Film Analysis Final

Psychoanalytic Framework

Critiques the ways Hollywood films structure desire and pleasure 

Freudians theory of the unconscious 

Cinematic representation is tied to unconscious desires because of the way we look at patriarchal culture 

Lacan’s mirror stage

infants recognize themselves in a mirror - applies to cinema in which viewers relate to characters

The Male Gaze

Films are structured to be marketed towards heterosexual males - Active/male / passive/female. Hollywood films put men as characters that drive the narrative while women are passive characters that are only meant to be looked at 

Narcissistic Identification

Audience is invited to identity and relate to the male protagonist

Form

Form is the overall system of relationships among various elements in a film, including narrative structure, visual style, sound, and editing

Scopophilia

the pleasure in looking

Difference between form and content

content is what a film is about and form is how that content is presented. Example: Two films can tell the same story (content) but in very different ways (form)

Surprise

Surprise occurs when something unexpected happens. Example: a sudden plot twist

Suspense

Suspense arises when the audience anticipates an outcome but must wait for it to unfold. Example: a character walking into a dark room where the audience knows a killer is hiding

Motif

reoccurring element that gains meaning through repetition

Parallelism

When two or more elements are structured similarly to highlight their connection or contrast. Example: In The Godfather, Michael Corleone’s rise to power is paralleled with his father’s story, emphasizing themes of destiny and transformation

Variation

Any difference in the film’s formal elements that creates contrast and change. Example: a film may start in bright colors and end in muted colors to reflect the characters emotional journey

Development

Films often follow a progression of change in characters, themes, or visuals. Narrative structure can be compared to a musical composition, with patterns of setup, development, and resolution

Unity

all elements work together cohesively. No plot holes, unresolved storylines, or inconsistencies

Disunity

Some films intentionally leave gaps or contradictions to challenge audience interpretation. Dream logic and fragmented storytelling to create a sense of mystery

narrative

structured way of presenting events. It creates expectations in the viewer, which can be fulfilled or subverted for dramatic effect

Story (Diegetic World)

includes all the events of the narrative, both shown and implied

Plot (What We See on Screen)

The specific arrangement of events and the way they are presented. Example: A movie may start in the middle of the story and then use flashbacks to fill in past events

Non-Diegetic Elements

Parts of the film that are not part of the story world, such as background music, title sequences, and voice-over narration

Diegetic Space

locations that exist in the story world. including those shown and implied

Offscreen Space

Events or locations not directly shown but inferred by the audience. Example: A gunshot sound from another room suggests an event happening offscreen

Closed endings

Most classical Hollywood films resolve conflicts and answer major questions by the end

Open endings

Leave key questions unresolved, encouraging the audience to speculate

Restricted Narration

the viewer only knows as much as the character knows

Unrestricted narration

the audience knows more than the character

Classical Hollywood Narrative

Goal-oriented protagonist: The main character has a clear objective. Cause-and-effect logic: Every action has a consequence that pushes the story forward. Time is mostly linear: Flashbacks are used sparingly. Strong closure: Loose ends are tied up by the conclusion. Conflicts with other characters who want different things. Main character is the cause, the agent of change. Decisive ends, victories (or not) Example: The Wizard of Oz: Dorothy wants to return home → She follows the Yellow Brick Road → Encounters obstacles → Resolves them → Returns to Kansas

Film Noir

Film noir is not a genre but rather a style or tone that emerged in Hollywood films of the 1940s and 1950s. It is characterized by a mood of pessimism, fatalism, and cynicism. The term “film noir” (meaning “black film” in French) was coined by French critics who noticed a darker, more psychologically complex trend in American films post-WWII.

