Space Oddities : Only God Forgives (2013)

Jumping ahead to Nicolas Winding Refn`s Only God Forgives (2013), a modern horror film

following the same footsteps as Suspiria (1977) with mixed reviews due to its artistic view on the genre. Using the same colour theory and contrast in their scenes, Only God Forgives uses strong red, blue and yellow tones to create a dangerously sensuous atmosphere where instead of using red just for bloodshed, most of the time it is used to describe the lust and sexual atmosphere within the strip clubs or in the wrestling ring when Julian is going to get beaten by the cop. Overall, this film although having minimal plot was quite interesting to look at, where unlike Suspiria the soundtrack didn`t make the horror a terror for the audience.

Refn said, "Emotionally, our artistic expression consists of sex or violence. It all boils down to those two pure emotions that we have." (Ebert 2013) 

As far as that quote goes , the film conveys the message quite well , with these two emotions being all the characters seem to experience whether it`s talking about sex or sexual scenes being shown on the screen , it is always that or someone being brutally murdered. Although the message can wear thin as far as conveying it, Refn does this well.

“It is Chang who glides through the film with mysterious precision and ambiguity, calm and ruthless in his capacity for aggression, and for enforcing his own kind of natural justice on his own turf. Is he an avenger who punishes people – for seeking revenge? He could be a Zen master whose lifelong vocation is payback against payback, and whose students graduate with the loss of a limb. He could be a kind of black hole, drawing violent people in, nullifying them, cauterising them. Or perhaps he is just a Machiavellian figure with an instinctive gift for attracting and manipulating violence itself.” (Bradshaw 2013)

Although Chang may be seen as ruthless in his technique, his role in the film could be split between the villain and the hero. He avenges those who have been murdered yet at the beginning he toys with the victim, letting the one who murdered get killed by an `innocent` man who in fact has wronged indirectly. Although not the man’s fault, this still results in murder which argues he let the man walk into the slaughterhouse. Although linked to the violence and an avenger , there are parts of the film where one could argue his karaoke singing scenes are angelic and he could be classed as an `Angel of Death` with the other police officers being his disciples admiring him.

Moving onto Julian and his relationship with his mother, compared to previous films having been reviewed, instead of the female being the victim of relationships the male switches to this role in this film. Where his mother although caring treats her son as a tool in her plans to

avenge those who killed her `favourite` son. Insulting him freely and letting her treat him as if a servant , lighting up her cigarettes , killing anyone she wishes and sitting there while she insults him sexually and degrading any part of pride he may have. Although the mother has been listed as a godmother to the mafia , not only he acts this way with her ,but, when visiting the prostitute Mai,it is said his favourite act is to be tied up which suggests to his submissive nature.

Overall this film although subtly artistic was a simple film in the terms of plot , the scenery and set design set the atmosphere well, however, when sex and murder become the two main factors for this film the film gets slightly tiring and can become slightly repetitive. Overall the film was an enjoyment to watch and what was artistic of it was enjoyed thoroughly.

Bibliography :

Fig 1 (2013) [Poster] Accessed 11/12/15 https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/c/ce/Only_God_Forgives_poster.jpg


Fig 2 (2013) [Screengrab] Accessed 11/12/15 http://screenmusings.org/movie/blu-ray/Only-God-Forgives/images/Only-God-Forgives-082.jpg


Fig 3 (2013) [Screengrab] Accessed 11/12/15 http://www.amoeba.com/blog/2013/09/writings-from-the-holy-texan/his-mother-s-voice-only-god-forgives-feminism.html

(Ebert , R 2013) Only God Forgives http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/only-god-forgives-2013

(Bradshaw, P 2013) Only God Forgives Review http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/aug/01/only-god-forgives-review

Space Oddities : The Shining (1980)

Despite The Shining (1980) being a well-known on the internet, the quote `Here’s Johnny` has made the film a phenomenon. The Shining; directed by Stanley Kubrick has become a classic film which is a staple within the horror genre in modern culture. The reasons behind this include the convincing acting by Jack Nicholson, where he plays the part of a psychopathic madman of a husband who gets driven insane by the terror house. The soundtrack screeching within the audiences ears, so much so the suspense is unbearable. Kubrick does this well in both The Shining and 2001 : A Space Odyssey (1968), he knows how to drag out a scene to unbearable lengths which makes some scenes terrifying just by playing the soundtrack and drawing out the chase as long as possible. 

The set design in this film , despite not being as obvious as Suspiria (1977) in terms of colour palette ,The Shining brings subtlety within it`s set where hints of red creep into Danny’s visions and as the hotel becomes more obviously corrupt. Along with the red, the hexagonal geometry in the carpet design give the impression of an invisible cage in which Danny sits in the middle of. The idea of this hotel being a cage is a consistent theme in this film , where the rooms seem to be an endless labyrinth of nightmares locked away and whenever you go down one corridor the next is exactly the same. Making the audience think there is no escape, just corridors with no end. One may also think this could be a metaphor for the madness the hotel inflicts, where the corridors are a cycle and the more times the cycle continues then the madder the family is driven.

“The movie is not about ghosts but about madness and the energies it sets loose in an isolated situation primed to magnify them. Jack is an alcoholic and child abuser who has reportedly not had a drink for five months but is anything but a "recovering alcoholic." When he imagines he drinks with the imaginary bartender, he is as drunk as if he were really drinking, and the imaginary booze triggers all his alcoholic demons, including an erotic vision that turns into a nightmare.” – (Ebert 2006)

The paranormal in this film is left ambiguous, where the hotel is powered by an unknown force and it leaves the audience perplexed as to if this is really the family going crazy

through isolation? Or if there is something more sinister at work. The paranormal would explain the bizarre events that happen in the film, however, especially at the end where Jack is shown in the photograph 50 years prior, this gets harder to explain. 

