Shannon Evans

09/27/12

Online Exam Pt1 Indochine and Scent of Green Papaya + critical reading.

1. In the article, Bordwell writes, classical Hollywood narration constitutes a particular configuration of normalized options for representing the story and manipulating composition and style (17). When thinking about this I decided I do consider Indochine to fit into Bordwells definition of Hollywood cinema. The configuration of the story was normal in the sense that many movies are developed with some of the same properties (same syuzhet structure, highly communicative and moderately self-conscious, observer-effect camera angles, etc.), Indochine had indicators of all these things but it also manipulated certain aspects of it by making it an allegory (an authorial/stylistic touch). The narrative has 2 major plotlines, the political regime and the love triangle/story. Both have the undisturbed stage, the disturbance, the struggle, and the elimination of the disturbance (19). The only difference I saw with the above layout for the plot is that in Indochine Elianes exposition (20) comes before the undisturbed stage. I consider the death of Camilles parents semi- disturbed so I wouldnt put the undisturbed stage until the future where you see Eliane and Camille dancing with each other and all is well at the rubber plantation. The rest of the movie follows this narrative structure very closely. Bordwell also discusses the need for causal lines, ideas, and scenes linking together in order to keep the narrative moving along. A majority of the scenes had this pattern of closing some causal ideas while opening up new ones in each different scene while driving the major plots along. For instance the big questions like (Who is Eliane talking to in her voice over? What will happen between Eliane and Camille? How does Indochina fall apart?) are in the process of being

answered through the casual narrative that uses smaller cause-effect questions/ answers to motivate the scenes into each other (i.e. Will Camille and Jean Baptiste continually stay safe? Etc.) One last thing that is representative of Hollywood narrative is that the spectator should have the ability to formulate sensible hypotheses. At first in Indochine it is hard to make predictions since it is a bit confusing (the narrator knows much more than the spectator) but once storylines begins to develop and become clearer it is very interesting to create possible scenarios for resolutions. Overall I think with the mix of all these properties Indochine aligns with Bordwells classic definition of Hollywood Cinema.

2. Pudovkins style of editing does seem to conform to Bordwells ideas in terms of montage. Pudovkin, like Bordwell, believes in that film should be shot with the observer/spectator in mind (Pudovkin 8). When discussing the assembling of scenes Pudovkin also plays very close attention to detail. He teaches how close ups and long shots have different purposes and also can display different messages (for example: using a close up when the observer is supposed to take special notice of a detail). Also there is a psychological and emotional aspect to editing because the editor needs to make sure they are shooting/cutting the scenes and sequences in a way that seems psychologically plausible and realistic (9). Bordwell hits upon this when addressing in his article how the film should be shot with the spectators view in mind since it is our principle source of information. Also both seem to agree that with the exception of stylistic things like contrast and parrellism, etc., the shots should flow smoothly into each other. This could help the viewer see the cause and effects in the scenes which could ultimately help them make hypotheses. Pudovkin puts a lot of emphasis on building sequences from separate pieces (9), it seems as though Bordwell is on board with this approach because he discusses how the

Hollywood narrative has some scenes that receive full scale treatment and others that are highly compressed. The scenes in Hollywood form especially use a mix of shots to create overall meaning when put together (causality).

3. In Poet Hank Williams Sr.s haiku each line is seemingly disparate. Each one could stand alone and speak for itself. Yet when combined the lines read something very different. Together they bring light to ideas that wouldnt have been there had the subject/ object of each lines been separated. Another important thing to note is that each line of the haiku does not exactly correlate with every other one. The first line discusses a lonely bird singing or chirping, the second says He sounds too blue to fly so the reader can assume that this line is talking about the whippoorwill; this creates the first section/ independent level. The 3rd line says a train is whining low, and then the last line says Im so lonesome I could cry. The 3rd and 4th line dont match as well as the first two so they could be considered their own levels/ concepts in this poem. Ironically enough the 1st line and the 4th are relatable with the word lonesome, and then the 2nd and 3rd are with the theme of whining/sad chirping. If one were to read this as just a series of materials without looking at the contrasts the poem one might just think it is about a lonely bird and a lonely person. But when looking at it through Eisensteins theory of juxtaposing conflict different meanings can emerge. When contrasting the loneliness of the bird with the loneliness of a man one can begin to wonder. Do animals feel lonesome in the same ways humans do? Or when looking at the 2nd and 3rd line one could question what effects does our mood have on travel and ones ability to want to move, many times sadness has the power immobilize people, and maybe it also has the same effects on other animals. When looking at the haiku with Pudovkins idea bricks to make a wall the reader might see an overall theme of sadness, but when one

