Night of the Hunter (1955): A Formal Review

Night of the Hunter was a brilliant film made in 1955. It had a gripping plot that surprisingly kept me interested all 90 minutes of it. There are many aspects to the Night of the Hunter that make it the amazing experience it is. The cinematography and design, as well as all of the symbolism and unique story telling, make this film what it is, a masterpiece.

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Night of the Hunter utilizes many techniques in cinematography that weren't necessarily the norm during the 50's. Throughout the whole film the creators used the "extra long shot". During travel scenes and such, they kept going back to this long shot. The images created in this film is like looking at famous paintings. The way they craft each shot is truly art. This extra long shot is used in a multitude of ways. It's used to display the length John and Pearl have traveled on a skiff down a windy river, and it's also used to build up suspense and tension when the kids see Harry (Robert Mitchum) riding his horse towards the barn they're sleeping at.

The creators also conveyed messages throughout the whole film through creative angles and imagery.
With the riverboat scene where John and his sister float down the Ohio river, there are multiple symbolic shots. When they first escape, it's night time and pearl is sitting at the edge of the boat. The particular shot depicts her loneliness and confusion in her surrounding world. The image shows her sitting and picking at her doll. Her brother is asleep at the other end of the boat and all we see is darkness and water surrounding them. This image paints a picture of the isolation Pearl feels during this point in the movie. Slowly as they progress down the river we start to see shots of animals enter the film. Once these animals start to enter, the audience gets more of a sense of security, like the children aren't entirely alone.

One major piece of symbolism is the display of "Hate vs. Love" with Powell's knuckles. This was one of his signature ways of preaching the word of god, and displaying he's a man of "integrity". He, early in the movie, describes his right hand, love, as the hand that "has veins that run straight to the soul of a man". The symbolism with this is important in the fact that when he murders his wife, he is using his right hand. This is the supposed "hand of love" when really, based on his definition, it's the hand that defines a man's character. Down to Harry's very core, he is nothing but a sociopath murderer. That's what the scene depicts.

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An aspect of the film I noticed that played a huge role in the story was the irony involving John's father. At the beginning of the movie, Ben Harper is describing why he stole the money. He explains his actions as a way to ensure that his wife and children are well off and don't get affected by the depression. He stated he didn't want his children to become one of those children sleeping in abandoned vehicles or begging for food. The irony is that the money is exactly what drove Powell to hunt down the family. Powell is the reason the children became orphans which ultimately lead to them running away and begging for food and sleeping in somebody's barn without their knowledge. The money was meant to save his family but the tragedy is that the money tore his family apart and ultimately orphaned his children.

Night of the Hunter was a terrific film. The true artistry involved in making this picture could not possibly be recognized from one viewing. All the symbolism that's involved and all the unique ways of storytelling is truly remarkable and requires a thorough analysis in order to fully be appreciated. I merely touched base with all the creativity and genius that went into this picture.

Works Cited

Barsam, Richard. Looking At Movies: Fourth Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2013

Night of the Hunter. Dir. Charles Laughton. 1955. MGM. DVD. 

Juno (2007): A Formal Review

Juno is a 2007 film that covered a multitude of genres. The movie was renowned for it's original writing and dialogue, paired with intriguing characters, along with the compelling and relatable story from the (at the time) young writer/director pair of Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody.  Personally, Juno has been one of my favorite films since I was in middle school and Jason Reitman has been one of my favorite directors since that time.

I even brought it to college.

The topic of Juno was a very relatable and relevant topic to the time it was released. In America over the past decade there has been a shocking number of teen pregnancies. This made the realism and story of Juno so intriguing to the viewers. It offered an insight to what these teen-mothers went through every day. The film portrayed all of the aspects that teen mothers go through, such as, contemplating abortion,  telling the parents, handling the relationship with the father of the baby, and going through adoption or surrogacy. With such a serious topic it's hard to imagine there being humor in the film, but that's one of the best parts of Juno. This film covers so many different genres. It's funny at parts, sad and shocking at certain points, and even romantic with the relationship between Michael Cera and Ellen Paige. It's this perfect blend of humor, romance, realism, and drama that makes the film so great. The creators didn't over-dramatize the happenings, they were realistic and straightforward.

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The characters, the dialogue, and the all around style of the film are what make it so unique. This was Diablo Cody's first script and her first attempt at working in the movie industry. Prior to her script being picked up, Cody was a stripper and continued to write during her times as a show girl. These troubled surroundings aided her in coming up with the dysfunctional characters that, essentially, drive the story in Juno. The abnormal lingo that the characters possess is hysterical and appealing.
Some examples would be:

"That ain't no etch-a-sketch. That's one doodle that can't be un-did home skillet."
- Rollo

"As far as boyfriends go, Paulie Bleeker is totally boss. He is the cheese to my macaroni. And, I know that people are supposed to fall in love before they reproduce, but... I guess normalcy isn't really our style."
- Juno

This fresh dialogue from first time writer Diablo Cody paired with the talented young director of Jason Reitman really made a captivating piece of modern art.

