Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Everything Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid does is done with a specific point in mind. The movie opens in sienna projecting a train robbery onto an oldfashioned screen. This coupled with the reminisicent music implies that we are reflecting on the good ol' days of the old west. The movie starts off like an older western film, with Butch looking dramatically out a window and Sundance reaffirming his status as the fastest gunman in the West. It is uncertain for a while whether or not Butch and Sundance are the "good guys" or the "bad guys" because they are train robbers and cheat at poker but they are also the title characters, assuming then they are the "good guys," or at least not the antagonists of the film. Later we discover that they are both good men who are also outlaws. This contrasts many other Western films where there is a more solid line between "good/white" and "bad/black." The use of sienna reflects this "grey" area by making everything neutral rather than starkly black or white. Mid way through the film, the reminiscent sienna-trainrobbery-depressing music scene happens again like it did at the start of the film. This time though the train robbery doesn't go as well and it is the beginning of a long chase and Butch and Sundance never stop running.

Quickly though the film moves from the dullness of sienna to vivid color. This drastic change happens as Butch and Sundance are moving over the natural land and the color makes the land look even more natural. As the film moves to color, Butch says it's "like seeing it fresh for the first time," mimicking the change from neutral colors to vivid colors. With the change to color we also see that Butch is a dreamer. He is always dreaming of new places to go and new opportunties to take while Sundance is more content to stay in one place and not be chased. The relationships between Butch Sundance and Etta are later contrasted and reaffirmed when they are on the boat to Bolivia. This is the only segment of the film that is in black and white. It is also the only part of the story that is told solely through photographs and not through moving action. We are left to draw our own conclusions from the different photographs. The photographs, particularly the ones where Etta is dancing with Sundance and Butch is on the side, do a lot to reestablish and affirm our ideas of their relationships with each other.

There is very little use of non-diegetic music in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid which helps it avoid the inherent cheesiness that many 70's and 80's films have because of their score. The use of music in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid has a very specific purpose the few times it is used. The first scene there is non-diegetic music is when we see the first interactions between Butch and Etta, establishing their relationship. It is the quintessential romantic bike scene as the two lovers bike together, one riding in front, and one actually driving the bike. The song "Raindrops keep falling on my head" plays and the scene has an overall feeling of lightheartedness that one would also get from a romantic comedy. Another time music is used is during the montage of bank robberies, chases, and fine dining in Bolivia that Butch, Sundance, and Etta enjoy. This sequence has an overall feeling of enjoyment and it is funny as well as suspenseful because we know that this lifestyle cannot last forever. The limited use of non-diegetic music makes it all the more powerful when it is used. The few times it is used it almost seems satirical or like it is poking fun at other films for their use of montage and romantic bike rides. The rest of the film is in silence, musically. This makes even more of an impact than using music to create mood because it reflects the silence of the country and the silence builds suspense during the long chase through the American countryside. The silence during the long chase also helps contrast Butch and Sundance's feeling of being hunted there to their feeling of freedom and ease in the Bolivian chases.

The overall feeling of the final scene is simultaneously one of suspense and sarcasm. As viewers we hope that Sundance and Butch will get out alive, but with the arrival of more and more armed forces, we know that will not be the case. And so do they. The dialogue keeps the scene from getting too heavy as they become more and more cornered. Their sarcasm and wit fights the grim reality that they are going to die soon. But it also matches their personalities because they are unafraid to face their final crazy battle. The very last shot is of the two of them running out head on to meet the gunfire, but we never see their demise. The film ends with the same reminiscent music and the same neutral color as we look at the last moment of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid never giving in.

Works Cited

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. N.d. Photograph. Web. <maxseesmovies.blogspot.com>.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Twentieth Century-Fox Films, 1969.

Juno

Juno: comparison between homes and lives
Juno is a brilliant movie for many reasons. The reason I think it is so brilliant is because of the use of setting and non-diegetic music to set up the difference in the lives of Juno and Mark and Vanessa. The setting and non-diegetic music help to express the differences between not only the different lives of these two groups, but also to express the different relationships they make and the difference in their emotional state.

