Film Review - Mary and Max (2009)

Fig 1. Mary and Max (2009)

Mary and Max is an indie/drama film about an overseas friendship between two characters with very different lives. An eight-year-old girl from Melbourne named Mary Dinkle, who is picked on for having a birthmark on her forehead, and Max Horovitz; a 44-year-old overweight Jewish man with Asperger’s syndrome. The film shows the two characters friendship develop through the letters they write to each other over the span of 20 years. The film explores themes of friendship, mental health, and autism, but also covers some dark and mature themes such as; anxiety, sexual differences, alcoholism, religious differences, past trauma, agoraphobia, obesity, neglect, bullying, and suicide. The film also has its comedic moments, which when mixed with the dark themes, creates some morbidly funny situations.

The film was made using claymation/stop motion animation. It has a more handmade quality and gives the characters movements a more quirky style, which in this case supports the dark and sometimes off-putting themes. With stop motion, and especially with Mary and Max, the characters look more puppet-like, rather than people, which can be quite unsettling when paired with dark themes, but in a way that fascinates the audience, rather than putting them off.

The story of Mary and Max could definitely have been portrayed through live action rather than animation, however, it is the animation itself paired with the story that really makes the narrative work. There are some things that cannot be captured by live action films. For example, each character is designed so uniquely and are so over exaggerated that you can tell exactly what the characters are like without even hearing them speak, the film also has a very interesting use of colour.  When showing Mount Waverly; the place where Mary lives, the only colours used are sepia tones, except for the Mary’s Mother’s red lipstick, and later on, Mary’s red lipstick and red shoes. The choice of these colours aids the melancholy feeling of the film. When showing New York; the city that Max lives in, it is only shown in black and white which makes Mount Waverley suddenly look rather simple and peaceful compared to the chaotic, polluted city. The abstract characters and quirky animation mixed with the dull colour palettes make the film slightly difficult to watch, especially with the challenging themes it shows, however, there is a good balance of rather blunt humour and darker moments. If the narrative was told using live action, the story may have felt a little too drawn out, and also dulled downed some dramatic scenes such as the scene where Mary almost commits suicide where pictures of her friends and family are seen floating around her. If this was done using live action it wouldn’t look as interesting, and the characters would lose a lot of their creepy charms.

Fig 2. Mary and Max (2009)

The film was directed and written by Adam Elliot, an independent Australian stop-motion animation writer, director and producer based in Melbourne, Australia. Adam refers to a lot of his work as “Clayography” which means clay animated biographies. He views every character and prop and set as a tangible object, so that the audience can see that very little detail has been hand crafted. He decided to create Mary and Max because he always focused on one character in his previous short films, and thought it was time to explore multiple characters. The film became a feature length film unintentionally during the writing process as Elliot doesn’t usually plan how long the film will be. Adam also designed just over 200 characters himself, he also had to create a style bible to give to the sculptors so that they could accurately portray his style. Elliot’s stories focus on characters that are seen as outsiders or marginalized ed. He wants to educate the audience on issues that not everyone would know about, or should tease someone for. He wants the audience to be able to empathize with his characters.

The reception of Mary and Max was very positive. It received a 95% (57 of 60) of the critics at a film review aggregator rotten tomatoes rate Mary and Max fresh, with eleven of the fourteen top critic reviews agreeing. It grossed $1,444,617 at the Australian box office and although it received no general theatrical release in the United States, it was shown at several American film festivals and was briefly shown in the Laemmle Theatre in Los Angeles. The film was released in France and Germany and received significant box office success. It also won many awards such as; Best Animated Feature Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, Best Director in a Feature Film at the Australian Director Guild, Crystal Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, and the Grand Prize at the Ottawa International Animation Festival, as well as being nominated for 9 other awards.

