Film Journals
Battleship Potemkin
Movie: 1925, black and white, 75 minutes
ß Director: Sergei M. Eisenstein
ß Actors: Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barsky and Grigori Aleksandrov
Summary:
Battleship Potemkin is a Russian montage film showing the struggles of the working class in the Russian Revolution. There are five parts to the film, consisting of a revolt on a battleship, a killed soldier rallying the people, a massacre on the Odessa steps, and two ships going into battle. The style of the film consists of the juxtaposition of many short shots to give meaning to the sequence. During battle scenes Eisenstein intertwines many shots to create one sequence. The film contains many Marxist undertones and political messages.
Questions:
1. How does Eisenstein compensate for having no singular main character in the film?
Battleship Potemkin contains no main character, and really no characters that appear throughout the whole film. The battleship is the main character, and because the battleship is not shown through the whole film Eisenstein must compensate when there are shots of people. He uses many continuous long shots consisting of large crowds of people to prevent singling out a character. During the scene of the Russian people paying their respects to the dead sailor, there are very quick long shots of the crowd as well as quick close-ups of the sailor. It prevents the audience from focusing on a single element and forces them to look at the scene as a whole. There are also many shots containing inanimate objects. These objects can symbolize ideas in the film, but also fill in for not having a main character. In the Odessa steps scene, there are many smaller characters that are part of the scene but none are meant to control the viewer’s attention. Eisenstein uses montage to its fullest in the scene, constantly flipping from different parts of the battle without lingering to much on a certain subject. Russian montage is the perfect format of a film to make up for the absence of a main character.
2. How did Eisenstein use montage sequences create meaning in the scenes?
Throughout the film in its various montage sequences, Eisenstein uses quick shots of various activities, that when put together create a meaning to the scene. He uses the idea that a shot of one thing can give the audience a certain meaning, but when it is paired with shots of various other things it can give the audience completely different feelings. Eisenstein does this consistently, especially in battle scenes to show the carnage of the fight. There may also be shots of seemingly irrelevant things, such as a candle or a sorcerer, but because they are put in certain places they add to the meaning, making it very useful when he wishes to add symbolism. In the scene on the battleship, Eisenstein flashes to a wizard with a cross. These shots put in context of the scene gives the message that religion is evil when it is paired with the other shots of the crew trying to kill each other. A shot of a candle burning is consistently paired with the shots of the dead sailor. These simple shots symbolize the spirit of the revolution living on.
Godfather II
Movie: 1974, color, 200 minutes
ß Director: Francis Ford Coppola
ß Actors: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, and Robert Duvall
Summary:
The Godfather II has two different storylines. In one it follows the journey of Vito Corleone and how he came into mafia power. It shows his journey as a boy from Italy all the way until as a mafia boss he returns to kill the man who murdered his family. The other story follows his son as he controls the legacy left behind by his father. He struggles to balance his crime life with his family life, eventually losing his wife and getting put on court for alleged crimes. Although he avoids persecution, it seems as though the Corleone family is desperate to stay in control, as Michael, the son, wipes out many of his enemies towards the end, including his own brother.
Questions:
1. How do the transitions from Italian to English during conversation show a change in emotions?
Throughout the film the conversations of Michael and his associates often switch from Italian to English. Because the characters are Italian, and their roots are in the Italian language, the characters often switch to Italian when they discuss family. It shows the bond that the characters in the conversation have. When the characters speak in English it often shows that it is a controlled conversation with no high emotions. For most of the impersonal business discussions the characters speak in English. But when the conversations get heated and they start yelling, it switches back to Italian because that is what the members of the Corleone family are familiar with and it is easier to talk in Italian when someone loses control. When Michael and Tom are having the meeting where Michael is telling Tom to leave they are talking in English but Michael bursts out in Italian asking Tom if he will stay. Also when Michael and an associate are talking quietly in Italian about an important deal, Michael often adds a, “Ya, sure” in English to relieve the tension a little bit because English is a more friendly language. The language during the film sets the mood for certain scenes.
