Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Directed by:

John Lee Hancock

Staring (in credits order):

Emma Thompson ………….. P.L.Travers

Tom Hanks ………………… Walt Disney

Annie Rose Buckley ………. Ginty

This film is placed in the genres of biography, comedy, and drama. Tom Hanks plays the role of Walt Disney as he tries to swoon P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) the author of Mary Poppins, to allow him to adapt her books for the big screen. Reluctantly she agrees to attempt the adaptation, but only on her terms. Walt is determined to capture Mary Poppins on the big screen and is willing to go through any lengths to make it happen. As the screen writer and song writers propose new ideas, the editor of this film shows P.L. Travers as she reflects back on the events that led to those portions of the books that she has written. Her reflections focus on the life of a little girl, Ginty (Annie Rose Buckley), whom we later learn is Travers herself. Once Walt realizes that Travers’ books are based on the recollection of her childhood, he sees the emotional attachment that Travers holds. Walt assures Travers that the Mary Poppins adaptation will have a different ending that the true story. He vows to let Mr. Banks live and return home to the children in the end of the movie rather than the suffering death that he had actually endured in real life.

Saving Mr. Banks, based on a true story, is a biography that depicts the actual lives of the characters involved in it. Although roles in these films can be dramatized, coming close to the actual behaviors makes a film more accurate, but can be a little boring. Hanks and Thompson are both impersonator actors in this film. Hanks really focuses on the behaviors that Walt Disney is known for. For example, in an interview with Hanks, he tells that Walt said “everybody call themselves by their first names” (Disneyindia, 2014), and in the “Call me Walt” clip (Disney, 2013), Hanks accurately portrays the real life introducing himself as Walt and referring to everyone by their first name.

Emma Thompson, playing the role of P.L. Travers, also stays close to the personality of the individual she depicts from true life. In an interview with ABC News, Thompson tells of the real P.L. Travers, a writer whom truly hated the cartoons, Los Angeles, America and Walt Disney (ABC, 2013). She feared that Walt would turn her beloved Mary Poppins into a horrific cartoon. In the clip “Save” (2013), Travers shuts Walt down when she learns that there will be animated penguins in the film.

Both actors, Hanks and Thompson, use method acting in this film. In order to portray the personalities of the characters that they are cast to play, they must dig deep into their hearts to feel the emotions and passions that their characters feel. Hanks definitely shows the passion that Walt had for wanting to adapt the Mary Poppins books. He goes through many lengths to make it happen. As for Thompson, she is a spot on the portrayal of her character. P.L. Travers was a complicated and contradicting individual that stays to herself in real life (ABC, 2013). Thompson reveals a ridged, uptight Travers, demanding to be addressed as Ms. Travers and is very prim and proper in her interactions throughout the film.

Annie Rose Buckley on the other hand plays a character role in Saving Mr. Banks. She is depicted as the child that P.L. Travers once was. Buckley’s appearances in this film are in the flashbacks of Travers and is a realism role. These scenes were made naturalistic to capture the element of a memory that Travers is recalling.

Although Tom Hanks plays an impersonation role in Saving Mr. Banks, he has played many roles in the film industry. He can be considered a wild-card actor as he is capable of playing many different types of roles in films. In films such as Apollo 13 and Larry Crowne, Hanks plays an impersonating acting role. In films like Forrest Gump, Cast Away, and Saving Private Ryan, Hanks plays more flexible interpreting roles.

Cast Away is based on a plane crash cast away named Chuck Noland and his struggle to survive while trying to find a way to be rescued. Hanks is not restricted to an actual event and has to interpret what it might be like if this were an actual situation. In the Cast Away trailer Chuck makes a fire (parontradLT, 2008). Hanks interprets the scene as a desperate man trying to survive and his final victory and the hope he has now that he has successfully built a fire.

Reference

ABC News (2013, Dec 11). Emma Thompson Says Saving Mr. Banks Character is ‘Best Role She’s ever had’. [Video file] Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsOISE-m-eE

disneyindia (2014, Jan 30). Tom Hanks On The Making Of Saving Mr. Banks – HD Interview – Disney India Official. [Video file] Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOeatat8IB0

Disney Movie Trailers (2013, Nov 25) Saving Mr. Banks –“Save”. [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxxUIHpHeeQ

Disney Movie Trailers (2014, Dec 2). Saving Mr. Banks – “Call me Walt” Clip. [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YleWxBYKrLY

Disney, UK. (2013, Nov 12). Saving Mr. Banks feature – Story- Official Disney | HD. [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaJCXlwR6GA

pagontradLT (2008, Jun 4). Cast Away trailer. [Video File]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJvosb4UCLs

Sound in Saving Private Ryan

Sound is broken down to three basic forms in film: dialogue, music, and sound effects. These three aspects of sound are collectively known as the film soundtrack. During the silent film era, dialog was accomplished through the use of onscreen text. With the advent of sound technology, producers had access to a new realm of realism, talking movies!

