THE WICKED WESTERNS & the MASTERY of CONRAD HALL (Year 1)
Read the article from Film School Rejects about the Western genre in Cinema. In the article, is a link to a wonderful short video from the Museum of Modern Art about the characteristics that define the genre. Here is a LINK. Then, respond to the blog below with three noteworthy connections you saw between the short video and your experience viewing Tombstone. Although this film was made more recently than the classic Westerns that defined the genre, it is most certainly made in the traditional fashion, and respects the conventions of the "All American" genre!
I look forward to our discussion on these two great films!
For the Tombstone and the genre of Western, I noticed one of the first things mentioned in the video about how law affects the story, directly relates to tombstone. The idea that the hero needs to use the same force, and is willing to, to stop the villain was one of the major issues within Tombstone. Of course, as a western, Tombstone took place in the western frontier during the late 1800s, specifically in the town of Tombstone Arizona. As for the last point, in the video when talking about the movie Stagecoach, the narrator mentions that the hero, after defeating the villain, goes off with his lover, this is the same case in Tombstone with Wyatt Earp.
ReplyDeleteFor Road to Perdition I chose the scene starting at 35:20 and ending at 39:02, this is the scene where Mike is sent to collect the debt of Calvino, a club owner. I really thought this scene was interesting, and one of my favorite in the whole movie. The largest cinematographic choices I noticed in this scene were the decision for top lighting and large brimmed hats, this allowed for the eyes of Mike to be in shadow giving him a more suspicious look and being more serious. The next thing I noticed was the decision for the high and low angles on Calvino and Mike, this allowed us to determine the power structure in the room very clearly. Another note on the structure of power was the smaller figure of Calvino, almost shrinking into his chair, whereas Mike was standing tall. The final thing I noticed, which also has to do with editing is the fast cuts to the eye close-ups and cut to the gun, all while the music is getting louder and louder signifying tension and a soon release of it.
Firstly, a very obvious connection between the analysis video and the Movie Tombstone is the mise en scene. Tombstone is set in the desert during the 1880s; a time when cowboys really did roam the wild west. The costuming is accurate to the time and the accents are historically accurate as well. Another connection between the analysis video and Tombstone is the sense of community. Right from the start, Wyatt Earp is met by his brothers Virgil and Morgan. He’s even greeted by Doc Holliday, an old friend. Together they fight a corrupt cowboy gang and continue to show the strength of their community. Even from the very beginning, Wyatt Earp runs Johnny, a cowboy who was keeping good business out of a local bar from his antics and temper out of the saloon for good with reinforcement from his brothers and friend. Lastly, another connection between the analysis video and the film Tombstone, is that this film discusses death in a unique way. In the video, the author stated that western films became an escape for people returning from the trauma of WWI. While people are ruthlessly massacred from the first 5-10 minutes of the movie, there is also talk of religious and spiritual death. For example, after Wyatt, Morgan, and Virgil come out of the theatre, they discuss what they think will happen after death and if they believe in a god. Wyatt is unsure while Morgan takes a very spiritual approach and Virgil becomes irritable at the mention of his brother's beliefs. After the trauma of WWII, there is much room for contemplation of death, and as stated in the analysis video, the western film genre confronts that and puts it into a palatable format to escape into.
ReplyDeleteThe scene I chose is from 55:57 to 57:29 in the movie Road to Perdition. In this scene, a cameraman is seen taking pictures of a not-yet-dead body and finishes killing him with poison as a train races by in the background. The three elements I am choosing from this scene are sound, camera framing/angles, and mise en scene. Firstly, there is non-diegetic sound throughout the entirety of this scene up until the train passes the apartment room. The music that the audience hears is oxymoronically cheery and whimsical. This creates a sense of curiosity for the audience as the content of this scene is dreary and dark. This scene also includes diegetic sound with dialogue from multiple characters (including background characters), noise from the general outside bustle, footsteps, struggling from a dying man, and the placing down of various items. When the stabbing victim is poisoned to death, there is no longer non-diegetic music in the background, only the sound of the train. Before the diegetic sounds are drowned out by the train, there is an eerie high-pitched noise that resembles both the whistle of a train and screams of agony. The sound of the train passing drowns out all other diegetic sounds and becomes an overwhelming noise taking the attention away from the man being killed. At the very beginning of the scene, the camera is centered on the cameraman and slowly zooms in as he hastily walks forward. The following shots are centered on the cameraman with an occasional dirty shot with multiple people in the background, showcasing outside conflicts. The most impactful use of camera angles and framing in this scene is when the wounded man is being poisoned to death and there are three shots with three distinct camera positions. This use of framing made the subjects smaller and smaller, showcasing the surrounding room and the train passing by more obviously. Lastly, the mise en scene brings the whole scene together. The dirty, rundown apartment matches the dark and dreary situation occurring. The entire scene is done in neutral colors acting as a background for the vibrant red of the victim’s blood (the only vibrant color of the whole shot).
