Appreciating Cinema

Appreciating Cinema 150-2493-7236 Hohhot2012a.weebly.com Movie Review: Blockbuster Films The Matrix (1999)

The Blockbuster Other Blockbuster movies: • Jaws (1975) • Top Gun (1986) • Jurassic Park (1993) • Independence Day (1996) • Titanic (1997) • Gladiator (2000) • Pearl Harbor (2001)

The Blockbuster • A focus on “spectacle” (awe, wonder) • More suited to the big screen of theatres. • Commercially exploited (to make $) • Sellable to other cultures and languages • “a powerful idea” = entertaining

The Matrix • A compelling basic idea • Focus on spectacle over narrative • Strong character one can identify with • What is the Basic Idea of the movie? • It is postmodern. What does this mean?

Philosophy • Traditional – There is an external reality with absolute truths. • Modern – rejection of tradition, stresses freedom of expression, experimentation, radicalism • Postmodern – Relative truths. The world is what I think it is. Reality and truth is what I choose it to be. There is no external reality.

High Concept film -- blockbuster

How to review a movie • Characters (4 or 7 types, motivation, conflict, growth) • Plot (a basic story type?, 3 acts, subplots, restricted narration?, momentum) • Style (setting, shots, sound, lights, symbols)

Who are the 4 main characters? • Neo = the Hero • Morpheus = support • Trinity = romance interest • Matrix, agents = the enemy • 4 other support roles • 1 traitor.

The Plot • Mr. Anderson works at a large company by day, and is a computer hacker at night. He thinks something is not right in the world, and is contacted by the rebels. They offer him a stark choice: Join us, or continue your aimless life. He joins them. • He finds out that reality is really living on a barren Earth in 2200 CE. And that Intelligent machines have taken over the Earth and use humans for energy.

The Plot • To keep the humans passive, a computer-generated reality is fed to their brains. • The rebels are searching for “The One” to save humanity from the machines. Morpheus is the leader of the rebels. • Neo is trained on how to live within the Matrix, and is taken to a meeting with “The Oracle” who says that Neo is not “The One”.

The Plot • Morpheus is captured by the agents of the Matrix. Neo enters to rescue him. He succeeds and the fights the agents and is killed. • Neo then rises from the dead and thereby proves that he is the Savior of mankind. He fights the agents and wins. A new world is dawning. Humans will defeat the intelligent machine one day.

The Style - Opening scene • The visual spectacle • At the top of her leap, the action slows to ‘bullet-time’ – very slow motion, and then circles the action. • Stylized violence, acrobatic poise • Notice the music, and camera angles.

The Style - Mr. Anderson is an average guy • Just an average office worker in a cubicle. • He is late for work, and submits to his boss. • View clip.

The Style – the red pill • The discussion about reality • The choice to stay in “dream world” or to step out into the real world.

The style – acrobatic jumps • Seen in some Chinese movies • Adds ‘other world’ sense to the movie • is beautiful

Narrative - talking with the Oracle • The woman who is supposed to see into the future. • A 5 min. dialog on who Neo is.

The style – many guns • For people who love guns • Excess guns to make a point

The style – guns blazing • Running at each other with guns

Betrayal by a traitor • Cypher is tired of a hard life after 9 years on the ship. He wants to live well (nice steak dinner), and is willing to betray all humanity for a happy life. • What is reality? For him it is good food and a nice life. Reality is whatever you choose(?)

Conquering the enemy • Neo gets killed (in the Matrix) • He is restored to life • Defeats the enemy of mankind

Hyperreality – the meaning of the film? • Are we functioning in a society, and detached from other “realities”? • Is time surfing the Internet another reality? • Are we in a “prison of the mind” and not able to think “outside the box”?

Hyperreality

Allegory of Christianity • An allegory is a story that is similar in many respects. • Neo = The One = Saviour of mankind = Jesus • Neo is betrayed by Cypher. Jesus is betrayed by Judas. • Neo sacrifices himself for all mankind. So does Jesus • Neo is killed and comes back to life. So does Jesus

Allegory of Christianity • Material reality can blind one to a larger spiritual reality • The spirit world is greater than the physical world, and is unknowable. • There is “free will” and we all have choices. We should make moral, good choices. • People yearn (desire) something more than material things.

Allegory of Christianity

History summary • Early Cinema • Classical Hollywood Cinema • Post-Classical Cinema • Types of genres • The Sequel

Character summary • 4 main types of characters • Vogler’s 7 character types • Motivation and conflict • “actor’s two bodies” • Method acting • The star system

Narrative summary • Narrative, story, plot • 9 Basic stories • Classic Hollywood Narrative System • Classic Three-Act Linear structure • Alternative Narrative structure • Subplots • Restricted/Unrestricted Narration • Momentum

Style Summary • The Shot (a set of pictures) • Mise-en-Scene • Setting • Framing • Sound and Lighting • Costume and Props • Symbols and Motifs • Continuity Editing • Safe and unsafe space • Dialectical Montage

Assignments • Please do not email in the assignment • If people hand in the same answers, everyone gets zero marks. • Assignments handed in late gets zero marks.

Next week’s assignment Write a paragraph or two about this week’s movie. You may talk about the plot, setting, characters, narrative, genre, style, and what you learned from the movie.

Questions about the movie • Should one accept an unpleasant reality (like Neo), or choose a pleasant reality (like Cypher)? • What is the role of telephones in The Matrix? • Is there any significance in The Matrix character names? • What do Titanic and The Matrix have in common?

Next Week’s movie

Appreciating Cinema