Spielberg’s Schindler’s List uses a variety of macro and micro techniques that are effective in eliciting strong emotional response form the spectator. Unlike horror films, which rely on micro techniques to create tension or foreshadowing, Spielberg relies on unconventional techniques that are often juxtaposed to have the spectator feel unsettled. Despite not being a horror film, it is compatible through the lack of violence in the film and the context of the Holocaust. Therefore, as a spectator, it is clear that ‘horror’ in a horror movie differs greatly to ‘horror’ in this particular film because of Spielberg’s raw and authentic style in making the spectator feel uneasy as the narrative progresses. Firstly, one of the most important scenes …show more content…
This is clear through the various mid-shots of the children hiding in furniture having the audience understand on a larger scale the fear that they would have felt which is loosely similar to characters hiding from a serial killer in many horror films. A striking example of this scene is the fact that there is a close-up shot of a cupboard with a child squashed inside, the use of the prop of a cupboard is rather ironic as in concentration camps they would make the Jews make furniture, but the cupboard is essentially somewhat symbolic because it represents escapism, a chance to block out the world and retreat especially within this context. As well as that scene, the close ups of children’s faces with different shades of lighting highlights a split between what they are forced to do (be kept in the dark) versus what they want to do (be free). The use of dark colours is instantly an example of horror iconography as this colour alludes to something sinister or evil. Nevertheless, most horror films nowadays focus on a lot of violence and Schindler’s List is an example of this through the Liquidation of the Ghetto scene. The powerful diegetic sound of a baby crying adds to the eerie sensation by manipulating the audience into feeling quite uncomfortable but also sympathetic at the prospect of an innocent man dead. Yet again, it is the sound that is very powerful because the diegetic sound of a woman wailing layered with a child screaming is distressing and alarming for the spectator as they are just as vulnerable as the characters on
I would like to point out the poignant cinematography, which was very innovative for its time. The narration and the filming introducing what was about to be uncovered must have been extremely moving in a melancholy way. The mise-en-scène is both compelling and haunting, each frame cleverly editied. Resnais experimented with what is known as the long shot, and the 360 degree shot, to make the voyeur very aware of the unbalanced composition. The panning of the film tracking back from Auschwitz brings us a close up, of barbed wire. This clearly suggests that this isn't what it appears to be. Resnais films the past in black and white, and the then present in colour. The ambiance is chilling, and the composed background music unique. Where normally dramatic loud music would be used to express the abonimation and enormity of the most horrendous scenes, Resnais did quite the contrary.
Film Analysis of Psycho When ‘Psycho’ was first screened in New York on 16th June 1960, it was
Schindler's list premiered mere months after the inauguration of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, leading to a capitalising success on the American peoples cultural focus on historical voyeurism. The critical reception of Schindler's List is a intellectual discussion on the moral nature of a film through the ability to dramatize what was deemed impossible; critically selectively received with a social conscious, and a division on Spielberg's stylistic representation of the subject matter. The scholarship on Schindler's List only reaches one shared thesis that of its transitional nature in his cinematic career into a more self-styled seriousness with arching the blockbuster with sober artistic work (Grainge, Jancovich, & Monteith, 2012). Critical reception of Spielberg's work comments on the true nature of its testimony in memorial to the Holocaust with appropriate restraint or typical emotional manipulation, combined with arguments of the nature of film is artistic or entertaining. Temporal and spatial variations don't seem to affect the critics review, it appears to be more the view of Spielberg as an auteur and also their comfort in exploring such a sensitive historical memory. Deconstruction of the reception will discuss the stylistic nature of the film with a controversial documented cinematography, alongside Schindler's List's place among other works in regards to the subject of the Holocaust and Spielberg's handling of the digestible.
Schindler's List, by Steven Spielberg is an award-winning masterpiece - a movie which portrays the shocking and nightmarish holocaust in a three-hour long epic. The documentary touch re-creates a dark, frightening period during World War II, when Jews in Nazi-occupied Krakow were first deprived off , of their businesses and homes, then placed in ghettos and were then forced to labor for no consideration in camps in Plaszow, and finally they were resettled in concentration camps for execution. The violence and brutality of Nazi’s treatment towards Jews is a series of horrific incidents that are brilliantly showcased.
How Alfred Hitchcock Makes the Viewing of Psycho a Frightening and Worrying Experience I am currently studying Alfred Hitchcock Psycho. Psycho is such an important film because it redefined the genres of thrillers and established the genre used by many film writers today such as Wes Craven (Scream 1/2/3) of stalk and slash movies, using camera angles and other techniques. Hitchcock creates tension in a variety of ways using specific camera angles and high and low pitched music. Although the film proved a big box office success, only gradually did this macabre experiment in black humour become the object of closer scrutiny and more intense analysis. The consensus today is that Psycho is a classic of cinematic art and admiration worldwide.
A hero is a man who, in the opinion of others, is greatly admired for his brave deeds and fine qualities. A hero is a man who, in the opinion of others, is greatly admired for his brave deeds and fine qualities. In Schindler’s List directed by Steven Spielberg, Oskar Schindler is regarded as a great hero amongst many Jews regardless of the fact that he is a German Nazi, because he saves the generations and lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust. The Holocaust was the systematic mass murder of about 6 million Jews and millions of others during World War II that was taken place in Nazi Concentration Camps, under the German Nazi regime. In the midst of this brutal time period, Oskar Schindler finds the heart to undergo a change from being the mere pragmatic, rich man to becoming the virtuous, good man who helps save Jews. But rather than a benefactor, Oskar Schindler was more of a self-motivator who set goals upon his own visions and dreams, and one who undertook goals to have them achieved into reality. We see this characteristic in Schindler being brought forth when he works toward his goal in becoming rich, when he influences some of his self motivation on Goeth, and when Schindler approaches toward his newly changed goal in saving Jews.