Dialogue is the actual spoken words of the characters. The type of dialogue used in a film further enhances the characterization, develops the plot, and establishes important information (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014). In some cases the lack of dialogue can be just as powerful as dialogue itself can be, as in the opening cemetery scene of Saving Private Ryan (Spielberg, 1998). In many films, such as The Wizard of Oz, dialog can become popular vernacular in pop culture, “We’re not in Kansas anymore” (p. 8.4). Dialog can also be used to navigate the viewer through the film, adding important background information.

Music is incorporated to add elements of emotions, settings, and time to a film. “The films music score is what plays in the background of a scene while action is taking place” (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014, p. 8.4). This not to be confused with the soundtrack which contains not only the music score, but also the dialog and the background noise. Music can be a distant part of the scene playing seamlessly with the action, or it can be the focal point highlighting the action. Music is an important aspect of directing the attention or the emotions of the film viewer.

Exploding bombs, metal crunching, and a crackling fire are all examples of the cinematographer’s use of sound effects. They only serve one purpose in a film, enhancing the action (Goodykoontz & Jacobs, 2014, p. 8.4). The job of creating and adding the sound effects falls to the Foley Artist, named after Jack Foley, a sound engineer from the early days of radio (p. 8.4). A foley artist uses sound effects from all areas to create the sounds that they are looking for. Cecelia Hall combined and layered as many as 15 sounds to create the sounds of jet engines in Top Gun (Boggs & Petrie, 2008, p.258). Using sound effects is how Foley Artists add impact to action.

The opening cemetery scene of Saving Private Ryan (Mike F, 2014) uses quiet sounds and the lack of dialogue to give the viewer the sense that this is a somber important place. As the beginning credits start, the background music starts off as classical brass instruments adding a snare drum emulating patriotism. There is the sound of a flapping flag in the background as the black screen fades to a billowing American flag. As a family approaches the cemetery, you can hear birds and footsteps depicting the silent and solemn affair. It is so silent that you can hear the click of a camera, as the main characters son takes a picture. While dialog and sound effects can add tension and emotion to a film, so to can the use of silence. For this scene, Spielberg intentionally made the silence as much a focal point as any explosion to convey the seriousness of the scene, the pain of the memories that were starting to flow in the main character, and the intensity of what was to come.

In the case of this scene, it is not the loss of sound that would change the emotional meaning of the scene, but the addition of sound. The director would have a hard time trying to convey the same intensity and solemnness of the scene if the location was in the middle of a traffic circle with all the noise that would entail, likewise, even the sound of a plane or honking of a horn would have broken the spell Spielberg wove.

References

Boggs, J & Petrie, D. (2008). The art of Watching Films, 7^th ed. Boston, Ma. McGraw-Hill Learning Solutions.

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C.P., (2014). Film: From Watching to Seeing (2^nd ed.). San Diego CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Mike F (2014, Jun 1). Saving Private Ryan opening cemetery scene. [Video file]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HUf68gFGEE

Spielberg, S. (1998). Saving Private Ryan, special limited ed. DVD. Directed by Stephen Spielberg. Los Angeles, CA: Dreamworks Home Entertainment, 1998.

Effects of lighting in Big Fish

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1493149209/imdb/embed?autoplay=false&width=480

Lighting is used to set the mood of a scene. There are three main types that are used when producing a film and several variations of these types of lighting. The cinematographer is responsibility for the overall look of the film including the lighting. Here is a look at those types of lighting and a few examples from the film Big Fish (2003).

High-key lighting produces few shadows on the set as the lighting is places over everything (Goodykoontz, & Jacobs, 2014). Most often, cinematographers this type of lighting creating happy scenes, comedy, and it can be useful in institutions and office settings. Low-key lighting is as it suggests. Low lighting creates extreme shadows and is great for those suspenseful moments. Horror films, dramas, mystery thrillers and suspense films use this lighting to create the overall feeling of the scene. Three point lighting uses a three lights, bright key light, fill light and backlight, to control the shadowing, softening and strengthening, also creating a three dimensional effect.

