Sambazon 2010

Citizen Kane (1941)

"I think it would be fun to run a newspaper."

“Movie spectaculars are films in which the magnitude and intricacy of the mise-en-scene share equal emphasis with or even outshine the story, the actors, and other traditional focal points for a movie” ,(Corrigan White 89). Citizen Kane (1941) is that movie. It has been the number one movie directors want to try and recreate. It is also a movie that you have to watch more than once. The first time you watch the film, you are confused to as what is going on. Director and star Orson Welles, tells the story of a man who has all that money can buy, except happiness.



The opening scene sets the whole tone for the rest of the film. At first we hear the non diegetic music sounding a lot like there’s a haunting grim reaper character lurking around the corner. The camera is focused on a ‘no trespassing’ sign and begins to move up to a low angle close up of a chain linked fence. “Recognizing the dominance of either the image as presence or the image as text within a single film or part of a film is the one way to begin to appreciate and understand it”, (Corrigan White 129). These low angle shots are used throughout the film whenever we see Welles’ character Charles Foster Kane. It makes him appear taller and important. There is very little light in this three minute opening scene. This darkness is continued throughout the film without the audience ever realizing it.


As the camera starts to become a deep focus, the audience starts to sense that this Kane character has amassed a fortune. We see a strong gate that looks like nothing ever leaves or enters the estate, exotic animals, a lake with gondola’s and a beautiful mysterious mansion hidden in the dark in the right corner. The deep focus on the camera keeps the audiences eyes glued to the center of the screen but still observing other images.


The camera shoots to a white light. As we witness the white light amongst the dark in the far right corner, Welles uses a lap dissolve here to move the camera and show the audience what is behind the white light. When the camera focuses more on the mysterious light and starts to fade from the other objects, the music becomes one with the lights flickering on and off. The use of sound and camera movement makes this scene one that defines this movie as a whole, mysterious and curiosity ensue.


The strange light dissolves into what looks like snow. When we first realize that the person is holding a snow globe, it’s too late. Welles use of mise-en-scene and camera movement in this opening sequence makes us want more. As the snow turns into a snow globe and it falls and smashes to the ground, an image of the nurse appears in the shattered glass. With an extreme close up of a man, the word, “Rosebud” is heard and this mysterious white light fades once again into the dark. The symbolism of the globe shattering is Kane’s innocence and childhood that was taken away to early. Something he couldn’t afford to buy. Like I said you need to watch this movie more than once to understand its greatness.

 

Citizen Kane. Director Orson Welles. Starring Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Ray Collins. Turner Home Ent. DVD.

Poster

IMDB Citizen Kane

Corrigan & White (2009), The Film Experience: An Introduction.

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

"Butterfield: Twenty-two robberies. Over four hundred thousand dollars in losses. More in delays. The Southern Pacific will have Ben Wade convicted in a federal court. Hanged in public. An example made. And we will pay to make it happen."

"Ben Wade: Y'all notice he didn't mention any of the lives I've taken."

"The human fascination with creating illusions is an ancient one", (Corrigan White 98). Without an ensemble cast, a beautiful set, and costumes this period piece would not have been turned something that is believable today. After watching 3:10 to Yuma (2007), I learned that the lead actor is nothing without its supporting actors, the actors are nothing without the set and without the costumes this movie would not have worked.

In the movie, Russell Crowe plays a notorious robber out to take whatever he can get his hands on. Christian Bale plays his counterpart, a family man on the verge of losing his home due to his lack of funds. These two characters connect and stumble upon a journey neither one of them was expecting. The two men carry the film in a psychological twist with an ending you wouldn’t have thought could happen.

Casting Directors, Lisa Beach and Sarah Katzman, did an amazing job casting Bale as Dan Evans, a character completely opposite of his more famous role, Batman, in The Dark Knight (2008). Dan is a character you feel you have to cheer for, but there is something the way Bale plays him that makes you sense that this guy has something else he isn’t sharing. While he most of the time plays the leading admirable guy, Crowe is perfectly chosen as the rebel, Ben Wade, a man with a loyal following who will do anything to get their leader back. Crowe’s character is someone you are secretly cheering for because of the charisma Crowe displays on screen. Another great character is Charlie Prince. Played by Ben Foster, Prince is a devoted sidekick in Wade’s outlaw gang. He doesn’t know right from wrong. He only knows what Wade tells him to do, he never thinks for himself. His character never changes throughout the film. He is forever the sidekick and never a leader.

