HENRY-Mosquito Coast and Witness

Mosquito Coast and Witness are two completely different movies with very different concepts. Yet, they both favor when it comes to the children having more wisdom or sense than their patriarch figures. In Witness, a child Samuel Lapp witness's something that very few, if any in his Amish community have seen. He becomes the witness of a murder and now he has lost some sense of his innocence. By viewing such a heinous act, he surpasses some of the wisdom of his grandfather. Samuel is learning how to be a respectable Amish man, but because his father is deceased, Grandfather Lapp is rearing him to be such. In the scene where Samuel is sitting on his grandfathers lap and telling him about he gun, Samuel surpasses his grandfathers wisdom with what he says. This scene's character and dominant proxemics s very interesting. The lighting is deem yet, it illuminates onto Samuel. The fact that the lighting emphasizes Samuels face, shows that he is maturing far past his grandfather's expectations. At this point Grandfather Lapp is explaining to Samuel that man has no right to kill each other. Under any circumstance for God makes life and death decisions. However, through Samuels experiences he feels otherwise. Little Samuel Lapp believes that a bad man should be killed, for the simple fact that they are bad. Of course. this way of thinking is not in accordance with the Amish values. At this point Samuels knowledge goes beyond his grandfather's. This is because Samuel experienced fist hand what bad men do, but his grandfather has not yet experienced something so life changing.

In Mosquito Coast Charlie is the eldest son of a very intelligent inventor. At some points the father is actually to smart for his own good. From the beginning, we see that Charlie looks up to and values his father, Allie, very much. However, throughout the movie we see Charlie surpass his father's sense and wisdom. In the scene where the the ice machine ( Fat Boy) blows up is where Charlie begins to think of his father in a different light. As in Witness, this scene's lighting is also very dark with a touch of light. The touch of light is on Charlie's face, even though the father is speaking. Allie looks extremely dark (in terms of evil) and insane in this lighting, but Charlie looks a bit scared and the light shows the slightest expressions on his face while he listens to his father. Charlie watches his father kill the men that tried to take over their village and at this point he realizes that his father is not completely sane. Charlie is now much more in touch with reality than his father is, just as Samuel is in comparison to his grandfather. Both Charlie and Samuel take reality for what it is, regardless of what their patriarch figures try to force them to believe.

Lazo - Witness and The Mosquito Coast

Witness and The Mosquito Coast are both directed by Peter Weir, and have some interesting structural similarities. Both films feature a break down in faith in a patriarchy. Witness presents a patriarchy with the Amish society, more specifically represented in the Lapp family with Eli and Samuel. Allie Fox is the strong patriarchal figure in his family and the Geronimo community in The Mosquito Coast; he is idolized by his son, Charlie, for much of the film. Samuel and Charlie both look up to these men as strong role models, but both boys transcend the knowledge of these father figures after losing their innocence.

Samuel is the titular character of Witness who saw a corrupt police official murder an undercover cop. As the conspiracy is unraveled, he returns to his Amish community under the protection of Detective John Book. Samuel is fascinated with Book's pistol, and this curiosity troubles Eli. Eli asks Samuel if he would take a life. The wisdom and power of the patriarchal society is clear as Samuel sits on Eli's lap; Eli obviously cares for Samuel given this affectionate paternal interaction. Book's pistol sits on the table, center screen, and serves as the dominant, representing the violence that has spurred the events of the film and stolen Samuel's innocence. Samuel responds that he would take the life of a bad man, saying "I've seen what bad men do." Eli is an honorable man, but is ignorant of the "real" world outside of the Amish community. By witnessing the murder, Samuel has surpassed Eli in this aspect of worldly knowledge.

The Mosquito Coast focuses on Allie Fox's increasing mania in his pursuit for an idealistic society that appreciates his scientific genius. Charlie loves his father and thinks the world of him. However, the strain of moving to Geronimo and making the trek to a primitive village starts to wear on Charlie's opinion of his father. The scene with the mercenaries is when Charlie truly loses his innocence. At Allie's request, Charlie helps him lure the men into Fat Boy and start the machine, which would kill them. The men try to escape, causing Fat Boy to explode and destroy the village. Throughout this scene, the most dominating elements are Fat Boy and Allie's reaction, which is shot from Charlie's point of view. Everything Allie built is crumbling before him, and he is devastated by its destruction; Charlie watches from afar and realizes that his father has effectively lost his mind. He no longer idolizes Allie, but understands that Allie has gone too far with his idealist pursuit of science; Charlie sees that the good of his family and people must come first, something Allie never seems to come to terms with.

