Category / FLM 1100 – Screen Storytelling

by flm4nal

Chinatown (1974)

Directed by: Roman Polanski

Cast: Jack Nicholson [J.J. ‘Jake’ Gittes], Faye Dunaway [Evelyn Cross Mulwray], John Huston [Noah Cross]

J.J. Gittes, a private eye in Los Angeles, is hired by Evelyn Mulwray to investigate her husband’s activities. Jake’s investigation soon becomes something more than routine when he meets the real Mrs Mulwray and realises that he was hired by an imposter. Mr Mulwray’s sudden death leads Gittes into a trail of corruption, deception and eerie family secrets as Evelyn’s father becomes a suspect in the case.

Inspired by: California Water Wars (in history)

My rating: 8.5/10

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Narrative aspects

‘Chinatown’ is a brilliant example for the use of the three-act structure, a method of division used in story-telling to keep the plot cohesive, systematic and engaging for a reader or audience. It allows story-telling to fall under a fixed skeletal framework which follows a character on a journey through the beginning, middle and end (in a broad sense):

  • Act 1 is usually for the ‘Exposition’ or ‘Set-Up’ and establishes the main characters, the relationships and the universe of the story. Soon, the incident of the story takes place and the main character, usually the protagonist, is made aware of it by him/herself or another outside source. The attempts to deal with the incident usually spiral into a much more bigger or deeper problem. The first turning point takes place, which ‘(a) signals the end of the first act, (b) ensures life will never be the same again for the protagonist and (c) raises a dramatic question that will be answered in the climax of the film.’ (Wikipedia)
    • J.J. Gittes is introduced to the audience as a tenacious yet arrogant private investigator working on his own venture and firm to provide services to the general public. They are also introduced to his colleagues and rivals then witness the set up of a new case that seems to be like any regular infidelity-in-relationship deal when Mrs Mulwray comes to his office. Though however, Jake Gittes soon realises that an imposter came to his office that day and the real Mrs Mulwray suspects no problems in the relationship with her husband, who is found dead in the water days later. Jake takes the case as his main priority and realises soon that something bigger is going on.
  • Act 2 serves as the ‘Rising Action’ or ‘Conflict’ typically shows the protagonist try in resolving the problem that occurred during the previous act, only to find that the situation is worsening. The protagonist may be unable to solve the problems faced because he/she may not have the skills at hand to deal with it and the negative forces, the antagonist, he/she are fighting. The protagonist develops as a character with a greater understanding of their capabilities as well as a better awareness of their surroundings (a character arc). Usually, the protagonist is supported by others since they cannot achieve their goals alone.
    • J.J. Grittes is seen uncovering the deeper and darker secrets of the situation regarding Mr Mulwray, Mrs Mulwray and her father Noah Cross, and how it all ties in with the problems involving the water supply in the city. J.J. Grittes does not seem to have the interrogative expertise to deal with the deadliness of the situation he has stumbled upon, though he develops as a character and the audience truly sees him grow as an individual who actually cares about the people he works for, in this case, Evelyn Mulwray.
  • Act 3 is the ‘Resolution’ of the story and its probable sub-plots (whether about character relationships or a side plot to the main one). This act contains the ‘Climax’ where the main tensions of the story are brought to their peak and the dramatic effect is heightened as well, usually leaving the protagonist and other characters involved with a greater new sense of who they are after having the main question answered. At a point, the victory for the protagonist may seem impossible but perseverance is witnessed along with the wisdom of new ideas or trials that finally lead him/her to success. Though however, in some stories, the characters are left with a cliffhanger or an unsatisfactory ending to what they were looking for. Nevertheless, the protagonist becomes more aware of their new capabilities.
    • J.J. Grittes is made aware of Noah Cross and how big of a toll he is in the crime that he is in the process of solving. Noah Cross turns out to be more villainous than imagined when his abuse towards his daughter Evelyn is revealed. Grittes is battling between catching Cross while avoiding the police force, like Lieutenant Lou Escobar. In the end, the film reaches the climax where Grittes is threatened by Cross and thus the foreshadowing of no victory becomes true with Evelyn being shot dead and Cross taking custody of her daughter. The film leaves the audience with a strangely sad and satisfying end as the detective does not get the solution he wanted and worked for. In conclusion, the audience learns that “It’s Chinatown”.

Infer & Deduce: The reason for the title of the film does not strike at first but while watching the film it becomes apparent that it means more than just referencing to a cultural area in America named ‘Chinatown’. Throughout the film, China and people from that country are referenced but this still does not give a clear indication as to why the film devotes it’s identifying title to that place. One would think that it could be an expression for something but now, after the release of the film, it has more or less been used as it. Previously, using the word Chinatown would only be associated with the area belonging to that ethnicity but now the film has coined a phrase that continues to live on as an expression in conversation. But it all still bears the unanswered question as to why the film is called ‘Chinatown’. This doubt is cleared up when J.J. “Jake” Grittes first mentions that he had some dealings in the place Chinatown in the film while he was an officer. (This is further explored in the section ‘Favourite Scene’ below)

Technical Aspects

‘Chinatown’ is a film where the plot takes place in the realm of the plausible reality and even so since it does inspire its plot points from the actual California Water Wars incident. Because of this, the location and set designs used do resemble real life and mirror the personalities and living styles of people who most probably do exist, like business magnates and their families, and private investigators and police officers. Scenes in natural environments like many desert scenes seem to use prominent natural lighting and are shot during the day to set the scene better for the audience to understand. Moreover, the film makes great use of suburban town life and uses empty streets outside shops and houses for scenes of J.J. Grittes following suspects or the suspects making a getaway.

Moving forward, the soundtrack of the film compliments the genre as well as the scenes in the film as Grittes follows suspects and continues the investigation at certain locations or in his office. Though it is interesting to note that this film does have a minimal use of soundtrack to convey certain emotions or carry on as the background for a scene. The lack of non-diegetic music and the prominence of silence present in the film reflects the reality of the situation, wherein normal real life people do not have music to compliments the emotions they feel in a given situation, and it is merely a tool used in visual mediums to convey to an audience more non-spoken details about characters, plots, settings or themes. In scenes where Gittes is on a stake-out, following characters while maintaining his anonymity, the silence heightens the tension and the reality of keeping quiet in a critical situation like it when a detective is investigating. The audience is taken on a journey into the inner workings of a detective and how they complete their tasks, whether morally or immorally.

Above all, like many of the films in history and especially considering the mystery genre, camera techniques play an important role in the way in which an audience perceives a situation and how it affects the progression of the plot. In ‘Chinatown’ the camera usually follows the viewing field of the character it is focused on (in most cases J.J. Grittes) tracing their gaze and seeing what the character sees without the scene being in the first person point of view. Furthermore, the camera moves with pans and dollies to reveal certain subjects in a scene, people or objects, that were not visible before, which goes well with the mystery genre since the idea of it is all about revealing the unknown and figuring out the solution to a probably unsolvable problem. An example of this is a scene towards the beginning of the film where Jake is watching a man out in the desert with binoculars. The camera follows the man but then dollies out and pans to the right to reveal Jake standing by a pillar and keeping an eye on his actions.

