Hero, which takes place in ancient China, is about a nameless prefect who shows up at the King of Qin’s kingdom to tell his story of how he killed the King’s assassins, Flying Snow, Broken Sword, and Long Sky.The prefect is respectfully named ‘Nameless.’The emperor is so impressed with Nameless that he lets the prefect sit within ten paces of his throne while retelling his tales (something very rare because of the fear of assassination).Nameless starts his story with his killing of Sky at a Weiqi parlor.They dueled mentally and physically in front of an audience.In the end, Nameless kills Sky and takes his sword to his next journey; the hunt for Flying Snow and Broken Sword.Nameless then travels to a calligraphy school in Zhao, where Flying Snow and Broken Sword are hiding.Upon arrival, Nameless tells the two lovers about Sky’s death and informs Flying Snow about Sky’s death wish: for Snow, who is also Sky’s mistress, to avenge him. When Broken Sword hears the news, he becomes so infuriated that he sleeps with his servant to make Snow mad.This makes Snow so upset that she kills Breaking Sword. Moon, the mistress, becomes upset with this new tragedy and tries to kill Snow, but Snow makes Moon accidently stab and kill herself.The next day, Nameless fights and defeats Snow because she is preoccupied with the death of Moon and Broken Sword.
The King of Qin does not believe Nameless’s story and proposes an idea that he and Sky planned the duel and its outcome. He also proposes that Nameless traveled to the calligraphy school and persuaded Sword and Snow to fight and be defeated by him.Lastly, the King of Qin thinks that Nameless was trusted by the three assassins because he is unstoppable at killing within ten paces, and is therefore there to assassinate the King.Nameless agrees that most of the story is correct, except that Sword did not want Nameless to kill the King, which caused Snow to injure Sword (so he could not interfere with the plans).The King respects Nameless’s story, says some wise words and gives him the chance to kill him.The words of wisdom affect Nameless deeply and Nameless refuses to kill the King.He is then killed by multiple arrows, but given a heroes burial.
Hero contains a lot of slow motion shots to show the detail of the stunts the characters perform.Although most of the jumps and fights that occur in the film are very unrealistic, they still help add to the martial arts effect.Chinese films tend to be full of martial arts and high tech stunts.Also, color is an important theme in the film. An example is when Moon and Snow are fighting.When Moon is stabbed, the trees and leaves turn red, which is often used to signify blood and death. Despite the corny stunts, I enjoyed watching this movie and would recommend it to anyone who wants to watch an interesting film.
Amélie starts with a description of her somewhat abnormal parents. They seem to have strange pet peeves and hobbies that have an effect on Amélie. She is home schooled and doesn’t friends other than her imagination. Her mother dies in a freak accident, which further alienates Amélie’s father from her. She later leaves home and gets a job as a waitress. Even as an adult, she seems to lead a simple life with simple pleasures and having the freedom to let her imagination roam. On the day Princess Diana dies, her life changes as she discovers a box with childhood memories hid by a boy who lived there many years ago. She decides to find its owner to return the box and in turn aide her in the decision to help others. After many efforts, she returns the box and finds ultimate happiness leading her to the decision to help others. She describes the things around them vividly to a blind man, becomes a matchmaker, supports Lucien by playing pranks on Mr.Collignon, and brings happiness to a wife who thought her husband never loved her. During this process, she meets an old man Raymond Dufayel who helps her discover herself. He gives her the courage to go after Nino, a man who collects passport photographs. In the end, Nino and Amélie start a relationship. The movie uses the same bright yet old color scheme throughout the movie. More reds and light shades of green are seen in the beginning of the movie. As the movie progress brighter colors are introduced such as bright blues, reds, and greens. Amélie’s apartment shows more of the brighter colors than any other setting. The colors tend to add to the eccentric nature of the movie. Towards the end of the movie, there seems to be more sunshine emphasizing the new happiness coming into everyone’s life. The beginning of the movie starts by describing the everyday events that were happening when the “birth” of Amélie took place. The end of the movie ends in a similar manner describing the regular events of the day while Amélie finally leads a life without solitude. Also in the beginning, the regular events seemed to be devoid of happiness while the end was full of happiness. The global audience can somewhat relate to this movie. The eccentric nature of this movie may be something that many cannot relate to. The theme of wanting to help people, scared of expressing love, a lonely childhood, and growing up unique amongst lifeless people seem to be reoccurring themes in many movies. The eccentric manner of presenting the plot may be something that cannot be related to on a global level.
