As an avid fan of Neo-Noir films, and seeing as we just watched Chinatown(Polanski, 74), I thought it would make sense to make a post about the genre. Like film noir, Neo-Noir is frequently characterized by its dim lighting and overall dramatic visual style, which are both used to give the films their traditionally dramatic tones. However, unlike film noir, Neo-Noir is filmed in color rather than black and white. So how does a film actually get classified as Neo-Noir? It is kind of hazy, but basically the films almost always feature some type of mystery/detective type of story, while boding dark and distinctly somber lighting. For example, take this scene from Drive: (There is some Graphic Violence)
It uses low-key lighting to emphasize the shadows on each character’s face to not only highlight the intimacy of the moment between the two, but also add a solemn tone to it as well.
While this may not be characteristic of all Neo-Noir films, it truly does get to the essence of what the movies are all about, dramatization and intimacy.
After just watching Chinatown, I noticed many different camera shots the director decided to use and how unique they are compared to regular shots. The more interesting shots, however, were done when Mr. Gittes was spying. When he was using the binoculars, they made the screen give his perspective and how it looked to him. The director also use the mirror on the car as a different view for spying. Lastly, the lens on the camera was used as a reflection as a form of spying. I felt these were all very unique ways to portray was was occurring and made the spying more interesting and intriguing than normal. One thing I also found interesting was that in some of the car the scene that the person was in the back of the car. I found this interesting not focusing in on the drivings thoughts or viewing what the driver saw, but in a way created our own perspective.
I know this is a little outdated for our class currently, but I wanted to refer back to the Psycho shower scene we viewed in class, with the purpose of evaluating a particular instance of graphic matching. After the actress is murdered, and lies bleeding in the shower, the camera pans down to rest upon the empty drain whole, as the woman’s blood, her “life force” disappear into the dark abyss. Hitchcock’s cinematic genius ignites in this instance, as he implements a graphic match dissolve, creating a connection between the circular drain opening and the lifeless eyes of the actress. Furthermore, the drain is an inanimate, and therefore lifeless object, which can be said of the now inanimate, and recently lifeless corpse the murderer left behind. What is such a subtle moment in a film can have such a profound impact on its viewers.
The time period which fostered the emergence of homosexual imagery and themes within cinema in a way fueled the movement (of homosexuality in cinema, not so much the emergence of homosexuals within society), encouraging film produces and directors to incorporate homosexual characters, such as The Sissy character personality, or subtly homo-erotic suggestive themes within cinema circa 1920-1930. At this time in history it was not acceptable by society to openly announce one’s own homosexuality. But this very real, yet closeted demographic became a subtle contributor to movie revenue, on the basis that they would pay to see and view films containing homosexual personalities or themes. This increase in demand opened a previously closeted market which gave way to an increased presence of homosexual or lesbian personalities within (time relevant) “modern” films. This movement then created significant media presence which purported acceptance and tolerance for a culture which was previously only included within cinema to inhibit pity, fear, or comedic emotional response from the audience. It is interested to view the increased footprint of homosexual and lesbian media from a slight economics standpoint.
Throughout Chinatown the use of sound, like in what seems to be all 1970s movies, was exaggerated but yet appropriate. The first time I noticed this was when the police pulled Mulwray out of the river. As soon as they went to a close up on his face, the non-digetic soundtrack was overly evident and very daunting almost scaring the viewer and leaving an unsettling image in their heads. Afterwards, when Mr. Gitties is exploring the Peach Tree farm, once a shot is fired at his head, the music is then quickly paced making the entire scene way more dramatic than it would have been without the music up until they finally pull Gitties out of his car. Finally, the third very evident use of sound I felt was a little more dramatic than it needed to be (but still worked) was when Mrs. Mulwray and Gitties kissed in the bathroom. The sound behind the scene made it way more intimate than it would have been without probably trying to portray to the viewers the moment when both characters caught feelings for each other.
