Laken Hamby
Professor Rosengarten
ENC 1102
February 19, 2015
Some Like It Hot Research Paper
Some Like It Hot is a timeless comedy directed by Billy Wilder. The classic film features Marilyn Monroe as Sugar, Tony Curtis as Joe, and Jack Lemmon as Jerry. Wilder reminds his viewers of how valuable a true friendship is through his use of certain film techniques and characterization. The film techniques and characterization develop the theme by controlling what people see and how they see it. Wilder created a genius and hilarious film that will be endlessly loved by generations throughout time.
Some Like It Hot tells a story about two best friends, Joe and Jerry, who stick together no matter what. Joe and Jerry are a couple of musicians who
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are out of a job. One day they happen to stumble into an old garage and accidentally witness the St. Valentine’s Day massacre. Spats, the leader of the mob, immediately wants to kill Joe and Jerry because they are witnesses. The two best friends make a run for it, and after they successfully escape the crime scene they realize that they have no choice but to flee town. Joe and Jerry decide to disguise themselves as women and join an all girl’s band that was headed for Florida. Not only is it the perfect escape from the mobsters, but Joe and Jerry will be making some money too! In the midst of all of the antics, Joe, or “Josephine”, falls in love with the beautiful and talented Sugar. Also, Osgood Fielding, a flirtatious millionaire, is infatuated with Jerry, or “Daphne”, and will not stop trying to win “her” heart. He even brings “Daphne” flowers and jewelry. Later, the mobsters travel to Florida to see the band perform. Spats and his crew become suspicious of “Josephine” and “Daphne.” It did not take long before the mobsters realized that Joe and Jerry had masqueraded themselves as women to join the girl’s band. Of course, Spats goes after the two best friends, but once again Joe and Jerry managed to escape Florida unharmed along with Sugar and Osgood. In the film, Some Like It Hot, the director decided to film in black and white rather than in color. The black and white filming played a significant role in Some Like It Hot. For example, the black and white filming made the men’s makeup more prominent, thus making it more believable that they could actually pass as women (Addisonfrancis). The eye-catching makeup is first made noticeable when Joe and Jerry are at the train station. Black and white filming adds to the theme of friendship by forcing the viewer to focus on something other than whether or not the characters seem believable. The viewers can pay attention to Joe and Jerry’s humorous and unconventional friendship instead. Wilder also used other film techniques to manipulate the way that the setting and characters appeared.
He emphasized certain aspects of the movie through the use of lighting techniques. The contrast lighting that can be seen in Some Like It Hot is essential to this film. For instance, when the band is riding the train to Miami, everything is very dark except for the clothes that the women are wearing. This is because Wilder wanted his viewers to pay attention to the women in the scene and not what was going on around them. Since Wilder used such contrast lighting, it was easy for anyone watching the film to pay attention to the crazy, harebrained schemes that Joe and Jerry were always planning. Another reason that the director used contrast lighting was because he had to be sure that shades of gray would not be blending together since the film was in black and white …show more content…
(Addisonfrancis). Characterization is important because every little detail individualizes the characters and makes them more believable. Joe and Jerry are just a couple of energetic, funny guys who end up in some sticky situations. When the two best friends are put in these difficult situations, their character traits show who they really are. Although Joe was a dependent and trustworthy best friend for the most part, he still had his faults. For example, Jerry had a crush on Sugar, but Joe stepped in and swooped her away. The fact that Jerry stayed friends with Joe shows how committed Jerry was to their friendship. At one point, Jerry even went on a date with Osgood just so Joe could sneak on Osgood’s yacht for the night with Sugar. Sugar, another important character in Some Like It Hot, was portrayed as a beautiful, young, and talented woman who loved jazz musicians.
