Friday, 31 December 2010
Analysis of The Third Man
Title: The Third Man
Director: Carol Reed
Date: 1949
Genre: Film-Noir, Mystery, Thriller
Certificate: PG
Brief Synopsis:
Arriving in Vienna, Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) learns that his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles), who has invited him, recently died in a 'car accident'. However, he quickly finds out that things aren't as they seem and 'Harry Lime' has a secret past and isn't who he thinks he is...
This is a trailer from the film 'The Third Man'
In the opening of this scene from 'The Third Man' the first thing that you hear and see is a musical instrument called a Zither. It is a cultural reference to the destroyed city Vienna, and the song which is playing is named after the character Harry Lime and introduces us to him. It is used to symbolise that he pulls the strings and is in control of 'Holly Martin’s' emotions. The use of the voice over sets the scene and introduces us to the city of Vienna and the ‘black market’ where they use close ups of hands to show the exchange of money and stolen goods, which emphasises the illegality of the situation.
In this clip Holly Martin walks underneath a ladder which is called dramatic irony because it suggests that something unlucky is going to happen to him. The use of his shadow when walking up the stairs implies that he has a split personality or it could relate to a theme of heaven and hell where Holly is heaven and his shadow represents Harry Lime who is hell. Holly is always trying to following Harry and the perspective of his character is being turned upside down as Harry plays 'cat and mouse' with him. Also, the use of a high angle shot of Holly looking up to the porter (Paul Horbiger) on the floor above represents his vulnerability.
Director: Carol Reed
Date: 1949
Genre: Film-Noir, Mystery, Thriller
Certificate: PG
Brief Synopsis:
Arriving in Vienna, Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) learns that his friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles), who has invited him, recently died in a 'car accident'. However, he quickly finds out that things aren't as they seem and 'Harry Lime' has a secret past and isn't who he thinks he is...
This is a trailer from the film 'The Third Man'
In the opening of this scene from 'The Third Man' the first thing that you hear and see is a musical instrument called a Zither. It is a cultural reference to the destroyed city Vienna, and the song which is playing is named after the character Harry Lime and introduces us to him. It is used to symbolise that he pulls the strings and is in control of 'Holly Martin’s' emotions. The use of the voice over sets the scene and introduces us to the city of Vienna and the ‘black market’ where they use close ups of hands to show the exchange of money and stolen goods, which emphasises the illegality of the situation.
In this clip Holly Martin walks underneath a ladder which is called dramatic irony because it suggests that something unlucky is going to happen to him. The use of his shadow when walking up the stairs implies that he has a split personality or it could relate to a theme of heaven and hell where Holly is heaven and his shadow represents Harry Lime who is hell. Holly is always trying to following Harry and the perspective of his character is being turned upside down as Harry plays 'cat and mouse' with him. Also, the use of a high angle shot of Holly looking up to the porter (Paul Horbiger) on the floor above represents his vulnerability.
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This screen shot of Harry Lime in the sewers emphasises that he is being compressed by the feeling of doom and there is a visible metaphor of the 'walls closing in on him' leaving him with no escape. The sewers create a labrynth effect, empahsizing the distopian feel which is also being portrayed through the dark, chiaroscuro lighting. The setting enhances the audience's attention by using the low ceiling and narrow brick walls and impiles that he is trying to find a light at the end of the tunnel. The composition of Harry standing in the middle suggests that he is the centre of the whole mystery of his death, and now Holly has found him, the uncertainty that surrounds him has faded entriguing the audience to find out what happens to him next. |
Friday, 10 December 2010
Analysis of Once Upon A Time in America
Title: Once Upon a Time in America
Director: Sergio Leone
Date: 1984
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Certificate: 18
Brief Synopsis:
A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to Brooklyn over 30 years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.
This is a trailer from Once Upon a Time in America
The first signifier of this introduction is the song (or anthem) ‘god bless America’, this soundtrack has a sense of irony because it is stating that America is a great country whereas this song contrasts the film because it is about gangs and violence in America. Sergio Leonie has specifically done this for that reason and maybe to criticise America because the citizens think everything is fine when they don’t know what is happening behind the scenes.
This is just a clip of the opening credits which opens the film with the anthem ‘God Bless America’. The song shows the irony and mood of the moment.