“ Here is the deletion, reported by the critic Tim Dirks: "A two-minute explanatory epilogue was cut shortly after the film's premiere. It was a hospital scene with Wendy talking to the hotel manager; she is told that searchers were unable to locate her husband's body."

If Jack did indeed freeze to death in the labyrinth, of course his body was found -- and sooner rather than later, since Dick Hallorann alerted the forest rangers to serious trouble at the hotel. If Jack's body was not found, what happened to it? Was it never there? Was it absorbed into the past, and does that explain Jack's presence in that final photograph of a group of hotel partygoers in 1921? Did Jack's violent pursuit of his wife and child exist entirely in Wendy's imagination?” – (Ebert 2006)

"You have always been the caretaker," Grady suggests menacingly. The evil may have always been there in Jack, The Overlook merely awakened it.” (Nathan, 2012). If this is true then this theory poses the question: If every person who takes the job as caretaker has always been the caretaker , are those accepted evil in some way to begin with? Or does the hotel implant the evil inside them? Or maybe those who hire the caretakers in on what the hotel actually is? Do they know who is evil and who is good and know who are capable or killing those they love?

Overall, despite the influence on popular culture to the point this film is classed as a classic horror, The Shining lives up to its expectation of being a horror that inflects terror within the audience, with convincing yet slightly theatrical acting from Jack Nicholson. Along with including a mystery filled plot, this film still lives on now with people still trying to figure out the mysteries behind the secrets in one of the greatest horror films of all time.

Bibliography : 

Fig 1 (1980) [Poster] Accessed 11/12/15 http://ambinet.pl/film/plakat/1714/shining_the.htm

Fig 2 (1980) [Screengrab] Accessed 11/12/15 http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=69152

(Nathan , I 2012) The Shining Review : http://www.empireonline.com/movies/shining-2/review/

(Ebert , R 2006) Great Movie : The Shining : http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-shining-1980

Space Oddities : Repulsion (1965)

Roman Polenski`s Repulsion (1965), is a horror which one would say is a horror where the audience has no idea what is happening. Reality and hallucinations mix in this film to depict a quiet salon worker, who has a horrendous fear of men. When her sister leaves town she

slowly begins to go insane, where the walls crack around her, hands grab at her from walls and she hallucinates herself being molested. This all results in murder and the audience is left unknown as to if she gets better from her mental state, nor is it explained why she has such malefic visions.

“This subtlety is characteristic of the structure and realization throughout. Mr. Polanski builds a towering drama with a skilful mesh of incidental stimuli. The dressed carcass of a rabbit on a platter becomes a monstrous symbol as the picture goes along. Small cracks in the walls of the apartment flow into crunching indicators of the heroine's crumbling mind.”- (Crowther, 1965)

When it comes to mental health in this film, one common theory when it comes to why she behaved the way she did was because of a childhood incident. Where it`s believed she was molested by a male adult figure and sparked her fear of men in particular and why she

doesn`t like them anywhere near her. Proof of this is inside the film where they look back at photographs, the main character (as a child) is shown glaring up specifically at a male figure, probably the culprit. 

Around the time this film was set during the sixties, mental health was an ambiguous thing slowly being revealed to the public where medication was not as developed nor did people entirely believe it was as serious as it was. This is shown in the sister’s behaviour where her boyfriend believes something is wrong with her and she should see a doctor, but, her sister immediately takes offence by it and denies it entirely. This may be because of how mental disease thought you weren`t right in the head, how you were seriously sick or not normal. This could be how her sister although caring for (her) cares a lot for her pride and appearance (as seen by near every seen we see her she is applying makeup or going to a social event.) It is not until the end where the consequences catch up we see the sister finally slightly accept that something is wrong and her sister cannot control the behaviour.

“The nightmare she creates for herself is one of the most disturbing things I have ever seen in the cinema: the way scenes will end with bizarre hallucinations and jolts; the "assault" scene played out to the amplified ticking clock; the sudden, giant cracks she imagines on switching on a light” – (Bradshaw,2013)

Overall this film is a twist on mental health, where the audience can see the twist of mental health and how it distorts ones point of view on the world. Although dark and the acting wasn’t as convincing as some performances , the message and artistic view of this film is spectacular as the visuals make the audience believe she is seeing these hallucinations and make them seem as if they are real . As a final quote to sum up the beautifully made tragedy in this film, Bosley Crowther quotes “It is also a haunting adumbration of a small but piercing human tragedy, and it is almost a perfect specimen of a very special cinema-sound technique.” (Crowther , 1965)

Bibliography : 

Fig 1 (1965) [Poster] Accessed 11/12/15 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Repulsion_(1965_film_poster).jpg

Fig 2 (1965) [Screengrab] Accessed 11/12/15 https://blog.blcklst.com/2015/10/31-days-of-feminist-horror-films-repulsion/

Fig 3 (1965) [Screengrab] Accessed 11/12/15 https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/2044-one-scene-repulsion

(Crowther , B 1965) Repulsion (1965)  http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=EE05E7DF1739E471BC4C53DFB667838E679EDE

(Bradshaw , P 2013) Repulsion - Review http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/jan/03/repulsion-review

Space Oddities : Suspiria (1977)

Dario Argento`s Suspiria (1977) is a theatrical horror film, where the logic of colour transforms the set into a menacing labyrinth of murder and psychosis. Unlike The Shining which was previous reviewed, Suspiria used extreme lighting and colour to achieve a fearful design which along with the soundtrack created mass fear for the audience. From the start

the audience immediately gets a sense of the danger and terror this film will bring about. “And then there's Argento's masterful use of deep primary colours — the sets are bathed in garish red and green light (he acquired 1950s Technicolor stock to get the effect) giving the whole film a hallucinatory intensity.” - (Smith,2000). Although the Technicolor method was used in the 50s, the grainy effect set the film correctly given its artist movement. Where the buildings looked like they jumped out from an Art Deco movement, the Technicolor method set the film back several years to help make the art style more convincing to the audience.