In Big Fish, Will goes to see the giant and convince it to leave the town. Will is shown walking through the forest as a bird snatches the hat from his head. In this scene the cinematographer uses low-key lighting combined with a back light behind Will. The effects of the low-key lighting creates the feeling that the forest is a creepy place, adding to the suspense. The backlight behind Will makes the viewer focus on him, making the appearance of the bird startling, adding to the feeling that the scene is trying to depict.

Another scene shows, Will emerging from the thicket to a small town in the middle of nowhere. In this scene, the town is lit with a high-key lighting. The natural light is not enough to make the scene fantasy-like, so the cinematographer adds more lighting over the entire scene. This little town becomes the perfect place, where there can be no wrong and is a very delightful place to be.

Genres of films can be manipulated simply by changing the lighting. A light hearted film can be viewed as a horrifying or even comedic film. Let us look at genre for Big Fish, drama/adventure/fantasy. This film uses many different combinations of lighting bases on the story being told. There are two stories going on simultaneously. There is a serious story of a dying father and a fantasy story that the father tells. The fantasy uses high lighting the vast majority of the time. The happy stories or fantasies of the father’s life, as seen through his own eyes, could be made gloomy, spooky, and sometime just plain intense if the cinematographer had used low-lighting depicting a dreary life.

On the other hand, the seriousness of death often creates intense moments the need and utilize the low-key lighting. As Will watches over his father’s bedside, he tries to find out the true story of his father’s life while slowly watching his father concede to cancer. If these scenes were lit using high-key lighting, the audience may have found the relationship to be comedic or funny and less serious. This would have taken the overall meaning of the message that Will’s father had been teaching him all along.

References

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2014). Film: From watching to seeing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

IMDb, (2004, Jan 9). Big Fish [Video File]. Retrieved from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319061/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Schindler’s List

SCHINDLER’S LIST
Release Date: 15 Dec 1993
Duration (in mins): 185

Cast:

Liam Neeson (Oskar Schindler)
Ben Kingsley (Itzhak Stern)
Ralph Fiennes (Amon Goeth)
Caroline Goodall (Emilie Schindler)
Jonathan Sagalle (Poldek Pfefferberg)

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writer:

Steven Zaillian

Producer:

Steven Spielberg
Gerald R. Molen

Distribution
Company:

Universal Pictures

Production
Company:

Amblin Entertainment

Story

A successful business man sets out to capitalize during a time of war. He utilizes Polish Jews for free labor but soon realizes that his factory is the only thing that keeps his employees from being sent to death camps. Schindler sets out to keep his Polish Jews from ending up on the death camp lists no matter what the cost.

Plot

This film is based on actual events. In late 1939, shortly after the beginning of WWII, a successful businessman, Oskar Schindler, from Czechoslovia arrives in Poland in hopes of using the abundant cheap labor force of Jews (IMDb, 1993). Not knowing the inter-workings of such an enterprise, Schindler gains contact with Itzhak Stern who is functionary in the Judenrat and is also in contact with the underground Jewish business community. In return for the Jews providing funding to start his factory, Schindler agrees to  give a small share of products for trade on the black market. The Nazis give Schindler the status of Herr Direktor while Stern handled all administration. Workers from Schindler’s factory were also allowed outside of the ghettos and had special papers threat kept them safe from being loaded to be sent to concentration camps.

Amon Göth arrives in Krakow’s ghettos to begin the construction of the labor camp, Paszów, and the ghetto was soon liquidated. Troops by the hundreds are ordered to empty the crowded rooms and told to shoot anyone that puts up any resistance, is elderly and for no reason at all. Schindler watched this from a distance and is deeply disturbed by the treatment of other human lives. Nevertheless, Schindler befriends Göth and with continued bribery entices him to build sub-camps for his factory workers. When Göth receives his orders from Berlin to destroy and exhume all bodies of the deceased from Krakow, and send the remaining Jews to Auschwitz, Schindler again sways Göth into allowing him to keep his workers and to have moved to his factory in Zwittau-Brinnlitz. Göth agrees charging Schindler a price for each worker. Schindler and Stern compile a list of names of workers that were to be kept off of the trains to Auschwitz.

Chronological or non-linear Presentation?

This film follows a chronological order of events as it unfolds. The chronological order better depicts the historical events that are being captured in this film. The audience is captured by the inhumane treatment that the Jews receive and are able to see the escalation of the inhumanities.

References

American Film Institute (2014). Schindler’s List. Retrieved from: http://www.afi.com/10top10/moreDetail.aspx?id=22&thumb=1

Internet Movie Database (1993). Schindler’s List. Retrieved from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108052/synopsis?ref_=ttpl_ql_3