Unit 26 Film Studies PR1: How to Analyse a Film

There are many different ways to analyse films and how they differ from others. When analysing a film you would have to consider; settings, narrative, iconography, characters, themes, ideological message and conventions. If some of these areas don’t conform to their genre it may mean that the director is an auteur. An Auteur is a person who is very creative and creates unique pieces of work which don’t conform to its considered genre. This means that they may encounter criticism for their work. You can often tell a film was directed by a certain person from their unique style which is found in some of their previous work. Alfred Hitchcock was a director of psychological thrillers and was considered an auteur .This was because his camera style was considered very different at the time. He would make the camera move in a way that would mimic a person’s view. This brought the feel of empathy towards the character. Many other directors have now taken on Alfred’s style as it was very successful. Quentin Tarantino, Wes Craven and Francis Ford Coppola are also well known auteurs. When analysing films you can find aspect that you would typically find in that certain genre. In adventure films you will often find that the editing is very fast and the location is quite tropical. In crime/dramas there usually car chases in urban areas.

The film Napoleon Dynamite (Jared Hess, 2004) is considered a teen comedy, yet some aspect a very different from typical teen comedies. The main character in the film is a ‘geek’ that has strange traits and a strange personality which makes him humorous. The comedy aspect of the film is considered very odd compared to other comedies. The jokes within the film are very subtle meaning that not all of the audiences would understand it. I would consider it to be a deadpan comedy as a lot of the comedy comes from the monotone conversations the characters have within the film. Jarred Hess the director of Napoleon Dynamite also directed Nacho Libre which is also considered to be very different from its genre. Both films have characters that don’t conform to the genre.

Pulp fiction is a Crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino in 1994. The film contains themes of both comedy and violence which is considered strange within its genre. Pulp Fiction is a non-linear story about American mobsters in Los Angeles. Throughout the film there are scenes of gun violence, drug use and sometimes the scene can be considered offensive or outrageous. There are many settings within Pulp fiction that are very common in crime films such as suburban streets and strip clubs. Other settings don’t conform to its genre such as the Diner.

There are many characters within Pulp Fiction that you would not consider seeing in this genre of film. Vincent (John Travolta) and Jules (Samuel L Jackson), the hit men that you are introduced to at the start of the film are very different from typical mobsters. Both characters have been given personalities which bounce off each other in a comedic way. It is very common in crime films that there would be a Femme Fatale. The Femme Fatale within Pulp Fiction is Mia Wallace the crime bosses wife. Like all Femme Fatales Mia is a strong manipulating women who is seen within the film manipulating and flirting with Vincent. She is also her own victim as she takes a lot of drugs and uses her body to get what she wants.

In my opinion the non-linear story telling within Pulp Fiction is very common in most crime films and television programmes. A lot of them show events from the end of the story at the begging to bring some mystery to the film or programme. In Pulp Fiction there is a scene where Marsellus Wallace and Butch are talking in a club at a table. The mise en scene within this scene is as you would expect from this genre; the mob boss is sat at a dimly lit table while the person he is talking to is in full view of the audience, there are also various ‘goons’ keeping an eye on them. Then Vincent and Jules walk in casual clothes, I consider this quite strange as you often see hit men only in suits.

Quantum of Solace is a film directed by Marc Forster in 2008. The film is the twenty-second James Bond film produced Eon Films. The James Bond series is based on the novels of Ian Fleming (1953-1966). Quantum of Solace is a film that has a lot of aspect which conforms to its genre, unlike a lot of the films I have just mentioned. Often in James Bond Films there are fast cars, explosions and

guns, and Quantum of Solace is no acceptation. The opening sequence the mise en scene features a car chase and plenty of gun violence. This sequence has fast editing to keep up with the fast action within the film. Often in action films there are a lot of cuts so that all the action is captured. It is tradition in James Bond films that the opening is set in an exotic location. Beautiful locations such as the one in the film are always found in adventure films. Also in Quantum of Solace and all of the James Bond films the women are objectified, representing them as ‘sex objects’. In the opening titles the silhouetted women are shown in a provocative manor. They are also portrayed as weak and they often become the victim.