2. How does Coppola show Michael’s transition to becoming like his father?
Coppola directs the audience’s thoughts to seeing Michael as Don Corleone from the very beginning of the film. The setting for the start of the movie is very similar to the setting of the beginning of the first movie. There is a party going on, hosted by the Corleones, and in both films there is business being done in the back by the head of the family. But in the sequel it is Michael Corleone rather than his father. Michael has similar wardrobe to his father and the manner in which he speaks has begun to become like Don Corleone’s. Coppola may show this to reveal that Michael is attempting to be like his father, and in the end he loses much of his family as well. Because it is shown that Michael has become so similar to his father as the head of the family, it is inevitable that they share the same fate. Because it starts off in this similar beginning, it foreshadows that it will end in the demise of the Corleone family just as it did in the first movie.
North by Northwest
Movie: 1959, color, 131 minutes
ß Director: Alfred Hitchcock
ß Actors: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason
Summary:
In the film, North by Northwest by Alfred Hitchcock, a New York publicist named Roger Thornhill is mistaken for an American spy and must try to escape his captors and prove his innocence. He falls in love with another spy who is infiltrating his captor’s group, and in the end attempts to save and rescue her. Thornhill struggles throughout the film with why he has been thrust into this scenario and attempts to find his way back to his normal life by solving the mystery of why he was taken.
Questions:
1. Why does Hitchcock keep the point of view on Thornhill for much of the film?
Thornhill is unaware of the situation for much of the movie, so keeping the perspective from Thornhill’s point of view increases the suspense. The only instance where Hitchcock moves the point of view away from Thornhill is to show the reaction of the captor’s when Thornhill mistakenly answers as Kaplan. This only makes it so the viewers aren’t quite as confused as to why Thornhill is taken. Because the audience it put in the same position as Thornhill, it gives the audience the confusion of a blind escape, which increases the suspense and adds mystery. When Thornhill is being attacked by a bi-plane in a barren field, the viewer knows as little about the attacker as Thornhill. When he runs into the cornfield the audience stays with him, and it gives the sensation of hiding and fleeing as Thornhill does. Also when Thornhill is drunk and attempting to escape in his car the viewing gets the blurred view of the road that Thornhill has. The audience is put in the drivers seat and experiences the escape first hand.
2. How does Hitchcock use different editing techniques in the film?
Hitchcock uses editing techniques for multiple purposes throughout the film. He uses fades often to show the passage of time. In the train sequence the characters fall asleep or have a break in activities so Hitchcock must show that time has passed. He uses a fade out and fade in to give the impression that time has passed, since inside the train the audience cannot tell night from day. He also cuts to a sequence of a train moving, fading in and out. Hitchcock also uses quicker cuts to increase suspense. On the final scene on the top of Mount Rushmore, Hitchcock starts out with slower cuts, and as suspense increases, the cuts become more rapid. The use of cuts for different purposes changes the meaning of some scenes.
Rear Window
Movie: 1954, color, 112 minutes
ß Director: Alfred Hithcock
ß Actors: James Stewart, Grace Kelly and Wendell Corey
Summary:
A photographer, L.B. Jeffries, stuck in his wheelchair after an accident watches from his window the activities of his neighborhood. He comes to the conclusion that one of his neighbors has murdered his wife. He tells his famous rich girlfriend his finding, but at first she doesn’t believe him. After investigating the two discover that they believe Jeffries’ findings are true.
Questions:
1. How does Hitchcock portray the film from the view out of a window?
A large portion of the film is shot out of the rear window of L.B. Jeffries apartment. Hitchcock keeps it in the point of view of Jeffries so the audience feels that they are the ones looking out of the window. The point of view never leaves the room so what is actually happening outside of the room is a mystery to Jeffries as well as the audience. This creates suspense because the audience really knows nothing. Hitchcock also uses the natural frames of windows and doors to his advantage during the film. The shots of other people through the window are typically shot as a frame within a frame. It is similar to the screen of a television and gives the impression that the views from Jeffries window are forms of his entertainment. They portray the lives of his neighborhood, as they would be on a television screen. He also sets up the setting so that it is boxed in and the outside world is a small sliver. It is like the neighborhood is its own little world. Hitchcock knows that the audience realizes that it is a set, but he doesn’t care because it is his type of formalism.