Bibliography:

Hailey, J. s.d. Mary and Max (2009) At: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0978762/ (Accessed on 17.01.19)

Mary and Max, Official Trailer [online] AMBI Distribution (2014) 2:03 mins At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2GbYu010a0&feature=youtu.be

(Accessed on 17.01.19)

Mary and Max: The Exhibition - interview with Adam Elliot [online] Pres. Adam Elliot. ACMI (2015) 15 mins At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUVzPaBANkw&feature=youtu.be (Accessed on 17.01.19)

Pulver, A. (2010) Mary and Max Review. At: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/21/mary-and-max-review (Accessed on 17.01.19)

Rotten Tomatoes. S.d. Mary and Max (2009) At: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1209767_mary_and_max (Accessed on 17.01.19)

Images:

Figure 1. Mary and Max. (2009) From: Mary and Max. Directed by Adam Elliot [Poster] Australia: Gaumont. At: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0978762/mediaviewer/rm1312167936  (Accessed on 17.01.19)

Figure 2. Mary and Max. (2009) From: Mary and Max. Directed by Adam Elliot [Film still] Australia: Gaumont. At: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0978762/mediaviewer/rm3229040640 (Accessed on 17.01.19)

Rope 1948 Review

Alfred Hitchcock, the director often crowned movie histories ‘Master of Suspense’, directed ‘Rope’ in 1948, featuring different methods of film to create a psychological thriller showcasing the famous creation of tension he’s so remembered for.

One central aspect that forms suspense throughout ‘Rope’ is the use of a ‘one shot camera’. During the era, ‘Rope’ was shot, however, technology had not advanced to the point where one film reel could hold an entire feature length film. Because of this, six clever transitions are carried out to mask the switching of the reels, for example, zooming into an object then zooming back out or having an actor walk in front of the camera so the entire screen goes black for a few seconds.
Regardless of these cuts in the film, the use of one long moving shot assists in the creation of tension by forming a more immersive scene.

As there are no sharp jump cuts, but smooth panning instead where no details are missed, the camera is always making the point of focus clear for the reader. The reason as to why the film is so iconic in its use of suspense is because it is able to hold the viewers' attention by consistently building pressure and tension which is a common factor that Alfred Hitchcock likes the include in all of his films:

“Now, this brings us to suspense, which is the most powerful means of holding onto the viewers’ attention. It can either be the suspense of the situation or the suspense that makes the public ask itself, “what will happen next?””

This relates to the film ‘Rope’ as we know from the very beginning that the two main characters are guilty of murder. It’s not a question of ‘whodunit’ rather ‘when will they get found out?’ This is a great way of creating tension because this then makes the audience start to focus on more intricate details and interactions almost through the eyes of killers; with the same caution and anxiety the murderers are feeling in the situation. 

Hitchcock utilizes the camera in many ways in order to create a suspenseful atmosphere. By zooming in on an object of importance, Hitchcock is showing the audience the area of focus whereas some of the characters won’t even realise the significance of this object, e.g. the rope as the murder weapon  being used to tie up books that one of the dinner guests ends up innocently carrying away from the scene of the crime.
The audience then feels the tension as they can guess what will happen next, whereas the characters can’t, e.g. the fact that Brandon hides a gun in his pocket.

The use of the still camera creates long dragged out scenes which add to an immersive, claustrophobic atmosphere for the viewers. With the camera being set in one spot, the audience is able to notice small details that may be otherwise overlooked if the use of a panning camera or jump cuts where used.
An example of this is when the maid is clearly clearing away plates from the bookcase the body is currently being hidden in and starts to bring books back to the case, visually communicating that she will soon be opening the chest to put the books back inside.

This technique is effective because the audience can guess what’s going to happen but the characters can’t.

“In the usual form of suspense, it is indispensable that the public is made perfectly aware of all the facts involved. Otherwise, there is no suspense.”

 This also illustrates Hitchcock’s style of storytelling, as he infamously always lets the audience know what’s happening within his films; there is no room for confusion.

