The Art of Film Paper 1 - Essay Example

THE ART of FILM PAPER 1a). Are elements or patterns repeated in the film? Yes, they are repeated. b). At what points have the motifs been repeated? The movie begins with a scene of a dead person, and it ends with the same scene. c). Are motifs and parallelisms asking us to compare elements? The movie has been explicated in two versions; there is a black and white version of the movie and a colored version. In both cases, the movie ends with murder scenes. 2. Give examples of story events that are presented directly to us in the plot and ones we must assume or infer?

In the story line, Leonard is hungry to find out the person behind the murder of his wife, he kills Jimmy also known as John G and puts on his clothes in order to meet Teddy who is expecting Jimmy. Teddy talks about the murders Leonard has been involved in, thinking that he is talking to Jimmy. Teddy does not know that he is facing Leornard the culprit. To the audience the story clearly shows how strangers for their benefit can deceive people. 3a). What is one of the earliest story events of which we learn?

The events of the movie show that Leonard’s sole purpose was to seek revenge, for the rape and murder of his wife. From the events of the story, we learn that people can go to all lengths to seek revenge and in the quest of seeking revenge; many innocent people may incur injury.1b). How does it relate to later events through a series of causes and effects? The hunger for revenge leads people to conduct heinous activities. 4. Have (a). temporal order (b). temporal frequency(c). temporal duration been manipulated in the plot to affect our understanding of events, and if so, how (give examples)?

Yes, they have. In the issue of the characters suffering from amnesia, it portrayed the measures the characters took to contain information. An example is Leonard tattooing information on his body to remember every incident.5a). Does the closing reflect a clear-cut pattern of development that relates it to the beginning? Yes, it does. The beginning clearly depicts the events of death that made the lead actor Leonard transform from being a detective to being a murderer. At the end of the movie, it is clearly shown how Leonard was out to kill Teddy, while the movie started with a dead body.b). Do all narrative lines achieve closure, or are some left open?

Not all narrative lines achieve closure. In the instance of the murder of Teddy, one is not sure if the murder took place. Leonard has amnesia. One does not know if he remembered Teddy’s face and came back kill him. It is not known, if Teddy remembered the person that killed his wife or if he avenged the death of his wife. 6a). How does the narration present story information to us? Is it restricted to one or a few characters’ knowledge, or does it range freely among the characters in different spaces?

The story concentrates on one person, Leonard. The whole story is about him and his quest for revenge.b). Does it give considerable depth of story information by exploring the characters’ mental states? Yes, it does. It shows Leonard’s amnesia made him take photos to remember scenes, or in some cases, he tattooed information on his body.7. Comment on any implicit and symptomatic meanings you perceive in this film. The film focuses on the issue of revenge; it is clearly shown from the beginning of the movie to the end.

Bibliography Dijck, José van. 2007. Mediated memories in the digital age. Stanford: Calif.