“As Long as the Matrix Exists, Humans Will Never be Free”

The Matrix has widely been considered one of the greatest science-fiction action films of its generation. The film itself grossed over $400 million in the box-office, and, has since then, become a franchise producing two sequels to the original film, an anime series, three video games, and a comic book set. The franchise as a whole, has grossed over $1.6 billion. In addition to its apparent monetary success, The Matrix and its following sequels have received many awards and nominations for its cinematography, visual effects, direction, acting, and more. However, it is the The Matrix that set the precedent for the success of the franchise with its narrative and visual effects.

Narratively, the Matrix appeals to its audience for several reasons. The film’s three-act structure prompts the audience to continually ask questions both throughout the film and beyond the film. Right from the opening image, the audience hears a telephone conversation between two characters talking about “The One.” Who is the One? Why are they watching him? Why is he important to both the film’s plot, and to a character named Morpheus? Why are the characters concerned about a secure line? These are just some examples of the questions that are meant to drive the audience to think about the direction and central question of the story. As the film progresses, all of those questions are answered. Neo (aka Thomas Anderson) is a computer programmer who lives a seemingly average life in which he feels out of place. Thus, he searches for Morpheus, the Matrix, and the Truth. Conversely, Morpheus searches for Neo because he believes that Neo (aka Thomas Anderson) is “the One.” It is Morpheus who offers Neo a way to learn the Truth about reality by taking the red pill as oppose to the blue pill. Again, questions arise and are answered. Throughout the film, the audience is forced to question whether Neo is “the One,” and at the climax, it is positively confirmed that he is. But that is not the reason why this film pioneered a whole franchise.

This film, specifically, introduces the audience to the Matrix. It establishes a foundation for the sequels by initiating this central theme of continually searching for freedom in the Truth. Again, the audience knows that Neo is the one; they know that Trinity and Neo are supposed to be together; they know that Zion is the only remaining Human refuge left in the real world; and they know that the Matrix still exists, which means that those in the Matrix are still not free. Thus, at the end of the film, the audience is left wondering how Neo, Trinity, Morpheus, and Tank are essentially going to free Mankind from the Matrix.

Visually (as well as more explicitly), The Matrix leaves the audience wanting more. As classified in the introductory paragraph, The Matrix can, and should be, considered a science-fiction action film. The choreography of the action scenes is largely inspired by various Martial Arts practices, including Kung Fu. Additionally, the action is grand and fast paced. From characters jumping rooftops to Keanu Reeves and Carrie Ann-Moss blowing a whole building up with an innumerable number of guns to Keanu Reeves dodging and stopping bullets, the movie is evidently action-packed. In fact, The Matrix was responsible for popularizing the “bullet time” effect, which heightens the perception of certain characters by allowing the action within a shot to progress in slow motion while the camera’s viewpoint appears to move through the scene at normal speed. Furthermore, the character’s costumes add to the film’s visual aesthetic and significance. The all black leather outfits that Neo, Trinity, and Morpheus in action scenes are more than visually appealing, and the sunglasses they wear are iconic to the franchise. Additionally, the costumes allow the audience to clearly distinguish between reality and the matrix while following the film’s narrative. The smiths are easily identifiable by their uniform suits, everyone in the Matrix wears clothes familiar to what the audience knows, and the clothes worn inside the ship are also distinctive in appearance and texture.

The narrative and the aesthetic of The Matrix, as well as the component of Artificial Intelligence and technology all play a major role in the Matrix franchise’s success. Even though any piece of work has room for improvement, The Matrix was exceptionally entertaining. It is barely any wonder why audiences wanted more, and that the franchise became the success that it did.

“American Capitalist Ideology” in Alien

“American Capitalist Ideology” in film highlights a number of principles considered significant to American Fundamentalism. These principles include, but are not limited to: Capitalism, Work Ethic, Progress, and Character.

