Movies Analysis Essay on Bicycle Thief, Witness to Murder and Potemkin

Introduction

Over the years, film has been used as a tool of constructing images as well as visions of social reality. Therefore, there exist a complex relationship between film and reality. In either subtle or clear tones, films tend to reflect the reality in the society. For instance, the growing threat of terror in the world, especially after the September 11 attacks, has been immortalized in numerous films. Filmmaking involves use of various cinematic elements that bridge the gap between the fake and the original, the truths and lies, the authentic and inauthentic, as well as the realist and anti-realist. Realism in films has historically been a subject of debate. Neither a movement nor a genre, realism is a mode of filmmaking that enhances the believability of the characters and events in a film in order to make it more truth-like. It also incorporates the reproduction of reality mechanically in films. The aim of using this style is to present the world as un-manipulated as possible. Reality is reproduced with minimal distortion. Realism is usually contrasted with expressionism. Expressionism can be defined as a style that seeks to convey psychological and emotional states rather than the world's realistic representation. While realism is more concerned with the content, expressionism focusses more on creating a subjective experience of the reality. Distortion is also a common element of filmmaking. It involves transforming an object as well as its surroundings so as to make it look different from the way it really looks. Montage is another filmmaking technique that is employed to achieve various effects. It involves editing of series of short shots in a sequence in order to condense time, space, as well as information. This paper will explore the various techniques used in three films; Bicycle Thief, Witness to Murder, and Potemkin. I will show that cinematographic techniques help enhance the realism or expressionism of a film.

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Bicycle Thief

This film was released in 1948. It was directed by Vittorio De Sica. It follows the story of a poor man searching for stolen bicycle in Rome in the aftermath of the Second World War. Without the bicycle, he is bound to lose his job and hence his family will suffer. The film bears heavy elements of realism. The style used is referred to as Italian neo-realism (Mooney). By using this style, the filmmakers rode on the wave of social change that was sweeping across Italy at the time. Over and above the storyline, the film sought to depict the reality in the society. It sought to make the public aware of the difficulties that the working class was facing. The film progresses in a linear and logical fashion with no major time lapses. Shots of various types are used to capture either emotion or perspective throughout the film. For instance, close-ups of Antonio, the main character, are severally used to reveal the magnitude of his frustration and exhaustion. The close-ups help the viewer relate with Antonio more. Long shots are used in various parts also. For instance, towards the end of the film when Antonio decides to steal a bike, long-shots of a rack of bicycles at the stadium are shown. This helps the viewer understand his contemplation. Travelling matte technique is visible in the scene where Antonio is driving the truck with his friend. Other cinematography techniques used also helped reinforce the realism style. For instance, the black and white aspect of the film might have been chosen to pass the bleak and depressing emotions. Truth is an important element of realism. The truth seen in characters, location, lighting, camera shots, editing, as well as camera angles all help reinforce the style. The film also makes various historical illusions. For instance, economic struggles were commonplace in the period following the war. These struggles are represented in the life of the main character and in the struggles of his family (Mooney).

Witness to Murder

Expressionism features heavily in this 1954 film directed by Roy Rowland. The title refers to the Cheryl, played by Barbara Stanwyck, who sees a woman getting murdered across the street by an ex-Nazi who cautiously covers his trick and hence her allegation are regarded as hallucinations. As mentioned earlier, expressionist films convey a deep psychological theme. Other features associated with this style include predominant use of shadows, abstract imagery, corrupt characters, wrongly accused protagonists, as well as existential uncertainty of life (Grant). All these features are present in the film. Witness to Murder presents a psychological cat-and-mouse game between Cheryl and Sanders. Sanders make the cops believe that Cheryl is suffering from psychological delusions and even has her locked up in an asylum. Cinematographic techniques used in the film helps the viewer understand the emotions that the characters are going through. The camerawork stands out in the film. It helps set a dark mood in the Los Angeles scenario and enhances the dramatics in the film through the use of shadowy building shots. Lighting is another prominent element in the film. Shots are highly lit to produce exaggerated proportions. For instance, in the scene where Cheryl is restricted at the mental facility, beautiful lighting is used in the sequence. All that Cheryl sees is exaggerated to help the viewer see how much she distrusts everybody (Grant). However, though the effects used in the fil present it as an expressionist work, various elements of realism can be seen in the content of the film. Cheryl is an independent woman at a time when women few women lived without relying on men. This might explain the difficulties she had in making the men, the cops, believe her story. She is dismissed as a psycho and even sent to a mental hospital. Another aspect of realism is seen at the mental hospital. She eyes the doctors and nurses suspiciously. The distrust between patients and healthcare workers in mental facilities has been a big issue historically.

Potemkin

This is a 1925 film directed by Sergei Einstein. The Soviet silent film presents the dramatized version of 1905 mutiny where Potemkin, a Russian battleship, rebelled against the officers. The film was therefore greatly influenced by a historical event. Sergei was a great fan of montage and hence it is not a surprise that the technique is extensively used in the film. Dialectical materialism, which was the official philosophy during the Soviet era, heavily influenced the use of montage. Just like the Marxist theory held that historical events are the constructs of a series of conflicting social issues that collide with their solutions, when ideas collide with independent shots, montage is created. The Constructivist movement, which was popular at that time, greatly influenced Sergei also (Yuka). Using this style, artists sought to pursue social purposes and support the Communist party in the process. This explains why Potemkin is widely seen as a propaganda film created in commemoration of the 1905 events. Through the use of various editing techniques, Sergei was able to sway the viewers and elicit feelings of sympathy towards the soldiers who rebelled against the officers. Rhythmic and metric montage are some of the techniques used in the film that are still in common use today. The Odessa Steps scene, where the Tsar's officers brutally murder civilians, a close-up of a woman startled by gunfire is shown. It is followed by point-of-view shots that get the viewers into the scene. Wide shots of fleeing civilians as well as individual close-up shots of faces of the victims elicit shock and horror. Metric montage is used in the scene where a mother is pushing down her baby. It helps drag time as the mother falls to the ground. This technique dramatizes the event and evokes suspense in the viewers. The use of rhythmic editing decreases the length of shots gradually to create a sense of excitement and urgency (Yuka).

Conclusion

The discussion on the three films clearly shows the differences between various filmmaking styles and techniques. Moreover, it reveals how various cinematographic techniques help enhance the styles. Bicycle Thief heavily employs realism style, which is reinforced by various techniques. Witness to Murder is an expressionist film where a psychological theme is pursued. However, the film shows that expressionist films can also bear certain aspects of realism. Potemkin is a historical and propagandist film that shows how montage is used to bring out various themes and to sway the viewers to a certain direction.

Works Cited

Grant, Arthur. "Plundering the Genre: Film Noir." 31 July 2015. The Cinema cafe. 12 April 2019. <http://thecinemacafe.com/the-cinema-treasure-hunter/2015/7/31/plundering-the-genre-films-noir>.

Mooney, James. "The Bicycle Thieves and Italian Neorealism." 8 March 2013. FILMOSOPHY. 12 April 2019. <https://filmandphilosophy.com/2013/03/08/the-bicycle-thieves-and-italian-neorealism/>.

Yuka. "Montage in Battleship Potemkin." 1 September 2017. OSS. 12 April 2019. <https://oss.adm.ntu.edu.sg/yuka001/montage-in-battleship-potemkin/>.