Day One
Introduction to Auteur Theory:
- Andrew Sarris: filmmakers as authors. Each imprints a visual/stylistic quality to their films through setting, shots, colors, etc.
- Additionally, each filmmaker generally brings structural and thematic elements to each of their films. Meanings, motifs, themes, plots.
Auteur Premises:
1) Director is a talented technician. Knows about shots, lighting, frames, set up. “A great director has to be at least a good director.”
2) Each film bears the director’s own personal style or signature. Similar to a fingerprint.
3) Each film carries some interior meaning that is brought out both visually and through the dialogue, plot development, etc. Harder to describe/explain. More about the director’s vivacity/enthusiasm.
In groups of 3-4 students, prepare the following scene in the style of the film/genre/director that you are assigned.
It is near the end of
the school year. You and your friends
have been planning a trip to go to a beach house for an extended weekend. You’ve told your parents about your plans
previously, but they decide that it would be best for you to stay home instead
and study for your upcoming finals.
Prepare a five minute sketch that acts out how you might have a discussion
with your parents about this conflict that has arisen.
Quentin Tarantino (Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill, etc.)
George Lucas (Star Wars)
Western
Alfred Hitchcock (Psycho, The Birds)
Napoleon Dynamite
Disney Movie
Horror Film
Silent Movie
Godzilla
You will have the rest of the class time today to work on your scene and everyone will present during tomorrow’s class. After each group has presented, the remaining groups will try and guess as to which style the other group had performed their sketch.
Day Two
Group presentations of their individual scenes. Discussion of how each scene was composed. What made a scene fit the particular style or genre? Did groups consider acting techniques, dialogue, movements, blocking? Was it easy to tell what type of film or director that the groups were emulating?
Remaining class time- Discussion of common symbols found in texts.
-Fruit
-Water
-Fire
-Swords
-Bread
-Glasses
-Sunlight
Introduction of Wild Strawberries (1957) by Ingmar Bergman.
Before directors like Bergman, films were generally thought of as purely forms of entertainment with no substance or artistic value. His films focused on individual points of view and were more concerned with character development than action. Conflict within Wild Strawberries lies with Borg himself (importance of dreams). Modernist themes- protagonist alienated, not attached to family, people in general.
Reflexive nature of film. Ask class to keep this in mind as they will
view scenes from 8 ½ and Blow-Up. Wild
Strawberries concentrates on one man’s journey from
Common symbols:
-Strawberries
-Journeying
-Whiteness
-Clocks
-Eyes
-Streets
-Coffins
Discussion of film representing a journey, cycles of life. What power do the symbols have?
Day Three
Presentation of first dream sequence from Wild Strawberries, which last approximately 10 minutes.
Summary of some of the visuals/sounds:
Clocks with no hands, bloody eye (eyes of God watching, biblical reference- Jesus wept before crucifixion.) Nature of time- must go back before you can go forward. Streets empty- Borg’s life empty, his wife is dead. Man without a face is Isak Borg. He doesn’t know his true self. Constant sound of heartbeat in the background- heart trying to surface? Awakening.
Almost run over by wheel, which subsequently breaks. Wheel- symbolic of life. Isak must understand his mortality and face it. He cannot recognize himself yet.
Coffin falls, squeaking sound (childlike?). Primarily long shots and then close ups towards the end. Disquieting images. Notion that something wrong is always present.
Composition of scene- background lighting, light and dark contrasts. Primarily black and white, a few grays.
After the scene has run in its entirety, I would go back and freeze the DVD on certain shots (handless clock, bloody eye, broken wheel, fallen coffin).
-What theme emerges?
-What do these images have in common, if anything at all?
- How does the soundtrack affect the overall mood?
- Discussion of the film within a film aspect of the dream sequences. Interior film represents his consciousness while exterior shows his actions in reality.
Day Four
Presentation of second dream sequence from Wild Strawberries, which last approximately 10 minutes.
Biblical references- stigmata, Virgin Mary. Process of repentance and atonement for salvation. Spilt strawberries- loss of youth, innocence. Strawberries- rebirth, sprin, regeneration, triggers memory from the past. Knows so much (life as a doctor- but in reality knows nothing of himself.) Memories seem to be either very dark (first sequence, inquisition) or very light and sunny (family life at the lakehouse). Discussion with Sarah- she forces him to look at himself, talks to him in childlike way.
Travels through series of doors, with all different levels. Must go down before he can go up (theme reoccurs of looking back before you can look forward). Looks into microscope- sees his own eyes (reflexive theme reappears). Nobody knows what lies in his heart.
