FILM NOIR ASSIGNMENT: (2 parts)
(NOTE: Each response should be formal. Include your full name. Remember - you are not texting me. Capitalize appropriate letters. Use punctuation, spell check, etc. The assignment is DUE ON THURSDAY by 8 P.M. Any late entries will not be counted - you will receive a zero for the assignment. You can either post your assignment or you can print out a hard copy for me and hand it to me at lecture on Tuesday. I will not accept any hard copies at discussion on Friday.
250 Words
1st question.) What makes Elsa (Rita Hayworth) a classic femme fatale?
(What does Welles reveal about Elsa (her personality/past/etc) to the audience? What doesn’t he reveal? What do her costumes signify? How does the film’s voiceover narration imply that she is a femme fatale?)
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2nd question.) How does the film’s cinematography disorient the audience? Does it add to the ominous storyline? Why or why not?
(Discuss camera angles, close ups, crane shots, over the shoulder shots, focus, etc in your answer.)
Elle Brosh
ReplyDeleteQuestion 1:
In his 1947 film, The Lady From Shanghai, Orson Welles picked Rita Hayworth to play the devious, adulterous, platinum blonde femme fatal character, Elsa Bannister who becomes the object of his main character’s (Michael O'Hara) desire. Not only is Elsa beautifully alluring, but she is also quite seductive is an unethical manner. In the opening of the film, Elsa is portrayed as a damsel in distress, traveling home alone at night, being bothered by three foolish young men, and claiming that she doesn’t smoke. However, this innocent disguise immediately shatters, as she becomes a temptress, inviting Michael to join her and her husband on their voyage to San Francisco. In this scene, she uses racy language like, “ill make it worth your while” to hopefully sway his decision. Though we never find out every detail of her past, it is revealed that Elsa’s parents were both white Russians and that she grew up in China. With this information Elsa is immediately targeted as an “other” considering that she hails from America’s most subversive and untrustworthy foes at that time in history. Throughout the film, Elsa clearly uses her sexuality to achieve attention. For example, in the scene where Elsa is seen in her bathing suit, jumping off of the cliff and tanning in the sun, she is purposely utilizing her glistening moist skin and her half- naked body to attract attention from the men on the boat, specifically Michael. Welles also opens the film with a first- person voice over from the future perspective of Michael O’Hara addressing the charm Elsa had placed upon him, making him, “not use his head very much except to be thinking of her.” Generally, in the world of film noir, the sexually deviant woman symbolizes male anxieties about independence or feelings of temptation. Considering this, Michael’s voice- overs heard throughout the film clearly represents his personal thoughts; in this narration the viewer hears him managing his desire, judgment, and anxiety. This further illuminates Elsa as a sexually deviant and manipulative femme fatal.
Question 2:
Orson Welles uses several different cinematography techniques throughout his 1947 film, The Lady From Shanghai, to disorient the audience and further evoking feelings that a film noir style often presents. Welles’ careful manipulation of cinematography and editing works to build feelings of anxiety in the audience so they have the ability to identify with Michael’s personal tumultuous concerns. These feelings include paranoia, anxiety, and abstraction. Welles often illustrates the notion of the “duality” through his cinematography. For example, in the aquarium scene, Welles captures Elsa’s reflection on the fish tank while she reads aloud the contract that Michael is supposed to sign. The manifestation of her dark basically silhouetted reflection on the tank is extremely ominous and works with the film’s subversive plot. Welles chooses to focus on the tank rather than on Elsa’s face, conveying a sense of her two- sided nature, rendering her dishonest or perhaps scheming. The emphasis on the fish tank can arguably be touching on Michael’s speech about, “the sharks, mad with their own blood” full of lust. Another example of this double- sidedness is the final scene in the fun house. Not only are all of the present characters reflected in numerous mirrors, but also Elsa’s face is montaged over the reflections several times during the shootout. This mirror scene definitely stimulates feelings of anxiety and also clearly reveals the notion of duality, which Elsa’s characters conducts throughout the film. The mirrors clearly reflect Elsa’s inexorable allure and seductive nature.
David Hess
ReplyDeleteIntro to Screen Studies
The Lady from Shanghai
#1
Orson Welles delivers a film can certainly be considered classic film noir. Plot-wise and character-wise “The Lady of Shanghai” contains very important thematic elements which as essential to the telling of a good noir-style story. One of these aforementioned elements is the femme fatale. For this role Welles cast the beautiful Rita Hayworth as the mysteriously tempting and deceivingly helpless Elsa Bannister. From her very introduction there is very little knowledge gained about her. This has a great deal to do with her irresistibility, especially to our strapping hero Michael O’Hara, who just doesn’t seem to know better. What we can tell is that she is very distressed and obviously unhappy with her choice of husband. However, any allusions to her past are brief, as she is quick to dodge any questions or retellings. Upon reference to her time in Shanghai, during her first meeting with O’Hara, she becomes suddenly solemn and upset, shying away from the subject with only few words. Throughout the film her wardrobe is either revealing or otherwise attractive. This is in order to build her image as one of extravagant beauty, she’s meant to be viewed as a woman who any man would enjoy having on his arm. Whilst O’Hara narrates he remains oddly reluctant to trusting Elsa, continually berating himself for letting his heart make the decisions and not his head. He refers to his unwise choices as “swallow[ing] whole all the lies you can think of to tell yourself.”