Favourite Scene

When a film maintains the level of suspense and intrigue created in the audience throughout its entire time-frame, an ending to it needs to be worthy and ‘Chinatown’ has a conclusion that was sort of uncalled for but satisfying. After learning the abusive truth about Mrs Mulwray’s father, Jake confronts Noah Cross and is only challenged by his superiority in status that stops Jake from arresting him. Noah ends up getting away with shooting his daughter Evelyn and taking custody of his granddaughter (and daughter), winning the entire showdown and leaving Jake in a silent stare.

This scene is not only powerful as it brings about this fantastic story to an end but it also sports a created phrase that is still used in places today:

Forget it, Jake. It’s Chinatown.

— Lawrence Walsh

This line at first seems to be nothing more than a plain reference to Jake’s previous workings in the location of Chinatown as an officer and having some tough times while completing cases. However, this saying does have a deeper meaning to the entire situation the film depicted. The phrase said by Lawrence Walsh, J.J. Gittes partner, simply means that ‘what happens, happens’ and there is nothing a mere man like Jake can do anything about. He is just one man in front of a powerful individual like Noah Cross, which would make it seem as if Jake worked on the case with both hands tied behind his back. Jake continues to battle against the injustice of the law system and how wealth and status is majorly determined by how much money a person has with them, which is exactly the factor that makes Noah Cross the superior being in the situation and allows him to swiftly get away with the murder and abuse of his daughter and her husband Mr Mulwray. The film sheds light on a very real and important issue in society as injustice takes place on a regular occasion, sadly, whether to do with race, religion, gender, age, money or occupation. Despite the level of education, people receive and the awareness created in relation to current events, prejudice still runs the day and this is exactly seen in ‘Chinatown’, though however, no one dares to challenge Noah Cross since he could practically buy out the police force or the best lawyers the country has to offer.

The audience also sees the character development in Jake Gittes, from appearing as an extremely confident and arrogant private investigator to one that now seems to actually care about the people he works for and wants the best for them. The expression of despair and loss is clear on his face when he sees Mrs Mulwray’s blood-soaked body in the driver seat of the car, clearly depicting that he really feels the weight of being taken advantage of and no matter how much he would want to help and make things right (take down Noah Cross) he is helpless and cannot do anything. Jake has turned towards having his own private eye venture after leaving the police force to better help the people who hire him, where the police would shrug off. He even states when he is getting a shave at the barber’s shop that:

Listen, pal. I make an honest living. People only come to me when they’re in a desperate situation. I help ’em out. I don’t kick families out of their houses like you bums down at the bank do.

This would portray Jake as someone who wants the good of the community to be the product of his work and be someone who is there for people when the police would not. Though the last scene makes it clear that no matter how good at heart Jake, or in fact anyone, is there is no stopping the people with power over everyone else who can sway the sympathies of special forces that govern a country’s way of running.

What would I do differently?

Being an avid fan of the mystery genre, ‘Chinatown’ appealed to me as a film. The story is intriguing and keeps an audience engaged till the resolution, or mystery’s answer, at the end whether it is seen as justice or not. I would not change anything about the film as it starred brilliant characters and an issue addressed that is factual (the California water wars). Although, making it with modern day camera and effect quality would make the film much more suited appearance-wise for the audience of today. Moreover, this film’s narrative would actually suit as a televised mini-series going on for a season of 5 to 10 episodes. Jack Nicholson as the main character, did an amazing job portraying the character of Jake Grittes and his arrogant but considerate attitude towards helping the people who hire him. To add on, the director and the screenwriter brilliantly captured the essence of an issue that was, in reality, a big part of history for the USA, while the rest of the crew brought the mise-en-scene to enhance the atmosphere at everyone moment in the film.

Further Research Areas:

Chinatown Film Review – Roger Ebert

Forget ‘Chinatown,’ Get the Real Story of California’s Most Famous Water War

WHAT’S UP WITH THE TITLE? – Schmoop (Chinatown)

20 Things You Probably Don’t Know About Chinatown

What is the meaning of the line at the end of Chinatown?

Chinatown: the best film of all time – The Guardian

Three Act Structure – TV Tropes

The Three-Act Structure – Elements of Cinema

THE PARADIGM WORKSHEET

A History of Three-Act Structure

3-act Structure — Star Wars (original)

What Are the Four Image Systems in Chinatown?

 

by flm4nal

Misery (1990)

Directed by: Rob Reiner

Cast: Kathy Bates [Annie Wilkes], James Caan [Paul Sheldon], Richard Farnsworth [Buster]

Paul Sheldon, a novelist, is in a serious car crash and is rescued by former nurse Annie Wilkes, who claims to be his number-one fan. Annie brings him to her house in the suburbs, where her obsession for him takes a horrifying turn when Sheldon is killing off her favourite character, Misery, in his upcoming novel. As Sheldon comes up with a plan for escaping, Annie becomes more controlling and violent as she forces the author to write according to her wishes.

Based on: ‘Misery’ by Stephen King

My rating: 8.5/10

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Narrative aspects

‘Misery’ is a film that explores a brilliantly thought out plot that is simple but yet multi-layered. The film mainly takes place in the house of Annie Wilkens, limiting the settings in which the protagonist Pal Sheldon is exposed to yet, the film remains to be interesting until the end. A main point about the film is the character portrayal and development that aid the story to move forward and engages the audience into the surprises of the unknown:

  • Paul Sheldon – The famous author for the ‘Misery’ novel series suffers from a celebrities worst nightmare when he is taken hostage by a woman who claims to be his number-one fan. Paul Sheldon is thankful at first but as the story progresses he starts to realise that whatever happened to him with the car crash was a complete disaster and far from any good. The audience sees him start to struggle and suffer, which would ultimately bring an inner awakening to a person who would be assured of being arrogant and egotistical. Paul has a successful novel series and out of nowhere, he is in a situation he never thought he would end up in. It makes one realise how sufficient we are on our own but also how easily we can be brought down to nothing from illness or injury. Paul is seen bedridden and completely dependant on Annie Wilkens, who sadly, by his bad luck, is not someone who he would want taking care of him.
  • Annie Wilkens – The antagonist of the film is seen with a variety of attitudes, from content and civilized to completely rageful and horrific, which would lead an audience to immediately conclude that Annie is suffering from bipolar disorder. She is easily triggered into feeling angry by the slightest of words or actions, and Paul falls victim to it. Annie’s innocence is shadowed upon a few scenes after she appears, at first making an audience question the outburst but once it continues repeatedly on occasions, an in-depth look into her character could unearth more origins for her behaviour. Annie is portrayed as someone who is most likely having ‘Celebrity Worship Syndrome’, an obsessive-addictive disorder, where clearly, Paul is the famous personality in this situation. For Annie to stumble upon her idol is beyond her dreams and she displays to be ‘overly involved and interested (i.e., completely obsessed) with the details of the personal life of a celebrity’ (PsychologyToday). This leads her into controlling Paul as if he is some sort of play-doll or pawn in a game of chess, with her demands being every move towards reaching ‘checkmate’ and gaining the version of the ‘Misery’ novels she would be pleased with.

