: new film makers working with new influences. a revolution of the old way of making films.
Four films from this period:
Easy Rider: Dennis Hopper (starring Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson)
The Graduate: Mike Nichols (Starring Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft)
Midnight Cowboy: John Schlesinger (Starring Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman)
The Wild Bunch: Sam Peckinpah (Starring William Holden, Ernest Borgnine and Warren Oates)
Events taking place in America and elsewhere:
Vietnam war– Young people protesting the war in Vietnam because many Americans where dying. They where asking for them to take the Americans out of Vietnam, who went there to stop the spread of communism.
Riots in the Ghettos– People fighting against racial inequality, neighborhoods being set on fire.
Political assassinations– Martin Luther king and JFK’s Brother where shot. JFK’s brother was at the time running for president
Political Disgrace– President Nixon had to resign because he was discovered to be behind a burglary where bugs where being planted in the Democrat’s Office.
All of these created a very violent image of America that was being shown to the American public on their Televisions.
USA Counter culture– where the younger people began to become a lot more liberal, being more accepting of people and advocating for peace. This included more accepting of things like drugs and sexual liberation as well as advocating for women’s rights and respecting sexuality.
What is meant by French New Wave Cinema?
a movement that took place from late 50s to late 60s. The style is very experimental because it encouraged the rejection of the film making conventions Hollywood had at the time. They would often feature existential themes and different approaches to the way the film was constructed using its editing, narrative and visual style. Was meant to be experimental. French cinema was very literal, these French films worked against that. Most of the people making these experimental films where young people, who where often film critics who decided to make the films they wanted to see rather than the mainstream films of the time. Wanted directors to be credited rather than the studios, making directors the stars rather than the actors. They are the artistic driving force. Working with low budgets because of financial restraints of post ww2 France.
2. The Cinematography had a much more documentary approach, letting the camera run for a longer time so the audience can see their character more through actions. The films relied a lot more heavily on natural lights and real sets, which would allow for more movement from the actors as they would not have to worry about changing the lighting as they moved. The camera where often handheld and the actors they hired where not always professionals in the field, who would be improvising things like their blocking and dialogue, all this came together to go against the conventions and expectations of the current studio climate. The lower budget allowed more people to make films rather than just big studios. Natural locations and lighting allowed for there to be a smaller team of crew, therefore less people to pay. Jump cuts where used to signify the passage of time. The camera would stay in the same place but the camera would cut. A voice over is used in French New Wave films quite a lot. They can be used to show a characters inner monologue.
3. Arthur Penn was influenced by directors like François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. Bonnie and Clyde itself is a rejection of the tropes of Hollywood at the time, this is shown by the fact it wasn’t well liked by the Higherups at Warner Brothers when Penn first showed them the film, them not understanding it. So by having it take this more alternative approach to the cinematography and narrative would lend itself to the story he was trying to tell. Bonnie and Clyde is a character study of the two characters, it is historically based. Bonnie and Clyde takes from French New Wave in the aspect of their music, in the cars there is very lively music playing, often being blue grass music, the main instrument being a banjo that was being played very fast. The narrative is not always clear. There is a lot of mood changes.
3 scenes from Bonnie and Clyde that have stylistic features that have been influenced by French New Wave films:
1.
The scene where they are driving away after buck got shot. it is a lot of close ups on the characters as they drive which is a convention of the French New wave movement. this helps convey their emotions better to the audience.
2.
This is used throughout the movie, but Bonnie and Clyde was not shot on a pre-built set/sound stage. It utilized real locations for its backdrops rather than ones made by people to fit the scene. This is also a convention of the French New wave movement, due to most of the movies made during this era didn’t have the budget to have a set to film on.
3.
The final scene is very snappy, cutting between Bonnie and Clyde with extreme close ups, this is done to show their expressions better and convey their emotions to the audience better. This is a convention of the French new wave movement because it helps audience be aware of the fact they are watching a movie, something Classic Hollywood strayed away from, but French New wave embraced and set out to do.
New Hollywood Style:
1. How did new wave Hollywood directors like Penn approach Film narratives?
Plot that changes perspective, endings that aren’t always happy (usually ambiguous or sad) and more violent than others of the time. A lot of the acting was done by amatures and may have been improvised. Some of these aspects can be seen in Bonnie and Clyde, where Penn tackles a more taboo subject matter. while there is a story, the film is much more character driven than story driven, which makes the audience sympathize with two murderers. This goes against the Classic Hollywood style of Storytelling by not sticking to a strict linear structure. There is also focus on sexuality, though Bonnie and Clyde’s relationship and their struggles, which was also a taboo for the time period.