Quentin Tarantino’s 2009 film Inglourious Bastards entails a Jewish revenge fantasy that is told through a counterfactual history of events in World War II. However, this story follows a completely different plot than what we are currently familiar with. Within these circumstances, audiences now question the very ideas and arguments that are often associated with World War II. We believe that Inglourious Basterds is a Jewish revenge fantasy that forces us to rethink our previous understandings by disrupting the viewers sense of content and nature in the history of World War II. Within this thesis, this paper will cover the Jewish lens vs. American lens, counter-plots within the film, ignored social undercurrents, and the idea that nobody wins in war.
culture. Initially slasher films don’t seem to break the barriers of American Cinema; they still
The link between expressionism and horror quickly became a dominant feature in many films and continues to be prominent in contemporary films mainly due to the German expressionist masterpiece Das Kabinett des Doctor Caligari. Wiene’s 1920 Das Kabinett des Doctor Caligari utilized a distinctive creepiness and the uncanny throughout the film that became one the most distinctive features of externalising inner mental and emotional states of protagonists through various expressionist methods. Its revolutionary and innovative new art was heavily influenced by the German state and its populace in conjunction with their experience of war; Caligari took a clear cue from what was happening in Germany at the time. It was this film that set cinematic conventions that still apply today, heavily influencing the later Hollywood film noir genre as well as the psychological thrillers that has lead several film audiences to engage with a film, its character, its plot and anticipate its outcome, only to question whether the entire movie was a dream, a story of a crazy man, or an elaborate role play. This concept of the familiar and the strange, the reality, the illusion and the dream developed in Das Kabinett des Doctor Caligari, is once again present in Scorsese’s 2010 film Shutter Island. It is laced with influences from different films of the film noir and horror genre, and many themes that are directly linked to Das Kabinett des Doctor Caligari shot 90 years prior.
Somethings in history and in life needs to be put in perspective so children can understand. I watched this movie for the first time when I was about twelve and the movie showed more than i understood. It implied what happened during the time like the violence but did not show it. The older i got older, the more I could fully comprehend what was taking place during the movie. Throughout the movie you realize that most people were ignorant to the full extent to what was happening. Bruno’s mother did not know what was actually going on in her husband 's concentration camp, she did not found out until a comment from kolter about a foul smell from the
First off rating at number 5 is Halloween that came out in October 1978 with director John Carpenter and its screenplay written by John Carpenter and Debra Hill. Halloween starts out with the Killer Michael Myers at the age of 6 kills his sister Judith on Halloween in 1963. After being sentenced and locked away for over 15 years. But on October 20, 1978 on his way to a court date, now 21 years old Michael Myers escapes a steals a car. He returns to his hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois to look for new victims. This movie rated number five due to even though included a somewhat good backstory it lacked qualities that many good horror movies of its time included.
The appeal of horror film is effective due to the traits of the human mind. Filmgoers of horror leave theaters with a positive train of thought, yet the negative nature of the content presented points to psychological factors which cause their enjoyment. Answers are found by looking at the psychological factors, how an individual processes emotional arousal, identifies with issues that they consider relevant, and perceives reality, help to explain why films presenting such horrific imagery excites many people. Many horror franchises create a level of violence and gore that is offensive to most, yet viewers continue to swarm theaters, making the horror film industry extremely profitable. Graphic horror cinema relies on shocking imagery as much as storytelling to create an effective type of entertainment. The subject matter, alone, does not provide enough attraction to bring back viewers. When looking at the psychological drivers behind the films, it can be seen that the composition addresses a level much deeper than the entertainment that makes horror
In his book, Horror and the Horror Film, author Bruce F. Kawin remarked “horror itself resists formulation and can be difficult and unpleasant to contemplate.” This year was a phenomenal year for both horror and contemplative movies. Two prime examples: Get Out and mother!. Despite being both horror films with subliminal messaging and allegories, they had drastically different reactions and box office performances. To understand why this happened, it is imperative to analyze marketing, storyline, climate, and audience interpretation.
Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock is a horror film that debuted in 1960, starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh. (IMDb) This horror film changed the horror movie genre, helping to develop it into what it is today. This film tells the story of a woman who runs off with $40,000 stolen from her boss. On the run, she checks into an abandoned motel for the night where she dines with the owner, a young man with an overbearing and controlling mother. She never checks out. Her family and friends embark on searches for her, and come across the abandoned hotel where she checked in, under a false name. The movie ends with the revelation that the hotel owner’s mother died, and he suffers from multiple personality disorder. Both he and his mother share his body, with the mother personality becoming more dominant. When he dined with the lady who checked in, the mother became jealous and kill her, leaving the son to clean up the mess left behind.
“The horrors of the Holocaust are often…, filtered through memory or insulated by grief and recrimination” (Maslin 1). The Schindler’s List movie was an adaptation of Thomas Keneally’s book with the same name that narrates a verdict story. It was brought to life by Steven Spielberg who “made sure that neither he nor the Holocaust will ever be thought of in the same way again” (Maslin 1). Spielberg made an incredible job by recreating reality in a way that could shock and capture the audience. In the same way, director Roman Polanski brought to the big screen the memoirs of a Polish Jew who survived “the Nazi occupation and the Warsaw ghetto” (Scott 1). Polanski “presents Szpilman’s story with bleak, acid humor and with a ruthless objectivity that encompasses both cynicism and compassion” (Scott 1). He narrates the journey of one man that has to experience a finite set of events; this simplicity made the movie perfect for representing the Holocaust even better than Spielberg’s. Both films are about a selfless hero and a lucky man surviving against the odds at a time when hope was an