Double Feature 2: Bootleg Film School
A few months ago, the lockdown had us idle and listless. So we figured why not attend our very own version of film school. Join us we breakdown the Film Crash Course we took a few months ago.
Bootleg Film School: Our Personal Crash Course
by: Victoria Njenga
Every single film you watch is telling you a story. Sometimes the story is fresh and unexpected but a lot of times its a story you’ve heard a million times that’s made fresh through elements like the score and cinematography. These stories don’t just relay what’s in the script but tell you something more; about the director, the score, the writers and actors. In this way films adapted from one source material could end up telling very different stories with each revival. A great example is Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women that is brought to life every few years for an Oscar campaign run. Each director makes it their own, as seen in Little Women (1994) dir. Mervyn LeRoy which is nothing like Little Women (2019) dir. Greta Gerwig even though they are based on the same book.
Looking at it from this point of view, films become endlessly fascinating. With each watch there’s always a new element to pick up and pick apart. In the same way that great writers read more books than they write, we figured the best way to give ourselves our own fake film school crash course was to watch a lot of movies and analyse them. I would love to say that we sat down and came up with a list of top 10 film-bro approved movies and wrote deeply researched analytical papers but that would be a lie. What we did do was try to learn as much as we could without sucking all the life from it. So every day for three weeks, we would alternate picking movies we thought were important or interesting or even just so strange they needed to be appreciated and then talked and talked and talked about them. It involved a lot more laughs than serious analysis but it filled our minds with so much knowledge. Adding a transcript of our messages here would be a difficult and impossible task because they don’t make much sense, so I picked a few broad categories and listed the movies that wowed us in that regard.
BREAKDOWN:
Narrative: Can I read this script like a novel? Does it combine all the elements of a great book into its script in a way that easily translates onto the screen? When considering whether a film’s narrative is exceptional I look at the plot, the characters, the conflict, narrative arc and so many other little things that come together to immerse us into the world they have built. It’s easy to do this in a book because you have free reign over its from but I find it especially impressive if all these elements are well executed in a screenplay considering how limited and rigid it is in structure. The movie that excelled in this category was:
Moonstruck (1987) dir. Norman Jewison: As a romcom, Moonstruck could have easily fallen prey to the same tired and worn tropes that the genre is littered with. However, John Patrick Shanley’s Oscar winning original screenplay was anything but. It was refreshing and charming with delightful twists along the way. The relationship between the characters was plausible and real. Mr. Shanley managed to create dialogue that felt comfortable yet so wild you want to pause and take it in. He also had amazingly well executed B-plots, his supporting cast not just there for background noise but to bring joy, life and cohesion to the story. The great plot and execution make this cult classic a pleasure to watch over and over again.
Cinematography/Mis-en-scene: I was divided on whether these two should be placed together when in reality they represent two different elements. Cinematography involves lighting, framing of shots, colour etc. Mis-en-scene on the other hand placement of props, costume and make up, setting etc. However, I ultimately decided to group them together because they are in essence “visual” elements and boy do they make a difference. All movie makers would hope that their visuals come in to enhance and highlight the great acting and story being told. If I was ranking in that regard, a great many of our films would make it here. However, some special times, visuals come in to save an otherwise bad, strange or easily misunderstood film. The shots and the colours are so pretty you end up not noticing the multiple questionable things happening on screen. Only two of our films have directly benefited from this cinematic pretty privilege.
Amelie (2001) dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet is an absurd and whimsical French masterpiece. It was part of our foreign film week and I will always look back at it fondly. So much of the film’s quirkiness would have been lost in the sometimes confusing plot if the cinematographer hadn’t shown up and showed out! Bruno Delbonnel’s four academy awards are testimony to his skill and talent. Every single shot is as beautiful as a renaissance painting.
Marie Antoinette (2006) dir. Sofia Coppola: The Coppola family lives rent free in William and I’s conversations so it’s no surprise that one of their movies made their list. However, unlike the ‘supposed nepotism’ that is at play in their industry, Marie Antoinette won a spot here on merit alone. Even though her script is beautifully written because she took liberties and had no regard for historical accuracy, Sofia’s most notable accomplishment here is when she invented the colour PINK. There’s really not much more to say and I would encourage you all to see it.
Score: The soundtrack. The songs you’ll hum under your breath all the way home. Songs you had heard a million times before but now imbued with context and movie magic feel brand new. I have countless playlists with these kinds of songs. However from our 3 week list one movie stood out because of its use of original songs:
Chicago (2002) dir. Rob Marshall: William would never speak to me again if I didn’t dedicate a section of this article to All That Jazz. Based on the story of two real celebrity murderesses who lived in the 1920s, the musical turned into a jazzy glamorous movie that is loved by the masses. The main reason Chicago is particularly impressive is its slew of Original Songs that have maintained relevance to this day. Not to mention Cell Block Tango is a breakup anthem like no other.