Swades follows Mohan as he searches for his "second mother", Kaveriamma. He goes from industrialized, fancy, upscale America to dirty, uneducated, un-modernized India. When he first arrives his mind set is that of a classical American; he considers India to be living in the past, he thinks that India would be better if it were more like his new found homeland, America. He slips up a few times in the beginning disassociating himself with India. He doesn't truley consider himself an Indian inhabitant. Then on his trip to India after he finds Kaveriamma he finds a beautiful girl. This girl happens to be a childhood friend of his and another "child" of Kaveriamma. This girl captures Mohan's heart and she captures his, but to win her forever he must give up his life in America to live in India.
Throughout the film Mohan learns that one should never judge two places without first seeing all of both of them. Mohan only has to go off of the top layer of India. He is sent on a trip to go pick up some rent. When he meets up with this man Mohan learns of how hard this man's life is. Mohan comes to the realization that maybe there is more to his homeland than just dirt and untrustworthy electricity. The main theme of the film is to tell the viewer to be proud of their heritage no matter what their roots. It was those values that you grew up on and it will be those values that you carry with you forever. Ther is nothing in the world that can change who you are deep down and even if you don't associate yourself with your past it will never let go of you. Even though Mohan had been gone from India for years his heart still lent a helping hand to the village. He struggled to give them a proper education, proper lighting, and the equality everyone deserves.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
1) Split screen: Commonly used to show 2 separate events happening supposedly simultaneously.
2) Dutch angle: Used to show an unsteady/uncomfortable situation
3) Match Cut: Used to show a change in time/person or the similarity of two things
4) Whip Pan: Used to show speed and to allow a cut between two takes
5)Snorri cam: Commonly used to show an altered state of mind/reality or the importance of a person
Amores Perros (2000, Alejandro González Iñárritu) is a twisting, branched narrative summing up the darker side of life in Mexico City. It places several seemingly unrelated storylines on a loom of a narrative and the result is well-woven tapestry of love, hate, and deception. The protagonist, Octavio, is truly in love with his brother's wife, Susana. When finances become the only barrier to their love, he turns to dog fighting with Cofi, the dog he shares with his brother Ramiro. Upon Ramiro's discovery of the plot, he takes his wife and child along with all of the money that Octavio had earned, leaving Octavio with only one option... a high-stakes dog fight. An unexpected twist leads to a high-speed pursuit culminating in a violent car accident. Meanwhile, a Spanish gentleman named Daniel is fast at work getting over a divorce with his wife and his departure from the family that he cares so much for. His new woman, a supermodel named Valeria, finds herself in the hospital after being the victim of a high speed car accident-- her car being the other particpant in Octavio's violent wreck. A series of complications leads to the eventual amputation of her leg. The realization that her life as she knows it is over leads her into a deep depression and leaves the fate of her new relationship hanging in the balance. Lastly, an assassin by the name of El Chivo is meant to kill a man at a cafe just as the aforementioned wreck takes place. Chivo finds Cofi and nurses him back to health, only to have Cofi then kill the rest of Chivo's only companions: his other dogs. This distraction from his mission leaves the intended target alive long enough to reveal that his nemesis is his business parter and half-brother. The saga of that broken family leads Chivo to attempt to reconnect with his own family that he'd left over 20 years previous.
This film follows a Hollywood-centric style with its quick-take editing and convincing special effects-- especially in the portrayal of an injured person or animal. Although the film is credited as a Mexican film, its central themes and concepts are not uniquely Mexican. Divorce rates are especially high in the United States, and the lower class of America's violent crime rates are miles above those of the privileged. This is echoed in Octavio and Ramiro's fight to financially provide for Susana while, in stark contrast contrast, Valeria is content and peaceful before the accident. As a tool to promote these differences, the use of props for mis-en-scene, such as Valeria's new, spacy apartment, is especially effective in defining the class boundaries in this film. The costuming also helps to create a sense of class among the characters, most notably defined by El Chivo. His raggedy, worn clothing and long, gray beard emphasize his lack of hygeine and an almost inhuman lack civilized living. On the outside, he appears to be homeless and desperate, almost causing the viewer to sympathize with his career as a hitman.