The first character that appears on the screen is the character ‘Eve’ who is a femme fatal which could be insinuated by her pearls. They could represent purity which could also be another portrayal of irony because her character is involved with gangsters or even teardrops which could be a premonition of the fact that she will shortly meet an abrupt end. The fact that you can only see her face and that the rest of her is caped in darkness might suggest that her beauty is the only thing that shines through her whereas she might be hiding something or that her personality might not reflect her looks and that looks can be deceiving. This gives reference back to the film and what Sergio Leone is trying to insinuate, that not everything is as it seems and that America was going through some troubled times in the with their government and the way that the law was inflicted. It reflects the mood of the moment of that time (1910-1967).
Director: Sergio Leone
Date: 1984
Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller
Certificate: 18
Brief Synopsis:
A former Prohibition-era Jewish gangster returns to Brooklyn over 30 years later, where he once again must confront the ghosts and regrets of his old life.
This is a trailer from Once Upon a Time in America
The first signifier of this introduction is the song (or anthem) ‘god bless America’, this soundtrack has a sense of irony because it is stating that America is a great country whereas this song contrasts the film because it is about gangs and violence in America. Sergio Leonie has specifically done this for that reason and maybe to criticise America because the citizens think everything is fine when they don’t know what is happening behind the scenes.
This is just a clip of the opening credits which opens the film with the anthem ‘God Bless America’. The song shows the irony and mood of the moment.
The first character that appears on the screen is the character ‘Eve’ who is a femme fatal which could be insinuated by her pearls. They could represent purity which could also be another portrayal of irony because her character is involved with gangsters or even teardrops which could be a premonition of the fact that she will shortly meet an abrupt end. The fact that you can only see her face and that the rest of her is caped in darkness might suggest that her beauty is the only thing that shines through her whereas she might be hiding something or that her personality might not reflect her looks and that looks can be deceiving. This gives reference back to the film and what Sergio Leone is trying to insinuate, that not everything is as it seems and that America was going through some troubled times in the with their government and the way that the law was inflicted. It reflects the mood of the moment of that time (1910-1967).
This film clip uses the rule of thirds to draw your eye to the main focus which is the corruptness of the police in the fact that they have just killed a woman for no apparent reason other than with holding evidence. The archway frames them, which shows that they are the main focus and the way that they are positioned suggests that they are a strong force who have cornered Eve and seem to have the upper hand. The way the light is positioned above Eve’s head might symbolise her beauty and her being angelic compared to the police and the measures they take to ‘enforce the law’ by taking it into their own hands.
This camera shot is called a worm’s eye view and has been used to create an effect of being over powered. It has been turned upside down to show the blurred lines of the law enforcers of this time; and the law breakers. It shows how the two sides have in this film been switched upside down to symbolise the corruptness of the police and the point of view of the gangsters.
Friday, 3 December 2010
Essex Boys Analysis
Title: Essex Boys
Director: Terry Winsor
Date: 2000
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Certificate: 18
Brief Synopsis:
The film is based loosely around events in December 1995 that culminated in the murders of three drug dealers in Rettendon, Essex. On 6th December Patrick Tate, Craig Rolfe and Tony Tucker, three drug dealers well known to the police, were lured to Workhouse Lane. There they were blasted to death with a shot gun while sitting in their Range Rover and had been lured to their deaths on the pretext of a lucrative drugs deal. The three bodies were found the following morning.
This is a trailer from the film 'Essex Boys'
The wording at the very beginning introduces the premise of the film. By saying it is based on a true story gives the audience a sense of reality and by saying that it ‘left three men dead, two serving life imprisonment and another living under an assumed identity’ immediately creates suspense and intrigue as to what happened.
Director: Terry Winsor
Date: 2000
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Certificate: 18
Brief Synopsis:
The film is based loosely around events in December 1995 that culminated in the murders of three drug dealers in Rettendon, Essex. On 6th December Patrick Tate, Craig Rolfe and Tony Tucker, three drug dealers well known to the police, were lured to Workhouse Lane. There they were blasted to death with a shot gun while sitting in their Range Rover and had been lured to their deaths on the pretext of a lucrative drugs deal. The three bodies were found the following morning.
This is a trailer from the film 'Essex Boys'
The wording at the very beginning introduces the premise of the film. By saying it is based on a true story gives the audience a sense of reality and by saying that it ‘left three men dead, two serving life imprisonment and another living under an assumed identity’ immediately creates suspense and intrigue as to what happened.