Ruffino- The Last Crusade

Throughout the trilogy we see Indiana Jones in various stages of his knight's journey in Temple of Doom he goes from mercenary to indentured knight. He stays an indentured knight in Raiders of the Lost Ark and we see the final transition to grail quest knight in The Last Crusade. The intresting thing about The Last Crusade is that we get to see Indie's development as a knight because we see flash backs of Indie in his various stages of knighthood, helping the audience understand why Indie is the way he is.
In the opeing scene Indie is portrayed as a mercenary knight, he takes the Cross of Coronado and although he does acknowledge the fact that "it belongs ina museum" He has also taken it for personal gain. As the film progresses we see Indie's tranformation to indentured knight. He sereves his "lord" Walter Donovan who has assigned him to find the grail. His quest become much more interesting when he is informed that not only are the Nazi's are also searching for the grail but they have kidnapped Indie's father. This is interesting because one of the stages is to atone with the father and also to submit to spiritual authority. Jones Sr. is the figure of spirituality because he understand that finding the grail is not just about the physical cup but enlightenment or illumination. Indie does not think this way and after Jones Sr. and Indie escape they are presented with a fork in the road. One way is towards the grail and the other is to save Marcus. Indie wants to go to Marcus but his father convinces him to go to Berlin. Showing that Indie is beginning to understand that the important thing is not the grail but the spiritual journey.

Ruffino-Witness & Mosquito Coast

In both Witness and Mosquito Coast there are key transformation points for Samuel and Charlie, in which they show their new found knowledge and responsibilities. In Witness there is one scene that stuck out to me. The scene between Samuel and his grandfather. They are sitting together and discussing what makes a man good or bad. Samuel has begun to understand just what a life is worth and that is made clear by Samuel's response to his grandfather when he says I know what bad men do. Eli is less than thrilled with his grandsons new found knowledge.
Wishing only to protect him.

In Mosquito things are a little different but the message is essentially the same, a loss of innocence and metamorphosis as a result. Charlie loves and admires his father who to him is a genius and an incredible man. He has taken over the village trying to bring technology and a better life to the people who liveon the land he has purchased. When Allie's entire village is burned in front of his eyes, he not only loses his home but the remainder of his sanity. This is Charlies transformation point it is in this moment as his watches his fathers mental break that he realizes what he has to do. He is to take charge and lead his family and he does just that.

Kuebler-Witness/Mosquito Coast

It is well enough obvious that the scene in Witness between Samuel and his grandfather, Eli, that stands out is when the issue with the gun arises. As they sit there and discuss the meaning of a life and what makes a man good and evil, we see that Samuel has not taken his lessons lightly. Not only does he understand the measure and meaning of a life but also is beginning to learn the cost of a life and the worth of living. His grandfather is unhappy to say the least about this transformation that he is seeing in his namesake. Times seem to be changing and this new youth thinks that the answers are so plain and clear. They sit closely to each other in this scene to express just how severe a topic this is and keep the intensity of the scene in mind. This is a lesson that will be show by Harrison Ford later in the movie. Samuel sticks to his ways though and uses this life lesson to help himself along his path. Eli even seems to be moved by this experience and they both are safe.

In Mosquito Coast, things are not so cut and dry, nor are they as friendly and picturesque. Charlie and Allie are a much different breed of dominance of hierarchs and the change of the youth. Charlie idolizes his dad as a genius and a great man; Allie has more or less taken control of a village and with technology crafted a way to bring happiness and power to the land he purchased. When all goes awry we see Allie crumble and slip into a delusional state in which he is still in control. Charlie knows what he must do now and sees his fathers for the man he truly is and has been for quite some time. The son now must take the place of the father and lead the family after Allie’s dreams are burned to the ground quite literally along with any shred of his sanity.

Both of these youths are shown that what they held true and dear is no longer the truth and they must use this knowledge to grow into the men that they are to become. Innocence is no longer and option for these boys and from here out they must make decisions like a man.

Rogers- Witness and Mosquito Coast

In these pictures from both Witness and Mosquito Coast, the most important aspect of the scene is where the young men are looking. Samuel is looking directly at Book and Charlie is looking directly at Allie. These show that in these scenes, relationship between patriarch and son are extremely important themes. In Witness, Samuel has seen violence penetrate his life in ways that it never had before. He had known nothing except non-violence his entire life until that point. His grandfather was the most important male figure in his life and he looked to him for guidance. The character proxemics show the change in role models for Samuel. He is looking directly at Book as Book threatens the punk kids. Samuel finds violence intriguing and has already revealed the possibility of using it if necessary against "bad men." The lighting in the scene is rather bright which shows that the violence entering Samuel's life isn't really a bad thing. He's experiencing new things and learning from them. In Mosquito Coast, Allie Fox drives his family apart with his quests to set up a utopia away from America. The family experiences hardships they'd never expected as Allie gets more and more consumed with his goals and cares less about his family's well-being. The change of Charlie from an adoring son to a family leader is displayed in this scene. Charlie is looking skeptically at Allie's smug, contented face. There's a lot of budding anger in Charlie's face as he is beginning to doubt his father's plans. The darkness of the scene underlies the seriousness of the scene. This scene makes Charlie's later actions when he takes a large role in the family's decision-making seem like a long time in the making. He has evolved and been disillusioned with his father, and created his own role.

