La Dolce Vita

I absolutely loved this film. Its beauty was captivating, as well as its stories. When watching this, I was constantly being blown away by the cinematography. The types of shots that were used throughout were gorgeous. One of my favorites was a shot near the beginning which included a motorcycle, a woman, and Marcello. Each object and person is on a third of the screen (third guidelines) and for some reason just really pleased my eye. I love great composition and this film definitely showed me that it was most likely the influence used by many filmmakers who followed.

One scene that I noticed used by another filmmaker was the scene where Marcello goes home to find his wife had poisoned herself. He rushed her to a hospital. This same exact scenario was used in Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction," John Travolta's character, Vincent Vega, enters a room to find Marcia Wallace overdosed on heroin. He rushes her to get help immediately (a drug dealer, not a hospital that is). What was really interesting to see, was Quentin used an identical shot from La Dolce Vita, the scene when Marcello's car goes flying into the street. Vincent Vega pulls the same quick car move in Pulp Fiction. I know Tarantino incorporates like everything he has seen in his movies, it was just fun to take notice on how innovative and influential this film truly is.

The idea that this was the influence or what Mad Men was trying to create was evident throughout. The whole time I couldn't get Don Draper out of my mind. Marcello was the original "Mad Man"-- sharp dressed, cool and calm. womanizer, and very confident with his work and comrades. Even the women of the film reminded me so much of January Jones' character. I am a huge fan of Mad Men, and I think that is why I really enjoyed the mis en scene of this film.

The production of La Dolce Vita is very interesting. I just really enjoyed the technical aspects of it and its director's aesthetic choices.

Deja Vu in Marienbad

This film was quite interesting. Yes the plot was boring, but that was apparently the point. The plot was not essential, it was the director's intention to create this deja vu feeling for the main character and for the audience. I kept thinking the film would end at certain points, but nope-- it would continue right on to a similar shot of the hotel or the garden--- scenes that were used numerous times throughout the film. This left me sitting there going- "Wait, I've seen this already and I'm sick of seeing this for a fourth time!"\

However, I did enjoy the splendid camera work through out the film. The camera seemed to be constantly moving-- either through hallways or around its characters. I truly enjoy directors who are not afraid to have their cameras moving during shots. One example is Martin Scorsese's beautiful night club scene. The camera performs a tracking shot, following the two main characters through the many hallways and rooms of a night club (all in one take). So when watching this film, I was mesmerized by the tracking shot through the hotel hallways--it was so well done. Being a video major, I love adding these type shots into my projects as well. They take great preparation and time to pull off, but the end product is well worth it.

In class we discussed the unnamed game that was played amongst the characters A and M. We discussed a few different reasons as for what it could represent. One was that it represented A's constant loss and repetition in life (after even letting the M make the first move). But after doing the reading, I felt the writer's argument was a little stronger. The reading states, "an activity whose very essence is structure—or form for form’s sake. Moving inside regular structures, and acting according to clear and prescribed rules, is the deeply felt need of the hotel society portrayed in the film" I found this point very interesting. Everything and everyone in the hotel is very structured. The garden is set up like something from a Tim Burton film, full of symmetry. The tracking shots throughout it are done with great care. And in order for the repetition to come across on screen, the shots and camera angles all had to have been structured with great care as well. So to me, I feel the camera work in this film is what truly brought forth the structure and overall form of the piece.