In a science-fiction horror genre film like Ridley Scott’s Alien, the narrative process inherently seeks to examine and affirm “Americanism,” as well as establish a sense of continuity between cultural present and future (Schatz 31). While film critics were divided at the time of Alien’s release, Scott’s film has, without a doubt, remained successful amongst consumers because of what Schatz considers the two factors a genre film’s sustaining success depends upon: its thematic appeal and significance of conflicts it repeatedly addresses and its flexibility in adjusting to the audiences’ and filmmakers’ changing attitudes toward those conflicts (Schatz 31). Not unlike the realm of science-fiction genre films in Hollywood, Alien’s conflict centralizes on the limits and value of human knowledge and scientific experimentation, all the while addressing most of the principles of “American Capitalist Ideology” listed above. Thomas Schatz believes that “the genre [film’s] fundamental impulse is to continually renegotiate the tenets of American Ideology” and that “Hollywood movies are considerably more effective in their capacity to raise questions than to answer them,” (Schatz 35).  Furthermore, he considers Hollywood genre films to be so “fascinating” and “confounding” because of their capacity to “play it both ways” – to both criticize and reinforce the values, beliefs, and ideals of American culture within the same narrative context (Schatz 35). Among its recognition for visual effects, Alien does a noteworthy job in both criticizing and reinforcing “American Capitalist Ideology” through the characters themselves.

The capitalist principle of “American Capitalist Ideology” as discussed in class, encompasses those beliefs of the right to ownership, personal initiative, and settling of the land. In the beginning of the film, the Nostromo is clearly identified as a cargo ship. When the crew receives the stress signal, it is again emphasized that their only mission is to transport cargo, not rescue or explore the unknown. Here sets the precedent that those in the ship’s crew consist of blue collar workers. The audience is introduced to characters with very different directives than those of say, The Forbidden Planet. However, this is not to say that the characters in Nostromo do not hold the values of “American Capitalist Ideology.”

Parker is shown arguing about getting his “fair share” (salary) or a raise in his pay grade numerous accounts. Not only does this character showcase value of capitalism, but also work ethic. “American Capitalist Ideology” emphasizes that hard work, in itself, is morally admirable. Parker’s character obviously values the right to ownership of what he worked for.

Dallas also embodies the characterization of the ideal male, as Nostromo’s captain. Through taking initiative of venturing into the air ducts in pursuit of the alien, he holds American capitalist principles of personal initiative and as a man of action.

On the other hand, Ripley’s character challenges female characterization in film as she is not the ideal female as a wife, mother, mainstay of house and home, nor is she seen as an erotic woman.

Ash’s character showcases the centralized science-fiction genre film conflict of the limit and value of human knowledge and scientific experimentation. As the Nostromo’s scientific officer, Ash, was most interested in learning more about the alien than any other crew member. It was he who made the executive decision against Ripley’s call to wait 24 hours for decontamination before letting Dallas, Lambert, and Kane back in from exploring the planet. Throughout the film, Ash remains emotionless and with the main objective of recovering more information about the Alien. His directive from the company highlights the “American Capitalist Ideology” of technological progress in the context of this film. And, at the same time, his directive challenges the value of scientific experimentation. It showcased the extent that the company was willing to go beyond the lives of its workers to pursue scientific progress.

The Images are Meaningful

Gustavo Mercado simply defines an ‘image system’ as “the use of recurrent images and compositions in a film to add layers of meaning to a narrative (Mercado 21). Furthermore, “at its most effective, an image system deepens the emotional impact and audience engagement with a filmic narrative, adds layers of meaning that reward an attentive audience and invites repeated viewings of a film, as new depths, dimensions, and understandings that can be gleaned every time the story is revisited,” (Mercado 25).

Spielberg’s 1977 film, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, was particularly noteworthy because of its visual effects, art direction, film editing, and much more. Although the recurrent image of Devil’s Point may be its most discernible motif, the film’s image system does include many other aspects that are potentially less explicit, but equally as important to the film’s narrative. Two examples of these are the repeated use of blocking to emphasize a particular aspect of the composition and the repeated of use the color red.

Spielberg used a variety of long shots to emphasize the context of the scenes in the film. In the beginning of the film, Lacombe and Laughlin discover the abandoned planes. In the midst of the desert dust, the characters in the frame surround each plane, emphasizing its importance. Without knowing why the planes are significant, the audience is forced to direct attention to them because the placement of the characters around the planes demand it. At the end of the film, the pilots of the planes are found to have been in the alien mother ship.

Additionally, the composition of the shot below forces the audience’s attention to Lacombe. The length of the shot allows for the frame’s symmetry. Lacombe is centered between men seated on the stage next to him, in front of him in the audience, and there are even two men further back in the auditorium framed just beside his head. Again, the frame forces the audience to direct attention to Lacombe, who is presenting hand signals to use in communication with the aliens. At the end of the film Lacombe uses these exact hand signals that prove to be effective.