 

According to Wikipedia, based on the book by Christopher Booker:

  1. Overcoming the Monster
    • The protagonist sets out to defeat an antagonistic force (often evil) which threatens the protagonist and/or protagonist’s homeland.
  2. Rags to Riches
    • The poor protagonist acquires power, wealth, and/or a mate loses it all and gains it back, growing as a person as a result.
  3. The Quest
    • The protagonist and companions set out to acquire an important object or to get to a location. They face temptations and other obstacles along the way.
  4. Voyage and Return
    • The protagonist goes to a strange land and, after overcoming the threats it poses to them, they return with experience.
  5. Comedy
    • A light and humorous character with a happy or cheerful ending; a dramatic work in which the central motif is the triumph over adverse circumstance, resulting in a successful or happy conclusion.
  6. Tragedy
    • The protagonist’s character flaw or great mistake which is their undoing. Their unfortunate end evokes pity at their folly and the fall of a fundamentally good character.
  7. Rebirth
    • An event forces the main character to change their ways and often become a better person.

‘Misery’ fits in the categories of ‘Overcoming the Monster’ (where Paul makes it his mission to get rid of Annie, the antagonist, and break free from being held captive), ‘Rags to Riches’ (Paul is successful at his work as an author and it all goes away when Annie finds him after the car accident. Paul grows as a person with more consideration as he escapes from Annie’s home), ‘Rebirth’ (Whatever Paul goes through makes him realise that he should change his ways and so ends up with a new mindset about himself and his work). The combination of these plots allows the story of the film to become more in-depth as well as continue to remain entertaining with multi-layered characters till the credits roll. It is storytelling at its finest and combining many of these plot concepts is not noticeable in the film, nor probably in the book by Stephen King.

Infer & Deduce: The film’s title shares its name with the novel it is based on by Stephen King, though contains a hint of mystery since the word ‘Misery’ is also the name of the book series that the main character, author Paul Sheldon, creates and writes. Additionally, this is also the name of the protagonist in the book series that is in the book written by Stephen King that the film is based on. Humorously, it sort of feels like something Christopher Nolan would conjure up. Moreover, the use of the descriptor ‘Misery’ would apply to the emotional state Paul Sheldon goes through while being held captive at Annie’s house, as well as what Annie feels towards Sheldon.

Technical Aspects

‘Misery’ uses a variety of techniques to convey the mysterious and disturbing attitude of the character Annie, for example, or the nature of the plot itself. While the soundtrack enhances the atmosphere and makes the scenes more suspenseful, the variety of shot types allows certain implicit messages to be translated for the audience:

  • Bird’s-Eye Shot – In the few beginning scenes, shots taken from a helicopter while flying over a landscape create the setting for the rest of the film, allowing the audience to familiarise themselves with where the story takes place and how the setting could affect the fate of the characters.
  • Long Shots – These kinds of shots are used for establishing a setting but show the more intricate of details when compared to a bird’s-eye view. An example of this are scenes from the beginning where the snowy mountains and location is shown while Paul Sheldon drives on the road. Like the Bird’s-Eye Shot, it enlightens the audience about the setting where the film could prominently take place and how the snow, in this film, could act as a helping hand for the protagonist when he is in a life-or-death situation. In ‘Misery’, it is the snow that causes him to be taken hostage by his psychotic number-one fan Annie Wilkens.
  • Extreme Close-Up Shots – These kinds of shots are used to either direct the focus of the audience to a specific aspect in particular or if an object is of small sizes, like the orange Novril pills that Annie gives to Paul for his pain. Moreover, a sequence that extensively uses these shots is when Annie is coming back home from getting the paper Paul requested for his typewriter while Paul is hurriedly going back to his room so that Annie does not suspect anything. Movement and facial expressions are emphasised on as the pace of the scene rises. Paul is seen struggling with his injury but hastening to his room with close-up shots of the door nob and him locking the door with a bobby pin, for example, or Annie shoes as she walks into the house.
  • Low Angled/High Angled Shots – These camera angles allow an audience to view the world from certain characters’ point of view without the shot being in the first person. Low Angled shots are used to create the view of Paul Sheldon since he is lower in height when talking to Annie because of being on his bed recovering. Similarly, the audience sees a repeated use of High-Angled Shots that portray how Annie sees Paul, towering over him and looking down. Moreover, these shots depict the level of power in the situation where Annie is seen as superior and controlling over Paul, and Paul is inferior and helpless.
  • Pans/Tilts/Dolly Movements – Camera movements of any kind keep the shots more interesting to watch for an audience. While in some moments they help reveal details an audience would not have seen in the setting, camera movements follow characters throughout a scene allowing the audience to feel as if they are in the situation rather than watching characters on a screen. This film uses movements to their advantage in scenes that are high in tension with no knowledge of the fate of characters. This keeps it fast-paced as well as the audiences on the edge of their seat.

Furthermore, the lighting techniques allow another level of emotion to be felt by the audience as it creates an intimidating atmosphere in some settings while giving a natural, homely look in others. In scenes hot during the day, lighting is mostly natural from the source of the sun, while indoor scenes use lamps and candles to illuminate the set. In addition to that, an interesting use of lighting is when it starts to rain in the area where Annie lives. When she enters into Paul’s room with surprise, the scene uses the lightning outside to create a dramatic play of light and shadow on her face, enhancing the menacing and malevolent attitude of Annie.

Favourite Scene

This scene explores a different side of Annie Wilkens as she is seen with a unique attitude when compared to the rest of the film. Annie is seen to have an inner realisation about the situation with Paul Sheldon, stating that because he is almost finished with writing the Misery novel that she wants and that his legs are getting better, he would demand to be let out of the house and go home. Annie would not have any control over his life and situation she seems to be enjoying and the rain outside continues to remind her of that ‘inevitable’ future.

The scene uses an array of camera techniques to portray the emotions that Annie in particularly is feeling, with close-up shots emphasising on capturing her facial features and expressions of despair and melancholy. This makes an audience’s strong pessimistic feelings towards her psychotic behaviour previously die down a little as she is seen to have a progression of character and forget about her delusions. Annie seems to know that she cannot have everything she wants anymore. While this scene has comparatively focused on Annie with lengthened shots on the character, the reactions have been countered with Paul’s expressions being shown from time to time as she looks at him and says particular words. From the way Paul reacts, he would seem to feel exactly the same as the audience and be hopeful that once the new Misery novel would be over, and Annie receives the story she wanted, she would let him go without any harm. There is a look of relief on Paul’s face. The low-key lighting in this scene adds to the gloomy atmosphere created by the rain which in turn affects Annie’s normally energetic attitude. Moreover, the natural lighting sources of the lamps in the room make the scene feel less scripted or fabricated and more of an actuality. To add on, the sound from the rain outside hitting the windows also brings more emotional pain to the scene while making it more naturalistic.

