Film Analysis of High and Low
Film 1010
Mise en scene is a stylistic form of filming that is French for “staging the shot”, which is referring to everything in front of the camera. Director Kurosawa understood this style and used it in High and Low (Kurosawa, 1962). He used several Mise en scene techniques such as closed composition, space manipulation, and lighting to compliment the crime thriller story.
Closed composition is one of the main themes that Kurosawa uses throughout the movie. He chooses to keep the scenes tight and in close quarters mostly. This is seen predominately in the first half on the movie. Here the action takes place in Mr. Gondo’s house on top of a hill. The viewer has very little idea that there is much of a world outside the house. This idea is supported when Mr. Gondo has to close all the drapes in the house to prevent the kidnapper from looking into the house. This gives a mood and feeling of anxiety from being enclosed. Also, shots of the house sitting on top of the hill give the feeling of loneliness. This feeling is repeated in the bullet train sequence where the quarters are much smaller. The viewer is somewhat relieved with the view of the outside, but because of the close quarters and the sense of a speeding train, it does not allow the viewer to enjoy the openness the windows provide. A scene that clearly shows the Mise en scene style is the next day comes and Mr. Gondo must now decide whether to pay the ransom or not. We see and hear the argument with Mr. Gondo and Mrs. Gondo, with Mr. Aoki crying to the far left of the scene. Soon the dialog ends and we see Mr. Aoki still to the far left, Mrs. Gondo with Jun in the middle, and Mr. Gondo to the far right. Clearly separating them are the detectives who are standing silently with their heads down. The placement of the detectives manipulates the space in the scene into thirds. It also helps in emphasizing the differences between the three characters regarding what should be done about getting Mr. Aoki’s son back from the kidnapper.
In the scene where two of the detectives find the man and woman dead, we see the detectives enclosed in the window of the house where, we the viewers are looking in. This is the closed form composition, which is used to help focus the viewers’ attention on the characters. In doing so, the characters’ surprise reactions...
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...arly being used as a separation between Mr. Gondo and the police. That, with the combination of the lack of furniture, along with the predominance of white created by the light in the house enforces the tone of emptiness and loneliness that the viewer feels.
Finally, the last few scenes show desperation by the kidnapper. Mr. Gondo and the kidnapper are sitting across from each other in a closed off room. The room gives the feeling of being trapped along with the wire mesh and window separating them. Here the viewer can see the reflection of whom the character is talking to so that we can see the expression from what is being said. Plus by being in such a small room, the emotions seem to be increased as the kidnapper releases his own emotions to Mr. Gondo.
We have seen that Kurosawa used many techniques of the mise en scene throughout High and Low. The use of the closed stylistic form along with the lighting and space manipulation of characters and objects help increase the intense emotion of the film as well as help the viewer focus on key points and characters. This ultimately moved the story forward and complimented the crime thriller categorization of the film.
...become Americanized in a different way. For example, Mrs. Spring Fragrance becomes Americanized through helping Laura and Kai Tzu form a relationship despite Laura’s betrothal to the schoolmaster’s son. The Chin Yuens become Americanized by finally allowing their daughter to marry her true love Kai Tzu. The Chin Yuens are now not only American in appearance, but they are also American through traditions. Mr. Spring Fragrance, however, had a much more difficult time becoming Americanized throughout the story. He had a difficult time accepting that the people around him, including his wife were changing and becoming Americanized. Mr. Spring Fragrance finally came to terms with the fact that though Laura and Kai Tzu achieved a happy marriage through American traditions of marriage, he and Mrs. Spring Fragrance are equally as happy in their through Chinese traditions.
Michael Jackson, king of pop was an American singer, songwriter, dancer and record producer. His contribution to the music, dance and fashion industry was immense and he was a global figure so many people around the world. Michael Jackson was born on August 29, 1958 as an eight child of an African American family living in a small house in Gary, Indiana. He faced many hardships during his child such as being abused as a child, as his father confessed to being abusive towards him “ 'I don 't [regret the beatings], ' he said. 'It kept them out of jail and kept them right.”. This actually played a big role in his success.
Elements of mise-en-scene in Wendy and Lucy help to convey aspects of the story that are never explicitly expressed in the narrative of the film. Wendy and Lucy does not present a large amount of background story information, for instance, the scene where Wendy calls her brother may cause some viewers to wonder about their strained relationship and his role in Wendy’s current financial situation. Moreover, Wendy’s financial situation is never truly discussed in the film, only implied, yet the viewer is still aware of it. Facets of mise-en-scene helps to convey the information that fills the gaps left in the story. Kolker defines the concept of mise-en-scene as a way to “explain how images, through composition, camera movement, lighting, focus and colour, generate narrative event and guide our perception through a film” (Kolker 1998, p.17). An essential element of mise-en-scene is setting and sets. Wendy and Lucy is presented in an entirely naturalistic setting. The small town Wendy is passing through gives the fi...
... the mise-en-scene are the from the beginning of the film. Throughout the film I was aware of the locations. The San Francisco setting was presented to the viewer in the beginning and that made the audience more aware of the film's environment. The monastery and other locations of Corlata's past gave me a better understanding of Madeleine’s problem. The make-up and costume play an important part in the recreation scenes, while the props assisted the audience and John Ferguson in piecing the puzzle together and figuring out Gain’s plan. The lighting enhanced many scenes in the film. The parts that impressed me were the following: the recreation of Madeleine scene, John's dream sequence, the monastery scenes, Judy's guilt trip and the scenes involving John's fear of heights.
