Cinematography: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Overall Look:

I found the first half of the film, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly directed by Julian Schnabel, very difficult to watch.  We first begin to see the film from the protagonist’s point of view.  He has just awoken from a coma which was caused by a stroke.  We see a blurred world through Jean-Dominic’s eyes.  This blurred vision, which includes a lot of blinking and quick camera movement, made me feel dizzy and nauseous. I am not sure if I felt this way because I get motion sickness or because this is how Schnabel wanted me to feel.  I would like to believe that Schnabel wanted the viewers to feel what Jean-Dominic felt at that very moment when he first opens his eyes.  He felt dizzy, confused, and clearly, there was a problem with his vision.

The first image Jean-Dominic sees after his stroke.

Here the doctor is testing is eye movement.

Images:

The Diving Bell

There is one image, shown above, that I found very confusing.  At first, I could not understand how this particular image tied in with the theme of the movie.  This image, which was repeated several times, was of a man in an old diving suit, floating in the middle of the ocean.  We first see the image after doctors have told Jean-Dominic that he has a condition called locked-in syndrome.  This means he is paralyzed from head to toe and is basically locked inside his own body.  Later Jean-Dominic compares himself to that of a diving bell.  After doing some research I found out that the diving suit pictured below is called a diving bell.  

Diving Bell Suit

I believe Jean-Dominic used this reference to explain how he felt, trapped and alone in this suite (his body), in the middle of the ocean (the world).  Later in the film, we see a slight change in this image, which signifies a change in Jean-Dominic’s state of mind.

Shot Lengths:

In the beginning of the film, most shot lengths are quick flashes.  This is because Jean-Dominic’s vision is struggling due to that fact that only his left eye is working properly.  As we see the world through his eyes, we see his blurred vision, his blinking, and his lack of peripheral vision.  Although Jean-Dominic’s vision remains the same, his state of mind begins to change.  At first, he has no will to live.  This is when we see each shot as a quick flash.  As time goes on, Jean-Dominic realizes that he took his life for granted and decides he wants to survive.  This is when the point of view changes and shots become longer.  Not only does Jean-Dominic begin to see more of the world but we the viewers begin to get a better understanding of what life was like for him before his stroke.

Shot Types:

The majority of the film is shot from Jean-Dominic’s point of view.  Because he does not have vision in his right eye, and he is unable to move is head, he can only see what is directly in front of him.  For this reason, close-ups and extreme close-ups are used throughout the film.

Jean-Dominic's view of his right eye is being sewn shut.

Close-up of Celine.

One extreme close-up, shown above, was very disturbing to watch.  This image shows Jean-Dominic’s point of view as the doctor sews his right eye shut.  This is an amazing and powerful shot; I am very curious as to how it was filmed. 

 

Also used in the film were long shots and extreme long shots.  The first extreme long shot can be seen after Céline, the mother of Jean-Dominic’s children, visits him in the hospital.  We see her standing at a deserted train station.  Jean-Dominique narrates this shot, explaining that he can picture her at the Berck Station, which he describes as “the most depressing place in the world.”  As the camera cuts to a close-up, we can understand why Jean-Dominique believes it is the most depressing place in the world.  We see Céline, standing alone and crying.

Long shot of the Berck train station.

Close-up of Celine's state of mind.

Camera Angles:

There are several different camera angles used throughout the film.  In the beginning of the film, we can often see the Dutch-angle being utilized.  By using this type of angle, we the viewers are given the impression that something in Jean-Dominic’s world is off balance.  He verbally expresses through narration that he is confused; but is unable to express that information to his doctors.  

Dutch-Angle shot

The next shot that I found to be very significant is a long, low-angle shot.  This is the moment when Jean-Dominic decides that he will no longer feel sorry for himself.  This is also the first shot where we get to see Jean-Dominic’s entire body and the actual condition he is in.  As this scene plays, we can hear the church bell’s ringing.  I believe that this shot shows how life can go on and there is a large world out there waiting to be lived in and explored no matter what condition one may be in.

Low-Angle, Extreme Long Shot

Composition:

As we can see from these two shots, and many others in the film, most of the characters are filmed on the left side of the frame.  We can also see that both shots use deep-space composition to create an illusion of depth; but they do not use deep-focus cinematography as the backgrounds are not in clear focus. I believe these shots are filmed this way because Jean-Dominic was only able to see out of his left eye.  The first shot shown above is seen from Jean-Dominic’s point of view.  The second shot is from an omniscient camera’s point of view.  Although the second shot is not seen through Jean-Dominic’s eyes, we still view the scene (world) as he does.

Camera Movement:

There is a lot of camera movement in this film.  Again, I believe this represents Jean-Dominic’s state of confusion and struggles.  One scene in particular uses the pan shot.

Pan shot of the beach (1:00:46)

This shot pan’s the entire beach where Jean-Dominic has just celebrated Father’s Day with his children.  He describes the grief he feels not being able to touch his children, run his fingers through their hair, or hug them tight.  He also expresses how he loves to see them laugh and play and that is what makes a wonderful day for him.  I think the view of this beautiful beach reminds him of the beauty he see’s when he watches his children play.

Cinematography Style:

The style of this film is unlike any other film I have seen before.  The film begins with Jean-Dominic’s restricted point of view.  The frame appears small and tight with the characters being very large.  As Jean-Dominic’s state of mind changes so does the frame.  It begins to broaden and we are able to see more of the world around him.  We also see scenes of Jean-Dominic’s past, his imagination, and even a sexual fantasy.  I believe all these different types of scenes help the viewers get a better understanding of who Jean-Dominic Bauby really is.  He is a man who has had many struggles but in the end decides to live a life with purpose.

