The first scene of Ingmar Bergman’s film, Scenes from a Marriage, elicited boredom from within me. I have enjoyed several of Bergman’s films previously. From the very beginning, Johan and Marianne seemed incompatible. It appears this was a marriage built upon financial dependence. He was possessed more ego as he monopolized the conversations with the interviewer. Marianne was passive, protective, and cautious.
Identity and how it changes when a life long commitment is made in the plot of this film. Johann and Marianne have been married for years. They begin to feel unfulfilled by one another. Their own desires have been swept under the rug for years and the ache of not having them fulfilled becomes unbearable. Johann is the first to take action on these desires as he runs off with a younger woman. Marianne clings to the repetition and safety of their marriage, hoping he will return rather than getting on with her own life.
In The Mastery of Love, Don Miguel Ruiz depicts the cycle of human relationships. He says, “The woman has an outer image that she tries to project to others, but when she is alone, she has another image of herself.” This is also true for men. He continues, “When a man meets a woman, he makes an image of her from his point of view. Then he tries to make her fit the image he makes for her, and she tries to make him fit the image she makes for him. Their relationship is based on fear; it is based on lies.” We can all judge the outcome of this, which is a disaster. For a relationship to work there must be honesty and unconditional love.
Throughout the film Johan and Marianne suffer from confusion and a fear of intimacy. They are afraid their partners do not understand them. They also need to separate themselves from their new relationships as well as their old one. They are proclaiming a freedom they did not allow themselves before.
Our identity is shaped by how our family, friends, and co-workers view us. It is also shaped by how we view ourselves after taking the external information in and how we assimilate it. I think Johan and Marianne saw themselves in bondage to one another. They were prisoners.
In the scene where Marianne asks Johan to sign the divorce papers, I thought there was hope for her to create a new life for herself, but Johan became violent with her and she reverted back into the childish, dependent woman she once was. He had realized his mistake and was questioning the divorce. She left him in the room to sort it out in his head. They met again in better spirits. They eventually became friends and continued seeing each other behind their new partners’ backs.
Ingmar Bergman’s film is a view of how most modern relationships work. People are now seeking more out of themselves and relationships. They are questioning their own identities on a daily basis. Some people choose to confront their own demons and others choose to fill their emptiness with drugs and alcohol, pornography, and material items. Healthy relationships are few and far between
Showing posts with label film. Show all posts
Showing posts with label film. Show all posts
Thursday, August 13, 2009
The Life of the Marionettes
The Life of the Marionettes by Ingmar Bergman is a film about the collapse of a human spirit. Peter and Katerina are the main characters who are trapped in a loveless marriage. Peter is the character, who is the most, unhappy. He feels there is “no exit.” In his stating to people that there is “no exit” (throughout the whole film) we see his despair and their negligence.
The psychiatrist knew of Peter’s fantasies to kill his wife. He was aware of Peter’s despair and never did anything to help him. He was only concerned with sleeping with Katerina. When she turned him down then he told her of the danger she was in, but only for manipulative reasons.
Katerina is a condescending, alcoholic, career woman. She constantly makes Peter feel as if he is unimportant in her life. He is miserable with her and she knows this. When he tells her he wants to leave then she cries and begs him to stay for her convenience. She cares nothing for his happiness. This is not an attribute of love.
Peter’s last desperate attempt to find some happiness or meaning in his life is to visit a prostitute. Why? I guess he thinks sexual pleasure is the only thing obtainable to him. He knows he’s acting desperately and tries to leave. Only when his attempt to leave the building where the prostitute (Katerina, also) is fails does he feel there is “no exit” again, blacks out, kills her by strangulation and has sex with her corpse. His spirit has totally collapsed at this moment. He is lost even to himself.
The psychiatrist knew of Peter’s fantasies to kill his wife. He was aware of Peter’s despair and never did anything to help him. He was only concerned with sleeping with Katerina. When she turned him down then he told her of the danger she was in, but only for manipulative reasons.
Katerina is a condescending, alcoholic, career woman. She constantly makes Peter feel as if he is unimportant in her life. He is miserable with her and she knows this. When he tells her he wants to leave then she cries and begs him to stay for her convenience. She cares nothing for his happiness. This is not an attribute of love.
Peter’s last desperate attempt to find some happiness or meaning in his life is to visit a prostitute. Why? I guess he thinks sexual pleasure is the only thing obtainable to him. He knows he’s acting desperately and tries to leave. Only when his attempt to leave the building where the prostitute (Katerina, also) is fails does he feel there is “no exit” again, blacks out, kills her by strangulation and has sex with her corpse. His spirit has totally collapsed at this moment. He is lost even to himself.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Despair
Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s, Despair, is set in the 1930s in Berlin, Germany. The main character is Herman Hermann (Dirk Bogarde) who suffers from dissociation (where the mind splits in two). He is a Russian immigrant who owns a chocolate factory. The supporting characters are Lydia Hermann (Andrea Feneol), Ardalian - Lydia’s cousin (Volker Spengler), and Felix, the carnival worker (Klaus Lovitz).
The film begins with a cracking of eggs into glasses of milk, It’s raining outside, while Lydia in her black negligee and Herman converse. Immediately we sense a mismatched couple. Lydia is in the foreground of the frame while Herman is in the background. She is a bubble brain blonde overdone with makeup and perfume (in which we see her spray upon herself repeatedly) and Herman is an intense, uptight, arrogant man.
His mind is split in two from the beginning of the film. In a scene where he is in bed with Lydia, he also sees himself in a chair in the living room as a voyeur watching their intercourse. Often Herman projects his illness on Lydia by referring to her as “scatterbrain.” He is aware he is losing his mind, but his arrogance keeps him in denial. There is a scene where he asks a stranger whom he thinks is a doctor about dissociation. The doctor turns out to be a life insurance agent who Herman later purchases a policy (on himself) from.
The theme of sexuality plays out throughout the film. At one point, Herman thinks he is with Lydia, dressed in an S&M, military costume when in reality he is in the living room chair. Lydia is in the bed pleading for him to come to bed or bring her book to her.
The chocolate factory is going bankrupt so he travels to another for a possible merger. Merger is pronounced “Murder” by Lydia and the other chocolate factory owner. Whether this gives Herman an idea or a sign to us of what is to come in the film – I’m not quite sure. The other owner throws him out.
