In John Frankenheimer’s film, The Manchurian Candidate, Frankenheimer utilizes a stunning visual style to consider the forces that threaten human agency. In the case of the charac- ter Raymond Shaw, he becomes brainwashed and easily controlled by his enemies and his own mother, who forces him into an being an unwitting murderer. Set during the Cold War, the film includes realistic representations of government paranoia, embedded into a fictional communist plot of memory implantation and brainwashing soldiers. Made clear to the audience in one of the most disturbing and entertaining scenes of the film, the American soldiers are unknowingly psy- chologically reprogramed into subservient robots with no control over their actions. If human agency …show more content…
But it is not disclosing the brainwashing itself that makes this scene memorable, the scene’s jarring effect is due to Raymond Shaw’s mental rewiring and his emo- tion-devoid reaction after the Communist scientist, Dr. Yen Lo, calmly requests him to kill two of his fellow soldiers. In an example of what loss of agency looks like, Raymond Shaw murders two servicemen without remorse. By following through on the commands of Yen Lo, Raymond no longer has agency because his actions are being controlled and determined by another …show more content…
When Marco later goes to the military to explain his nightmares, they are viewed as sim- ply symptoms of post-traumatic stress. Marco is unable to convince the military that there is something about his recurring nightmares that needs to be investigated. The critique on human agency being made is that human agency is constricted by forces outside of the individual’s con- trol. Besides being told to remember a different memory from what actually happened due to his brainwashing, Marco demonstrates that his lack of agency stems not only from his brainwashing, but also from the actions of people, such as the military officials who disregard his nightmares and fears about brainwashing. Even without having been brainwashed, Raymond had lost his true identity through the domineering actions of his mother Eleanor. In a montage sequence, Raymond’s recounts how he meet his first love, Jocelyn Jordan, to Major Marco. However, Raymond is forced by his manipulative mother to break up with Jocelyn. Through the overlap- ping dissolve of Raymond’s flashback of his summer romance with Jocie, the audience gets a sense of the effervescent, vibrant Raymond. In contrast, the frame includes the overlapping layer of the present day Raymond who is devastated. Raymond’s agency had already been overcome by his controlling mother who extinguishes her son’s first chance at happiness. In the close-up shot
In the biographical film Mabo the Audience is positioned by the filmmakers to see Eddie Koiki Mabo as a hardworking, tenacious and strong man.
Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing, released in 1989, takes place in a predominately African American neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, located in Brooklyn, New York. Lee, who wrote, produced, directed, and acted in this film, tells the story of an African American community that is filled with racial tension on a hot summer day. The heat takes a toll on the members of the community and tragedy strikes with the death of an African American man named Radio Raheem. Lee uses many techniques in the film, allowing the audience to explore central themes and provoking them to react a certain way. Through the use of mise-en-scene, montage, and camera angles Spike Lee is able to highlight the message of racial intolerance in the film.
Emotions take a big toll on the way a person handles an issue and people do not necessarily compartmentalize in order to make the right decision with ease. Norma Jean and Leroy are the antagonist and protagonist; are at war with each other. Situational turning -point occurs when Leroy arrives home and continues to stay home after being involved in a truck accident at work. Norma Jean is not used to her husband being home often and she would rather have him on the road again. Leroy is excited to settle down with his wife but she wants him gone again. As she was more comfortable and use to staying at home alone and now that he is back Norma feels as though her freedom is
One may never know what situations one may need to overcome in order to go on with the one’s daily lifestyle or routine, as these situations are never hoped or wished for and come as a shock with a high level of fear. Through the interpretation of the primary sources such as Heart of Darkness, one understands the events Marlow had overcome and adapted to in order to get through the journey Marlow was on, along with the journey in Blood Diamond where surviving was the most important thing and reuniting with one’s loved ones. On the other hand, the secondary sources which are trauma in young children, feminist theory, African – American Literary Theory, and the effects of sexual assault and rape allow the reader to develop a deeper understanding of the concepts which are being portrayed. Also, the tests and trials in which the individuals need to alter and face their mind and personality from the departure of one’s journey.