2. How are the differences between Jeffries and his girlfriend shown when she is first introduced?
The wardrobe of Jeffries and his girlfriend give an immediate feeling of their differences. His girlfriend, Lisa Fremont, is dressed in expensive clothing and a flowy dress while Jeffries is in his sleeping clothes. Fremont is also dressed in black and white, fitting in with the rest of the room. Jeffries wants to break free from the normal black and white way of life but his room and girlfriend are dominated by those colors and he seems to be trapped in that lifestyle. Also there is one shot where the camera follows his girlfriend as she turns on all the lights in the apartment. It shows that she is used to all the attention and having everything she does be important. The dialogue also shows the differences in the two of them. She talks about how fortunate she is and the dresses she has while he is sarcastic about everything she talks about.
Goodfellas
Movie: 1990, color, 146 minutes
ß Director: Martin Scorsese
ß Actors: Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, Ray Liotta
Summary:
Goodfellas is a true story of a young mafia-obsessed boy named Henry Hill growing up to become a cold-hearted, mobster. He works with two other mobsters, Tommy and Jimmy, in order to get rich and rise in the mob ranks. He goes through ups and down, both in his social life and his business life. He and his wife fight a lot, and he is constantly cheating and doing drugs. He ends up getting arrested and rats out his associates so he can go under the witness protection program. Hill betrays those whom he has killed for and worked with for so many years to get out of a situation that he put himself in.
Questions:
1. What is the purpose of the many tracking shots that Scorsese puts into the film?
Throughout the film Scorsese uses many long tracking shots showing the activity in the setting and the many different people. The main reason Scorsese puts in these shots is to show the mob members’ connections, and how numerous these connections are. The most prominent tracking shot tracks Henry Hill and his date through the Copacabana, as he enters a secret way, greeting every member of the restaurant and many of the guests. There are also similar tracking shots at his wedding, at the poker party, and at a bar. These all establish the setting, as well as showing the diverse characters who are in involved in the mafia world. One other specific tracking shot takes place during a job in which Hill and Tommy take a truck full of expensive goods. The shot shows the truck driver leaving as the two watch him go while casually talking, and then after a moment they stroll into the truck and drive it away. This reveals how smooth the operations are going and gives a carefree and easy-going vibe to his mafia lifestyle at the time. Since the tracking shots are one long take it can make the audience feel like they are following the characters and are able to see what they see.
2. How does Scorsese establish a theme of violence in the mob life?
In the beginning of the film, Scorsese blatantly shows the violence that takes place in the mafia lifestyle. As the story tracks Henry’s early life, there are a number of his experiences shown in the mafia community. At the end of each one the sequences Scorsese pauses the scene on a gruesome end. At one point it is a mailman being beaten and shoved into a pizza oven and another time it is Hill being beaten by his father. Right away the audience equates the mafia lifestyle with violence and sets a precedent for the theme of the rest of the film. He also opens the movie with a very violent scene, which chronologically goes in the middle of the movie. Before the audience is even introduced to the characters a tone of violence is established. Scorsese never cuts away from a wound and all the blood is shown, making the viewer uncomfortable. But it does the job of showing what this mafia lifestyle is like.
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Movie: 1969, color, 110 minutes
ß Director: George Roy Hill
ß Actors: Paul Newman, Robert Redford and Katharine Ross
Summary:
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance are the two leaders of an American bank-robbing group called the Hole in the Wall Gang. After a few train robberies from the same owner, a group of well-respected lawmen and trackers pursue Butch and Sundance. After a close encounter, Butch, Sundance, and Sundance’s girlfriend flee to Bolivia. They take up robbing banks again and become known as the Vaqueros Yankís. After Butch’s girlfriend returns to America, they try to keep a low profile by getting a job, but are eventually trapped by the Bolivian soldiers and killed.
