Favourite Scene

Discuss a favourite scene from a film. What is it about the sequence that makes it memorable for you?

My favourite scene from a film would be the final scene from titanic when the boat is sinking. It is one of the best filmed scenes I know. The soft sound of the violin is playing at one point in the background during the scene to indicate the sheer sadness and despair the people are faced with as they prepare for death and watch their loved ones die. In addition to this there are film cuts from different groups of people preparing for death such as an old couple cuddling up in bed together and a mother laying her two children to sleep to steer them form the darkness that follows.

In regards to the lighting, the film is set at night which adds to the danger and despair of the scene. If the scene was set in daylight, the scene would not have had that dangerous and dark effect.

 The costumes in the scene and throughout the film represent the class you are in. Ranging from first to third class, where first class costumes are generally expensive suits and second and third class are generally raged, old clothes.

 Lastly and most importantly the most extraordinary part of the scene is the last few minutes of the sinking before it has completely vanished under the sea. There are several different camera angles on people, the boat and certain objects. The camera angle is taken from up above the boat so the viewers also feel like they are falling too, which adds to the greatness of the scene. Even just seeing the boat, vertically as appose to horizontal and floating like we had throughout the movie, captures the remarkable use of camera angles. Overall it was a fantastic scene and everyone should watch the movie at some point in their life.

Psycho

On the last week of term one, we watched a 1960s film directed by Alfred Hitchcock called Psycho. It was nothing like we had watched in Literature before as it is a horror/thriller movie. It was a famous film back in the 1960s and it was enjoyed by several different age groups at the time.

Why was it such a famous film?

The film was such a popular one in the 1960s due to two main reasons. Firstly due to its horror and mysterious nature that keeps the audience in suspense the entire movie. The excellent use of thriller music to reflect the horror scenes such as when a door was opening slightly or when the woman was getting stabled in the shower was done extremely affectively. In addition to this, the movie was a famous one due to the fact that no other movie had been done like Psycho before. The stabbings, the chilling music and the unique storyline with a major twist revealed at the end, were all original ideas that Hitchcock incorporated brilliantly in his film. Psycho was a brand new type of movie, which is why it was enjoyed by thousands of people in the 1960s. Nowadays, all the horror techniques Hitchcock used in his film such as the frightening music and the stabbings are quite common in horror films, and have even been improved to add to the horror nature.

Why did/didn’t enjoy the film?

I did really enjoy this movie. I thought it was the best movie we had watched in literature so far. I didn’t like it just for its horror nature, but because of its storyline. The major twist at the end of the movie was something I would have never expected.  I knew there was something suspicious about the mum, but I wasn’t sure what it was. I like the fact that Norman Bates appeared all innocent, but as the movie unfolded we witness his disturbing nature. I thought the characters were very well acted out, compared to most films, especially Norman Bates. I would defiantly watch this movie again.

What is Psycho really about?

On the surface, Psycho is about the main character Marion Crane and how she flees her home town with $40,000 she has stolen that she was meant to bank by her employer. After long hours of driving she stops at Bates Motel, where she stays the night. The hotel is run by Norman Bates who appears to be dominated by his mother.  Crane is suspiciously murdered at night whilst in the shower. The movie then focuses on the friends of Crane attempting to get behind the murder of crane and unlock the truth, to discover if Bates really is the attacker or not.

Psycho however, could have different interpretations on what the movie is really about and the hidden themes that the movie explores.  Psycho focuses on the main theme of the subconscious battle between good and evil that everyone is faced with. When Crane steels the money, we automatically perceive her as the evil character. But the audience are also compelled to sympathize with her actions. Crane needs the money to marry her lover Sam Loomis who has to give most of his money away due to ‘spousal support’, so they cannot afford a wedding.  This is why the audience may feel obligated to see the good in Crane’s actions and sympathize with her.

In addition to the character of Crane, the audience feel obligated to see the good in Bates also, as well as the bad. When we are first introduced to Bates, we feel sympathetic towards him due to his loneliness and take a liking to his charming nature. It is not until the movie unfolds that we discover Bates disturbing and suspicious nature, especially when he hides the dead body of Crane. When it is later discovered that it was Bates who killed Crane, whilst controlled by his mothers thoughts and actions, due to his split personality the audience feel obligated to feel sympathetic towards him. Although he is a murder, he had a disorder and needs help, which is where the good and evil aspect is explored.