Herman’s despair grows at this point becoming unbearable. He pictures himself trapped. He is trapped in a lousy business with a dim wit of a wife. As he walks to the train, he walks past a carnival. He spies a worker who he also pictures as being trapped (in glass doors) like himself. he tells the carnival worker (Felix) that he has his face. Herman believes they are one and strikes up a friendship with him. They plan a meeting on a park bench after Herman goes back home. Herman throws him a line about being a film star and needing a double. Felix knows this is bull. Herman hires him for money to pose as him. Felix assumes it’s for a robbery that Herman is going to commit. Herman dresses Felix up like himself down to clipping his hair, fingernails, and toenails. Herman murders him believing that other people will think it is him and in the meantime he can collect on his insurance policy via Lydia. What Herman fails to realize is that Felix looks nothing like him.
Adalian (Lydia’s cousin – who is an artist) earlier in the film is sent to a small town by Herman. After the murder Herman forgets Adalian is in the small town shows up to hide out there. Adalian spies him form a window while he is painting. Knowing that the police are looking for Herman, Adalian notifies them of his whereabouts. The police arrest Herman. Herman starts mumbling about being an actor and that he is in a film. He is escorted out of his room and the film ends.
Despair is a film about a man’s plunge into psychotic illness. Herman’s bizarre behavior bears testimony to us that he is a sick man. The focus in this film is on the dialogue. Without the dialogue, this film would be very exhausting to watch. The dialogue comes mostly from Herman. The other characters just babble. This makes us relate more to Herman and his despair. Poor Herman, a once brilliant man surrounded by ignorance. That could drive anyone insane.
The film begins with a cracking of eggs into glasses of milk, It’s raining outside, while Lydia in her black negligee and Herman converse. Immediately we sense a mismatched couple. Lydia is in the foreground of the frame while Herman is in the background. She is a bubble brain blonde overdone with makeup and perfume (in which we see her spray upon herself repeatedly) and Herman is an intense, uptight, arrogant man.
His mind is split in two from the beginning of the film. In a scene where he is in bed with Lydia, he also sees himself in a chair in the living room as a voyeur watching their intercourse. Often Herman projects his illness on Lydia by referring to her as “scatterbrain.” He is aware he is losing his mind, but his arrogance keeps him in denial. There is a scene where he asks a stranger whom he thinks is a doctor about dissociation. The doctor turns out to be a life insurance agent who Herman later purchases a policy (on himself) from.
The theme of sexuality plays out throughout the film. At one point, Herman thinks he is with Lydia, dressed in an S&M, military costume when in reality he is in the living room chair. Lydia is in the bed pleading for him to come to bed or bring her book to her.
The chocolate factory is going bankrupt so he travels to another for a possible merger. Merger is pronounced “Murder” by Lydia and the other chocolate factory owner. Whether this gives Herman an idea or a sign to us of what is to come in the film – I’m not quite sure. The other owner throws him out.
Herman’s despair grows at this point becoming unbearable. He pictures himself trapped. He is trapped in a lousy business with a dim wit of a wife. As he walks to the train, he walks past a carnival. He spies a worker who he also pictures as being trapped (in glass doors) like himself. he tells the carnival worker (Felix) that he has his face. Herman believes they are one and strikes up a friendship with him. They plan a meeting on a park bench after Herman goes back home. Herman throws him a line about being a film star and needing a double. Felix knows this is bull. Herman hires him for money to pose as him. Felix assumes it’s for a robbery that Herman is going to commit. Herman dresses Felix up like himself down to clipping his hair, fingernails, and toenails. Herman murders him believing that other people will think it is him and in the meantime he can collect on his insurance policy via Lydia. What Herman fails to realize is that Felix looks nothing like him.
Adalian (Lydia’s cousin – who is an artist) earlier in the film is sent to a small town by Herman. After the murder Herman forgets Adalian is in the small town shows up to hide out there. Adalian spies him form a window while he is painting. Knowing that the police are looking for Herman, Adalian notifies them of his whereabouts. The police arrest Herman. Herman starts mumbling about being an actor and that he is in a film. He is escorted out of his room and the film ends.
Despair is a film about a man’s plunge into psychotic illness. Herman’s bizarre behavior bears testimony to us that he is a sick man. The focus in this film is on the dialogue. Without the dialogue, this film would be very exhausting to watch. The dialogue comes mostly from Herman. The other characters just babble. This makes us relate more to Herman and his despair. Poor Herman, a once brilliant man surrounded by ignorance. That could drive anyone insane.
Der Müde Tod
Fritz Lang’s Der Müde Tod (Destiny) is a film about death. It is a silent film from 1921. It has also been renamed: The Weary Death, Beyond the Wall, Between Two Worlds, and The Three Lights.
The film begins with an iris opening up beckoning us to enter. In the background is placid music. There are black trees against a white sky. This contrast of white and black exists throughout the frames of this film, creating a sort of absolution to it all. A silhouette of a man in a cape with a cane appears. He is presented as an older man – weathered by his life. A carriage of two young lovers stops to pick up the man in the cape stern and silent. His facial bone structure is rigid. They all arrive at “A little town lost in the past.” The haunting subtitle gives us a clue to the inevitable doom.
The town dignitaries are all getting drunk at the Inn. Jolly music plays in the background. In their self-indulgent pleasure they are ignorant to the events of their surroundings. Death goes to the gravedigger and asks about the land next to the cemetery. He leases the land for ninety-nine years. Death builds a great wall with neither gate nor door around his “garden.” The dignitaries discuss the strangeness of this new member of their community. They are startled when he appears outside his wall announces that he alone knows the way in. They slowly leave.
The couple is at the Inn. Death arrives and sits down at their table. The couple drinks from the loving cup and is startled when it turns into an hourglass. The woman leaves the table to go outside and play with the cats. When she returns her sweetheart and Death are gone. The dignitaries tell her the two left together. She leaves the Inn. The town bum at the end of the stairs points the way to where they went.
There is a long shot of her walking through the town. She walks through the landscape outside of town passing an owl on his perch. The music is now drumbeats. This creates suspense. Exhausted the woman arrives at the great wall. While there she sees ghostly figures pass before her and enter through the wall. One of them is her beloved. Meanwhile the druggist has been out picking herbs and finds her collapsed by the wall. He brings her to his home to rest.
The woman has sunken eyes from her exhaustion. She discovers a book. A close-up of the book is shown revealing the statement, “Love is strong as death.” She focuses on that statement. She takes one of the druggist’s potions. She now appears on the other side of Death’s great wall. She enters through a Gothic archway to enter further into his realm. The archway is illuminated while the sides, top, and bottom is pitch black. She walks up a staircase. Death confronts her saying, “I have not summoned you.” She pleads with him for her beloved. Death takes her to a room filed with different sized candles. He tells her that her beloved’s time had come. Death shows her burned out candles and states, “These are the lives that burn out when God wishes it.” Death makes a baby appear and then disappear in front of her eyes so she can comprehend his eternal power. Violin music plays in the background offering its sympathy. She pleads with Death continuously.
