Film Analysis Continued...

The Matrix

2. The central theme of The Matrix is the struggle for human dignity. Neo must decide to take a stand against conformity and fight the powers that be in order to become his own person, to fulfill his destiny. His struggle, his determination, is the stuff of legends. Written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers, the story is mostly driven by the action packed plot but Neo’s internal struggle to wake up from the dream of perceived reality and to fight the forces that keep him asleep provides the dramatic action.

3. An artistic semblance of truth is created in The Matrix. By starting the movie in a totally believable reality with normal looking characters in a very familiar setting, the writers created a setting that the viewers would recognize and accept. Then the world is revealed to be not as we suspect but as a sinister computer program. The suspense is created in keeping the viewer unaware of the potential of both Neo and his enemy. The action is made wonderful and exciting by the limitless supply of fighting skills, weapons, and the bullet time reality created through special effects.

Another important dramatic element that captured so many viewers was the purported complexity of the story. Books have been written on the ‘religion’ of The Matrix to explain all of the ways that the story is infinitely complex. Personally I think that certain elements of the story are just vague enough to let the viewer fill in the blanks themselves, therefore creating the illusion of complexity.

4. One of the most important aspects of The Matrix is the advancements made by the filmmakers in the way the visual design was rendered on screen. Using a combination of actual sets build on a sound stage in Australia and green screen techniques, the directors were able to create a fictional world far different from what audiences are used to seeing. The tight living quarters aboard Morpheus’ pirate ship and the ragged old clothes are designed to reflect the scavenger nature of their real world existence. Contrasted against this is the sleek cool of their clothes and vehicles while in the computer program world that is the Matrix.

Many locations that could never have been built or used for real could be created in the computer and then have the characters inserted later. This really affects the way the directors were able to film the movie and transport the audience to a dramatically different world as they did. One shot that really typifies this technique would be when Neo is waking up in the machine and the audience gets its first look at where Neo really is. As the camera pulls out from Neo’s pod we see the vast ‘people farm’ that the machines are tending. This would have been totally impossible to create for real and because of computer assisted animation it looked very impressive.

5. The cinematography was not specifically impressive in this movie with the notable exception of what I would refer to more as special effects, rather than just cinematography. There were certainly some very creative camera angles and unique shot framings, but most of these occurred as part of special effects created through the use of multiple cameras or computer animation.

The majority of the movie consists of objective point of view camera work designed to follow the action. Out of this ‘follow the action’ method came the super slow motion effect called ‘bullet time’. During particularly action packed moments the camera slows down to capture the movement of bullets through the air. Supposedly this reflects the perception of the bullet’s movement by the main characters, which are able to dodge the bullets. The use of this super slow motion is used both to intensify the emotional quality of the moment as the characters are caught in a struggle for life and death, and to show how fast the characters can react to the bullets.

6. Obviously as I have been discussing The Matrix I have mentioned the special effects that have been so critical to creating this movie. The credibility of these special effects is central to the audience believing what they see. The audience has already suspended reality to accept the possibility that everything they believe to be normal is really a computer program, but with the outstanding special effects, and the use of computer animation, this movie just goes on to impress the audience with very imaginative new world. The best effects are the ones that don’t seem possible, like freezing a crowd of people and then other characters walk around in the crowd.

7. There are a few special uses of sound in this movie. During the ‘bullet time’ sequences the audio is changed to a hyper realism where bullet sound effects are amplified and other sounds are time stretched. The music is very fast paced; the sound track mostly consists of techno music and hard rock type music played loudly over the fight scenes.

8. I think that Neo’s character was the one created for the audience to identify with. He is the roundest character and represents the most human element in the story. He plays against Trinity as his female companion that provides a weak love story that eventually gets played up in a sentimental way. Keanu Reeves’ acting is pretty typical, he is a stiff individual who is only brought to life with choreographed actions. He delivers the lines with implied emotions, probably this adds to the intent of portraying a character in bondage to the system, but in the emotional scenes it leaves something lacking. « Back

The Sandlot

2. The Sandlot is about a young boy who moves to a new town during the summer and his mom makes him go outside to make new friends. The theme focuses on the adventures of Scotty Smalls, who has a coming of age experience during the summer re-told in the movie. How the innocence of the boys in childhood, the simplicity of life, and the purity of their love for the game of baseball are all subjects the director attempts to convey in this story.

3. The dramatic action gets started when Smalls uses a baseball signed by Babe Ruth to play with. Smalls hits the ball over the fence of a yard with a dog of legendary proportions on the other side. This inciting moment leads the boys on a search for a way to recover the priceless ball. During these experiences the boys grow closer together and we see them conquering their fears of childhood. In the end there is a terrific chase scene with the dog and everything ends happy, like the perfect summer should.

4. The visual design was very important in creating the period locations and time. The movie is set in Los Angeles during the 1960’s, but it was filmed in the 1990’s in Utah. The use of period vehicles, homes, and clothing is what really sets the time period for the movie.

