Wednesday 16 November 2011

How Peter Weir Utilises generic conventions in the murder scene in 'Witness' (1985)

WITNESS (1985) (112min)
Directed by: Peter Weir
Released on: 24th May 1985
Made in: Philadelphia, United States
Genre: Thriller/Romance
Produced by: Paramount Pictures


Awards:
  •  It was nominated for eight Academy Awards, and won two.
  •  Nominated for six Golden Globe awards
  •  Earl. W. Wallace and William Kelley won the Writers Guild of America for Best Original   Screenplay
  • It also won the Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay presented by the mystery writers of America.



A review by a user on Imbd:
'Witness' is a remarkably intelligent movie! 29 November 2002
Won Oscars for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen, and Best Editing. Nominated for five more Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor, Harrison Ford, and Best Director Peter Weir. Weir Directed the 'The Year of Living Dangerously', and 'The Truman Show'. After seeing it maybe 10 times, I find it is one of those infrequent stories that still draws my attention. This places it in the company of pictures like 'The Godfather', and some others which stand the test of repeat viewings over time. Kelly McGillis is the film's intelligent and talented secret weapon. Her performance makes me wonder where she is these days. She is an Amish widow from a rural Amish community. On a trip to the city her little boy witnesses a murder in the restroom of a train station. Police investigator Harrison Ford finds himself targeted along with the boy by corrupt cops in his unit that did the murder. He is hurt in a shootout and hides with the Amish. He wears Amish clothes, and labours with the men of the community as he rebuilds his strength. An attraction naturally develops between the McGillis and Ford characters. The chemistry is remarkably intelligent, and authentically portrayed. Their worlds are separated by a cultural gulf. They are drawn by each other, and respect one another. The contrasts are drawn clearly between the quaint honesty and almost dreamlike serenity of the Amish, and the horrible violence intruding upon them from the outside world. The resolution of the story should not be given away to someone who has not seen the movie. This film is a different kind of thriller in more ways than one. Its makers kept it intelligent, instead of resorting to another pyrotechnic joyride. -Robert Hartman-
I agree with this user review because I think that this thriller is ‘a different kind of thriller in more ways than one. Its makers kept it intelligent, instead of resorting to another pyrotechnic joyride’ I think that the idea was very original, but the ideology followed the thriller template and that is what makes this a very successful thriller.


A review from The Telegraph:
Few thrillers burn such indelible or contrasting images on to the retina as 1985’s Witness. It leaves you with memories of fields of grain swaying serenely in the warm New England breeze, of a barn-raising that looks drawn from the most elegant 19th-century oil — and of a knifing straight out of a nightmare.
And this is exactly as it should be, as Witness — like many of Peter Weir’s wonderful films — is about people supremely at odds with their surroundings. Here, the Australian director (most recently responsible for Master and Commander) explores the clash of cultures that develops after young Amish boy Samuel Lapp (Lukas Haas) witnesses a grisly murder while on his first trip to town with his mother, the recently widowed Rachel (Kelly McGillis).
Big-city policeman John Book (Harrison Ford) takes on the case, but soon finds himself forced to hole up with mother and son in their God-fearing, pre-technological community. The love story that develops between John and Rachel is one of the most touching in cinema, all the more so for its being both so clearly hopeless and bookended by scenes of sudden, shocking violence.
Nor is it just Rachel who gets under Book’s skin. Having, crucially, been required by her to hand over his bullets — she hides them in a flour tin, from which they later emerge looking like little iced truffles — he is progressively seduced by the Amish way of life, in turn endearing himself to them through his carpentry (a skill Ford himself made use of before turning to acting).
— is Weir’s typically questioning intelligence. Like Book, we find ourselves falling for the stringent Amish existence, but when, for example, Rachel’s dignified father-in-law Eli (Jan Rubes) tells poor Samuel, “Having seen what bad men do, you become one of them”; we suddenly see the chasm between their views and ours.
Witness not only quickens the pulse but also thoroughly engages heart and mind. What more can you ask?

I agree with this review as it communicates that the film is directed wonderfully and not only does it have beautiful scenery it also ‘quickens the pulse but also thoroughly engages heart and mind’


Overall, male and female voted 8/10, however females over the age of 45 found the film more appealing by 0.2% due to the fact the thriller was intertwined with romance, and starred the actor Harrison Ford, a male star that is very popular, and that woman of this age very much admire.