Death tells the woman if she can save one of the three lights then she can have her beloved back. He knows that she can not. He shows her the tales of the three lives that are doomed. They are set in Caliphate Baghdad, Renaissance Venice, and Mythical China. In between each of these tales, a candle is shown flickering and dying out. Each candle is burned down to about one inch of wax. After seeing all this she still pleads with Death. She now cowers on her knees pleading. Death tells her to bring him a replacement.
She returns to the druggist’s home at the same time she left. A clock tells us the time before and after. She pleads with the druggist for his life. The druggist throws her out. She pleads with the bum. He shouts, “Not a day, not one hour, not one breath.” She then goes to the Inn where there is a gathering of elderly people. She pleads for their lives as a replacement for her beloved. They run away from her. A fire starts in the Inn. She overhears that a baby is still in the building after all the other people have gotten out safely. She runs into the building with the intentions to use the baby as a replacement for her beloved. When Death confronts her she hands the baby out the window and allows herself to be consumed by the fire. She has come to the conclusion that her life is not worth living anymore without her beloved. Death leads her to her lover while her body burns inside the Inn. The lovers are reunited in their ghostly forms.
Fritz Lang delivers a visually dramatic film about subject matte known to us all. His use of lighting adds greatly to the story. One day we will all know death. The contrast of bright lights and darkness, the music, and his script all aid to the haunting imagery of death.
The film begins with an iris opening up beckoning us to enter. In the background is placid music. There are black trees against a white sky. This contrast of white and black exists throughout the frames of this film, creating a sort of absolution to it all. A silhouette of a man in a cape with a cane appears. He is presented as an older man – weathered by his life. A carriage of two young lovers stops to pick up the man in the cape stern and silent. His facial bone structure is rigid. They all arrive at “A little town lost in the past.” The haunting subtitle gives us a clue to the inevitable doom.
The town dignitaries are all getting drunk at the Inn. Jolly music plays in the background. In their self-indulgent pleasure they are ignorant to the events of their surroundings. Death goes to the gravedigger and asks about the land next to the cemetery. He leases the land for ninety-nine years. Death builds a great wall with neither gate nor door around his “garden.” The dignitaries discuss the strangeness of this new member of their community. They are startled when he appears outside his wall announces that he alone knows the way in. They slowly leave.
The couple is at the Inn. Death arrives and sits down at their table. The couple drinks from the loving cup and is startled when it turns into an hourglass. The woman leaves the table to go outside and play with the cats. When she returns her sweetheart and Death are gone. The dignitaries tell her the two left together. She leaves the Inn. The town bum at the end of the stairs points the way to where they went.
There is a long shot of her walking through the town. She walks through the landscape outside of town passing an owl on his perch. The music is now drumbeats. This creates suspense. Exhausted the woman arrives at the great wall. While there she sees ghostly figures pass before her and enter through the wall. One of them is her beloved. Meanwhile the druggist has been out picking herbs and finds her collapsed by the wall. He brings her to his home to rest.
The woman has sunken eyes from her exhaustion. She discovers a book. A close-up of the book is shown revealing the statement, “Love is strong as death.” She focuses on that statement. She takes one of the druggist’s potions. She now appears on the other side of Death’s great wall. She enters through a Gothic archway to enter further into his realm. The archway is illuminated while the sides, top, and bottom is pitch black. She walks up a staircase. Death confronts her saying, “I have not summoned you.” She pleads with him for her beloved. Death takes her to a room filed with different sized candles. He tells her that her beloved’s time had come. Death shows her burned out candles and states, “These are the lives that burn out when God wishes it.” Death makes a baby appear and then disappear in front of her eyes so she can comprehend his eternal power. Violin music plays in the background offering its sympathy. She pleads with Death continuously.
Death tells the woman if she can save one of the three lights then she can have her beloved back. He knows that she can not. He shows her the tales of the three lives that are doomed. They are set in Caliphate Baghdad, Renaissance Venice, and Mythical China. In between each of these tales, a candle is shown flickering and dying out. Each candle is burned down to about one inch of wax. After seeing all this she still pleads with Death. She now cowers on her knees pleading. Death tells her to bring him a replacement.
She returns to the druggist’s home at the same time she left. A clock tells us the time before and after. She pleads with the druggist for his life. The druggist throws her out. She pleads with the bum. He shouts, “Not a day, not one hour, not one breath.” She then goes to the Inn where there is a gathering of elderly people. She pleads for their lives as a replacement for her beloved. They run away from her. A fire starts in the Inn. She overhears that a baby is still in the building after all the other people have gotten out safely. She runs into the building with the intentions to use the baby as a replacement for her beloved. When Death confronts her she hands the baby out the window and allows herself to be consumed by the fire. She has come to the conclusion that her life is not worth living anymore without her beloved. Death leads her to her lover while her body burns inside the Inn. The lovers are reunited in their ghostly forms.
Fritz Lang delivers a visually dramatic film about subject matte known to us all. His use of lighting adds greatly to the story. One day we will all know death. The contrast of bright lights and darkness, the music, and his script all aid to the haunting imagery of death.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Der Blaue Engel
Der Blaue Engel (The Blue Angel) is a German film directed by Josef von Steinberg. The film’s dramatic structure is based on the two main characters are: Professor Immanuel Rath (Emil Jennings) and Lola-Lola (Marlene Dietrich). It is a film about the slow deterioration and demise of a man (Prof. Rath) who falls in love with an entertainer (Lola-Lola) from a lower class than he.
In the beginning of the film we learn that the Professor is disrespected by his class. This is demonstrated in a scene where one student (with the aid of the others draws a fat man on the Professor’s notebook with the word, garbage. The Professor has good intentions trying to straighten his students out and therefore gain their respect. He never does either though he attempts. He goes to The Blue Angel (a dive-bar where his students go) to try to catch them and stop them from going again. In the midst of trying to set his students straight he becomes entranced with the entertainer, Lola-Lola.
Professor Rath falls in love with Lola because she supplies his emotional needs by complementing him and giving him attention. For example, there is a scene in her dressing room at her makeup table where she tells him he is a good looking man. Lola, of course, is a pro and she knows how to work things so she receives something in return for her efforts.
Professor Rath decides he wants to marry her. He defends her reputation to the school’s president and in the process gets fired. He proposes to her. She laughs at first then accepts. Lola’s laughter is the sign of worse things to come.