2. what is Discontinuity editing?
a style of editing that is used to draw attention to itself, it can be used to remind the audience is watching a movie. This will give the cut/shot an unnatural feel, which is often used in French New Wave cinema. This can be to draw the audience’s attention to an action, sound or place.
3. why is this time in film production sometimes referred to as ‘The Rise of the Auteurs’ in Hollywood?
The word ‘Auteur’ comes from the French word for author. directors where being referred to as Auteurs because they where viewed as the movies author rather than the screenwriter having that credit, showing that these movies where personal rather than product films. Many of these directors of the time had come from magazines where they would review films. not seeing any that they liked or connected with, they came to the conclusion that studios where ‘out of touch’, so they would go on to create movies that they wanted to see.
4. What is the lasting impact of the New Hollywood style on modern films?
Directors have become much more credited and are now a marketing tool like actors, having their names on the posters or advertising for a movie. More gritty movies have become mainstream rather than being something taboo. as well as this, the more experimental camera work of the time can be seen in directors such as Wes Anderson, who often uses the technique of having a character look directly down the camera lens, which can break the audiences immersion in a film, reminding them they are watching a film.
I really enjoyed Bonnie and Clyde. I’m not usually a fan of Gangster movies but Bonnie and Clyde doesn’t feel like a normal Gangster film. I enjoyed the other characters in the main cast and how they all interacted with and dealt with the idea of robbing banks and running from the law. I enjoyed the romance between Bonnie and Clyde, I felt that their characters complimented each other very well and the development they offered each other made for a good story.
Stand out scene:
The stand out scene for me was when Bonnie and Clyde where shot. I feel that the faced paced editing cutting between their expressions before they die adds an aspect of humanity to them just as they get shot. the amount they get shot adds to the idea that they where deadly and this obscene amount of bullets they used on them makes it seem too dramatic, which would make the audience sympathise with Bonnie and Clyde despite the fact they had spent the whole film robbing places and killing people.
Director: Arthur Penn, Writers: David Newman, Robert Benton, Robert Towne
Stars
Warren Beatty – Clyde Barrow
Beatty was born in 1937 and had a career spanning six decades. He started his career appearing in TV shows in the 50s, before making his film debut in 1961’s Splendour In The Grass, and received overwhelming praise for his role, being nominated for a golden globe and received an award for best new actor of the year. He later appeared in films like Lilith (1964), alongside fellow Bonnie And Clyde star Gene Hackman, and Mickey 1 (1965). Bonnie And Clyde was the first film he produced, and originally wasn’t going to star in it, but when the other actors who were offered the role turned it down he decided to play the role himself.
Faye Dunaway – Bonnie Parker
Dunaway made her acting debut on Broadway, appearing in performances of Arthur Miller plays like The Crucible and After The Fall, as well as other performances. She performed in the award winning play Hogan’s Goat, directed by a man called William Alfred who became her mentor. Her first film role was crime comedy film The Happening (1967), as well as drama Hurry Sundown, also released in 1967. She was in a six-movie contract with the Hurry Sundown director Otto Preminger, but paid to end the contract after falling out with Otto during production. She was called in by Penn to read for Bonnie Parker after he saw her performance in The Happening, though she had auditioned for a role in one of his films but was turned away by a casting director a year prior. Beatty’s sister was originally going to play the role of Bonnie when he was just the producer, but the role had to be changed when he decided to play Clyde. Dunaway was up against a lot of competition, but Penn was able to convicne Beatty that she was right for the part. Bonnie And Clyde was only Dunaway’s 3rd movie.
Michael J. Pollard – C. W Moss
Pollard was born in 1939 and was an American character actor. He often played quirky, off-beat characters and had distinctive look, making him a “Cult Favourite” actor. He made his screen debuts in episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, before making his film debut as an uncredited role in It Happened To Jane (1959). He went on to appear in films such as Hemmingway’s Adventures Of A Young Man (1962), Summer Magic (1963) and Gunsmoke (1964). He also appeared in an episode of Star Trek. InBonnie And Clyde he plays C.W Moss, an original character for the film filling the roles of the two real life Barrow Gang members Henry Methvin and D.W Jones. Pollard fulfils his standard character role of a quirky, comedic character. He received a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actor for this role, and won a BAFTA for “Most Promising Newcomer”. This role also led to his joke presidential candidacy in 1968, complete with a campaign song. He went on to appear in a variety of different films, like Scrooged (1988), as well as roles in low budget horror films like Sleepaway Camp III: Teenage Wasteland (1989), American Gothic (1988), and Rob Zombie’s House Of 1000 Corpses (2003). He died in 2019 of cardiac arrest.
