What Richard Did - Weekly Film Analysis

'What Richard Did' is a 2012 drama directed by Lenny Abrahamsson, the film follows protagonist Richard Karlsen (Jack Reynor) as we get an insight into the life of well respected rugby captain Richard, the undisputed alpha male of a privileged set of South Dublin Teenagers. The film explores themes of love, friendship, greed, guilt and regret as we watch Abrahamsson's subtle approach of exposing a boy who turns out to not be who he first believes he is after a devastating incident. I personally thought quite sound and a clever use of cinematography being used through out the film resulted in the audience almost feeling uncomfortable due to us feeling like we are encroaching on his very normal day to day life, which we are. Abrahamsson may do this in order for the protagonist (Richard) to seem very relatable to the audience as we watch his very normal everyday life over the span of a summer. Until one unexpected event that may be looked over as nothing by many people causes devastation among his friends and family, as well as his own mind , he begins to doubt who he truly is providing the audience with a thought provoking experience due to everything in the film seeming so subtle and un dramatic when really the seriousness of the situation completely juxtaposes to what we are seeing/feeling from whats up on screen. 

This film can also be linked to a number of my case studies , this due to it being a film exploring the 'living with crime' topic, which is evident a number of times through out the film, also classifying as a British film and having a lot in common with almost all my case studies, the most obvious being the commonality they share in a young teenage protagonist.  'The Selfish Giant' , 'Fishtank' and 'What Richard Did' were also all distributed by British film distributers; 'Artificial Eye' , who specialise in the distribution of independent and art house films. This film could definitely be a good example in future work surrounding my case studies due to the commonality in distributers and directors. Lenny Abrahamsson's originality as an auteur is clear after seeing more than one of his films, often subtle euphemisms are taken providing the films with a more interesting/relatable narrative as situations often become ambiguous due to him purposely approaching a particular problem or incident a lot less dramatically than seen in many hollywood blockbusters, leaving the audience thought provoked as the mystery within the film/character gradually unravels. 

Inglorious Basterds & Miracle at St.Anna - Compare & Contrast

'Inglorious Basterds' is a 2009 action/comedy film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, the film follows a multi protagonist vigilante group of jewish men and women named 'The Basterds' as they seek revenge on Nazi's during the WW2 time period. The themes displayed in Inglorious Basterds include violence, revenge , and war, despite the film being about a serious topic matter in WW2 ( the mass slaughter of Jewish people ), in true Tarantino style comedic elements are placed in the individual characters through out the film in order to make this film unique to many other classic war films, each of the characters in the film contributing to the grand finale where the true horrors of war are shown in the form of an on screen blood bath. With a production budget of $75,000,000 and a profit of $325,000,000 worldwide the film was a massive success. Tarantino's first war film was well received by its audience as his brutal story featuring the group of Jewish vigilantes clearly appealed to many people as the dramatic violence inflicted on many Nazi's in the film may be seen as well deserved after the utter devastation they caused many people during WW2. 

'Miracle at St.Anna' is a 2008 action/crime drama directed by Spike Lee, this film takes a different approach to the horrors of WW2 as a much more realistic display of War is shown (due to the narrative,violence and characters) after a group of African American Soldiers (known as the Buffalo Soldiers) are ambushed by Nazi troops, consequently ending up fleeing to and becoming trapped in a small Italian village in the year of 1944. The film explores themes of prejudice, survival, loss and war as we view the 'Buffalo Soldiers' attempt to keep their lives after becoming outnumbered and surrounded by the unforgiving nazi troops. With a production budget of $45,000,000 the film was clearly not as well received as it only achieved a profit of $9,000,000 worldwide, many audience members and  critics put this down to its unclear narrative as the non-linear structured film features episodes of war at different time periods possibly leading to confusion among audience members.  

It is very clear having watched films from both directors including these two that they are both auteurs in there own right due to there films being recognisable, distinguishable techniques and characteristics of their films make ever film made personal to them.
Obvious comparisons of the two films can be made immediately as they both focus on particular events (fictional and non fictional) that accurately display the unforgiving brutality of the Nazis in the time period of WW2, consequently leading to a strive for revenge in the characters featured in both films. The awaited revenge in both films is also centred around characters of particular ethnic groups (African American men in 'St.Anna' and Jewish men and women in 'Basterds'), this element making both films unique as the perspective of both ethnic groups is not usually explored in this way (revenge narrative) in many war films. Other elements such as the use of foreign language becomes evident when watching both films. Also the clear display of violence is used in both films in order to accurately display the brutality of the Nazis through out WW2, I think gore (which Tarantino is well known for) is dramatically used in his fictional interpretation of revenge in WW2 in order to create a glorious victory for the Jewish vigilantes featured in the film, as the onslaught of Nazis is displayed in this fictional take that many people will enjoy due to the harsh reality of this particular war resulting in the complete opposite for many people (in particular Jewish) in the historical event of WW2. Spike Lee approached the factual event of the horrific onslaught of many Italian people by the Nazis in a different manner, visuals in the film were more realistic as he accurately portrayed the fear of the people, and the dominant brutality many Nazis possessed as they continued to slaughter the people outside a church in the town St.Anna.Differences in the films were evident due to budget of 'Inglorious Basterds' being around $40,000,000 larger than 'Miracle at St.Anna' , this leading to less effective/realistic action sequences displayed in the lower budget film, possibly resulting in its small turnover in comparison to the large success gathered in 'Inglorious Basterds'.