Rath becomes her slave. He sells her picture cards. Then he is turned into the clown. He is featured when their show goes to his hometown. This humiliates him. On the poster of Lola is also a sign stating Professor Immanuel Rath’s personal appearance. Lola manages to strip him of all his dignity while he volunteers his services to her. He is reduced to the silent, sad, clown that haunts so many of the film’s frames. We are led to believe that he too is one of Lola’s victims.
Lola takes up with Mazeppa (the strongman). Rath sees them kissing and runs after Lola. He tries to strangle her. He is captured and put into a straightjacket. He is then used as a prop in Mazeppa’s act.
Lola performs Falling in Love Again. The song mimics the narcissist tramp that she is. Lola has no conscience. She continues only to think of herself, not caring over the fate of her husband, Professor Rath.
The Professor runs away form the show, while it’s in his hometown. he goes back to the school where he once taught and enters his old classroom. He embraces the desk that was once his and dies there with his arms enfolded around his desk.
Der Blaue Engel is a disturbing film. It is an overwhelmingly sad story. It is a story about how a person’s emotions can lead them astray. It also demonstrates how one way or another a person’s emotional needs as well as their physical ones must be met. It is a story of masochism and loss.
In the beginning of the film we learn that the Professor is disrespected by his class. This is demonstrated in a scene where one student (with the aid of the others draws a fat man on the Professor’s notebook with the word, garbage. The Professor has good intentions trying to straighten his students out and therefore gain their respect. He never does either though he attempts. He goes to The Blue Angel (a dive-bar where his students go) to try to catch them and stop them from going again. In the midst of trying to set his students straight he becomes entranced with the entertainer, Lola-Lola.
Professor Rath falls in love with Lola because she supplies his emotional needs by complementing him and giving him attention. For example, there is a scene in her dressing room at her makeup table where she tells him he is a good looking man. Lola, of course, is a pro and she knows how to work things so she receives something in return for her efforts.
Professor Rath decides he wants to marry her. He defends her reputation to the school’s president and in the process gets fired. He proposes to her. She laughs at first then accepts. Lola’s laughter is the sign of worse things to come.
Rath becomes her slave. He sells her picture cards. Then he is turned into the clown. He is featured when their show goes to his hometown. This humiliates him. On the poster of Lola is also a sign stating Professor Immanuel Rath’s personal appearance. Lola manages to strip him of all his dignity while he volunteers his services to her. He is reduced to the silent, sad, clown that haunts so many of the film’s frames. We are led to believe that he too is one of Lola’s victims.
Lola takes up with Mazeppa (the strongman). Rath sees them kissing and runs after Lola. He tries to strangle her. He is captured and put into a straightjacket. He is then used as a prop in Mazeppa’s act.
Lola performs Falling in Love Again. The song mimics the narcissist tramp that she is. Lola has no conscience. She continues only to think of herself, not caring over the fate of her husband, Professor Rath.
The Professor runs away form the show, while it’s in his hometown. he goes back to the school where he once taught and enters his old classroom. He embraces the desk that was once his and dies there with his arms enfolded around his desk.
Der Blaue Engel is a disturbing film. It is an overwhelmingly sad story. It is a story about how a person’s emotions can lead them astray. It also demonstrates how one way or another a person’s emotional needs as well as their physical ones must be met. It is a story of masochism and loss.
Das Blaue Licht
Leni Riefenstahl’s Das Blaue Licht is a film of cinematic beauty. The film is based on a fictional legend of a blue light on Mount Cristallo. The legend’s heroine represents the world of ideals. She is surrounded by the harsh world of reality. I will be examining how Riefenstahl creates conflict between idealism and realism through her story, special effects, and mise-en-scene.
The story begins in a village called Santa Maria. Santa Maria is located beneath the majestic Mount Cristallo. The two main characters are Yunta (a young Italian woman) and Vigo (a Viennese artist). When there is a full moon a blue light radiates from Mount Cristallo. The blue light mesmerizes young men who climb Mount Cristallo in search of its source. These young men are in search of an ideal, which is unattainable to them. All the young men who attempt the climb fall to their deaths. Yunta is the only one able to reach the light. This is done when she is sleepwalking. In her dream state she is able to reach the ideal.
The villagers label Yunta a witch. They base their judgments on the fear of the unknown. Yunta is different, so in their realistic view, there must be something wrong with her. If none of their sons can reach the blue light then how can Yunta? She must have supernatural powers. They persecute her when she comes into town from her mountain cabin. She represents hope and the light. All they are able to fell is their despair and inability to deal with their grief.
Vigo is a newcomer to Santa Maria. He falls in love with Yunta. He is a realist also. It is absurd to him that a young peasant woman could have that much control over the lives of others. He sees her as a natural beauty that relies on her instincts. He also sees her as being untainted and pure, because she lives away from civilization. This makes him desire her more. She becomes his ideal.
One night when there is a full moon Yunta climbs Mount Cristallo and Vigo follows her. He watches how she climbs, but he finds an easier path. Realists see exactly what is there. They then access the situation, and take the easiest route. Vigo is a realist. Idealists create more of a maze so they do not tarnish the object of their desire. They are skittish. He finds Yunta in a cave covered wall to wall, top to bottom, with crystals. She immediately is fearful. He is elated with feelings of its monetary worth.
Vigo goes back to the village and shows the peasant in a drawn map how to mine the crystals. They mine the crystals with Vigo help. This takes the form of a rape of nature. Yunta’s ideal is killed by the greed of the realists. Vigo and the villagers become wealthy over their exploit and celebrate at the Inn.
Yunta suspects something is wrong and climbs Mount Cristallo. She discovers the crystals have been mined. She is devastated. The beauty of her life is gone. While descending down the mountain she loses her grip and falls to her death. Her body lands in a bed of flowers. Nature cares for her in her death as she had cared for nature in her life. She dissolves into the ideal and becomes part of its essence in her death. This symbolizes transcendence. In death, there is a smile on her face. Later, Vigo discovers her body.
Special effects are used throughout the film. Riefenstahl used negative film material to shoot some of the scenes. The effect of this is the scenes shot during the day appeared as if shot in the moonlight. The moon appears to be rising opposite to that in reality. It appears to be rising in the West and setting in the East in the film. A reversal of film would have solved the problem, but Riefenstahl decided to leave it to create a mystical effect.
Another special effect used to create the idealism of the film was a red and green filter. This was placed on the camera lens. It made the green leaves white as if they were being illuminated by the moonlight. Riefenstahl also used smoke bombs to create fog. Whenever Yunta is shot climbing the mountain, there is fog around her symbolizing her oneness with nature.