However, all restored faith in Annie Wilkens drains away when she seems to become detached from the rationale she was leading Paul towards believing and pulls out a small revolver from her robe pocket. Immediately the audience, as well as Paul, realise that Annie definitely has some psychological conflictions with herself and would do anything in her power to achieve what she wills. The tension rises in the scene, creating anticipation towards what horrific action Annie would commit next, or when she would have her next anger outburst. The final dutch-angled shot in the scene taken to show Annie exiting her house and stepping onto the porch portrays a sense of displacement between the character’s attitude as well as their morale.

What would I do differently?

Of course, producing this film with modern day technology would allow it to be high definition and consist of different settings, clothes and props as times have changed though I would not change anything about the film. It was pleasant to watch, disturbing at times which is exactly what it intended on, as well as, entertaining. The actors did a brilliant job in portraying the characters and the emotions they felt in the situation.

Further Research Areas:

THERE ARE ONLY SEVEN STORIES IN THE WORLD

Understanding The Seven Basic Plots

The Seven Basic Plots – Wikipedia

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Stephen King’s Misery – YouTube

Misery Film Review – Roger Ebert

What’s the Difference between Misery the Book and Misery the Movie?

Book vs Film: Stephen King’s Misery

Celebrity Worship Syndrome – PsychologyToday

“I’m Your Number One Fan”— A Clinical Look at Celebrity Worship

The Psychology of Celebrity Worship -HealthDay

Psychology; A Clinical Assessment Of Annie Wilkes From The Movie ” Misery”

Annie Wilkes: Love and Obsession

The Inspiration for Misery – stephenking.com

by flm4nal

The Hitcher (1986)

Directed by: Robert Harmon

Cast: Rutger Hauer [John Ryder], C. Thomas Howell [Jim Halsey], Jennifer Jason Leigh [Nash]

Jim Halsey picks up a hitchhiker named John Ryder while transporting a car from Chicago to San Diego. After a daring escape followed from Ryder claiming to be a serial killer, Jim hopes that he would never see the man again. But when he spots the murder of an entire family by the hitchhiker, Jim follows Ryder with the help of a waitress named Nash, battling against each other in a deadly series of car chases and murders.

My rating: 8/10

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Narrative aspects

‘The Hitcher’ plays with character portrayal very well since there is little to nothing explored on the backstory of the people involved in the plot. An audience needs to work with what they are shown on screen to figure out what could happen next or why the character is acting a certain way, which makes watching the film a more enthralling experience. Upon meeting with Jim Halsey, immediately an audience is aware that he has probably been driving for a long time straight since he falls asleep on the wheel and almost crashes into an oncoming truck. It is from these hidden clues that form the story of the film, minus the rather unnecessary details that some films provide the audience with. As the audience follow Halsey’s journey they learn more about him, like when he stops at the diner and talks to Nash, the waitress working there. She represents the cluelessness of the audience since he is meeting her for the first time and thus explains his situation in an appropriate way that a stranger, like an audience member, would understand. Similarly, when John Ryder makes his first appearance on screen as the ‘plain and simple’ hitchhiker looking for a ride to his destination, the audience needs to look at his demeanor to pinpoint what is his purpose in the story and how could he possibly cause problems, since the title of the film, ‘The Hitcher’, gives a large hint towards Ryder being a significant point in the plot. Ryder’s mundane appearance is immediately countered when he refuses to answer Halsey’s questions and describes how he cut off the limbs of the person he had hitchhiked with just before. It grows clear that the protagonist has crossed paths with a cunning and scheming man with psychopathic tendencies, who proves to be exactly that when he murders an entire family following Halsey throwing him out of his car and getting another ride. The audience suddenly feels threatened by his presence in the film, wanting what is best for the main character Jim.

This film is a parable for the classic story of ‘Little Red Ridinghood’, as it draws parallels to the main plot of it. An unsuspecting traveller is met with a ‘big bad wolf’ that tries to meddle with their life and eventually ends up at the scene with bringing some sort of calamity to the ‘grandma’, or in this case, Nash, killing her then threatening to do the same to the poor traveller. Given this description, it is clear to see the similarities between the film and the old story, down to delivering goods to ‘grandma’s house’ (Jim is travelling because he’s transporting the car he’s driving from Chicago to California for a dealer). Unconsciously, the audience could be drawn towards finding a film more enjoyable if they have experienced or heard such a tale before, with a different version and in different words. The general idea is that humans are drawn to the things we know better than those we know nothing of. Like the story, the film shares the same moral of ‘stranger danger’ and keeping an eye out for a ‘big bad wolf’ that could appear from nowhere.

Infer & Deduce: Upon watching the film’s beginning sequences, the reason for the title becomes clear since it clearly refers to John Ryder, the man that Jim Halsey stumbled upon on the road while driving to California, who is known as a hitchhiker while meddling with the lives of unsuspecting travellers on the road. The audience immediately deduces that he is a major part of the film and expect a lengthened appearance of him while interacting with Jim Halsey.

Technical Aspects

‘The Hitcher’ is an interesting film since the majority of it follows the story on the road, and in a car in most cases. While Jim is the main character, he is seen spending a large chunk of the movie trying to stop John Ryder in his car, while stepping out from time to time to visit a diner, where he meets Nash, a sheriff’s station and a jail cell, and an abandoned repair warehouse. The effect of this lack of location changes in turn makes the film more interesting to watch since the audience are drawn to the fact that the only thing this main character is connected to is his car, where he goes to places and progresses the story while driving it and also prevents himself from dying and the antagonist winning the battle while driving it. The climactic ‘good vs. evil’ battle that most action films have in a significant grand place just so happens to take place on the road while battling in vehicles in this film, just like the rest of it. It depicts a sense of danger throughout the film since the final fight is on the same road he’s been driving on for days.

The film uses a variety of camera techniques, divided clearly between movement-inclined (when a scene involves a car chase) and shot angle-inclined (when there’s a calmer and much more emotionally driven moment). There is a significant use of long shots and establishing shots to set the scene at certain main points in the plot and show the vastness of the setting. This makes Jim Halsey, the protagonist, appear as an insignificant part of the bigger picture while travelling through the wide open spaces of the suburbs and the unpopulated areas of America. The film makes use of a mixture of diegetic and non-diegetic sound; with the rain pouring onto the roads or hitting the windows of a car and cars driving along the highway, and suspenseful, but subtle at times, music playing in the background to compliment the mood of the scene and project a certain influential atmosphere on the audience. The lack of soundtrack in some sequences gives the film a natural feeling, which one would find in the wilderness while being on their own just like Jim Halsey. The gloomy and dimly lit set up of scenes also adds on to the ambiguity of the film. While the majority of the scenes take place during the day with natural lighting, night scenes are quite dark comparatively. Car scenes are lit up by the headlights outside or the roof lights inside the car, while the motel scene, for example, has light coming in from the open curtains or from the washroom left open.