Having just watched Chinatown, I felt the mise-en-scene and cinematography in Roman Polanski’s Chinatown (1974) somewhat contradicts the movie’s plot. The character’s costumes where rather dull and the only real pop of color was Evelyn Mulwray’s red lipstick. A majority of the shots were static and used a wide lens, with the exception of the occasional close up of a character’s face in a moment of realization. With this said, the story was thrilling and completely heart wrenching; not at all reflected by the stage, costumes, or frame.
*Spoiler*
On a separate note, one of the most emotional parts of the movie was Evelyn Mulwray’s death. What really surprised me and touched me was solemn and sad stare into Evelyn’s bloody face. Gittes’ is calm and very skeptical, even in the face of death and murder and Evelyn’s death is no exception. The contrast between her death and Gittes’ calmness is heart breaking and powerful, because even though he does not verbally express his emotions, you can literally see in his eyes how truly hurt he is.
There is a show called Brain Games that teaches people why humans think and act a certain way. In the first episode, around 25:38 they begin to talk about how the sounds were created in Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. I thought this was interesting and related to the class where we began speaking about sounds. What interested me the most was that the sounds were not made how we would expect them to be made. I attached the link, feel free to check it out and if you want, watch the whole episode. Lafayette College is in the actual show a few times.
In the first movie “Children of Men” one of the main elements we talked about was the filming technique of a long shot. We learned about the difficulties and barriers that long shots created but we also learned how much of a pay off they created for movies. One thing I found that pertains to this, involves the oscar winning movie “Birdman”. There is a long shot in this movie that reveals the tough elements that “Children of Men” faced. I found it very interesting in a clip I came across, where actor Edward Norton, who stares in “Birdman”, is being interviewed by Jimmy Kimmel, were Norton talks about how terrifying it was to shot the scene because he did not want to mess it up. I loved the way Norton describes it and talks as a true human being who was afraid to make a mistake, because one mistake would ruin the entire shot. But after watching the clip I definitely agree that the long shot effort was completely worth it.
Today in class we discussed the importance and wrongful use of media literacy. I strongly feel that media is one of the post powerful and widespread sources of information and entertainment. Unfortunately, present day, a lot of people do not spend the time researching global issues and are solely concerned with local occurrences. It is important to be informed in the going ons across the world and the issues different nations face. Especially in the United States, research is is developing quicker than ever before and we are cultivating, discovering, or creating resources that many other countries do not have access to. This puts us in a position to at the very minimum influence and inform other countries, let alone prevent barbaric and ruthless actions in other parts of the world. With a widespread knowledge of what is going on people are more likely to do something to help others or prevent negative actions. While media can be easily manipulated and can be very opinionated, it is better to know about a situation even a little bit than to be ignorant to what is going on. I feel that without video people would not be well informed because simply, people do not take the time to sit down and read about what is going on.
Mr. and Mrs. Bakshi represent the very typical Bollywood father and mother pair. Mrs. Bakshi portrays the always nagging mother who tries to instill in her daughters the rigid values and customs that she believes in. She is the mother character who upholds societal values and passes them on. Mr. Bakshi, on the other hand, appears to be a mellow personality who always takes the side of the daughters. On first sight, it seems as though Mrs. Bakshi runs the house while Mr. Bakshi is in the background. This observation is as far from truth as it could be. In reality, Mr. Bakshi’s is the final word. For instance, there is a scene where Mrs. Bakshi tells Lalita that she will never talk to her if she doesn’t agree to marry Kohli (the always nagging mother). Mr. Bakshi who appears to be relaxing in a chair reading a newspaper passes the final verdict when he says he will never talk to Lalita if she agrees to marry Mr. Kohli. This representation of the rigid mother and mellow father appears in numerous Bollywood movies but is not the right representation of Indian families. It is true mothers are the ones who pass on societal and cultural values to their children but they aren’t so oblivious to what their children want. They are not unconcerned about their childrens’ happiness as Mrs. Bakshi and many other mothers in Bollywood appear to be.