Yes, without the actors there would be no movie. But without the costumes and the set the movie would just not be worth watching. Unless you enjoy actors just reading from a table, then this movie is not for you. Shot in New Mexico, a set was recreated and “Principal photography took place in and around (cities) Santa Fe, Abiquiú, and Galisteo. “ (Wikipedia 3:10 to Yuma) The set design was so good that, “After filming concluded, the owners of the Cerro Pelon Ranch petitioned to keep a $2 million expansion to the movie set on their property, which was supposed to be dismantled within 90 days. The set of 3:10 to Yuma made up 75% of the overall sets on the ranch. In April 2007, the request was met by the county's development review committee to keep the expansion, which would potentially generate revenue in the future.” (Wikipedia 3:10 to Yuma)

                    Costume designer Arianne Phillips who just recently finished Knight and Day (2010) with Tom Cruise, who was actually signed on to play Ben Wade before Crowe, had to deal with the unexpected chilly weather while on location. Says co-star Peter Fonda, “Yes. First, costumes and weather were a concern and we have a fabulous costume designer by the way. Fabulous costume designer. Arianne [Phillips] is just fabulous so we were very lucky. Well, everybody in the shoot was fabulous, too, but I think this film was originally supposed to be shot in July and August, which would have been just fine with me. But we had serious weather problems, very, very cold days, below zero days. It had its hardships, which also gave us something to playwith as actors.” (Movies About)

Through performative development, bypassing character types, and creating scenic realism this remake of 3:10 to Yuma (2007) is one that can create a Wild Wild West feel without ever leaving your living room.

 

3:10 to Yuma. Director. James Mangold. Perf. Christian Bale, Russell Crowe, Ben Foster, Logan Lerman. 2007. Lionsgate. DVD. 2008

        Movie Poster

Ensamble Cast

Christian Bale

3:10 to Yuma

Movies-About_Peter Fonda

IMDB- 3:10 to Yuma

Corrigan & White (2009), The Film Experience: An Introduction. (Chapter 3)

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)

"Fred Derry: How long since you been home?"

"Al Stephenson: Oh, a couple-a centuries. "

The movie about what happens to soldiers after their return home from the war is one that is still on the AFI top 100 films of all time. This movie, brilliantly cast, won all the major awards at the Academy Awards in 1947 including Best Actor for Fredric March. March’s performance as a banker turned Sergeant is just one of the reasons this movie will remind us in years to come that war is hell, and so is afterwards.



"The most fundamental value of mise-en-scene is that it defines our location in the material world: the physical settings and objects that surround us indicate our place in the world," (Corrigan White 85). Through the superb story structure and characterization, these potentially painful topics are handled with care. The three stories of the veterans, fold into each other. The men, who have never met before a fateful flight home, become lifelong friends.

Multiple close up and aerial shots are used in the beginning to give the audience a feel as to what the soldiers are experiencing. Al (March), is shown in his uniform, proud, and also eager to see his family. Homer, played by Harold Russell, is scared and nervous to go home. He has lost both his hands in the war and now uses prosthesis. Fred, played by Dana Andrews, was a newlywed a month before he signed up for the war. He has no idea what to expect when he returns. He only knows for sure is that he no longer wants to be a soda jerk. After returning home, then men continue to bond and stay current in each other’s lives.

The story of Al is one that connects all three. Al is at first uneasy being home. We see a close up him embrace his family, but almost as if he is looking right through them not recognizing them. He returns to his job as a banker and receives a promotion. A big project for someone to take on that just returned to civilization. Al can’t control his inner demons and begins to turn to alcohol for solace. He turns to the bar which Homer’s Uncle owns and meets up with Fred. A night of drinking ensues and the patchwork of the three characters turns into one story. It leaves the audience wanting more, feeling as though these veterans could be someone you might know.

At one point, all three of the men go through an identity crisis; separately yet together. They haven’t quite figured out if they should continue to be soldiers or become the regular Joe next door. The strong supporting actors including Al’s wife and daughter, played by Myrna Loy and Teresa Wright respectively, play an important role in defining the three veterans and bringing them back to reality. In one scene in particular, we see Fred looking in the mirror while he is holding a photograph of himself his wife kept on the dresser. We all look to the mirror for answers. The truth though is staring right at us. We see what we want to believe is real. Fred sees for the first time he has become someone he no longer wants to be. He wants to be the family man he was before the war. As for the other characters, Homer stops his self pity and becomes the man he wants to be, a great husband to his wife. Fred also becomes the man he wants to be. He divorces his wife and finds that true happiness might be a struggle but the rests, just like war, in the end are worth it.

