The oldest daughter in Lanthimos’ Dogtooth, cracking her canine tooth out with a hammer so she can be free. Shocking, horrifying, strangely empowering.
Fascinating stuff for someone who enjoys but is not well-versed in film. Want to watch this. One scene that always stuck with me, from Wild at Heart, my favorite Nicholas Cage, is the dazed young woman who survives the horrible car wreck and is upset that she can’t find her purse. This may be a generational thing—when I was a teen there were a number of such tragic car wrecks.
That was a riveting scene. I want to see more of that in cinema. People doing human things, being themselves. We learn so much about them through that, we see ourselves in that, because it's what we do too.
Terrible quality, but this scene from La Cité des enfants perdus is spectacular and shows the city and the people in it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKCjRHhjVhE. The film and game have haunted me since childhood.
The opening to Harold & Maude. The first one that came to mind. Certainly this incredible opening gets our attention — and the film turns out to be as life-affirming as is possible in a wonderfully morbid way.
I write songs, and appreciate the lifetime of effort required to create an “effortless” moment... crafting spontaneity. Thanks for your wonderful insights!
Again, so much of what you say applies to good writing--drawing in the reader visually and emotionally and not letting go, though these techniques of film and writing fiction can also fail if not in the hands of a master. I know some very well-known writers, who can't get a character out of a room because of overindulging themselves in needless description. They forget that no matter how beautiful their prose is, we read most fiction because we fall in love with or hate certain characters, and we want to see those characters DO something.
I think a scene that does it all perfectly is the tastefully done sex scene between Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie in Don't Look Now, where the complexities of a couple losing a child plays out in an act of love with Venice as the backdrop.
You'll have to watch the movie to see it, which you won't regret because everything works seamlessly in it and raises the horror/thriller genre to new heights.
Good filmmaking is first of all good writing to be fair. Amazing directing won’t save a poor story, while even poorly directed, an amazing story will hit people.
Writers in film are not as appreciated as in the literary world. Of course a lot of directors are also writers, but in film, it’s the cult of the director first.
Personally, I worship story above everything. That’s why I love film, novels, theatre. The only medium where I feel like story almost always sucks, is video game somehow.
Well put, and probably each work in each genre has to be judged by what it's trying to do, and not what we want it to do. When I edited a literary journal, the only time I took issue with one of my reviewers is when they criticized a book because it wasn't doing what THEY wanted it to do, even if the book was purposely working against their expectations. Sorry to sound so professorial.
No, I understand what you mean very well. That's exactly why knowing how to write or make a movie doesn't mean that one knows to give feedback and help someone with their work. Those skills don't necessarily go hand in hand.
wonderfull stuff. That's how I like to characterize my characters in short fiction stories. the fact that the actor committed suicide at such a young age reinforces what you describe and ties us even more to the character
Writing a film script is the ultimate show over tell. Unless you have a voice over narrator, it's really only visual and even if you decide to voice over, it's hard to convey stuff through words.
Great analysis. I got this kind of feeling from one of the opening scenes in inglorious basterds: where Christophe waltz character is trying to catch the hiding family.
It's best to watch normally first, feel or not feel anything and then wonder why. Make a coffee and go back and try and figure out what happens. At least that's how I do it :)
The oldest daughter in Lanthimos’ Dogtooth, cracking her canine tooth out with a hammer so she can be free. Shocking, horrifying, strangely empowering.
Yes, that's a great film
Fascinating stuff for someone who enjoys but is not well-versed in film. Want to watch this. One scene that always stuck with me, from Wild at Heart, my favorite Nicholas Cage, is the dazed young woman who survives the horrible car wreck and is upset that she can’t find her purse. This may be a generational thing—when I was a teen there were a number of such tragic car wrecks.
Ah yes, I love that film. I can't remember it in detail somehow, but I do remember loving it.
I LOVE your description of Patrick Dewaere’s Franck. It’s perfect!
