The Letter

A 1940's American film noir directed by William Wyler...

"With all my heart I still love the man I killed..."

The film starts with a really gripping opening scene! It starts with a bang (literally!) Leslie Crosbie (Bette Davis), shoots and kills a man on her front doorstep. She tells a servant to send for her husband. Her husband returns and summons his attorney and friend of the family. Leslie tells them that this man, Geoff Hammond tried to rape her and she killed him to protect herself, she had no choice.
I found this film in the RSAMD library, we are concentrating on performance this year so I've been baring that in mind foremost when I pick DVD's to watch along with classes. This film was nominated for 7 Oscars including, Best Picture, Actress, Director and Supporting Actor. I had heard it was superbly crafted and contain great performances.
Bette Davis was wonderful as the scheming adulteress who would do anything to escape the murder charge. The chemistry between all the cast builds up an extraordinary amount of tension in the pivotal scenes. I could feel myself becoming very uneasy as though t was me who was trying to conceal that vital piece of information that was moments away from being revealed. I was trying to figure out how Wyler manages to manipulate the audience so well. I think there was a mixture of very deliberate framing, performance and music. There was an excellent pace that quickened rapidly every time Davis was dangerously close to being outed. The cutting quickened and we got much closer shots of the actors faces, which of course let us see their distress much more vividly. I was amazed at how much you can read from a person's eyes!-I always knew this but in these really tight shots Davis was saying so much through her eyes, it was an unbelievable performance. Always calculating, you could see the cogs turning! This revealed everything about the character of Leslie.
We have also looked at Film Noir in class. 'The Letter' was filmed in this style with very contrasting black and white photography which worked very well with it being a melodrama. I think Bette Davis is a very interesting actress, I enjoy watching her on screen.
She is definitely one of the strong female stars of old Hollywood much like Barbara Stanwyck or maybe Katharine Hepburn, these strong, bold, outspoken women don't really exist on screen today. That is why I enjoy watching these films from the 40's because they have women playing strong roles not just the incidental love interest, they had substance. Yes, The Letter is a very exaggerated case but Stanwyck in Double Indemnity was amazing and I just feel very strongly about the fact that there aren't nearly enough strong female roles in today's scripts.
See in this framing here, I found it interesting how Wyler decides to have Davis lower in frame a lot of the time. We all know that usually the character of importance in a scene is places higher, and on the right hand side. Wyler chooses to have Davis low in frame to show her ease. She is very relaxed and everyone around her dotes on her and tends to her every need, this is shown very well by use of framing and I think there is a lot to learn form studying Wyler's work, it subconsciously conveys a large amount of information.
I think Bette Davis is an extraordinary actress, she is not conventionally attractive but there is something very seductive about exudes power and dominance, and I think that is one of the reason she became so popular, she's mesmorising to watch.

C.R.A.Z.Y

a 2005 French-language Canadian film from Quebec.

C.R.A.Z.Y was directed and co-written (with François Boulay) by Jean-Marc Vallée. The film won many international awards including a genie award for best picture and many jury/audience choice award's.