Gene Hackman – Buck Barrow
Hackman was a highly respected actor, considered one of the best of his generation. At 16 he lied about his age to join the army, first stationed in China then moved to Hawaii. He spent 4 and a half years in the army. He was discharged in 1951 and moved to New York. He persued a career in acting but was voted the least likely to succeed (along with friend Dustin Hoffman) by his peers in the Pasadena Playhouse. He performed small roles in television series and performed in off-Broadway shows. His first role was an uncredited role as a police officer in Mad Dog Coll (1961). Another early film role was Lilith (1964), which starred future Bonnie And Clyde co-star Warren Beatty. It was also his first credited role. He had a few small roles in TV and movies until Bonnie And Clyde in 1967, where he played a leading role as Clyde’s brother Buck Barrow, and didn’t become widely noticed until 1970 in his oscar nominated breakthrough role as Gene Garrison in I Never Sang For My Father. From there he gained more respect and became a successful actor, appearing in The French Revolution (1971) and Lex Luthor in Superman: The Movie (1978).
Estelle Parsons – Blanche Barrow
Parsons originally studied law before she became an actress, settling on acting in the 1950s. She was first a writer and producer on The Today Show, and performed in a lot of both on and off Broadway productions, earing awards for performances in Next Time I’ll Sing To You and In The Summer House, and made her film debut in 1963 with Ladybug Ladybug as JoAnne’s mother. In Bonnie And Clyde (1967), she portrays Blanche Barrow, Buck’s danger averse and often hysterical wife. It was only Parsons’ second film role, but she was awarded an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, an impressive feat. She appeared in a few other film roles, but she was mainly a stage actor.
Denver Pyle – Frank Hamer
Pyle was an actor better known for his television roles than his film roles, appearing in series such as The Range Rider, Have Gun Will Travel, Frontier,Fury and Gunsmoke. The majority of his roles were in westerns, with Pyle usually playing a criminal or cowboy, though he also appeared in shows like The Adventures Of Superman and even an episode of The Twilight Zone. His first credited film role was Devil Ship (1947), and appeared in many more westerns like Red Canyon (1949), Hellfire (1949), Rebel City (1953), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence (1962). His frequent (and violent) roles in westerns is probably a large factor in his casting as vengeful cowboy-styled deputy Frank Hamer in Bonnie And Clyde.
Mise-En-Scene
Locations
Taking inspiration from the French New Wave, Bonnie And Clyde utilises on location filming in favour of the standard studio filming. For example, the scene where the gang torments Hamer was shot at Lemmon Lake, Dallas, Texas. The majority of the filming took place in Texas, as that is where the real life Bonnie and Clyde operated, adding to the effect of the on location filming.
Sets (Interior)
The interior sets are naturalistic but still designed. For example, this scene showing the Barrow Gang hiding out at the Tourist Court Motel, depicting a real thing that happened and a real place (though the real one was in Missouri and the sign in the film says Iowa), adding to the realism of the film. The room the gang stays in is clean and devoid of bags or personal belongings, the only things seeming to belong to the gang being the guns in the closet, the helmet and the gas mask, showing they don’t have many personal belongings and haven’t been in the room for long.
The café scene was shot on location, in Lavon State Bank in Texas. The location was probably used due to how stylish the place looked, the decorated wall and the wooden benches working with the style of the film.
Costume
The Gangsters in Bonnie And Clyde dress in glamourous and stylish costumes. The Barrow brothers dress elegantly in suits, waistcoats and hats, possibly inspired by the fedora wearing suit-clad gangsters of the noir films Bonnie And Clyde takes inspiration from. Bonnie is the most notable in terms of costume, becoming a style icon of the time, influencing fashion of the late 60s, evoking elegance and 30’s influence. The costume serves to convey the sense of attraction and sexuality the film wanted to show, and what drew the people of the 30s to the pair of gangsters in the first place.