The Best Years of our Lives. Director William Wyler. Starring Frederic March, Dana Andrews, Harold Russell, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright. MGM. DVD. 2000.

Fred, Al, Homer

Al-Family

Al-Mirror

IMDB

The Best Years of our Lives

Corrigan & White (2009), The Film Experience: An Introduction.

The Seventh Seal (1957)

"Nothing escapes me. No one escapes me."

-Death

Who hasn't wanted to gamble with Death?

Set in the 12th century, The Seventh Seal (1957) follows a knight on his journey home after the Crusades. Swedish Writer and Director Ingmar Bergman turns his screenplay into the two questions every human will ask themselves- Is death inevitable? Is there a God? This hybrid genre movie will leave you with the answers you may or may not be looking for.

The black and white movie has a dark mysterious setting that enhances life’s puzzling questions. We at first hear commanding non digetic music and then the subtle sounds of the ocean waves crashing. A perfectly placed chess board is next to the sleeping knight, who is lying on the rocks. Death then shows up as says to the knight, played by Max von Sydow, and says, “I have been at your side a long time.” We learn that Death not only has a face but likes to play games. "We rarely experience the traditions of naturalistic and theatrical mise-en-scene in entirely isolated states",(Corrigan White 88). In this now iconic scene, the knight and Death begin to play a game of chess; in a battle to delay the knight’s death.

The mis-en-scene of this shot is worthy of being recreated, which it has been throughout the years in such films as, Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991). Bergman uses the 180 degree rule here by setting up this scene. On the left we see death covered in a black robe but with a pale white face. Death has selected the black chess piece and says, “It becomes me well.” What got my attention about this shot is how Death is covered in black but the clouds in the sky in the background seem to be allowing the light to shine through. Maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel? Or maybe there is a God looking down on us? On the right side of this medium framed shot, we see the knight in a gloomy light, his features only visible by the shadows of the light from the left. The dimness above him seems to be telling of his inescapable fate, one that cannot be one by a game of chess, no matter how good you are.

Throughout Bergman’s seventeenth movie as a Director, the contrast between black and white is visible in every scene. We follow the knight’s point of view as he travels along his journey home to his wife. He meets a set of friendly actors who are shown in a lighter context as to foretell the audience of their outcome. These characters bring reason to the knight as when he is eating strawberries and says, “I shall remember this moment: the silence, the twilight, the bowl of strawberries, the bowl of milk. Your faces in the evening light. Mikael asleep, Jof with his lyre. I shall try to remember our talk. I shall carry this memory carefully in my hands as if it were a bowl brimful of fresh milk. It will be a sign to me, and a great sufficiency.” This is a defining moment in the film when the audience will learn the answer to the questions.






The Seventh Seal. Directed by Ingmar Bergman. Starring Gunnar Björnstrand, Max von Sydow, Bengt Ekerot. Criterion. 1957. DVD. 1999.

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IMDB-The Seventh Seal (1957)
The Seventh Seal (1957)

Corrigan & White (2009), The Film Experience: An Introduction.

The General (1926)

"If you lose this war don't blame me."

-Johnny Gray

Before there was color, there were black and white films. Before there was sound, there were silent films that created a motion picture without the use of noise. Director Buster Keaton’s The General (1926) has both these elements and yet still creates one of the most cinematic motion pictures today.

Keaton not only does his own stunt work, like moving a log while the train is still in motion, but also still has time to make sure his camera work is flawless. According to imdb.com, “In the train crash a dummy was used as engineer. It looks so realistic that the townspeople who had come to watch screamed in horror.” He doesn’t need fancy CGI or animation to bring this film to life. His character is the main point of view and his camera follows him through his journey. Filmed in parts of Tennessee and Oregon, the story unfolds with us viewing him on a stolen train in search of his beloved locomotive, The General, and also Annabelle, his damsel in distress, during the Civil War era. He uses multiple extreme long shots to show us the train in front of him with his darling Annabelle captured onboard. He sometimes uses an overhead shot to show us what he is doing so we see the whole picture, like when he is putting wood into the train so it doesn’t stop. Many times we see a medium shot and it brings us into Keaton’s world and his famous ‘great stone face’. His dead pan expressions are right on and sometimes you just can’t help but laugh out loud.