The mise-en-scene conveys to the viewer the emotions of the characters. There are several scenes that have no words, but are conveyed through camera angles and the expressions of the characters. Yunta’s ideal is shown by her fixated look as she holds a piece of crystal. There is a scene where Vigo paints a canvas of Yunta. He is speaking to her but all she can focus on is her ideal (the crystal she is holding).
The villagers’ attitudes towards Yunta are conveyed through a series of close-ups. Near the beginning of the film, Yunta goes into the village when they are in church. When she passes the priest he crosses himself as if to say only God can save her. The scowls on the faces of the women in the village are seen through the camera lens as she passes them by. Yunta has downcast eyes, which present her as an alien or outlaw to this community. She knows she is not welcomed there. When Yunta climbs the mountain she is dead center in the frame. She is the center of attention for the viewers because she is in her domain.
Das Blaue Licht retains a mythical quality form its beginning to its end. It is a fairytale. Fairytales represent the two worlds; that of idealism and realism. In the ending both achieve their own goals. In idealism when this world crushes the dream, the next world opens up to it. It is transcendence. In this world realism is rewarded, but there is no further realm to move on to. Das Blaue Licht is a visual representation of these two worlds and their consequences.
References
Borg-Pan Renata. (1980). Leni Riefenstahl. Boston, MA: Twayne Publishers.
Giannetti, Louis. (1999). Understanding Movies. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
The story begins in a village called Santa Maria. Santa Maria is located beneath the majestic Mount Cristallo. The two main characters are Yunta (a young Italian woman) and Vigo (a Viennese artist). When there is a full moon a blue light radiates from Mount Cristallo. The blue light mesmerizes young men who climb Mount Cristallo in search of its source. These young men are in search of an ideal, which is unattainable to them. All the young men who attempt the climb fall to their deaths. Yunta is the only one able to reach the light. This is done when she is sleepwalking. In her dream state she is able to reach the ideal.
The villagers label Yunta a witch. They base their judgments on the fear of the unknown. Yunta is different, so in their realistic view, there must be something wrong with her. If none of their sons can reach the blue light then how can Yunta? She must have supernatural powers. They persecute her when she comes into town from her mountain cabin. She represents hope and the light. All they are able to fell is their despair and inability to deal with their grief.
Vigo is a newcomer to Santa Maria. He falls in love with Yunta. He is a realist also. It is absurd to him that a young peasant woman could have that much control over the lives of others. He sees her as a natural beauty that relies on her instincts. He also sees her as being untainted and pure, because she lives away from civilization. This makes him desire her more. She becomes his ideal.
One night when there is a full moon Yunta climbs Mount Cristallo and Vigo follows her. He watches how she climbs, but he finds an easier path. Realists see exactly what is there. They then access the situation, and take the easiest route. Vigo is a realist. Idealists create more of a maze so they do not tarnish the object of their desire. They are skittish. He finds Yunta in a cave covered wall to wall, top to bottom, with crystals. She immediately is fearful. He is elated with feelings of its monetary worth.
Vigo goes back to the village and shows the peasant in a drawn map how to mine the crystals. They mine the crystals with Vigo help. This takes the form of a rape of nature. Yunta’s ideal is killed by the greed of the realists. Vigo and the villagers become wealthy over their exploit and celebrate at the Inn.
Yunta suspects something is wrong and climbs Mount Cristallo. She discovers the crystals have been mined. She is devastated. The beauty of her life is gone. While descending down the mountain she loses her grip and falls to her death. Her body lands in a bed of flowers. Nature cares for her in her death as she had cared for nature in her life. She dissolves into the ideal and becomes part of its essence in her death. This symbolizes transcendence. In death, there is a smile on her face. Later, Vigo discovers her body.
Special effects are used throughout the film. Riefenstahl used negative film material to shoot some of the scenes. The effect of this is the scenes shot during the day appeared as if shot in the moonlight. The moon appears to be rising opposite to that in reality. It appears to be rising in the West and setting in the East in the film. A reversal of film would have solved the problem, but Riefenstahl decided to leave it to create a mystical effect.
Another special effect used to create the idealism of the film was a red and green filter. This was placed on the camera lens. It made the green leaves white as if they were being illuminated by the moonlight. Riefenstahl also used smoke bombs to create fog. Whenever Yunta is shot climbing the mountain, there is fog around her symbolizing her oneness with nature.
The mise-en-scene conveys to the viewer the emotions of the characters. There are several scenes that have no words, but are conveyed through camera angles and the expressions of the characters. Yunta’s ideal is shown by her fixated look as she holds a piece of crystal. There is a scene where Vigo paints a canvas of Yunta. He is speaking to her but all she can focus on is her ideal (the crystal she is holding).
The villagers’ attitudes towards Yunta are conveyed through a series of close-ups. Near the beginning of the film, Yunta goes into the village when they are in church. When she passes the priest he crosses himself as if to say only God can save her. The scowls on the faces of the women in the village are seen through the camera lens as she passes them by. Yunta has downcast eyes, which present her as an alien or outlaw to this community. She knows she is not welcomed there. When Yunta climbs the mountain she is dead center in the frame. She is the center of attention for the viewers because she is in her domain.
Das Blaue Licht retains a mythical quality form its beginning to its end. It is a fairytale. Fairytales represent the two worlds; that of idealism and realism. In the ending both achieve their own goals. In idealism when this world crushes the dream, the next world opens up to it. It is transcendence. In this world realism is rewarded, but there is no further realm to move on to. Das Blaue Licht is a visual representation of these two worlds and their consequences.
References
Borg-Pan Renata. (1980). Leni Riefenstahl. Boston, MA: Twayne Publishers.
Giannetti, Louis. (1999). Understanding Movies. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror
F.W. Murnau employs several cinematic elements in his film, Nosferatu, to enhance the evilness of the vampire. These elements include: camera, lighting, mise-en-scene, and editing. Each one interacts with the other to contribute to the horror of Nosferatu.
Murnau emphasized Nosferatu’s height and arched back by using a low camera angle. The vampire seems more monstrous, awkward and gruesome by using this angle. At times Nosferatu was not directly filmed. Rather they used his shadow to present a more sinister evil which is forbidden. This leads the audience to fear him more. Nosferatu is too evil even to show.
Murnau used an iris. The iris opened in the light or when Thomas (in all his innocence) was shown. It closed when Nosferatu (evil) was to come or when night had fallen. He used negative footage for the forests and animals to give it more of a mystic feel. This enhanced the feel of Nosferatu’s magical power.
The whole frame is used simultaneously. There is action in the foreground, middle, and background. For example, Helen looks out the window in the foreground of the frame. There is a funeral procession taking place in the middle and the background of the same frame. These are all the vampire’s victims.
