MYST #4: Do The Right Thing

After seeing clips of the film in class, I wanted to watch Do the Right Thing in full.

It is very evident that aesthetics play a huge part in enhancing the strain between characters of opposing races, therefore enhancing the message of the film in general. Dutch angles, tight close-ups, high angles, low angles, and parallelism are all features throughout Do the Right Thing. Severe camera angles made their way into a majority of the scenes, and were often utilized to establish a sense of hierarchy in one character over another, whether it be through the color of their skin or a decision they choose to make. This is evident when a biker, who had been followed and harassed by Buggin' Out and his friends, was shot at a lower angle as he chose to ignore their jabs and to enter his apartment without causing unnecessary ruckus. Contrasting, the entourage is shot from a higher angle to reflect the childish manner of their words and actions as they continue to needlessly bother the innocent passerby. A memorable dutch angle took place between Mother Sister and Da Mayor — not only did it emphasize the power differential Mother Sister believed was present between the two characters, but enhanced the disorientation as a result of Da Mayor's intoxication. Music is also very important throughout the film, not only adding to the significance of the events taking place within the film but individual characters as well. "Fight The Power", frequently played from Radio Raheem's boom box, is about the empowerment and sometimes frustrations surrounding black Americans. Often played when Radio Raheem was on camera, it emphasized the intimidation and strength surrounding his character. This song actually caused some conflict within my own mind by the end of the film; I felt that there may have been another reason behind the song choice. On the one hand, the song is one of empowerment — the idea of fighting authority, fighting those who are trying to oppress who people are and how they chose to think and act. As I thought more about it, though, that is making the idea of power out to be bad, because it is being applied to those which may be suppressing others. Yet, power is synonymous with potential and capability, characteristics that are essential to unity and progress. So, by having "Fight the Power" play throughout the film, it may be reflecting the idea that these many different races were constantly fueling (and fooling) themselves with the idea that distancing and fighting against difference is beneficial, while in fact that is what leads to the community's inability to integrate effectively.

One of my favorite parts of the film was the "racial rants" scene. I think what caught my eye was the comical way in which very real issues were presented. The monologues were overstated and drawn out, the close-ups were unusually tight, and the acting itself was not credible. The scene featured so much diversity, yet each representative individual of this diverse group was caught up in their desire for monoculture. The way that each of these characters is shot individually, yet the frames are cut so closely, creates an ironic blend of each character. Very cool scene.


I really had a lot of questions, both big and small, at the close of the film. Why did Mookie's character, one that was so central to providing some connection between people,  never appear to be well-developed or willing to take on responsibility? He seemed to be one of the few rational people within the neighborhood, yet never realized the necessity of properly caring for his own son. Why was Vito more actively accepting of others, while his brother was not? If Mother Sister and Da Mayor were portrayed to be the "parents" of the community, why were they so flawed? What was the point of Samuel L. Jackson's character's repetition of the phrase "That's the truth, Ruth" (which also changed as the movie progressed…"that's the truth…that's the double truth…that's the triple truth, that's the quintessential truth, Ruth"). I have a feeling a lot of these questions have multiple answers, all of which may or may not be valid, but the sense of incompleteness at the end of the film seems to reflect the fact that racial tensions had been far from resolved.

Formal Film Study: Foreign Animated Films

 

  

I chose to watch My Neighbor Totoro, Ernest and Celestine, and The Secret of Kells. Foreign animated film is not a subsection I have much experience with; my goal in reviewing these three was to expand my appreciation of the different approaches to filmmaking.

 My Neighbor Totoro takes place in Japan, focusing on the story of a university professor (Tatsuo Kusakabe) and his two daughters (Satsuki and Mei). In order to be closer to his ill wife, who is recovering in a hospital, Kusakabe relocates himself and his daughters to a home near the hospital. As Kusakabe busies himself with breaking in the new home and caring for his wife, the two girls find themselves exploring the more mystical aspects of the new environment. After much exploration, Mei discovers one of the many "spirits" below a nearby camphor tree known as Totoro. Despite her best attempts to explain and reveal Totoro to her family, it's to no avail. In time, a connection grows between Mei and Totoro as the two exchange varying forms of assistance to one another — Mei provided Totoro shelter from the rain, and in return he located her wandering sister. As the story wraps up, Mei and Satsuki's mother returns home, healthy, the two sisters find other children to befriend, and Totoro becomes an unseen observer. 