Hitchcock not only uses the camera to create suspense but also in his use of foreshadowing. There are multiple examples of foreshadowing throughout the film’s dialogue, for example when David’s Aunt reads Phillip’s palm, she says: “These hands will bring you fame.” This could have been insinuating Phillip’s skill in playing the piano, but the audience knows the real reason will be because of the murder he committed.

D.A Miller writes about an interview between Hitchcock and Francios Truffaut. In the interview, Hitchcock gives a brief description of the story:

“All the action takes place on a summer evening in a New York apartment. Two young homosexuals strangle a school friend just for the thrill of it and conceal his body in a chest in the very room in which his parents and fiancée are expected for a cocktail party.”

The film Rope was also based off of a true story, the Leopold and Loeb case.

“On September 10, 1924, Nathan Freudenthal Leopold, Jr. (November 19, 1904–August 29, 1971), and Richard Albert Loeb (June 11, 1905–January 28, 1936) were convicted of the kidnapping and murder of 14-year-old Robert “Bobby” Franks.” Leopold and Loeb were lovers. And it should be mentioned that due to the time period that the film was released, and censorship laws, the protagonist’s of Rope’s sexualities are never confirmed, but heavily hinted at throughout the film.

D.A Miller then points out that the homosexual themes of the film are never outwardly confirmed, rather subtly suggested through the means of subtext.

“For all the announced succinctness, one word here appears almost sumptuously extraneous: homosexual. Every other element in the summary is furnished on the direct evidence of what we hear or see in the film. Yet in this sense, the homosexuality of the protagonists, never either visually displayed (with a kiss) or verbally disclosed (by a declaration), is simply not in the story at all.”

As a summary, the film, ‘Rope’ is filled with suspense and subtext. Although Hitchcock makes the imperative aspects of the film obvious and wants the audience to have information, there are still underlying themes that require reading between the lines in order to understand e.g the homoerotic subtext. The use of continuous camera shots, zooming into objects, people, and sometimes not moving at all, aids in creating a suspenseful atmosphere. Paired with clever script writing, filled with foreshadowing, the film is a good example of a classic psychological thriller.


References and image sources:

http://eprints.glos.ac.uk/4107/

http://posturemag.com/online/homosexuality-in-hitchcocks-rope/

https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=NnE_sPb3XBQC&oi=fnd&pg=PA63&dq=alfred+hitchcock+suspense&ots=C_8MMFfuOR&sig=4qK3Uqjj8nW_qP35aH1ZV8HBTN8#v=onepage&q=alfred%20hitchcock%20suspense&f=false

http://isites.harvard.edu/fs/docs/icb.topic458733.files/Anal%20Rope.pdf

http://www.jstor.org/stable/2928797?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=alfred+hitchcock+rope+1948&espv=2&biw=1304&bih=653&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjHgfG3hMrRAhWGLcAKHWNuA8UQ_AUICCgD#tbm=isch&q=+rope+1948+&imgdii=APlqY3ivYnRxQM%3A%3BAPlqY3ivYnRxQM%3A%3B1uDGeCrW8anK5M%3A&imgrc=APlqY3ivYnRxQM%3A

http://www.screeninsults.com/rope.php

http://www.screeninsults.com/images/rope-chest-gun2.jpg

http://creofire.com/rope-1948-analysis/

http://creofire.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Rope4.jpg


http://decider.com/2014/08/11/alfred-hitchcock-gay-strangers-on-a-train-and-rope/

La Belle et la Bete 1946 Film Review

Fig. 1 La Belle et la Bete Film Poster

'La Belle et La Bete' (1946), directed by Jean Cocteau, tells a tale of romance through use of haunting images and creative cinematography. The film is filled with Freudian symbols and suggestive themes which are made apparent throughout the script. Conventional in its approach of a traditional fairy tale, the character of the terrifying beast, beautiful princess and an evil villain remain consistent. In this review I would like to discuss the concept of the objectification of the female protagonist, and how this orthodox character trope is disputed in this 1946 rendition of 'Beauty and the Beast'. 

