The first shot of Georgy in the opening scene is of her openly and confidently walking down the street and, at one point, pushing two men aside to get past which represents her stubbornness, strength. It also represents how she would stand up for herself against the male characters in the film who keep trying to tell her who to be. She is wearing dark clothes and a very simple, no-fuss hairstyle which opposes the other women in the scene. She keeps walking and passes many shop windows and posters displaying 'sale' signs but is not distracted or pulled in by them at all which shows her non-conformity to the female stereotype of the time.
This is followed by a visual metaphor where Georgy is crossing the road. This could symbolise and foreshadow the transition she goes through later on in the film where she goes from a single woman to a married woman with a child. Her journey from one side of the street to the other is interrupted by cars as she crosses which could represent the troubles she will encounter and the disruption of the traditional way of living. This is the first hint of the film's themes of disproving and destroying the smooth, care-free stereotype of the 'swinging 60s'.
A little while after this, in the opening scene, Georgy crosses the road again after changing her mind about her look which represents her comfort zone and how she is expected to look a certain way but doesn't like it. This is supported by how characters in the film would ask her to change her large jumper or wear a dress, to which she refuses. This is an idea of how not all freedom had been achieved at this point in time and people, mainly women, were pushed into a stereotype and 'designed'.
As Georgy looks at the hairstyles in the shop, there is a fence railing which separates the street from the shop which could represent how Georgy is stopped from having the stereotypical, traditional 60s look and lifestyle she wants to have. However, beyond the railing is a glass window and glass door which shows just how close Georgy was living to these women with these other lives. Georgy and the woman in the shop look at each other through the window which emphasises the difference between Georgy and the average woman of the time.
Friday 24 January 2014
Georgy Girl (1966) - Film Response (UNFINISHED)
Georgy Girl was seemingly lighter than the other 60s films I've watched so far which made it a lot more enjoyable to watch, in my opinion. Whilst it wasn't exploring very positive issues, there was nowhere near as much darkness as in the other films and it didn't contain disturbing abortion scenes like the others. Rather than looking at the darker times of 'Swinging Britain', it seemed to provide a much more realistic view of how a normal life for "no one special" would turn out.
I quite liked the character of Georgy and I felt her independence, non-conformity and tendency to be strong-willed was something to be respected. Despite many other characters referring to how she could be loved if she looked like other girls of the time, she makes little effort to change as she is more comfortable the way she is.
I quite liked the character of Georgy and I felt her independence, non-conformity and tendency to be strong-willed was something to be respected. Despite many other characters referring to how she could be loved if she looked like other girls of the time, she makes little effort to change as she is more comfortable the way she is.
Saturday 18 January 2014
Inception (2010)
I recently re-watched Inception, splitting it up into two evenings as it's over two hours long. There is so much I could talk about with this film but I want to keep it simple. I could analyse every single detail of the film as it has so much obvious meaning to it, but that would take a very long time.
However, one part that stood out for me is the scenes involving Cobb's memories. Ariadne travels around these stored memories in a dark lift that is rusty, old and is barred. Cobb has lived 50 years in a separate world which explains the old, uncared for look to the lift. The darkness and the bars are a representation of Cobb's feelings of being trapped in other worlds, as well as a visual metaphor of him caging his memories and caging Mal.
In the same scene, the curtains in the hotel window fly about in the wind. This image is shown again at other points of the film and I believe it is a subtle hint to symbolise Cobb feeling like he has lost control.
Inception wouldn't be the same without the sounds used. Intense, driving orchestral music is used throughout and blends into the film so well that you almost forget it's there. You're left with these feelings of adrenaline and tension and without the music, you wouldn't feel quite the same.
Silence and diegetic sounds are used in a genius way. In one scene, the van in one dream is falling and the music suddenly stops to leave complete silence in a slow motion scene. In the next dream, the only sound is the avalanche. The use of sound manages to captivate the audience and draw you into the film in way that makes you forget reality - which is very much like the main theme of the film.
I forgot how good Inception was. Every detail within the film is hugely important and the film itself is unbelievably impressive.
However, one part that stood out for me is the scenes involving Cobb's memories. Ariadne travels around these stored memories in a dark lift that is rusty, old and is barred. Cobb has lived 50 years in a separate world which explains the old, uncared for look to the lift. The darkness and the bars are a representation of Cobb's feelings of being trapped in other worlds, as well as a visual metaphor of him caging his memories and caging Mal.
In the same scene, the curtains in the hotel window fly about in the wind. This image is shown again at other points of the film and I believe it is a subtle hint to symbolise Cobb feeling like he has lost control.