#2
Welles really sticks to the usual film-noir techniques of cinematography in this film. Very low-key lighting and a heavy use of shadow characterize many scenes. The entire first scene, for example, takes place in a seemingly deserted Central park at night. O’Hara and Ms. Bannister meet for the very first time at night, in the shadows. There is also an interesting use of medium close-up shots throughout the film. These are used to convey a very intimate and secretive feeling between a set of characters that many scenes are intended to have. Many of the scenes that O’Hara and George Grisby share whilst they plot Grisby’s “murder” are shot with both the characters close together. Showcasing only their faces and most notably Grisby’s sly and scheming face. Upon their arrival in Sausalito Grimsby proposes a contract to O’Hara and celebrates with a drink, toasting with: “here’s to crime.” As he gulps down his beer the camera cuts into a close-up shot which reveals the look in his eyes and the music becomes loudly cautious. At the very end, when O’Hara begins to figure out the plot into which he got himself into, there is a sequence in which the audience sees him walking through a carnival funhouse. Welles’s use of crane shots in this scene is important in communicating his characters struggle through such a maze of lies and deceit. It is very easy to assume and to understand the ominous feelings of this film as they are portrayed very well in the cinematography.
Question 1:
ReplyDeleteElsa Bannister (Rita Hayworth) embodies all of the characteristics of the typical femme fatale. Rita Hayworth’s character is devious, mysterious and extremely manipulative. Throughout the film you never really get a whole glimpse of her past except for where her family is from and you never really know if her emotions or feelings are genuine; this adds on to the whole mysterious quality. Elsa Bannister’s way of carrying herself while she is surrounded by men tends to be alluring and quite provocative for the time. She is a highly sexualized character and tends to use her beauty in the most manipulative way; this is noticeable in the scene where she is sun- bathing by the cliffs. She is fully aware that she is being watched, therefore uses her looks to get exactly what she wants. The fact that she is a married woman and is desperately pursuing Michael O’Hara adds on to her devious quality. It also heightens the anxiety in Michael O’Hara. The film’s voice over narrations of Michael O’Hara express that anxiety and put him and the audience in the same position. The voice over narrations allow us to really embody Elsa Bannister, it makes us more aware of her manipulative ways yet it keeps us intrigued and wanting more from her despite the fact that we know it is completely wrong. Elsa Bannister’s costumes add on to her manipulative manner. It shows that she is a woman of a certain class; it also emphasized her femininity giving a perception of a damsel in distress even though she is the complete opposite.
Question 2:
Orson Welles use of cinematography definitely disorients the audience in a way. The cinematography gives a good parallel to both of the characters; it embodies the anxiety of Michael O’hara and the mysteriousness of Elsa Bannister. It also gives a great parallel to the voice over narration of Michael O’Hara; it feels as if every anxiety is expressed through the shots or every perception of Elsa Bannister’s devious ways become ten times clearer. This is noticeable in various scenes, for example the scene where Elsa Bannister mentions to Michael O’Hara that she took up smoking the over the shoulder shots between the two shows Elsa’s lustfulness and Michael’s reluctance to do something inappropriate. The cinematography also embodies other character as well, for example during the scene when Elsa Bannister is sun bathing on the cliffs; you get a glimpse of her through the binoculars of George Grisby, you get this sense that you are watching something that you are not supposed to be watching. The way that the camera is set on Elsa Bannister gives a feeling and a sense of strong desire. The final scene at the fun house allows you to view Elsa Bannister more like the way we view Michael O’Hara’s character, full of anxiety. The entire scene adds on to this feeling of anxiety that gives the idea that the ending or the resolution of the film be a disaster. It shows the buildup of all of the emotions that were coursing the film previously.
Shanthal Caba
ReplyDeletePART1
Orson Welles’ depiction of Rita Hayworth’s character, Elsa Bannister, in his 1948 film The Lady from Shanghai falls perfectly into the archetype of the classic femme fatale. From the beginning of the movie the protagonist Mike O'Hara, played by Welles, admits in his voice over his infatuation with Elsa and that pursuing her would only lead him into trouble, saying that “once I'd seen her, I was not in my right mind for some time”. Elsa also claims to not smoke when Mike offered her a cigarette, but later in the film we see her skillfully chain smoking. Femme fatales are women of great beauty, grace and elegance and Elsa makes a good use of it, manipulating men to do as she pleases. For O’Hara, Elsa becomes a temptation and object of desire because of the beauty and the mysteriousness that surrounds her, little is known about Elsa’s past, only that she grew up in China, and knows how to slyly avoid any questioning. Elsa wears very provocative costumes to attract male attention, like the revealing swimsuit when she is sun bathing in the Caribbean. Her personality seems very sweet and respectful at first, but then we can appreciate many racy conversations with O'Hara filled with innuendos and double-entendres. Elsa’s character is charming and attractive and irresistible in men’s eyes, but then her her true nature is exposed, that she is manipulative and greedy. Both sides to her character are poetically displayed in the mirror scene, visually explaining the duality to her character.
PART 2
The Lady from Shanghai undeniably belongs to the film noir style and genre. Film noir films often take place in urban settings, late night city streets and shady alleys; this film takes place first in New York City and then in San Francisco, two major cities, in which most of the action occurs. In terms of cinematography, low key lighting is used often to create dark atmospheres with a lot of shadows that emphasize the nature of the story. Rita Hayworth’s character is lighted in way that flatters and emphasize her beauty, while Grisby and Mr. Bannister are lighted in a way that makes them dubious and questionable characters. The scene that takes place in the “crazy house” is highly disorienting, as odd camera angles are used, moving lights, the music and the anxious, fast paced narration make the spectator feel uneasy and insecure. The mirror scene stimulates this feeling of insecurity and anxiety, reflections multiply the characters, there are a lot of close ups on the characters’ faces as well as Elsa’s face superimposed, this visually reveals the duality of the characters and creates a state of confusion until the shooting is done and only Michael is left standing.The story of the films deals with corruption, classism, murder and trials as most film noir movies do. O’Hara’s character is an anti-hero, as he is foolishly tricked into this plan by the other characters, his morals and ethics are also questionable.