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Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner - Analysis
Throughout the movie, camera distance consisted of medium close-up shots, medium shots, and medium-long shots that display multiple people in conversation and their expressions. Also, most of the scenes consisted of hard low-key lighting, which emphasis the severe tone of the movie and shows all the wrinkles and blemishes of the characters. An example of this is at the end of the film, when Matt Drayton is accepting John and Joey's love. An old a serious-looking Matt was explaining his approval of the interracial marriage.
At the beginning and end of the movie, there was non-diegetic intro and outro music that took over the sound of the film completely. An example of this is at the beginning when John and Joey are talking and leaving the airport; you can't hear any dialog or background noise of the airport.
Taxi Driver (1976)
Taxi Driver Analysis
Sound in this movie had a big roll in setting the mood of each scene. There was a lot of non diegetic monologue and music; the music provided the atmosphere while the monologue explained more about the plot. An example of this is at the end of the gunfight scene when loud dramatic music is playing while all of the blood, bodies, and guns are being shown to the audience.
The cinematography throughout the movie was jarring for the most part. The film mainly consisted of short clips, whether it was back to back dialogue or a casual drive in the taxi. An example of this is when Travis had his hand in his jacket during the end of the campaign rally. At that moment, it cut to a different angle of Travis pulling out the gun; then the camera turned around to the Secret Service members' reaction. A different perspective was used to show Travis changing his mind, then running away from the Secret Service members. Overall, making that one moment of the movie feels extremely fast-paced.
Psycho (1960)
Psycho Analysis
Cinematography and lighting of the film are well done; because of the angle of the camera and shadows cast by the light, it's hard to tell that Norman is the murderer dressed up as his mother. In the two murder scenes, you can only make out the female hairstyle and feminine clothing of an older woman, making the audience assume that Norman's mom is the murderer.
The use of non-diegetic music throughout the movie adds immersion and suspense to what's happening in the scene. An example of this was when Arbogast was murdered in the house, for the last few minutes of that scene, suspenseful music was played, adding into the build-up. All of a sudden, the music becomes loud and intense, similarly to the action in the scene. It's even used to share the emotional energy of characters to the audience. This is felt when Marion is trying to leave the city with the money she's stolen. You can feel the rush of anxiety that Marion is experiencing as she locked eyes with her boss. This moment along with the fast and loud music playing, expresses the "oh no" moment Marion is having.
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
The Wizard of Oz Analysis
The Wizard of Oz has many fantastic components that immerse you in the story of the film. Long and smooth shots of singing, dancing, and action fill the film. Examples of long and smooth shots are when Scarecrow and Tinman sing and dance in their musical numbers.
Editing was smooth and crisp during action scenes; an example of this is when the gang is getting chased by the Wicked Witch and her men in the castle. Another example of smooth transitioning was when the film changed from black and white to color. Which we realized at the end had some deeper meaning to it, it was the transition of Dorothy from the real world (black and white) to the dream world (color).
Another component that stood out was sound, of course. The movie had a lot of non-diegetic music playing in the background, which gave a specific tempo that matched the scene. An example of this is when the army of flying monkeys was attacking Dorothy and the gang. The music became very dramatic and loud when Dorothy and Toto were taken away. Another aspect of the sound that stood out to me was the mixture of specific sound effects occurring in musical numbers, making the viewer feel immersed in the context of the song. An example of this is in "Somewhere Over the Rainbow," as Dorothy was singing a part "birds fly over the rainbow," you can hear birds chirping in the background.
Double Indemnity (1944)
Double Indemnity Analysis
The significance of Double Indemnity is it portrays characteristics of a film noir. One of the critical attributes of a film noir that is seen in Double Indemnity is dark and angular cinematography. In the scene where Walter shot Phyllis, the room was dark with heavy shadows that cast onto Walter; just a moment before Walter killed Phyllis, the angle of the camera was looking down at Phyllis over Walter's shoulder.
