On the face of it, Burning may be a hard sell. A two and a half hour slow burning mystery which leaves more loose ends than it ties up is not going to be everybody’s jar of kimchi. Adapted from a Haruki Murakami short story called Barn Burning the film follows seeming loner and aspiring young novelist Jong-su (Ah-in […]
Analysis
In The Mood For Love (2000) – Subjective space and time
This essay explores how the characters in In the Mood for Love (Kar-Wai Wong, 2000) progress in the context of the time and space Wong has created. The essay will specifically examine how both main characters’ significant yet subtle character progression is demonstrated in the mise-en-scene and editing of In the Mood for Love rather than the limiting narrative conventions […]
There Will Be Blood – The family angle
There Will Be Blood starts with Daniel Plainview alone, battling and struggling in his quest for Silver. This sequence is one of the few devices which allow us to sympathise with an arch monster of a protagonist. Though we may not condone them, Daniel’s misdeeds are, to an extent, relative to the suffering we believe he must have […]
Fear of dehumanisation (Night of the Living Dead and Invasion of the Body Snatchers
This essay will explore how Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Siegel, 1956) and Night of the Living Dead (Romero, 1968) tap into the viewer’s fears of dehumanisation. The essay will focus on the films within the social contexts of which they were originally viewed and will explore how Invasion of the Body Snatchersengages with the audience’s anxieties about social, political […]
Cat People (1942)
Cat People (Tourneur, 1942) is a forerunner in the early B movie trend towards “suggestive horror” and a departure from the Monster-driven horrors of the day. This essay will explore how Tourneur creates suggestive horror through juxtaposition and contrast, in particular through the use of sound and mise-en-scene. The essay will also illustrate how Tourneur tapped into the […]
Screenotes 