The frames are edited in order which allows us to comprehend the evilness of Nosferatu. While the story is being told frames are stuck in between to make us realize his demonic qualities. The frames include the footage of the beasts running, the Venus fly trap (vampire of the vegetable kingdom), and various frames of sentences such as; “Man does not know the dangers that beasts can sense at times.”
In Nosferatu references are given to us of as to how Germans felt about World War I. The scene where the rats are bringing the black plague to the ship and Bremen is an example. Death is everywhere. People close the shutters to keep it out, but it seeps through. This is a fatalistic view. Also the Aristocratic class became outcasts like Nosferatu. They were no longer accommodated, because all Germans were trying to piece their lives back together. They could no longer be tolerated either, because of their persistent desire to be recognized as the elite. They were forced to be grounded.
Nosferatu will remain a classic. It represents a time of despair. We can only imagine the devotion involved in making the film. The artistic talent and imagination has now been replaced by technology and commercialism. It leaves one to question if these are advancements.
Murnau emphasized Nosferatu’s height and arched back by using a low camera angle. The vampire seems more monstrous, awkward and gruesome by using this angle. At times Nosferatu was not directly filmed. Rather they used his shadow to present a more sinister evil which is forbidden. This leads the audience to fear him more. Nosferatu is too evil even to show.
Murnau used an iris. The iris opened in the light or when Thomas (in all his innocence) was shown. It closed when Nosferatu (evil) was to come or when night had fallen. He used negative footage for the forests and animals to give it more of a mystic feel. This enhanced the feel of Nosferatu’s magical power.
The whole frame is used simultaneously. There is action in the foreground, middle, and background. For example, Helen looks out the window in the foreground of the frame. There is a funeral procession taking place in the middle and the background of the same frame. These are all the vampire’s victims.
The frames are edited in order which allows us to comprehend the evilness of Nosferatu. While the story is being told frames are stuck in between to make us realize his demonic qualities. The frames include the footage of the beasts running, the Venus fly trap (vampire of the vegetable kingdom), and various frames of sentences such as; “Man does not know the dangers that beasts can sense at times.”
In Nosferatu references are given to us of as to how Germans felt about World War I. The scene where the rats are bringing the black plague to the ship and Bremen is an example. Death is everywhere. People close the shutters to keep it out, but it seeps through. This is a fatalistic view. Also the Aristocratic class became outcasts like Nosferatu. They were no longer accommodated, because all Germans were trying to piece their lives back together. They could no longer be tolerated either, because of their persistent desire to be recognized as the elite. They were forced to be grounded.
Nosferatu will remain a classic. It represents a time of despair. We can only imagine the devotion involved in making the film. The artistic talent and imagination has now been replaced by technology and commercialism. It leaves one to question if these are advancements.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Fannie and Alexander
Ingmar Bergman’s film Fannie and Alexander is paradoxical. Part one of the movie shows us the dysfunctional Eckdahl family in which Fannie and Alexander are born to. They have loose morals, are artsy, and loving towards their children. Part two of the movie shows us the hypocritical, Vergerus family who is sterile, rigidly disciplined, and aggressively cruel towards the children all in the name of God. It is a contrast between light and dark, which both families seem to embody. Each has their earthly and spiritual sides.
The father of Fannie and Alexander is Oscar Eckdahl. He is pale and out of breath often. It is stated that he works too hard at what he loves, which is the theatre. His mother Helena expresses concern about his health to his wife Emily. He eventually dies playing Hamlet’s ghost and he becomes a ghost to his son Alexander. Oscar’s ghostly appearance is out of concern for his children. His spirit is weighed down by this earthly concern and cannot pass on until his worries are put to rest.
Alexander sees his father’s ghost. At first he is comforted by it then he is annoyed. In his despair over the Bishop’s cruelty towards him and Fannie he asks his father why he can not just go to God and ask that he kill the Bishop. Alexander tells his father to move on that he can not help them right now. He tells Oscar to go to heaven and get help. Alexander deals with his present abusive life through escapism and lies. Or rather are they lies or just premonitions of what the truth is? Can you call it black when it could be white? Is it just in the interpretation of the audience?
Ingmar Bergman further leads us on this questioning journey to another crossroad, which presents itself as Ismael. He is by far the most interesting character in this film. Ismael is the glimmering light in the darkness and he is considered dangerous. This is a paradox. For Ismael is the savior-he is the saving grace. Ingmar Bergman is saying to us if you do not understand what I am trying to convey in this film yet, here is more of a clue. I see it as a flaming sword. Ismael’s danger is that he possesses a secret metaphysical knowledge. He is able to read minds, change signatures, and perhaps alter a chain of life’s events by seeing through another person’s eyes. He appears feminine, but is introduced to us as Isaac’s nephew. Ingmar Bergman might have been stating that women are more in tune with this sort of knowledge.
Alexander is led to Ismael’s room by Aron (Ismael’s brother). Ismael requests a longer visit with Alexander sensing his despair and urgency. He places his hands on the boy’s temples and sees into his mind. Ismael sees his fears and desires. Alexander’s desires center on the Bishop’s death. Is it by Ismael’s powers or did Oscar go to God for help to cause the Bishop’s death? All this would be an end if it were not for the Bishop’s ghost appearing to Alexander in the corridor one night. He knocks Alexander down to discipline him even in death.
The doors of perception are open to the audience. It is the theatre of the mind. Ingmar Bergman sets the stage and gives us clues but we are left to decide for ourselves. Are our decisions based on our own spiritual beliefs or on our fears of a parallel metaphysical universe that merges with ours at times? Can our desires be fulfilled just by wanting them badly enough? Or is it a convergence of the paradox turning into a tornado that brings about the change?
The father of Fannie and Alexander is Oscar Eckdahl. He is pale and out of breath often. It is stated that he works too hard at what he loves, which is the theatre. His mother Helena expresses concern about his health to his wife Emily. He eventually dies playing Hamlet’s ghost and he becomes a ghost to his son Alexander. Oscar’s ghostly appearance is out of concern for his children. His spirit is weighed down by this earthly concern and cannot pass on until his worries are put to rest.
Alexander sees his father’s ghost. At first he is comforted by it then he is annoyed. In his despair over the Bishop’s cruelty towards him and Fannie he asks his father why he can not just go to God and ask that he kill the Bishop. Alexander tells his father to move on that he can not help them right now. He tells Oscar to go to heaven and get help. Alexander deals with his present abusive life through escapism and lies. Or rather are they lies or just premonitions of what the truth is? Can you call it black when it could be white? Is it just in the interpretation of the audience?
