Week 4- The Devil Wears Prada- (Mise en Scene and Actors)

Title: The Devil Wears Prada

Released: 2006

Director: David Frankel

Writers: Aline Brosh McKenna, (screenplay) Lauren Weisberger, (novel)

Actors: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci

The main actors in this movie are Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt and

Stanley Tucci. They all have their own unique way of bringing a role to life. Anne

Hathaway can be classified as a personality type of actor. By that, I mean that her role in

this movie and many of the others that come to mind, such as Ella Enchanted or Princess

Diaries, are all similar, because they reflect herself. Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci are

character actors. They are able to transform themselves into whatever a director may be

looking for, or fill many different types of roles without overwhelming the movie, or

typecasting themselves. Meryl Streep is a wild card, meaning that she can be classified as

any type of actor, depending on the film.

The Devil Wears Prada was a well balanced and enjoyable movie, with a nice mix of

romance, comedy and drama. I think the casting, and their multiple types of acting

capability, had a lot to do with my enjoyment of the film. The actors were each very

believable in their roles. Hathaway portrayed Andy with just the right amount of naivety

mixed with semi-smug know it all-ness as a young twenty something year old inevitably

seems to have. Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci are brilliant in their roles as a snotty, trying

to get ahead secretary assistant and up and coming stylist/editor, respectively. Streep is, as

always, fantastic in the role of Miranda Priestly, the brutal and bitchy ruler of Runway

Magazine.

Out of all the actors mentioned, Meryl Streep is the one who represents the topic of mise

en scene the best. She is absolutely brilliant in any role she chooses to take, she transforms

into someone new in each film she participates in. This is really the crux of being classified

as a wild card. There is plenty of flexibility within this category, she could be seen as a an

interpreter, as she was in The Iron Lady or Julie and Julia. She could be seen as a

character actor, as she was in Mamma Mia or Into the Woods. Above all, she can certainly

be considered a star!

References:

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. This text is a Constellation™ course digital materials (CDM) title.

The Devil Wears Prada (2006) – IMDb. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0458352/

The Devil Wears Prada Official Trailer [Video file]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LG0xYJJbko8

Week 3- The Godfather

Title: The Godfather

Released: 1972

Writers: Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Cast: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall

– Sound in Film –

The three basic categories of sound in film are dialogue, sound effects and music. Dialogue

refers to the words the characters speak to each other within a scene. Sound effects are

used to draw in the audience, help them understand what they are seeing on the screen,

and enhance the film. Music is one of the most basic and essential elements in putting

together a movie.

In the film, The Godfather, all of these categories are utilized with calculation and poise.

The dialogue is one of the things about this movie that makes it so memorable and iconic.

There are lots of sound effects; gunfire, sirens, crunching gravel, breaking glass, sounds

that accentuate the violence, danger and darkness of the film. The music in this movie

reflects the 1940’s era, and changes throughout the movie to embrace and enhance the

feelings of the audience as the scenes play out. The score written for this movie is as

recognizable and memorable today as when the movie was released forty years ago.

The sounds in The Godfather certainly associate it within the gangster genre. First and

foremost, this is done through the dialogue. The conversations that take place in this film

are decidedly full of mafia speech and bravado. As mentioned above, the sound effects

used enhance the violent acts taking place. The music accurately represents the Italian

influence that we have come to expect from these sorts of films. The non-diegetic sounds

have an emotional impact on the audience, making us feel the suspense, or the fear, or the

happiness, depending on the scene. If not for the exceptional use of sound in this film, I

don’t believe that this film would have made nearly the impact on the viewers as it has and

as it still continues to do.

References

The Baptism Murders – The Godfather (8/9) Movie CLIP (1972) HD [Video file]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CDlBLvc3YE

The Godfather (1972) – IMDb. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068646/

The Godfather (ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK) [Video file]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SdrbyCrTXg

The Godfather, Detail view of Movies Page. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=54023

Week 2- Mamma Mia!