The antagonist of the film, Frank Hamer, contrasts the costume of the gangsters. While the Barrow Gang wears sleek, stylish outfits and care about looks, Hamer differs, wearing loose clothing and giving a more boxy silhouette than the slim clothes worm by the Gang. Hamer isn’t focused on attention or style, just the job and reputation. The larger stetson also contrasts the hats worn by the gangsters, like the Barrow’s fedoras and Bonnie’s beret.
Editing
The editing exemplifies the French New Wave influence and differs from the Warner Brothers “invisible editing” style greatly.
During this car chase scene, jump cuts are used in the middle of the action to show the differing views on the Barrow Gang. We are shown the car chase, scored with the up beat bluegrass chase music, which is fast paced and chaotic. But in the middle of the action, we jump forward in time to an interview with the police chief calling the Gang a menace and swearing to bring them to justice, before getting his picture taken for the paper. During this the bluegrass music abruptly cuts out. After he gets the picture taken the music comes back and we are taken back to the car chase. The chase is interrupted again with another jump cut forward to an interview with a civilian witness. The music suddenly cuts again as the witness says that the gang let him keep his money, and talks of them favourably, before we cut back to the car chase with the chaotic bluegrass music. This is an obvious example of how the editing style differs from classic Hollywood, as the sudden jump cuts break the immersion, which the “invisible editing” style wants to avoid.
Sound
The film has a bluegrass focused soundtrack, specifically using song “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” by Flatt and Scruggs in scenes with action. The bluegrass introduces an excited, light hearted tone to the action, making the crimes committed by the gang seem fun. The bluegrass genre intones the south/Texas and an old time feeling (though bluegrass was more of a 1940s sound than ’30s). The bluegrass is non-diegetic and serves as a motif to the action scenes.
The film uses diegetic sound too, such as the alarm ringing after Bonnie and Clyde rob the bank.
Aesthetics
Realism
The film focuses on realism and historical accuracy, though it does greatly simplify the real story (C.W Moss being a composite of the real D.W Jones and Henry Methvin). The focus on on-location filming adds to the realism element, filming all around the north of Texas, close to the real places the criminals operated in. The film also depicts many real events, such as the taking of the iconic photo of Bonnie on the car (above), the final shooting of the couple (though the depiction is far less violent than the real life shooting) and the Tourist Court shootout. The film was also one of the first to feature extensive use of squibs to create realistic blood spurts when characters are shot. During the time Bonnie And Clyde was released in, gunshots were bloodless and painless, so the depiction of blood and pain when someone is shot was seen as very graphic for the time.
Tone
Bonnie and Clyde has a varying tone, some scenes being light hearted, some comedic, some scenes being romantic and others being very serious. Often the car chase scenes and the robberies being comedic and light hearted, scored with exciting music and showing the gang usually enjoying themselves. Some scenes are quite comedic, like when Clyde tries to get out of the car after telling Bonnie he has erectile dysfunction and banging his head on the doorframe, when he tries to rob the bank that went out of business due to the great depression and when Moss tries to show off his tattoo to his father. Bonnie and Clyde obviously feature in a lot of romantic scenes, where they banter and play off each other and flirt a lot. The film is also able to be serious however, in the shootout scenes and scenes featuring Hamer. The serious scenes often take place at night or not vibrant lighting, and don’t contain scoring, containing gunshots and cries of pain mostly.
These tones are also able to play off each other to create mood, such as the end of the film, when the audience knows Hamer has tracked them down and will ambush them by the end of the film while the film shows us the couple enjoying themselves in the town. The film is able to balance these tones to make the light hearted, fun scenes don’t seem out of place with the more serious scenes.
Visual Style
The film takes a lot of inspiration from the French New Wave visually, making use of close-ups, jump cuts, camera angles, etc. to give scenes a dynamic feel and make the film engaging.
The opening scene with Bonnie in her room is a good example of the film’s visual style, starting with a close up on Bonnie’s lips, then panning to Bonnie in a mirror, then jump cutting to Bonnie standing up and walking to the bed, then jump cutting again to Bonnie lying down on the bed. The editing is erratic and involving, and the filming works to show the audience Bonnie’s character, using her head as a visual metaphor for Bonnie feeling trapped in a mundane life. This varies greatly from the generic wide shot and shot-reverse-shot that was very typical in Hollywood at the time.