Historical context of film noir

Pre-war influences: Noir was influenced by German Expressionism (chiaroscuro lighting, distorted sets), French poetic realism (tragic narratives), and American hard-boiled crime fiction (detectives, femme fatales). Post-war mood: The disillusionment following WWII and the rise of existentialist thought played a role in noir’s bleak worldview. Economic and social factors: Returning soldiers, shifting gender roles, and Cold War paranoia contributed to noir’s themes of alienation and distrust

Stylistic elements of film noir

Lighting: Low-key, high-contrast lighting (chiaroscuro) creates deep shadows and dramatic contrast. Cinematography: Frequent use of oblique angles, deep focus, and disorienting framing. Setting: Urban environments, often at night, featuring rain-slicked streets, neon lights, and shadowy interiors. Narrative Structure: Often non-linear, with flashbacks and unreliable narrators.

Thematic elements of film noir

Moral Ambiguity: Noir protagonists are often anti-heroes, trapped in a corrupt world. Fatalism: Characters frequently meet tragic fates, unable to escape their doomed circumstances. Paranoia & Alienation: A sense of distrust in institutions, authority, and even personal relationships. Femme Fatale: A seductive, dangerous woman who manipulates the male protagonist, leading to his downfall.

Three phases of film noir

The Wartime Period (1941–46) – Dark themes emerge in films like The Maltese Falcon (1941) and Double Indemnity (1944). The Post-War Period (1947–49) – Noir becomes bleaker, reflecting postwar disillusionment, as seen in Out of the Past (1947) and The Big Sleep (1946). The Late Period (1949–58) – Noir becomes more self-aware and expressionistic, culminating in films like Touch of Evil (1958) and Kiss Me Deadly (1955).

mise-en-scene

everything placed in front of the camera to be filmed. Includes setting, lighting, costume & makeup, and staging (acting & movement).

Hard lighting

sharp shadows (film noir)

soft lighting

diffuses angels (romantic films)

high angle shot

looks down on subject, making them appear weak

low angle shot

looks up at the subject, making them appear powerful

canted (dutch) angle

tilted frame for unease or disorientation

extreme close up

focuses on small detail (eye, hand)

close up

frames the subjects face

medium shot

shows subject from the waist up

long shot

full body is visible

extreme long shot

places subject in a vast environment

pan

camera moves left/right without changing positions

tilt

camera moves up/down

tracking (dolly) shot

camera moves through space

crane shot

camera moves vertically

handheld camera

creates realism

steadicam

smooth tracking shots with mobility

zoom

changes focal length within a shot

long take

a continuous shot lasting much longer than typical editing. can build suspense or realism. can include complex camera movements

shot

uninterrupted image from a camera setup

sequence

consists of multiple shots unified by time and space

sequence

longer segment of film, sometimes spanning multiple locations

Kuleshov effect

Viewers infer spatial relationships even when locations are not shown in the same frame.

continuity editing (classical Hollywood style)

Ensures smooth flow and spatial coherence, guiding the viewer naturally through the scene.

180-degree axis

Maintains consistent screen direction by keeping all shots on one side of an imaginary 180-degree line. Helps orient viewers and maintain logical spatial relationships.

establishing shot

provides broad view of the setting

reestablishing shot

reminds the audience of spatial layout after closer shots

shot/reverse shot

used in dialogue scenes to alternate between speaking characters

eyeline match

if a character looks off-screen, the next shot shows what they are looking at

match on action

a movement started in one shot that continues seamlessly to the next shot

point of view editing

the viewer sees what the character sees

jump cuts

break temporal continuity by cutting within the same shot

nonlinear editing

rearranges time in unconventional ways

montage editing

emphasizes contrast and intellectual effects rather than smooth continuity

metric montage

Cuts are made based on a specific number of frames, creating a rhythmic structure that can evoke tension or excitement.

rhythmic montage

Editing considers the visual composition and movement within shots, ensuring continuity and dynamic flow.

tonal montage

Focuses on the emotional tone of scenes, using lighting, shadows, and color to elicit specific feelings.

overtonal montage

Combines metric, rhythmic, and tonal elements to produce a more complex and nuanced effect.

intellectual montage

contrasts images to generate abstract ideas and provoke intellectual responses from the audience. 