5. For a film like this the cinematography does not have to be very impressive, but it must convey some of the subjective feelings that come with being a kid. The camera uses subtle hits at creating the feeling of being just short of adult height. Also the camera is very selective and tight in its shots of the dog until the very end. This technique was used to exaggerate the size of the dog and also to build suspense.

6. There were a few special effects in this movie. The most notable is a sequence where one of the boys on the baseball team recounts the legend of how the dog that has their baseball came to be. During this segment the depiction of the story is done with a black and white newsreel type effect on the film. During this sequence there is also narration over the story and at one point the young narrator gives voice to an adult police officer in Squints’ famous “forever, forever” line.

Another special effects sequence takes place in the bedroom of another boy when he has a dream about Babe Ruth coming to visit him. The Babe tells Benjamin Franklin Rodriguez about heroes and legends, but this scene only qualifies as special because of some possibly digital after effects used to make the appearance of Babe Ruth more translucent and dream like.

7. Aside from the above mentioned narration and sound overdub, there are many good uses of sound effects to enhance the feeling of this movie. The sound used when the boys are playing baseball really puts the audience on the side lines.

8. Good child actors are very hard to find, but for this movie I think that they did a tremendous job of casting talented youths. I don’t know how hard it must have been to work with nine young boys to make a movie but director David Evans pulled it off. « Back

The Princess Bride

2. The Princess Bride is a love story, true love as its characters describe it. And just as the little boy says at the beginning: ‘yuck’. But this movie is more than just a love story, it’s about making people feel good about the simple things again. The story focuses on how love can conquer all evil, and good will triumph, but it is told in such a satirical and simple way as to keep from being cliché and boring.

3. The main story is narrated by an old man reading to his grandson, this really allows the audience to let their guard down and imagine with the little boy that this imaginary world really exists. The real story though is about Westley and Princess Buttercup.

The love story of Westley and Princess Buttercup is fairly straight forward. It contains the generic elements of a love story, and true love is demonstrated through sacrifice. The dramatic action is Westley fighting to get the Princess away from Price Humperdinck, and suspense is maintained through the tremendous odds that Westley must fight against. The emotional content is played well, the only ‘love scene’ comes at the very end and everyone wants to see the two lovers finally kiss.

The storybook characters were created in a way that easily distinguishes the good guys from the bad guys. The appearance, dialogue, and voice qualities all serve to strengthen each characters essence. The princess is very beautiful and her name reflects her delicate nature. The bad guys all have very simplistic dialogue and the good guys have very smart and witty comebacks.

4. The visual design is centered on producing the fanciful land and time in which the story takes place. The setting is the fictional kingdom of Florin around the 16th or 17th century. The characters wear period costumes and the leading men are all swordsmen. Despite the movie’s low budget it pulls this fictional world off very effectively. It is obvious in many scenes that it was shot on a sound stage with painted backdrops but these details aren’t as important as the story which is so engaging that it is hardly noticeable.

5. A very straight forward shooting style is used throughout this movie. I wonder some times if I could have shot this movie more creatively. All the camera angles are objective and they are all shot from a nailed down tripod. There are a few pans and zooms but the camera positions are almost all eye level. Added to this is high key lighting and the camera work is as transparent as possible. This allows the audience to concentrate on what really makes this movie special, its characters and their dialogue.

6. The only special effects in The Princess Bride are done on a very small budget and are only used to tell the story in a representative way. The screeching eels are so evidently puppets that it is almost comical, but they aren’t part of this movie’s goals.

7. There are not special uses of sound or musical score.

8. The talent of the actors who bring the story to life is evident in that while the budget for special effects and sets may have been low, the actors keep the audience from noticing. The witty banter between characters and the actor’s total illusion that they are really serious in everything that they say, no matter how ridiculous and comical, really pulls this movie off.

Played mostly by unknown actors who don’t fall into any stereotypical categories for me, it really is about the characters. The only face that I would recognize in this film is Billy Crystal and he is so covered in makeup and costume that he is unrecognizable except for his voice. « Back

Golden Eye

2. The central theme of Golden Eye is how Bond will save the world and end up with the girl. James Bond is the world’s protector and anytime the world is threatened by a super villain, there he is. Bond must stop the use of a nuclear bomb by a rouge Russian general. This genre of movie is typically focused mostly on the plot, we are never worried about James Bond dying or not succeeding in his goal, we just watch the movie to see how he will win. Bond movies very rarely attempt to deal with any deeper meaning because the action is so important and the characters must remain flat enough to come back again for the next movie.

3. The main dramatic element of a plot based movie like Golden Eye is the plot twists. When the audience is set up to believe that things will play out a certain way, the plot must have some kind of complication or twist that will keep them guessing again about how James will overcome this new challenge. In Golden Eye, a former 007 agent like Bond, who used to be his friend, betrays him and becomes Bond’s major nemesis for this movie.