She was a little bit of a troublemaker, but she always managed to have a good time. Sugar loved to drink alcohol. At one point in the film she was almost kicked out of the band because of her drinking. Sugar’s flask fell out of her dress while she was singing and dancing. Luckily, Jerry intervened and took the blame for her. Since this movie took place during the prohibition it was illegal to drink alcohol. Sugar brings an interesting element to the plot. She is a quirky character who adds to the humor in this classic film. Although it is not Sugar’s fault, she does come between Joe and Jerry a little bit. Because Joe and Jerry both have a crush on Sugar, it threatens their
friendship. Friendship is a theme that is constantly developing throughout this film. Joe and Jerry are the perfect example of two best friends who are loyal to each other through all of their adventures and troubles. Throughout the movie, Joe and Jerry’s friendship continues to get stronger. When Joe and Jerry find themselves in life-threatening situations it brings the two of them closer. They are always looking out for each other. Eventually, Joe and Jerry also realized that it was acceptable to be friends with women. The two men learned how to speak to women without any sexual undertones. They became close with the women in the band. For instance, in the train scene when everyone in the band was supposed to be sleeping, Jerry started inviting the women into his bunk. Soon enough the entire bunk was full of women who were drinking and eating. Jerry was enjoying himself just as much as the women were. Some Like It Hot is one of the greatest classic films in history. Wilder pushed moral boundaries when directing this film, and he made a movie that will be enjoyed by many generations to come. Wilder wanted to convey the importance of friendship in his film. Friendships in Some Like It Hot were developed through Wilder’s use of certain film techniques and characterization.
One of the most obvious portrayals of the bleakness and desperation of the era is the overall faded and washed-out look of the whole film, due to manipulation of the film saturation; the heaviness of it almost cries out to the audience. Though the film was shot during the summer, cinematographer Roger Deakins and Cinesite colorist Julias Friede were able to use digital technology to change the appearance of the colors. “Together, they worked on manipulating the [digital] saturation of the images, and in particular selecting the greens of the trees and grass and turning them into dry browns and yellows” (Escaping, 2). These dry browns and yellows enhance the audience’s impression of the desperation of the characters and the time period. Brown is a prominent color shown not only in the overall appearance but in the specific image of the dry brown of the dirt which also clings to the clothes of the three main characters: Everett, Pete, and Delmar....
Billy Wilder’s film Double Indemnity uses a considerable amount of German Expressionism techniques. A crystal clear example of this is at the end of the film when Walter goes to meet Phyllis at her house, when he opens the door a long and sharp shadow appears across the wall. This is a technique used in one of the most famous german expressionism films Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. In order to get this effect, Wilder is using low-key lighting so the shadow is obvious to the audience. In this film, long and sharp shadows as well as inky blackness often appear on the screen, this is a major characteristic of german expressionist films. The mise en scene reinforces the darkness in the style and tone. These films emphasize
The lighting in this movie is very effective. It helps to establish the characters very well. The audience is helping in distinguishing the bad and the good characters through the lighting. The movie overall is very stylized. There are some other strange lighting patterns brought out by Hype Williams, but by far the most effective lighting patterns are ones that help to characterize the main players in the film.
The lighting played a major role in setting the tone for both the theatre performance and the movie. In both the film and play, the lighting was dimmed and the non-important elements, such as background elements, were often hidden in the shadows. In the film the murky lighting also hid Todd in the shadows, in order to increase the suspense and further emphasize his intimidating demeanor. In the play,
To create an atmosphere that both looks and almost literally feels like possibly the hottest day of the year, Lee uses orange and yellow filters throughout the film. Objects, as well as people seem to glisten in the light. Even scenes shot indoors have beams of light coming through windows and doors. The use of lighting is only one technique Lee uses to create a realistic feel for this film, which is pertinent w...
The Sugar Girl “becomes possessed by the idea of hoarding candy,” (166) as she becomes extremely reliant on this sugar food to keep her happy. However, these unhealthy obsessions have consequences, which cause “her teeth [to] [turn] brown” and her “skin [also] [suffers]” (166). As she grows into a woman, “alcohol [becomes] her new candy” and it “[makes] her forget” all about the horrific and painful times of residential school (168). Nonetheless, this new addiction has its own consequences too. When the Sugar Girl drinks, she does things “she normally [does] [not] do” (168). In the same way, the drunken man in “Rock Bottom” begins to drink because he is angry about the trauma and difficulties he faces. At first, drinking brings him joy. However, he begins to lose control of his actions, acts violently towards others, and gets in trouble with the police. His drinking negatively affects his family life, as he eventually leaves his family due to the drinking problem that is interfering with his life. With the little money the man has, he spends it on more alcohol, bringing him deeper into debt, and eventually becomes homeless. At this point, the man is highly dependent on alcohol, to the extent that he cannot go without it. He digs through dumpsters, in hopes of collecting old bottles of drinks, and
