Hmmm.... This was a complex film about a very complex person. The theme was the same as The Cider House Rules in that it is about the life of Charles Kane (The Art of Watching Films, p. 405).
The film is in black and white which really adds to the aura, and of course, to the era. If this film would have been in color, it would have taken away the uneasy feeling it portrayed in the first few scenes, and also gave you a false sense of the time it was in.
In the beginning, it shows several fences with Xanadu finally showing up in the background. The lighting and music gave it an eerie or Transylvania feel.
It was really cool to read about deep focus in The Art of Watching Films and then have it happen so much in this film, and you knew what was going on. One scene in particular was when Kane's mom was signing control of her son, Kane, over to Mr. Thatcher and you could see Kane outside, through the window, playing (p. 145).
Dissolve was also used a lot in this film. Out of all the films I've seen, I don't remember scenes like this, or maybe I just never noticed, but having read about dissolve and then seeing it happen so much in this film was cool. Dissolve was used in this film when a flashback was going to occur (The Art of Watching Films, p. 197).
There were all kinds of lighting used in this film. Low-key lighting was used in some scenes almost creating silhouettes of the characters. Shadowing was also used as well as high-key lighting.
The music was very evident in this film. It got louder in some scenes to place more emphasis on the moment, like when the light went out in the window.
In The Art of Watching Films, it says that Kane was possibly a static character. I disagree with this. Kane changed as the film progressed. In the end, he abused his wealth and power and ended up lonely and alone (p. 69).
The snow globe in the beginning of the film symbolized how Kane remembered his home life, where he was once happy with his sled in the snow. When he died, that was what he remembered.
This film was always showing up in films to watch so I finally thought I would watch it. Of course, I thought it was a western, so I was immediately disappointed to see that it wasn't. I got bored watching it. My husband and I had fun trying to pick out what was happening in the scenes as far as lighting, sound, camera angle, and focus. I almost took it out and was going to watch Philadelphia, but I suffered through it. This film really didn't reflect a society as a whole, it showed what an eccentric is like, or what we perceive an eccentric to be like. I will give little thought to this film.
Charles Kane was an overgrown child that didn't play well with others, and you got tired of watching him try to push his weight around. Definitely a thumbs down!
Sunday, November 7, 2010
The Cider House Rules
The theme of this film was mostly about the life of Homer Wells and of making choices along the way. Each element of the film showed a part of Homer's life, and the choices he made at that time (The Art of Watching Films, p. 405).
The level of ambitions in the film depicted the orphanage as a place where kids wouldn't really care if they were adopted, and didn't show the orphanage like it was expected to be, a cold, dark, mean, and uncaring place (The Art of Watching Films, p. 407). It was almost an idyllic setting. The film succeeded in making you believe that maybe some orphanages were run like this and that the children were treated like family. It was a heartfelt film without being overly emotional. I enjoyed it. The film showed abortions, drug use, and incest without dwelling on the issues. It concentrated more on showing us Homer's reactions to the issues, and how he handled them.
The film's approach was humanistic, it gave you a better understanding of human nature. Homer was optimistic even though he was an unwanted orphan, and Dr. Larch was realistic, seeing the bigger picture. The cinematography of the outside scenes was very colorful and serene and the music was alwaays kind of upbeat, even in the scenes of Homer throwing fetuses in the incinerator, or confronting Mr. Rose about how he is treating his daughter. The film didn't really make a statement about abortion or incest, it just showed us that those things happen in life, and let us see how Dr. Larch felt about abortion and how Homer felt about abortion as well as incest. Even though Dr. Larch and Homer disagreed about abortion, they were still close. They agreed to disagree (The Art of Watching Films, pp. 411-412).
The theme of the show was constant, it showed the events in Homer's life. I thought Tobey Maguire did an okay job as Homer, but he didn't show much emotion. I would have liked to see more facial reactions from him. Even when he was sad or mad, you couldn't really see it in his face. Michael Caine, on the other hand, did an excellent job of portraying Dr. Larch. You could see sympathy and sadness in his facial expressions, which helped you relate to the scene.
This film was rated PG-13, which I think is correct, because some parents may not want their children to see this film. I was never much of a believer in stopping my children from watching any films, especially if it depicted life. We watched The Corpse Bride the other night and my husband's daughter, who is eleven, watched and enjoyed the entire film. When it was over, she asked us what a corpse was. When we told her, she said "Wow! I watched the whole movie and didn't know what that meant!" I don't know what that film was rated, but obviously it was not meant for an eleven year old. My husband does limit what his daughter watches, but he bases it on what he knows about the film, not what it is rated.
Every person has a genre that they like, and no matter what the rating, they are probably going to watch it. The movie ratings are guides that some people strictly adhere to, most pay some attention to, and others give very little thought to. Obviously, I am one that gives very little thought to the ratings.
This film didn't portray what society thinks of orphanages. It gave you a false sense of what it is like growing up in an orphanage. I saw this film as entertainment only.
The level of ambitions in the film depicted the orphanage as a place where kids wouldn't really care if they were adopted, and didn't show the orphanage like it was expected to be, a cold, dark, mean, and uncaring place (The Art of Watching Films, p. 407). It was almost an idyllic setting. The film succeeded in making you believe that maybe some orphanages were run like this and that the children were treated like family. It was a heartfelt film without being overly emotional. I enjoyed it. The film showed abortions, drug use, and incest without dwelling on the issues. It concentrated more on showing us Homer's reactions to the issues, and how he handled them.
The film's approach was humanistic, it gave you a better understanding of human nature. Homer was optimistic even though he was an unwanted orphan, and Dr. Larch was realistic, seeing the bigger picture. The cinematography of the outside scenes was very colorful and serene and the music was alwaays kind of upbeat, even in the scenes of Homer throwing fetuses in the incinerator, or confronting Mr. Rose about how he is treating his daughter. The film didn't really make a statement about abortion or incest, it just showed us that those things happen in life, and let us see how Dr. Larch felt about abortion and how Homer felt about abortion as well as incest. Even though Dr. Larch and Homer disagreed about abortion, they were still close. They agreed to disagree (The Art of Watching Films, pp. 411-412).
The theme of the show was constant, it showed the events in Homer's life. I thought Tobey Maguire did an okay job as Homer, but he didn't show much emotion. I would have liked to see more facial reactions from him. Even when he was sad or mad, you couldn't really see it in his face. Michael Caine, on the other hand, did an excellent job of portraying Dr. Larch. You could see sympathy and sadness in his facial expressions, which helped you relate to the scene.
This film was rated PG-13, which I think is correct, because some parents may not want their children to see this film. I was never much of a believer in stopping my children from watching any films, especially if it depicted life. We watched The Corpse Bride the other night and my husband's daughter, who is eleven, watched and enjoyed the entire film. When it was over, she asked us what a corpse was. When we told her, she said "Wow! I watched the whole movie and didn't know what that meant!" I don't know what that film was rated, but obviously it was not meant for an eleven year old. My husband does limit what his daughter watches, but he bases it on what he knows about the film, not what it is rated.
Every person has a genre that they like, and no matter what the rating, they are probably going to watch it. The movie ratings are guides that some people strictly adhere to, most pay some attention to, and others give very little thought to. Obviously, I am one that gives very little thought to the ratings.
This film didn't portray what society thinks of orphanages. It gave you a false sense of what it is like growing up in an orphanage. I saw this film as entertainment only.
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