Issues of Ideology in Cinematography - Essay Example

Suture was a neo-noir film of 1993 directed by David Seigel and Scott McGehee and it features actors Mel Harris and Dennis Haysbert. On that note, the photographic image both constructs the character’s identity and undermines the identity of the film viewers in several ways. For example, after Vincent Towers kills his father, he decides to fake his death (Grieveson & Wasson 98). Similarly, he attempts to murder his half-brother, Clay Arlington acted by Dennis Haysbert as a mechanism to change identities. This aspect helps in establishing the photographic image traits of Vincent in the context of the cinematic disparities. From the movie, we see that Vincent is white while his identical brother who is forced to suffer amnesia after a bomb to protect him is black.

This incident supports the Apparatus theory that insists that, by nature, cinema is driven by ideological mechanics. Therefore, this is apparent because Lacan’s Mirror Stage effect expounds on the value of self-identity and consciousness. On that note, while there is an element of photographic image construction, there is also a distortion of identity for the film viewers. For example, when Clay loses his memory and suffers amnesia, Dr. Renee Descartes attempts to quicken his recovery but his brothers come back to kill him again. This results in the murder of Vincent Towers instead of his half-brother thus prompting Clay to adopt a genuine permanent, identity (Chaudhuri 83). This decision affects most film viewers because it does not concur with Lancan’s notion of the Mirror stage that insists on self-identity and consciousness.

Alternatively, there is a way in which the strategy of dis-identification in Suture undermines what Laura Mulvey calls the normative ‘visual pleasure’ of the film spectator. For example, Laura expounds on three different techniques of viewing a film that entails watching as the camera records the real events of the film, watching the film, and interacting with characters in the film. Therefore, as observed in Suture the loss of identification of Vincent Towers who fakes himself is manifest in the violation of visual pleasure. Similarly, the loss of Clay Arlington’s memory after suffering amnesia prevents the film spectator from interacting with the main characters in the film because of the lost identity. In addition, the themes of betrayal and denial that are espoused by the main characters are an indication of the manipulation of the normative ‘visual pleasure’ fronted by Laura Mulvey in her essay (Grieveson & Wasson 109). Furthermore, after the recovery of his lost memory with the help of Dr. Max Shinoda, Clay is undecided on how to dispose of one of his identities. This continues to complicate the aspect of ‘visual pleasure’ because the film spectator is denied the chance to think about the loss and recovery of identity.

Therefore, because Suture takes away pleasure, there is a social function concerning race and class that is at work in the film. For example, Vincent Towers is a white who murdered his brother but tries to cover up using his black brother, Clay Arlington. This is an example of the disparity of racial boundaries because a white brother compels his black brother to suffer in order to get away with crime. On the same length, there is a determination by Vincent Towers to murder his black brother in order to begin a fresh beginning of his sinful life (Chaudhuri 87). Alternatively, there is the issue of class as witnessed in the two brothers. From the film, we understand that Clay Arlington is a poor man while his half-brother is wealthy. The meeting of the two brothers during the funeral of their father is an indication of the merging of the barriers of class such as the rich and the poor in society.

In summary, it is imperative to encourage a movie such as Suture that has a low budget but explores various fundamental themes of society (Grieveson & Wasson 112). Similarly, it is crucial for film and cinema experts to ensure films cast to the audience are in tandem with current issues that are not complex but still explore the human mind.