Favourite Scene

This scene is the last showdown between Jim Halsey and John Ryder, the climax contains literally no dialogues as the two men muster their last bit of energy to finally settle the chaos between them. As the tension rises with nothing but actions, there are a lot of jump-cuts, with some shots only lasting a couple of seconds. This makes the scene feel fast-paced, creating anticipation about whether Halsey is prepared enough to put Ryder to an end or has he got his work cut out for him. To add on, a few moments are filmed in slow motion, making the scene much more impactful and dramatic, and clearing the way for a conclusion that the audience could or could not anticipate. The great stretch of silence in this scene is captivating and suspenseful, with the subtle drumming music in the background at some parts in the scene creating a much more deepened effect of tension. The lack of dialogue adds to the fact that this scene serves as a different kind of climax scene comparing to the conventional action film, where it would involving heroic acts, displays of emotions, right-on-time accuracy and an adrenaline-filled fight against the protagonist and antagonist. Though ‘The Hitcher’ does not tick off any of these categories, with its climax scene being one that is one of the most calming interactions between the two polar-opposite characters. The scene is not fast-paced and rather takes time to emphasize just how tiresome this whole journey has been for both Jim and John as if the ending was inevitable. The scene becomes nervewracking when Ryder grabs a large weapon from the ground and starts shooting one bullet at a time at Halsey while he’s trying to start the car to drive away. As Ryder grows closer to Halsey, the audience becomes more restless towards wanting the main character to survive, the tension keeps rising.

What would I do differently?

The film appealed to me since I enjoy the thriller and suspense genres quite a lot. The characters, though not having any backstory details spent time on, where pretty in-depth. An audience, by looking at their choices and their pick of words and actions, can figure out their personality and probably their fate in the film. However, one thing I would like to change is the rather ambiguous ending which I personally felt did not lead to anything in particular. John Ryder hinted that Jim should be smart and figure out why he is doing this to the young man but the explanation for the ending is left at that. People have speculated that Ryder wanted Jim to go through what he had gone through, or that wanted to make him reckless so that Jim could kill John without any problems. Still, whether theories are close to the actuality or not an audience can never know since no dialogue or action really led to a certain topic of ending.

Further Research Areas:

Hitchhiking’s Time Has Come Again – New York Times

Hitchhiking Safety Revisited

Highway Patrol seeing more hitchhikers, don’t pick them up – WLOX

HERE’S WHY CARREGISTRATIONADVISORS.ORG SUGGESTS ALWAYS AVOIDING HITCHHIKERS

Hitchhiking Across America: One Ride At A Time

Law on Hitching in the USA

Killed by a Stranger: A Rare Event, but a Rising Fear – New York Times

Thumbs Down: America and the Decline of Hitchhiking – PDF

The staggering number of wrongful convictions in America – Washington Post

How Many People Are Wrongly Convicted? Researchers Do the Math. – NatGeo

The Hitcher (1986) Film Review – Roger Ebert

ORIGINAL VS. REMAKE: THE HITCHER

Little Red Cap – Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm

Little Red Riding Hood – Charles Perrault

The Grimm Brothers’ Children’s and Household Tales (Grimms’ Fairy Tales)

50 SHADES OF RED: SEXUALITY AND LOSS OF INNOCENCE IN LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD

Charles Perrault’s Mother Goose Tales

THE ARABIAN NIGHTS – Sir Richard Burton, translator

by flm4nal

Pan’s Labyrinth (2006)

Directed by: Guillermo del Toro

Cast: Ivana Baquero [Ofelia], Doug Jones [Pale man, Fauno], Sergi López [Vidal]

The Allies have invaded Nazi-held Europe in 1944, wherein Spain, a troop of soldiers are sent to a remote forest to remove the rebels. Captain Vidal, a murdering sadist, leads them, along with him are his new wife Carmen and her daughter from a previous marriage, Ofelia. The young girl, after witnessing her stepfather’s brutality, is drawn into Pan’s Labyrinth which is a magical world of mythical beings.

My rating: 9/10

800px-autopx-scale-to-width-down

Narrative aspects

Guillermo del Toro, a genius with the art of fairy tales, created a brilliant film called ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’, following an 11-year-old girl facing the trials of the real world and the spiritual in order to reach goals from a guiding faun, a mythical creature. Being a film completely in the Spanish language, it applies well to the setting of the story as well as accompanies the characters and their backgrounds. The film starts with a shot which comes again at the end of the film, where Ofelia lays on the floor after being shot by her stepfather. This foreshadows a tragic ending and also signifies that the whole film is a flashback that leads up to that point. Moreover, an audience would not put together the fact that the first scene is, in fact, something that occurs later in the film until they see the shot once again.

The film uses the medium of ‘storytelling’ to convey its message and plot. Quite literally, a film is an art of storytelling so within the film’s story there are various stories, making it a little paradoxical. To add on to this effect, the film has an omniscient narrator at the beginning and the end which gives it the oral sense of reading a storybook. What is more is that throughout the film, characters use the medium of storytelling to cope with their life and it’s tragic calamities and brutal realities. Ofelia, a young girl forced into accepting a person who she despises to be her father, reads fairytales to escape from her sad and demanding lifestyle, while her mother Carmen is seen telling a rather romantic story version of her meeting Captain Vidal, her second husband. Also, the faun uses storytelling to convey the message that Ofelia is a princess and that she needs to complete three tasks to become immortal in a way that would be easier for a young girl who likes the fictional fantasy world to understand. Since this film follows the form of how many stories and fairy tales from books are structured, the Hero’s Journey theory could be applied to Ofelia and her encounters, where she becomes aware of her secret identity, is called to a mission that she feels intimidated by then complete successfully one step at a time.