The color red holds great significance within the context of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, specifically in the costumes and make-up (i.e. sunburns). In the beginning of the film, shortly after Lacombe and Laughlin discover the planes, Lacombe has an encounter with the only witness – an old man with a sunburn on half of his face.

This is a great foreshadowing of Ray and his experiences throughout the film. At the time of Lacombe’s interaction with the old man who stated that “the sun came out at night and sang to him”, he and Laughlin were just beginning their quest to find answers. In a way, this particular moment marks their investigation into UFOs. When Ray first encounters a UFO, he too gets sunburned on half of his face. Subsequent to that instance, Ray’s obsession to find answers only grows. Thus, similarly his getting sunburned also marks his own investigation into UFOs.

Additionally, the recurrence of the color red in costumes also holds great significance to developing Ray’s character. When Ray is first introduced, he stands out wearing a red sweater.

Recall that Greg M. Smith said that everything about a film is highly intentional and unlikely there out of coincidence (Smith 128). Because of this, the audience should question why Ray’s character is so important and what is going to happen to him. The central question of his character and the whole film is whether or not the characters are going to directly interact with aliens. As the answer to the central question of any film should be yes, Ray and the other central characters do come in contact with the aliens. Not only was this foreshadowed by his red sweater when he was first introduced to the audience; but it was also foreshadowed when the government decided to pursue contact with the aliens, and a group of individuals wearing red astronaut suits were shown.

Note that at the end of the film, Ray is among that group of individuals, wearing a red astronaut suit, and is the only one chosen by the aliens to go with them.

          

Close Encounters of the Third Kind is an outstanding film known for its visual effects, art direction, film editing, and much more. It proved to be a huge success in box offices and beyond because the image system, so vital in the experience of watching a film, created meaning that resonated with the audience.

Neither the Hero, Nor the Villain

In his article, Heroes and Villains in American Film, Dr. Ken Burke writes that, “heroes define the limits and purpose of genres… their triumphs over adversity permeate our art and especially our mass entertainment,” (Burke 63). Additionally, the continuing evolution of the hero myth – the dynamic between hero and villain – is vital to both entertainment vehicles and society as a whole [because] hero study provides a content analysis perspective on shifting values of American culture in various decades,” (Burke 69).

Fred M. Wilcox’s film, Forbidden Planet was the first science-fiction film of its kind – featuring humans travelling faster than the speed of light and set entirely in space. Made in 1956, the film reflects the Cold War tensions that occurred in American society in that decade, and perpetuates the trend of the dramatic anti-hero characterization and ‘creature features’ in Hollywood at that time. Subjectively speaking, the film does not have a clear common hero or villain; but the case can be made that, according to Burke’s Basic Model, Dr. Morbius assumes the role of anti-hero/situational villain.

Anti-heroes do not possess the qualities of a hero, but their classification does not automatically make them villains. Dr. Morbius is the epitome of an anti-hero because, despite his faults, his intentions mean well enough to see past a common villain; however, his actions, as well as the film’s plot suggest he is not entirely heroic either. When Commander Adams insists upon landing on Altair IV, Dr. Morbius, knowing the dangers of the planet, insists the ship refrain from landing because he cannot guarantee their safety. Through the duration of their stay, Dr. Morbius seems accommodating to the crew, welcoming them into his home, and telling them about the history of Altair IV, specifically his scientific findings on the Krell’s advanced technology.

However, despite Dr. Morbius’s accommodation, Commander Adams and the ship crew demand that they take the Krell’s advanced technology back to Earth against the Doctor’s wishes. Dr. Morbius claimed that Krell technology was not yet ready for humankind. According to Suber, heroes are invariably defiant and incapable of fitting in – they stand for something beyond him/herself and can be classified as a hero from a few heroic acts (Suber 189). By intentionally living in isolation with his daughter and Robby the Robot – not even remotely close to Earth or any other human beings – Dr. Morbius can be considered defiant of traditional society and incapable of living within the confounds of society and it’s laws. Additionally, he could be said to stand for science and knowledge. On one hand, it seems heroic that the Doctor recognizes the magnitude of such developed technology as well as the limitations of mankind; but on the other hand, his intentions for defending the technology from other humans make him the anti-hero.