Throughout the film, the characters of Keaton’s Johnny and Annabelle are seen talking but are never heard. You can read their lips but it’s their actions that really do all the talking. There are a couple of scenes in which images as text appear to fill us in as to what is going on. Though it’s not really necessary, it gives the characters appeal. The opening text is quoted as saying, “There were two loves in his life: his engine and...” and then a close up of his beloved Annabelle is shown. Johnny’s closing line of, “Soldier!” after being asked his occupation, makes us happy and applaud Johnny’s new found title. Both of these added texts to the screen show us Keaton’s great awareness to little details. Keaton’s attention to detail in comedy makes you forget the film is silent. Though there is music added to the version I viewed it didn’t take away from the film; it enhanced the images being shown on screen.

When The General (1926) was released it was critically panned. It was one of the most expensive movies at the time as well. I wonder if it was because a comedy film like this had never been created before or the audience was expecting something else. Keaton is quoted as saying this was his favorite film he worked on. He had total and complete artistic control, very rare back then and unheard of today. Today the film is on AFI’s Top 100 Films of all time. I’m sure it will stay there for the next 100 years.

The General. Directed by Buster Keaton and Clyde Bruckman. Starring Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Frank Barnes, Charles Henry Smith. Kino International. 1926. DVD. 2008.

Filmsite- The General
IMDB- Buster Keaton

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Corrigan & White (2009), The Film Experience: An Introduction.

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

"I know I fib a good deal. After all,
a woman's charm is 50% illusion. "

-Blanche DuBois

While watching A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), I not only noticed Marlon Brando’s method acting but the use of props in the film. The mis-en-scene would not be complete without either. Without props, I wonder what Dorothy would be like without her ruby red slippers or Darth Vader without his black helmet or Psycho (1960) without its infamous knife shower scene.

In many scenes throughout the film, we witness a disgruntled Stanley (Brando) eating with his mouth open or drinking alcohol with his poker buddies. These props make us feel as though we are watching someone’s possible real life in front of us, not someone acting out a scripted play. With Brando’s method acting he turns a simple dinner into a fight that could happen anywhere.

The character, Blanche DuBois, played by Oscar winner Vivien Leigh, always uses multiple props to give her character depth. I noticed that whenever Blanche is in a flirty mood she always asks a man for a cigarette. The cigarette is almost like her security blanket. It gives her something to hold on too, feel comforted by and allows her to be the seducer she really is. She constantly is flirting with Stanley who happens to be her sister’s husband when she has a cigarette in her hand. When she first asks for a cigarette, Stanley gives her one from behind his ear. This was adding his person touch to it and flirting back to her. When Blanche asks Mitch, a suitor she seems to be interested in, though he’s more interested than she, for a cigarette, he reaches for one in his shiny silver case. She sees his case and it opens up a conversation for both of them. This use of prop creates the focal point of Blanche and her character.

Another prop predominately used by Blanche, is her constant use of looking in the mirror. She is forever looking at the mirror to admire her reflection. To me, this use of prop was to show us that Blanche is flawed just like everyone else. She is insecure about her appearance because she is getting older and becoming less attractive to men her own age. When we see her look in the mirror, she is always fixing something about her look; she is not as perfect as she would like us to believe. Towards the end of the film when she and Stanley begin to argue, she looks in the mirror as if asking for advice on what she should do next. She is betting on the mirror being her conscience and guide. Stanley doesn’t see what she sees and becomes enraged and breaks the mirror. All hope she once had is now gone and broken into a million little pieces. She no longer is stable and her life forever changes. Her true self comes to light.

The entire mis-en-scene of this film creates this fake world that seems so real. The props used throughout the film create the illusion that this could really happen. Ask any smoker and they’ll tell you they feel naked and lost without a cigarette in their hand. We all look in the mirror to make sure we look presentable in public. But do we really see the reflection that’s there? Or is it what we want to see?

A Streetcar Named Desire. Director Elia Kazan. Starring Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Kim Hunter, Karl Madden. 1951. Warner Home Video. DVD.
IMDB- A Streetcar Named Desire
Mirror Picture
Brando Picture
Vivien Leigh-Cigarette
Corrigan & White (2009), The Film Experience: An Introduction.