What Makes a Good Fight Scene? The Matrix and Matrix Reloaded Friday, Aug 22 2008 

Action and Focused Essay and Narrative Analysis and Sci Fi , nwbartel 6:46 pm

The fight scenes in The Matrix were revolutionary in their use of “bullet time” – a slow motion technique used to incredible effect in the original movie. It takes more than eye-popping special effects and great choreography, however, to make a good fight scene. A fight scene is ultimately made memorable or forgettable on the story board. The Matrix action sequences were effective not just through the use of great effects, but more importantly, because each scene was necessary to the plot. The sequel, Matrix Reloaded, proves the point by failing to provide substantial connections between the fight scenes resulting in a rather disjointed movie filled with gratuitous action.

The most important element of an action sequence is that it advance the plot or contribute to a character’s development in a significant way. Indeed, in a well crafted film, every scene should have a purpose relating to the story as a whole, and a fight scene is no exception. If movie action doesn’t serve the narrative arc of the story, then the scene is ultimately unsuccessful. (more…)

 

Place and Travel in The Painted Veil Friday, Aug 22 2008 

Drama and Focused Essay and Narrative Analysis and Period Piece and Thematic Analysis nwbartel 5:14 pm

The Painted Veil presents a story of redemption in such a captivating and gorgeous way that its scenes and characters all too easily take up residence in the mind, quietly, only to reassert themselves at odd intervals with a surprising insistence, causing a mood of reflection that while not unwelcome is nevertheless often distracting to whatever task is at hand.

It is a rich film, adapted from the novel of the same name by Somerset Maugham. (1) Like any great story, there could be any number of ways to approach it. One of the more obvious avenues is through place and travel. As Kitty, the main protagonist, moves from London to Shanghai and finally to a remote Chinese village, she is stripped of the social conventions and artifice through which she had previously related to the world, and is forced to negotiate a new and more authentic understanding of herself and her relations to others. (more…)

 

Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring: Catholic “Tragedy” Friday, Aug 22 2008 

Character Analysis and Drama and Focused Essay and Narrative Analysis and Period Piece , nwbartel 1:29 am

Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring are so tightly connected that they could be considered two chapters of the same film. Jean de Florette portrays the Soubeyran’s cruel treatment of Jean, an idealistic middle class man who has resettled his family on a farm he has inherited in Provence, France. The treatment eventually leads to Jean’s death, after which Cesar and his nephew, Ugolin Soubeyran are able to cheaply buy his property from his widow. Manon of the Spring takes place some ten or twelve years later.

Manon of the Spring is a tragedy in the truest understanding of the genre. It unfolds with a relentlessness usually witnessed in plots by Shakespeare or Sophocles. This tragedy, however, is set in a deeply Catholic culture. As Cesar’s tragedy becomes the catalyst for his return to faith, the film turns the the tragic genre upside down, reflecting Christian belief in the supremacy of hope and life over despair and death. (more…)

 

The Lives of Others: Art and Authentic living Friday, Aug 22 2008 

Character Analysis and Drama and Focused Essay and Foreign and Narrative Analysis and Thematic Analysis nwbartel 1:28 am

The Lives of Others follows a playwright, Georg Dreyman, and his actress girlfriend, Christa-Maria Sieland, as they struggle through life in the authoritarian state of 1984 East Berlin. The government maintains tight control of artistic activity, blacklisting or otherwise silencing artists who are critical of the political system.Dreyman’s plays are sympathetic to communism and he is generally liked or tolerated by those in power. When even he comes under full surveillance, however, he achieves in his life what the censors will not allow him to achieve on the stage; he touches the soul of an audience he doesn’t even know he has, and opens that soul to possibilities it had never before conceived.

Hauptmann Gerd Wiesler is the stazi (secrete police) official tasked with spying on Dreyman and Christa-Maria. As the movie unfolds, Wiesler’s naive idealism and belief in the communist project is challenged on the one hand witnessing the blatant corruption and hypocrisy of powerful party officials, and on other hand by a growing sympathy with the targets of his surveillance. (more…)

 

Visual Storytelling: High Noon Friday, Aug 22 2008 

Focused Essay and Narrative Analysis and Symbolism Analysis and Western nwbartel 1:25 am

High Noon did not became a classic Western flick because it exemplifies the conventions of Western movies. Indeed, the constant action, horse chases, stage coach heists, bar room brawls and expansive scenery expected in a Western film are conspicuously absent from the tightly reigned action in this movie. The suspense, however, is all the greater for building below the surface.

The opening scenes beautifully introduce the tone of the entire film. We see three men meet up in the country side. Initially, it is reasonable assumption that these are the “good guys.” (This is a Western, after all, and though it breaks other conventions, there are still “good guys” and “bad guys.”) As this extended sequence progresses, without one line of dialog, we notice various elements of their characters which call into question what side these men are on. Their clothes are torn and dirty, they are not groomed well, and their manners are somewhat coarse. By the time we see them riding together, it is clear they have some definite purpose, and we suspect that it is a sinister one. (more…)

 

Roman Holiday: the Quintessential Coming-of-Age Romantic Comedy Friday, Aug 22 2008 

Character Analysis and Classics and Comedy and Focused Essay and Narrative Analysis and Romance nwbartel 1:16 am

Royalty, forbidden romance, and the charm and romance of Rome all rolled up in a film that is funny and tender and spectacularly acted Audrey Hepburn – what more could one possibly ask for? Roman Holiday is a light-hearted, gem of a romantic comedy. The story follows a stifled and somewhat bored princess who escapes her gilded cage for a care-free day in Rome. She is guided in her adventures by Joe Bradely (Gregory Peck), a scheming newspaper reporter looking for the scoop of a lifetime, and his photographer friend, Irving.

The film is first and foremost simply a delight to watch. The chemistry between Princess Ann and Joe sparkles. The wild plot certainly stretches credulity, but in the light of an excellent script and marvellous acting it doesn’t much matter. It is also a gorgeous portrayal of Rome, filming all the major attractions from the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, to the Colosseum and the Vatican, ending with Joe and Ann’s final adventure on the river near San Domiano’s. (more…)