In the Mood for Love: Deconstructed The first few things I noticed when I began watching Wong Kar-Wai’s In the Mood for Love were the interesting mise en scène, the frequent use of off-screen space and the fact that almost every shot in the film is a frame within a frame. Using this internal framing is common in many films but I have never seen it used quite so extensively. Not only is it used more frequently than in most films, I also feel as though it blocks off more of the available space within the frame than we typically see. It took maybe ten minutes before I saw the first shot without an internal frame, and that was the scene where we meet Ah-Ping. It’s important to note that this is one of the few scenes that doesn’t feature one of the two main characters. As painful and heartbreaking as the subject matter is in this film, it manages to be unsentimental while also demonstrating a very painterly style, full of rich colors. The …show more content…
Instead of confronting the problem head-on, their primary goal seems to be learning to understand how it happened in the first place. They act out their spouses’ betrayal, as well as the act of confronting them for it. The film aggressively centers on the two main characters to the extent that we never even see the faces of their spouses. We know there are four people involved here, but it feels more like two real people and two phantoms. As they pretend to be the other couple, seducing their spouses while acting as the other’s spouse, we get the feeling that these characters are masochistic. But interestingly enough, by coaching eachother on how their spouse would act they are able to create a kind of fantasy where they are in control of their own betrayal. By never choosing to consummate their love they are deciding to stay in this fantasy, and delay seeing things for how they actually
Miranda could have avoided it by breaking up with Dev the moment he told her that he was married. Instead, she followed him like a lost puppy not knowing that the partnership was just a way for Dev to have some fun. Even when she heard about the cheating of her friend’s cousin she refuse to take the chance and be a better person and break up with Dev. It not only her fault, but Dev as well since he led her on into falling in love with him. She could of try to get to know him and asked him questions. The main character is not trying to get to know his wife at all. Even if he does not have any feeling for her, He could try to learn to love her. It feels like he does not want to try to and needed someone to show him that his wife is very important to him. It was his job to love her and protect her even if he does not know her that well. Miranda has the same problem as the main character and that is trying to get to know someone they do not know the person they are with. Shoba and his wife could have talked it out after the death of their child. They do not and have not even tested if they could solve the trouble that they were having at the moment. It felt like they did not even want to be together at all. They were not commitment to each other or in love in the first place. During the game they played, the feeling they had were getting more distant by the day. Shoba and his wife were starting to see
But not only is the film so similar in darkness, the scenes are short, reflecting the shortness of the panels. Unlike a more “normal” movie, the scenes change quite frequently and not only by perspective. The movie is constantly changing both viewpoint and scenes. Although this is common in action movies, it is used more widely in this film unlike in action movies that tend to use this form of filmography during very high tension scenes.
The film is set in a society where everything is in uniform control. The color white is a running theme for the lack of individualism. All of the rooms Lucas shows are white and set up in similar ways to preserve uniformity. Also, all the character’s wear white throughout the film. This removes human individualism, shining light on the director’s critical view of communism. Lucas composes his shots to be filmed as a frame within a frame. The film begins with an image of an old commercial within a television and then in the next cut we see surveillance of our characters through a screen. Everything in this world is surveillanced by machinery. With this surveillance, we have close up shots of the characters throughout the film to preserve the idea of the system watching them. The use of filming a frame within a frame desensitizes the subject within the inner image. For example, when THX 1138 is held captive, the workers fiddle with the control frequencies and cause THX 1138 pain and offer no concern or help. Lucas brings the idea that once things become an image, they lose their meaning. This is the reason we can watch gore and pain in silence in movie theaters. The conformation commentary is extended into the white jail where THX 1138 was placed in. While the rest of the film was boxed in with frames within frames, Lucas now films in a manner that
It is important to understand that marriages can have many different complications that lead to an affair. A few reasons can be the feeling of unimportance, unhappiness, and maybe just craving something new. For example, Sidney, from “The Kuglemass Episode” said, “I need to have an affair. I may not look the part, but I’m a man who needs romance. I need softness, I need flirtation….” (Allen). He mentions in the beginning of the story that his wife had let herself go and he didn’t realize this is how their marriage would turn out. This provides an example that Sidney was getting tired of his relationship and he wanted something new. After a partner has an affair it can actually cause even more problems in the relationship. Once the affair happens the marriage can continue going down hill by the other spouse becoming sneaky and having a guilty conscience. By the marriage getting worse, it makes them want to be with their mistress/mister even more. In the story “The Kugelmass Episode” Sidney cannot wait to
To appreciate Wilkerson’s work, you must subscribe to the film’s unique rhythm and cadence. The scrapbook of still images, sometimes related to the narration, other times absent of context, could mesmerize a viewer as much as frustrate them. One lengthy sequence, near the end of the film, finds Wilkerson sharing a stream of thoughts, while a fixed camera shoots out the front window of a moving car, with a reddish-black hue altering the footage.
