Films Studies

Films Studies Pascal Di Betta Film: The third man Perspective As I have stated previously, a story is a point of view which gives us a new perspective on a certain object, person or idea. The Mise en Scene of the Third man is particularly fascinating; most of the shots in the film are tilted. Reading through the Understanding Movies by Louis Gianneti, the concept of framing within the perimeters of the film ratio is presented and can be seen in practice in almost every film. A beau tiful demonstration of this  in The Third Man is during the last scene, where Anna Schmidt (Alida Valli) is walking down the road. Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton ) waits for her, leaning against the a small wooden wagon. The Shot puts Anna in the dead center, making her the most important subject matter within the shot. She is framed by trees flanking both sides of the road, drawing our attention to her for over a minute as she walks towards the camera. As for the tilt, it is a ...

High Noon The pendulum of the clocks swings, setting a tempo for the music, the tick tock of the clock setting a back drop for the sequence that follows. The music intensifies, building; people are praying in a church. People sitting at a bar, watching the clock, waiting. The people on the screen merge with the people that sit in the audience as they sit and wait for noon. Doom doom, goes the drum, the music stately intensifying. Doom doom, we see the three cowboys, doom doom, we see the train tracks. Doom doom, the cowardly man, feeling ashamed for not helping Will Kane (Gary Cooper). Doom doom, everyone is looking at the clock. doom doom, we see the empty town. And then you hear the train whistle, and your heart jumps, and you get shivers because it is equal to someone hitting that last high note in a song. T his is what the film was setting up for, the high note. When that whistle blows we know there is death in the air. This film is talking about becoming a man. I think it ...

Film Studies Pascal Di Betta Film: Psycho September 7, 2107 Death of comfort The shower scene is probably one of the most iconic “scary movie” scenes of all time. The scene starts out with Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) getting into the shower. We, as an audience, have been trained that when we are shown a scene, we expect to have an outcome. A good story teller only adds scenes that give information that moves the story forward. A scene that seems to have no apparent reason is up form manipulation. Depending on music, editing and former information, these “filler scenes” can take on whatever purpose the director needs it to be. In the case of this film, the filler scenes add suspense. Marion is in the shower, naked and relaxed. Then, we see the shadow approaching. The curtain is rip back and the figure begins stabbing Marion. Despite knowing that something bad was about to happen, it is surprising and leaves the audience in shock for a good 10 minutes. With the added musi...

Film studies Pascal Di Betta Film: Grapes of Wrath September 3, 2017 Simplicity Grapes of Wrath is a stellar film and has many moments which struck me. One scene that comes to mind is Grandpa's Burial scene. The statement, “simple is better” truly applies to this movie, and this scene in particular. Casey, played by (John Carradine) is asked by Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) to give a few words to the recently decided Grandpa Joad (Charley Grapewin). He tells Tom that he isn't a preacher anymore but Tom insists. Casey says few words, everyone hitting it mark. He talks about how he shall not pray for Grandpa, because there is no need. He says it is the living that need praying for, because they are the ones who need help finding their path. “This, here old man, just lived a life and died out of it,” says Casey. This line gives the sense of what life really is, a beach. Here, young men become born and live there life like the tip of a crest and then crash down. Then they die...