German and British Films Analyses - Movie Review Example

Film Analysis and The Lives of Others is a German film written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and is about the lives of those in Germany five years prior to the collapsing of the Wall. The plot twists of the movie turned the tables on all of the civilians, turning them all into possible suspects in various crimes. While it is common that movies contain some sort of stamp of the directors - a style that is distinct of that director - it can be said that The Lives of Others holds nothing to make it uniquely Donnersmarcks. This, however, proves to be an asset, as the actors were able to let their own talent break through, making up for the lack of direction by the director. The director did offer some skill in the forms of camera angles, which helped to portray the varying twists of this story. The director used a lot of extreme close-ups and close-ups, which allowed the audience to feel more connected with the characters of the story. Since there are so many characters, this connection was vital in keeping up with the plot of the movie. Also due to the amount of events within the larger plot, there were more establishing shots than would normally be in a film. This helped to introduce the different situations, easing the possible confusion that could come from the audience. The Lives of Others relied solely on the talent of the actors and the right camera angles at the right times. Though the director did not offer anything unique with his directing style, the story itself and the actors made up for it, showing different types of skill and talent. The Lives of Others shows the importance of the decision of the director, especially in regards to angles and shots to progress the story. Slumdog Millionaire is a British film that was directed by Danny Boyle and is about an Indian man who is a contestant on Indias version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. After the boy meets the expectations set for him, people begin to question the validity of the game, wondering if there had been some deal set up by the contestant and the host of the show. As with the aforementioned film, Slumdog Millionaire relied greatly upon camera angles and the skills of the actors, though the director had his own stamp for this film. Since the movie was an adaptation from a book, Boyle had to try hard to make the film his own; he played around with the questions on the game show and had them coincide with the life of the protagonist. Instead of using the camera to his advantage, Boyle used the story itself. Boyle was more keen to use plot and characters more than camera angles; there were many close-ups and medium shots of the characters, though very few establishing shots. His style was unique even for directors, many of whom use shots to get the story across to the audience. Boyles unique stamp, however, showed itself in the story as well as the cast, who many critics believed were the ones to really own the movie. Boyle also relied on the contrast of colors and the location to add to the story - the movie takes place in a dirty, destitute area, yet vibrant colors were used throughout the entire movie. This increased the emotional content of the plot, helping to draw the audience in. The Savages is an American Sundance Film directed by Tamara Jenkins and is about two siblings who set out to take care of their sick father, whom neither of them had ever been able to get along with. Throughout the movie, the two siblings begin to reevaluate their own lives, coming to terms with what they had been put through as children. The director portrays this story through the cool use of camera angles, relying solely on them. While the acting and lighting were as equally wonderful, it was the cinematography and camera directions that really brought the film together. The camera angles themselves tell the story, using close-ups to portray tension and emotion, medium shots to show either the connection or the lack thereof between the characters, and various establishing shots to provide the audience with a wider picture - almost literally - of what is going on within the story. Though it is normal to use numerous and various camera angles throughout any film, Jenkins took it to an entirely different level by continuously changing the camera shots more often than would normally be seen in a film. This adds to the emotion and confusion of the story, allowing the audience to understand the conflicts going on between the characters. Good Will Hunting was directed by Gus Van Sant and released in 1997. Good Will Hunting tells the story of an intelligent young man, Will Hunting, who does not play to his intellectual strengths because of his abusive upbringing as a foster child. After getting into a mess involving the police, Will is offered the chance to actually attend MIT, the school that he is a janitor at, by a professor who sees potential in Wills brilliant mind; this is done in place of time that would have been spent in prison. Will is also placed in therapy, though it takes five different therapists before any improvement is seen in Will. Throughout his therapy, Will and his therapist both teach each other different lessons, especially in regards to the things in life that should be embraced and the things that should be let go. Will needs to embrace his genius-level intelligence, and Will convinces his therapist that he needs to let go of a past relationship that ended in a premature death. His therapist counters this by telling Will that he needs to let go of the negative relationships from his past and become more open to the relationships that have potential. The film is a psychological one, yet it is distinct from others as the protagonist, who is not a therapist but the one in therapy, turns around and teaches his own mentor a lesson. Good Will Hunting goes past the ordinary boundaries of a psychological film, as it also shares its alleged genre with that of a suspense thriller, though the psychological portions are what stand out the most. The movie spends only a certain amount of time on each portion of the plot before continuing on to the next event; each event was seldom seen with another one. For example, when Will was introduced, he was an intelligent janitor, and then he became a therapists nightmare. After the therapy mishaps, he set out to find his true love, leaving behind him the other aspects of his personality. Each of his characteristics were able to exist without each other, though making up the whole of the movies plot. The combination of psychology and suspense increase the amount of mental and emotional trauma that takes place with the main character, as well as some of the lesser characters, such as the professor and the therapist. The audience is given a stronger glimpse into the conflicts of these characters because of the mixing of genres; suddenly, the film is not about the mental wellbeing of a character, but of their wellbeing in a general sense. They have taken their situation to the edge, and the audience can only watch as everything begins to unfold throughout the story. Duncan Kenworthy is a British television and film producer who I admire because of his ability to take on the movies that have the potential to be clichés, yet turns out to be something more. He is connected with many of the greatest box office surprise films, such as Love Actually. Kenworthy does not feel that he should lower himself to films and projects that have been done before, but knows that he is capable doing larger projects that have a better chance at being successful. When it comes to being a film producer, it is important to understand and estimate your strengths, and to not underestimate your weaknesses - if you set yourself up to produce a film that will end up being a flop, then your career will only be the same way. Kenworthy has conditioned himself to be aware of the projects that he is getting himself into, and that takes years of experience. I also admire him for his persistence within the film industry. He has taken his career to the level of opening up his own production company, DNA Films, which has become just as successful as Kenworthy himself. Duncan Kenworthy is an innovative, motivated man who understands the importance of bringing something new to the screen; after a while, romantic comedies begin to lose their appeal, as the same story seems to be used over and over again, though with slightly different characteristics. Kenworthy gets himself attached with films that people will not grow tired of, that will actually make an impact on the audience. Duncan Kenworthy is the producer that every producer wants to be. Though he has few credits under his belt, they have all been successful and have helped Kenworthy to further his career. He played to his strengths and he has a successful career to show for it; on top of his career, he also co-owns a production studio, which only increases his success. By running a company, Kenworthy has put himself as on top of his game as it is possible within the film industry. His constant belief in is abilities is what I admire overall, because he is proof that persistence pays off. 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