The shots and frames speak to the notions of subjectivity In the parts where Atom Egoyan is behind the camera taking photos of the churches to put in his calendar, the camera is pretty much at eye level and is at a view of the scenery. His wife and their tour guide speak to him from a distance with no zooming in on the characters as they speak. This makes it seem as though Atom is at the level with the camera and non-active in the experience. This entails that distance from characters in the film
Furthermore, it shows his straight, serious face through the lens of the camera. By using different photography shots, this exposes his emotions, facial expressions, and feelings. The movement in the film is minimal emphasizing silence and slowness because in
In this essay, I will examine and discuss how academic film critics and scholars such as Stephen Teo, David Bordwell and others have talked about his visual style, in relation to one of his many award-winning films, Chungking Express (1994). Chungking Express marked Wong Kar-wai's major break onto the international film scene and remains one of his most memorable work, if not the best, in his filmmaking career. American director and filmmaker, Quentin Tarantino, convinced his distributor, Miramax, to buy over the rights to Chungking Express for distribution of the film in the United States under his production label, Rolling Thunder.... ... middle of paper ...
...mans, it is in our nature to find an easy solution for a problem. In many cases it is a means of escaping, and finding something better. For these four characters, the illusions they used to get out of the stresses of normal life, become their lives. Instead of dealing with issues with their spouses and getting what they want in life they blur themselves to reality. It becomes a question of when is reality too much to handle? For these characters reality was too much to handle the minute they got scared. The second the future was in jeopardy, or their reputation was on the line. This is not unlike society today. People are desperate for approval and will seek this by any means. Without approval from others we cease to exist or be content. And for many contentment is also something that must be achieved.
There are many positive things and negative things about the movie and the story. In the movie
I disagree and would argue that being in love and loving someone has two very different meanings. The word love is used too loosely. Loving someone and being in love with someone are two very different things. Although I am not a love master, being only 19 years old and in two serious relationships in my life, I have come to realize being in love is something special. I believe when you are in love it’s not a choice, that person is picked for you. You are addicted to them, you want all your friends and family to love them as much as you do, you are there when they succeed and there when they fail, you miss them every minute you are apart and you unconditionally love them, even when times get hard.
We all fall in love at some point in our lives whether it be a passion, faith, or another person. Falling in love is a natural human behavior. It ensures the continuance of the human race through reproduction. Love is often considered a mystery because of its unexplainable feelings. It is the personal and affectionate relationship between two people. Researchers have discovered the biological reasons behind falling in love. The brain controls the signals that release chemicals and hormones in your body to give that rush that love brings.
What is love? Love is a very special and meaningful word to each human being. Each human being has his/her own thoughts about love to guide himself/herself to land safely and smoothly into the kingdom of Love. Without this preconceived idea of love, people would be acting like a blind person searching for the light with thousand of obstacles in front of him.
Love happens when you least expect it. It can happen on the street corner, at the bar, at the grocery store, the park. That’s one of the greatest things about love. As for me I found love in the pouring down rain in the middle of the street. I fell in love with a man who I never thought in a million years I’d fall for. A man who is loving, caring and respectful. The night I laid my eyes on him I knew he was it. He came into my life at a point when I was unraveling and losing control. I was lost for two years after my high school sweetheart and I broke up, I thought I was never going to find real love, but I did. He saved me and I remember every minute from that night.
“Love is universally accepted by many people and the concept of love within the English language refers to a variety of different approaches, states and attitudes, ranging from pleasure to interpersonal attraction.” (Kendrick 123) My characterization of love encourages the intimate emotion I partake for my family. The distinct connection that we fashioned and the invaluable moments that we consolidated. In the perceptive of a mother, my children are my supremacy and the greatest blessing of my lifecycle. They’re my inspiration and motivation to continue progressing and becoming the best at what I do. With that in mind, Love relics your outlooks and approaches the linkage they become associated with. Consequently, this condition can fluctuate over a period of a specific time. Additionally, depending on your situation, your perspective on love can be an altering affect, creating a stable or inconsistent assessment. Furthermore, causing your love to intensify, decline, or even cease. Love in its essence, stands justly powerful and the beauty of it advances,