Guerry Witness and Mosquito Coast

I am a very innocent child, much the same as Samuel Lapp. When I was young, especially in my formative years, my parents had a bad habit of denying me access to the little boy's room. So you can imagine my pleasure when last week, upon completion of all pubescent phases, they finally quit restricting my restroom use. Harrison Ford fans, they've no doubt seen Witness and understood implicitly the dire consequences of the frequent draining of ones bladder. All joking aside, Samuel's experience in the train station stall prematurely began his moral descent from Utopian Amish society into the cesspool of American culture. The scene that confirms his corruption is when he receives a lecture from his grandfather, his patriarch, on the importance of living a life of pacifism. Non-violence, preaches the grandfather, is the only way to live. The sermon falls on deaf ears however, as Samuel's exposure to murder voices its discontent with this lifestyle. He further states his willingness to protect those he loves, regardless of the use or necessity of violence.

At the beginning of Mosquito Coast, Charlie Fox is a disciple. He follows his lord and father, Allie Fox, without question. He acknowledges the brilliance and eccentricity of his father with an awestruck reverence. Then his father murders a few rebels. The straw that broke the camels back, this act destroyed Charlie's love and past dedication to his father. Finally understanding the depth of his fathers insanity, this scene ceases Charlie's worship of the patriarch and begins the assertion of his own identity as an individual. Both Charlie and Samuel discover alternative lifestyles to their upbringing. The corrupted nature of their surroundings at the time of these revelations contribute to the assertion of themselves and their ideals over that of their respective patriarchs.

Ramon- Mosquito Coast and Witness

            I see the relationships between the patriarch and child in Witness and in Mosquito Coast as a very close one. In class, we spoke about the root of innocence meaning something like no knowledge. In Witness, Samuel Lapp loses his innocence when seeing the murder in the train station restroom. In Mosquito Coast, Charlie loses his innocence when he sees Allie murder the men inside of “Fat Boy.”

            With Samuel’s innocence deflated just as much as my blown out tire on the side on I-10, he has gained some personal sense of right and wrong from which to make his own decisions. As cliché as the conversation may have been, it sets up a great scene. Samuel Lapp sits on his grandfather’s lap for a heart to heart on the Sixth Commandment. However, before the meat of the issue, it is definitely on purpose that Samuel Lapp sits on his grandfather’s lap for the key point in the movie in terms of Samuel’s character development. From my own experiences as a child and in seeing the set up of this shot, a child sitting on an elder’s lap is a symbolic moment in an upbringing because the “patriarch” is briefly telling the child that he going to gain some sort of knowledge from the patriarch which will some day raise him above the patriarch. However, due to Samuel losing his innocence and gaining a sense of conviction, the message from his grandfather of “do not ever kill” does not come across to Samuel. Rather, Samuel retorts by saying “If the man is bad.”

           

            In Mosquito Coast, Charlie comes to gaining knowledge over his father when the family wakes up and sees their community in ruin. In this screen shot below, Allie has a look on his face that says, “oh well.” On the other hand, Charlie has look that says, “you are the worst thing that has ever happened to me.” By looking at the pair’s body language, Allie is still leaning toward his civilization meaning that he isn’t finished with fulfilling his dream. On the other hand, Charlie is leaning away from his father and having nothing to do with his father’s desires. At this point Charlie has moved from idolizing his father to antagonizing him.

            Both Samuel and Charlie become more knowledgeable than their respective patriarchs because of experience through non-biased lenses. Eli Lapp has his own bias on murder due to his life in the Amish community. Allie Fox’s bias comes from his experience through the lens of corrupted American culture. Samuel and Charlie are able to critique their patriarch’s biases due to their own non-biased experiences; Samuel witnessing a murder himself and Charlie witnessing his father’s idealistic world come to a crumble along with its affect on his family. 

Bloo - Witness and Mosquito Coast

By witnessing a murder, Samuel's innocence is lost as Samuel tells his grandfather Eli that he is willing to kill a bad man, because he has witnessed ''the evil.'' Eli, who is portrayed as the wise and old traditional patriarch, takes over the role of the father figure by letting Samuel sitting on his lap and teaches him about the dangers of the gun and tells Samuel that the Amish believe that killing someone is wrong. He mentions to Samuel, '' the gun of the hand is for the taking of human life.'' The camera zooms to encompass an eyelevel close-up of Samuel looking into the worried expression of Eli. Eli asks him ''Will you kill?'' Samuel replies '' I would only kill the bad men.'' This shows how Samuel's Amish morals and values are corrupted. This does not fit into the morals and values of the Amish. Eli tries to explain that violence is not the answer to all of men's problems, but Samuel knows that this does not work in the ''real world'' since he has witnessed ''evil'' with his own eyes. Although, Samuel is very young, he has experienced and seen evil which his grandfather probably hasn't. In this particular scene, the dominant are Eli and Samuel which is passed over to the gun on the table which is slightly light emphasizing the importance of the discussion between the grandfather and the boy and that the gun is the reason why the two are emotionally distanced from each other.