Strong imagery is known to be memorable, whether it depicts a tragic, fantastic, or any emotional scene. In the film Saving Private Ryan, directed by Steven Spielberg, one is shown plenty of gruesome imagery with, “phenomenally agile battle sequences and contains isolated violent tragedies in between, its vision of combat is never allowed to grow numbing. Like the soldiers, viewers are made furiously alive to each new crisis and never free to rest” (Maslin). Imagery portrayed in Saving Private Ryan is in no doubt uncensored, because of the necessity of disturbing depiction towards war in reality. One of the most memorable scenes was the aftermath of the beginning battle where the viewers are able to see the aerial perspective of dozens of dismembered corpses laying on the bloodstained sand, while the scarlet red waves wash the bloody torn flesh away. Stanley Kubrick’s film that incorporates culturally unacceptable imagery is Clockwork Orange, where blood is represented as beauty to a sociopath named Alex. This film uses explicit imagery, such as raping, stealing, and killing to strategically show the importance of freedom of will over ordered society. The film examines the extremes freedom of choice comes with, nevertheless, it proves how those extreme choices are more human than being censored. The last film is produced by Roman Polanski named The Pianist, a vivid imagery of the holocaust, showing Mr. Szpilman walking past by starved corpses like if it was nothing. This explicit imagery paints the whole picture of how unhuman the situation was (placing the viewer into his
Early in the film , a psychologist is called in to treat the troubled child :and she calmed the mother with a statement to the effect that, “ These things come and go but they are unexplainable”. This juncture of the film is a starting point for one of the central themes of the film which is : how a fragile family unit is besieged by unusual forces both natural and supernatural which breaks and possesses and unites with the morally challenged father while the mother and the child through their innocence, love, and honesty triumph over these forces.
'Shawshank Redemption' directed by Frank Darabont is a compelling film about the life of one of its prisoners, Andy. many film techniques were used through out the film as a clever way of conveying main themes. This essay is going to examine how Darabont used camera angles and colour effectively in this film to portray the idea of power.
The electroshock therapy causes him to forget who he is. This is symbolic of how his continual exploitation has been robbing him of identity. After he recovers from the amnesia and leaves the hospital, he realizes that he is no longer afraid of important men since he no longer expects anything from them.
What do you think about when watching a film? Do you focus on the characters' good looks or the dialogue? Or do you go behind the scenes and think about what made the film? Maybe, it's even a combination of all three. No matter what comes to mind first, an important part of any good movie will be what you see. A camera and good director or cinematographer is needed to make that possible. Different directors and cinematographers will use different camera techniques to make you focus on what you see. Camera techniques show emphasis in films, because they make you focus more on situations and people. They are especially important in Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream.
Prolonged dreams influence a well-balanced state of mind. The introduction of character conflicts demonstrates the development of the dilemma. Walter's dissatisfaction of their living situation pushes him towards alcohol for relief which causes the conflict between him and Mama. Mama notices the changes and confronts Walter, pointing out how he is “kind of wild in the eyes.”
Driven by the story of the first openly gay public official in the history of the United States, Milk is a film centered on Harvey Milk of San Francisco and the issue of gay rights around the country. The film follows Milk, played by Sean Penn, throughout his entire political career, making sure to portray his life as accurately as possible. There is an overarching narrative throughout the whole film, a frequently revisited scene where Penn is seen reading a prepared assassination note aloud into a tape recorder as a way of guiding the audience through the film. Milk uses archival footage and the retelling of events true to the story of Harvey Milk, an imitation of the techniques used mainly in documentary productions, in order to convince
...is interactions with his wife are filled with tension and he is saddened when he reflects upon the men lost during war and the death of his brother.
With every film, there are purposely intended details which are used that may seem unnecessary or irrelevant, but are vital components of the diegesis. For most, it can be helpful to re-watch a movie to get a better understanding for what is going on. To appreciate and completely comprehend a film to its full extent, one must look to identify the five principles of form. When analyzing the plot of Get Out, these principles must be addressed because of the significant details that captivate this entire story. When considering how the aspects of function, similarity and repetition, development, difference and variation, and unity/disunity shape the film, viewers can get a grip for why the director uses certain tactics to compose each scene for
When this story is viewed through Sigmund Freud’s “psychoanalytic lens” the novel reveals itself as much more than just another gory war novel. According to Sigmund Freud psychology there are three parts of the mind that control a person’s actions which are the id, ego, and superego. Psychoanalysis states that there are three parts of the human mind, both conscious and subconscious, that control a person’s actions. The Id, ego, and
Full Metal Jacket is written and directed by Stanley Kubrick. The film was released in 1987 and it is starring Matthew Modine (Joker), Vincent D’Onofrio (Pyle), Adam Baldwin (Animal), and R. Lee Ermey ( Guy.Segr. Hartman).