The first moments of the film are quite dramatic when it comes to lighting , where the setting seems natural when Suzy arrives out of the airport, however, almost immediately when she exits the audience is bombarded with thunder and lightning : a modern trait of horror films

when it comes to weather. However, when in the car the lightning transforms with hues of red and sickly green making it look like Suzy has blood smeared over her face, almost indicating the events about to happen with the expelled student. Red is shown everywhere through this film, with the buildings, lighting and even the students, showing that everywhere within the academy is related to murder and danger and there is no escape. 

The only natural scenery shown is when Suzy finally escapes for a scene where she meets with the psychiatrist in town. The difference between the norm in this film and this scene is the lighting and colour scheme. Where in town there is no harsh colourful lighting with no red in sight, this shows how when out of the academy she escapes it`s insanity (the intense colour representing it`s insanity) and how it doesn`t affect her in the outside world.

“Argento, often called the Italian Hitchcock (it's a misnomer, the only things the two actually share are grandiose misogyny and a liking for sustained sequences)” - (Smith,2000) .Although Aregento was called the Italian Hitchcock because of the sustained sequences, both uses of intense soundtrack set the atmosphere for their films greatly . Where in Suspiria the dainty yet suspenseful soundtrack makes it seems like the director or the witches in the film are toying with their prey. Chasing them around the academy with heavy breathing, laughing and chanting. The film is almost like a game. Throughout the film the

theme of toying with Suzy and Sarah becomes more evident where doors mysteriously open and ends up with them getting murdered. How the menacing corridors enclose the girls as they try to figure the mysteries of the academy out while the constant feeling of being stalking by the camera and breathing makes the idea of the chase more clear.

Overall, the intensity of this film provided a terrifying experience which kept the audience on edge and fearful the entire time. With Suspiria's psychologically thrilling soundtrack chiming and rasping across the theatre , it made it seem the audience were inside the film and too part of this chase that the witches were governing. As a closing quote to summarize this film: 

“Argento relentlessly assaults his audience: his own rock score (all dissonance and heavy-breathing) blasts out in stereo, while Jessica Harper gets threatened by location, cast, weather and camera. Thunderstorms and extraordinarily grotesque murders pile up as Argento happily abandons plot mechanics to provide a bravura display of his technical skill.” - (Time Out ,Date Unknown)

Bibliography :

Fig 1 (1977) [Screengrab] (Accessed 1/12/15) http://screenmusings.org/movie/blu-ray/Suspiria/

Fig 2 (1977) [Screengrab] (Accessed 1/12/15) http://dailygrindhouse.com/thewire/giallo-week-suspiria-1977/

Fig 3 (1977) [Screengrab] (Accessed 1/12/15) http://buro247.mn/culture/cinema-tv/baletyn-talaarh-gaykhaltay-5-kino-ba-1-cuvral.html

(Time Out Date Unknown) Suspiria : http://www.timeout.com/london/film/suspiria

(Smith , A 2000) Suspiria Review : http://www.empireonline.com/movies/suspiria/review/

Space Oddities : Black Narcissus (1947)

Michael Powell`s Black Narcissus (1947) is a spectacularly made classic , where the use of matte paintings transform the landscape from a British landscape into a convincing view of the Himalayas. At first Black Narcissus seems to be a charming tale with dark humor , where the themes of corruption seem to empower the nuns in this film .With sexual hints provided throughout the film; such as their sanctuary of god previously being a brothel , the audience can tell immediately how this film is about ones duty against their desires. 

Despite the hints within the set design , what sells the temptation and hellish lust within the plot is the lighting. Where the beginning of the play starts off with natural lighting along with a peaceful atmosphere , as the film continues lighting gets more dramatic and brings more depth to the scenes , with intense shadows and harsh red lighting the scenes almost seem theatrical. The red hues used for lighting also help push the idea of the devil because red is most assossiated with danger , sex and the devil. 

“Kehr suggests that "Black Narcissus" should be taken with the historical context of Britain bidding farewell to their fading empire, and indeed that is an interesting point of view.” – Ebert (2010) In historical context this could be true . Where the nuns wave goodbye to their faith and become something new. Where they go through the demons , which in Britains case is a war and sometime succumb to them ,however, by the end they end up triumphant. Although , in Black Narcissus case the triumph could be that they leave their faith and in turn learn to love and step out of their comfort. However, one can argue that the demons are still there through experience and how the experience has affected how one views the world.although , that could be said about the Empire as well. 