Another characteristic found Double Indemnity is the mise-en-scene matches other film noirs. The era is between the 1930s and 1950s in a city, which is recognized by the apparel and locations in the movie. The mise-en-scene is a dark and layered atmosphere that relates to the menacing plot; for example, when Walter kills Mr. Dietrichson, Phyllis turns onto a dark side road, beeps the horn three times, signaling Walter to choke Mr. Dietrichson to death. A lot is happening in that scene, which is not giving the audience a chance to think about it.
Citizen Kane (1941)
Citizen Kane Analysis
Citizen Kane has incredible cinematic components built around an amazing story. The film is filled with non diegetic music that expresses the tone of a particular scene; also used in transitional moments, fading between scenes. For example, when Walter Thatcher is reading the newspaper headlines managed by Charlie Kane, the music is loud and fast, expressing how ridiculous the headlines are.
The camera work and editing throughout the movie is quite smooth. The fade in and out between scenes, long shots, and smooth point of view transitions really make this film feel unique for the era it was released in. For example, during the scene when Charlie's mother was finalizing the deal with Mr. Thatcher, there was an extremely long shot that covered a good chunk of space and time; the movement of the camera during this scene was extremely smooth.
Laura (1944)
Laura Analysis - Jacob Howard
The film was well built with outstanding qualities to match. The overall feel of the movie was centered around a very abnormal and mysterious murder case, which gave it the feeling of suspenseful, dramatic, and passionately driven 1940s' style murder mystery. Through out the movie, the murderer could've honestly been anyone they mentioned in my mind. Biggest reason for that is everyone was love driven, which in that case, made it extremely difficult to have no doubts who the murderer is. Adding into the suspense of the movie. The wardrobe and vocabulary used in the movie really pronounced the time it was based in, the business suits and use of words like "Dame".
The cinematography was geared towards wide angle shots of everyone in a scene, which showed distinguishing body language and noticeable facial expressions. The use of close up facial shots were only used in a few cases to pronounce overwhelming feeling and expressions characters were feeling at the time. Editing was mainly the same camera angle for a long period of time. To add a certain focus or feeling of transition, the camera would zoom in and out depending on who was involved in the conversation. For example, when Laura and Shelby were talking in the kitchen at a party, the camera zoomed in when the conversation changed to only Laura and Shelby were talking.
The movie had a good mix of digetic diaglog and non digetic music. Conversation was the main point of interest throughout the movie, when Mark was talking to someone regarding clues to the case, all focus was on the dialog. In different parts of the movie, non digetic music was used to provide a certain tempo to the actions going on in a scene. For example, at the end of the movie when Waldo tried taking a shot at Laura. The music changed from calm and slow to loud and sporadic, signifying something big is happening.
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
Analysis Young Mr. Lincoln - Jacob Howard
Young Mr. Lincoln has quality components that make it a well created film. The Mise-en-scene of the film is essentially a 1800s country side drama revolving around Mr. Lincoln's big court case. This is represented by the clothing worn by the towns people and the look of the town and scenery. A simple lighting set, which provides a neutral view of everything going on in a scene.
The cinematography was mainly stationary throughout the film. Depending on the situation, there was a variety of wide angles showing everyone involved in a certain scene. For example, a wide angle was used to show the mob of men walking through town. Also there was some close up shots of the characters during conversation, probably to outline there expression and body language. For example showing the expressions of the people on the stand during the court case, showing their reaction to the line of questioning by Mr. Lincoln.
Sound was mainly consisted of dialog with a decent amount of background diegetic sounds. For example the court room sometimes became very loud with the laughter of men when Mr. Lincoln cracks a joke or two.
Editing was very smooth and in some cases there was transitional music or sometimes a poster/letter that provides context to the next scene. For example during the Grand Parade, there was a moment before each event where a poster would explain what the next event is. Like Tug O' War match or a pie judging contest.