The role of women in many societies across the world has changed significantly over the span of human existence. Ancient China saw women as nothing more than servants and bearers of children, sometimes even valuing them less than livestock. Although much has changed since then, still today a large gradient in the societal value of women exists in the world. On one end of the spectrum lies the United States, who passed an amendment to their constitution enabling women with the right to vote in 1920. Yet at the other end lay many countries, most notoriously in the Middle East, who still refuse women the right to show any bare skin, let alone participate in government affairs.
Each region has its own history and chronology that dictates why they operate the way that they do. Global cinema gives the international audience the ability to step outside the comfort zone of their own culture’s values and to attempt to appreciate and understand another society’s views. Unfortunately for the foreign viewer, this windowpane into their world is sometimes jaded by conventional influence from other national cinemas—most notably Hollywood.
So, for this essay, I will look at the role of women in the Chinese film, Hero (2002, Zhang Yimou) depicting a fictional tale of an assassination attempt on the emperor during the Qin Dynasty of Ancient China, and the American hit Goldeneye (1995, Martin Campbell), a fictional tale of one of Britain’s top secret agents trying to stop a Russian mobster from taking control of its military’s nuclear space weapon. The representation of women in each film is strikingly different from the viewer’s expectations when comparing them to their true roles in the films’ depicted societies.
Hero takes place in Ancient China where women were often considered less valuable than livestock. Their major role in society was to serve their husband and produce children. Oftentimes women would be sold into concubinary or other roles of a derogatory nature to serve solely as pleasers of men. Hero, on the other hand, portrays two women as assassins and master swordsmen.
In the film, Flying Snow is the daughter of a Zhao provincial general killed by the King of Qin’s army during a battle to unify the warring provinces of China. Since the traumatic event of losing her father during childhood, she has taken a deep and sincere vow to avenge her father’s death and kill the King of Qin. This hate and drive to find revenge has motivated her to become a most crafty and elegant swordsmen. She drafted Broken Sword, her lover and equal swordsman, to join her conquest for revenge upon the King. Moon is Broken Sword’s young female apprentice who is learning to master the techniques of the sword just as Flying Snow and Broken Sword have.
The way that these female characters are presented can be confusing for an audience looking for truth. In Ancient China, women were servants. Their sole duties in life were to serve their fathers first, then their husbands, and finally their sons after the death of their husband. Women were considered to be so invaluable that female infanticide was not an uncommon practice for despaired parents trying to prevent themselves from the burden of having a daughter.
In the film Hero, Zhang Yimou uses several cinematic techniques to break the conventional role of women as servants. Firstly, he uses many wires and harnesses to give the women the ability to nearly float and glide, as if riding on a cloud. Their superhuman ability to leap among the trees and glide gracefully over the water can be interpreted as something that took the time to perfect under the careful eye of a master of the craft.
Equally as interesting are the relationship dynamics between Broken Sword, Flying Snow, and Moon. Broken Sword is Flying Snow’s male lover who is not vengeful against the King. This discrepancy in their views on the ruler causes continuous strain, yet Broken Sword still treats Flying Snow as his equal. Moon is Broken Sword’s apprentice in swordsmanship. To show Moon the respect and time to teach her to become the expert swordsman that she becomes is to step out of the cultural boundaries set in Ancient China.
Goldeneye is set in present-day England, where women are treated as equals with men. They share the same jobs, demand the same respect in positions of authority, and share equal responsibility maintaining the household as their male partners. Even raising children is a job for couples. Yet Goldeneye defames the role of women to being nothing more than a sex symbol. It is a convention in the James Bond series that Bond saves the the “Bond Girl” from certain doom, and then beds her before the movie is over.
Goldeneye is no exception in this series’ conventions. There are four major female protagonists in the film: Moneypenny, the MI6 office girl; M, Bond’s boss; Natalya Simonova, the lone survivor of a disaster at a private Russian military station; and Xenia Onatopp, a high-profile crime lord who uses her sexuality as her main weapon. Of these women, only M is viewed as a woman of esteem and power. She is smart, witty, and takes no nonsense from any of the men underneath her who question her authority.