“But I like to view it as a film ahead of its time, daring enough to look puritanical figures that are in truth as frail as anyone; confronting their demons and the burdens of reality. It has all of the three central conflicts every story should have, man against the world, man against man, and man against himself.” – Ebert (2010)

Following how this film conveys the theme of possession and danger, along with the theatrical lighting; the costume design also sets the role of the characters very well, where one is the villain the other the hero is concerned. Especially during the scene where Sister Ruth and Sister Clodagh sit at the table and have a face off during the night. The audience can clearly see where Clodagh is clad in white and Ruth is dressed up in a scantily red dress, darkened brunette hair and painted red lips. The close up when she paints her lips also gives the audience a sense of seduction and sexiness, especially when the colour red is used, this again is because of colour theory where red is associated with sex and lust. Also the reddish hue around her eyes gives Ruth an exhausted look and along with the performance Kathleen Byron gave where Ruth always looks in a crazed daze and like she is plotting your murder, the pair together give off a demonic aura.

Bibliography :

Fig 1 ,(1947) [Screengrab] (Accessed 23/11/15) : http://www.jigsawlounge.co.uk/film/reviews/crninarcis/

Ebert,R (2010) Black Narcissus : http://www.rogerebert.com/far-flung-correspondents/black-narcissus-which-electrified-scorsese

Space Oddities : Edward Scissorhands Film Review

One of Tim Burton’s earliest and most successful films, Edward Scissorhands is a Beauty and the Beast modernized film where the main character Edward falls in love with Kim; the daughter of the family who he is staying with. The Beauty and the Beast plot takes a darker turn which causes the audience to realize that despite ones appearance those who may seem completely normal may be the monsters. Unfortunately for Edward, the monsters swarm and the film turns to a sad ending which tears the hearts out from the audience. 

The film takes place in a capitalist world where a Gothic mansion sits upon a hill towering over a sweet colourful town. Immediately Burton plays with the audiences mind believing that the danger is on that hill, where the audience screams to not go in to one of the main characters: Peg. Because of the horror cliché that darkness is related to evil, immediately there is the thought that whatever lives within the house is going to kill her. Slowly the thought drifts away as the gardens within the area reveal beautiful trimmings of plants, not of destructive figures, but animals and figures which fight against the overpowering doom impending house which is accompanying the garden. 

The colours and set design also tell the audience about the characters themselves. Where although those inside the town are the same, which implies they are the `norm` and not being entirely unique. There is also a hint as the film continues that the colourful embracing town where everyone is a bright colour of some sort means that they are all monsters. Despite the darkness, Edward is hinted to be rather monotone in colour scheme and personality. Where the first is shown of him is black and white and Peg who is the hint of colour enters the household and brings a meaning and spark of ‘joy’ into his life. (The Joy being represented by her brightly clothed appearance). Also throughout the film , hints of skin colour show through the paleness which shows the more time he spends with the family and in the town the more human and ‘normal’ he gets : and also the more monstrous. 

Roger Ebert states that the ending could have been more successful where he says: “Then Burton and his writer,Caroline Thomson, go on autopilot and paste in a standard Hollywood ending.” Ebert, 1990. With a film as unique as Edward Scissorhands, the ending was fairy tale like, however, when comparing this film to one such as Beauty and the Beast there is a sense that the audience knows he is going to receive the love of the girl. Which can be quite heartfelt, however, the quick change of pace at the end felt rushed where maybe Burton wanted the grief to be quick and the entrance to Edwards dark domain and away from the colour clone world gave them hearts and brains to realize that their actions ended with two deaths. One being a neighbourhood bully, the other being an innocent who didn`t understand their ways.

Overall Edward Scissorhands was a beautifully crafted film where the set & character design was thought out well to the point of deceiving the norm. Despite the plot holes, Burton could have added more to the ending instead of leaving the audience to recover from the terrible fact that the couple were torn apart. For some this may be a turn off because the charm seems ripped apart from this film where the whimsical comedy relief in the film gets reduced to murder. Yet some also think the logic of the ending tears away from the character of Edward, for example “I'm sure that after a couple decades or so, the town's lynch-mob mentality would wear off, and Edward would be able to return if he wanted to.” Zanzie, 2015. This could also go with how time develops and how the arrogant nature of the towns folk where they have lots of money because of the war wears off. When money troubles erupt and they come down to Earth and become more rounded people who are more understanding of people’s problems. Zanzie also continues with “He has been established in previous scenes as a sad and lonely creature who values friendship and a family, so to assume that he'd spend eternity up in that castle, alone, carving his ice sculptures without a care in the world, is absurd.” Zanzie,2015. Proving the statement of how people perceive the ending of this films logic as out of place and lacklustre.

Bibliography :


Ebert,R(1990)Edward Scissorhands : http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/edward-scissorhands-1990


Zanzie,A(2015) Edward Scissorhands (Comments section) : http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/edward-scissorhands-1990


Fig 1, An Image of Edward and His Love Interest (2001) [Poster] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Edwardscissorhandsposter.JPG

Space Oddities : La Belle et La Beta (1946)

                                 

La Belle et La Bete (Jean Cocteau ,1946) differs greatly from the Disney classic that most remember from 1991 , being more historically accurate than it`s remake and having a more believable sense that the film was set in France ; with the language being spoken throughout being French.Despite the theatrical performances the film was enjoyable to watch and gave the plot a comic relief type of feeling .Although supposed to be a romance , when watching the humor was clear to the audience as even the tear jerking scenes were disguised by the Beasts ridiculous appearance.

In comparison to the Disney remake , the original was harder to follow along and felt more of an adult orientated film where the audience needed intense concentration to follow up with the insane camera transitions and plot which seemed to jump from one point to the next which left the audience not knowing what was happening. Also, when recognizing the plot holes that had been take out by the 1991 version , the plot had been simplified greatly which made the plot much easier to follow than it`s predecessor .This may be done because of how similar the plot line of the sisters and brothers being abusive is incredibly similar to Cinderella which came out 4 years after the original. (The abusive sibling plot may be a common theme in this era : where the siblings could be seen as an empowering tool to the central female character . Focusing around the start of woman rights , where they are seen as more than sexual objects.