💕
That was a riveting scene. I want to see more of that in cinema. People doing human things, being themselves. We learn so much about them through that, we see ourselves in that, because it's what we do too.
Terrible quality, but this scene from La Cité des enfants perdus is spectacular and shows the city and the people in it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sKCjRHhjVhE. The film and game have haunted me since childhood.
Thanks that's perfect I'll check
The opening to Harold & Maude. The first one that came to mind. Certainly this incredible opening gets our attention — and the film turns out to be as life-affirming as is possible in a wonderfully morbid way.
https://youtu.be/vrheOxGiUBc?si=RIMMKS1ds0oVJWlH
Thanks, I loved Harold & Maude, and can't quite remember it so well. Must check
I write songs, and appreciate the lifetime of effort required to create an “effortless” moment... crafting spontaneity. Thanks for your wonderful insights!
Thx Joshua
Again, so much of what you say applies to good writing--drawing in the reader visually and emotionally and not letting go, though these techniques of film and writing fiction can also fail if not in the hands of a master. I know some very well-known writers, who can't get a character out of a room because of overindulging themselves in needless description. They forget that no matter how beautiful their prose is, we read most fiction because we fall in love with or hate certain characters, and we want to see those characters DO something.
I think a scene that does it all perfectly is the tastefully done sex scene between Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie in Don't Look Now, where the complexities of a couple losing a child plays out in an act of love with Venice as the backdrop.
You'll have to watch the movie to see it, which you won't regret because everything works seamlessly in it and raises the horror/thriller genre to new heights.
Good filmmaking is first of all good writing to be fair. Amazing directing won’t save a poor story, while even poorly directed, an amazing story will hit people.
Writers in film are not as appreciated as in the literary world. Of course a lot of directors are also writers, but in film, it’s the cult of the director first.
Personally, I worship story above everything. That’s why I love film, novels, theatre. The only medium where I feel like story almost always sucks, is video game somehow.
Story over character?
I see character as part of story. There is no good story without great characters, and the opposite is also true. A story is someone’s.
In fact, I think I’m a complete story nerd, it’s really something that I can talk about forever.
Well put, and probably each work in each genre has to be judged by what it's trying to do, and not what we want it to do. When I edited a literary journal, the only time I took issue with one of my reviewers is when they criticized a book because it wasn't doing what THEY wanted it to do, even if the book was purposely working against their expectations. Sorry to sound so professorial.
No, I understand what you mean very well. That's exactly why knowing how to write or make a movie doesn't mean that one knows to give feedback and help someone with their work. Those skills don't necessarily go hand in hand.
I’m up for more of this. I prefer older films, and I’m interested in discussion about how film language works
Also-- just watched the trailer. This film looks good-- I read the book years ago--
The film is great, but yeah. Pretty dark stuff. I love 70s films, they were all so dark :)
wonderfull stuff. That's how I like to characterize my characters in short fiction stories. the fact that the actor committed suicide at such a young age reinforces what you describe and ties us even more to the character
Mhmmm... I love "show over tell".
Thank you.
This is fascinating learning for me.
Writing a film script is the ultimate show over tell. Unless you have a voice over narrator, it's really only visual and even if you decide to voice over, it's hard to convey stuff through words.
Great analysis. I got this kind of feeling from one of the opening scenes in inglorious basterds: where Christophe waltz character is trying to catch the hiding family.
By far the best scene in that film.
I'm still looking for Enfant Terrible
Angelique's husband. The lame guy. Burned at the stake. I found out it was Louis the xiv/
Serie Noire I can't get the whole movie. Just a preview.
You name the films and I will watch them.
I want to watch them in the prospective of the director/photographers 'eye'
It's best to watch normally first, feel or not feel anything and then wonder why. Make a coffee and go back and try and figure out what happens. At least that's how I do it :)
I was just going to ask what did they drag her husband into court for?
Whose husband?