The Matrix(1999)

The Matrix(1999) was a huge deal. I was only 3 years old when it was released, but I remember how excited my brother and Dad were to go see it.  The film follows a very appealing 3 act structure that raises many questions. In the first act, the audience immediately wants to know who this woman is that can escape from a dozen policeman plus these ‘special agent guys’. And even more so, how did she disappear from the phone booth that one of the special agents drove into? Viewers are immediately thrown into confusion. Are there two different worlds? Why is his computer talking to him? Why are they looking for this programmer/hacker known as Tom Anderson? The audience wants answers, which entices them to keep watching. The Wachowski brothers purposefully continue this feeling of necessity to know more through what seems to be an abnormally long and atypical first act. We learn Mr. Anderson alternate identity as a hacker, but other than that, the audience does not know much about him or the plot in general. The film doesn’t even come across as a science fiction at first. Act 1 seems to function more like a lengthy prologue before the movie can truly start. The action finally takes a turn when the catalyst happens: Neo decides to take the red pill.

In the second act, explanations for all the questions raised in the first act are answered. The audience is given insight to the two different worlds as it is explained to Neo. Now we start getting into the sci-fi genre that rings true to the reputation of the film. We learn that for Morpheus and his crew, no practice is needed to learn skill no one needs to practice when it comes to skills. Like when Neo learned ju-jitsu; just a click of a button imports the skills necessary for Neo to perform and fight against Morpheus. We experience this later when Trinity instantly learns how to pilot a helicopter. We also learn that, “The body cannot live without the mind”. So if they die in the Matrix, they die in reality. This creates tension and heightens the stakes for any scene that happens in the Matrix. The third foreshadowing we learn of is the disloyalty of Cypher and his deal with Agent Smith. Throughout the ups and downs in action of the second act, the central question of the film is raised: is Neo the one? Neo is forced to make a second, plot-altering decision: save, or kill Morpheus. This decision points the action out of the second act, and toward the climax.

The climax does what it’s supposed to do, answers the central question with yes. Neo is the one. Initially, I don’t believe the Wachowski brothers meant for this movie to be a sequel. They successfully satisfied the audience when Neo realizes his power and defeats the agents. However, now that man and machine are on an equal playing field, there is finally an opportunity for resolution. The Matrix can be destroyed, which is the plight of Morpheus and his crew. Now that the power is equalized, the resolution can easily be reached through sequels and further satisfy the audience. [And make a lot more money]

Characterization

Notorious, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, uses many strategies in order to instill a certain persona into the characters. In terms of Mr. Devlin, played by Cary Grant, we were given clues right away as to who he is and how powerful he is. At the beginning of the party, after the court scene, he appears very mysterious as the camera did not show his face at first. When we finally met him, they made his powerful presence very known. He obviously has a lot of sex appeal, and he knows it. As he begins to talk with Alicia, we can tell this kind of party is not his normal scene. This makes the audience wonder what his purpose of talking to Alicia is. When they go for a drunken drive, the first clue of who Devlin really is, is presented. When Alicia is pulled over for her drunk driving, the cop who had a very condescending tone had full intentions of giving her a ticket. As soon as Devlin shows him his ID, the cop completely changes his tone as he apologizes for bothering them. He let them go with a smile. This shows that Devlin’s power rises above the law. This is very shocking to the audience, showing his high level of institutional power. As we move forward into the film Alicia and Devlin begin to like each other. Devlin is represented as a very strong American Agent who would never completely fall for Alicia. This completely changes when the boss tells him exactly what they need Alicia to do. Instantly you can tell how uncomfortable he is. He is still strong enough to let her make her own decision to take the job or not. However, he obviously is uncomfortable and jealous of Alicia hitting on Sebastian. We being to see the weak side of Devlin as Alicia’s relationship with Sebastian advances, especially after they get married. He is seen to be very vulnerable and weak when it comes to Alicia. “Viewer want him to fight for her, but he is hesitant. He even asked to be transfered to Spain. This shows the less powerful side of Devlin. The moment in the film when he kisses Alicia right in front of Sebastian, is when all of his power is brought back. He grabbed her very forcefully and aggressively. In the last part of the film, he goes to Sebastian’s house to make sure she is okay. Instead of waiting for Sebastian to come out and great him, he decided to go find Alicia. His bravery is very character building, and shows that he is not going to give up on Alicia. As he walks her down the stairs, he has a physical presence and power gleaming off of him. Alicia could not stand with out him, and would have never escaped the poison they were feeding her if it were not for Devlin. To end the film, he gets her in the car, locks the door saying, “No room Alex.” Clamming his power over Sebastian, that he had won. I observed through out the film that he starts out with a very strong and mysterious man who become weak and vulnerable because of a woman. He makes you think that he is just going to give up, but then he whips back into shape, becoming a very strong character again by the end of the film.