Despite the strangeness of the plot , Cocteau uses bizarre design of the plot to take this film away from the cartoon charm from the 1991 version and creates a haunting depth of detail from within the castle . Where the castle is almost dream like and the audience is left not knowing if the location is reality or not. "Cocteau uses haunting images and bold Freudian

symbols to suggest that emotions are at a boil in the subconscious of his characters. " Roger Ebert , Great Movie : Beauty and the Beast (1999) . The emotional values within the characters are more obvious in the 1946 version rather than the 1991 . The Beast is shown with hardly any anger at all , more despair whenever Beauty refuses to marry him. His emotions match the hilarious design of his character where the Beast is shown to look more of a timid cat than a beast that could kill. The majority of emotion in this film seems to be on the scale of despair ,sadness and fear where the main characters take these basic emotions and exaggerate them to make the Beast seem more terrifying ,a disguise that works rather poorly when seen in close up .

There is a theory when looking at interviews including Cocteau , where "Instead of seeing himself as a director ,he sees himself as a poet." Roger Ebert , Great Movie : Beauty and the Beast (1999). This makes sense with his metaphoric sense of imagery , including examples of the beauty with stereotypical snow white skin , bleach blonde hair and rosy lips (Which was classed as beautiful in 1750`s France -which was inspired by Marie Antoinette.) Also the cat like appearance of the beast which appears to have a shaven mane .Almost as if the appearance of a ferocious lion is being covered up by his gentle soul. 

"The dialogue, in French, is spare and simple, with the story largely told in pantomime." Bosley Crowther , La Belle et La Beta (1947). Is a fitting quote for this film as the style for this isn`t particularly a film , it is more seen as a production on stage with the eccentric outfits and exaggerated emotional performances. Despite the story line taking more than one route , the adult orientated plot would have suited children by far , which is why the Disney tale is much more well known and famous among current audiences.

Bibliography : 

Ebert ,R (1999) Great Movie : Beauty and the Beast : http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-beauty-and-the-beast-1946


Crowther, B (1947) La Belle et La Beta (1946) : http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B03EFD71E3EEE3BBC4C51DFB467838C659EDE

Space Oddities : 2001 : A Space Odyssey (1968)

Stanley Kubrick`s 2001 : A Space Odyssey (1968) is a confusing epic , teasing with the viewers mind and confusing them with a ridiculous labyrinth of a plot.Despite the insane plot line and even further bizarre imagery , once the single plot line comes into play the film becomes engaging with a slightly haunting villain ,HAL, which makes the viewer think. What if technology one day advances so far to gain human emotion? What will happen if this technology goes wrong? Will it be capable of mass murder? Overall this is an extremely thought provoking epic where stage design begins to take a step forward in the sense of futurism and where this step forward influences TV shows and films at a later date.

Although this film may be an adventure epic it seems more of an artistic creation where instead of going all out with the plot line and making the characters believable . This film was all about atmosphere and all in the simplest way possible."He reduces each scene to its essence, and leaves it on screen long enough for us to contemplate it, to inhabit it in our imaginations." Roger Ebert , Great Movie : 2001 : A Space Odyssey (1997). Ebert proves the point that this film is entirely about thought , the scenes do not make sense and seem like a collage,however, when digging beneath the outside then this film questions reality and the evolution of mankind. Making it seem alien ,confusing and insane ,but, doing so with minimal speech , hardly any plot and grand dramatic soundtracks.

2001 was one of the earliest films to use the soundtrack to an advantage , using the force of music to emphasize such a simple plot and create a grand scale of atmosphere. Commonly used today , soundtracks are used to create a sense of sadness or epicness in a film or video game . To connect the audience to the film and feel what the characters are feeling. Despite not going this far with not caring much for the characters , the soundtrack at the beginning made a simple scene with monkeys at the beginning of evolution seem magnificently powerful , as if they were godly and as if this was a breaking point in humanity. "The classical music chosen by Kubrick exists outside the action. It uplifts. It wants to be sublime; it brings a seriousness and transcendence to the visuals." Roger Ebert , Great Movie : 2001 : A Space Odyssey (1997). That being said , once reading several reviews there is a point of psychological background behind the music where the soundtrack also represents mans emotion towards the mission and evolution . Where words do not speak and tell the audience what the person is feeling , Kubrick used music instead. "The music is associated in the film with the first entry of man's consciousness into the universe - -and with the eventual passage of that consciousness onto a new level, symbolized by the Star Child at the end of the film." Roger Ebert , Great Movie : 2001 : A Space Odyssey (1997)
More on the set design ,although the design lacked luster in the beginning , once the film developed and the futuristic essence came through , the design took off and the architecture for the space stations had childish charm when looking over the years the big buttoned consoles looked ridiculous. However, saying that, the symmetrical set design for the interior cast an uncomfortable feeling over the simple design . Where the space station looked like a cross between a hospital and a cage .Where faceless men float down the corridors.The eccentric patterns emphasizing the shape of the passage ways also drew the eye , closing in on the central figure ,yet acting like arrows , leading the main character towards his target or demise.