This film is about a young boy called Zac, who is the second youngest among four other brothers. His parent keep having boy's because of his fathers "more than normal-level male hormones" (according to his very proud father!) We can sense very early on in the film that Zac is a homosexual. Zac has one brother in particular who is his 'enemy', Raymond. They hate each other, Raymond is always tormenting Zac by calling him a 'fag'.
The film is really about Zac's struggle to be who he wants to be and to please the people around him. He was born on Christmas day and so his mother believes he has special gifts from God. They are a very Catholic family and because his birthday is on christmas he spends most of it every year bored in mass, longing to go home and open his presents.Zac is a modern day christ like figure who seemingly is able to heal the sick and possesses special gifts from God. He has a very special bond with his mother, who completely accepts him and loves him no matter what. It's really lovely to watch on screen.
I thought the performances in this film were great. There was real chemistry between all the characters. Marc-André Grondin, who plays Zac when he's a teenager was a perfect casting choice. He is extremely good looking and plays Zac when he has major conflicts between his emerging sexuality and the constant stress of trying to please his father by being who he wants him to be. Its a really touching story and I thought the screenplay was really excellent, as the church is against homosexuality I thought it was very fitting to have Zac born on Christmas day as a 'gift from God', this was very ironic and perfect for the story! Their is a very touching core to the film in that Zac just loves his father, he hides who he is for him, he sacrifices everything. His love for his father is so strong that he decides to live a lie to please him, he agrees to go out with the girl next door and keep his true feelings hidden. Richard always asks how our scripts show the 'human condition', it's this aspect that will let the audience experience the emotional journey of your protagonist. I felt that C.R.A.Z.Y was almost a document of the human condition with all it's flaws and wonder. The film is ultimately about being true to yourself, accepting your true nature, and the strange way humans show love sometimes.His father actually loves him very much, we can see that through the performance. One of the film's main themes is the influence of the Catholic Church in Québec society during the Revolution. It's the Catholic Church that has instilled these hateful ideals into society. what I really loved about this film was that at the end his father saw the error of his ways and knew that he has to stand by his son no matter what society or religion tells you to do. This made the ending very rewarding to watch, it was again very touching as love conquered all the ignorant beliefs and came through for him at the end. Which as an audience member made me feel very relieved and hopeful as I always do when people stand by their fellow man instead of constantly fighting against them. If they just accepted him for who he was then there would have been no suffering, unfortunately most people always seem blind to what's truly important in life.I was gripped throughout the film and I thought it was full of relevant issues even in today's culture (it's set in the 60's.) It feels timeless because issues of sexuality and oppression of society and religion will always be around. This subject matter was perfectly balanced by the tone which was very indie and cool! Music was a big part of the film and a great devise used to show the culture and the rise of revolution. You could feel the energy rising all the time as the film progressed which was exciting.Pierre Mignot's cinematography was beautiful, it reminded me of a much grittier Amelie! He used a similar colour palette, but as the nature of this story takes some darker turns, Mignot shows these scenes in a very contrasting light.
I really enjoyed this film and would really recommend it! If not for it's cinematic style and entertaining characters then for it's tribute to pop culture in the 70's!

Where the Wild Things Are...

A Spike Jonze film...
Tonight Galina and I went to the Grosvenor to see 'Where the Wild Things Are' -joined by two White Russian cocktails! I was very eager to see this film, I am a big Spike Jonze fan and like to follow his work and see what new projects he's undertaking. I think he is a very gifted man in a similar way to my favourite, Michel Gondry. I think both men create wonderful films not only because of their wild imaginations but also because they put a lot of themselves into their movies.
There is an energy there that you can just sense, it's magical to watch. I think that this children's story book was a good choice for Jonze. He has a particular style, much like Gondry has where they are both really just big kids. So the theme and emotional thread of this kind of story can be told really well through Jonze's eye.I liked the look of the film, Lance Acord's cinematography was exceptional as always, he never lets me down there. I loved the compositions and colours used within each frame, it was like a big storybook full of adventure and wonder. the film's story was really sweet and touching, it had a very clear theme and it was beautifully done. However I wasn't completely sold on all aspects of the film's story as my favorite scenes where the one's where Max was at home before he had met 'the wild things'. These small scenes were really mesmorising because they were so very real. I thought the performances in these parts were great, nothing seemed unnatural or overacted, it was just perfect to me. I loved just watching Max build his ice igloo and potter around like young children do making forts and dressing up. However when we move to the part of the film containing 'the wild things' I found I actually didn't really love them? I thought I would, but they just seemed soul-less or lacking in some way I can't explain. I love the story and I like the idea of who they are but something just didn't quite add up for me. 