Two aspects of the film grabbed my attention — the visual discrepancies between characters and their surroundings, and the possible interpretations of Totoro's character. Throughout the film there is an obvious hyper expressive nature to both the humans and the spirits they come in contact with —large, disproportionate facial features, unnaturally exaggerated reactions. Simultaneously, there is an obvious sense of realism embodying the characters' surroundings. The sound of raindrops hitting an umbrella are subtle, sunlight streams through each leaf on a tree as it would in reality, clouds shift their shape and size in accordance to the weather. The auditory aspects of nature are blended within the film in a natural way as well — wind and music and chirping crickets are continually placed quietly behind dialogue. The second aspect of the film surrounds the meaning and purpose of Totoro. My initial desire to further this exploration of Totoro was sparked by the overwhelming eerie vibe he gave off, despite the fact that he was supposed to be this helpful, magical spirit. His actions were undoubtedly friendly and nurturing, but his expressions made him seem so disconnected from those he assisted. As I looked around the web, it became clear that many came to a dark conclusion regarding Totoro: he is Death. What? Yeah, I know. One blog had a few pieces of evidence to back the claim that once a person sees Totoro, they will die. (Blog here, if you're interested: http://thealcave.blogspot.com/2009/07/totoro-is-angel-of-death-wait-wha.html) 

I don't really have a solid stance on what Totoro actually represents. He is undeniably unsettling, but off-putting characters seem to be fairly common within anime. 

 The next film I saw was Ernest and Celestine, a French-Belgian film about a split society in which bears live in the upper world and mice reside beneath them in the sewers. Despite their close proximity, the bears and mice loathe and fear each other. When Celestine, already doubtful of the evil nature of bears, comes in contact with Ernest, destitute and lonely, the two form an unlikely bond against the wishes of the society in which they live. Their ability to connect eventually leads to the society coming together as a whole, with mice and bears at peace with one another. 

Yeah, the storyline isn't exactly original, but I appreciated the film regardless. Stylistically, it seemed as though the film was a watercolor painting come to life. This, coupled with very subtle, pastel tones, allowed the picture to seem as though it was almost dripping across the screen. The intentional imperfections of the animation added a softened appearance to the scenes. I really appreciated this...overcompensation of visual ingenuity. The conventional message of tolerance and friendship needed an added layer of lyricism and charm that the visuals provided. 

Interesting side note. . .the criminal romanticism mirrored that of Bonnie and Clyde. . . it was cool to be able to make that connection.

     Finally, The Secret Of Kells. The film opens with Abbot Cellach, who is convincing his nephew, Brendan, to understand the importance of building a wall to keep the vikings out of the Abbey of Kells. However, Brendan's inclination toward adventure and desire to aid a "master illuminator" finish the Book of Iona brings him outside of the Kells' boundary. Though his Uncle continues to forbid his travel beyond the boundary, Brendan continues to defy those wishes. Through his exploration of the forest beyond he meets Aisling, a forest spirit. As Brendan is sent on more adventures to aid the illuminator in completing the Book, him and Aisling become inseparable. Nearing the end of the film, a viking raid leads Cellach to try and protect his people from the invasion. Brendan and the illuminator escape the carnage, but are confronted by the vikings and would have been killed if Aisling had not protected them. Years later, the two finally complete the Book of Iona. 

     Again, the visuals definitely had an other-worldly feel, but what stuck out to me about The Secret of Kells was that it really paid homage to Celtic culture. The Book of Kells (Book of Iona in the film) is actually an illuminated manuscript Gospel book located in Dublin. The film also draws upon Celtic mythology in a variety of ways — one of the adventures Brendan embarks upon includes confronting a god named Crom Cruach, which is a pre-Christian Irish diety. Also, the character of Ainsling was named after a poetic genre in which a poet is confronted by a dream or vision.

     Obviously, animations outdo other films because they have so much more leeway to create visually unique and appealing scenes, but this is not the overarching connection between the three that caught my attention. The connection between all three was the concept of over exaggeration in one form or another. My Neighbor Totoro contained over exaggerated facial expressions, Ernest and Celestine involved over exaggeration actions, and The Secret of Kells involved characters whose body and facial structures were over exaggerated. I already sort of explained the idea of these almost inhuman facial expressions within the first movie — one second a character's mouth is as small as the head of a pin, the next second it's wide open like a cavern. In Ernest and Celestine, the actions of the characters were magnified. Whether it be the elder mouse's continual pulling out and pushing back in of her two front teeth, the unrealistic strength that Ernest displayed when protecting Celestine, or the ability of the bear and mouse judge (Ernest and Celestine were put on trial near the end of the film when their friendship was discovered) to be completely unaware that their body is being engulfed in flames (you'll just have to see the film if you want that to make sense). In The Secret of Kells, the actual features of each character's body and face are incredibly unrealistic and almost absurd — from a man who is shaped exactly like a circle to a woman with a face like an arrow. I've tried to think of why this is a common theme, but I haven't really come to a great conclusion. Perhaps it is because there are some limitations in terms of conveying messages through subtleties within a character's expression when one is animating; with real actors, a slight dimpling of the forehead or twitch of a lip can provide the audience insight into that character's mind. With animation, this is much more difficult and time consuming. So, perhaps, the animators decide to fly completely to the other end of the spectrum to convey expressions and actions just as effectively, but in a more memorable manner? Not really sure.