Witness is a film, released in 1985 directed by Peter Weir.  The film stars Harrison Ford, Kelly Mc Gillis, Josef Sommer, and Lukas Haas.  The film follows a young Amish boy who is the sole witness to a murder in a train station, John Book; the policeman in charge of the case goes to the Amish country to hide and protect the Amish boy until the trial.

This film was produced in 1985, a time where Amish communities were not a big part of the outside world, they lived in their own communities amogst one another, they are known for their simple dress, plain living, and maily their reluctancy to adopt any new technology or conveniences of the moderm worlf. These isolated groups of Amish population may have problems within them such as generic disorders and other problems which are caused by closed communities. Their communities made the decisions regarding health, education and relationships, all of these being based on their biblical beliefs. For example; they do not educate the children in the community past the eighth grade, as they beleive that they have the sufficient knowledge in need to prepare their children for the amish lifestyle.


The Movie has portrayed the Amish boy in a way that it is easy to recognise that he is not a 'city boy' and is not from the area, the modern technology is completely new to him, and small things amaze him.




Peter Weir has used a high angle shot over 30th Street Station in Philadelphia. This shot has been utilised to signify that the cluster of people are small and unimportant.  Muted colours and low light have been chosen for this scene to create a sense of a corrupt and tainted station.


At the beginning of this scene; the statue of the ‘Angel of resurrection’ is shown from a low establishing shot, this makes it intimidating and powerful.  It shows that the statue is beyond the Childs’ cultural identity.  It then cuts to show a low angle close up of the boy’s face, this enables the audience to see the boys reaction to this statue that is beyond himself.  From this shot the audience have established that the boy is Amish due to his very obvious and traditional black suit, and hat. The costume reveals to us his identity, and therefore enables the audience to relate his identity to the ways of Amish life.The costume of both Samuel and his mother establish the difference between the Amish country and the corrupt society within America.



The still shows the high angle shot of the boy from the shoulder of the statue.  It Is almost as if the angel is watching Samuel, and keeping an eye on him.  The boy from this height looks small, this could relate to the fact that he is just one person in a big city. Weir has also used this shot as it connotes vulnerability. The shot connotes a sense of loneliness which contrasts with the previous shot of the crowd of people in the train station. From this we can establish it is a thriller, as the boy, alone in the centre of the screen establishes that he is lonely, this could foreshadow that Samuel will be lonely in the sense that he is the sole witness in the case.

A medium establishing shot is then shown; this establishes location and shows the Amish mother sitting on a bench with Samuel.  This shot indicates isolation as there are no people around.  Samuels’s mother then allows him to go to the toilet; this shows naivety; as representation of American culture is portrayed as dangerous, negative and that the innocent are in danger. The Amish boy then heads into the vanishing point of the toilet; this could indicate that he is entering another dimension and if he comes back there will be a warp, or something that has dramatically changed his life. It is a convention used in thrillers to indicate that something is about to happen.

Here Peter Weir has kept the mute lighting and dull, murky colours because this creates tension.  When Samuel has entered the toilet the camera cuts to a medium close up of a 25 year old man wearing a leather jacket, leant over a sink. This indicates loneliness; the leather jacket is also a generic signifier. The toilet is a generic location of the thriller genre; it is claustrophobic, isolated and inelegant..  Peter Weir has used this  generic location for the murder to take place because due to the enclosed claustrophobic spacing, the tension is built up in the audience because the child is trapped within this nightmare and they are eager for him evacuate before he becomes involved with the corrupt characters and society within America this is reflected upon the dirt and filth within the toilets. When Samuel enters the cubical the camera cuts to a close up of the door closing. Diegetic sound is used here when closing the door- this shows it’s important within the film. A low angle of the people entering the toilet, their faces are not shown, and this is how Peter Weir has used enigma within the film. The audience then become aware that Samuel is trapped in the toilet and cannot escape.