Dr. Morbius is so untrusting of mankind that his shielding the technology and his daughter from Earth makes him seem greedy. Having experienced the technology of the Krell via the plastic IQ machine, it also seems like he just wants the technological power to expand his knowledge from himself. Additionally, his fear that his daughter, Alteira, wants to leave for Earth with the men who want to take the Krell technology from him, grows. This leads the audience and the other characters to discover that the mysterious monster who abolished the Krell species and the Doctor’s colleagues was the Doctor himself, or rather the Doctor’s subconscious/Id (here the creature feature is introduced).

It takes a while for Dr. Morbius to accept the fact that his subconscious was responsible for the destruction of all the Krell. But eventually, he confronts his Id monster, preventing it from killing Alteira and Commander Adams. Furthermore, he tells the Commander to set Altair IV’s inner chain reaction, and warns the Commander that the ship must be 100 million miles away within 24 hours. Altair IV self-destructs and the ship makes it out safe. Dr. Morbius had intentions that meant well. He knew the limitations of mankind and their ability to handle the Krell’s advanced technology – even he was not capable of handling it himself. However, his greed and fear controlled him, and the monster of his Id became the situational villain. This makes Dr. Morbius neither the common hero, nor the common villain, but the anti-hero of Forbidden Planet.

The Heroine Within

Memorable films – by definition – contain memorable characters. – Howard Suber

According to Howard Suber: “The ultimate function of characterization is getting the audience to care about the character(s). This doesn’t mean they have to like the characters; it means they have to have an emotional investment in what happens to them,” (Suber 69). From the very beginning to the very end of Alfred Hitchcock’s fittingly titled film, Notorious, the character of Alicia Huberman captures the attention of the audience as she reveals the many complexities that make her so memorable.

When the film first introduces Alicia Huberman, she automatically assumes the center of attention. It is extremely notable that the cameras seen outside of the courtroom were not there to document the sentencing of Alicia’s father, but were there to document Alicia herself. As soon as she exits the courtroom, she is clearly distinguished from the crowd of older and comparatively unattractive women in the far background, as well as the number of men immediately surrounding her. If her relation to her Nazi father was not problematic enough to begin hinting at her character’s complexities within the context of the film’s plot, the presentation of her outstanding beauty in this scene establishes her sex appeal – which, according to Suber, is a meaningless power that implies she is likely to end up alone (Suber 61).

Alicia enforces her power of sex appeal shortly after the courthouse scene, when she hosts a party at her house. Alicia continues to distinguish herself from the other characters by means of her attire and mannerisms. She is seen wearing animal patterned attire that exposes her mid-section, physically interacting/flirting with the other characters (especially males), and drinking a large amount of alcohol.

These first two scenes reveal that on the surface, Alicia Huberman is a beautiful woman with a reputation and a weakness for alcohol. She uses her sex appeal to gain dominance among the company of both men and women; although it is implied that she her relationships and interactions with men are most noteworthy. As seen at her house party, she is dominant in her sex appeal but still seeks love and attention from men. Her continual mention of being followed, her repeatedly telling Devlin’s character (who the audience has not been introduced to yet and whose face we do not see) she likes him without him responding to her, and her question to the commodore about being loved – to which he replies that she is a “very beautiful woman,” – prove this. Initially, Alicia Huberman is the beautiful woman amongst men who grabs the attention of the audience until her sex appeal no longer gives her the power to do so. But it is through her relationships with the men in the film that make her the heroine of the film.

Huber states that, “what makes most characters interesting is often not the characters themselves but rather their relationship with other characters. Characters are defined, not so much by what they are as by what they do, and what they do in drama is to interact with other people” (Suber 65). Alicia’s relationship with Devlin not only perpetuates her driving force to seek his love and affection, but also establishes her as the heroine. According to Huber, women in drama are established as heroines solely because they suffer (Huber 192). It was clear in two separate occasions that Alicia and Devlin’s love affair was complicated from the start. The first is when Alicia tells Devlin, “Look, I’ll make it easy for you. The time has come when you must tell me you have a wife and two adorable children… and this madness between us can’t go on any longer.” Devlin replies, “Bet you’ve heard that line often enough.” The second is when Alicia tells Devlin that their love affair is strange because he doesn’t love her. Again, this emphasizes Alicia’s reputation and her desire for Devlin’s love, but it also explains why she agreed to be an undercover agent and marry Alexander Sebastian. Throughout the film, it is clear that Alicia just wanted Devlin to reciprocate his love for her. She even stated that she only needed Devlin to tell her he loved her once. But, he had not, and she ended up suffering through the sacrifice she made as an agent to be with Sebastian.