Bibliography :

Ebert,R (1997) Great Movie : 2001:A Space Odyssey : http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-2001-a-space-odyssey-1968 

Staff,THR (2014) `2001 : A Space Odyssey` : http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/2001-a-space-odyssey-read-747494

Space Oddities : King Kong (1933)

Merian C Cooper`s and Ernest B. Schoedsack`s King Kong (1933) brought a painful flash of history into the audiences eyes. Bringing the harsh reality of views on race and gender to the big screen and making it a true struggle to watch. It is shown how over the centuries the views on race have changed dramatically, and it is a struggle to believe how such an openly racist and sexist film could be called `one of the greatest films of all time’. Despite the low depicting of African Americans, the film did an amazing job with the special effects with the scaling of the landscape, it was easy to believe that Kong was a monstrous beast towering over man. Despite this, this technique can work against the true underlying nature of the beast, where the film seems to be one where you have to watch twice to fully understand it. “It is also a curiously touching fable in which the beast is seen, not as a monster of destruction, but as a creature that in its own way wants to do the right thing. Unlike the extraterrestrial spiders in the "Alien" pictures, which embody single-minded aggression, Kong cares for his captive human female, protects her, attacks only when provoked, and would be perfectly happy to be left alone on his Pacific Island.” Roger Ebert, Great Movie: King Kong (2002).

There is a clear difference between man and beast in this film, where one is meant to believe that because the beast is kept behind locked doors and because he attacks those who try to take the woman away from him, the audience immediately thinks that Kong is evil and that is it. That being said as the film progresses the crew who seem faceless men with no personalities soon become money hungry savages who lust over the only woman on board and only care for her safety because she has a pretty face. So much so when they bring Kong back to New York they do not think of the mass destruction such a beast could cause despite Kong killing 12 of their men already. Man in this film is brought down to the basics of human nature where men only wish to hunt , mate and want more than what they have already got. 

The romance hinted at in this film was weak, from the point the main love interest is shown the audience is shown his disdain in women and how he believes them to be weak and incapable of anything. Yet it takes mere seconds for the pair to fall in love despite Ann doing almost nothing to prove him wrong, simply pouting and fluttering her eye lashes with doe eyes and then collapsing. There was no chemistry, no change in character and Ann was proving the sexist remarks as true, not helping the portrayal of women as objects in that time era. There was an intense struggle keeping up with Ann and her continuous kidnappings and there being no protest, the reactions looked fake and was tiring to watch. There was no change throughout the film and by the time the film had finished where the sailors had proclaimed beauty as the real hero, there was a strike of defeat where there was no hope left for the characters in the film. You almost felt bad that they were so lust driven and idiotic that they were too blind to credit the soldiers who sacrificed themselves to bring down Kong.

This film did not lay low with the cuts at African Americans, in modern times there would be no time at all before petitions to bring it down would be released if this came to the big screen once more. The problem was in the 1930s there was no limit as to what you could do to a black person, one could offend as much as they`d like and nobody would blink an eye. The tribesmen at the start were depicted as savages, sacrificing their young out of fear to the beast behind the wall. With a stereotypical appearance with grass skirts and tribal markings with a foreign language which was almost alien with no subtitles given to the audience. It was hinted that when kidnapped and restrained, Ann was placed in a similar position to a crucifix showing the tribe in a murderous light (similar to how the Jewish had

killed Jesus). “Racist conceptions of blacks often depict them as subhuman, ape or monkey-like. And consider the plot of the film: Kong is forcibly taken from his jungle home, brought in chains to the United States, where he is put on stage as a freak entertainment attraction.” David N. Rosen, King Kong: Race, Sex and Rebellion (1975) “As Denham says in the last words of the film, “Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast.” If we look at KING KONG in terms of a racial metaphor, “Beauty” turns out to be “the white woman.” This kind of theme is foreshadowed in the behavior of the “natives” on the island where Kong is captured. When he first sees her, the “Native Chief” offers six of his wives for Ann, and when this is refused, he kidnaps her.” David N Rosen, King Kong: Race, Sex and Rebellion (1975). Both interesting points by the same critic , where the film director had called the woman “A golden beauty” making the audience believe her looks are worth a lot and rare and only the best and richest can afford her. Where the tribesmen are looked down upon as not worthy to have her even when offering six of his own women for her, then, when it comes to them kidnapping her this makes the tribesmen seem like petty thieves.

Overall despite this being a stunning revelation in special effects, the racial and sexist issues circling the film was too distracting to be able to enjoy the film. The characters were simple with no chemistry backing up their relationships and the symbolising of Kong as a savage foreign man, who challenges the masculinity of the sailors was saddening to watch. Reading other critics and how there was an underlying love to Kong’s actions, it made his demise slightly saddening and made you wish to understand the beast further.

Bibliography:

Rosen , N D (1975) King Kong : Race , Sex and Rebellion :                                                  http://www.ejumpcut.org/archive/onlinessays/JC06folder/KingKong.html

Ebert , R (2002) Great Movie : King Kong : 

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-king-kong-1933

Space Oddities : Metropolis

Fritz Lang`s Metropolis (1927) explores the developing movement of German Expressionism along with taking film making to a next level, featuring extreme camera angles and creative use of scaling through the set. Over the decade the sci fi genre had developed far from the use of straight on camera angles to extreme point of view shots. Although despite the exponential potential, Metropolis stayed true to the nature of German Expressionism with the slanted buildings with monumental scale and blacked out buildings. However, unlike Das Cabinet Des Dr Caligari (1920) the extreme abstract shapes were more subtle and looked more like buildings rather than a chaotic fantasy world. This may be because of how Das Cabinet Des Dr Caligari was filmed directly after by children, her hands extended over them in saintly grace. From this first meeting, she is responsible -- indirectly, at first -- for bringing Freder down to the level of the people, away from his home in paradise. It is notable that this first appearance to Freder occurs directly on the heels of Freder's dalliance with the nameless maiden in the garden. If the scantily clad woman is Freder's Mary Magdalene, then Maria is clearly Freder's Mary. Assuming the roles of both prophet and mother, Maria first foretells of Freder/Christ's coming, and then is herself the agent of that arrival when Freder descends to the lower city in pursuit of her.World War two where artists expressed their despair through their artwork. Since this film was made much later, the expressionism content was less extreme.