Light significance

As I watched the classic movie, Citizen Kane, for the first time, I noticed many aspects mise-en-scene. However, lighting seems to be the most significant component of mise-en-scene through out the text. I also feel like it plays a more significant role since the film is in black and white. Being unable to use color in order to bring attention to certain people or objects is obviously impossible to do with older films like Citizen Kane. Instead, sharp and soft lighting being applied from different angles was able to bring my attention to certain figures that the filmmakers intended to be noticed. Lighting also helps create a certain feel for the scene or what is about to happen. A softer, mistier light that barley focuses on a few objects might leave you feeling scared, wondering what is about to happen. Where as if the scene takes place outside during the day, when the lighting is very sharp, the audience most likely will feel more relaxed and comfortable as they give the whole frame their full attention. A shift in lighting during a scene usually indicates that the mood of the room is going to completely change. As I explored deeper into certain scenes, I notice how meaningful and significant light is to this movie.

In Citizen Kane, the lighting of the character’s faces and certain objects are so purposeful in every single scene. The lighting techniques at the start of the film really make you wonder and ask questions about what is to come. The film begins with a very dim lit, ‘no trespassing’ sign. This immediately gives the audience a dangerous and mysterious feeling. As the camera moves through Kane’s property toward his palace, the lighting continues to be very soft, with many shadows bouncing off the various objects within Kane’s gates. As I was watching this I remember I kept asking myself: Where are we? What is this place? While the camera fades to look directly at his palace, the soft light makes it very difficult to make out the edges and shape of its entirety. Instantly, your eyes are drawn toward the brightest part of the shot: the window in the palace. The frame gets closure to the window, and you can see a room through the glass. As you try to focus on what might be inside the window, all the sudden, the light switches to black. This gave me a sense of confusion. Shortly after, the window begins to slowly brighten from top to bottom, possibly a simulation of the sun rising. If you look very closely, the bright window is in the same spot, but the scene has changed. For a very short time, we are brought into a dark room where a man lies straight in his bed(see below). The light coming from the window is behind that bed, causing there to be a bit of a silhouette effect. We see a man’s hand drop a snow globe, from bed as death strikes him. The nurse rushes in, and we go into a closure frame of him in his bed, still with the brightly lit window in the background. As she crosses his arms it is obvious that we are not supposed to focus on her. Her hands are lit, however her face is completely black. While she covers his head with a sheet, his profile is a dark silhouette. This made me wonder who this man is, and why is he significant? Even though he is also in dark light, he is obviously the dominant figure within the frame.

Perhaps my favorite use of lighting is when the reporter goes to the El Rancho in an attempt to ask Susan Alexander about Kane’s last words. Many small lamps dimly light the restaurant with a very soft light, causing there to be many shadows. This gives a very sad and dark feeling as Susan is sobbing over Kane’s death. The reporter, facing Susan, has almost no light pointed his way. We can only see his outline rather than his definition and features. This forces us to mainly focus on Susan, who is lit up by the lamp on her table in this scene. As she lifts her head from the cloth, her face is much brighter than everything else in the frame. She yells at the report, “Get out!” As he stands up, his shadow completely covers Susan as the camera moves her out of the frame. This suggests that she is no longer significant, and will be no help to what the reporter is trying to figure out.

I cannot emphasize enough how significant and telling the light is in this movie, in every scene through out. Every aspect of light is very methodically placed.