Ingmar Bergman further leads us on this questioning journey to another crossroad, which presents itself as Ismael. He is by far the most interesting character in this film. Ismael is the glimmering light in the darkness and he is considered dangerous. This is a paradox. For Ismael is the savior-he is the saving grace. Ingmar Bergman is saying to us if you do not understand what I am trying to convey in this film yet, here is more of a clue. I see it as a flaming sword. Ismael’s danger is that he possesses a secret metaphysical knowledge. He is able to read minds, change signatures, and perhaps alter a chain of life’s events by seeing through another person’s eyes. He appears feminine, but is introduced to us as Isaac’s nephew. Ingmar Bergman might have been stating that women are more in tune with this sort of knowledge.
Alexander is led to Ismael’s room by Aron (Ismael’s brother). Ismael requests a longer visit with Alexander sensing his despair and urgency. He places his hands on the boy’s temples and sees into his mind. Ismael sees his fears and desires. Alexander’s desires center on the Bishop’s death. Is it by Ismael’s powers or did Oscar go to God for help to cause the Bishop’s death? All this would be an end if it were not for the Bishop’s ghost appearing to Alexander in the corridor one night. He knocks Alexander down to discipline him even in death.
The doors of perception are open to the audience. It is the theatre of the mind. Ingmar Bergman sets the stage and gives us clues but we are left to decide for ourselves. Are our decisions based on our own spiritual beliefs or on our fears of a parallel metaphysical universe that merges with ours at times? Can our desires be fulfilled just by wanting them badly enough? Or is it a convergence of the paradox turning into a tornado that brings about the change?
La Bete Humaine
La Bete Humaine (The Human Beast) is a film directed by Jean Renoir based on one of Emile Zola’s novels. This film was first released in 1938. The film stars Jean Gabin as Jacques Lantier, the train engineer who struggles on the edge of madness. Simone Simon stars as Severine Roubaud who is his lover. She is also married. The film brings Emile Zola’s novel to life through its dispassionate speed. We sense the urgency in the film by the speeding train which is captured in several frames, yet we also sense that the fate of the characters is beyond their control. It is in their nature to act as they have.
The film begins with a close up shot on the train’s engine. It is a scene of a blazing fire. For this to be the first shot in the film we can only guess that the main characters will experience this fire in terms of violence or disruption in their lives. We then are introduced to Jacques Lantier and his assistant, Pecqueux who are running the train. Rapidly in a succession of edits we are brought outside the speeding train focused on the wheels, then to the tracks ahead, and back into the train. This is repeated so we get the feeling of the immense speed they are traveling and the danger.
The film is shot in natural daylight with extra lights to illuminate the faces of the characters. In the scene where Jacques goes to visit his godmother, her face looks very bright. This may be to symbolize the intimate knowledge she has of his illness.
Jacques Lantier teeters on the edge of madness. We witness his madness when he visits his godmother’s daughter, Flora. While Flora and he are embraced he suffers a blackout and starts to strangle her. Only does he loosen his grip when a loud train passes by. It appears that trains offer some comfort to his madness. This may be because the danger and speed they exhibit is parallel to the disturbances in his brain.
We first meet Severine Roubaud in the film while she is in front of a bright window holding a fluffy white cat. The look on her face is that of a soft femme fatale. She has full knowledge of her beauty but uses it over men in a cute, helpless manipulating manner. Cats symbolize mystique so we can assume that the cat is symbolic of her personality and there will be surprises concerning her in the film.
Jacques and Severine meet and he is so smitten by her he covers for her and her husband after witnessing the murder they commit. Throughout Jacques and Severine’s affair they are encased in darkness. The darkness represents how forbidden, dangerous and hopeless the affair is. Only when the husband, Roubaud, acknowledges the affair to his wife do we next see the lovers bathed in light. We sense the absence of secrecy and acceptance through the lighting. Murder is proposed by Jacques to Severine to end the nuisance of her husband forever. She agrees on that solution. We next see the lovers in darkness again. The sinister plot has thrown them back into hell and its darkness.
Renoir places his characters carefully in each of the frames. An example of this is while the lovers are in bed together they confess personal details of their lives to one another. When Jacques is confessing he is on top in the frame and while she is confessing she is on top. This is symbolic of dominance.
The film begins with a close up shot on the train’s engine. It is a scene of a blazing fire. For this to be the first shot in the film we can only guess that the main characters will experience this fire in terms of violence or disruption in their lives. We then are introduced to Jacques Lantier and his assistant, Pecqueux who are running the train. Rapidly in a succession of edits we are brought outside the speeding train focused on the wheels, then to the tracks ahead, and back into the train. This is repeated so we get the feeling of the immense speed they are traveling and the danger.
The film is shot in natural daylight with extra lights to illuminate the faces of the characters. In the scene where Jacques goes to visit his godmother, her face looks very bright. This may be to symbolize the intimate knowledge she has of his illness.
Jacques Lantier teeters on the edge of madness. We witness his madness when he visits his godmother’s daughter, Flora. While Flora and he are embraced he suffers a blackout and starts to strangle her. Only does he loosen his grip when a loud train passes by. It appears that trains offer some comfort to his madness. This may be because the danger and speed they exhibit is parallel to the disturbances in his brain.
We first meet Severine Roubaud in the film while she is in front of a bright window holding a fluffy white cat. The look on her face is that of a soft femme fatale. She has full knowledge of her beauty but uses it over men in a cute, helpless manipulating manner. Cats symbolize mystique so we can assume that the cat is symbolic of her personality and there will be surprises concerning her in the film.
Jacques and Severine meet and he is so smitten by her he covers for her and her husband after witnessing the murder they commit. Throughout Jacques and Severine’s affair they are encased in darkness. The darkness represents how forbidden, dangerous and hopeless the affair is. Only when the husband, Roubaud, acknowledges the affair to his wife do we next see the lovers bathed in light. We sense the absence of secrecy and acceptance through the lighting. Murder is proposed by Jacques to Severine to end the nuisance of her husband forever. She agrees on that solution. We next see the lovers in darkness again. The sinister plot has thrown them back into hell and its darkness.
Renoir places his characters carefully in each of the frames. An example of this is while the lovers are in bed together they confess personal details of their lives to one another. When Jacques is confessing he is on top in the frame and while she is confessing she is on top. This is symbolic of dominance.
