Film Extracts

The first film extract we watched was 'Don't Look Now'. The beginning of the film has a very eery and ominious feel as two children play in the yard. The quick cuts and camera angles between scenes add to the thriller grenre. The way the father seems anxious also creates an unsettling feeling for the audience, keeping them in constant suspense. The little girl is dressed in a significant red coat and when she drowns the previous pace of the scene is slowed right down. The audience experiences the pain of the father as he tries, in vain to save his daughter. I enjoyed this extract as it was dramatic and interesting.

The second film extract we watched was "The Umbrellas of Cherbour". It is a beautiful French story of two lovers who are seperated when the boyfriend is conscripted to go to war for 2 long years. The actors sing melodious tunes throughout the movie which add to the sadness and emotion of each scene. It is particularly dramtic when the train departs the station and as it pulls away the lovers eyes are locked as they are slowly being forced apart.  I really enjoyed this story as although sad had a touching and satisfying ending.

The final extract watched was called 'Bande a Parte'. It showed two men and a women dancing quirkily and unusually. It showcases the French new wave in Paris. At the time of its release I can imagine people being impressed and appreciative of the uniqueness in this extract. Nowadays there is so much originality and creativity in the world that dancing of that standard is way too repetitve and boring. I did not enjoy this extract and I couldn't understand the point of it.

They're Not Your Husband

'They're not your husband' tells the story of Earl and Doreen's tragic and hopeless marriage. Earl is an unemployed, cynical and pitiful man who is obsessed with how his wife looks to other people and treats her like a worthless piece of dirt. Earl starts this controlling act after two men at the coffee shop where Doreen work, witness her "rumpled and gray and a little hairy" thighs and joke about how "some jokers like their quim fat". He insensitively damands Doreen "lose a few pounds" and throughout her weightloss incessantly records her weight.

Doreen ignores her husbands incompetency and listens to his selfish requests. When she breaks her fasting diet, Earl calls her a "slob" and tells her to "Go ahead, eat! Go on!". Earl treats Doreen with no respect and trys to hide his own insecurities and patheticness by alienating his wife.

Raymond Carver writes with little description, besides one of  Doreen. Each of his sentences are to the point and are hardly emotive.

I didn't really enjoy this story and the disrespect and rudeness Earl treats his wife with anger and frustrate me. I also did not appreciate the bland ending.

Alfred Hitchcock's 1960's 'Pyscho'

At first when I watched Alfred Hitchcock's 1960's Pyscho I didn't understand or appreciate how truly unique this movie was in it's prime. I now realize that this was such a controversial movie because it was one of the first movies that introduced physical violence and darker themes.


The very first scene of the movie was unprecedented In it's depiction of sexuality, showing Sam and Marion as lovers sharing the same bed, with Marion in a bra. According to the Production Code standards of that time, unmarried couples shown in the same bed were a taboo.

This movie also produced one of the most famous scenes in cinema till this day. The shower scene, in which Marion is killed, radiates suspense and fear and was pivotal in cinema history. It set a new standard for horror films. Psycho was dubbed "the first psychoanalytical thriller." The sex and violence in the film were unlike anything previously seen in a mainstream film.

Another reason 'Pyscho' was so notorious in its time was because of the editing and uncommon plot structure of the movie. Hitchcock shocked audiences and broke many of the traditional conventions of movies at the time. The main character was killed off early and various unpredictable camera angles and sound effects were used.

The main themes intertwined with the movie are moral accountability, feelings of being trapped and haunting pasts. Marion Crane stole $40, 000 and struggles with the decision of what is right and wrong while Norman Bates is trapped by his dead mother in a life he doesnt not want. Norman is overtaken by his 'mother' and loses any ability to escape his twisted life.

Previously to seeing this film I watched the 1998 version of 'Psycho' with Vince Vaughn. I found it to be tacky and unsatisfactory in having any frightful effect. The original version is obviously much more successful in creating suspense and quality thriller scenes resulting in it being one of the most famous and controversial movies of all time.