looks at the poem with Eisensteins views of conflict creating ideas they might think of how the 2 separate examples of lonesomeness can be compared and contrasted (i.e. creating ideas). In the analogy of the poem/ novel, Pudovkins ideology (bricks to wall) represents the poem. A poem focuses a lot on details and conventions, traditional editing is a lot like this; it uses the formal way of making scenes to make smooth transitioning sequences. The text represents Eisensteins ideas because a texts main concern is the language and ideas that the reader gets from it, conflict is not avoided but welcomed because it adds new dimension. This is especially shown in the Hemingway excerpt. At first it was hard to tell whether it really fit Pudovkin or Eisensteins method of thinking. Originally I thought Pudovkin because not every line/ subject is different. The lines can be easily put together to be understood as one idea but then I found when reading it through Eisensteins method there were a few different ideas cropping up. By juxtaposing the old mans ailments with other things one can see both the similar and different. Like the hieroglyphics each word means something separately (blotches, wrinkles, cancer, sun, fish desert) but when you put two words with each other (ex: cancer and sun = ideas of possible skin cancer coming up without even seeing the other words) you can see an idea or a concept. Overall I think each line had its own meanings because each had its own conflicts so a few ideas could stem from a single line, but when reading the entire paragraph together the collisions of all the juxtapositions together gave way to even more conclusions. I think that it is often easier to read/ see things in Pudovkin's manner because it is what most of us our trained to do our whole lives, one usually already thinks things are put together as parts to create a bigger idea. But if people started looking at things in the way Eisenstein suggests than maybe it could yield a multitude of innovative conclusions.

4. Bazins article is refreshing by contrasting the previous articles redundant praise of montage/plastics. He points out some of the main flaws of this method of cinematography. While acknowledging that montage can be good if it is used sparingly he goes on to point out that the spectators understandings/ ideas are all pre-meditated by the director; the cutting of scenes also takes away the realism that a long shot would give. Therefore when seeing something with much montage/editing the spectator comes to conclusion the director wants them to make from the juxtaposition of images (the directors are building ideas for arts sake). Realism is much more present in films that use long shots that let the scenes play out naturally (characters coming into and out of the setting, etc.). This method is how the spectator sees things in real life so it is not as contrived; there is no cutting of scenes that the audience is conscious of, inevitably halting its realism. A good point Bazin makes in terms of his argument for realism is that in a theatre everyone sees this long shot, there are no close ups but still nothing is missed by the audiences, they dont need editing in this setting to see the story and make their own conclusions (32). The depth of field has allowed whole scenes to be covered in one take (33). This has made it possible for the scenes to be much more subtle and realistic. Jean Renoir was very intelligent by seeing how the evolution from silent film to talking film did not mean that cinema in general had to change its approach (38). While many were using vast amounts of montage and editing to create artistic meanings in their films he used the simpler approach of the long shot to evoke naturallooking scenes that did not need the juxtaposition of shots to evoke meaning, it was what it was. The long take was able to let the director be equal of the novelist (40). The film maker could choose to make an original realistic story over trying to make something artsy with various levels of depth (the painter in this analogy). The meaning for the film then is directly aligned with the raw image the audience is seeing, it is not built from a variety of editing techniques a filmmaker

has at its disposal. It is a more authentic way of seeing the meaning rather than creating it. There were advantages of both methods but ultimately the long shot helped to save the realism aspects of film from fading into the background.