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Along with the original dialogue, there were many different qualities to Juno that made it as creative as it was. The music in this film played a huge role. The creators used it as a way to develop the characters personalities, and form a bond between them. Jason Reitman chose music from independent artists like the Moldy Peaches and Kimya Dawson to create an atmosphere around the protagonist, Juno. 

In post-production they also added many creative elements. For one, they separated the story into sections based on seasons. These seasons seemed to set a tone for that part of the story. 

Autumn: Much like the calm and transitioning weather that came during this season, the story is just beginning and everything Juno goes through is new and confusing. This season portrays her transition phase from being clueless to crafting a game plan. 

Winter: The downfall in the characters occur during this season, which is cold and dark. The hardships the characters go through in their personal life, with the isolation Juno feels, all events resemble a dark and sad time much like the season they are in. 

Spring: This is the light at the end of the tunnel. The winter has reached an end and summer is on the way. The characters in the story begin to meet their resolution during this period. Juno works things out with Bleaker, configures a plan with Vanessa, and finally has the child. 

Summer: Although this is a short part of the film in reference to time, summer plays an immense role in the story. This is the happy times that show how everything ended well. The happy, sunny, and upbeat season brings together Juno and Bleaker, who both seem to be content and in love. This is the happy ending to the film. 

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Works Cited

Barsam, Richard. Looking At Movies: Fourth Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2013

Juno. Dir. Jason Reitman. 2007. Twentieth Century Fox. DVD. 

The Matrix (1999): A Formal Review

The Matrix was a 1999 action-fantasy film directed by the Wachowski siblings. The Matrix has many different aspects to it that compile together to create a classic and innovative film. When making this movie the Wachowski siblings knew they had to establish an off putting presence due to the obscure content matter.

One of the first things you'll notice about the film is the odd coloring throughout the whole motion picture. Within the multiple worlds, they use tints to evoke certain emotions and moods, while at the same time establishing a setting.

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As you can tell from the images above taken from the movie, the Matrix has a heavy green tint throughout the film to add an electronic and virtual feeling to match the ever-so apparent theme of technology throughout the film. 

The technological and conspiracy themes that underlay this movie were very relevant to the time it was made and released. Around the turn of the new century there was a heavy amount of paranoia centering around Y2K and the end of the world. With all this going on, the release of the Matrix was perfect and intrigued viewers everywhere. Accompanied by the stress of Y2K, computers were still a fairly new household item. Around the time the Matrix was released, household computers were just becoming a prominent item. 

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Many scenes within the matrix utilized specialized camera angles to evoke emotions from the audience, and to give them perspective as to what the character in the film was experiencing at that time. Toward the beginning of the movie when Neo first receives contact from Morpheus, there is a very suspenseful sequence that takes place. As Morpheus is instructing Neo throughout the office they use crafty camera angles to reveal the struggle that Neo is going through with the agents.

First when he is informed about the agents, Neo peers above his cubicle and the camera cuts to shot directly from his perspective. 

Then the camera cuts back and forth between Neo on the phone and the agents walking toward his cubicle to build up suspense while also portraying how short of time Neo has to make a decision and take action towards evading the villainous agents.  

After Neo crosses from his cubicle to the empty one next to his the camera uses a creative shot from Neo's perspective to show how close he is to the agents, who are now searching his cubicle for him. Which ultimately proves that, as Morpheus suggested, the agents truly are, in fact, there for Neo. 

Once Neo escapes the cubicle area, it is revealed that the only way out of the building is by climbing out the window and on to some scaffolding. To give a glimpse as to what is running through Neo's mind, the camera cuts to a facing down shot from the window Neo is being asked to climb out of. Shortly after looking down he gets discouraged, and the audience can empathize with his hesitence due to the shot from his perspective. 

Works Cited

The Matrix. Dir. Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski (credited as Lawrence Wachowski). 1999. Warner Home Video. DVD. 

Barsam, Richard. Looking At Movies: Fourth Edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 2013

(All the pictures analyzing the 'office scene' I just took screenshots from the movie itself on my computer)

Having an Online Presence

Having an online presence is about putting yourself out there and utilizing the internet to make yourself known. Creating a blog or a social network profile connects you with many people you never would come in contact with if the internet weren't there. The ability to publish your opinion for the world to see is really a luxury that our generation has that hasn't been there for long at all. This is why I will be using this luxury as a way to express my thoughts on films and how they were made.