The use of lights throughout the play did not vary often. Throughout most of the play, bright overhead lights portrayed the play’s main set room: a small town beauty salon. The lights created an atmosphere that was not only cheerful, but also warm and inviting. On each side of the stage, warm, more natural lighting was used to make the small outdoor areas more realistic. Lights were also used to convey
It makes sense that McFadden chose to name the granddaughter Mercy and not Mary herself. While she almost seemed like an unnecessary character at first, Mercy was needed to show what kind of change love and compassion can invoke in a person. Prior to Sugar’s first departure from the Bedford house Mary took on a much more distant role in her life, similar to that of the role of the Lacey sisters. Mary may have cared about Sugar, but it was certainly less direct and there was a financial gain to keeping Sugar around. Sugar returns to St. Louis cut up and bloody from a violent client presumably expecting to work for Mary again, however she is greeted by Mercy and becomes aware that the Bedford house is no longer operating as a brothel. Mercy, at this point, represents an angel. The word “mercy” continues to be a trend throughout Sugar’s time spent in the Bedford house. Sugar finally begins to understand love and compassion. Her time with Mary is one of the first times in the novel that she has a genuine smile due to a good memory and is pointed out when Mary says: “You having one. You having one I see it don’t try and deny it!” (103). Sugar’s time with Mary and Mercy is somewhat of a turning point in the book. While she does go back to being a sex worker, in general her life seems to get better after having spent time with them, especially after meeting
First and foremost, film noir refers to the visual style of a picture. The imagery of film noir was influenced by early 20th century German expressionism, featuring distorted, sinister shapes and shadows. These precursors to film noir used abstract figures and looming shadows for bizarre, emotionally stirring results. Techniques such as chiaroscuro were used to give a dark and minimalistic feeling. In many cases lighting is limited to a single harsh light source, which obscures the image, and even throws shadows across actors’ faces. These elements ensure that an audience regards the actors and the setting with equal importance. Oblique angled shots permeate many film noirs, naturally provoking anxiousness and apprehension in the viewer. In Sun...
For instance, a musical number about a character’s tragic past might include soft, golden lighting, while a scene about dancing in a dance class might include purple lights to show the overall mood of the scene. In addition, the costumes used in the musical added even more life to the musical by providing a visual representation of each character and his or her personality. The costumes allowed the audience to determine the character traits of each character while also deciding the type of homes the characters came from. For instance, one of the characters was dressed in pants and a shirt that would normally be seen worn by an older man or a father. This leads the audience to believe that the character might be an older person who has a family of his own.
Alien 3 on the map. other hand was made 40 years ago and is a sci-fi horror. Sigourney Weaver is the star of the film and plays the character Lt. Ripley. Unlike Sugar Cane, Lt. Ripley is a very tough and manly character. Some Like It Hot is about two musicians.
High-key lighting is typical in use with musicals, and Oz is no exception. The technique of brightly lighting the set to rid the film of dark shadows injects a happier feel, a lighter tone to the movie. Excellent use of low-key lighting in the film can be seen when the characters meet the wizard for the first time. The use of low-key lighting and the play of shadows here creates a sense of suspense in the viewer. The tone is dark, and the controlling color is
The beginning scene was actively engrossed with low-key lighting or "dark look" that gave off an overcast to understand the power Don Corleone possessed over the individuals he was speaking with. According to David Konow (2014) "As Willis recalled in the book Masters of Light,That technique or that approach to the movie visually just came out of a thought process. And the process, in my mind, was based on evil; it was based on the soul of the picture. The wedding outside had a very sunny, almost Kodachromey, 1942 kind of feel to it. Then when we cut inside the house with Brando, it was very down and very ominous…so it was a very simple philosophy. However, the overall look of The Godfather was a kind of forties New York grit." The lighting used in The Godfather helped to implore the nostalgic feel of the movie. Although it was made in the 80 's Willis ' use of his new techniques changed the lighting in movies to come and placed the viewer in the midst of the 1940 's mafia
Though the entire movie is shot in color, for the most party, the colors are very dull. The natural saturation and vivaciousness has been toned down drastically, giving a very grey overtone to the whole mise-en-scene of the film. Scorsese used natural, somewhat oversaturated colors and light for the aspects of the movie which are memories. When the protagonist is recalling something or dreaming, when he wakes, the colors change back to the original gray overtone Noir style of
Forth are Lighting and color. In case of Lighting, this film uses High key light that makes this film look like natural light and feel warm. In the case of color, some scene of this film use warm color to express love and warmth to audience such as in the wedding scene or some scene use dark color to express about sad feeling such as funeral scene and in scene that Rosie knows her dad was died. I think in some scene if you watch it in HD, it’s very beautiful such as in scene that Rosie drinks a cup of coffee and thinks about the past in sunset time because Lighting and color of sunset time is very