'' I grew up with the belief that the world belonged to him and that everything he said was true.'' This is what Charlie Fox says about his father at the beginning of Mosquito Coast. This quote shows that Charlie idolized his father and that he believed in his father's dreams. Initially, Charlie obeyed his father without a question, but as the story develops Charlie comes to question his father's methods and loses his belief in him especially when Allie locks up the armed bandits in ''Fat Boy'' in an attempt to freeze them alive. The idea backfires when the men begin shooting in ''Fat Boy'' and as a result set themselves, along with the rest of the village in flames. We see Allie's face lightened up by the fire. His glasses reflect the flames which make him look like a mad men. Together with ''Fat Boy'', his sanity and utopian ideals goes up into flames as well. In the next shot, the dominant is again Allie who is sitting on the ground looking at his destroyed dream. His family sits behind him and Charlie sits close next to him, but he looks angry at his father. This shows that he questions his father. Even though, the proxemics are personal, there is a gap between father and son. Just like Samuel, Charlie has lost his innocence, because the person who he trusted and idolized destroyed his world and has put his family in danger. Charlie realizes he needs to grow up in order to save his family.

Bauer Witness and Mosquito Coast

Both Samuel in Witness and Charlie in Mosquito Coast gain knowledge beyond the patriarch. In Witness, this becomes evident when Samuel is talking with his grandfather about the handgun and in Mosquito Coast after Charlie helps his father kill the intruders.

The scene where Samuel and his grandfather Eli are discussing whether it is right or wrong to kill another person. Samuel's grandfather does not believe that there is ever a circumstance where it is right for a human to take another humans life. Eli asks Samuel whether he thinks he can see if a man is bad by looking into his heart. Samuel says he cannot see their heart but he can see what they do. In this scene Samuel is sitting on Eli’s lap and there is low light. They are sitting at the kitchen table and the handgun is in the foreground on the table. The focus is on Samuel who is in the center of the shot just behind the gun. It makes Samuel appear to be the most important figure in the shot and that his grandfather does not quite understand what it is that he has witnessed. Samuel has seen what men can do and understands the power the gun. Unlike Eli, Samuel believes bad men should be stopped, much like John Book.

In Mosquito Coast, Charlie idolizes his father for the first half of the movie until his father begins to become obsessed with living on his own and is willing to kill other men and pay no attention to his family to do so. The scene where it becomes evident that Charlie no longer wishes to blindly follow his father is when they are sitting and looking over the destruction of the village. Allie thinks that it is okay the village was destroyed as long as they remained free but Charlie does not think that what his father wants should be at such a high price of death and destruction. In this shot, Allie has been looking at the destruction for a while and he looks to be content with the outcome. Charlie however is slightly behind his fathers shoulder and is looking at him judgmentally for everything that he has done. He is not happy with what his father has done and no longer believes in his cause. Also notable here is that Charlie’s younger brother is leaning on his shoulder showing that Charlie is now the one responsible for the well being of his family. Both Allie and Charlie are in the center of the shot with the camera on the same plane. Their faces are well lit but the background is rather dark.

Frady - Mise en Scene Analysis of Witness and Mosquito Coast

In Witness, Samuel Lapp leaves the safe confines of the Amish community for the outside world, where he witnesses (hence the title) a police officer's murder. This event has forever altered the boy, for better or for worse. Because he is exposed to something horrible, something that likely no other Amish has seen (or for that matter, probably not many "English" either), Samuel can no longer be counted among the innocent. In this scene, his grandfather is attempting to impart the wisdom of their people regarding the taking of another person's life (it's not good). The Amish believe that there is no reason good enough to necessitate the taking of a human life. They see this issue strictly in black-and-white terms. Samuel, however, has transcended the need for this particular lesson, as he's already in the realm of shades of gray. He tells his grandfather that he would be willing to take a life of a bad man. When asked how he would distinguish the bad men from the good, Samuel replies that he can tell by their actions. And, seeing as how Samuel already has more experience with bad men doing bad things than his grandfather has, there seems to be little that the patriarch can say to this.

The lighting in this shot comes from behind the grandfather, leaving his face in shadow and illuminating Samuel's. This serves to illustrate Samuel's enlightened state. The dominant in the scene is likewise Samuel's face for the same reason.

In Mosquito Coast, much like Witness, the child surpasses the father in wisdom. Here we see Charlie with his father Allie. They are standing in darkness, Charlie's face lit dimly, yet brighter than Allie's. This is similar to the scene in Witness, but for different reasons. Charlie has always looked up to his father, believing him to be the smartest man in the world, as well as completely infallible. However, we begin to see Charlie doubting Allie's greatness right around the time Allie decides to drop everything and relocate the family to Mosquito Coast. When Doc tells Charlie that his father is a very dangerous man, we can see in Charlie's expression that he may agree with that sentiment. When Allie traps the three interlopers in his ice maker (which is the occasion for this scene), Charlie is definitely having doubts about his father's infallibility (and sanity). We can clearly see that he is frightened of his father, his gaze resting on Allie's extended finger, as if anticipating an eruption of crazy to spring forth.