Through Alicia’s relationships with Devlin and Sebastian, the audience sees past the surface of Alicia’s character, and begins to sympathize for her. Alicia made the conscious choice to have the principles of a patriotic agent, and the will power to put her own wants aside for the greater good. This, according to Huber, makes her a powerful character, and the heroine of the film who ends up with what she wanted all along: Devlin’s love.

It’s Not Just to Make Them Look Good

In his article, “It’s Just a Movie”: A Teaching Essay for Introductory Media Classes, Greg M. Smith emphasizes the significance of detail in the process of filmmaking. Specifically in the first section of his essay, Smith explains that because a Hollywood film is “one of the most highly scrutinized, carefully constructed, least random works imaginable,” everything that goes into it is there for a reason (Smith 128). Very rarely are things included in a film by chance. Needless to explain any further, everything about films is extremely intentional. This includes costume and make-up, which is a crucial component of mise-en-scene – especially in the context of the movie, Citizen Kane.

Put as laconically as possible, the plot of Citizen Kane follows the significant developments of Charles Foster Kane at particular stages in his life, while addressing the repercussions of the pivotal childhood moment when his mother forcibly sends him away from an implied abusive father and poor economic environment to live with a wealthy stranger named Mr. Thatcher. Costume and make-up across the entirety of the film, is substantial in character development and perpetuation of the storyline.

According to David Bordwell, in his chapter on the components of Mise-en-Scene, costumes can have a number of functions in the film’s overall form. In addition to playing casual roles and being used for their purely graphic qualities, costumes can “enhance characterization and tracing changes in attitude,” (Bordwell 119).

Pictured below is an image of Charles Foster Kane (played by Orson Welles) at around the time he first bought the New York Inquisitor.

Take particular notice at his attire. Kane is wearing a white shirt that is not fully buttoned up, and his tie lies loose around his neck. This is the first instance in Kane’s adult life, where he takes advantage of his wealth. But it is also one of the few instances in which his wealth does not primarily define his character. Recall that at this stage in his life, Kane, in lack of better words that come to mind, humbly advocates for the average workingman.

Now take a look at Kane in another still pictured below, in which the color of his costume accentuates his figure within the context of the setting.

At this point in the movie, he owns both the New York Inquisitor and the New York Chronicle, has just come back from a long vacation, and begins his relationship with his first wife, Emily. Kane, having acquired a mustache, no longer has the same youthful look as in the previously posted image. Here, he is wearing not just a full suit with his shirt buttoned all the way up and his tie tied properly, but an all white suit that starkly contrasts with the suits of the men surrounding him. And, if his full white suit did not already separate him from the other characters in this shot, he is the only one carrying a hat and is also the only one wearing a bowtie (disclaimer: the man on the left of the frame is wearing a bowtie, but it is not very visible at a short glance, whereas Kane’s bowtie is). It is quite apparent that, although Kane may still be a young adult, there has been, or will be a significant shift in his character’s persona. It is here that Kane’s image embraces the look of a man with great wealth.

The next image pictured has just as much to do with make-up as it does with costume.

Again, Kane is pictured wearing a suit and tie. But this time, although not seen too clearly, he is among the company of people in similar socioeconomic class. The man to his left is also wearing a black suit jacket, a white button up, and a white bowtie. Furthermore, compared to the last two images posted above, Kane has visibly aged into mid adulthood. Although not drastically different, Kane’s face does look more mature and he also appears to have less hair.

This last image of Kane is most noticeably different than the first two images and even the previous image.

Needless to say, Kane has matured into the elder years of his life. The aging marks on his face are remarkably distinctive, he has lost even more hair, and the color of his hair is now white. The plot of the movie has progressed from early adulthood to mature adulthood, and the important contribution of costume and make-up to narrative progression can be emphasized here.

Bordwell states that, “filmmakers can use mise-en-scene to achieve realism,” (Bordwell 113). Without costume and make-up, Orson Welles would not have been able to age realistically, and the plot of Kane’s character would have lost conviction. Because of the meticulous detail to both costume and make-up, the critical stages of Kane’s life in the film are more easily identified and hold great significance to the film’s storyline.