The movie Blow Out was definitely a change of scenery from Sunset Boulevard and Singing in the Rain. It was what some might call, “more exciting.” It had sex, nudity, action, cursing, and all those other intriguing elements that make movies entertaining. While it was of more modern subjects and situations, there were many shout outs to historical film features.
One of the things that struck me the most about the film was the plot. There were many important details and important facts revealed throughout the story that answered questions that arose at the beginning of the film. For example, why was Sally in the car when the tire blew out? Story lines like this that gradually answer questions and reveal a more detailed story are great for pulling audiences in and keeping their attention. The film makers did a good job of this and keeping the story moving so as to not lose the audience. The film was action packed, with suspense and anxiety hanging on every scene. It was nice to see a movie that didn't necessarily have “a happy ending.” Sally escaped death once but didn't quite make it the next time. John Travolta’s character did get what he wanted in the end, “a real scream.”
It was really interesting to watch a scene from Blow Up, and compare the two films. Both of the protagonists in the films started off doing trivial things such as taking pictures in the park or collecting sound clips for a movie. However, in both cases after detailed analysis of the photographs and sound, the protagonists believed they had stumbled upon something fishy. In class discussion we mentioned the fact that the movie Blow Out stole a lot of ideas from other films and directors. There are only so many original ideas, and why reinvent the wheel? If Alfred Hitchcock was able to create a unnerving scene by dollying in and zooming out, why not just mimic it?
Blow Out was a great film to watch as we gear up to make our own short films. It had a lot of really great shots in it like the vertigo effect, 360º rotation, shots from ceiling, chase scene (in the jeep) etc. It will be interesting to see how the small groups are able to incorporate some of these ideas into their own films.
I also thought the scene from Blow Up was neat. The two films were obviously very similar in their plots and routes of discovery. It's just so interesting to me that photos and sound can reveal so many things to us if we just look and listen closely. Totally cool!
ReplyDeleteDe Palma had a problem to solve -- how to deal with a movie based on sound, not visuals, and yet do it visually. I am always just thrilled to see how he attacked that with such style.
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