Whereas in Witness, Samuel gains knowledge from an external source, in Mosquito Coast the knowledge Charlie gains comes from Allie. He sees what has become of his father, and now he knows what he shouldn't do, enabling him to gain autonomy and develop his own identity, separate from Allie.

Robert-Witness and Mosquito Coast

The scene in Witness where Samuel and his grandfather are talking about Book's gun is extremely important. While sitting on the bed his grandfather tells him about how one should never take the life of another. He is playing a patriarchal role, since Samuel's father is dead, and showing Samuel right from wrong. However, since Samuel has witnessed what violence can do he no longer sees things the way that his grandfather does. He agrees that he would never take the life of anyone unless they were a "bad man." He surpasses the knowledge of his grandfather because he has seen this sort of violence while his grandfather probably hasn't.

The first lines in Mosquito Coast are Charlie speaking about his father, "I grew up with the belief that the world belonged to him, and that everything he said was true." He has much respect for Allie, his father, and never argues with what he has to say. As the movie progresses, however, it's obvious that Charlie's trust in Allie wavers as his claims and actions become more outrageous. The scene in which Charlie's view of his father is forever changed is when they use the ice machine to kill three men who have come, unwelcome, into Allie's jungle town. The climax of this is scene is the ultimate explosion of the machine which destroys both Allie's prized invention as well as the village. Charlie looks at his father, as the fire eats up "Fat Boy," the ice machine, and no longer sees the father he had while they're were in America. In this scene Allie looks maniacal yelling out in anguish as his invention burns in the distance.

Morris- Witness/Mosquito Coast

The two movies Witness and Mosquito Coast involve the relationship between a child and his patriarch.

In Witness, this relationship is between Samuel and his grandfather, Eli. Because the characters are Amish, they are used to a patriarchal society. The older generation of men are supposed to have the most knowledge because they have experienced the most since they have lived longer. Eli tries to teach Samuel about their culture and the difference between their world and the outside world in the scene when John Book's gun is on the table. Eli's message is that killing another man is wrong.

Since Samuel has witnessed the brutal murder of a man, his experience has surpassed his grandfather's. When asked if he would take a life, Samuel says he would only kill a "bad man" and continues to explain that he has seen what bad men do. Samuel knows more than his grandfather concerning this topic.

In Mosquito Coast, Allie Fox has taken his family and moved them out of society and into the jungle to a place he created. He is the leader of the family, and he is very smart (an inventor) so he is well respected by his children, especially his son Charlie.

Charlie's perspective of his father changes when Allie says that America no longer exists. Charlie knows his father is lying and is angered by the fact. When Allie burns down the church in the end, Charlie has to come up with an idea to save his family. Charlie sees that his father can no longer take care of the family and he has to step in to lead them.

Both boys have learned how to be men from their patriarch, but because of new experiences, the boys have surpassed them in their knowledge of the world.

Koeferl- Witness and The Mosquito Coast

The scene with Samuel and Eli with the pistol illustrates the change that Samuel has experienced since he lost his innocence by witnessing the murder. The scene immediately before this one is important; Book and Rachel try to hide the pistol after Samuel finds it, but Samuel is so intrigued by the weapon that he looks for and finds it again. When Eli asks him if he would ever take a life, Samuel replies, “If it’s a bad man.” He is expanding himself beyond the teachings of the Amish and creating his own set of rules. The dominant in the beginning of this scene is the pistol, since that was the focus of the previous scene; the eye is then attracted to Samuel and Eli. In terms of character proxemics, the two are very close because Samuel is sitting on Eli’s lap. Eli is worried that Samuel will abandon the Amish code, and is trying to get him to believe that all forms of violence are bad. Although in this scene the two are physically close, they are emotionally distant.

In The Mosquito Coast, the moment where Charlie understands that his father isn’t the great man he thought he was is when he watches as the three men die in Allie’s monstrous creation. This scene rotates between the machine and the different family members, namely Allie and Charlie. The dominant is the machine itself, and it symbolizes the mental debilitation of Allie as it burns to the ground. The character proxemics show the audience that none of the family members are very close to each other; they are all just watching hopelessly as the ice machine blows up. The look on Charlie’s face suggests that he regrets helping his father kill the men, and feels bad at the same time that everyone’s hard work in building the machine, along with Allie’s hopes and aspirations, were destroyed.

This is a parallel to Witness, because John Book also has to deal with three “bad men” (although only two of them die in Witness). The difference between the two instances is that John Book had to kill the men, because if he didn’t, they would have killed him. The three men in The Mosquito Coast might not have harmed the Fox family physically, even if they were being very obtrusive. Although they were very threatening with their guns and hardened attitudes, Allie made the first violent move. Samuel lived by the Amish code for his entire life, and started to think independently from it when he witnessed a murder. Charlie lived his life believing everything that his father believed, and started to question his beliefs when he witnessed his father murder the three armed men. Both Charlie’s and Samuel’s experience learning from the patriarch and then exceeding the knowledge of the father involved violence.