‘Pan’s Labyrinth’, as the title would suggest, combines many mythical elements to form the story, like the guiding Faun and the Pale Man. While these characters bring about a heightened tension in the film, filled with suspense and dread as to what would happen to young Ofelia next, each of them has a purpose to serve in the story. The reason for these elements is that it brings the stories Ofelia reads in her leisure time to life, in a world where mythical creatures would be thought of not existing. Moreover, it adds the element of surprise and the imagination a child would have in perceiving the world around them. The various mythical entities in the film are:

  • Faun – In Roman mythology, Fauns are creatures that are part human and part goat, who love the forest, music and good to the people they encounter. They are closely associated with the Greek god Pan. Fauns are merry creatures, who would lure anyone into joining their festivities. Being creatures of nature and showing loyalty to their superiors, it is no surprise that Ofelia, a secret princess called Moanna, stumbles upon finding a Faun in the labyrinth. The good-nature of the Faun is seen throughout the scenes consisting of him, where he even gives Ofelia a second chance after she disobeys him and eats two grapes from the Pale Man’s table of food.
  • Pale Man – While the film does not name the Pale Man with a mythological creature’s title, the being bears a strong resemblance to the Tenome from Japanese folklore, with eyes in the middle of the palms. The word ‘Tenome’ literally translates to “eyes on hands”, which helps to confirm the origin of the Pale Man in the film. Tenomes do not have a larger purpose to fulfil but they had come around from a tale of a blind man wanting to have a glance at life, only to be reborn as a yokai (a class of supernatural monsters, spirits, and demons in Japanese folklore) with eyes on his palms. According to the lore they are much more carnivorous, compared to the tempting feast put on the long table in the Pale Man’s lair.
  • Fairies – A magical creature who resembles a human being, with quick wit as their most common trait. Fairies can fly, make flowers bloom and help things grow. In the film, they guide Ofelia in the right direction and advise her on what to do, like many of the mythical elements in the film. They are the ‘pets’ of the Faun, helpers for his goals.
  • Magical objects – These objects aid Ofelia to progress in her journey given by the Faun:
    • Fortune-telling Book – Ofelia makes use of a magical book that tells her what to complete next on her mission in the form of a story, with pictures and colour. This book also shows the fortune of the near future, like when Carmen was bleeding and fell sick while Ofelia was looking at the book in the washroom.
    • Chalk – Ofelia uses a white chalk given to her by the Faun to open a doorway into the Pale Man’s lair. This object looks like a regular piece of chalk but completes what every child’s imagination would want. Ofelia uses the chalk at multiple occasions, with the second time being when the sand timer runs out and the door which she entered through closes, making her draw a rectangle on the ceiling. The third is when she wants to reach her stepfather’s room without bringing any attention to her. Again, it is another tool that helps her out of the darkest of situations and makes sure she complete the three tasks from the Faun before the time is up.
    • Mandrake root – Being a member of the deadly nightshade family, plants that contain toxins. While the Greeks used to use it as an anaesthetic, and in the Middle Ages, they used it for its fertility powers (‘those having trouble conceiving would sleep with them under their pillows’). Referring to www.wired.com, “According to Anthony John Carter, writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine in 2003, medieval folks carried mandrake roots around as good luck charms, hoping the plant would grant them not only wealth and the power to control their destiny but the ability to control the destinies of others as well”. These ancient believed traits could apply to the use of the Mandrake root in the film as it was intended to aid Carmen, Ofelia’s mother, through her difficult pregnancy.

In terms of character portrayal, Captain Vidal is a personality that would be despised by an audience from the beginning. His brutality and lack of hesitance towards torturing and killing people are horrifying for the characters in the film as well as the audience watching. Being a dominating and aggressive person, he is Ofelia’s stepfather but the audience would want him to be far from it. While Ofelia tries to escape the reality she hates, Vidal is seen as being a pure villain of the story. This film generally seems like a children’s fantasy story yet juxtaposes and displays the real gruesome reality of life in a rather graphic way. It is an adult film throughout but follows a young girl on her journey with a mythical creature in a fantasy land.

Infer & Deduce: There has been discussion over the film’s title and whether it is the right name to give it. ‘Labyrinth‘ is defined as “a confusing set of connecting passages or paths in which it is easy to get lost”, which would apply to the maze seen in the forest near the soldier base camp. Moreover, labyrinths have a spiritual significance as well. According to www.crystalinks.com, “A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. It represents a journey to our own centre and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools”. In this sense, the labyrinth could be both a literal one present in the film as seen and also carry a symbolic meaning, where Ofelia’s journey from discovering that she is a princess to reuniting with her royal family is a maze of trials on its own.

Another point of discussion is the question of ‘Who is ‘Pan’ in Pan’s Labyrinth?’ since there is no character called pan in the film. Pan is a mythical Greek god of the wild, and faun-like creature. Guillermo del Toro wrote the subtitles for the film and it was his own choice to use ‘Pan’ in the title, though he has revealed that it is not an accurate descriptor for the film.

Technical Aspects

‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ uses brilliant CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) techniques to create the world of fantasy and fill it with creatures like the fairies that can shapeshift into stick insects. However, many of the non-human characters’ looks are achieved by special effects makeup and costume, like the Faun and the Pale Man. The set design uses materials and props from the 1940s, like vintage cars and soldier outfits that are historically accurate. An interesting point of the film is that even though it is based around a fairy tale story, the colours are not that rich in the film and mainly revolve around shades of brown, black, green, yellow and grey for aspects in the mise-en-scene. The only scene which contains much more than these earthy colours is the last scene where Ofelia is finally reunited with her family in the underworld. This scene has the colour scheme of red and gold, glowing and shining while making the sequence look far more magical than the realistic presentation of the world during the rest of the film. These palette choices, along with the accurate set props and design, all magnify the juxtaposition between the 1940s and modern day 21st Century, as well as the real world and the fantasy world (i.e. the world of others compared to the world of Ofelia).

In camera and editing, two techniques create an interesting outlook in the film. The first is where the camera is at many times positioned lower than the average eye-level in scenes, following the gaze of the 11-year-old protagonist of the film. Though it is still at her personal eye-level, this tactic allows the audience to see the world from her eyes without the film being in the first-person point of view and making the fears of Ofelia much more intimidating, like using low-angled shots when she is conversing with the adults in her life, her mother and especially Captain Vidal. Moving forward, another technique used in ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ is the overlapping transitions where one scene blends into the other while the camera pans or dollys to the right or left. An example of this is the scene involving Captain Vidal and his search team in the forest, where the camera dollys to the right and a tree trunk comes into the shot. Another shot of Ofelia exploring the forest on her own is taken after the camera moves away from the trunk. These two takes are seamlessly edited together to create this continuous movement effect which makes it seem as though both scenes are occurring simultaneously. From a story perspective, it could signify the fact that in the world of the plot, both the real world and the fantasy are taking place in the same dimension and time even though rational thinking would not allow the world of Fauns and magic objects to exist at the same time. It strengthens the sense of escapism that Ofelia is going through, wanting to disconnect from her life that she feels discontented with.

Favourite Scene

Ofelia, after completing the first task set by the Faun, uses a chalk given by her new mythical friend to draw a portal-door to an underground lair that houses a Pale Man sitting at a table like a statue, which boosts her confidence to finish the task quickly before the sand timer runs out. This scene is a famous one due to the presence of this odd, no-eyed creature with large hands and a vicious behaviour, making it stand out from the other scenes in the film. It is a tense moment in the film as Ofelia races against the clock to achieve her goal and make it back to her room in time before the Pale Man traps her in his lair for good. The audience desperately want Ofelia to escape without being harmed, which makes it more enthralling to watch.