Title:  Mamma Mia!

Writer:  Catherine Johnson

Director:  Phyllida Lloyd

Year:  2008

Actors:  Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Amanda Seyfried, Stellan Skarsgard, Colin

This blog is meant to focus on the lighting used in this film.  The cinematographer utilized mostly high key lighting for Mamma Mia, which was set on an island in Greece.  The benefit to this choice of lighting it made everything very bright and clear, with little contrast or shadowing.  As a result, the actors and the scenery really popped off the screen.  The lighting and techniques used in this film really contributed to the theme and musical genre.  In watching the movie, it felt as though you were on that Greek island, it was magical and vibrant.  Mamma Mia was a colorful, bubbly and fun romp, accentuated greatly by the technical aspects of production.  Had they used low key lighting, the movie would have been drab, dreary and unrealistic, it would not have left the audience with the same satisfaction.

References

Mamma Mia! (2008) – IMDb. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0795421/

Mamma Mia! Official Trailer #2 – Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried Movie (2008) HD [Video file]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiVnD9i7BpE

Week 1- Maleficent

Title:  Maleficent

Writer:  Linda Wolverton

Director:  Robert Stromberg

Lead Actors:  Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley

Year Released:  2014

Summary of Story and Plot:

This movie is another version of the fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty, but from the perspective of the villain of the story, Maleficent.  In the beginning, we see a young, innocent and beautiful Maleficent, growing up in a magical fairyland, known as the Moors.  One day she comes upon a boy named Stefan.  He is from a rival kingdom that her people are at war with.  She builds a close relationship with him over several years.  She gives him her love and trust, and he ultimately betrays her in order to gain power and become king.  Maleficent’s  pure heart is hardened and she becomes twisted and bitter.  Stefan becomes king of the opposing kingdom, marries, and produces a daughter, named Aurora.  Maleficent comes to the king and queen, and in a fit of anger, places a curse on the baby.  On her sixteenth birthday, Aurora will prick her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel and fall into a death-like sleep, that can only be broken by true love’s kiss.  Stefan attempts to thwart the curse, destroying all the spinning wheels and sending his daughter away to hide until the time of the curse passes.  He becomes obsessed with revenge, and the conflict between the realms continues to grow.  Meanwhile, Aurora grows up under the care of faeries in the woods, unaware of it all.  Maleficent watches her grow into a young woman and over time develops a relationship with the princess.  Aurora thinks that she is her fairy godmother.  As the time of the curse approaches, Maleficent regrets the decision, and tries to put a stop to it, with no luck.  Around this same time, Aurora meets a prince named Phillip, and they are smitten with each other.  Soon after that,  Aurora accidently finds out the truth about Maleficent and who she really is, as well as her own identity, as a princess.  She fights with Maleficent and runs to her father Stefan, who locks her up in the castle, in a failed attempt to keep her safe.  The curse is enacted shortly after Aurora arrives.  Maleficent comes to the castle, along with Phillip, to try and save her.  Phillip kisses the princess, but it has no effect.  Maleficent then apologizes to Aurora as she lay in her death sleep, showing genuine regret and love for the girl.  She kisses her on the forehead, and the curse is broken.  The two women resolve their issues, and then try to bring a peaceful end to the war with the king, but he isn’t interested.  Stefan and Maleficent have a battle, and he dies.  Aurora is crowned as queen of both realms, bringing peace to all.  By the end of the movie, Maleficent has come full circle, as protector of the land , with a healed heart.

Conclusion:

This story is presented in mostly chronological order.  This created a nice build up for the progression of the film.  The movie draws the audience in from the beginning, and it molds Maleficent into a relatable, sympathetic, even lovable character.  This is far different from the previous presentations of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.  In this version, you want Maleficent to succeed in her quest, rather than be defeated.

Sources:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1587310

https://www.youtube.com