Weir uses generic thriller aspects such as  noir lighting, and muted colour. and then cuts to a close up of Samuel watching the violence through the gap in the door, and then cuts to a close up of the knife held in the mans’ hand, a close up has made it more effective, and adds tension and adds intimidation to the shot.  This has been used to foreshadow the events that are yet to happen; it also creates suspense and anticipation within the audience. Peter Weir has usedenigma here- the audience can not see the face of the killer but can identify his race- this is using a stereotype. This also reinforces the negative portrayal of American culture; it has made a negative representation of the dark skinned man. It has also used stereotypes by making the murderer recognisable by his ethnicity. This also contrasts with the representation of the Amish community being lovely and peaceful. They are portrayed as being all as one; safe, everyone knows one another and they are a community of trust.


This still shows an extreme close up of the young Amish boy looking out the gap in the toilet door. We can see from this shot that Samuel is distressed and terrified but he has never seen such things, he is being exposed to a new environment and it is this that he is curious about.

Monday 14 November 2011

Essex Boys (2000) How Terry Winsor utilises thriller conventions

Essex Boys (2000) (102min)
Directed by : Terry Winsor
Released on:  14th July 2000
Made in: UK
Genre: Gangster Thriller
Produced by: Miramax Home Video and Pathe-UK
Essex Boys is a film released in 2000, directed by Terry Winsor. The film stars actors, Sean Bean, Alex Kingston and Charlie Creed-Miles.  The film is based in Essex, around the events that occurred in 1995 which escalated to the murders of three drug Dealers.

Review from a user on imbd:
Brutal and disturbing,from start to finish.,2,July 2002

Author: from Devon, England
Sean Bean plays a gangster in this movie which is based on the real life range rover murders. Charlie Creed Miles stars as Billy, the gangsters driver who becomes involved with all of it.

It doesn't sound like a good movie,but when watching,the violence and the rape is so brutal that it will make you look away from the screen. Some people have never seen such violent men that if they watch this,they will turn it off half way through. The most disturbing thing is that these events did take place a few years ago.I won't spoil anymore of the film but all I can say is,this is what goes on behind closed doors in Essex.
The film is a british gangster thriller which is loosely based on the tale of what happened.You see Billy get drawn in and by the end of it we have sympathy for this character.The film is grim but worth a rent,it goes on for about two hours but is enjoyable and disturbing.I rate 3/5.

 I agree with this review as the film entails muchviolence, but it did draw me in, i enjoyed the film and agree that 'by the end we have sympathy for this character'  - Mandy Edmondson
Review by The Telegraph

This stylish British gangster film, set in and around Southend, stars Sean Bean and Tom Wilkinson as a couple of rival hoods, and is a good deal better written than you might expect. At least the people say things that people might say, and the plot, though it goes a bit awry, is full of details that lend credibility. In the second half, some of the characters begin to lose their power, mainly because the film's violence is endlessly trying to top itself. The young British actor Charlie Creed-Miles (who was brilliant in Nil by Mouth), plays a hapless taxi-driver caught up in a world he doesn't understand. This film shows him coming into his own in a big way. AOH

I agree that the actor Charlie Creed- Miles played his role well, even when he was completely silent. I disagree that the plot goes a bit awry; i found it well written and a very, compelling film.. - Mandy Edmondson

Overall Male and Female voted 6/10. Although males under 18 found the film more appealing by 0.2% because violent and gangster films are more appealing to males around that age as they are more interested in violence and films associated with it.

 


The film opens with a dark, black background; this instantly establishes that the film is within the thriller genre. It then uses non-diegetic sounds of scratches whilst showing us white lines on the screen. The black and white theme is using carascura lighting- light on dark.  It is a noir opening; it is creating a visually appealing effect. The lines resemble that of chalk or paint running down a black board, although when the non-diegetic sound is added to the picture, we are led to believe it is scratches being made on a car.  This automatically creates tension and creates an enthralling opening scene, as it leads the audience to believe the movie entails crime and violence.