Stanno Tutti Bene
Stanno Tutti Bene, (Everybody’s Fine), is a film directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. The film was released in 1990, which was two years after his award-winning film, Nuovo Cinema Paradiso. Stanno Tutti Bene’s main character is Matteo Scuro, who is played by Marcello Mastroianni. He is a seventy-four year old widower, who talks aloud to his dead wife, Angela. He sets out from his home in Sicily, Italy to visit his five children who are scattered throughout the mainland Italy. His children have failed to come to Sicily this year where he has rented five bungalows for them by the coast. He would like to have all his children around his dinner table again for just one night. He named his children all after opera characters. Their names are: Guglielmo, Alvara, Norma, Tosca, and Canio. The theme of this film is loneliness in modern Italy. Tornatore uses a blue-filter, mise-en-scene, and dialogue to convey the theme of loneliness. I will show how each of these contributes to the theme of this film.
Tornatore uses a blue filter to represent the theme of loneliness. The first set of frames that he uses a blue filter on is the ballroom scene. Matteo goes on a day trip with other senior citizens, which begins on the coast and ends in a ballroom. We sense loneliness as they waltz around the blue-lit ballroom. Even the dialogue fills us in on their isolation. Matteo gets winded and his dancing partner helps him to a seat at a table. There she tells him about her children and how they have placed her in a nursing home. She states that they have grown apart from her. Close-ups of their faces allow us to see their sadness. The blue filter and music heightens our sympathy for these two characters.
The second time the blue filter is used is after Matteo leaves his daughter’s Norma’s house and wanders through the blue night with his suitcase in hand. He has just overheard Norma’s husband say that he wished Matteo would leave. He looks forlorn in the darkness as he waits for a train to come along. A homeless man, who is trying to sleep in a cardboard box, calls to him. He tells Matteo that the train will not come till the morning and points to a cardboard box where he can sleep. The homeless man represents loneliness. There in the blue-lit darkness of a cardboard box we see Matteo’s face and glasses close-up. He looks vulnerable as he whistles. He hallucinates that his children are standing before him.
Matteo first sees his daughter Norma as a little girl as she comes out of a blue mist. She approaches Matteo and reveals her secret, which is that she does not live with her husband anymore. Then he hears several whistles as each of his other four children appear in the mist and approach him. They all reveal their secrets to him except for Alvara, who appears only in flashbacks because he died before the time in which the story takes place. All during these blue-filtered frames Matteo is peering out at them from his cardboard box.
Mise-en-scene and dialogue are both used to convey loneliness in the dinner scene. Matteo manages to get Guglielmo and Canio together to have dinner with him at a restaurant. He has a table set for all his children, but they are the only ones to come. We view them from the end of the table, which appears ten feet away causing us to feel Matteo’s desperation. Guglielmo and Canio tell Matteo that Alvara committed suicide by rowing out to sea, where he died. We see the back of Matteo’s head and his sons’ profiles, but are not brought forward to see Matteo’s expression until they finish. In defiance, Matteo scolds them for believing such nonsense. He says that he does not believe that anyone can die of loneliness in modern Italy. It is inconceivable to him because there are telephones, computers, and mass transit. The audience is left in amazement, because it is so apparent that Matteo is lonely. How can it be inconceivable to him that a person could die of loneliness?
In the final scene, we see Matteo at Angela’s grave. We are shown a close-up of her tomb, which contains a photograph of her. Matteo tells Angela that the kids “are just fine”. He kisses his hand and places the kisses on her photograph as if she were fragile. This scene shows us how lonely Matteo is without his wife. He has chosen not to move on.
Tornatore’s film, Stanno Tutti Bene, takes us on a journey with a lonely, yet proud older man. We feel his loneliness through the blue filters. These are his blue moods. The mise-en-scene allows us to see his sadness through the camera lens and the dialogue haunts us. In this modern world, with all of its technology, are we just increasing our distance to each other? Let us hope not.
Tornatore uses a blue filter to represent the theme of loneliness. The first set of frames that he uses a blue filter on is the ballroom scene. Matteo goes on a day trip with other senior citizens, which begins on the coast and ends in a ballroom. We sense loneliness as they waltz around the blue-lit ballroom. Even the dialogue fills us in on their isolation. Matteo gets winded and his dancing partner helps him to a seat at a table. There she tells him about her children and how they have placed her in a nursing home. She states that they have grown apart from her. Close-ups of their faces allow us to see their sadness. The blue filter and music heightens our sympathy for these two characters.
The second time the blue filter is used is after Matteo leaves his daughter’s Norma’s house and wanders through the blue night with his suitcase in hand. He has just overheard Norma’s husband say that he wished Matteo would leave. He looks forlorn in the darkness as he waits for a train to come along. A homeless man, who is trying to sleep in a cardboard box, calls to him. He tells Matteo that the train will not come till the morning and points to a cardboard box where he can sleep. The homeless man represents loneliness. There in the blue-lit darkness of a cardboard box we see Matteo’s face and glasses close-up. He looks vulnerable as he whistles. He hallucinates that his children are standing before him.
Matteo first sees his daughter Norma as a little girl as she comes out of a blue mist. She approaches Matteo and reveals her secret, which is that she does not live with her husband anymore. Then he hears several whistles as each of his other four children appear in the mist and approach him. They all reveal their secrets to him except for Alvara, who appears only in flashbacks because he died before the time in which the story takes place. All during these blue-filtered frames Matteo is peering out at them from his cardboard box.
Mise-en-scene and dialogue are both used to convey loneliness in the dinner scene. Matteo manages to get Guglielmo and Canio together to have dinner with him at a restaurant. He has a table set for all his children, but they are the only ones to come. We view them from the end of the table, which appears ten feet away causing us to feel Matteo’s desperation. Guglielmo and Canio tell Matteo that Alvara committed suicide by rowing out to sea, where he died. We see the back of Matteo’s head and his sons’ profiles, but are not brought forward to see Matteo’s expression until they finish. In defiance, Matteo scolds them for believing such nonsense. He says that he does not believe that anyone can die of loneliness in modern Italy. It is inconceivable to him because there are telephones, computers, and mass transit. The audience is left in amazement, because it is so apparent that Matteo is lonely. How can it be inconceivable to him that a person could die of loneliness?
In the final scene, we see Matteo at Angela’s grave. We are shown a close-up of her tomb, which contains a photograph of her. Matteo tells Angela that the kids “are just fine”. He kisses his hand and places the kisses on her photograph as if she were fragile. This scene shows us how lonely Matteo is without his wife. He has chosen not to move on.
Tornatore’s film, Stanno Tutti Bene, takes us on a journey with a lonely, yet proud older man. We feel his loneliness through the blue filters. These are his blue moods. The mise-en-scene allows us to see his sadness through the camera lens and the dialogue haunts us. In this modern world, with all of its technology, are we just increasing our distance to each other? Let us hope not.
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