5. Answered Below. (on next page)

Shannon Evans Exam 1: Question 5

9/27/12 Contemporary Cinema

Methods of Viewing Historical Trauma through Cinematographic Ideologies It is no secret that historical events have often created traumatic situations for many individuals. It is hard to imagine one going through life without experiencing any sort of emotional influence as a result of historical or political happenings. So questions arise, when a spectator sees this inevitable phenomenon manifest itself in a film do they understand it better when it is more realistic? Or does one gravitate towards the built and often more given meanings

presented through montage and plastic techniques? The viewer is very important in the relationship between the director, their film, and their audience. The director clearly has their own purposes for creating their films in the way they do but many often feel more validated if the audience can appreciate the message they were giving through the technique they were using to convey those ideas. One can see this complete opposition in methods with the same underlying theme when looking at the French-Vietnamese films Indochine and The Scent of Green Papaya. Both films had settings that were representative of the early 20th century wars that took place in Vietnam. Indochine used the classic Hollywood narrative to tell its story, a forum that is one of, if not the, most popular way films are made. The Scent of Green Papayas narrative structure and cinematography uses an opposite method in conveying Muis experience. This film is reminiscent of director Tran Anh Hungs childhood in Indochina. Using a soundstage to create a setting much like his childhood (since modern day Vietnam is not a good quality representation of his memories), Hung tried to make his film as realistic as possible in order to give a very genuine experience of what life was like. In Indochine, director Regis Wargnier is not so much concerned with the realism as he is the messages that the film brings forth and how the audience understands them. This films context is also broader, it focuses on the trauma of a country, the individual characters and their plot lines often embodying what is happening to their respective countries. It is an allegory that uses cause and effect editing and a traditional narrative in order to give way to a clear storyline that gives spectators an abundance of new ideas. Each Method results in a totally different experience for both the director and the viewers. Trauma is present but much more subtle in The Scent of Green Papaya. Unlike other films with the classic Hollywood narrative, this film has no visible sense of cause and effect that

lets the viewer ride easily through the story. The plot does not give one a lot to grasp on to so it is much harder to try and make conclusions. This nature of the plot is a very realistic method because in reality life is not laid out like a neatly wrapped up story, especially not in times of war. Also life does not always have causality. This film is a good representation of showing that film can be more raw and mimic life-like experiences. Sometimes this method could be as interesting and beneficial for a viewer to see over another fluffed up, big-budget production. It is just what is in front of one and what their daily life could have been. It is one of the reasons why director Tran Ahn Hung made the film. He wanted to go back to the place that reminded him of his upbringing, but that place no longer existed so he had to make it and took the necessary steps to try and create it as it was in his memory. So even though the film was made on a soundstage the end result was a setting that seemed substantially authentic. The films subtlety also shows that war and trauma do not have to be in-your-face in order to be present and for one to still feel the effects of it. The movie depicts a young girl Mui and her life as a servant for a family in Saigon. One can feel some of the directors own traumatic experience in the essence of this film. Throughout the film the viewer sympathizes with Mui and the family she grows up with. Mui is separated from her actual family to be a sort of phantom limb for this family that is already torn apart from a deceased daughter and absent father. Not a whole ton of editing is used in the movie but some things were necessary for the directors ideas. Once in awhile there were the loud sounds/ music that entered scenes in strange times (could have been try to show the effects of war) and also shots that transitioned the spectator through time periods ten years later. In that ten years Mui has not changed significantly, still obedient, still curious but she is leaving her family to be a servant to their family friend. One does not see strong romantic connections in the relationship with her new

