Sunday, March 27, 2011

Morris- Frantic


In Frantic, Harrison Ford plays an American in Paris whose wife goes missing. Because of the culture difference, no one seems to believe she has been taken, leaving Ford's character Dr. Richard Walker to find her on his own, leaving him "Frantic".
This movie has several elements of film noir including anxiety, isolation and helplessness, especially in the scene where Walker goes through the suitcase. The wrong suitcase that his wife ended up with is the only clue that he has to where his wife is, so he goes through it.
This scene is in the beginning of the movie after he has found his wife's bracelet so he knows she has been taken. Also, he is the only one that believes finding her bracelet is a clue to her disappearance. He is isolated as an outsider, isolated in his belief that his wife was kidnapped and isolated in his room. He is anxious, and does the only thing he can think of, break into the suitcase and look for clues. He is helpless, and needs to find something to do to find his wife.
This is an example of psychological entrapment because he is doing things that he would not normally do. He rifles through a stranger's bag because he is desperate to find clues. Going through the suitcase leads him to the Blue Parrot, and on the trail to finding his wife.

In this scene, the key lighting suggests the suspense within the scene. The framing is tight on Walker and the suitcase, and the camera proxemics is close to the subject. This all suggests how Walker is in a psychological entrapment.

1 comment:

  1. Tsk Tsk Check to make sure your pictures are not broken. They detract from the blog. "Frantic." Periods go inside quotes. This blog is a bit repetitious. I am not sure of the Scene, I am not sure of the lighting because you don't define it, and I am now sure how close the camera proxemics are. Intimate, Personal?

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