Moneypenny’s role in the film is to audit Bond’s performance on the job. The opening scene of the movie is a medium long-shot scene of a mountainous car race between James’ Aston Martin with Moneypenny in the passenger seat and Xenia, driving a red Ferrari. Immediately the audience is taken with Xenia’s makeup and costuming, appearing more to be a thrill seeking bimbo than a respectable opponent. Oftentimes the camera angle will switch to a view from inside James’ car as if to see through his eyes. These shots consistently look past Moneypenny in her authoritative position as auditor and settle directly on Xenia. As the race continues, however, Moneypenny verbally shows fear, stroking Bond’s misguided sense that vulnerability implies a need for a strong man to protect her. Bond stops the race with Xenia by slamming on the emergency break and smoothly opening a bottle of champagne to celebrate his “thorough evaluation”. In typical Bond fashion, Moneypenny succumbs to his charms and it is inferred that they later make love.
Xenia’s role in the film continues as the sex-starved super-villain. Although her position as a criminal ring-leader would at first seem to be counter-intuitive to the Bond ideal of a dumb beauty, her role as a sex icon becomes even more prevalent. As the film progresses, the audience discovers that her preferred weapon of choice is sex. She lures men into the bedroom and then strangles them mercilessly with her legs while apparently getting sexual pleasure out of the experience. She even tempts and teases Bond himself throughout the film despite the fact that she is aware he is an agent for Brittish Intelligence.
The final female protagonist is Natalya Simonova. She is found as the only survivor of a disaster at a secret weapons facility in Severnya, Russia. Immediately Bond’s interest is peaked as he watches her wander aimlessly among the wreckage. Her obvious vulnerability is a trait that begs Bond to prey upon her. As she aids him in discovering the master plot involved in the destruction of the bunker, the sexual tension can be noticed to be mounting between the two. And in the end, as the James Bond convention implies, he “gets the girl”.
The irony of how each film depicts women in their respective societies is striking. Hero gives women the ability to have superhuman powers and to become masters of an extraordinarily difficult and predominantly male art: swordplay. This type of role directly defies ancient Chinese culture, dictating that women should be servants and child-bearers. On the other hand, Goldeneye presents women as vulnerable sex objects meant for ogling at and bedding rather than taking them as a respectable and equal member of society. In present-day England, that sort of chauvinistic prowess can land a person in prison for sexual harassment.
2.Turan, Kenneth. "Genre gets a true 'Hero'; Spectacular film owes its beauty to its director and cinematographer."Los Angeles Times27 Aug. 2004, sec. E: 1-1.
3.Maslin, Janet. "That 'Sexist, Misogynist Dinosaur' James Bond."The New York Times17 Nov. 1995, Late ed., sec. C: 17-17.
Everyone involved in the scam playing cards together at the end of the film
This twist in the plotline comes as a surprise to most, if not all, of the viewers because it is so detailed that it almost seams unreal.However, as Stephen Holden says, “When the secrets of its preposterous plot are finally revealed, you don't mind the absurdity.”The audience is so shocked at what happened in the Nine Queens, that they do not mind how absurd and unrealistic it is.These scheming twists keep the audience alert for the remainder of the film, and as Kevin Thomas writes, “Nine Queensis the kind of foreign film that appeals to those who don't usually sit still for subtitles.”
In the beginning of The Italian Job, Steve, John, Charlie, and their team are in the process of stealing about $35 million worth of gold. Right when the audience thinks the team has succeeded in their feat, Steve turns on his teammates and attempts to kill all of them so he can have all of the money for himself.However, unknown to Steve, the only person that is killed is John. This unexpected turn of events is the twist in The Italian Job, just as Juan turning on Marcos is the twist in Nine Queens.These twists are put into movies to make the audience feel like they were tricked right along with the characters in the movie, which gives the film a more personal experience.
In both Nine Queens and The Italian Job, the protagonists, who are seen by the audience as the “good guys” are actually bad because they are breaking the law by robbing people.In most real life cases, average people would not cheer on the “bad guys” to succeed in a high-stake robbery attempt. However, the films are designed so that the protagonists are the robbers. The antagonists are the ones being robbed from, which is the opposite of real life. This in turn means that the audience is yearning for the robbery to be successful.
Action/adventure films “Involve their characteristics in a series of fast-paced events and astonishing physical feats, fights, and chases; extensive violence; and exotic locales” (Barsam 30).Both Nine Queens and The Italian Job contain these exact characteristics.However, inNine Queens, there is less fighting and violence than in The Italian Job. This is because the United States is known for intense fighting and rigorous violence scenes.