Binary Opposites are often always found in crime, action, adventure films; they can often reflect opposites in real life. For example in James Bond there are always the bad and the good; the people who want to destroy and the people who want to save. Commonly in films the protagonist will try to overthrow the bad to save the good. James Bond films always have an ideological message which expresses British power and how Britain as a country, through the character of ‘Bond’ can beat the evil shown through his enemies. There is also a lot of iconography within the James Bond series. Fast British cars, smart British clothes and powerful songs are all iconic in James Bond films. Leon The Professional (Luc Besson, 1994) is a crime/drama/ thriller about an assassin that rescues a girl and takes her in when her family is killed during a corrupt police raid. There are themes of drugs and extreme violence within the film that shocked many at the time. Even more shocking was the suggestive relationship between Leon and Matilda the two main characters.

I believe that Luc Besson is an auteur as he broke conformity and pushed the boundaries when it came to political correctness. The opening to the film is like many crime film, it has gun violence and crime. In later scenes you see the assassin in a position not seen in normal crime thrillers; he is looking after a young girl. He certainly has an individual style which could be considered to strange. Luc Besson knew that his film was controversial and that it was not going to be a success in the box offices. This shows that he puts artist merit before commercial success. He also directed films such as The Last Battle and Subway which were not received well by the public and got very low ratings. Some consider his films to be works of art.

Looper (2012, Rian Johnson) is set in America 2044. 30 years into the future crime bosses use illegal time travel to get rid of bodies that they are unable to get rid of. The live bodies are sent back through time to people called Loopers, who shoot the person and then dispose of them in any way they can. The Loopers find silver bars on the victim which is used as payment. Joe Simons is our main character who is a Looper; he is played by Joseph Gordon-Levit. Further on in the film he finds out that his loop is closed, meaning that he has to stop working for the bosses and kill his future self.

Unfortunately for him, his future-self escapes and if the present Joe doesn’t find him he will be killed by his bosses in the present. The future Joe then sets out to kill a dangerous crime boss from the future, but as it is the past for him he has to find and kill a child. As the story unfolds the present Joe tries to protect the child from his future self.Looper is an engaging film with action and surprise around every corner. Some parts of the film are complex and sometimes not very easily understood as you can understand by reading the plot above, but so are most films about time travel. I believe that the futures they have created in this film are very viable and realistic as special effects are not over the top like most Sci-Fi films. As this film is somewhat believable, people can relate to some of the issues brought up in this film and compare them with life today. Maybe this film was what the writer believed the future would be like; with a lot of crime and homelessness. The film is aimed at teens and onwards. Some scenes contain violence and gore that could be considered disturbing. In other scenes there is some mild nudity and drugs. Towards the end of the film you begin to understand the concept more and more, leaving you saying ‘Oh I understand now’. But despite of this revelation you still have a few questions unanswered. Rian Johnson can be considered as an auteur as Looper is very different from normal Sci-Fi films. The character of Joe can be considered a bad person as he kills for a living yet you as the audience are on his side. Often in Sci-Fi’s the main character is often a hero and a good person. The film also

touches on the corrupt law enforcements and drug abuse; not many directors would dare touch on such stories as some might see them as politically incorrect. This is very similar to the issues in Leon the Professional. In Looper there are many scenes with gore and violence, but there is also a scene where a child kills a man, leaving the walls covered in blood. Rian Johnson did take risks when it came to making Looper and it was also a work of art, but unlike some Auteur director’s films Looper was very successful.

George Lucas is considered an auteur as his films were adventurous for its time and he influenced many others. George’s first film was in 1971, THX 1138. The film flopped at box offices but has gained a cult following over the years. Years later Star Wars IV: New Hope was released which a great success for George was leading to many sequels. At the time the special effects were ground breaking and the editing techniques were very unconventional. The story was also very original and influential. I consider George Lucas to be an auteur as his films are original which meant sometimes audiences did not like it but other times the film becomes a great success.

In conclusion Auteurs are directors that put artistic merits before success. Often these films become successful but in some case the film flops making the film lose a lot of money. Despite of this the director continues to make original and unique films.