Inception wouldn't be the same without the sounds used. Intense, driving orchestral music is used throughout and blends into the film so well that you almost forget it's there. You're left with these feelings of adrenaline and tension and without the music, you wouldn't feel quite the same.
Silence and diegetic sounds are used in a genius way. In one scene, the van in one dream is falling and the music suddenly stops to leave complete silence in a slow motion scene. In the next dream, the only sound is the avalanche. The use of sound manages to captivate the audience and draw you into the film in way that makes you forget reality - which is very much like the main theme of the film.
I forgot how good Inception was. Every detail within the film is hugely important and the film itself is unbelievably impressive.
Friday 17 January 2014
'Up The Junction' (1968) Film Response
I felt that Up The Junction provided a different portrayal of women at the time to Alfie. Whilst the women in Alfie seemed quite submissive, the women in Up The Junction were a lot more confident and feisty. This was shown clearly by how Polly was a very decisive character and knew exactly what she wanted. She wouldn't let the male characters (in specific, Peter) sway her.
At first, Polly seems quiet and meek but throughout the film she takes a very strong role and almost seems to take charge of everyone around her.
There was a very interesting contrast between classes in Up The Junction. Whilst Chelsea was rarely visually portrayed, Battersea was shown a lot and seemed to be a busy, friendly community. Peter views his future in somewhere like Chelsea which shows that it's a place and state of wealth people aspired to be in.
Up The Junction flipped this all over and provided a point of view from someone with money who wanted to be without it, much to the confusion of the Battersea characters.
Whilst class is a key aspect to the film, it also explores the freedom of women at that time and the consequences that freedom brought. Just like Alfie, Up The Junction had a disturbing abortion scene which highlighted the darker moments of the sixties.
More darker moments are seen when Rube's boyfriend gets killed and when there is a massive fight in the street at night. It's the scenes like this which destroy the stereotypical image of the 'swinging sixties' and shows that life wasn't quite as happy as it was said to be.
I personally followed the point of views of the Battersea characters and found it difficult to understand why Polly would want to live in somewhere like Battersea. This said, 50 years have passed so things like living conditions have changed so much that the apartment Polly wanted to live in was quite shocking by today's standards.
I found myself disliking Polly's character and I've been thinking about why I'm not keen on her. I think it's because the character of Polly and my own personality are very different so I struggle to understand why she says and does some of the things she does. That said, I really respect the character for having her own opinions.
I found soundtrack of Up The Junction very interesting as it used popular music of the time. The first time a song called 'I Need Your Love' is played is when Polly's friends sing it in the pub. The instrumental of the song is then echoed later in the film when she walks home and when she goes into the hotel. I think this is supposed to represent her happiness as the atmosphere at the pub was lively and she clearly had a great time. It reminds Polly and the audience of how Battersea is so much more fun and friendly than Chelsea.
At first, Polly seems quiet and meek but throughout the film she takes a very strong role and almost seems to take charge of everyone around her.
There was a very interesting contrast between classes in Up The Junction. Whilst Chelsea was rarely visually portrayed, Battersea was shown a lot and seemed to be a busy, friendly community. Peter views his future in somewhere like Chelsea which shows that it's a place and state of wealth people aspired to be in.
Up The Junction flipped this all over and provided a point of view from someone with money who wanted to be without it, much to the confusion of the Battersea characters.
Whilst class is a key aspect to the film, it also explores the freedom of women at that time and the consequences that freedom brought. Just like Alfie, Up The Junction had a disturbing abortion scene which highlighted the darker moments of the sixties.
More darker moments are seen when Rube's boyfriend gets killed and when there is a massive fight in the street at night. It's the scenes like this which destroy the stereotypical image of the 'swinging sixties' and shows that life wasn't quite as happy as it was said to be.
I personally followed the point of views of the Battersea characters and found it difficult to understand why Polly would want to live in somewhere like Battersea. This said, 50 years have passed so things like living conditions have changed so much that the apartment Polly wanted to live in was quite shocking by today's standards.
I found myself disliking Polly's character and I've been thinking about why I'm not keen on her. I think it's because the character of Polly and my own personality are very different so I struggle to understand why she says and does some of the things she does. That said, I really respect the character for having her own opinions.
I found soundtrack of Up The Junction very interesting as it used popular music of the time. The first time a song called 'I Need Your Love' is played is when Polly's friends sing it in the pub. The instrumental of the song is then echoed later in the film when she walks home and when she goes into the hotel. I think this is supposed to represent her happiness as the atmosphere at the pub was lively and she clearly had a great time. It reminds Polly and the audience of how Battersea is so much more fun and friendly than Chelsea.
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