Questions:
1. How is the audience’s attention directed to the main characters?
In the very beginning of the film the director does a good job of establishing the main character without out any obvious dialogue. He allows the audience to figure out for himself/herself who the main characters are and which characters are less important. Hill uses soft focus shots to keep the focus on Butch and Sundance. In the beginning scene between Sundance and another man playing cards, the entire scene is filmed with the other mans back to the camera. The shot also cuts off the head of the other man. In another scene with a fight between a member of the Hole in the Wall Gang and Butch, a shot from behind the other man purposely cuts off his head, showing the superiority of Butch despite the other man’s size. Many of the antagonist’s faces are heavily shadowed, while Butch and Sundance are very well lit. There is no second guessing who the main characters are and which characters are against them.
2. What methods does the film show fluctuation between intense fighting to the joking comedic atmosphere of the two outlaws?
There is a very obvious distinction between the points in which Butch and Sundance are relaxing and joking around and when they have to fight. One way in which the film switches between these phases is the music, but not in the typical way. When there is a serious struggle or battle going in, there is absolutes no nondiagetic sound. It puts the audience in the same tense situation as the outlaws. But when they are kidding around or there is a more playful scene, there is very upbeat happy music. The lack of any music throughout much of the film puts a more solemn mood to the normally comedic, joking vibe of the film. There is no intense music to increase the danger or intensity of battle scenes, instead it is created with the acting and the quick cuts. Another way that danger or confrontation is shown in the film is a sharp zoom in on danger or someone’s face. It brings focus and clarity to a situation that was fairly light. When Butch sees the bull’s eyes after he falls off his bike it zooms in on the bull before it charges. Also when they see a man who is tracking them down in Bolivia it zooms in on him, causing the situation to become serious. This camera movement it used very often in the film for the same purpose.
Titanic
Movie: 1997, color, 194 min
Director: James Cameron
Actors: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, and Billy Zane
Summary-
During a search for a priceless royal diamond, a group of treasure hunters come across a drawing in the wrecked ship in which the diamond was said to be. The aged woman from the drawing contacts the hunters and comes to their boat. She tells them the story on how the ship ended up on the bottom of the ocean and her secret love who died with the other passengers of the ship. Her story tells of the major class differences of the ship and her restrictive family and fianceé attempting to prevent her from seeing her love, Jack. Filled with heartbreak and lost memories, the old woman throws the secret diamond off the ship to sink to the ocean floor.
Questions-
1. How does Cameron distinguish between the past and present?
Throughout Titanic the movie switches from the present to the past a lot, and in doing this Cameron uses many techniques to distinguish between the two. He uses color tones to show the different moods in the two time frames. The present has a blue tint to show that sadness that came after Jack’s death for Rose, and the hard reality of the current situation. But in the past there is a yellow tint to the shots, giving a happy carefree vibe for the characters. The lighting in the past is also much brighter than in the present. The present uses much more high contrast lighting. To show the differences in technology between the two times, there are a few shots from the point of view of a camera within the submarine and things of that nature. The past shots use a lot of panning shots, showing the ornate decorations in the ship and giving it a relaxed feel. This contrasts with the quick cuts of the present scenes. Obviously the wardrobe and the dialogue are also useful to distinguish between the two times.
2. How is the mass of the Titanic shown?
Much of the importance in the symbol of the massive Titanic is in its size. Cameron does a good job at expressing the gargantuan ship using various camera techniques. He uses a pan to suggest that the Titanic’s size does not fit in one shot so the entire ship must be shown using a panning shot. He also uses other objects shown next to the ship so that the viewer can compare these with the size of the Titanic. He uses smaller boats and animals in shots with the ship. There are a lot of low angle shots of the ship that lead the viewer’s eye to the sky, giving it a heavenly feel. Another interesting way that Cameron expresses the size is in the engine room. He goes to this setting at various points in the story. There are massive gears and pits that the workers must put the fuel into, and when the audience is allowed to see this room and how large the parts are, it gives them a feeling of just how much work goes into making the ship move. Since the entire past setting is on the boat, it is created as its own little world. It has class divisions just like the real world, with the 1st class being separated from the lower class through various gates and barriers. It uses a lot of different settings, because the repetition of different settings would make the ship seem smaller than it is intended to portray. Creating a separate world within the ship takes a lot of different important techniques.
