Fight Club Film Analysis

Roger Ebert starts by calling the movie “Jaws” as a sensationally effective action picture and a scary thriller. He explains that it works all the better because it’s populated with characters that have been developed into human beings that we get to know and care about. He then compares the movie to as frightening as “The Exorcist” but he says it’s a nicer kind of fright yet somehow more fun because they’re being scared by an outdoor-adventure saga instead of by a brimstone and vomit devil. 4. Summarize his or her evaluation of the film in

BLOOD SIMPLE’s mise-en-scene starts off with the lighting of the car ride, it is dark, the characters’ are draped in shadows, the outside world is a blur, and the mood is being set for the follow on scenes. BLOOD SIMPLE’s opening composition also establishes a central theme for the audience that this movie will be gloomy, have immoral implications and be filled with betrayal. The lighting in the movie is constant throughout with heavy shadows, low backlighting, which is until the last scene where the light brightens as the action falls. Key props were found throughout the film, however one of the major props was Abby’s hand gun. Investigator Visser shot Marty with Abby’s pistol, which he has stolen from Abby.

The shadows that are projected onto a face from a harsh source of light makes the film turn a sinister look adding more depth to film in a black and white world. Sunset Boulevard of course contains the stereotypical harsh lighting of film noir and the aspect of soft lighting in the appropriate times such as during the day and during times where there is little conflict in the movie such as their trip to Paramount Studios. Not only does Sunset Boulevard have undisputed film noir lighting to set the mood, but it also has the bizarre eyes of Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) to accentuate both her mental state and the scene of the film in which it appears, giving a vibe of insanity to the

Ridley Scott’s film Blade Runner is known for its incredible use of very low key lighting, the dark appearance of the film not only exemplifies the futuristic L.A city but also ties the film in with a modernized film noir style. The low key lighting in combination with the neon lights and signs creates a correlation between the light and the dark, this represents the conflict throughout the film between humanity and the replicants. Investigating the lighting throughout the scene when Deckard, played by Harrison Ford, retires the replicant Pris, Played by Daryl Hannah; this scene incorporates a well placed combination of blue, white, pink, and green light to develop a dark but colorful environment. This mix between high key and low key lighting is vital to the visual development of the films central conflict and dangerous mood of the city. The scene opens with Deckard slowly moving through the doorway with his gun drawn as a light blue light rotates past in the background.

Film noir movies often have stylistic characteristics such as exaggerated lighting and shadows. Scarlet Street contained many subjective camera shots while also using exaggerated shadows, for example during the first scene in the movie, there is an emphasis on the mans shadow as he walks into the room. Which brings me to a crucial point, Black and white filmmaking. Black and white style is considered to be an essential attribute for a film noir movie, black and white allows the director to emphasize on distorting images, for example use of the venetian blind shot. Another continuous pattern of film noir is to include main stock characters, this film contains: an anti-hero and a femme fatale, these stock characters are always seen in noir films.

Citizen Kane overwhelmingly advocates the power and control concept and the script brilliantly portrays the megalomaniac disposition of Kane character, and the way the film is made to the far side of the creative execution, makes the film more undoubtedly entertaining. Lighting, blocking, all mise en scène elements support to the idea of power and control that embodied by Charles Foster Kane’s persona. To elaborate Kane’s authoritative figure, the lighting employs low-key technique and casts a formidable shadow across the film, as well as Kane overshadows other characters in the story, in any imaginable interpretation. In one particular scene, at the time Kane argues Susan about her singing career, Susan is muzzled after Kane approaches and obscures the light off of her. Apart from all technicalities in film production, as a director who speaks visually through lighting, blocking, camera work and other mise en scène elements, Welles also embeds power and control strand in the dialogue part.

There are stereotypical and exaggerated costumes that help to emphasise the composer's satirical perceptions of the context of 1995. Amy Heckerling uses visual irony, where an image is presented but a different and separate comment is made in comparison to the image. This irony is established when untypical and totally abnormal shots are being displayed of expensive belongings and attractive teenagers during the film's introduction. The voice-over contradicts what is being shown, "My life is way normal." This film technique displays the way the director has opposed what is being said and mocks the social context and displays the satire within Clueless.

The low-key lighting is coherent since they are in a club, but more importantly it emphasizes the confrontational, dramatic mood of the scene. The shadows obscure Dom’s expressions, giving him a more menacing look. This, coupled with an over-the-shoulder shot that simultaneously shows Dom towering over the bouncer and the bouncer’s intimidated expressions, display the power dynamics at play. Later on, when Dom punches the guard, the focus of attention shifts from the confrontation to Malcolm’s reaction. The off-screen sound of a ruckus is the only thing the audience can perceive of the fight.

Noir is not absolute, the beauty of this style is its vulnerability to variation, which is why Michael Curtiz’s Classic Casablanca is film noir. Examining Casablanca by just looking at its visual style, it is obvious it has noir elements to it. In Noir, the look is often dark, gritty, and utilizes many shadows. In scenes that take place in Rick’s Café, these things are apparent. There are shadows on the wall, along with the contrast of shadows on the character’s faces and clothing.

Sunset Boulevard used a lot of high-contract lighting which also known as low key lighting, for example, in Norma’s house, the lighting are low key and because of this lighting, it creates dark shadows which is also one of the characteristics of film noir (Film Noir, 2013). This helps the director depict the dark side of fame to viewers, along with the help of the characters, Norma and Joe. Another example of how lighting sets the mood is the living room where Norma is dancing to entertain Joe, the bedroom of Norma and Joe, the ballroom where Norma is dancing with Joe during the New Year’s Eve and the place where Norma writes her script. All of these spaces are dimly-lit and there are a lot of items in these rooms, showing that their lives are chaotic and the characters can get lost in their settings. The film also contains some German-expressionistic elements such as the oblique vertical and horizontal line, for example in Norma’s house; viewers can see a lot of lines which are in oblique vertical and horizontal line (Film Noir, 2013).