Blog Post #2 "Film Noir"

After watching the American Cinema documentary Film Noir, I found two quotes that perfectly describe the main ideas appearing in Double Indemnity directed by Billy Wilder.  I would like to first quote Errol Morris who has been directing movies since 1978.  Morris believes, “noir is concerned with error, with confusions.  It’s the noir idea.  We don’t know what’s going on, but we do know something bad is out there controlling events.  For me (Morris) the great noir films are films about fall guys.  A person who finds himself caught in a net.  The more he struggles, the deeper and deeper he becomes entwined in nightmare.”  In Double Indemnity, the protagonist Walter Neff, played by Fred Mac Murray is the fall guy.  He begins his day like every other day, as an insurance salesman.  He visits his first client, a Mrs. Phyllis Dietrichson played by Barbara Stanwych.  This meeting is what starts the chain of events that will eventually lead to Walter’s demise. 

Another quote I feel describes Walter’s situation is by Kathryn Bigelow, a woman who has been directing and writing movies since 1982.  The quote is as follows, “He’s on a downward spiral from which he cannot emerge and the more he tries to eradicate the situation, the worse it gets.”  I think Walter’s downward spiral begins once he agrees to help Phyllis attain the accident insurance for her husband Mr. Dietrichson.  Walter knows that Phyllis’ request will lead to the death of her husband and he is the only one who can help get the job done.  We, as the viewers, know that no one can get away with murder and so no matter what Walter does to fix the situation, it only becomes worse.

The three words that stood out for me, that describe a femme fatale were smart, powerful, and sexual.  I think Phyllis is the typical femme fatale and these three words describe her perfectly.  She is smart in the way that she casually asks Walter about obtaining accident insurance for her husband without his knowledge.  Not because she fears for her husbands life, as she explains to Walter but because she has an alternative motive.  Unfortunately for Phyllis, Walter does not fall for her tricks.  He knows exactly why Phyllis is asking such questions and tries to convince her to drop such ideas.  

Walter is already being seduced and is intrigued by Phylis' anklet.

 

 

Phyllis is powerful in the way that she manipulates Walter into believing Mr. Dietrichson is a bad husband.  She puts on a sad face, speaks in a childish tone and tells Walter her husband is mean to her and would never give her a divorce.  Walter, like most male characters in film noir, falls for lies and twisted love.  Phyllis uses seduction to lure Walter in and persuade him into killing Mr. Dietrichson.  I particularly like the way the late Marie Windsor, a femme fatale actress herself, described a femme fatale in the documentary.  She stated, “The classic femme fatale is a woman that’s getting the man into bed and then into trouble.”

Phyllis puts on a sad face for Walter.

 

Noir photography, lighting, and location are very different from films we see in theaters today.  One particular element that stands out to me is the use of venetian blinds.  These were perfect for creating shadow and light.  I would like to quote John Bailey, an American cinematographer and film director who stated, “The venetian blind, which was an effective way for the director of photography to create an interesting and unusual lighting pattern on an otherwise blank wall; and would create interesting psychological effects, depending upon the way they were slanted and adjusted.”  This one setting prop was used in several scenes of Double Indemnity. I’m not sure if the venetian blinds were to create psychological effects for the actors in the film or the viewers in the audience.  To me, the shadow and light of the venetian blinds gave the sense that the actors felt entrapped.  Below are two film stills that show the shadow and light of the venetian blinds.  The first shot is of Walter pondering to himself.  Walter is worried Mr. Keyes, his boss played by Edward G. Robinson, will find out he is a murderer.  The second shot is of Phyllis holding a gun, ready to shoot Walter.  This time we see the venetian blinds over Phyllis’ face.  This makes me think she is beginning to feel trapped and she has no choice but to turn against her partner in crime.

 Creating shadow and light with venetian blinds.

The use of deep-focus cinematography in Double Indemnity can be seen in the film still shown below.  Quoted from chapter 6 of our textbook, Looking At Movies: An Introduction to Film, “Deep-space composition permits the filmmaker to exploit the relative size of people and objects in the frame to convey meaning and conflict.”  This quote perfectly describes the emotions being portrayed in this scene which is conflict.  Phyllis and Walter have resorted to meeting in this grocery store in order to discuss their plans to murder Mr. Dietrichson.  We can see that Walter is feeling a sense of anger and fear.  This scene conveys the conflict that Walter is dealing with when speaking to Phyllis.

Walter and Phyllis make plans for murder.

 

Location is another important aspect in noir films.  As John Bailey stated, “The movie should reflect the world.”  I found a photograph that shows how real the world of Double Indemnity really was.  Below is a comparison shot of Phyllis’ home when the film was shot and now.

Then                                           &                                                 Now

 

Neo-noir is a bit different in comparison to film noir.  Of course, the first major difference is the color photography.  John Bailey states it best.  He says, “Color brings in a certain level of relationship to reality.  I mean the real world is in color.”  Yes, the real world is in color and it is easier for viewers to relate to a film when in looks more like the real world.  Neo-noir is also different in the way it portrays conflict.  The violence and sexuality of these films have become much more graphic.  We can actually see the victim being murdered or raped.  The camera doesn’t focus on a character’s face while another character is being beaten in the background.  In neo-noir we get to see the action as it happens.