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
Bringing Up Baby Analysis - Jacob Howard
The movie was well developed when it was first release. The cinematography and editing of the movie was well done in terms of the perspective it provided. Throughout the movie it had natural lighting, nothing spectacular. The editing style depended on what was going on in the scene, but for the most part it felt jarring, probably to add to the quirky dialogue and movement from the actors. For example when Major Applegate and Mr. Gogarty were being chased by the aggressive leper.
The stunts and display of the lepers was pretty unrealistic. For example, when Susan was swinging on the ladder in the museum at the end of the movie; she would've fallen over sooner then she did. The lepers in most of the movie were real but in some points of the movie, they used a leper puppet for Baby. For example when Baby was in Susan's apartment, there was one part of the scene where the leper was swapped out for a puppet.
Dracula (1931)
Dracula Analysis - Jacob Howard
The conversations and the movement of the actors in the movie seemed very slow and rigid. Especially for Dracula, the slow and awkward movements expressed the idea that Dracula is a creepy creature of the night. Dracula was also quite slow and awkward when he was having conversations throughout the movie. This aspect expressed the overall feel of the movie alongside the creepy outfits of Dracula and his undead and the spine-chilling scenes of Dracula's castle and Carfax Abbey.
The cinematography and editing had an excellent mix of focusing on one part of a scene and casting the big picture whenever it was necessary. For example, when Professor Van Helsing looked in the mirror, the audience has several close up shots of the mirror. Showing that Dracula's reflection is not visible, signifying Dracula is a vampire to Van Helsing and the audience. The overall lighting was well done. Brilliant use of lighting was when Dracula was attempting to hypnotize humans he encountered like Mr. Renfield and Miss Mina; there was a close-up shot of Dracula's face with lighting centered around his eyes, signifying he is trying to hypnotize them.
Another component that expressed the mese-en-scene of the movie was the sounds that were expressed throughout the movie. The wolves howling in the night and the gut retching screams of a woman being murdered by Dracula are examples of the movie conveying a frightening tone to the audience.
The Public Enemy (1931)
An analysis of The Public Enemy - Jacob Howard
The Public Enemy has a lot of components that built it into being a well produced movie. The narrative couldn't be what it was without the characters and the atmosphere setting this dark gangster tone to the movie. Characters like Tom and Nathan were ruthless and cold hearted when it came to mob work, if they don't get the money for bootlegging; they would terrorize their clientele. Tom was seen the most roughing up anyone who didn't go along with his agenda, the only man that stood up against him and his decisions was Tom's brother, Mike.
In most scenes it felt like the atmosphere was shady and dark no matter the location. It wasn't always night time in the movie, but when Tom and Matt were out on the town with their menacing gangster outfits; it always felt like something bad was going to happen.
The cinematography seemed to flow well scene to scene, if there was a heated conversation going on between Tom and his brother Mike; there was always a close up on their faces. Which showed the static in the air from their visual expressions. The fade out between scenes always ended and started in an optimal part of the narrative. For example, when Tom supposedly had sex with Paddy's girl; there was a time skip to the next morning where she told Tom what they did together last night.
Sherlock Jr. (1924)
Sherlock Jr. Analysis
Sherlock Jr. had important components that played into why it's a well produced film. Without knowing for sure, it seems like there were many shots taken for some of the intense scenes. It seemed liked it was well edited and the cinematography was amazing during those intense scenes. For example when Sherlock Jr. was riding on the handle bars of the motorcycle; there were a lot of wacky situations where Sherlock almost got hit by a car or a train. Another important example of amazing editing was when the protagonist was a faded copy of himself while his body was sleeping. Also in that same moment, the protagonist jumped into the movie that was playing at the theater he worked at; where he was walking around in scenes that constantly changed.
The camera location provided a perspective that the movie goer could understand what the center of attention is in the film. Even though we can't hear the actors in the film. For example, when the pool ball was actually an explosive; you can recognize that it was an explosive because of the point of view changed to the yard. At that moment the butler throws one of the pool balls, which exploded when it made contact with the ground.