Film Texts

Film Texts

Today in class we watched a series of snippets from films and responded to them.

Don’t look now -1973

For this film we watched the first 5minuets and after doing so a great deal could be drawn from the movie.  Tension is immediately established as scenes showing a small girl playing and her parents flip to and fro.  The young girl is wearing a red coat and from this we can tell that she is going to play a significant in the story.  She plays with a war figurine and this allows the viewer to place a sense of time with the film.  The young girl seems innocent and petit.  As the young girl plays we and taken into her house where her parents sit.  Her father’s expression is very dramatic and he seems withdrawn.  We can tell that something is at play and the switching between the girl and her parents quickens and their actions become mirrored.  When the girl drowns the scene moves in slow motion allowing you to feel the pain being experienced by the father.  The viewer is also left feeling sick in the stomach from the intensity of this scene.  The scene seems so real as the father tries in vain to save his little girl.  As the girl drowns the photo, which the father was looking, at previously beings to change shape and form to connect the girl’s tragic end to the photograph.

2001 A Space Odyssey-1968

The film opens with a very famous piece of music that reflects man’s superiority and conquers over the universe.  As the music plays the scene zooms in on the plants as they aligned and the sun can be seen rising over the earth symbolising the rise of man.  This scene illustrates man’s superiority and sets a new revolution in film that is now widely used by other directors.

The Seventh Seal- 1957

Images of the sky appear introducing the theme of God and a high power and sense of freedom. A bird flies through the skies showing the freedom and purity of life.  The music is the background is soft and the symphony of instruments combine to form a mood setter for the actions of characters.  A figure in a dark coat with a white face appears.  Automatically we can see that he is mysterious and his character is related to religion.

Fanny and Alexander- 1982

This film beginning with water flowing calmly and then hitting small bumps causing the flow to become rough and rapid.  This is symbolic of the character’s journey in the film and sets the scene perfectly.   The young boy at the beginning of the film is seen playing with puppets reflects the innocence of the boy.  He sits slumped over a sign of boredom on his face.  His sluggish actions give the viewer the feeling that his parents neglect the boy.  As he wonders through the dark and empty house we feel empty and neglect.  As he searches for life suspense builds through the music and slow movement of the opening of the door.