With the unfortunate event of scenes disappearing, Metropolis took the same direction as previous silent film Das Cabinet Des Dr Caligari where they used text to replace the scenes and dialogue which were lost. Although the font used was much clearer and the translation made communication clear, the storytelling did not make the film clear and there were a lot of questions and plot holes being asked at the end of the film. Although the main plot was answered and there was a linear style, there was hardly any dialogue in crucial scenes, for example when Maria was being chased by the inventor. The gaps and logical puzzles of the story (some caused by clumsy re-editing after the film left Lang's hands) are swept away by this torrent of images. “To enjoy the film, the viewer must observe but never think,” the critic Arthur Lennig said, and Pauline Kael contrasted its “moments of almost incredible beauty and power” with “absurd ineptitudes.” Even when the plot seems adrift, the movie itself never lacks confidence: The city and system are so overpowering they dwarf any merely logical problems.” Roger Ebert, Great Movie: Metropolis (1998).

The build-up towards the slight insanity of Freder was portrayed interestingly by the swirling images of his beloved in the embrace of his father, where the obvious betrayal and confusion takes over the screen. There is also the scene where it is shown him falling through the darkness into Hell. Since religion becomes a huge theme in the film where the two female leads are represented by a symbol of purity and a figurehead for the seven deadly sins. “From her first appearance, Maria also evokes the Virgin Mary, entering Freder's garden surrounded by children, her hands extended over them in saintly grace. From this first meeting, she is responsible -- indirectly, at first -- for bringing Freder down to the level of the people, away from his home in paradise. It is notable that this first appearance to Freder occurs directly on the heels of Freder's dalliance with the nameless maiden in the garden. If the scantily clad woman is Freder's Mary Magdalene, then Maria is clearly Freder's Mary. Assuming the roles of both prophet and mother, Maria first foretells of Freder/Christ's coming, and then is herself the agent of that arrival when Freder descends to the lower city in pursuit of her.

It is no coincidence that the robot built by Rotwang takes the form of Maria, an evil doppelganger that spreads anger and fear, the antithesis of Maria's vision of peace. Our first glimpse of the robot finds it beneath an inverted, five-pointed star, a pentacle -- a sigil long associated with ceremonial magic, especially that involved in summoning outside forces. Indeed, Rotwang's android does seem to carry within its husk something more sinister than simple ones and zeroes. It springs into being from the mind of man, rather than divine guidance, formed not of Adam's rib; its unnatural birth instead costs Rotwang his hand. . . a sacrifice he does not regret.”David Michael Wharton , Crucified To The Machine : Religious Imagery In Fritz Lang`s Metropolis (2003)

 Although the acting of the pair was theatrical the tense side of it made the pair, especially fake Maria, much more believable. Where the odd twitch in her close-ups and the constant devious seductive smirk gave a clue to the audience that she was the fake. What also helped distinguish the two was how robotic the fake’s movements were. Even when dancing the unnatural swerve of her hips was cringing to look at since she simply looked ridiculous yet the men in the scene were biting at the bit to have her. That being said, the idea of objectifying women wasn`t new in the film industry in the 1920s, especially around the period of flapper girls where sexualisation was a keen aspect of the trend.

Symbolisation of the slaves in this film was believable and fitted well with the silent film genre. The acting made the slaves seem like mindless zombies working like parts of a machine with no will of their own. When the workers are seen for the first time their arms work in continuous actions on repeat where they don`t stop and have to be dragged away from their work to see the real world and the position of the bosses that put them in such terrible conditions. It was only until the end where we see how hopeless these slaves are where their only sanity is being held by a holy figure which they trust in enough to sacrifice their children unknowingly. Although the slaves have no huge part apart from tools used by Jon Frederson used for power gain. The audience can relate to the system of lower class and upper class as such political roles are happening in today’s world too. 

The chase scene was incredibly done, where light and shadows and the concept of purity being clad in white and the surrounding darkness gave immense atmosphere to the scene. Where the torchlight gave a look of a cage surrounding the female lead and wherever she moved to escape she could not escape the cage without being followed and trapped like a deer in headlights. Seeing this it was foreshadowed that the audience knew she could not escape and this was her demise. To add to the horror the inventors face within the skeletons was a shock in itself, where there is no respect for the dead and he blends in with the haunting surroundings.

The scientist’s house looked more like from Dr Caligari, with extreme shadows and no light within the dark. : What first struck about the set compared to Dr Caligari, was how the buildings differed tremendously throughout the decade of German Expressionism, apart from one house. The house of the inventor. There was several similarities between the crazed scientists in both where their lairs are blacked out with no form of lighting from within. When the main character enters there is only darkness and a cavern of mystery. That being said, Metropolis did take the horror a step further when it came to atmosphere as this was one of the earliest forms of doors opening and closing. A classic feature in modern horror films.