In the opening credits the use of the white lines being drawn could symbolise someone scratching a car with a key which gives reference to the location and actions that take place in the film. It gives a sense of grittiness especially with the harsh, scratching sound that goes with it and the melancholy soundtrack.
In this image the way the mud has been smudged across the windscreen gives Jason a gritty and harsh persona which also reflects the location. His posture is full of arrogance and the way he is looking straight at Billy without expression is quite aggressive. The framing of the car windscreen gives the effect that darkness is closing in on him and that something bad is going to happen to him which is dramatic irony. The chiaroscuro lighting gives this image an eerie effect and by using Billy's perspective to show the uncertainty that he has of Jason and the opinion that he has of him is unclear.
The use of the vertical lights connotes the feeling of imprisonment or that the character Billy is trapped in this dangerous situation. This could insinuate that Jason has just got out of jail and that maybe Billy is heading in that direction. Billy is in focus to show his emotion whereas the character Jason is blurred to create a sense of unknowing about him and that Billy maybe has an unsure perception of him.
This image of the car in the tunnel could be interpreted as looking down a barrel of a gun suggesting that something bad is going to happen to these characters. It could also be perceived as there is light at the end of the tunnel, however, the car is blocking the light and therefore they are stuck in a never-ending bad situation.
Thursday, 2 December 2010
Definition of a Film Noir
A Film Noir is French for ‘black film’ and it was first applied to Hollywood movies by French critic Nino Frank in 1946.
Generic conventions of a thriller film:
Lighting – Dark, noir lighting is used a lot in thriller films. It is used to place the audience in the same positions as the characters. It creates uncertainty, confusion, mystery, enigma, suspense and aspects of evil. Chiaroscuro lighting reinforces the sense of the nightmare illusion. It is also aesthetically pleasing and adds to the visual pleasure of the audience. It sometimes uses ambient (natural lighting) and non ambient (artificial lighting). There are many common lighting features to the thriller film such as dimly lit places and car headlights. Also the effect of the ambient lighting used to create big shadows making the character seem very eerie and maybe have two sides to their personality.
Sound – Diegetic (natural sounds in the film) and non diegetic sounds (un-natural sounds such as the film’s soundtrack). These sounds are used to create suspense and sometimes portray the characters emotions. Common diegetic sounds are normally the sound of the character’s footsteps, a car pulling up and braking and the character’s breathing.
Location – Isolated areas or claustrophobic space such as dark alleways, coffins (such as the scene in 'Kill Bill 2' where the bride is trapped in a coffin) and sewers like in 'The Third Man', where Harry Lime is trapped down in the sewers, making it seem like everything in his life is closing in on him.
Generic conventions of a thriller film:
Lighting – Dark, noir lighting is used a lot in thriller films. It is used to place the audience in the same positions as the characters. It creates uncertainty, confusion, mystery, enigma, suspense and aspects of evil. Chiaroscuro lighting reinforces the sense of the nightmare illusion. It is also aesthetically pleasing and adds to the visual pleasure of the audience. It sometimes uses ambient (natural lighting) and non ambient (artificial lighting). There are many common lighting features to the thriller film such as dimly lit places and car headlights. Also the effect of the ambient lighting used to create big shadows making the character seem very eerie and maybe have two sides to their personality.
Sound – Diegetic (natural sounds in the film) and non diegetic sounds (un-natural sounds such as the film’s soundtrack). These sounds are used to create suspense and sometimes portray the characters emotions. Common diegetic sounds are normally the sound of the character’s footsteps, a car pulling up and braking and the character’s breathing.
Location – Isolated areas or claustrophobic space such as dark alleways, coffins (such as the scene in 'Kill Bill 2' where the bride is trapped in a coffin) and sewers like in 'The Third Man', where Harry Lime is trapped down in the sewers, making it seem like everything in his life is closing in on him.
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| This screen shot from the noir-film 'The Third Man' portrays the aspects of the Thriller genre because it is shot in black and white and has dark, chiaroscuro lighting. The gothic railings also gives reference to the genre, by putting a twist on a seemingly respectable house, portraying that there may be something strange going on or something is about to happen, which puts an edge on normality. The large shadow gives reference to the character 'Harry Lime' and the question that 'Holly Martins' is dealing with, whether he is good or evil. Also it shows that 'Holly' could have a spilt personality and that maybe he has a dark side as well. |
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