Review Of Fargo

Directed By: Joel Coen

Written By: Joel and Ethan Coen

Release Date: 31 May 2006

Genre: Crime/ Drama/ Thriller

Plot: Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of pregnant Marge Gunderson.

In this film there are many ways that mise-en-scene is used. Coen has used very subtle references throughout the film to show things in a different meaning.

I particulaly like the way that he has used the setting as a cold,snowy not very bright setting because this also links in with Jerry's character because whenever we see Jerry he is very dull character and very insecure.

The setting also shows a sense of inter-textuality with Hitchcock's 'North By North West' because Hitchcock uses a desolate scene to represent the loneliness and feelings of the characters there and this is what Coen has done throughout this film.

We also establish that Jerry is a very boring character because he is always wearing dull colours and he is never in a place that has bright colours in it, he is either in his office,car or house which are all very pastelly calm colours. Jerry also seems to be craving attention because within his office you can see his golf trophies in the background and this could mean that he is boring and that at first view but when you look closer you see he has made accomplishments and things to be proud of.

I also like the way that Coen has used many exteriour shots and also he has linked interiour and exteriour shots together, i particulaly like the scene where Marge has left the kitchen table to leave for work and you can see her out the window of the door but then you can see her husband still sat in the kitchen eating his breakfast, i think this is a very good way of establishing and setting the scene in a realistic way, it was like Coen was hoping the spectators would be more involved as if we were stood there.

I think that Coen uses sublte sounds and colours to represent many things for example every time some one is about to die he has a car beeping and the colour red is used. For example the red of the car lights, the red of the persons jumper.

At the beginning of the film and mostly all the way through the film Jerry is placed in a suit and this shows how he maybe hiding underneath this because then at the end of the film when he is arrested he is in his pyjamas this could symbolise the fact that his 'mask' has been taken from him and it shows all his insecurities.I also get the feeling that he is insecure because all of his coats are too big for him and he maybe wearing big coats to hide his insecurites and it may help him to feel protected.

I also like the way the Coen has used very geometric angles within every shot and throughout the whole film.

Men Of Honour

Director: George Tillman Junior

Writer: Scott Marshall Smith

Release Date: 30 March 2001

Genre: Biography/Drama

Filming Locations: Cathlamet, Washington USA

Tagline: " History is made by those who break the rules."


This film was recommended to me.
This film has been nominated for 9 awards.

The story is basically about Carl Brashear [Cuba Gooding Jr] who was born in the early 1930's to sharecroppers and then he decides to join the navy after watching and seeing a Billy Sunday[Robert De Niro] become a hero in his league. Carl wants too become the first african american navy diver. Along his journey he comes across people, Sunday and Brashears commander in particular, that don't want him to succeed.


I recommend this film because it is a really good film, it has good film making and a good storyline.

Atonement

Director: Joe Wright
Writers: Ian McEwan (novel)
Christopher Hampton (screenplay)
Realease Date: 7th September 2007 Uk
Genre: Drama, fantasy, mystery, romance, war.




The use of red in this film is very important and it is a great example of how colours can represent feelings and emotions. For example in the scene with the red roses red is used to represent love and how his love for her is being trampled.
The colour is then consistent throughout the film and is used alot which shows that love is an underlying theme of the film.

The scene in the cinema is good for showing how events within the scene can show themes, issues and emotions. For example, when Robbie (James McAvoy) is stood infornt of the cinema screen he appears to be a small character infront of this huge love story. This shows how he is inferior in the story and that he is totally overcome by his love for Cecilia and that he can not control his emotions and love for her.

The buildings and surroundings are very good for showing the characters class and the time period(1920's ). For example, Robbie is wearing a suit which makes the audience assume he is innocent as this is very upper class attire for men of that era.
The buildings also have very elegant and wealthy looking design which shows the two characters' social class. It also show the time period as architecture of this sort was very typical of that time period.