I think that unlike all Gondry films, this isn't one that I'd watch again and again. It's not quite a kids film and not quite an adult enough film to completely grip me.
It was a slightly unsettling in-between which is always hard for an audience to come to terms with. having said that it looked lovely and I was completely in the story for the whole running time. With all the hype it's definitely a must see, it's a lovely film (not perfect) but lovely all the same.

I thought the production design was lovely, especially Max's costume...

"All I need is to find this Libra man!"

"Mother wanted me to come out in a kimono & we had quite a fight…"
We had a screening of Grey Garden's, a documentary film by Albert & David Maysles which wondefully depicts the lives of two women, Edith and Little Edie Beale. Old Edith was a wealthy socialite who lives with her daughter little Edie in their once glorious Hampton's mansion. This large estate is decrepid and as frozen in time as they appear to be. 

I thought this film was wonderful and enchanting, a really fascinating documentary which really does what a documentary can do best in capturing these two eccentric characters and allowing an audience insight into another world.What I find so facinating is simply these two women. How they live and their relationship towards one another. It's mesmorising. Big Edie was the aunt of Jackie O, the first lady! She was a wealthy socialite! This springs up questions of how they got to living in this way? I think this is the great mystery of the film, these two women choose to be reclusive and separate from the world outside Grey Garden's. Its like a bubble that time has forgotten.Little Edie in particular has a full and rich fantasy life that she is still the 25 year old girl she once was. This is shown in the way she presents herself, her clothes her attitude towards her mother and the camera man. You can't help but completely love her. She is not the glamourous young girl she sees in her mind but she is no less a glamourous person to us just because of her utterly charming character. She wins the heart of any viewer with this naive charm. The filmmaker keeps going back to this old portrait of Old Edie that stands against a wall. Its like a constant reminder of the glory days when she was youthful and beautiful like she remembers. She was a cabaret singer and still enjoys singing to the cameramen. 
At one point little Edie is looking through old photographs of herself and big Edie. I found this part very, very sad. Little Edie obviously loves looking back at these days when she was younger and not just pretty, but extremely beautiful. I wondered why I found this sad, I mean Little Edie obviously thinks she is still glamourous and she enjoys her fantasy life at Grey Garden's otherwise she would just leave, as she kept saying one day she would. However I think the documentary taps into the very human idea that youth is temporary, nothing lasts forever. The human spirit however doesn't age the rest of your body. I think this resonates a message of hope to the audience.
I think this is a successful documentary because the characters are so rich and eccentric, if they were in a fictional film they may seem contrived and far fetched however when the same characters are completely real life. They exist, this is how they behave and act. This makes them so much more exciting to watch. Andy told us that the best documentaries are about people. they will always be about people. There is nothing I'd rather watch and Grey Garden's is a perfect example of how a film about real people will always be the best and be remembered long after they go. I hope to be this glamourous when Im old.
Drew Barrymore will star in the new film version of Grey Gardens. I would like to see this now because I have become very curious in the subject of the two Beales. However as I have just said I think that this film will not work because it is no longer the real women. It will not be charming as it will now be acted and even the most gifted actor can't recreate magic.

I thought Grey Gardens was one of the best documentaries I've ever seen, it was charming and enchanting, a real treat to watch.

"Raccoons and cats become a little bit boring," Little Edie sighs, "I mean for too long a time."

SOUND!

This week we had the pleasure of filming scenes split into two groups, Team Andy Vs Team Adam. The idea was to start the process of learning how to work with actors...