Michael Jackson, born Michael Joseph Jackson was on August 29, 1958, in Gary, Indiana, son of Joseph and Katherine Jackson. Together they had nine children; Rebbie, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, LaToya, Marlon, Randy, Michael, and Janet. His father was an aspiring guitarist, but had to give up his musical ambitions to provide for his family; however, he encouraged his children to take up music. Although Michael had no formal musical educational training, he gained experienced through the music group he had with his brothers, the Jackson 5. In the 1960s Joseph along with three of Michael’s older brothers, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie, formed a musical group. When he and his brother, Marlon, joined the group it became the Jackson 5. Before signing to Motown Records, Jackson 5 toured around the Midwest, performing in a string of clubs and opening for the likes of The O’Jays, Etta James, and Gladys Knight. In 1968 the group was signed to one of the major record labels of the time, Motown Records, by its founder Berry Gordy. With their father as the manager of the group, they moved to Los Angeles, California to start recording. They released their first album, “Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5” in December 1969. In 1975 they split with Motown Records, over more creative control over the songs, and signed with Epic Records. Now with creative control over the songs, the group continued to experience tremendous success throughout the 1970s. As time went on a progressed throughout the 1980s and 1990s Michael would face various obstacles and difficulties. Such difficulties include; two child sexual abuse accusations, a long fought custodial battle with his first wife, Lisa Marie Presley, and swirling rumors about the paling skin color over the yea...
The mise en scenes in this film are unique because it gave viewers the ability to have a sense of how the characters are feeling. For example, low lighting was used throughout the film to express a sense of the unknown and/or fear. Another great example of how mise en scene was used is how human shadows for night shooting were used to increase the feeling of mystery and a threating atmosphere (Awjingyi). And one of the most important examples of mise en scene used in this film is in the last scene where mirrors were used (aka the “funhouse”) to
The Film Yellow Earth uses its own unique style of editing within the frame to portray its aesthetic qualities, which is known as mise en scene. The scene where father is plowing the land with Gu by his side is the best example of mise en scene. This scene is important because of its possession of a unique camera angle, loose framing, and deeper hidden meaning, which contribute to the overall effect of the movie.
Introduction: Perhaps no one has received this title in history “the king of pop”, now a days many artist’s have arisen and have performed but not as the king of pop known worldwide and in history, has dominated the world of pop as Michael Jackson.
This scene is used to emphasise the danger that Dave and The Sapphires are in very real and very lethal danger, the mixture of sinister camera angles to emphasise the visual danger that the characters are in to the inhospitable sounds portrayed by the scene to highlight the explosive danger that the characters are in. The lighting used features the darkness and the difficulty to see due to the night sky. The mise en scene highlights the military background that the characters are in. All in all, this scene is a highly emotional scene highlighting the mortal danger that confronts Dave and The
...successful collaboration of sound, colour, camera positioning and lighting are instrumental in portraying these themes. The techniques used heighten the suspense, drama and mood of each scene and enhance the film in order to convey to the spectator the intended messages.
At first Michael was not a part of the family’s music group (Jefferson 57). He was too young to perform with his brothers. “When he was about three years old, he started singing the stuff he heard his brothers rehearsing” (Von Drehle). Michael was born to sing. Michael’s music career started when he joined the Jackson 5. The group consisted of Michael and four of his brothers: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon (Jefferson 41-44). Michael was the star of the Jackson 5. He was an extremely talented singer and dancer. He learned how to dance by imitating ...
There are four crucial scenes of this film in which Hitchcock shows a change in perspective and identity through the mise-en-scène. Hitchcock’s signature motifs, style, and themes are conveyed through the mise-en-scène.
“The Godfather of Soul”, better known as James Brown grew to be one of the most influential artists in Michael Jackson’s life. As a child Michael Jackson was intrigued by Brown’s flamboyant performances on stage and would soon begin to implement them into his own stage acts. By the age of five Michael Jackson was already sealed into a world of show business by his father, Joseph Jackson. Deprived of a childhood at a very young age, Michael and his siblings began a family-musical group called “The Jackson 5.” They began playing the soul hits they listened to on the radio all across the country. The band toured the Midwest extensively from 1966 to 1968, frequently performing at clubs and bars. In 1966, they won a major local talent show with renditions of Motown hits and a cover of “I Feel Good (I Got You)” by James Brown. It wasn’t until July 23, 1968 where they received major recognition by Motown owner, Berry Gordy. Gordy was reluctant to sign the “Jackson 5” but after their audition performance of the song “I Got the Feelin”, by James Brown, he changed his mind. In March 1969, “The Jackson 5”, were officially signed into Motown records. This marked a historical point in Michael Jackson’s life where his musical influences from James Brown would be noticed. Song’s from Michael Jackson that s...
First taking to the stage at the age of just 11 as part of his family's gig The Jackson 5, Michael Jackson grew quickly into the superstardom, which would both reward and plague his life. An apparently unstoppable creative and financial force through the highs of his career, 'The King of Pop' struggled with a confused and turbulent private life that was often made appalling public. In the wake of his shock death though, it is for his artistry - and not his controversies - that he will be remembered and sadly missed.
Mise en scene is a French term, which refers to the visual and design elements of a film. Literally, it is what we actually see on the screen – locations, sets, background details, costumes, even the use of colour and lighting. Mise en scene is used to describe every scene, including framing, composition, costuming, setting, objects, lighting, sound and camera angles. Everything is done purposely and intentionally.