Based on the fairy tale written by Madame LePrince de Beaumont, This French classic follows the story of Belle (Josette Day) and her family. After an unfortunate encounter with The Beast (Jean Marias), Belle's Father, Maurice (Marcel Andre) is given a painful choice to make. As punishment for stealing a rose from the Beast's garden, Maurice must either give up his own life, or one of his daughters. Belle refuses to let her father give up his life, saying "I'd rather be eaten alive by that monster, than die of grief at your loss." And travels to The Beast's castle in her father's place.

Throughout the film, Belle's character is presented in a very unusual way for a film that was released in the 1940s. It was common for films of this time period to objectify women, for them to be the damsel in distress that needed to be rescued by a masculine hero. From the beginning of the film Belle shows her independence and bravery; for example, offering herself to the beast in her father's place. When Belle is confronted by the beast for the first time, unsurprisingly, she faints out of shock. This could be a contradiction to the argument of Belle's character breaking out of the common stereotypes of female characters in film, however, Her reaction to meeting a man/monster hybrid seems justified and it would be odd if she were to have no reaction at all to the beast. Also, after overcoming her initial shock, Belle no longer seems to be afraid of the beast, but rather curious instead. 

The film is filled with suspenseful moments, aided by the gothic visuals, surrealist elements,such as human furniture, and the intense soundtrack. There is a particular scene where Belle is to meet with the Beast for dinner,(see as she is instructed to "Every evening at 7 o'clock." The Beast is seen creeping up behind her extremely slowly. She senses his presence and freezes up, however her facial expressions show that she does not freeze with fear, but rather with anticipation. The dialogue between the Beast and Belle in this scene is particularly interesting and brings back the themes of suggestive symbolism. The Beast tell's her to "Not be afraid." To which Belle responds with "I'm not." showing that she can stand up for herself, even if she does feel threatened, she does not show this. "You are the Master." Says Belle, to which the Beast immediately responds with; "There is no master here but you." Reminding Belle that she is in charge. Every night at 7 o'clock, the Beast asks Belle: "will you be my wife?" To which Belle almost always refuses. saying that she will never marry him, however she eventually lets her guard down, having realised that the Beast is kind.

Fig 2. Belle dining with the Beast

 It was extremely uncommon for a film of this time period to have a strong female lead and a weak male counterpart, However , 'La Belle et la Bete' broke through gender norms by making Belle the character in charge, with the Beast relying on Belle so much that he almost dies from grief when she fails to return to the castle after one week. When Belle begs him to rally, his dying words are weak:"If I were a man, perhaps I could. But the poor beasts who want to prove their love can only grovel on the ground, and die." The narrative of the film focuses on Belle letting the Beast earn her love, rather than showing the stereotypical 'love at first sight' or 'damsel in distress' trope that seemed to be overused in films of it's time. This film holds values that are still relevant in modern society, which makes La Belle et la Bete a refreshing alternative rendition of 'Beauty and the Beast' That can still be enjoyed by audiences today. 

Bibliography: 

Ebert, R. (1999) Beauty and the Beast. [Online] Available from:

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-beauty-and-the-beast-1946 [Accessed on 08/11/2016]

Malcom, D. (1999). Jean Cocteau: La Belle et La Bete. [Online]. The Guardian. Available from:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/1999/jul/01/1 [Accessed on 08/11/2016]

La Belle et la Bete (1946). [DVD] Jean Cocteau, France: Criterion.

Images:

Fig 1. La Belle et la Bete Film Poster: http://manapop.com/musing/la-belle-et-la-bete-vs-disneys-beauty-and-the-beast/ [Accessed on 08/11/2016]

Fig 2. Belle dining with the Beast: https://drafthouse.com/show/beauty-and-the-beast-la-belle-et-la-bete-1946 [Accessed on 08/11/2016]