Our Reading was ‘Summary: Style and Film Form’, pp. 305-311. The distinctive patterns of technique we find in a film constitute its style.

Cinematographer Chris Doyle of Chungking Express says “the choices you make push you in a certain direction, and that becomes what people call style”. Basically this means that a style is often the decisions and choices we make but it can also be the consistent use of techniques across a series of works of a several filmmakers.

A point that was explored between the style and the filmmaker is limitations of choices. Technology is one of these things, before the 1930’s there were little technologies to synchronise dialog and use lifelike colour. Expense and difficulty also emphasised these limitations. limitations is terms of stereotypes, trends and stylistic norms can limit how a director chooses shots etc.

Here is what the reading suggested we do

1. What is the films overall form?
2. What are the main techniques being used?
3. What patterns are formed by the techniques?
4. What functions do the techniques and patterns fulfil?

Our screening was ‘The Age of Innocence’ (Martin Scorsese, 1993, 2h19m) Source of Image

A 1993 adaptation based on the novel The age of Innocence by Edith Wharton in 1920 is a story of an engaged couple, when the countess comes along and the cousin of May, Newline Archer faces the difficulty of being with the one he loves and the one he’s engaged too.

This romantic movie I particularly didn’t like, I felt the whole thing was very slow. However I can appreciate that the elongated shots gave a very exaggerated feel to the movie and this function fulfilled the meaning that Newline was facing hardship in his life between his two lovers. It also assisted in audiences intended to feel a part of this long winded drama.

Another thing I did notice when not particularly focused in the narrative was the way miss en scene was used in the scene with the Granny Mingott. The setting itself was a room with curtains and lots of furniture, the tone itself was very red and pink which of course we connect a lot to romance. Perhaps representative of the scene in which they ask the grandmother about the marriage and when they should do it. They also made her a very well rounded woman, with many dogs, and bold and outlandish costumes, this could symbolise her controlling and opinionated attitude, a very strong woman who has very clear cut views about how things should work.

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Overall I was not a huge fan of the movie, however I appreciate how the film form was established in order to create a whimsical and romantic drama.