example of montage: rocky training scene

without showing the viewer every event, we can tell time has passed. Doing the same events over and over we can infer that time has passed, Weather or time of day can change throughout the montage, Dialogue

Discontinuity editing

Breaks the rule of continuity editing. Exists as a film language because draws emphasis on different given actions 

aspect ratio

width to height ratio of frame

graphical match

A technique in filmmaking where two shots are matched by the shape, color, or composition of the elements within them, creating a visual connection.

rule of thirds

screen space and scene space

realism

a continuum of less or more , polar opposites but also a lot of similarity. Depicting real life in its most realistic form. Example: Man with a movie camera but complicated because it's propaganda. But it's a documentary. True crime documentaries: dramatized - opposing realism - adding drama

How andre bazin's idea of realism is different 

realism can look like so many different things because different directors use it in their films and they have different styles so something one director puts in front of the camera can be considered realism by the way it is stylized because realism is a style. believes that most things put in front of the camera, stylized or not are inherently realism in film because the camera, the thing capturing it is capturing it in its real form. Long takes, less editing, deep focus. Everyday realism is just life - his definition is still lifelike but more interesting. Making us a character in the room not a fly on the wall.

Auteur theory

Director as author of the film and how their recognizable stylistic choices. We think about films this way to validate specific films, hollywood films - american equal to european directors - everyone has their own style. directors that were seen as poor directors before this film could be reevaluated in their skills because everyone has their own stylistic choices. But this makes the directors gets all the credit without recognizing everyone else that works on a film 

Genre

Genre conventions can include plot elements, themes, iconography (shots, settings, mise en scene), filming techniques. Example: Westerns. Sheriff vs outlaw, showdowns, family homestead/town (protectors usually men), what oppositions or hardships do people face? 1. nature (resources, weather), Indians (civilization vs not), trains/stagecoach (train barron/cattle barons)

Citizen Kane - Laura Mulvey

• Structure and time 

  • Non-linear, fragmented timeframe 

    • Memory, subjectivity, loss which she argues is the narrative and psychology of charles foster kane 

  • Kane is obsessed with time 

    • Wants to freeze time in relationships, possessions - building the opera house for his wife

• Psychoanalytic analysis 

  • Mulvey connects “rosebud” to the traumatic moment in his life - when he is taken away from his family

    • The sled is a symbol of this great loss, his innocence in that moment

  • Mulvey sees Kane as divided in his personality 

    • His public personality - politician, and his private personality - he is simply a child who needs love 

  • Mirror scenes 

    • These mirrors are part of Kane’s divided and fragmented identity and personality 

    • Become a symbol of his self-surveillance, and narcissism

•  Political and historical context 

  • Mulvey thinks Kane is a symbol of the American dream gone wrong 

    • The rise and fall of modern capitalism 

  • Kanes accumulation of wealth to an absurd amount could be seen as a jab towards the wealthiest in America 

    • Possession without emotional connection

• Cinematic style 

  • Gregg tolan - cinematographer 

  • Deep focus - allows the audience to choose what they look at, active participation while watching the film 

  • Overlapping dialogue and innovative sound techniques so viewers understand the chaos but also the fractured narrative truth 

  • High contrast lighting, shadows (influenced by German Expressionism), film noir begins

• Power and control 

  • Kane is obsessed with power over others - people, newspaper

    • But cannot control time or emotion - his character is seen as tragic 

  • Each characters story of Kane is incomplete - film is a take on how people are actually remembered from their own experiences - not the actual person in itself 

  • Buys things to fulfill his desires

Mulvey suggests the use of subjective camera from the male protagonists point of view results in the spectator identifying with the male character and partly assuming that point of view

Male Gaze

How can we psychoanalyze characters from other films - male gaze theory 

The eyes in the beginning- Not male gaze but more of the idea of looking. Scotty wants to be needed, feel masculine, successful in his job, wants to save the woman like what a hero is supposed to do