'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.
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