Presentation of scene in Cathedral. Borg’s epiphany. Concept and idea of award changes- now irrelevant that he has had the opportunity to review/examine his life again. His final vision- parents together, reunites son with his wife Marianne. Psychological aspect- humans find salvation through process of self-awareness. Must understand the self before they can overcome maladjustments. Borg pursued a career in science rather than examining himself.
After the scene has run in its entirety, I would go back and freeze the DVD on certain shots (spilt strawberries, light scene from lakehouse, series of doors, reflection of face in the water).
- How doe these images relate/contrast to the ones from the previous day?
- How might these images change if the scene was shot from Borg’s Mother’s or Father’s perspective? Sarah’s perspective? Borg’s brother’s perspective?
- How successful is Bergman with showing the physical journey? The symbolic one?
- Discussion of developmental stages:
1) 20-24- love vs. isolation. Borg loves Sarah but is ultimately rejected and she chooses his brother instead, isolation begins.
2) 25-65. Develops his career as a physician. Helps others, but is unable to help himself.
Day Five
Presentation of first scene from 8 ½. Opening dream sequence in traffic jam. The clip is approximately 4 minutes long, but there is a lot of activity and hopefully a lot of images that would work well for discussion. Due to its length, I can show it several times in a class period.
The first time I would show the clip, just to present Fellini to the class and would not offer any backstory or history of Fellini. I would want to stop it right before the next scene, which shows Guido awakening from his dream, so as not to reveal the true nature of the sequence of events. I want the students divided up into two groups: one for the shot composition and the camera, and one for the sound. The group that concentrates on sound will have their backs turned to the screen. There is minimal talking in this particular scene and hardly any sound effects, background noise and no musical elements.
Quickly, I would show the scene again, with all groups facing forward.
What did they notice about this particular scene with regard to sound?
Does the lack of sound make you aware of anything else that occurs in the scene?
What is the camera’s role in this scene?
The second screening of this clip, I would ask the students
Introduction to Fellini and 8 ½ (1963).
- Modernist film. Subject is itself, the making of a film.
- Character of Guido- represents Fellini.
- Much like Wild Strawberries, 8 ½ has Guido struggling with an inner conflict, emotionally adrift. Struggles with trying to make a film that interprets his own life.
- Film operates on three levels that often mesh together and are hard to distinguish
a) Reality
b) Fantasy
c) Memory
Third presentation of the scene. Stopping the film at various points to introduce characters and discuss various visual elements.
- Guido: hero of the story. Always shot from the back, will be several minutes before his face is revealed. Emergence from car parallels a birth into this world.
- Only other main character in the very beginning of this scene is Carla- his mistress in the car with a stranger.
- Bus with faceless arms???? Guido’s car filling up with an unknown smoke??? No answers as to why or what these images explicitly mean.
- Through flying sequence, travels out of the tunnel and up into the clouds. Soaring freely until two other characters are introduced. Both are part of the film crew that Guido will use on his upcoming film. They drag him down by the rope tied to his leg and he falls into the sea.
Unlike Wild Strawberries, which starts out conventionally and then gradually works into Borg’s dreams, 8 ½ starts out with a dream sequence. Right away, the audience is drawn into Guido’s world of dreams and they will eventually return at various points throughout the film.
What might this dream represent for Guido? (Freedom, moving out of confusion)
Introduction of camera as a character as it pans over the other cars. It seems to be stuck inside the traffic as well and is unable to escape or find the solution for what is causing the delay.
Has elements of clarity- Guido’s mistress, flying above the clouds, birth out of the car roof. But it also has very obscure, confusing elements- smoke in the car, bus with faceless arms. This conflict between clarity and obscurity will be returned to over and over again during the course of the film.
Day Six
Presentation of childhood bathing flashback sequence. Approximately five minutes long.
Guido returns to his childhood in this brief sequence. It is possible that he is searching for some memory from his past in order to help combat the confusion and obscurity that he is going through as he is struggling to make his most recent film. Unlike the next day’s scheduled scene, these events actually happened.
How are women presented in this scene? Some seem to be loving and nurturing (nannies), while others seem to be a little rough around the edges (Grandmother). Regardless of their outward appearance, it seems that Guido loves all of these women that he presents in his dream. Bathed in wine, taken out, wrapped in sheets and put to bed.
Why would Guido want to return to this point in his life?
- Source of comfort, wants to be taken care of.
- Desire to escape, return to the womb (parallels opening sequence).
- Surround himself with nurturing women, maternal warmth, care.
Introduction of Carl Jung and the concept of Anima.
Towards the end of this scene, the little girl instructs young Guido about the magic words of “Asa Nisi Masa.” While on the surface level, they might seem to be nonsensical and like pig-latin, the words actually carry a deeper psychological meaning.
