On Film: Unfriended

UNFRIENDED (2014)

Oscar Martin, May 2019

Unfriended is one of those films that really should not have been made. Tragically, Leo Gabriadze’s 2014 teen horror flick was, and it’s now immortalised as a film that could have easily been a groundbreaking experiment in new media offered by the digital age, but never quite got there. Told through the “lens” of a computer screen, Unfriended unfolds in real time, as characters face retribution for the cyberbullying they’ve committed. The film strives for a sort of realism, however this just makes it all the more frustrating. Occasionally, one notices that the voices of the characters have mysteriously faded away into the background while they type. Or the fact that the laptop that serves as our window into the world of the film seems neither to be charging nor draining its battery. Gabriadze does at least use music somewhat creatively - Blaire¹ occasionally plays music on Spotify which acts in a non-diegetic-yet- actually-diegetic fashion. Similarly, the concept of a film told through a computer screen is actually quite interesting. Sadly, Unfriended relies on cheap shocks, and ultimately fails as a horror film. The real horror is the film itself, and after watching I was left with only one thought. “Why?”

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¹ Gabriadze subtly references the history of found-footage horror cinema by naming two characters “Blaire” and “Mitch”. The character “Project” was apparently written out of an early draft of the film.

On Film: High Noon

HIGH NOON (1952)

Oscar Martin, May 2019

High Noon (Fred Zinnemann, 1952) is a western that also features conventions associated with many other genres. Understandably, some critics at the time did not regard the film as a western. Kane is not the white hat wearing cowboy, loved by all, that characterised westerns in the ‘50s. Despite this, High Noon still has much of the classic imagery of a western: the wide streets of a frontier town, the saloon, the train. The emphasis on the icon of the tin star, seen outlined against Kane’s dark vest, is particularly effective — this is a symbol we understand to have cultural significance beyond the film. Indeed, the film is an adaptation of The Tin Star, a short story by John W. Cunningham.

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Real Time Contextualisation in Cléo de 5 à 7

REAL TIME CONTEXTUALISATION IN CLÉO DE 5 À 7

Oscar Martin, May 2019

Cléo de 5 à 7 (Agnes Varda, 1962) is unique in its dedication to chronology. Where another film would employ cutaways or flashbacks to provide context, Cléo de 5 à 7 introduces each of its characters and their respective narratives without any spatial or temporal disruptions. In maintaining this strict realism, Cléo de 5 à 7 is especially effective in its development of a sense of foreboding. A weaker director may have relied on a flashback to Cléo’s medical exam two days prior in order to establish the fragility of the singer’s existence, but Varda chooses instead to invest fully in realism, the film taking on an almost documentary-like style. As a result, the breaks in temporal rigidity are especially affective, drawing on the disconnect between clock time and subjective duration identified by Henri Bergson (Bannister 2016), and marrying Cléo’s mortality with our own.

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Bannister, M. (2016). "Nothing But Time: Bergson's Duration, Systems Theory, and Musical Creativity." Journal of Genius & Eminence 1(1): 72-78.

On Film: Jackie Brown

JACKIE BROWN (1997)

Jackie Brown (1997) is not the kind of crime thriller that demands our attention with pyrotechnics and car chases. Rather, Tarantino’s third film takes its time to develop a world populated by characters with genuine depth. As a result, there is an authenticity to what would otherwise be a far-fetched plot, and it is clear the intelligence of the characters motivates the action, and not some directorial influence ex machina. Tarantino keeps his hand close to his chest — as the events of the film unfold, we can never be sure quite who is one step ahead of everyone else.

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Jackie Brown, 1997, Miramax

Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, based on the novel by Elmore Leonard.

Starring Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster

On Film: Cléo de 5 à 7

CLÉO DE 5 À 7 (1962)

Oscar Martin, May 2019

Agnes Varda’s 1962 film Cléo de 5 à 7 explores female identity and the stereotypes impressed upon women by male dominated mid-century society. In the two hour window of Cléo’s life presented by the film, we see a transformation from “a position of masquerade and nonidentity to subjectivity” (Mouton, 2001). The recurring imagery of mirrors and reflection highlights Cléo’s obsession with superficial beauty: her existential fear of cancer is surpassed only by her fear of loosing her beauty — “As long as I’m beautiful, I’m alive”. Varda’s film is certainly characteristic of the existentialist and especially the feminist movements of its time.

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Mouton, J. (2001). From Feminine Masquerade to Flâneuse: Agnès Varda's Cléo in the City. Cinema Journal, 40(2), 3-16.