Boat chase in The Italian Job shows how American film is full of violent scenes
The American culture is increasingly yearning for more and more violence in movies because violence is being marketed to the younger generation.A study conducted in 2000 found that “80 per cent of R-rated movies, 70 per cent of restricted video games, and 100 per cent of music with "explicit content" warning labels were being marketed to kids under 17”(Media Violence).As the children grow older, they start to desire more graphic and stimulating violence scenes, so in return, producers create more and more violent films.Citizens of the U.S are infatuated with the idea of watching characters of a film beat each other up or race in high-speed motor chases. Therefore, the producers of The Italian Job tried to satiate the desires of the people of the U.S by incorporating as many chases, explosions, and fights that they possibly could. Nine Queenshas almost no graphic fighting, as well as a minimal amount of high-speed chases or killing scenes.Argentineans are in less demand for high-thrilling, bone-crushing murder scenes.Although Nine Queens and The Italian Job contain different amounts of jaw dropping violence and graphic scenes, they are both still considered action/adventure films.
Although movies are usually classified into just a couple genres, such as action/adventure and crime, it is still possible for the film to contain characteristics of other genres, such as romance. Many people believe there are “women’s films” and “men’s films.”Women tend to like more romantic films or films about women’s issues, whereas, men tend to lean towards action films and films full of competition (Antonio).Films often incorporate various characteristics of other genres to try to appeal to all audiences. This is the case in bothNine Queens and The Italian Job. In Nine Queens, Marcos’s sister, Valeria has a clandestine romance with Juan. They must keep it a secret from Marcos because Marcos is not aware Juan and Valeria know each other.
Both, Nine Queens and The Italian Job, contain specific elements that characterize them as action and crime films, as well as some minor elements of other genres, such as romance. Both films contain some sort of violence, but The Italian Job contains more because Americans desire violence in their films.American filmmakers will continue to produce action and crime movies because that is what is being marketed towards the next generation. Nine Queens and The Italian Job, although from different nationalities, both fit under the action/adventure and crime genres. This shows that nationalities affect the specifics of films, such as intensity of violence scenes, but not the greater picture of the films, such as the overall genres.
Antonio, Joe, Stuart Fischoff, and Diane Lewis. Favorite Films and Film Genres As A Function of Race, Age, and Gender. 2007. 11-March-2009 .
Ever since the myth of Count Dracula was started, vampire legends have spread throughout the globe and have since been reproduced on the big screen with various interpretations. Vampire movies have always captured my imagination in the realm of the supernatural. For my analysis, I went outside my safety zone of American depictions of these creatures to the Russian film Nocknoi Dozor (Night Watch). Not only do these films follow a plot consisting of vampires, but they also are included under the same genre of fantasy thrillers. In this argument, I will ascertain that the method vampires are depicted in Night Watch goes against the grain of the portrayal of vampires in American films such as Underworld. I also intend to explain the differences within the fantasy thriller genre between these two nations through the analysis of these two films.
It is important to realize that vampire stories have a large portion of their origins based in the Russian area; therefore, they will tend to show vampires differently than other nations. Before I continue on the actual depiction of vampires, I am going to outline the similarities and differences of the genre as displayed in these two films. Each of these movies follows the textbook reference of a dark environment. It is a well known fact that the darker the lighting in a movie the greater the suspense and the greater the thrill. This is obviously a known technique in Russia as well. These two movies take place in a low lit setting throughout the majority of the film. It is also important to look at the camera angles used in these movies. The manipulation of the environment through the various camera angles was a key component toward establishing the mood rendered in each scene. A similar technique is the usage of high camera angles. When these are used, the mood is often suspenseful or the plot would be thickening. It also is used to show a large area very quickly so the viewer has a sense of all the actions in the scene. The style scene in Underworld is said to be, “Underworld's biggest strength is obviously style, which leaks out of every frame and into your eyes. Director Len Wiseman uses a very sharp sucked-dry look, which brings a stark unreality to his movie.” (Tyler) Another notable aspect is the soundtrack of each film. In Russia, heavy metal music has a very strong following with the majority of the public. In the United States, the majority of listeners are more prone to listen to hip-hop or alternative rock rather than the hard rock sensation of Russia. With this observation, one would expect that the soundtrack of these films would follow these trends. However, these deductions are not completely accurate; the Russian films did use hard rock throughout the film, but, unexpectedly, Underworld also implemented a similar soundtrack. From my knowledge about vampire films, this was not a surprise. This musical choice was not an association that could be made to the genre of fantasy thriller, but this type of music is very common throughout vampire movie trends. Music of this class is usually used to intensify the moment, and during these scenes, a rainy setting is often used also with the inclusion of thunder and lightning. Equally important was the inclusion of action scenes. Although Night Watch did not include as many action sequences, it was remarkable to see how well done the action was done in the Russian movie. These high quality actions scenes were expected from Underworld, but Anthony Lane expresses his excitement towards the action in Night Watch in his New Yorker article, “Evil Touch” where he is quoted saying, “All you need to know is that, with its somersaulting trucks, drafts of quaffable blood, and skies full of digitized ravens, Bekmambetov’s movie has every intention of whacking The Matrix at its own game.” (Lane) It was interesting to see how these two seemingly opposite countries took on similar styles in order to accomplish a similar mood in the filming of their movies. Before I fully divulge in my analysis of the portrayal of vampires through these films, it is important for me to lay out the plot of each of these. In Underworld the audience is brought in the middle of a war between two supernatural creatures, the vampires and the werewolves, a very old mythological rivalry.