Unforgiven
Movie: 1992, color, 131 minutes
ß Director: Clint Eastwood
ß Actors: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman and Morgan Freeman
Summary:
William Munny, a former vicious killer and outlaw from the West, is asked to hunt down and kill two cowboys who cut up a young prostitute. He declines as he is running a pig farm now and has two young children, but eventually decides to help because he needs the money to support his children. He goes on this mission with his old partner, Ned, and a young cocky “killer.” The town in which the prostitutes live is run by a hard lawman named Little Bill, who attempts to prevent any assassins from attempting to kill the two cowboys. He eventually captures, tortures, and kills Ned. Munny, previously sobered and broken by his deceased wife, walks into the bar where Bill is and shoots him along with 4 other townspeople. He leaves and is rumored to have gone to San Francisco with his kids.
Questions:
1. How is Munny’s transition from retired father to revived killer shown?
In the first few scenes of the film it shows a few dark shadowy scene of two men cutting up a young prostitute. It then shifts to a light sunny farm with William Munny and his two children herding pigs. Right away the audience is given the opinion that Munny doesn’t live that kind of lifestyle if he ever did. Even when he is told to be have been a violent killer, there is still no indication that he acts like that. There are many scenes showing him struggling to herd a pig, giving him the feel of an older retired man. There his a seen of him attempting and failing at hitting a coffee can with a pistol and also failing to get on a horse. These scenes give him normalness. Eastwood doesn’t use a lot special angles a lot with Munny, depicting him as nothing special. He also repeats the phrase, “I ain’t like that no more,” frequently, hinting that he is trying very hard to suppress his violent side. There are a lot of extreme long shots showing his isolation from society and his struggle to stay away from the popular pleasures of the folk. He goes through a slow transition back into his killing ways. His desire to complete this mission for his children drives him to become the man he once was. Eastwood uses reaction shots on the news of death and violence to Munny to show how it affects him and makes him want to make people pay. After he sees the cut up girl for the first time he seems to feel for her and gets a little angry. The breaking point is when he finds out that his friend Ned has been killed. His normal calm demeanor changes and it gives a quick reaction shot of his anger. In the end becomes in control of the wild side, shown by his swift movements and body control. The shots transition to more full shots of Munny’s entire body rather than close up and long shots, because he now functions on his own accord.
2. How are the superior reputations of the older men shown compared to the more inexperienced killers?
Most of the main characters are reputable killers or lawmen. So inevitably there are many clashes of these characters. Eastwood doesn’t use many high angle or low angle shots in scenes with these characters because each character is respected and the other cannot show superiority. Even when Little Bill, the well known tough lawman, is kicking the crap out of various killers, there is very little superiority shown in the camera angles. When Little Bill is whipping Ned, Ned still dominates the shot even though Little Bill is dominating the scene. It also addresses Little Bill’s struggle to maintain order in his community with all these criminals in town. Even though he is attempting to show who is boss, the shots still focus a lot on the other characters, showing his failure to impress the others. Eastwood also uses these techniques with the group of Munny, Ned, and the young killer. The two veterans are shown as superior in many ways. For one, the kid can not see very far, and therefore must rely on the vision of the two older men. Also, in most shots Munny of Ned is shown as the center of the shot while the kid is off center. It is very obvious who the dominant figures are in the film.
Forrest Gump
Movie: 1994, color, 142 minutes
ß Director: Robert Zemeckis
ß Actors: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright and Gary Sinise
Summary:
Forrest Gump shows the journey of an unintelligent but gifted man through life. He participates in such as the Vietnam War, a college football game, and meeting the President of the United States twice without losing his personality. He also refuses to give up on acquiring his true love, Jenny. The movie shows his struggle to get to Jenny even with all of the pressures of real life surrounding him. Forrest makes many friends along the way as well as millions of dollars and popularity. His unintentional success does not prevent him from achieving his one goal in life though.
