True Grit/ StageCoach
I would say that these two films are very different ends of the western spectrum. However, there are some old fashioned, classic western elements in the more avant garde True Grit. The characters are fairly basic in my opinion. There is the classic bad-ass, Rooster, the Villian( Josh Brolin) and the innocent girl(Maddie). Other classical elements in this movie are the broad, romantic scenery and the simple motives that keep the plot moving. Maddie wants revenge for her fathers death, so finding the killer is what keeps it going. Its simple. There is a lack of excessive emotional aspects of the film, which shows how the characters are basic, classic and easy to follow. The movie is less of a classic western because of the highly stylized way of the movie. It is too odd and strange to just go on as a classic western. These oddities, such as the interesting dialogue, and the peculiar relationships in the movie, like how Maddie dominates older men in the movie, make for an interesting a fresh type of western. Just because its straying away from classic doesn't necessarily mean its becoming more revisionist. I would say its going off on a whole different tangent altogether.
Unforgiven is a revisionist western because of the darker elements in the movie, such as the whore getting her face cut up, the brutal, graphic beating of English Bob, and the bloody shootouts, and the whipping. It doesn't portray the killings as anything less than what they are, or just try to make them look neat and clean like the shooting scene in StageCoach. True Grit like Unforgiven in that it focuses more on the individual characters, and not just the group as a whole or trying to get the plot rolling along. It plays more to emotions, something not really found in a classic western. The relationship between Maddie and Rooser really becomes strong, and the only other example in Stagecoach where this happens is Ringo and Dallas, but that is so generic and superficial that, as an audience member, its hard even to care about them. Because of the rich character development with Maddie and Rooser, them going through so much together, we care a lot more when she goes back to find him many years later and hes dead. An example of rich relationship development in revisionist westerns is Clint Eastwood's character and morgan Freeman's character.
In the end, it's hard were to classify True Grit. It certainly has elements of both revisionist and classical genres, and some that conflict with each other. After everything is said and done, though, I would call True Grit a classic western. The story line is just classic revenge, with beautiful scenery, and all the classic characters. There is the good v. evil aspect which is very classical, and although there may be an odd style to it, at heart it is true to the old fashioned ways of classic western.
Wednesday 23 March 2011
Tuesday 1 March 2011
Online Film Analysis Assignment
1. Clip A
In this scene from Ocean's Eleven, the main distinctive feature I think is the camera shots, and all the different angles and continuity editing they use. They obey the 180 degree rule and stay on the axis of action. They also use an eyeline match. The lighting in the scene is very low. It is mostly soft light, with lots of shadows. On some characters there is backlighting. This lighting is mostly used on Brad Pitt, since he is the "cool" guy in the scene. The light makes him seem somewhat mysterious. There is also a cool match on action shot when it switches scenes, with Pitt in same position in new location. In the end, soft light and backlighting switch to George Clooney because he is now the "cool" guy.
2. Clip C
There is obviously a lot of cross cutting to make you think the cops are at the right house. there is a dramtic moment when we realize that it is just Clairice at Bill's house, and how vulnerable she is. The Mise-en-scene is utilized to a high degree as well. The costume and make up play a huge role. A shirtless and stringy haired Bill makes him look insane, the girl in the well is made up to look very sick, hungary, violated, and desperate. The cops uniforms obviously show us what their role is going to be. The setting, in a quiet suburb, add to the suspense. We think that nothing could go wrong, but there is such a twisted sick killer who operates out of this neighborhood.
3. Clip E
Initially we see the backlight coming in from the old man, and gives him a slight sihlouette. The light then hits the younger man as frontal lighting because he is facing the window. This follows the continuity editing, because it only makes sense that each one would be lit up that way. There is some shot/reverse shot used, looking at the back of younger man's head and over his shoulder. When the old man gets into the music, and starts conducting, we can see that the nondiegetic sound is just in his head, and the younger man clearly can't hear it. Cutting to the image of the opera from a close up of the old man's closed eye face makes it clear that he is remembering it.At 1:14 there is a good use of the rule of thirds, when the guy is conducting and the singers are in the background on either side of him, out of focus. It cuts back to the present with a match on action to the old man when the song is over.
4. Clip F
The entire scene is shot in one long shot, which is the dominating aspect of the scene. It snakes its way through the house, going backwards and forwards, and drifting side to side sometimes. There is a semi-motif of light throughout the scene, with small, dim sources in the house, then finishing off with a giant fire outside. The use of sound in this scene is also crucial. For most of it, we don't know where exactly the sound is coming from, just somewhere off camera. We hear diegetic sounds coming from the actors mouths, the crackle of the fire, and dogs barking. It all adds to the confusion because we don't know who is making the noise.
In this scene from Ocean's Eleven, the main distinctive feature I think is the camera shots, and all the different angles and continuity editing they use. They obey the 180 degree rule and stay on the axis of action. They also use an eyeline match. The lighting in the scene is very low. It is mostly soft light, with lots of shadows. On some characters there is backlighting. This lighting is mostly used on Brad Pitt, since he is the "cool" guy in the scene. The light makes him seem somewhat mysterious. There is also a cool match on action shot when it switches scenes, with Pitt in same position in new location. In the end, soft light and backlighting switch to George Clooney because he is now the "cool" guy.
2. Clip C
There is obviously a lot of cross cutting to make you think the cops are at the right house. there is a dramtic moment when we realize that it is just Clairice at Bill's house, and how vulnerable she is. The Mise-en-scene is utilized to a high degree as well. The costume and make up play a huge role. A shirtless and stringy haired Bill makes him look insane, the girl in the well is made up to look very sick, hungary, violated, and desperate. The cops uniforms obviously show us what their role is going to be. The setting, in a quiet suburb, add to the suspense. We think that nothing could go wrong, but there is such a twisted sick killer who operates out of this neighborhood.
3. Clip E
Initially we see the backlight coming in from the old man, and gives him a slight sihlouette. The light then hits the younger man as frontal lighting because he is facing the window. This follows the continuity editing, because it only makes sense that each one would be lit up that way. There is some shot/reverse shot used, looking at the back of younger man's head and over his shoulder. When the old man gets into the music, and starts conducting, we can see that the nondiegetic sound is just in his head, and the younger man clearly can't hear it. Cutting to the image of the opera from a close up of the old man's closed eye face makes it clear that he is remembering it.At 1:14 there is a good use of the rule of thirds, when the guy is conducting and the singers are in the background on either side of him, out of focus. It cuts back to the present with a match on action to the old man when the song is over.
4. Clip F
The entire scene is shot in one long shot, which is the dominating aspect of the scene. It snakes its way through the house, going backwards and forwards, and drifting side to side sometimes. There is a semi-motif of light throughout the scene, with small, dim sources in the house, then finishing off with a giant fire outside. The use of sound in this scene is also crucial. For most of it, we don't know where exactly the sound is coming from, just somewhere off camera. We hear diegetic sounds coming from the actors mouths, the crackle of the fire, and dogs barking. It all adds to the confusion because we don't know who is making the noise.
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