Madere - Mosquito Coast and Witness

Both Mosquito Coast and Witness feature an element of the son in the film that has experiences that take their innocence and reverence for their patriarch and move them beyond their patriarch's knowledge. The beginning of each film features Samuel of Witness and Charlie of Mosquito Coast exhibiting their innocence and idolization of the patriarch of the film. Samuel's idolization can best be seen in the very beginning of the film, as he is traveling to the train station on the back of the horse and buggy, and sees the world around him with obvious admiration. For Charlie, the idolization and innocence is shown in the opening scene of the film while he is in the truck with his father, listening to his rants, while the voice-over proclaims his father as a "genius."
Samuel, however, loses his innocence early in the film when the inciting action, the murder of the police officer in the train station bathroom, takes it from him. In this scene, his loss of innocence is most accurately conveyed through the look in Samuel's eyes, which are conveying all of the conflicting feelings he has at the time: fear, confusion, uncertainty. In Samuel's eyes, you can see that he has witnessed something most people never see--especially the people in the Amish community in which he was raised.
After this scene, Samuel also begins to show a curiosity and affinity for the "English" world. This is most evident when he finds John Book's bullets, with obvious amazement, studies them. This is a scene he shares with his grandfather Eli (the patriarch of the film). With Samuel still close to him physically in the scene (and emotionally, as well), Eli warns Samuel of the dangers of the bullets and the "English" world of John Book and Philadelphia. This scene, with the proxemics of the characters, shows how Samuel is still close with his grandfather, but is also experiencing a loss of confidence and safety in the world he grew up in.
Charlie's loss of innocence and confidence in the world he once knew is, like Samuel's, also conveyed in a scene with his patriarch (his father, Allie). When the ice maker catches fire and blows up, Charlie observes his father become more concerned with the death of his invention than with the death of human beings. It is obvious in a look Charlie gives his father in this scene that what Charlie used to believe was genius is actually mental and emotional instability. Allie looks particularly insane in this scene, with most of his face drowned by the darkness and only the blaze of the fire reflected in his glasses. Charlie's face is also mostly covered in darkness, again except for his eyes, where the realization about his father's true nature is learned. The scene shows Charlie look over his shoulder at his father (with Allie just in the corner of the scene) and Charlie almost winces and pulls away from Allie. Charlie is also the dominant feature in the scene, which conveys to the audience that Charlie will have to defeat is father, save his family, and become the hero in the end.

Cutler: Witness/Mosquito Coast

In both Witness and Mosquito Coast, there is a special relationship between the patriarch and the young boy. Both children lose their innocence early in the film; Samuel in Witness sees a vicious murder in a train station and Charlie is subject to the bizarre and paranoid actions by his father. In Witness, the corrupt police officers come to the farm to kill Samuel and whoever else (they are later thwarted by John Book) and Eli nods at Samuel to run away. This shows not only the loss of innocence, but also show Eli's coming to terms with what has happened to their otherwise sheltered life. At first, Eli did not want Book or any of his "English" standards in their Amish community, but realizing that it would save Samuel's life, he agrees to house Book. When Book kills the "bad" men, Eli realizes that he really saved his family and in turn the lifestyle that they live by protecting them from outside world corruption and chaos. In Mosquito Coast, Charlie watches as the ice maker explodes and his father's reaction. He has lost his innocence completely when he realizes the mental instability of his father. His father took them to Central America to live freely and chase an unattainable utopia. Nothing goes according to plan and Allie goes crazy. Charlie is forced to see his father in a state where he is shown as weak and paranoid so he loses his innocence. In both scenes, the boys are dominant which directs the audience's attention to them to showcase their loss of innocence. Both films depict how young children are influenced not only by the patriarch in their family, but also by the outside world.

Torres - Witness and Mosquito Coast

The development of the child character is very similar in both Witness and Mosquito Coast. Both children are brought up in situations quite different from the world around them. Samuel is brought up in an Amish community that separates itself from city life. Charlie is raised in a household where the patriarch is an inventor with a disdain for American society, much unlike the typical American household. Both of these children start out as innocent but over the course of the film are forced to redefine their world view.

In Samuel's household Eli Ladd is the patriarch who does his best to make sure the Amish ways are followed. Unfortunately, after Samuel witnesses a murder in the city his innocence is lost and his worldview is changed. In the scene where Eli is trying to explain to Samuel that guns are unclean and not allowed in Amish society we are shown just how much his experience has changed him. The character proxemics are personal to show that this issue is important and a serious matter. Eli is the dominant, emphasizing his authority, but the gun on the table provides subsidiary contrast and emphasizes the damage that violence can do, even within this peaceful community. Samuel challenges his grandfather's insistence on nonviolence and is driven to get rid of "bad men," like those he witnessed murder another man. This goes against the Amish beliefs and emphasizes how drastic a change Samuel has experienced.