This scene sheds light on some small realities of life and the behaviour of children especially. Ofelia, being a young girl, seeks out what every imaginative child would want. Having being bestowed to use a magical chalk that can make portals and doorways appear through a solid wall after drawing with them is filled throughout every childhood dream. The attitude of Ofelia in this scene is like how any child her age would react and interact, excitement and curiosity filling their mind. Moreover, the scene does not glorify the power of the unknown and magical, and Ofelia is faced with a horrifying encounter while being in the Pale Man’s lair. This balances out between the expectations a person would have compared to the reality of it, where one would want a task to be as simple as drawing a rectangular outline on a wall with an everyday item but would then have to face a life-and-death situation. Equilibrium is restored throughout the film, the odds are never completely out of favour for Ofelia. Where she is in a dire situation, there is always a helping hand or a ‘miracle’ that aids her to avoid a drastic future. To add on, this scene also shows the attitude of disobedience, along with curiosity, in children. The Faun warned her not to eat anything from the Pale Man’s feast no matter how tempting the dishes look yet Ofelia, being a young child, sees no harm in ‘only taking one grape’, ‘what could go wrong if I just have a little?’. The temptations in a child are too strong to fight off and the more likely they would do something that they are told not to do, keeping aside how obedient they are normally. The audience sees Ofelia as a natural young child at heart who loves reading books and imagining a fantasy world come to life, while still having the innate attitudes that any child would have.

What would I do differently?

Personally, I enjoyed the film thoroughly mainly because of my love for the fantasy genre. Normally, a story like this would be expected to arise from a novel but the fact that it is an original screenplay is astounding. If this film were to be made now, by me, I would most likely make use of the motion capture technology for the Faun and the Pale Man since it would reduce time spent on makeup and would also be more comfortable for actors to perform in. Moreover, technology has advanced drastically since 2006 so it could potentially look as realistic as the bets makeup would achieve a final effect. To add on, if this film was written and directed by me I would make it in English since it is my strongest language, and I only know basic Spanish. Though the fact that it is set in Spain and is completely in Spanish is quite apt since it is unnatural for everyone in a film to ‘magically’ know English in a country where it is not its first language.

Further Research Areas:

15 Things You Didn’t Know About Pan’s Labyrinth

Fantasy and Myth in Pan’s Labyrinth: Analysis of Guillermo del Toro’s Symbolic Imagery

Who was “The Pan” in Pan’s Labyrinth?

Pan – Greek gods and goddesses

Into the depths of Franco’s Spain: Pan’s Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno)

Pan’s Labyrinth: The Labyrinth of History

What does “Pan’s Labyrinth” have to say about fascist post-Civil War Spain?

Pan and the Fairies – Making Pan’s Labyrinth Documentary

Behind the Scenes – Schmoop

In Gloom of War, a Child’s Paradise

PAN’S LABYRINTH – Roger Ebert Review

Pan’s Labyrinth: Crash Course Film Criticism #9

The Spanish Civil War: An Overview

Tenome – Japanese Legend

Tenome – Wikipedia

Fairies – Mythology.net

FANTASTICALLY WRONG: THE MURDEROUS PLANT THAT GROWS FROM THE BLOOD OF HANGED MEN

The plant that can kill and cure – BBC.com

Fortune-Telling: Fact, Fiction & Fantasy

by flm4nal

Wizard Of Oz (1939)

Directed by: Victor Fleming

Cast: Judy Garland [Dorothy Gale], Ray Bolger [Scarecrow, Hunk], Margaret Hamilton [The wicked witch of the west, Almira Gulch]

Dorothy (Judy Garland) and her dog Toto are transported to the land of Oz after being struck by a tornado back home. In a search for a way back, they follow the Yellow Brick Road to Emerald City to meet the Wizard, while on the journey become friends with an unintelligent Scarecrow (Ray Bolger), a heartless Tin Man (Jack Haley) and a Cowardly Lion (Bert Lahr),  who are all heading to the Wizard to help them.

Based on: “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz”, written by L. Frank Baum

My rating: 9/10

Judy-Garland-and-co.-in-The-Wizard-of-Oz

Narrative aspects

‘The Wizard of Oz’, directed by Victor Fleming, and based on the famous written story, takes the audience on a rather magical trip through the normal life in Kansas juxtaposed to the thrilling nature of the world of Oz. The film follows a linear narrative and progresses one step at a time as characters develop along the way through new situations and stepping into the unknown. Dorothy, a young girl who lives on a farm in the normal ‘human world’, is just as clueless as the audience when she is transported to Oz after a rough storm. The audience shares the adventure of finding a new land with the protagonist, not knowing what would happen at any moment in the future. ‘The Wizard of Oz’ fits into the concept of the ‘Hero’s Journey’, a theory that states that the ‘hero’ of a story goes through twelve stages in completing a given task, which forms the plot, from the ‘call to adventure’ to ‘returning with the elixir’:

      1) ORDINARY WORLD

Dorothy is at her countryside home in Kansas, US. The audience is introduced to her simple farm life, with small interactions with her relatives. Dorothy is a normal young girl, unsuspecting of what adventures could happen in her life.

      2) CALL TO ADVENTURE

A harsh tornado causes Dorothy’s house to travel and transport to the land of Oz, and firstly to Munchkin Land. Dorothy is very confused about this new land and the beings that live in it. She is in search of a way to get home after the Wicked Witch threatens her for her ruby slippers.

      3) REFUSAL OF THE CALL

The Good Witch tells her to follow the Yellow  Brick Road to Emerald City to ask the Wizard for help. Dorothy feels concerned and unsure about how capable she is to do that.

      4) MEETING THE MENTOR

Dorothy meets with the Scarecrow after travelling on the Yellow Brick Road for a while and becomes quick friends with him. She invites him to come along with her to visit Oz, who could maybe give him a brain.

      5) CROSSING THE THRESHOLD

Dorothy meets a bunch of trees which surprises her, faced with a problem. She solves the issue and wins a few apples to eat then is faced with another stranger, the tin-man. She sees the Wicked Witch once again, who threatens her for the second moment while watching her every step.

      6) TESTS, ALLIES, ENEMIES

Dorothy meets the Cowardly Lion as well and the team travelling to Emerald City is complete. They stumble upon a poppy field that makes her fall asleep when they are almost at Emerald City. The Good Witch helps them to wake up with snow, a trusted ally.

      7) APPROACH TO THE INMOST CAVE

Dorothy finally reaches the Emerald City and so, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, though he refuses to see them at first. This makes Dorothy very sorrowful, questioning why he refused. Though finally, they meet up with the Wizard, who frightens them more than helps them.

      8) ORDEAL

Dorothy and the team are asked to retrieve the Wicked Witch’s broomstick as a condition to fulfil their requests of getting a brain, a heart, courage and going home. The tension rises as she faces the Wicked Witch, who takes her away. Dorothy must choose between keeping the slippers and letting her dog go or giving them to the Witch who would use their power in the worst way. Dorothy is broken about it, then sees Aunty Emily in a large crystal ball.