Asa Nisi Masa =
Anima
Anima carries a double meaning. It is the Italian word for spirit and it also stands for the female archetype that is discussed by Carl Jung. Jung proposed that the various great myths (Greeks, Romans, etc.) were expressions of the collective, unconscious mind of a group of people. People are not born as blank slates, they already have impression of various myths and mythic patterns with them at birth.
Males and females are born with different types of consciousness and behavior. Archetypes represent essential types of both male and female.
Anima = female archetype
Animus = male archetype
Anima/Animus is dominant for female/male, but each also has a hidden female or male archetype to them. Ex. Men consult their own personal Anima in order to form their ideas about women.
Through this brief scene, Guido is revealing his Anima projections about women. The magic words of Asa Nisi Masa are supposed to make the pictures in the room come alive (parallel to making his movies come alive). He’s lost this power of tapping into his Anima and all of this is revealed to him through the exploration of his dreams.
Once I was able to give some of this information about the concept of the Anima and Jung’s influence on Fellini, I would want to show the scene that involves Guido’s Harem. The scene runs approximately 10 minutes long, so I’d have to save our class discussion for the following day.
Day Six
Harem scene- another way to see how women affect Guido and his life. Like some of the other scenes, there is great confusion and Guido is ultimately trying to escape his surroundings. It is the flip side of the previous day’s scene from his past which was reality. This is a scene of pure fantasy.
This scene presents a wide array of women (Luisa- his wife, Carla- mistress, Claudia- actress/muse, Saraghina- childhood fantasy) and throws them all into one room. In reality, Luisa and Carla can’t stand each other, but here they are presented on more friendly terms in Guido’s dream world.
Construction of scene itself- farmhouse. Lower level is for younger women, while “upstairs” is reserved for those who have aged over thirty and are “past their prime.” Memory and fantasy are merged together. There are nannies who bathe him in wine and dress him up in linens. Fantasy of regression, returning to a childlike state.
However, this scene is far from perfect for Guido’s character. Jacqueline refuses to go upstairs and ends up starting a rebellion of sorts among the other women. Much like in life, Guido is an author (director) who is experiencing revolt among his characters (actors).
Music in this scene is very important. Wagner’s Flight of the Valkyries. Going into battle, rebelling against their “God.” Camera moves very fluidly around the set. It is the same set that was used for the earlier reality bathing sequence.
Turns into a circus, Guido carries a whip- attempts to force the women back into order. What is this saying about his ideas of women? In this scene in particular, they either seem to be virginal, mother-like figures, or highly sexualized. Obsessed with women during the course of the film. While a harem sequence might be characterized as a male’s ultimate fantasy, it results in nothing but chaos and confusion for Guido. Circus theme as he attempts to control the scene will be repeated at the final scene.
Presentation of final scene from 8 ½. Circus ending. Approximately 11 minutes long.
Day Seven
At this point in the film, Guido has no idea what to do with
himself. His wife wants to leave him,
producer for his film is upset with him and he wants answers. His mistress is sick and his film is
essentially dead. Pay particular
attention to the use of the camera in this scene. Like the opening sequence, it is very
subjective (Guido’s eyes).
The character of the critic tells him that it is better to destroy than to leave something that is imperfect. However, Guido ignores his advice and ultimately accepts the weaknesses within his life.
Every previous character reenters the scene, all dressed in white. Harmony and beauty are still possible for Guido and his film, but he must be less focused on outward appearances and return to his imagination. There is no clear cut solution to all of his problems. They do not fade away at the end (parents are still distant through their death, Carla is still nagging), but Guido recognizes that he must live with his problems rather than simply attempting to solve them. Through this recognition he is able to find peace at last by existing in a world where he is able to both create and live.
Procession of clowns, young Guido reenters and walks with them in their procession. Circus of all the characters that he met throughout his life and Guido is the ringmaster. Much like the beginning of the film, he is brought back down to earth. The wide shot in particular is very important in this scene. I would freeze the DVD on this particular scene and ask the students to speculate as to what this might mean. What is the significance of Guido joining this circle of characters? No clear cut answer to the ending, there are still many unanswered questions. Audience must decide for themselves. This will carry over to the discussion for Blow-Up.
For a writing assignment, I would ask the students to compare and contrast the characters of Guido and Borg in approximately 2-3 pages. Both men are presented with struggles and deficiencies in their lives and both have their obsessions with women. Both men return to their pasts in order to make sense of their presents and futures. Additionally, both films explore the consciousness of a single character that are successes in publics but failures in their private lives. Bergman doesn’t really use any humor while Fellini’s film is often self-mocking and funny.