Questions:
1. Why does the director use panning shots so often?
Forrest Gump is all about his travels from place to place. Panning shots give the feeling that he is leaving from one place and moved on to another. For example, after Jenny leaves him alone at his house, Forrest stays there for a little, wallowing in his misery. But while sitting on his porch out side, he stands up and starts running. As he gets onto the road there is a long pan shot of him exiting his drive onto the road out into the distance. It gives the impression that Forrest has left the disappointment behind and is on to something else. The panning shot is continually used for the same purpose, Forrest moving on to another segment of his life. Another example is when young Forrest is in leg braces and is bullied by some no good scoundrels when walking with Jenny. She tells him to run away and as the kids almost catch up with him he breaks away from his leg braces and runs away. There are two panning shots showing him escaping the kids and going off into the fields, but no panning shots in that scene up until that point. Running becomes Forrest’s escape from reality, and Zemeckis uses a lot of panning shots to show him escaping from the troubles of real life and going into his own safer world.
2. How are the settings in the film used to set the tone for certain shots?
They are a multitude of settings in Forrest Gump; each one serves a purpose in Forrest’s adventure. One of the most important settings is Forrest’s house, representing a sanction from the real world and a destination can return to when he is out in the real world. It also represents sadness because that is where his mother dies and Jenny leaves. Any scenes that take place in Forrest’s house is solemn and is where Forrest is his most emotional. Another key setting is Vietnam. It is the most violent setting in the movie. Scenes during the Vietnam War are uncomfortable for the viewer because we recognize the danger in the situation but Forrest does not seem to be affected by it. Forrest’s boat is a setting that gives Forrest great freedom to do what he loves, and the audience is allowed to share in this freedom. Forrest is always moving to new places and going on new adventures throughout the film, and the audience is allowed to share the emotions that he feels in each one.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Movie: 1975, color, 133 minutes
ß Director: Milos Forman
ß Actors: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher and Danny DeVito
Summary:
A brash rebel pretends he is crazy to escape jail, and ends up in a mental institution. He revolts against a restrictive nurse, and rallies many of the other members of the institution against them. He teaches them how to have a good time and makes them feel better about themselves. He eventually tries to escape because he becomes tired of the situation, and invites two girls to come and seduce the security man. After convincing one of the girls to sleep with one of the boys named Billy, Billy kills him self when Nurse Ratched threatens to tell his mom. McMurphy attacks Nurse Ratched, almost killing her, and the institution performs a lobotomy on him. The movie ends when another member puts him out of his misery by killing him.
Questions:
1. Why are there so many close ups in the film?
Throughout the entire movie a large majority of the shots are close ups on the faces of the characters. At no point do the shots deviate from this main shot type. It seems as though the reason behind this dominating shot is the constrictive, oppressive environment of the mental institution. Only in a few scenes are there far fewer close up shots. When McMurphy helps the boys escape and they go on the ship there are more long shots showing all of the men together. They are enjoying the openness and freedom of the outdoors and these wider shots show that. Also when the inmates are allowed to go and play outside and play basketball and exercise, the shot list switches to more long shots and medium shots. The restrictive institution is shown by how close the camera is to the person. It also shows the instability of many of the characters, because when the inmates get upset their faces often go outside the frame from shaking and yelling. Conversely, it also shows the stability and control of Nurse Ratched, the dictator nurse of the ward. Most of the shots of her are close up and she is always right in the middle of the camera, rarely moving an inch. She is firm in her control of the inmates and is not willing to give up much ground. It is amazing how the film makes the amount of close ups work and it really allows the viewer to see up close the inmates and the nurses and how they react to everything.
2. How do the sounds and music of the film add to the purpose of the setting?
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest has many important diagetic and non-diagetic sounds that give the mental institution its personality, so to speak. From the very beginning the music played during the medicine time is made obvious to the audience. The nurses play very soothing relaxing songs on a record, and it gives the ward an unsettling calmness that makes the viewer feel uncomfortable. It gives the feeling that the dominating force of the ward, Nurse Ratchet, is attempting to artificially calm the ward to keep control. Even when McMurphy asks her to turn it down because he cannot hear himself think, she refuses and gives a poor excuse. She does not want the inmates to think, and tries to instill the soothing tones into them. There is also some prominent non-diagetic sounds throughout the film. The soundtrack made for the movie has very specific sounds made for movements made by the characters. It accentuates the fact that everything done in the hospital can be heard by everyone else. When McMurphy tries to open a lock or break through a door, the music bursts, giving the impression that everyone else heard it.