Another deeper theme that was explored was the male and female gender. Although this themes only was apparent in the beginning it is still worthy to recall. In most films it is the male that is going the wrong and is perceived as the ‘bad guy,’ and the woman is generally the innocent one. In the beginning of Psycho, it is the opposite way around. With Crane acting as the ‘bad guy’ by steeling and running away with the money, and Bates acting all sweet and innocent as he converses with Crane in the Motel, comforting her and offering her food. It is later discovered that Bates is in fact the ‘bad guy’ however.

How did Psycho break the conventions at the time?

Psycho broke the conventions at the time the movie was filmed due to several reasons. This includes its unique storyline, as it was unlike any other that had been produced at the time. Nobody had ever seen a horror film like Psycho before. In addition to this, Hitchcock’s excellent use of camera angles was nothing like ever seen before. He brilliantly captured several different angles of the characters faces, such as Bates jaw line as he looks comes closer to Sam Loomis in the Motel as they are looking at papers. As well as this, whilst Crane’s is in her car fleeing from her town, there are several different close up views of her driving the car, but the camera is shot directly on her face, as appose to the side of her body like several movies do. Lastly, the shower scene where Crane gets murdered is one of the most famous scenes at the time. Hitchcock cleverly incorporates the music, the black shadow of the attacker and the camera angles, to produce a successful and powerful scene, which haunted people severely at the time. The rapid camera shots from the attacker then back to Crane, as well as the daunting music, was what made the scene so famous. Psycho has been credited for forming the classic model of horror films that followed after the 1960s

Short movie clips

Today in class we watched three very unusual clips from three very different movies. They were nothing like I had seen before, but I can’t say they were at the top of my favourite list of movies. Although they were all very unique in their own way, which amazed me, they were not the type of movies I would attempt watching in the future.

The first clip we watched was from the movie “Don’t look now,” directed by Nicolas Borg. In this scene there were several juxtapositions between the husband and wife inside the house and the two children playing outside. The girl playing with the ball and the boy riding his bike captures the innocence of children as well as the ignorance their young age results in. I commend the director for his quick change of scenes, as he does throughout this clip.  As the daughter throws her ball in the lake, the husband simultaneously throws the cigarettes to his wife, and then as the ball hits the water, the father knocks water on his protector. What truly amazes me was that as soon as the ink began to run from the pictures, caused by the spill of the water, the father instantly knew his daughter had drown. I believe this is due to the fact that the ink colour was red, which is the colour of blood and death so the father instantly knew something was wrong, and ran to her rescue. Throughout the time it takes the father to go under water to retrieve his daughter, the mother is inside looking at pictures, unaware of the suffering that surrounds her. In addition to this, as the daughter is dying the ink continues to drip more severely, which as well as blood, could symbolise the girl’s death in her red coat. The dramatic weeping from the father as he holds his daughter in his arms symbolises his anguish, which reveals the unpleasant nature of the film.

The second clip we watched was from the movies “Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” directed by Michel Legrand. This clip was the first time I had ever seen a movie that is sung the whole way through. I actually never thought there was anything possible. I truly believe that is movie would have been a good one had it not been sung and if it were in English. The story was engaging, from what we viewed and we could get a good sense of the love between the couple. The way they look into each other’s eyes symbolises there heartache of having to leave each other. What makes the movie truly heartbreaking was how the girl did not wait for the man and moved on with her life. If she really did love him she should have waited. In the final clip, we get a feel of the tensions between the couple, as the man clearly still resents the woman despite the many years that have passed and the fact that he has also moved on. It was disappointing to see the man not what anything to do with his daughter or want to be with the woman again, but then again I give credit to the script writers of the movie as a good love story always ends in heartbreak.

The last clip we watched was from a French movie called “Bande A Parte,” directed by Jean Luc Godard. I found this clip to be quite humorous as pose to interesting, as I thought it was quite random for three people to just get up from their seats and start dancing in a cafe.  I did however believe it was a very courageous act to express one’s talent publically like that. Not many people would just stand up and begin dancing the way those there people did, so the scene highlights the fact that you should not be afraid to show others what you’re made of and unleash your hidden talents, and in a public place is the best place to do it. The dance itself is believed to be quite a popular one in Paris, and nobody had publically come out and performed it like that before. I did not particularly like the dance, as it was very repetitive and the music became annoying to listen to after a while. Out of all the clips this would have to be my least favourite.