In the beginning of Mosquito Coast Charlie idolizes his father Allie Fox. He considers him a genius who can do no wrong. Eventually Charlie realizes that his father can, in fact, 'do wrong' as Allie's obsession with inventing and specifically gaining recognition escalates. While Allie and the others are attempting to deliver ice to an isolated tribe everything begins to go downhill: the ice melts before they get there, his villagers leave with the Reverend, and three unfriendly armed men follow them back to the village. Allie tries to dispose of them by freezing them, but unlike Allie's prediction, instead of lying down the men open fire, destroying the machine and the entire village by proxy. This is a huge miscalculation on Allie's part that shows just how different his mind works. While the machine is burning, Charlie gives Allie a look that distinctly tells the viewer that his perception of his father has changed. Although the two are usually shown in rather personal character proxemics, in this scene Charlie is so distanced from Allie that he is in a different frame altogether. Allie's eyes and open mouth are dominant in his frame, making him look particularly monstrous. Charlie's face is dominant in his frame, emphasizing his expression and disappointment in his father. This scene begins Charlie's gradual distancing from his father and his father's beliefs.

Gooch- Mosquito Coast and Witness

In both Witness and Mosquito Coast we see the young son or grandson lose his innocence and stray beyond what he has been taught and so long believed in. There comes a point where the child, who once lived and breathed revering his father, begins to see there is more he can believe in, more for him to consider before he dedicates his life to the ideals of his upbringing. In Witness, Samuel has been raised in the midst of the Amish people, and has been especially influenced by his grandfather, the quintessential Amish patriarch. His innocence has been easily preserved since he has not been exposed to the outside world and the corruption of the city. It is not until he ventures out into the city and sees the evil of greed and murder that he begins to question what his grandfather stands for. In Mosquito Coast, Charlie is constantly in awe of his father’s brilliance, and even when all others doubt him, he can still do no wrong in Charlie’s eyes. It is only after months of being worked to death and finally realizing that his father has put his whole family at risk and lost his morals, that Charlie begins to see that his father is very dangerous.

In the scene when Samuel sits on his grandfather’s lap, we can see how Samuel’s beliefs have been challenged by the evil he has seen. The character proxemics between the two is very intimate because his grandfather is desperately trying to maintain Samuel’s innocence and faith. And Samuel still loves his grandfather very much, so even though he timidly challenges what his grandfather is telling him he still remains close. His grandfather looks especially like the typical wise, old patriarch in this scene, the light reflecting off his white hair. The gun that lies in front of them on the table catches our eye, reminding us of what has caused Samuel to lose faith in the belief that it is never okay to hurt someone, even a bad man.

In the scene when the Fox family is watching their machine blow up, we see the beginning of Charlie’s disenchantment with his father. He once worked beside him without hesitation and stood up for him when his father was ridiculed, but now he questions all of that the night his father kills the three men with guns. First there is a close shot of his father’s face, the red flames glimmering off his glasses, giving him a devastating and crazed look. Then we see a close face shot of Charlie, who once stood right by his father, standing away from him now, looking scared and unsure. In the darkness, which shows the darkness of their story, we can almost only see Charlie’s eyes, but that is all we need to see in order to know what is going through his mind. He looks at his father in the darkness, seeing him cry for his invention, and realizes that his father’s vision has become more important that their lives and the lives of other people.

McCay Blog Prompt for Witness and Mosquito Coast

Choose a scene between Samuel and his grandfather and between Charlie and his father Allie and show, through discussion of dominant and character proxemics what each has learned from the patriarch and how each child has gone beyond the knowledge of the father.

Ruffino- Blade Runner.

Roy Batty's last scene in Blade Runner is full of symbols. Batty is pursued throughout the entire film by Rick Deckard, who is hell bent on his mission to "retire" Batty. Batty continues to evade Deckard with wit and skill. And even though he has been hunted by Deckard he saves him from a fatal fall & this is when we see the symbolism begin. After Batty saves Rick he releases a white dove which is a symbol of life and peace. This shows that he finally understands compassion and love for all life, blurring the lines between replicant and human. The dove also comes into play because it symbolizes peace and the fact that Batty has made peace with Deckard and the fact that his life and memories will be done and lost. Batty has developed emotions that replicants are usually lacking and in the moment of his death he has become more human than a human. Which is symbolized by the dove flying upward showing his change to humanity.

Bauer: Blade Runner

There is a lot of symbolism present in the final scene of Blade Runner with Roy Batty. The first thing that Roy does that is interesting is that he saves Deckard from falling after chasing him all over the building trying to kill him. I think that Roy does this because in his final moments, he sees that he and Deckard are not too different from each other. I think that he realizes how precious life is and that if he truly does cherish. When he first grabs Deckard he says “Ah, kinship.” We can see here that he recognizes the two of them share some sort of bond. Although it is constantly unclear what is replicant and what is not, Roy realizes that these things do not really matter. He goes on to say that he has seen incredible things and with his last breath, that these things “will be lost in time like tears in rain.” Roy seems to show here that being a part of humanity is experiencing things that will never be known when you die. He saves Deckard because he realizes being a part of humaity means protecting the memories and ideas of other humans.