The black background then fades and reveals to us the generic location that the opening scene is set in; a garage. Here the director has created a typical thriller scene by using a claustrophobic space which connotes isolation. Winsor has used a medium establishing shot along with chiaroscuro and noir lighting to influence the audience to feel the tension and surrealism. The fact that Billy is entrapped and isolated may be foreshadowing his emotions that he may later feel later on in the film due to the strain he is put under and the fear he experiences due to Jason.  These aspects indicate the film is noir, and uses the theme of corruption and violence.  Billy then switches the light on , to add non ambient lighting to the scene. Diegetic sounds have also been kept to add realism and make it believable.  This scene uses a fist person voiceover from Billy; that is used to explain the events that occur in the film from the characters point of view, but to also as an obvious cultural signifier; due to the recognisable Essex accent that Billy obtains. It is not something that is specific to this particular genre but is used in films none the less; for example ‘The Third Man’ in which voiceover is used effectively during the title sequence and is used to make the audience feel more engaged and closer to the action.
The camera cuts to Billy entering the car.  It then cuts to a still showing the windscreen whilst the window wipers wipe off filth and dirt from the screen. The shot then reveals to us a man standing to the left of the screen. In this shot we are first introduced to the character: Jason Locke. The way we are introduced to the character through the murky, dirty car windscreen, and that half of his body is immerged into the shadow; implies that Jason has ominous qualities and his moral corruption, can be considered as ‘dirt’. His costume tells the audience that he is a generic villain; his flamboyant orange shirt reveals that this character is confident and important in the film; his leather jacket is a generic signifier of the thriller genre. The voiceover also enables us to learn that Jason Locke is a character involves with crime and has recently been released from prison. The glass could also represent the barrier between the two characters, and the dirt being washes away suggests that Billy is making himself exposed to Jason.



Billy has offered to be Jason’s chauffeur for a couple of days. This shot shows Billy’s car entering the Dartford tunnel, this shot can link in with several aspects of the thriller genre, as the tunnel is again a generic convention of the thriller due to it’s claustrophobic, and enclosed space. This tunnel can be resembled to the barrel of a gun; this could mean that they are heading into corruption, danger and violence.  It is also used as a vanishing point, this could mean that Billy will eventually disappear, and become nothing.

 In this still it shows the lighting from the roof, reflecting on the windscreen of the car. These lights resemble prison bars; this could be foreshadowing Billy and Jason’s fate, a life of crime or prison. Terry Winsor has used this to make the audience wait in suspense to watch the rest of the film and to see what happens to both of the characters. There is also the non-diagetic sound of sirens are also occuring during this shot; which also reffers back to the bars and the concept of prison. This shot also shows that Jason look’s quite unhappy and maybe anxious as to what extent he is involved with Jason and his ‘business’, the light on his face could also communicate to the audience that Billy is a good person,but his innocence is shadowed by the violent personality of Jason who is in the dark at the back of the car, without a care in the world.

In this shot it shows Jason in a fish market, a scene which reveals to us the true extent of Jason’s violent nature. It is an environment which entails blood, guts and people. Jason attacks the man in public, this indicates that he doesn’t care about the consequences; he isn’t fazed by the thought of prison and he’ll do anything to get revenge.   





Here we see that Billy witness’s Jason throwing acid onto the man’s face through the wing mirror of the new van that Jason has required.  This shows that Jason is a man with no morals, and a dangerous one at that. He is also a part of a corrupt and dangerous social web, he is involved with crimes and capable of extremely violent crimes; this enhances the sense of threat and suspense.


The generic white van used in Essex Boys creates enigma, it is so generic that we are aware of its importance within the film. It is never revealed to us what is inside the van, which is what makes it enigmatic, just like in kill bill. Bill’s face is never shown, and that is the enigma within the Kill Bill volumes.  



There is a simple, clean establishing shot of the Essex Marshes; Jason has chosen this location to leave his victim. The marshes are bleak, but give a sense of isolation. The filthiness of the landscape can be compared with the situation in which Billy is entrapped. The Essex Marshes can be used as a representation of Jason’s character, as the marshes have no boundaries and Jason has no moral boundaries. The marshes are a vanishing point and are a bit enigmatic also, as we are aware that the tide will come in, and they will disappear. It is a primeval landscape, - one with no morals, which connotes danger. It is a wasteland, a ‘no man’s land’ this can be referred to the film ‘No country for Old Men’ when the desert is a wasteland also.

The photo on the left is of the landsape in 'No Country for Old Men', the right is of the Essex Marshes used in 'Essex Boys'. Jason and the hitman Anton Chigurh are both predatory and primeval; they have no moral landsape, their hunting grounds suggest the realm of a nightmare.