The Revenant - Weekly Film Analysis

                                                    

'The Revenant' is a 2015 adventure/action film directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, the film follows the adventures of frontiersman and fur trapper Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he ventures across the harsh terrain of 1820s America, seeking revenge on former and fellow crew member John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). The film includes themes of; love ,family ,revenge ,isolation ,survival and greed as the extremely determined character of Hugh Glass continues to fight for his life in the deadly conditions that are displayed through out the film in order to carry out his long awaited revenge. Glass' struggle in surviving the extreme weather and harsh terrain was made clear to the audience in the cinematography and performance during the film. For me these stand out micro features provided a film ultimately consisting of a very common revenge narrative with much more than that, as the audience can become submersed in the beautiful landscapes shot by cinematography genius Emmanuel Lubezki (Chivo), and Leonardo DiCaprio's outstanding performance as Hugh Glass allowing audience members to sympathise with the character as we see him go through countless incidents of intense physical/emotional pain through out the film. 

Cinematographer Chivo done an outstanding job in using a variety of unique shots to create a film delivering a deep powerful message within the visuals themselves in 'The Revenant ', like done in his previous films renowned and awarded for their cinematography ('Birdman' and 'Gravity'). Chivo once again proved his creativity as he shot a broad range of beautiful landscapes, used continuously through out the film in order to possibly reflect the emotions felt mentally/spiritually by Glass (for example: the sunset could possibly represent his hope fading away as his suffering become increasing worse) ,but these shots were also a constant reminder of the vast landscapes and extreme weather Glass was enduring in his struggle throughout his isolated expedition for revenge. I thought the continuous display of the harsh yet beautiful scenery shown in the wide shots really allowed the audience to become submersed in the environment, providing the audience with an insight into what Hugh Glass had to suffer in his isolated adventure through the various terrain shown in the film, this ultimately leading to the relatable feeling of being exposed to the elements as we begin to feel Glass' pain as it becomes clear he will do almost anything to survive and pursue his revenge. The wide/long shots clearly displayed this feeling of his insignificance in comparison to the overpowering force of nature. Even though Chivo was able to experiment using these powerful visuals of nature capturing the element in which Glass had to struggle through, there are also many long continuous hand held shots that he was well awarded for during his success in 'Birdman', this time he shot action using these continuous shots, I thought this was very effective as the length of the shots really left the audience in suspense as the violence between the fur trappers and Native Americans ensued. In this case the length of these shots could also emphasise the brutality and suffering the Americans caused each other as many lives were taken from both sides as the onslaught proceeded giving the audience an accurate insight into the violent battle between opposing sides in detail, the camera is panned and taken into positions where close ups of various characters being attacked can be seen, underwater where people being drowned and blood flowing through the water becomes very obvious on screen, providing the audience with grim details within the battle making it seem more believable and dramatic. Even though Leonardo DiCaprio was given little dialogue for you're average protaganist his eyes and facial expression were extremely effective in giving us a clear insight into how he was feeling in various situations through out the film, we see his physical/emotional pain clearly displayed even when he's not talking for much of the film, leaving the audience sympathetic for his character as we see him experience a variety of emotions over the time of the film.

In conclusion I thought the cinematography displayed in this film created deep meaning as it was effective in reflecting Glass' various emotions felt through out the film by showing the audience significant landscapes he himself was surrounded by.While also allowing the audience a brief insight into the harsh conditions in which Glass was exposed to during his expedition for revenge.The determination of his character was evident through the outstanding performance of Leonardo DiCaprio as he was able to display his hard felt emotions using his facial expressions(in particular his eyes), allowing the audience to relate to the range of intense emotions felt by him as they were accurately transferred on screen. 

Legend - Weekly Film Analysis

'Legend' is a 2015 biographical crime drama directed by Brian Helgeland, the film follows the lives of identical twin gangsters Reggie and Ronnie Kray as they rise to power through their organised crime empire in the East End of London during the 1960s. The film includes themes of greed,family,drugs, and pride as the Kray brothers attempt to regain their brutal reputation as 'Gangsters', as well as fighting their own personal battles as Reggie try's to regain his relationship with Frances (his newly wedded wife), and Ronnie suffers from severe paranoid schizophrenia resulting in his extremely un predictable personality. 

Tom Hardy does an exceptional job playing both Reggie and Ronnie through out the film as he uses incredible method acting in order to switch between the twins and accurately portray their very different individual personalities, achieving detailed characterisation for both brothers, but still allowing the audience to see the clear similarities between the twins due to to Tom Hardy's physicality remaining the same. As well as Tom Hardy delivering dialogue in a particular cockney accent and using vocabulary associated with the particular time period, I also thought production designer Tim Conroy included detail in the set production that added to the authenticity of the film as it allowed the audience a strong insight into the environment of which the Krays lived and worked in during the 1950s-1960s. When watching the film it soon becomes clear that Reggie's soon to be wife Frances (Emily Browning) delivers much of the dialogue in the form of a voiceover, this provides the audience with an honest opinion on the twin gangsters as her opinion and love for the two brothers begins to decrease over the linear structured film , this happening as the Krays begin to become completely absorbed in the increasingly more dangerous life of crime, eventually leading to their downfall as they are caught and imprisoned.

In conclusion I think Tom Hardy's outstanding performance as the notorious Kray twins provided this film with an accurate portrayal of their very different individual personalities ,as the audience gets a clear insight into the different intentions of both brothers through out the film as they both attempt to deal with there own personal problems while regaining their reputation as gangsters. This stand out performance provided the film with the characterisation of both brothers that I personally haven't seen in any pervious Kray films, concluding in a dramatic biographical story allowing the audience a detailed insight into the rise and downfall of the notorious twin gangsters, while also allowing the audience to be sympathetic with the brothers as the film also displays the problems they faced ( Ronnie's sexuality constantly being the joke of their rivals and enemies), not only focusing on the crime they partook in.