Portrait of A Lady on Fire (2019) dir. Celine Sciamma: This French movie is another one of our foreign films. In terms of a soundtrack, there is almost no score present in this movie. Celine’s genius is based on how she doesn’t have background music in many of the scenes so that the dialogue can shine. When she does use sound, it moves you to tears. The most memorable use of sound was the bonfire scene. The women’s voices rising in chorus, reciting a Latin song Sciamma wrote herself, putting you in a witchy trance. The emotion that had been bubbling between the leads reaches a fever pitch in this moment. I could literally go on forever about that moment but Celine’s own words are best. Find some time to read ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ Bonfire Scene: How Céline Sciamma Crafted the Year’s Best Musical Moment.
Directing/Editing: The director is in charge of so much in a film it would be difficult to put all that in a few words. I put directing and editing as a broad category aware that they have very different purposes. I am also aware that the heavy lifting in the editing of a film is done by the editors(bless them) but ultimately the director’s decisions shape the final product. This fact has never been more evident than in the messy Justice League Snyder Cut debacle. Over the course of shooting, the cast and crew collect a great number of scenes but how the director decides to arrange these sequence of events makes all the difference. The movie that wowed us in this department was:
Train to Busan (2016) dir. Yeon Sang-Ho: Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar speech shamed me into watching more foreign films and I’m glad it did. So much so that we dedicated a whole week to exemplary foreign films. Glancing at the synopsis, Train to Busan would seem like a typical zombie movie. However nothing feels predictable in this movie. A good chunk of time is taken in the first act to introduce us to our characters and get you emotionally invested but it never feels like it drags on. And once the zombies are introduced it’s fast paced and thrilling, never giving you a moment to rest. A second installment is set to be out this year so set aside some time to watch this as you wait.
Acting: Ahhh, the people we pay big money to see. Behind the camera crew can do a lot exceptional work but if the actors are bad, all their efforts are wasted. We all like to think that acting is a simple job because that’s how it presents itself but bad performances really drive home that not everyone can do it. Additionally, you could have all the practical skills and talent but great actors have something extra. Star power: indescribable, intangible and you either got it or you don’t. In this regard, I will try to pick one actor and one actress from the movies we watched in those 3 weeks even though so many others are near and dear to my heart.
Robert Pattinson in The Lighthouse (2019) dir. Robert Eggers : I would never ask anyone I truly love and respect to watch The Lighthouse. Such recommendations are reserved for my lifelong enemies. So it is with care in my heart that I would tell you all to save your time and never bother with it. So why would I include it in this list. Simply because Robert Pattinson took on this crazy role and when he was done claimed he can’t act. Which made me go back to the movie and try to see if this was true. And it was. He can’t act because he doesn’t do just that. He embodies the role, his whole person changes. When the character displayed frantic hysteria it was because Robert himself was genuinely madly mental. This immersive form of acting made him come off as a formidable on-screen equal to the talented Willem Dafoe and a performance not soon forgotten.
Joan Crawford and Bette Davis in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) dir. Robert Aldrich: Even though Baby Jane is a great psychological thriller on its own, the performances are elevated once the behind the scenes drama is revealed. Joan Crawford and Bette Davis’ lifelong feud was so iconic that a whole book was written about it. So it is a wonder that the director got the two to share a screen. Ironically, their characters were sisters who hated each other and constantly plotted each others downfall. Watching these two actresses who despised each other in real life let out all these anger and disdain through their characters in a performance that must have been cathartic is a special pleasure.
There was so much more to say about each of these movies but I didn’t want to burden you with all my thoughts and theories. A proper analysis of a film contains so many more categories so I’ll link this article for anyone looking for more info.
In case you want to get a few friends together and use our guide to attempt your own version of our bootleg crash course, I will link our personal Letterboxd lists here and here. Do tell us in the comment what movies should have made our list and which you wish never see the light of day again.
Recommendations To-Go:
William: Law school is getting much more stressful and I have been listening to a lot of Florence and The Machine- she makes me feel alive and like everything is going to be okay. I haven’t watched a lot of movies this time but I watching Modern Family for the first time though. The book I am currently reading is A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara and A Handbook of Company Law by Laibuta K (as you can see it’s a tough month)
Victoria: Sad white girls make the best study music so I’ve been listening to Phoebe Bridgers’ new album Punisher ALOT. I haven’t really watched any good movies recently but I can recommend spending your time anticipating Dune. I will however also recommend the Twilight movies as a great weekend binge for any time of the year. For books I recommend all my law course books but if you don’t want to spend all night crying like me try Lumos by Treesap. It’s a great fanfic on A03. Because I am self aware, I do recognize that sad indie music, Twilight and fanfics means I have officially regressed into my pre-teen years and I’m HAPPY:)
You can find our first double feature here: The Real DCU
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