In the film we follow a woman with the name of Selene who is attempting to take revenge on werewolves who killed her family. As the story progresses, she meets a human named Michael who she falls in love with. What she doesn’t know is that the vampires and werewolves have a larger plan for Michael than anyone could imagine. William Arnold refers to Beckinsale (Selene) as, “…Beckinsale makes a most stunning focus. With her flowing black coat and steely Taoist confidence, she may be a bit too obviously a female version of Keanu Reeves' Neo…” (Arnold) (It is interesting to note the reference to The Matrix in yet another review).
In Night Watch the audience is faced with a similar plot line. The story opens with the forces of light facing off against the forces of darkness. These two sides have been warring for centuries and as the times change, the forces of darkness (forces of the night) disguise themselves as vampires, witches, and other evil beings. The protagonists are the forces of the light who are the night watch, in other words they are the ones that patrol the streets at night in search of violators of the treaty between light and dark. As the story progresses, the audience is introduced to a child who is destined to do great things. The rest of the plot is followed by each side attempting to win over the boy to their army. These stories are different; however, they are carried about rather similarly and the implementation of vampires to progress the plot truly brings these movies into a common light. In Underworld the vampires are seen as warriors. They live in a castle and are usually wearing old English attire or warriors clothing. In Night Watch the audience is exposed to a totally different image of vampires. This portrayal shows the vampires as regular human beings dressing in casual attire in an attempt to blend in. Night Watch also seems to stick by the old legend of using bats to represent vampires as opposed to Underworld which refrains from such a comparison. However, both films include the well accepted belief that vampires are prone to be weakened or harmed by sunlight. The actual style in which each is affected is rather different. Overall, Underworld seems to show a more modern style of vampire with older established habits whereas, Night Watch sticks to classical vampire habits in a modern environment.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
All You Need Is Love… And A Good Director What makes you decide to like a character? What, in a movie, a play, a book, makes you say that one character is good while another character is bad? Tom Tykwer is a master at making the audiences see one thing and think another. If you see a girl rob her own father’s bank you would think that by the end of the movie you’re waiting for her to die, but Tykwer uses his artistic mind to convince the viewer that it was just a minor flaw, that robbing a bank is like throwing your trash out the window on the highway. The camera angles and colors he uses to portray his characters shows the audience that a person is either good or bad, in some of his films though it is even harder to tell the difference between good and evil. In Perfume: the Story of a Murderer Tykwer takes a character that kills to capture scent and turns them into the most loved person on and off the screen. The main thing that drives me to watch his films over and over and over is the fact that he can portray one of life’s oldest emotions in new ways every time. Love has been used in every form of media since the dawn or written language. Love has been used to describe “monsters” like in the Bride of Frankenstein; it has been used to bring together two completely different people i.e.-every “chick flick” movie ever, but I have never seen anyone use love the way Tom Tykwer does in his films, specifically Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run) and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. Lola Rennt is a film made in 1999. It follows a female through three different scenarios as she tries to save her boyfriend from some trouble he got himself into. From the beginning of the film Lola is portrayed as the center of the action. The color in her scenes is a very high hue; her hair contrasts the wallpaper and props behind her. Your eyes are immediately drawn to her so you know that she will play a prominent role in the rest of the film. The shots are quick and to the point, nothing it drawn out everything is a fast take, a fast cut, a fast shot reverse shot. The camera never is able to focus on one thing for too long. This gives the viewer a sense of speed; that there is a lot of action happening and there won’t be a break in that action anytime soon. Immediately you see that Lola takes control in her relationship with Manni. Rooney notices something very interesting in his