employer as they would have definitely and dramatically been defined in a Hollywood narrative but yet it still unfolds. One of the subtle cues of this transition for Mui is through how harmonious the music from the piano is when Mui is around. This is the subtlety that keeps the movie interesting. Mui faces a lot of barriers in this film that manifest themselves in the way the viewer sees her story. Throughout the film Mui has to be professional at all times and is never fully comfortable with the places she is in (she is generally optimistic but it is still evident). She faces these barriers because Saigon is not her home, and these people are not her real family. The viewer gets a sense of these barriers because they see the film through them. In many of the scenes the viewer is looking at it through some sort of obstruction (windows, walls, etc.). These obstructions serve a couple purposes, they represent Muis state of being while also giving the effect that the viewers are there watching just not directly. The Scent of Green Papaya is a prime example for showing how this method of film-making can lead a viewer to much different conclusions than through other more artistic styles of film making. It represents a life-like story and the subtle effects of trauma in a different and more authentic mode of film. On the other hand of this equation is the classic Hollywood narrative which Indochine uses so it can freely use montage and plastics to give the film a more artistic mode of expression. This movie is chalk full of different editing styles to give the viewer a flowing, cause and effect story. This film deals with trauma in a whole different light than in The Scent of Green Papaya. In Indochine, trauma is reoccurring. It crops up every few scenes to keep the movie interesting and politically motivated. The allegory of Eliane acting as colonial France, Jean Baptiste as mainland France, and Camille as Vietnam could only work through these reoccurring examples of trauma. A couple examples of Camilles trauma are depicted in the scenes of her arranged engagement and the murdering of her familial traveling companions. Jean Baptistes are shown

through his love affairs between Eliane and Camille, and how he must abandon his hopes of seeing the world because he chooses a side in Indochina (so he must face imprisonment). Eliane is giving the most dominant trauma in the film. She shows how the loss of her home and daughter are completely detrimental to her being. The allegory of showing all three traumas represents this figurative familial relationship Eliane/ colonized France as the mother, Jean Baptiste/ Mainland France as the Father and Camille/ Vietnam as the daughter. If only this family was not dysfunctional Indochine might have never fallen apart. The director Regis Wargnier tries to show France and its colonization in a sympathetic light. He made Eliane a character that one felt sorry for. Eliane cared about her home, it was her personal Garden of Eden that she never wanted to leave. She also cared for the rubber plantation and her workers. Of course she always maintained an authoritative relationship with them; this is evident when a servant says to Eliane youre my mother and my father. Eliane tries to be both but ultimately fails because she alone cannot control the uprisings against her ascendency. Elianes character is depicted as how France would like Indochina to be shown; as a colonial power that was peaceful and tried to mother the natives. The movie tries to give license to the realistic sufferings the natives were going through but overall the movie begins and ends with Elianes agonizing experience, as if she really suffered the most. Montage does its job in effectively giving the viewers ideas of each countries ordeals through its juxtaposition between Elianes struggle and Camilles/ Jean Baptistes. The film often goes from shots of quiet, clean sorrow in Saigon to ones of dirty, hard, and rebellious spirit through Camilles trek. Also editing is able to give this the ability to be Elianes story through her opening scene being linked to the ending ones. The final depiction that tries to show French Indochina in a sympathetic light is the ending where the spectator sees that Eliane raised Camilles child. Camille found her virtue in fighting for

Vietnam but Eliane always remained to be the caring, loving mother figure she was to Camille. Sometimes being a mother just isnt enough but it does not mean you do not mourn for the loss of your children. After seeing both these films it is clear that there are many ways to make a film. Some show meaning while others create it. Neither style is wrong nor right, it all just depends on what the director wants to convey. Sometimes the camera is their most critical tool and sometimes it is the editing software. These two movies have a linkage in that they both are successful at displaying trauma. Scent of Green Papaya in a subtle, realistic manner and Indochine in an assertive, artistic style. Seeing films in both of these modes has the ability to broaden a spectators mind. It makes one think that meaning can be both displayed and created. Although filmmakers often take a side in this debate the viewer is lucky in that respect because they dont have too. They are free to enjoy and learn the quirks, mishaps, and benefits of many different methods; an open mind is key.