Overall there is a feeling of chaos in Juno's life, and pregnancy seems to only add to it. From the opening shot onward, we see her life spread out and messy. Her room is full of random objects and her phone is in the shape of a hamburger. From the beginning we get the sense that she is not ready to be a mother and that a baby would add too much to her already messy life.

Juno's life is starkly contrasted with Mark and Vanessa's perfect house, perfect neighborhood, and seemingly perfect life. In their home, everything has its place, and everything is orderly always. Vanessa is conscious of how she comes off to other people, especially to Juno, as she desperately wants children. Mark also shows off his good face, but he is not as good as showing his enthusiasm for a new child, or lack thereof. Mark appears neat and orderly, as does everything else in Vanessa's perfect house. Mark is in his place and as such, he puts on the facade that Vanessa expects of him.  


The opening song is folksy and is reflected throughout the rest of the movie whenever Juno is with her family or Paulie Bleeker. The country or folksy sounding guitar reflects her relationships with these people. Though her life may be chaotic and crazy, Juno has really good relationships with her family and friends. Her messy house looks really comfortable and cozy, directly reflecting the relationship with her family. Her dad and stepmom accept the fact that she is pregnant pretty quickly and are almost immediately figuring out how to help her.

 
The music is drastically different whenever Juno and Mark are together. The usually  country sounding music switches to rock as we see Juno and Mark moving closer together. The change in sound reflect the odd relationship the two of them have. While Juno is flirting with adulthood, Mark is flirting with childhood, though neither of them can go into the others realm. Juno is forced into dealing with adult things, but Mark does not want to let go of his childhood and his dreams of being a rock star.

Paulie Bleeker's room reflects the idea that he and Juno really are still just children. They are dealing with things beyond their years but his room is a reminder that they are hardly flirting with adulthood. It looks like Paulie's room hasn't changed since he was very young, and both he and Juno look at ease in it. With the exception of Juno's pregnancy belly, they very much look like they belong in that room.

Mark and Vanessa's relationship with each other contrasts drastically with the facade they put up. Where their house and neighborhood are orderly and clean, their relationship is anything but. The only thing that they share with their house, is the feeling of sterility. Their house is so white and clean it practically looks like a hospital in places. Mark's room is the only place in the house that looks lived in. Vanessa is so uptight about keeping up a good exterior that the interior of her's and Mark's marriage is just as sterile as their house. It is clean, organized, and unlived in. 

Vanessa becomes more human with time, and by the time her loveless relationship with Mark ends and her long awaited baby arrive, her house looks lived in. Thanks to Juno, she has some chaos in her life and for the first time, I think there is love in that house. 

On Juno's side, her life looks more organized and orderly since encountering Vanessa and giving up her baby. Her life seems to take more direction and everything looks a little brighter and a little neater. She is in a good relationship with Paulie Bleeker and she has maintained a strong relationship with her father. 

Works Cited

Juno. Dir. Jason Reitman. Prod. Lianne Halfon, John Malkovich, Russell Smith, and Mason Novick. By Diablo Cody. Perf. Ellen Page and Michael Cera. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2007.

It Started With A Chair. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. <threemuttsandababy.blogspot.com>

Juno In Her Room. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. <swoonsandsnarls.wordpress.com>.

Juno's Sitting Room. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. <thebestpictureproject.wordpress.com>

Paulie and Juno. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. <philipgarland.wordpress.com>.

Mark And Vanessa. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. <pinkpeonies73.blogspot.com>.

Vanessa and Baby. Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. <latymermedia2012filmg3b.blogspot.com>

The Ma-tricks: reflection

I've been watching movies since before I can remember and to this day movies remain to be one of my favorite things in the world, but one thing I love even more than any old movie, is a movie with an excellent metaphor. The Matrix carries a theme through its entirety that is beautifully displayed through the use of lighting and smooth editing. The motif of the reflections in Morpheus and eventually Agent Smith's sunglasses are in conjunction with Neo's internal state.