Although this film is seen as a classic and the start of its genre the ridiculous storyline may be its downfall and it`s perks as some qualities are deemed just to ridiculous from today’s perspective. Where today we see WW2 planes in 2026 as laughable, back in 1927, seeing motor cars which were seen as dated then were also laughable. “The motor cars are 1926 models or earlier. I do not think there is a single new idea, a single instance of artistic creation or even intelligent anticipation, from first to last in the whole pretentious stew; I may have missed some point of novelty, but I doubt it; and this, though it must bore the intelligent man in the audience, makes the film all the more convenient as a gauge of the circle of ideas, the mentality, from which it has proceeded”. : H.G Wells, H.G Wells on Metropolis (1927).

Bibliography :

Wharton , D (2003) Crucified to the Machine : Religious Imagery in Fritz Lang`s Metropolis :

http://www.strangehorizons.com/2003/20030106/metropolis.shtml

Ebert , R (1998) Great Movie : Metropolis : http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-metropolis-1927 

Wells , H (1927) H.G Wells on Metropolis :                                                                              http://erkelzaar.tsudao.com/reviews/H.G.Wells_on_Metropolis%201927.htm  

Space Oddities : Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari

Robert Weine`s Das Cabinet Des Caligari (1920) explores the expressionist movement with moving image , combining reality and a disturbing artistic style to confuse the audience into not being sure if what we are watching is really happening. With angular set design with the windows and doors seeming to cave in on itself, the film looks as if it`s set within a deranged mind that`s view on the world is chaotic and is driven to insanity. The theme of insanity is constant throughout the film as we see Dr Caligari pick off the main characters with his puppet Cesare and we initially believe him to be simply a madman until the revelation at the end where we see him treat this patient like a key to unlock his dreams. To command and do his bidding almost like a God Complex, toying with the victims of Cesare`s murders.

Relying on expressions to tell the tale, the characters were easily understood by using close ups on their facial expressions. Although the expressions were extremely theatrical it made the characters seem comical yet summed up their personalities with hardly any words being used. Roger Ebert dove into this in more detail, observing how the audience responds to how the characters are represented on screen. “Wiene is fond of the iris shot, which opens or closes upon a scene like an eye. This makes the point that we are looking and are privileged to witness events closed to other people. He also sparingly uses a device of superimposing words on the image to show Alan feeling surrounded by voices. Wiene's closeups lean heavily on Caligari's fierce and sinister scowl, the dewy innocence of Jane, and the wide-eyed determination of Alan. The Somnambulist is not very expressive -- he certainly lacks the charisma of Frankenstein's monster, who in a way he inspired -- and is most often seen in long shot, as if the camera considers him an object, not a person.”

Ebert , R (2009) Great Movie ,The Cabinet of Dr Caligari.

Although limited in colour, the four colour palette gave the audience a clear view of night and day and along with the soundtrack we could easily figure out and predict what was going to happen before the character knew about it. The use of colour symbolism helped us also recognise the role of the characters, whether they were good, evil or neutral. Where Jane and the scientists unaware of Caligaris twisted mind were clad and surrounded in white, those who were indulged with his crimes were clad in black, along with Caligari and Cesare. The text telling us the time of day wasn`t needed, because of the chilling blue which was used at night when the murders occurred creating a chilling atmosphere compared to the warm oranges used in the day when a normal day seemed to be occurring. The use of pink to hint at romance between the main characters also helped us understand the relationship between the two without the use of words confirming the love triangle between Jane and the two friends.

“Francis tells this story as if it were true, but in the end he is revealed as a patient in a mental hospital.  The film does not confirm whether Francis' story is reality, but Freudian theory suggests that this story is a wish fulfillment.  Francis' neurotic mind created and mistook this fantasy for reality in order to displace the guilt over his friend's death by means of dream work and displacing his guilt onto the somnambulist Cesare.”

Freeman, R (2006) Fantasy and Dream Work in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Freeman suggests another argument as to if this entire film was reality or a dream and we could tell from the beginning this would be a whimsical horror where he speaks of spirits and how his fiancé appears out of thin air and almost completely ignores him seems like a delusional romance. Admittedly the ending was confusing until reading several reviews which became clear that instead of Caligari being admitted to mental hospital, the man who was thought to be our hero turned out to be in the position of the villain which makes us question who the real villain was. Where the patient could not accept that his lover didn`t love him in return and his best friend was dead, he instead blamed it upon anyone in his life who he felt was attacking him? In this case, the doctor who was assessing him.  Proof of this would be in the psychological background of this film where Freud`s theory of how patients cope with psychological trauma. “According to Freudian theory, this is also typified by believing a fantasy to be the truth.  "Neurotics turn away from reality because they find it unbearable; the most extreme type of this turning away from reality is shown by certain cases of hallucinatory psychosis which seek to deny the particular event that occasioned the outbreak of their insanity" (Freud, 301).  In this passage, Freud describes the psychological techniques that a neurotic mind uses in order to cope with a traumatic event.” Freeman, R. (2006) Fantasy and Dream Work in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.

Overall , the twisted horrors haunting atmosphere left the audience intrigued as to what happened next and although we knew what was going to happen before the characters found out ,this gave a sense of power and secret knowledge to the viewer which would later be used in future horrors films , Although silent the lack of words made the film work because we could focus on the comedic expressions to let our imaginations do the talking for us despite slight confusion in some parts such as the end , where the audience was left not knowing whether the doctor was an insane murderer or if it was all a story made up by a mentally unstable man.

Image Source : https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/35/Das-Cabinet-des-Dr-Caligari-poster.jpg

Bibliography :

http://courses.washington.edu/freudlit/Freeman.Caligari.html 22/09/2015

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari-1920 22/09/2015

http://www.theguardian.com/film/the-cabinet-of-dr-caligari 22/09/2015