      9) REWARD (SEIZING THE SWORD)

Dorothy defeats the Wicked Witch, by throwing a pale of water on her, and is reunited with her friends the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion. She collects the broomstick and takes it to the Wizard, who then helps fulfil his promise. Everyone is happy and pleased, satisfied with what they receive.

      10) THE ROAD BACK

The Good Witch comes to visit Dorothy and tells her that she always had the way of reaching home. Dorothy realizes that all she needed for her happiness is back home. She says goodbye to her friends. Dorothy reaches home after clicking the heels of her ruby slippers, in an instant, while reuniting with her family.

      11) RESURRECTION

(unclear about this stage since  Dorothy does not face any fatalities)

      12) RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR

She wakes up, realizing it was all just a dream with her friends and family playing some character in it. She tells her family that she loves them and that she would never imagine leaving her home.

 

The film is a musical and the songs are brilliantly written and also the performance choreographed. This element makes the film more capturing for audiences watching while giving it a family and children-friendly element as well. Moreover, the music compliments the colourful set design, character costumes and transition from sepia-toned Kansas to full technicolour Oz. The soundtrack in this film is captivating and affects the mood of the audience by altering according to the scenes. When the witch is on screen, the music grows darker and with added suspense while when Dorothy is strolling with her friends from Oz, the music is usually accompanied by lyrics and is lively.

In addition to Dorothy being the protagonist, the supporting characters bring a lot of brightness to the film in terms of the story and their actions. Dorothy meets the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion at different instances along her trip to Emerald City, getting to know them better and inviting them on her expedition so that they could ask the Wizard to grant them something too. Comedic moments ensue, making it a fun pass-time for an audience to watch. When the plot becomes tense, comedy equalises it to keep it enthralling. What is more is that the same actors that play Dorothy’s friends and family in Kansas play characters in Oz. This brings familiarity to the audience but also to the Dorothy since at the end of the film it is found that it was all a dream, after being knocked unconscious by the tornado.

Infer & Deduce: The film shares the title of the book on which it is based, ‘The Wonderful Wizard of Oz’, though omits the word ‘wonderful’. This could be because of its tongue-twister type of nature or that it would be too long for a film title. However, the direct title of the book is part of one of the main songs in the film:

We’re off to see the Wizard
The wonderful Wizard of Oz
We hear he is a whiz of a wiz
If ever a wiz there was
If ever, oh ever a wiz there was
The Wizard of Oz is one because
Because, because, because, because, because
Because of the wonderful things he does
We’re off to see the Wizard
The wonderful Wizard of Oz

Technical Aspects

The ‘Wizard of Oz’ is an astounding example of technological advances and choices for the time that it was produced in. Being a 4:3 aspect ratio film is one thing that sets it apart from the films of the modern day. Technicolour technology using three film strips of dyed different colours was run through the camera to combine together and form a final picture that is coloured. Along with this, other camera techniques like shots types and angles with camera movement varies according to the scene and the characters on screen. There are a lot of eye-level shots with not much of the over-the-shoulder jump-cuts that normal conversational sequences are made of. Characters are usually gathered in one shot and converse with each other in one take. Many scenes in the film are long one-shots where the camera follows the characters around, like during a sound performance (‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow, when Dorothy is in Kansas before the tornado). A varied use of cross-fades from one scene to another is used to show time skips to quicken the pace of the plot.

The film uses an array of special effects to capture the magical mystery of the world in which Dorothy and her friends live in. Whether it is the Wicked Witch throws a red-orb fireball at the Scarecrow or the Good Witch travelling using a pink bubble and appearing on the screen magically, the film utilises special effects in a very interesting way. Moreover, the set design is intricate, realistic and very fitting for the fantastical world that Oz is. There are a lot of extras used to add more realism and complexity to the sets and background of the film, for instance, in Munchkin Land or Emerald City. Other than all these characters being dressed in clothing appropriate for the scene, it makes the scene more believable as a civilization that actually exists. It makes the world of the film more captivating.

Favourite Scene

After the tornado strikes the small farm Dorothy lives on in Kansas, she’s whisked away with no idea that she has landed in another place called Oz. This scene exhibits an amazing use of technology to capture a wonderful and unique way of dividing the film’s outlook between Dorothy’s own home in Kansas and the new land of Oz that is miles away from what she knows. This scene would have brought amazement to the audiences that had watched it at the time of release because from a sepia and dull-toned film canvas, transforming into a vibrant palette of colour much like the real world they would have lived in. This transition also clearly signifies the transition from Kansas to the land of Oz, which aids the story progression.

To add on, the advantage of using the technicolour technique is that it captures the bright tones of colour from the brilliantly built set pieces, which would have looked plain and mundane if the film continued on its sepia-toned path. This could have altered the interest of an audience since the new and more exciting setting of the story is no different than her own home, in terms of its appearance and filter. This scene was, personally, a surprise for me when I watched the film for the first time. I was not expecting such a transition and to think that it was made in 1939 and to achieve such colour and vibrancy blew me away. The very concept of altering the colour tone to enhance the difference between the normal realm and the fantasy realm helps with the amazement of the audience and the characters as well.

While researching this film I found out that the film crew used a stunt double of Dorothy for the scene to make the entrance of Judy Garland’s Dorothy easier. This was done due to the minor limitations of technicolour, where unlike today, one cannot cut out a portion of the film and edited a different filter of colour. The crew had to paint the entire house a shade of sepia, along with the actress herself for the shot where she runs to the door only. Then the normal, coloured clothing Dorothy stepped in instead of the double. It’s brilliant to think that for such a short shot, the production crew would have to go to so much trouble to make a scene work in the past. Now, with the wonders of editing, everything is so simply done.

What would I do differently?

Making the film with modern day technology and skill would definitely impact the quality, reach and reception of it. The effects would be more realistic with a lot of it being CGI animation and greenscreen chroma-key rather than having sets built for all the locations. Personally, I would use motion capture technology for the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion so that they look more realistic and the time put into preparing actors with prosthetics and makeup. The widescreen format would also have much more of the set on screen, giving the audience more detail from the mise-en-scène.

Further Research Areas:

How THE WIZARD OF OZ Went From Black & White To Color

The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)

8 Differences Between the Wizard of Oz Movie and Book

Wizard of Oz – Behind The Scenes

The Hero’s Journey – Mythic Structure of Joseph Campbell’s Monomyth

An Introduction to The Hero’s Journey

How Technicolor changed movies

Musical selections in The Wizard of Oz

Effects of Music Training on the Child’s Brain and Cognitive Development

Music and Emotion – Sync Project

Music & How It Impacts Your Brain, Emotions

by flm4nal

— C A T E G O R I E S —

Pick a module code OR an area of interest on the left-hand side to sort posts according to my projects or film analysis!

  • Movie-Mix: Films I watched and analysed in my free time, for the fun of it
  • FLM 1100 – Screen Storytelling & FLM 1200 – Screen Aesthetics: Films part of my Film degree module
  • Practical projects (FLM 1300 & FLM 1301): Projects done as part of my practical work modules