Over the course of the film, Neo faces choices and each choice would dramatically change the outcome. In the scene where Neo meets Morpheus for the first time, Morpheus offers to show him the truth, but it is a choice that is left up to Neo.The filmmakers use the reflections in Morpheus's sunglasses to show us the choice that Neo makes, and equally the choice that doesn't make. I think that the shot of Neo's reflection in Morpheus's sunglasses being offered the two pills is one of the coolest shots in the whole movie because of the use of reflection and the smooth editing. Although it is not parallel editing in the strictest sense, each glass in Morpheus's sunglasses shows us a different shot side by side. In one shot, we see Neo reaching out his hand to take the red pill, but in the other shot we see Neo looking at Morpheus but not reaching for the blue pill. We not only see him make his choice to see the truth about the world, but we see the denial of the false world even more prevalently than we would have if we had seen Neo take the red pill from a 3rd person view. Neo sees himself take one path in his sunglasses.

Neo is faced with another challenge when he is put back into the matrix simulation.  He comes face to face with the woman in the red dress who is actually an Agent Smith in disguise. We see Neo's head in the reflection of Morpheus's sunglasses again. Similar to the pills scene, we see two different Neo's. One has a gun to his head and one stands in no danger of being harmed. Neo is farther down his path. He has already chosen to learn the truth but he still doubts the fact that he is the One that Morpheus speak of.

 The final piece of the motif using sunglasses to reflect Neo's inner state is in the fight between Neo and Agent Smith. Neo hits Agent Smith, breaking one side of his sunglasses, shattering one of his reflections and leaving only one Neo to be reflected. It is during this scene that Neo begins to really believe that he is the One Morpheus has been searching for. The shattering of one side of the sunglasses symbolizes Neo's acceptance of his path, or his fate.

There is one reflection that expresses Neo inner state but is not expressed through sunglasses. It is reflected in the doorknob of the Oracle's apartment. This reflection is interesting because the doorknob distorts Neo's reflection while Morpheus's reflection is not that distorted. The doorknob reflects the uncertain path of fate. Where the two pills gave two very clear and separate paths, fate offers a distorted and often unclear path to Neo, who doesn't yet believe that he is the One, but it offers a clearer path to Morpheus, who is sure that he has found the One and so fulfilled his destiny.

Works Cited

The Matrix. Prod. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. Dir. Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. By Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski. 1999. DVD.

Barsam, Richard Meran., and Dave Monahan. "Principles of Film Form." Looking at Movies: An Introduction to Film. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2010. N. pag. Print.

Morpheus Offers Truth. N.d. Photograph. Web. <www.volacci.com>.

Morpheus and Neo Back in the Matrix. N.d. Photograph. Web. <media.theiapolis.com>.

Agent Smith. N.d. Photograph. Web. <madgermanexpressionism.blogspot.com>.

The Oracle. N.d. Photograph. Web. <madgermanexpressionism.blogspot.com>.

The Cinema-n Challenge

Hello.
I love movies. Let's be honest, who doesn't?
People who don't appreciate art I suppose...

Movies have been in my life since before I can remember. My mom has always loved old movies, so from the time I was small I have been watching classics like Casa Blanca and It's A Wonderful Life right along with the popular movies of the month.
What can I say? I just can't get enough.

I think the thing that draws people to movies, is their inherent charm.
A good movie will take this world away for a while and you'll be immersed in someone else's life, maybe on a distant planet or in a distant age, and there is nothing more important than the problems the characters on screen are facing.
I never fail to be swept away by a good movie.

Yet, as I've gotten older, I've started to really appreciate what went in to the making of the films.
I think this started with the Harry Potter films.
As an avid reader of the books and a huge fan of the story, I was at first dismayed by the films because they weren't exactly how I had pictured them. "The makers" got certain details wrong.
But as the series reached the sixth film, I started to recognize that the movies stand on their own.
They are themselves, a work of art. They aren't perfect representations of the books. They are representations of the people who had the vision to bring the wizarding world onto the big screen.
They are the representation of the culture into which the series was born.

That was the first time I really appreciated what a movie is. What a movie really is.
To me, a movie isn't just a form of entertainment. It's not just something to pass the time.
Movies are a way of life. Movies are an art form unseen by the world until the Lumiere brothers opened the door that has led us to where we are today.
Movies can instruct, or influence, or inspire us in ways that no other medium can.
Movies give us what we've always wanted. Escape. Stories.
Movies show us the soul of our culture.
Movies are the spice of life.