On Film: Marie Antoinette

MARIE ANTOINETTE (2006)

Oscar Martin, May 2019

Sophia Coppola’s 2006 Marie Antoinette is less of a period piece than meets the eye. While it strives to be visually accurate, Coppola’s humour and fast pacing characterise the present far more than they do the later decades of the 18th Century. The film is very modern in its depiction of the titular character’s lifestyle, encouraging the audience to be swept away in the sheer ecstasy of excessive consumption – its favourable representation of the French royalty is especially unusual. While Marie Antoinette goes to great lengths to engage the past, it tends to avoid actual history.

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On Film: Cat People

CAT PEOPLE (1942)

Oscar Martin, April 2019

Jacques Tourneur’s 1942 Cat People expertly uses sound to build tension. In both the bus and pool scenes, sound is distorted with echo and reverb effects to create uncertainty about its origin. The growling of Irena in panther form seems to come from all directions, undermining the conventional role of sound as an identifier of off-screen movements. The spatial sound design enhances the perceived remoteness of the basement swimming pool, with dripping water echoing off the walls. Tourneur’s use of silence in the bus scene is also highly effective. With no ambient sound, and only the sound of Alice’s high heels, her isolation is clear. Again, sound design creates a distinct sense of space — one in which an attack could come from any direction. The rustling of trees suggests the presence of the panther, but just as danger seems to be imminent, a bus arrives and Alice is whisked away.

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On Film: The Player

THE PLAYER (1992)

Oscar Martin, April 2019

The denouement of Robert Altman’s 1992 film The Player leaves the audience with a deeply cynical and pessimistic outlook on the future of Hollywood. However, in doing so, Altman ironically reassures the audience that, despite its unsavoury institutions, Hollywood will continue to churn out blockbuster after blockbuster. Mirroring the film-within-a-film “Habeas Corpus”, The Player has two endings. One ending reveals the uncompromising reality of the studio system, revealed from the perspective of Bonnie (which reflects the initial “real” ending written for H.C.). In the second ending, we see that Griffin, having faced no consequences for his actions, has been promoted to studio manager (paralleling the star studded H.C. reshoot in which everyone apparently lives happily ever after). Ultimately, the conclusion of The Player is pessimistic about the future of Hollywood.

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On Film: Der Blaue Engel

DER BLAUE ENGEL (1930)

Oscar Martin, April 2019

Despite its use of dialogue and music, Josef von Sternberg’s The Blue Angel (Der Blaue Engel) maintains the qualities of a silent film. Sound is used sparingly, yet realistically - the singing in the classroom scene is muted by the closing of a window, giving it diegetic quality. Sternberg by no means relies on dialogue and much of the story is told without it. Rather, the film employs the rich visual style of German Expressionism both in its sets and the manner of its cast. As a result, The Blue Angel feels nearer to its silent predecessors than its talkie peers.

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On Film: Citizen Kane

CITIZEN KANE (1941)

Oscar Martin, March 2019

Orson Wells’ Citizen Kane subverts many of the characteristics of classical cinema, establishing Wells as a revolutionary figure in Hollywood. Most notably, Mr Thompson’s ambition of discovering the meaning of “Rosebud” is never realised — while it revealed to the audience, Thompson ultimately remains in the dark. This is unusual, as classical Hollywood championed the development of each character’s psychologically motivated story arc. Wells similarly breaks from tradition through distinctively expressionist cinematography. Citizen Kane employs deep focus and only minimally uses master shots, preferring to hold one shot for an extended period of time. The relationship between light and space is also manipulated, creating a graphic aesthetic comparable to The Cabinet of Dr Caligari.

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On Film: Casablanca

CASABLANCA (1942)

Oscar Martin, March 2019

The ending of Michael Curtiz’s Casablanca (1942) shows all the hallmarks of the “classical style” of cinema. There is closure for each and every narrative. One might point to the seemingly unsatisfactory conclusion of Ilsa and Rick’s romance as a break from convention, however their unusual love story fortifies the film’s (and America’s) ideology: Rick’s insistence that Ilsa leave with Lazlo reaffirms the importance of loyalty and the institution of marriage, while celebrating his character development from self-centred neutrality to idealistic patriotism. At the end of Casablanca, we feel as though each loose end has been tied up, and that the film is truly finished.

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On Film: The Cabinet of Dr Caligari

THE CABINET OF DR CALIGARI (1920)

Oscar Martin, March 2019

Robert Wiene’s seminal film, The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, creates a distinct atmosphere of anxiety and fear, a direct result of abstraction, distortion and exaggeration in characterisation and set design. For example, Caligari himself (Werner Krauss) is presented almost as a caricature, undermining the natural through his exaggerated actions. Similarly, the single-room house of Dr Caligari is heavily skewed, with shadows and highlights accentuated through painting. It is done in a way that defies reason and expectation, consequently creating a visually unnatural shot. The overall style of the film is extensively graphic, allowing Wiene to fully explore the grotesque.

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