Day Eight through Day Ten
Introduction of Antonioni and Blow-Up (1966). For the next three days, I would like to view Blow-Up in its entirety in class. Using the techniques and the discussion that we had about the previous two films, I would like the students to be able to view Blow-Up in its entirety and ultimately walk away with a greater sense of the shifting realities and perceptions that these various directors presented in their films.
Italian Modernist. Nature of human perception can be unreliable
(8 ½). Like Strawberries and 8 ½, this
film explores the concepts of one characters sense of perception as he looks at
fantasy, memory, and truth. Had popular
success as a director and this was his first English language film. Blow-Up varied
greatly from traditional “
Modernists- attack conventional forms of narrative in addition to a specific genre. Blow-Up targets the murder mystery genre. Audience struggling to find out what is real and what is fantasy. Modernist directors try to express film as an experience.
Merrymakers at beginning and end of the film, bookends. Next thing you see is poor people at Doss House. David Hemmings character blends in with them. No name in the film (IMDB- Thomas). Then he jumps into his Rolls Royce. Nuns, Guard- uniforms. Merrymakers go against rigidity. Very colorful film.
Fashion photographer- job is to manipulate people. Point of view of the story is Thomas’. Is it reality or is it just his thoughts? How does he react to the photographs that he creates? How doe his perceptions change over the course of time?
Themes:
- Illusion vs. Reality. Sense of perception, seeing something. Photographers see various things as art. Character of Vanessa- does she see the man in the park? Mimes at the end- What do they see? Thomas always tries to create art, but he never succeeds. Models are cold, don’t give off any emotion. Attractive, stylish, but have no substance.
- Color Symbolism. Walls of Thomas’ apartment- white, sparse, empty, but surrounded by colorful models, light. No real idea of the layout of the apartment. Geography is confusing. Studio represents his consciousness.
Controlling gaze of the photographer as he shoots them. Moves them around, more like objects rather than people. Attractive in a magazine but grotesque in how they are brought to life. Art of photography is involved with illusion. Compare this scene to the Harem scene from 8 ½. Use of silence in Blow-Up. Very little to the soundtrack.
Film is centered primarily in the “now.” Characters have no past or future and they just live for the moment. There is no discussion of the “murder” or what caused it or who was there.
Thomas as a character- bored, isolated, unaffected, detached, no emotions. Does his own thing. Does not conform and creates his own reality. No clear motivation for his character. Sex, greed, power, truth?? Flashy, stylish- somewhat appealing, but never is able to finish what he starts. Notion of a “slacker hero”
Thomas will buy propeller because it is useless. Comment on art itself?? Does a use or a purpose take away from art or its aesthetic qualities?
Use of the camera in Blow-Up. Manipulates, creates reality. Blows up the images from his camera in an attempt to find reality. Focus on Thomas and his point of view. I would like to focus on three scenes in greater detail with the class:
1) Park scene- Seems to be natural but it is nature artificialized. Scene slowly develops as Thomas follows the lovers. Dominating figure as Jane asks for the pictures back. Will eventually return to the scene of the crime without his camera and sees the body. Hears the wind again- recreates the scene in his mind. One person’s perceptions are not enough- needs someone else there.
2) Concert scene with the Yardbirds- Everyone simply standing there as the music plays. No joy or movement and everyone seems rather burned out. Guitar neck breaks and everyone suddenly moves for it but Thomas is able to grab it and run away. Out of the context of everyone wanting the neck, the neck itself becomes meaningless and Thomas discards it. Someone else picks up the neck, studies it, and then likewise tosses it away. Context determines the meaning of objects, words, etc.
3) Tennis match- reality is what we create. Mimes create a tennis match. Photographs create a murder mystery?
Merrymakers reenter the film and the scene is the park that was the scene of the crime. Everyone gathers around the tennis court and watches two of the merrymakers as they mime a match of tennis. The other merrymakers create some meaning to the match, by standing by and watching the other two characters. Thomas is reluctant at first, but he eventually begins to watch the match.
The camera ultimately buys into the reality as well as it begins to follow this imaginary ball as it moves between the players and then ultimately over the fence and into the grass. This patch of grass is the same patch of grass that is shown over the opening credits of the film. As Thomas goes and retrieves the ball and throws it back to the players, he has ultimately bought into the Merrymakers’ own reality. The filmmaker (Antonioni) then shows that Thomas is his own creation, created from his reality and he makes him fade away. This is another soundless and wordless scene and the soundtrack only reenters at the very end of the scene as Thomas fades away.
Much like 8 ½, there is no ultimate answer at the end of the film. Hard to distinguish appearance against reality. Reality is elusive in this film and changes constantly. Thomas tries to see object closely and it disappears.