viewing of Lola Rennt, “the film underscores the bond between Lola and Manni by shooting in 35mm only when they are onscreen -- and on video when they are not.” (Rooney). This shows the audience of the connection. It is a very subtle difference but our minds catch it and associate that these two are different in some way. They evoke a strange feeling when they are on screen together, and by filming in a different speed of film Tykwer is able to make the viewer notice the love they share. The clocks are also an important part of Tykwer’s filming style in this movie. The clocks represent how much time she has left before her love dies or gets kidnapped by his boss, but it’s not just the fact that they are used, it’s also how they are integrated into the frame. Tykwer cleverly slips clock faces into the frame after panning a great span or cutting to a fancy piece of art that happens to tell the time. Tykwer uses bright colors to distinguish what characters will be or are important in a scene. The colors are a big part of how Tykwer portrays the love between his characters. This color, however, takes a completely different twist in Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. In this film Tywker concentrates less so on vibrant colors and more so on using color to portray smell. His use of zooming and fast cuts is a contrast to the zooming and fast cuts of Lola Rennt. The editing is used to show the sense that is hardest to portray on film: smell. He is forced to come up with new ways to show Jean-Baptiste Grenouille’s amazing sense of smell (Elley).
The love present is not between a drug runner and his girlfriend; in this film love is between a man we should hate and smell. One rarely recognizes that a person can in fact fall in love with an inanimate object/idea. Grenouille starts out as a small child smelling and identifying everything just by its smell alone. In this way he can sense the world around him without having to see it. When he finally meets a girl whose smell he falls in love with, you see the color change. It goes from a bland earthy tone to a bright backlit frame. It appears that the young lady emanates her wondrous smell into the audience, but really it is just Tykwer playing with your mind again. By changing the colors he creates a more comfortable atmosphere and gives you more of a reason to fall in love with him as a character. By the end of the film you see that Grenouille has accepted his fate and is bored with scents now that he has created that which he deems perfect. In the final scene of the film we see Grenouille cover himself in the scent and go into a pile of homeless people to be torn to shreds in the same spot he was born. The lighting in this scene alone is phenomenal. The frame brightens; the colors pop, the hues grow stronger. All of this the perfume he had created. His use of change of color compares to the change in film in Lola Rennt when Manni and Lola are together. Tykwer uses the same basic style of filming in every movie he makes. That style just has different key elements from film to film. He uses your sense of sight to appeal to your heart and compel you to love someone, something, or some character simply with clever camera tricks. Tom Tykwer will never cease to amaze me in his talented use of cinematography. In Perfume, Tykwer gets you to not only understand why Grenouille is killing, but also to feel sympathy for him when he can’t kill the person he is after. As an audience member it is hard to keep a level head during the film. He convinces you using the lighting and color scheme that Grenouille is simply a servant of the olfactory nerves. As long as he doesn’t give up and take the easy road, I see Tom Tykwer becoming a successful director by classic American standards simply by charming the audience with his skills. I believe that, if he wanted to, he could make you love Hitler in one of his movies. Nothing he does happens by accident, he knows what he has to do for you to fall in love and he knows how it would be best fit in (Bozzola). Tykwer will never cease to amaze cinema buffs and directors. He is one of the few directors that will survive entirely on his ability to charm and amaze using a camera lens.
Bibliography- --- Bozzola, Lucia. "Tom Tykwer - Trailer - Showtimes - Cast - Movies & TV - NYTimes.com." Movie Reviews, Showtimes and Trailers - Movies - New York Times. New York Times. 5 Mar. 2009 . ---Rooney, David. "Run Lola Run Review - Read Variety's Analysis Of The Movie Run Lola Run." Entertainment news, movie reviews, awards, festivals, celebrity photos, industry events - Variety. 9 Sept. 1998. 19 Feb. 2009 . ---Elley, Derek. "Review of Perfume: The Story of a Murderer - Variety.com." Entertainment news, movie reviews, awards, festivals, celebrity photos, industry events - Variety. 4 Oct. 2006. 19 Feb. 2009 .