The dove that flys into the sky from Roys hands is a symbol of his pure soul leaving him. By the end of the movie Roy understands what it means to be human and that he is human because he chose to save Deckard. He has memories, emotions and can choose what his actions are. He is fully human and the dove shows that he had a human soul. The white dove shows that he was purely human despite the fact that he was created by man.

Cutler: Blade Runner

There is a lot of symbolism in the last scene with Roy Batty in Blade Runner. Throughout the movie, Rick Deckard is trying to "retire" Batty, but he is smart and good at fighting, so it's difficult. At the end of the film, Batty saves Deckard from falling to his life and releases a white dove. Finally, Batty has grasped some sense of compassion and emotion, which is what differentiated humans and replicants. He talks about memories and how his will be lost like "tears in the rain." This scene really exemplified the definition of human in the film. Tyrell says that the replicants are "more human than human" so is Batty really more human than human now that he is empathetic towards Deckard? The white dove symbolizes peace: he makes peace with Deckard as he saves his life and he is at peace with losing all his memories. When Batty dies (and says "time to die") he has gained empathy and compassion towards other humans, a trait most replicants do not have. The dove symbolizes his transcendence into humanity. When the dove flys away, Batty has really become more human than human because he has gained emotions. It is an interesting turn of events when Batty saves Deckard's life, but it was crucial for the audience to realize the thin line between humans and replicants. We are left with the question, "what makes us human?" and it is unclear, but I think the scene with the dove is a way for the audience to get closure about Roy Batty's human characteristics and the mission of the "more human than human" replicants.

Morris- Blade Runner

In the last scene with Roy Batty, a lot is explained about Roy's character. Throughout the movie Roy is seen as the leader of the replicants on Earth and he is perceived to be the worst of them. It's his mission that they are on. The Roy that we see in this scene contradicts everything the audience is shown throughout the movie.

Roy's mission is to find a way to live longer than his four years. When he confronts Dr. Tyrell and finds out that he cannot extend his life, he kills him. Then, he heads to see Pris because she is all he has left. When he arrives at the apartment, Roy finds her dead and gets into a fight with Deckard. At the end of this fight, Deckard is about to fall to his death, and Roy saves him.

While they were fighting, Roy knew his time was coming. He started to short circuit and lose the use of his hands. The reason I think Roy saved Deckard was so there was a human that could pass on the knowledge that Deckard had gained about replicants. Roy was not bad. He had thoughts and emotions like humans and put in his position, any human would fight for their life like he had. Roy had nothing to gain from letting Deckard fall to his death, but by saving him, Roy knew that someone would understand his kind better.

The dove in this scene represents peace and innocence. Roy has saved Deckard and shown that there is peace between him and Deckard. Roy is also at peace with dying. When the audience sees this side of Roy, it shows his innocence as a being. He did not ask to be created or given the knowledge that he was, and all he wanted was to have more time.

Ramon-Blade Runner Lovey Dovey

I immediately view this final scene through a religious symbolic lens. The dove’s symbolic meaning is threefold. One, it is a symbol of peace in the story of Noah’s Ark. Throughout the movie, Deckard and Roy are battling with each other replicant vs. human. Roy saves Deckard; thus, he makes his peace with Deckard. I see that Roy’s termination is incomplete without a sense of making peace. When he does make peace, he is able to release that peace (dove) to the world/humanity (Deckard). This also answers the question of why Roy saves Deckard.

            At the same time, it should be asked why the “animalistic” nature of Roy is turned to more a more humanistic nature. The best solution to this also can be answered through another symbolic meaning of the dove, which is purity. Though replicants are “animalistic”, they also have a sense of purity that humans do not in this film. The humans here are seen as the “bad guys” due to their thought of owning replicants for colonization. Thus, the replicants have a sense of purity that the humans do not have.

            The third symbolic element of the dove is a combination of purity and peace. These two elements of ideal human nature lead to the definition of a soul. Biblically, we see on many occasions the giving up of the soul to the heavens. From Mary’s Assumption of body and soul, and from Jesus’ final words on the cross, we see figures who give their soul up to God for the greater purpose of the world. I will agree with the producers of the film in their addition of Rachael and Deckard’s escape to the new colony. Roy gave up his soul so that the face of humanity (Deckard) is able to begin anew with Rachael. 

HENRY,Blade Runner

This movie was a little hard for me to follow, but I believe that I have grasp the concepts. In the last scene, Roy Batty saves Deckards life because he gained his own emotions. In turn, this allows him to save Deckard's life. Roy Batty was a Replicant, and they were created for a purpose. They recieved four years of life until they "retired."

Origanally, they were not created with human emotions but they could eventually establish their own. Well, Roy Batty was on almost on his fourth year and seemed to already have had his emotions surface. When he saved Deckard's life, his ability to show compassion surfaced. His compassion also surfaced when his friend was killed by Deckard. I thought it was very interesting that he showed compassion for Deckard instead of resentment for killing his friend.

Generically, the white dove is a symbol for peace but they are also symbols for a passing soul. When this white dove appears in the movie I believed this to be a sign that Batty's time was up. In other words, it was his time to die because he only had four years to live. Very intersting movie I most say.