Homework

Maria Full Of Grace
Joshua Marston
2005
Drama/Thriller/Crime
Ecuador


At the start of the film their is diagetic music of crickets and doors slamming, this automatically helps set the scene. The image we are shown as a spectator is that of a house higher then the camera it is not the nicest of houses, this also helps create and set the atmosphere and scene to the whole film. There are people walking towards the camera from the house, this can arise suspicions and questions in our minds. For example who are they? What are they doing? Are they important? Etc. Also their is very little lighting, it is dark outside and their is only the portch light on so the people are silhoutted and you can’t see the scene around the house.

Then their is a noise of a vehicle and it the image cuts people standing at a bus stop, two of the women are in our focal point, one women is wearing a leather jacket and as her hair in a plaite, the woman standing next to her is wearing a a sports jacket of some kind and a scarf and also has her hair in a plaite. Because both women have a plaite in their hair this could show that they are linked somehow, which starts the establishment for characters.

The camera angle is very much in line with their eyes but at the side of them. The bus that we heard earlier comes back and the women with the leather jacket leaves the other women and gets on the bus with the other people who seem to have no contact with her. The lighting is always very low lit and dark and dingy this creates the scene and sets up an atmosphere.

Then as the women steps onto the bus, their is non diagetic music being played, and then it cuts to the women in the scarf at the bus stop and shows us her from her side again but this time you also see the area where she is standing, which is very low lit, quite slum like. Then when the bus moves away, the scene gets cut into a view of mountains and trees and then into the city. This creates the setting of the scene perfectly, all the way so far their has been very little colour used this can show the mood of the characters and the way that the director [Joshua Marston] wants us to maybe empathasise with the characters. Then it cuts to a tracking shot out of the view of a window, which i as a spectator assume is that of the lady in the leather jacket that got on the bus and this shot shows the view of the city and mountanious areas.

The scene being mountanious and then slum like could mean that the characters can be beautiful at times and natural like a mountains and then they can switch and turn into a character that is uncontrollable like the slum.

Thelma & Louise

Ridley Scott.
Thelma & Louise
1991

Buddy film,road film, chick flick.

It starts off in abysy cafe and there are people smoking in the kitchen and in the diner part of the cafe. Then it edits straight to the kitchen at home where everything is dark and dingy and calm in a sense that their is only one person their. Where as the other kitchen at the diner is more crampacked and alot more movement.

The phone ringing creates a link between the two scences happening simueltaneously.
The house is untidy and she has a controlling husband the phone call arises suspicion to how the two women may know each other.

Then as the woman from the cafe gets into the car you see the mountains in the background this symbolises the fact that the two characters maybe going on a journey.

When the two characters are packing to go away, the edits are quite quick paced this shows the pace of the film. There is one scatty woman and 1 laid back character. When they are packing there is a gun held by the finger and thumb and thrown into a bag the way she holds the gun can show that she doesn't want anything to do with the gun but needs it just in case and then she knows it will be their this creates spectator involvement because it arises suspicion.

the song that is on in the background in the cafe has the lyrics of ' i dont need a man' this can mean that the lady who works in the cafe is a very independent woman and can survive without man and that may be why she wants to leave and go on this trip.

North By North West Alfred Hitchcock

North by north west.
Alfred Hitchcock
Thriller
USA, 1959.

I like the long shots of the setting at the beggining of the scene and i like the way that the car and the plane are made out to be really loud noises when actually they are everyday noises which people don't notice much anymore.

I also like the way that the plane is shown in a shot of its own and then it cuts to a reaction shot from the main character.

I also like the way the colours and sense of emptyness the scene gives also portrays the feelings of the character because he feels empty because he don't know who he is waiting for and where there going to come from.

I think the camera angles between the two characters as the 2nd man gets out of the car uses proxemics very well because he shows them on either side of the road and he uses a long shot because you can see the scenery aswell.

I also like the way that Hitchcock has used a sense of tension and an false plato because then the plane comes into the conversation because the 2nd man says the plane shouldn't be their because their is no crops which makes the spectator arouse questions of actually why is it there and then the plane is bought in to shot and then trys to kill the main character and then the scene ends with a reaction shot from the main character.I like the way that there is only diegetic sounds used because this increases the tension and arouses more suspicion for the spectator.