Movie Project

AMELIE

Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001

color, lighting, narritive

For this shot, Amelie's friend is telling her that she needs to go out there and get her man, to stop playing around. His video breaks from the surreal colors that make up the rest of the film. This is significant because it is the moment that he breaks through to Amelie that she needs to take action! It's matter of fact, to the point, and her only viable option. The video has these very neutral, realistic colors which only reinforces the idea.

What caught my eye about this shot was that he has one red and one black suitcase. Earlier in the movie, Amelie's father reveals to her that he and her mother always wanted to travel before she passed but couldn't because of Amelie's supposed heart condition. It was their life dream that they never got the chance to achieve... until now. The red suitcase resembles the father, perhaps because he is still alive, his blood is still flowing through his body. On the other hand, the black suit case represents his dead wife. This way, she will get to do all the traveling they dreamed of with him.

Ah... the happy ending. Now that Amelie has finally found love, and with it happiness, the lighting must do its part to help reflect this. The overexposed background bolsters the fact that Amelie's relationship is everything she ever dreamed of and more. In addition, even though there are the green trees in the background, the warm filter put over speaks to the warmth of her love. This is exactly the life that she always hoped for. She has taken a break from trying to help everyone else and has finally done it for herself.

The Wizard of Oz

Victor Fleming, Mervyn LeRoy, King Vidor, Norman Taurog, George Cukor, 1939

Scale, metaphor, paradox

In the land of Oz, why are the munchkins small and Dorothy and the witches all the same, normal size? The difference in scale between the two elaborates on the difference in power between the munchkins and the main characters. The munchkins look up to the witches as though they are gods, they have magic powers that the Munchkins just don't. If the munchkins were the same size, not only would they need a new name, but then they would appear to be as powerful as the witches which would through off the whole dynamic of Munchkin Land.

I've always loved shoes, and Dorothy's ruby slippers are no exception. However, there is actually a deeper meaning to them than the flashy surface that catch's every movie lover's eye. Dorothy is desperate to get back to her family in Kansas. Unfortunately, she is stuck in an unfamiliar country where she seeks out help from friends, witches, and wizards to get her home. When all of these resources don't do her any good, Dorothy comes to the realization that she has had the answer all along: the ruby slippers. She has had the power to get herself home the entire time. The slippers are a metaphor for Dorothy's confidence. Each character in the movie represents something (the lion courage, the tin man emotion, and the scarecrow intelligence) and Dorothy is no exception as she represents self-confidence. She had the answers all along, she just needed to believe in herself enough to use them.

One of my favorite parts of the films is that everything is different from what is seems... without each paradoxical character the storyline and overall meaning just wouldn't be the same. Lions are perceived to be one of the most ferocious predators out there, yet the lion is the scardy-cat of the film. The tin man craves nothing more than human interaction and love, but is a machine made of cold metal. The scarecrow thinks he's stupid since he has one purpose and is made of hay lumped into clothes, when really he is a true problem solver in the movie.