Discussion questions for Aguirre, the Wrath of God 1. Pay attention to how Herzog uses the jungle and the Amazon River in this movie. What adjectives would you use to describe it? How does it advance the plot, and how does it contribute symbolically to the film? The jungle was impenetrable and dangerous. As the jungle is on both sides of the river, the expedition was rather restricted to the river. The river itself seemed to propel the expedition in only one direction, the direction of the river. I think the combination of the jungle and the Amazon River amplified the necessity that the group could only move in one direction with no other options available. 2. The film focuses on Aguirre and his growing madness. What motivates his actions? Discuss one scene (NOT the ending) that shows he is descending into insanity. How does Herzog use the …show more content…
Herzog interjects humor into the film. Name one instance of this. Why do you think he has included these moments? One instance of humor is the statement that long arrows must be in style now. The statement is made by a dying man just pierced by said long arrow. I think Herzog included moments like this one to reduce the seriousness of the film. I think the film is a commentary and not to be taken absolutely literal. This is one way to prevent an audience from falling into that state. 6. Most of the characters in the film die a violent death, and yet this film does not seem as violent as “The Bridge.” Why do you think Herzog filmed the deaths this way? The way the characters die in the film is really not the point. The fact that they are in an uncontrollable dissension into madness and loss, is the point. They all needed to die to drive this point, but it was not a necessary element to focus in on the gore. 7. Herzog used music from the avant-garde electronic band Popol Vuh in the movie. You can listen to it on the e-mail link. How does this contribute to the film? What other sounds/music does he
Throughout the film, the filmmaker follows the three victims around in their everyday lives by using somber music and backgrounds of depressing colors. The documentary starts off with colorful images of the scenery
...e. Ugo is shown to be a strong character who seems to be happy to be his ‘own man’. The strength of Agatina’s character is conveyed through words such as ‘rules’ which imply power. This insight is needed for the reader to understand both the characters and the way of life to which they belong, therefore giving the reader the sense of belonging to the lives of Agatina and Ugo.
In the movie, the three main types of comedy I recognized were farce, parody, and satire. Farce is comedy designed to provoke the audience into simple, hearty laughter and often uses highly exaggerated or caricatured character types and puts them into improbable and ludicrous situations. It also makes use of broad verbal humor and physical horseplay. Some examples of farce in the movie are:
This scene, of escalating argument, presents a different type of humor. While the first was a slapstick, exaggerated and dark humor, the argument is more sarcastic, intelligent and cutting.
Thoughtful laughter is a technique used frequently in satirical pieces in literature. It allows for the audience to enjoy the wittiness of a work, later ponder on the meaning, and then apply the message to reality. Thoughtful laughter is often an inner experience that can only be achieved by authors who write meticulously. Two examples of satirical works in literature that display this concept explicitly are Voltaire’s Candide and C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. Both authors explore the depths of satire and simultaneously deliver an important message to readers through skillful technique.
In brief, the audience can see how this 1931 sound film could be shaped by sound in a number of ways. Considering that sound at this time was a new phenomenon it is understood why mostly diegetic sound was used over nondiegetic sound. This director also showed the audience how the story could be affected by sound with examples like the clock becoming a character and storyline of its own and also the murderer being identified with his whistling. With the lack of sound and the collage of images during specific times, the director was able to create a mood without music or sound. Apparently this was a technique that was learned throughout his many years of silent films. These details were what brought the story together and would not have been done so precisely without the technique of sound.
Enhancing the sustained fright of this film are an excellent cast, from which the director coaxes extraordinary performances, and Bernard Herrmann's chilling score. Especially effective is the composer's so-called "murder music," high-pitched screeching sounds that flash across the viewer's consciousness as quickly as the killer's deadly knife. Bernard Herrmann achieved this effect by having a group of violinists frantically saw the same notes over and over again.
He does this by not only including the soldiers being killed but showing the innocent animals being killed. In a more summarized way to say this is he tried to show the suffering of the innocent. For example, the following soldiers that died throughout the story show how much death can cause such an affect on someone, like Albert Kropps' and death. The death that hit me pretty hard and touched me in a way was Josef Behms death. As one can see, death to close friends and family can be rough, but the author also included a scene when the men hear the wrenching sounds of wounded horses shrieking in agony. Detering is particularly horrified because he is a farmer and loves horses. He says with disgust that using horses in war is the “vilest baseness.” (pg.63). To sum up, it’s not only the death of people that can show the cruelty of the war, the killing of animals can affect certain people as
He expresses this self-criticism through such ironic comments as this one: “I get laid, I take a short holiday, but very soon after I fall upon those same thorns with gratification in pain, or suffering in joy – who knows what the mixture is!” (207) while the narrator plainly states: “When he jeered in private at the Dionysiac revival it was himself he made fun of. Herzog! A prince of the erotic Renaissance, in his macho garments”
Grill, Stefanie. (2001). Comic effects in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ by Oscar Wilde. Auflage.
Cheikh Hamidou Kane's L'aventure ambiguë Samba Diallo is the victim of forces beyond his control'. Discuss this view of the protagonist of L'aventure ambiguë.
them as unattractive and menacing and everything about this scene is threatening and ugly and makes the audience feel uncomfortable impact. in the audience of the. The music is like funeral music, loud and sad. The... ... middle of paper ... ...bloodshed and murder that follow.
The poem shows that the young man grows up to become a fighter who does not know when to stop all in the matter of a few lines that amount to one sentence. Then in an even shorter sentence, he dies in combat. Writing this as two sentences accentuates the idea that life is short, but can even be shorter if we can not get along. The speaker’s mourning tone probably ponders if the man avoided fighting maybe he could have lived longer as suggested when mentioning killing war elephants were not enough for the man who immersed himself in the battleground. By putting oneself in an environment of anger and aggression to the point of a questionable noticing of an arrow inside of oneself can only lead to a shortened
Although admittedly some scenes have a comical side to them, Besson's fast paced action and gruesome images hold the tension and suspense brilliantly. His use of close-ups and camera movements, especially the subjective stance used by the victim, convey the feelings felt by the characters and the way in which they behave. Sound plays a crucial role in the opening sequence because, in my view, it is used to control the level of suspense and intrigue.
Therefore, it is possible to notice how the cinematography, the mise-en-scene and the editing are used to resemble the peculiarities of the space in which the actions are taking place. For instance, the first part is characterized by long pan or tilt shots, the camera is steady but still manages to follow the characters actions. The editing points to the linear occurring of the events. Also, the characters and the objects are usually methodically placed in the scene. All of the elements are used to convey the rigid organization, efficiency and control typical of the military environment. On the other hand, in the second part, there are usually shorter shots and steadicam shots. The camera is free to investigate the space of action. Here, the editing is used to create a dynamic perception of the events. In this way Kubrick is able to bring in the spectators’ minds the chaotic reality of the war. Moreover, colors become another tool to communicate to the audience this sort of split within the film. In fact, after Pyle’s death the viewer can notice how those metallic and cold colors, that are present at the beginning of the film, shift into wormer colors. It is actually through Pyle’s suicide that the the spectator gets this switch. In that scene the dark red blood stains, and ideologically violates, the cold white tiles of the bathroom. This film is also different on