We were told we'd have two 'amazing' directors coming in to teach us over these two days. Of course we knew right from the get-go that these 'amazing directors' would be two of our tutors!-We have grown far too used to their ways now to be fooled into thinking anything else!
I found out that I was the sound recordist on Adam's shoot. I actually really enjoyed doing sound for the day, I have found a new respect for it.
We touched on sound in cinema movements class and a bit in first year. We also talked about movie stars, and as I shared in my last entry, how hard I have found it to come up with reasons for the difference in movie stars today. Then I thought back to sound. Back in old Hollywood when there was no sound on pictures, there was a separation between the stars on screen and the audience as they didn't speak. Their gestures were hugely exaggerated and theatrical. When sound came in suddenly these fantasy figures had a voice, this would bring them right back down to earth and suddenly made them identifiable. Sound made cinema become more 'real'.
At the beginning the stars didn't have names like they did later. "The girl with the curls", "The Biograph Girl" or "America's sweetheart" would be billed and never Mary Pickford for example. The audience didn't know the stars real name. Silent movie actress Esther Ralston 'the American Venus' said of her peers-

'We were God's, Goddesses, we were something inspirational, something that doesn't exist now"

"For stars. They spoke therefore they were real, not from heaven"

Garbo talks!!! "Gimme a vhisky...and don't be stingy, baby"

It got me thinking about the importance of sound, I can't imagine cinema without it? Even back in the day of silent films there was usually always a musical accompaniment or score. It seems that sound and picture were always destined to go together.
If we didn't have sound we would never have film quotes, which are used in conversation, parodied, sometimes remembered more than the plot. These timeless lines are all thanks to sound (and writers of course!)

"Here's looking at you, kid."

"Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

"There's no place like home."

"Say hello to my little friend!"

"May the Force be with you."

"I feel the need—the need for speed!"

"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

Don Juan was Warner Bros first experiment with sound, it was the first film to have sound effects and a synchronised score. It had no dialogue however.
Later in 1927 Warner bros brought out the first film to merge dialogue sequences with moving pictures. Having sound in the film was all thanks to Sam Warner, who had to persuade his brothers that this was the was films were going. His brother Harry warner famously stated "who wants to hear actors talk!"
But actors did talk and The Jazz Singer was created and with it our first movie quote,

"You ain't heard nothin' yet!"

With films we gained a new dimension with sound an lost another, movement. Sound technology would have been nothing like it is today, the microphones were heavy and unsophisticated. They could pick up every unwanted sound. This is why we see on set photos with the cameras being kept in small sound proof booths. The microphone would pick up the churning sound of the film rushing through. Actors had to remain pretty still so as not to create unwanted sounds. Watching films from this period we can see the stiffness of their performance. Movement had almost done a 180, from over exaggerated gestures to completely stationary.
With this new dimension. Studio's were looking for dialogue heavy scripts. They often turned to plays and so there was a bombardment of ''Teacup dramas" in Hollywood.
This was all part of the new and exciting time in the film industry. With the advance in sound all other areas had to be worked out better, always with the intention of improving and bettering the experience for the audience. Even the stars were always kept on their toes. With sound there was a culling of all stars that didn't fit the new advance. Goodbye to squeaky voices and accents. There must have been a lot of uncertainty in Hollywood at this time, noone was safe.

Sound was not always a good thing. We spoke about the poor John gilbert in class with Andy. John Gilbert was the greatest romantic icon of the silent era. Gilbert was the famous screen partner of Garbo. he had been top of his game during the silent era. When sound came into play Gilbert's voice apparently didn't come up to scratch. The rumour is that gilbert was not on good terms with studio boss Louis B. Mayer. There had been a fight and Mayer had vowed to ruin Gilbert's career. In his next picture his sound was recorded and the audience couldn't contain themselves when he spoke the famous lines "I love you, I love you, I love you" In His Glorious Night, It has been rumoured that Mayer manipulated the pitch of Gilbert's voice in the recording. Whatever really happened Gilbert's career was on a slippery slope. he turned to alcohol and died prematurely.

Gilbert's fall from grace is mirrored by this scene in 'Singin' in the rain'

After that the sound recordist was thought of as the 'magician' on the movie set. The guy you wanted on the good side of if you were a star. He could make or brake your career.

MGM lent Gable to Columbia as a punishment. He won an oscar and came back a bigger star than ever! In your face MGM.