Greg Beamish

Yes! Exactly.

I’d agree that this movie’s high point isn’t really the narrative or the plot. What I think is great about it is the use of lenses (literally and figuratively). It seems to me like it’s a (and bare with me here) meta analysis of the limited perspective of a film. We see only what the camera shows us. We only see what Jefferies’ camera sees.
If I had to choose a favorite Hitchcock film of my viewings of his collection so far I’d pick “North by Northwest”. I think it features one of the best lead characters he’s directed. It seems like someone took a James Bond flick and morphed it into something 10 times better.

Just watched Vertigo the other day and YES! I can see why it would be one of your favorites. Something I noticed about it was the very frequent use of extreme longshots. This style of shooting is extremely reminiscent of the way Scottie describes what induces his vertigo, like a pencil falling to the floor. A small object from far away and high up. Could the camera angle be a way of giving the audience a sense of Scotty’s vertigo?

Thanks, I really appreciate that. My interest in Shakespeare is in the depth of analysis you can apply to it. There are so many layers to peel away from every piece that even after reading the whole collection a hundred times you might still make a new connection.

Great analysis. I especially like the quote you drew out. I think Hamlet is another aspect of “the future” that Gertrude is trying to focus on. Looking at herself in the mirror briefly brings back a memory, but when she quickly returns focus to her sons impending madness, she is quickly brought back to the present and making plans for the future. She speculates about what will come while Hamlet speculates about what has already been.

Nice article. Horror is an genre that can lead us down many dark paths. Some of my favorites are “The Blair Witch Project”, “Rosemary’s Baby”, “The Exorcist”, and “The Others”.

History’s nazis were pretty much zombies anyway. It can be fun to see this irony manifested. There’s a sort of sonic quality to the phrase “Nazi Zombies”. It probably has something to do with the double Z.

I agree that “Paranormal Activity” does a good job of creating clean suspense. It can make an audience scream at the swinging of a door or the ruffling of a sheet. The sense of reality it induces makes subtleties scary.
I do believe no other movie achieves the sense of clean suspense quite as well as “The Blair Witch Project”. Unlike most horror movies that escalate to a “jump” moment quite a few times throughout the film, “TBWP” is one continues escalation of suspense. There are no “jump” moments until the very end, and even that requires a bit of thinking before the dread really sets in. “TBWP” is like running a horror marathon. It starts out easy, but by the end you are literally gasping for breath. I’m more of an analyzer when it comes to films, they don’t usually get under my skin, but “TBWP” was captivating.

Giovanni,
Love the insight of this article. Awesome analysis. I totally agree that audiences need to understand that they aren’t owed anything. A film is certainly made for an audience, but to feel betrayed by a disconnect between advertising and product is the nature of American life! If everyone got worked up about false advertising every business from Macdonalds to Victoria’s Secret would be going under.

Advertising is a funny thing to me. I have a love/ hate relationship with it. I hate the psychological manipulation that it employs but I love the process of breaking that manipulation down. I’ve been told I pay too much attention to commercials but I only do that because I like to be an active viewer. I’m never swayed by an advertising campaign but I can appreciate the creative and psychological process the writers of the campaign use. The author Don Delillo discusses this concept in his novel “White Noise”. He calls it “psychic energy”. Basically it’s the notion that almost everything in our modern age is a means of swaying a customer to believe something about a product. It seems like a dangerous combination when professional film makers are in control of a stylized advertisement, which is basically a short film in itself.

Hey Ryan, nice job with the article. I really like your analysis of the active vs. passive viewer. Kind of reminds me of my mom and myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love my mom, but when we watch a movie together she wants everything served to her on a plate while I thrive on the fine details of the film. Every good movie can’t waste film. I love a movie where every single shot contributes something to interpretation.

I like the way you break down active analysis into the different forms: expressions, dialogue, symbols. I think more could be added to this list. Camera angles or light filters for example. I recently watched the movie “Nebraska” (excellent). I think many people may have been turned off by the black and white film but I believe it takes an active viewer to try and determine a reason for it. Personally I think it’s a representation of old age. Something the film captures beautifully and humorously.