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ReplyDeleteFor Tombstone, there are many ways that makes the movie one of the best western movies, whether it be historically accurate, the writing, or the cinematography. In the beginning, Wyatt and his brothers are tired of being lawmen and wary of the danger involved. Now they just want to make money from gambling casinos. Trouble arises, and the brothers try to stay out of it as long as they can, but eventually they realize and become motivated that they must do the right thing. however, that part of the motivation for this is revenge, since the bad guys manage to kill just about all of Wyatt's friends and relations.
ReplyDeleteIn the movie Road to perdition, Cinemaphotography becomes a key part. As the setting and the way it makes the characters look more serious at times. One common thing throughout the film I found interesting was the way they used low and high angles to make certain characters look either weak or powerful.
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ReplyDeleteThe main connection that I drew between the video on the western genre and Tombstone is the relationship between the cowboys and the community. The video explained how in most westerns a cowboy/cowboys come from the wilderness where they have endless freedom to a town where they have to sacrifice some of those freedoms. In some westerns, the cowboys conform to society while in others they rebel against it as Tombstone displayed. Themes and conflict are often associated with the relationship between the community and the cowboys and the conflict usually involve a duel of some sort. The cowboys are typically seen as outlaws, which correlates with internal themes such as the steep price of revenge that we see in Tombstone. Meaning that the characters and their similar arcs is another similarity of Tombstone and the western genre. There are the outlaws along with the heroes and villains that create the action in the film. The final element was the setting of the film to a traditional western. There is a desert look that consists of tones of brown and beige, creating an older look for the film. The Arizona landscapes in the film compliment the wardrobes of the characters, creating the iconic look of a western with the mies-en-scene of Tombstone.
A scene that I found particularly interesting in Road to Perdition was at 23:46-25:22. The camera is placed at a low-angle perspective shot as we watch the scene from Michael’s viewpoint as he spies on two men and witnesses a murder. The camera rarely stays still during this shot, showing how Michael frantically looks at the scene laid before him. The shaky camera creates a tone of uncertainty and tension, as it allows us to feel the little boy’s emotions. Since the shot is a perspective shot, part of the camera is blocked during the scene, especially when a man stands in front of Michael while he remains hidden, limiting both his and the viewers' sight of all that is occurring. The lighting is significant as the men the boy looks upon are in a tense state. One is lit overhead as though he is being interrogated while the other mostly stays partially in the shadows and eventually murders the other man. During the dialogue with the two men that Michael is spying on, the score is silenced, leaving only the sound of the voices and diegetic sound. However, the shot changes in the scene when the man is shot and murdered. The angle is still low, but we see almost the whole picture as Michael watches it in fear. Here, the audience hears the diegetic sound of gunshots, but also non-diegetic music that plays with an eerie sound. Overall, the cinematic elements that the director chose to incorporate into this scene make it unsettling and suspenseful from beginning to end.
Yes! I love the POV shooting in this scene. It makes me feel like I am right there with Michael, straining to see and take in everything. It really works well here to add with the tension.
DeleteTombstone: The landscaping is like the typical western style, out in the wilderness with no neighboring town in sight. There are no real laws the laws end up getting made by the characters and who has the power. The hero uses outlawed tactics to try and help bring peace to some situations.
ReplyDeleteRoad to perdition: the scene I chose takes place from 23:20-25:30. The shot is done from Michael's POV looking through the peephole. He is on the ground making the shot from a low angle and showing that the people in the room have power. Shots done in slow motion can have a bigger impact than if they were done at normal speed. The shot is done in slow motion helps show that it had an impact on Michael especially since the shot was a POV shot.
Western culture is clearly outlined within Tombstone throughout the story and the plot starts with the actual set of the movie. The movie takes place in Arizona, specifically in the middle of "nowhere" and in western movies it is a common theme to have the movie take place in a blank space. Tombstone has this quality, which allows for the audience to sense a story to withhold from this blank paper. Not only does the set contain aspects from western culture, the plot also portrays this. In normal western movies the protagonist/protagonists are seen to use the same tactics and motives of the antagonists, but for law and order. Although the protagonists in this story begin with greed and self gain, they begin to have a source of community. Finally, we can see that from entering a lawless society, in this case Wyatt, Virgil, and Morgan. You will lose some, and you will win some. Law isn't keeping you down, but the lawless (cowboys) are going to run town and you have to do something about it.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely love the scene near the end at 1:43:31 to 1:44:17 where it shows the split between the father and the son. We are put at a mid angle looking at the doorway where Michael is sitting on a bad and his father, Mike comes through a doorway down the hall after killing the mobsters and his almost father, John Rooney. We see a split frame almost portraying the father and the sons two different worlds. But once they put everything aside, they come together in an embrace, signifying the end.
Well described. It is such a tragedy, but I love that Mike realizes his son will be released from the curse of his own choices in the end. Such a lovely story about a man's love for his son.
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