Representation
Women
Bonnie Parker is atypical of women in film in the 1960’s. Bonnie is presented as an equal to Clyde, and is treated with respect by the film. She smokes, shoots, kills, does crime and wears stylish clothes. She is able to laugh at the male characters, has her own agency and personality, and Clyde supports her in her interests in poetry (sticking up for her when Buck doesn’t take it seriously) and allows her to see her family when she asks him to. The character presents the interest the real Bonnie Parker drew from the American public through her attitude not typical in women in the 30s, smoking cigars and robbing banks, acting freely.
Contrasting this is Blanche, Buck’s wife. She is a more typical representation of women of the time, very hesitant to be involved in the Gang’s actions and very often hysterical. While the majority of Blanche’s character is stereotypical, she is given moments of independence, for example demanding a share of the money from Clyde.
Men
The men of Bonnie and Clyde are men of action, though not entirely typical. Clyde introduces Bonnie to the world of crime, teaches her how to shoot, takes charge in situations and is suave and confident, all quite typical of a male character. However, Clyde is very supportive of Bonnie through the film, defending her poetry to Buck, becomes very aggressive to Hamer when he spits on her and lets her see her family even though it could be dangerous to the gang. Clyde is also used as comedy through his masculinity as well, such as when he bangs his head on the car door when leaving the car, or when Bonnie laughs at him for trying to rob a bank that went out of business, and even his first robbery is a result of trying to show off to Bonnie. His brother Buck is similar, falling into aspects typical of a male character, leading action and being a more obvious comic relief character, telling bad jokes and roughhousing with Clyde when they first meet, but he also sticks up for Blanche, defending her when Bonnie snaps at her and speaking up for her when she asks for a share of the money.
Authority Figures
The authority figures in the film are the antagonists, menacing the Barrow Gang, being stuck up and cruel. Frank Hamer, the main antagonist of the film, is presented as a mean, tough man, chasing the Barrow Gang mainly for petty revenge. He mistreats a newly blinded Blanche, getting information out of her and then leaving the room without telling her, leaving her talking to no one. He uses people, spits on Bonnie, is very aggressive and overkills Bonnie and Clyde greatly. The authority figures in Bonnie And Clyde are villainous and aggressive, presented in a very negative light.
People Of Colour
There are barely any people of colour in the film, and the ones that re in the film are not given much screentime. The most notable representation of people of colour is when Clyde gives a farmer his gun to let him shoot his repossessed house, which the farmer then gives to his black farmhand, who also shoots the house. The person is treated with mild respect, but is still depicted in a stereotypical way as a manual labourer and doesn’t have any lines.
Working Class Americans
The working class of America are presented as sympathetic. The main characters Bonnie and Clyde are members of the working class, Bonnie being a waitress and Clyde was a petty thief. The gang’s motivations are to rebel against the upper classes, showing disdain for authority and those with wealth and showing sympathy to those in the lower classes. During a robbery, they let a man keep money he was withdrawing from the bank before running away, and the man tells the press that that the Barrow Gang are all right with him. Bonnie and Clyde create solidarity among the lower classes and the less fortunate by rebelling against the status quo.
Political and Social Context
Bonnie and Clyde takes place in the 1930’s, a time of struggle. The Great Depression and the Wall Street Crash serve as the main backdrop behind the actions of the main characters. The Great Depression was an economic crash in the 30’s that caused high levels of unemployment and poverty. People lost a lot of money and it was a time of misfortune and loss. The film shows Bonnie and Clyde robbing banks in retaliation to the poor losing houses and items to repossessions, showing them in a heroic light as they fight against authority and the effects of the Great Depression.
The 1960s – when the movie was filmed – was also a time of social turmoil. Near the start of the decade, president John F Kennedy was assassinated. Before this, he was leading the USA in dealing with the Cuban Missile Crisis, part of the Cold War, which garnered a lot of fear in the American population. JFK was becoming disliked among the American population due to his poor handling of the Vietnam war, which led to a time of social revolution where people began campaigning for peace and freedom. Counterculture became popular in America, as the population disagreed with the current government and didn’t want any more conflict or war. Dislike of authority grew. People campaigned for progression and liberation, wanting equality for women and minorities. These counterculture attitudes also entailed a sexual revolution. This disdain for authority and call for revolution probably influenced the themes of Bonnie And Clyde, such as giving strength to the female characters, rebellion towards authority and liberation.