4. Visual design is not a major contributor to why this movie is one of my favorites, but it is important in creating the image of Bond. Bond wouldn’t be as cool as he is without the sleek gadgets, cars, and clothes that he is always sporting. All of these elements must be designed to match his personality, to fit into his character’s persona.

5. The camera angles chosen to capture this movie are all from the objective point of view. The use of any special angles is never seen in this movie and would be out of place. The camera provides a window into the action and therefore it becomes as transparent as possible. Any artistic use of the camera would probably feel out of place as audiences are expecting to see clearly the action in front of the camera, not trying to interpret the meaning of a camera angle.

6. Special effects are used to create the many explosions and fight sequences. These are the typical Hollywood fireball explosions that exaggerate the visual appearance of destruction. No Bond movie would be complete without a car chase scene, but this movie takes that a step further and is famous for its tank chase scene filmed in downtown Moscow’s Red Square. The special effects are not realistic at all but instead created to entertain the audience with spectacular shows of fire and sound. These effects are certainly a part of the movie and it wouldn’t be the same without them.

The editing is a little more creative than the cinematography. The editor is allowed some creativity in creating transitions between locations and places. The use of satellite imagery for a wide angle shot to transition on is used effectively in this movie. The action on the ground will transition into a high angle shot that zooms out to reveal that it is the eye of a satellite and that someone is looking at a monitor in a control room with that image being displayed. This very elaborate linking shot provides a very effective transition between locations and provides more information about the scene itself.

7. The sound effects are very straight forward in this Bond movie. Any special use of sound would probably catch the audience of guard; again the main focus of this movie was its action, not the artistic creativity of its makers.

8. The actors and their characters are very flat. This one dimensionality makes them very predictable in a good way. Then when a character acts out of character the going against the grain really makes a statement. In the opening sequence a main character is set up as Bond’s friend and partner, and then when he comes back as the big bad guy we hate him all the more for being a traitor.

James Bond as a character is very flat, he must act as we expect him to or it’s just not Bond. When he orders a drink it must be a martini “shaken not stirred”, and he must go after some girl. While this makes the movie predictable, it serves as a devise to strengthen the focus on the plot and what happens in the dramatic action. « Back

Amelie

2. Amelie is the story of a girl and her search for destiny. I think the theme of this film is love beyond destiny. The movie really concentrates on interpersonal relationships. The dynamics that Amelie explores between people in her life really changes her and the way she lives life. I think that the director was really trying to tell people that life is more than just predestination; it’s about what you make happen by being proactive in your world.

3. This story has two major parts, the introduction is a very fast-paced and comical exposition of Amelie’s conception, birth, and childhood. The second part is Amelie’s life as a young adult in Paris. As mentioned by our text, director Jean-Pierre Jeunet uses many extrinsic metaphors to illustrate Amelie’s feelings. Visually we as the audience can see how the main character is feeling or what she is thinking.

The story itself is very comical in its ups and downs and many plot twists. Amelie creates situations in which to trap her acquaintances so that they will do things that free their spirits and bring them happiness. These little adventures that she has are all part of the twisting plot that brings about her own entrapment in a situation that brings her happiness and love.

4. The visual design is one of the most engaging elements of this movie. The use of color and visual arrangement of objects is tremendous. The production team must have spent a lot of time thinking out every shot. The balance of light and shadow, colors, and subject are all so well done throughout the movie that it is difficult to describe.

The combination of high key lighting, vivid colors with pronominally smooth warm tones, and costumes that are very soft and comfortable looking, all work together to give the movie an overall friendly and comfortable feel.

5. Again playing off the strong emphasis on visual design, the cinematography impressed me the first time I saw the movie, and it still impresses me. The opening sequence contains so many different camera techniques and special uses of editing that it is impossible to find a particular scene without extreme attention to detail.

Even camera placement is interesting, possibly distracting for those of us who notice these things. I wasn’t really distracted as much as impressed with the places that the cinematographer found to put his camera and capture the action.

6. This film is filled with excellent examples of a good use of computer generated special effects. These effects are used to create metaphors that are mentioned above as well as to enhance the visual design. The seamless integration of these effects keeps them from feeling out of place or unnatural even through they are portraying very unnatural occurrences. One example of this is when Amelie melts to the floor into a puddle. It sounds weird to say but it really conveys the character’s feelings at that point in the movie.

7. The sound and musical elements of this movie are attended with the same attention to detail as the other elements. The settings and mood all are well supported by the musical compositions. Amelie’s state of mind is portrayed through the pace and mood of the score throughout the movie.

8. The acting doesn’t play a particularly important role in this film, any more than the usual need for believable performances. I think that a very important job that was done well for this movie was casting. The characters are played by very normal looking people. The main character is very beautiful but she was in contrast to the very normal everyday people who played the supporting roles. « Back

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