English Analysis

Start at 6:08
Analysis

Ben Sax
Per 1
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Mrs. Wecker

Family over Fortune

In the movie Click, it tells a story about a man, Michael Newman, who obtains a powerful remote control that enables him to control time at his own will. So, when he abuses his power, he causes all sorts of mayhem, from getting a fellow co-worker to lose his job, to never being able to spend time with his children. This is due to the remote taking over when Michael fast-forwards when certain criteria is met in his life that he wants to skip. However, Michael is able to overcome this, and puts aside his own fortune with the remote, even sacrificing his own life for the sake of his family. This can be seen in the hospital scene, where the director uses lighting, camera angles, and symbols to show how Michael has dedicated himself to his family, abandoning his previous self in order to put those he loves before his fortune, and committing himself to a life-threatening, nearly impossible situation.

Throughout the scene where Michael finally realizes the importance of his family, the director uses lighting to show the change that Michael had is going through. Before that scene, Michael had always been in a sort of light, which shows how he was kept in his own world, safe in his own fortune thanks to the remote. However, in the hospital scene, he becomes darker, which shows how he had a change of mind. The lower contrast is not used to show Michael becoming more evil, but rather it emphasizes how he is no longer tricked by the light, which represents his feelings of personal gain and not thinking of family, but rather of business. The director also uses lighting as a temptation for Michael to abandon his family and forever remain in a deceiving light of his business self. This is seen in how the character Morty always had his face more illuminated, and how he was trying to dissuade Michael from going out of the hospital. That is how the director uses lighting to show how Michael abandoned his previous principles for his family.

Camera angles also reveal a hidden message throughout the scene. While Michael is running outside of the hospital in order to reach his family, there are no high angle shots present. Most of the shots of Michael are on level with Michael or underneath him, adding to the sense that Michael has determination of getting to his family and accomplishing the task. However, the camera angles also show how the task of Michael contacting his family is nigh impossible. This is seen in the high angle, Bird's Eye view of Michael running towards the car that his son, Ben, and his daughter, Samantha, are getting into. This emphasizes that even though Michael is now determined to get to his family, the odds are against him, and it seems like an almost impossible undertaking.

The director also uses symbols to convey ho Michael forsook his own fortune in order to atone to his family. One such symbol is the exit door of the hospital. The camera zooms in on the door, giving it a more ominous feeling, but it also represents how Michael is exiting his old way of life in order to fix his family, and ultimately cause his downfall. The hospital itself also represents Michael's old life, and how he wanted to change his life. That is why, even though he was in critical condition, Michael refused to adhere to his old ways anymore and turned his back on the hospital, thus turning his back on saving his old life and fortune.

The director used lighting, camera angles and symbols to convey how Michael had forsook his own fortune in order to make amends to his family. He went so far as to run out of the hospital to talk to his son, and tell him that "family comes first", not the family business. That is how far Michael is willing to go in order to save his family.

The Most sad Movie Scene EVER!!! aka Movie Journal from Click

Movie: Click

Start Scene: 1 hour, 26 minutes, and 36 seconds

Length: About 3 minutes and 8 seconds

Description: After "disposing" of a medical nurse who tries to contain him, Michael Newman starts to limp out of the hospital in order to talk to his son. He then confronts "Morty", a spiritual being who gave Newman the cursed remote, and tries to convince Newman that he can still live, if he stays in the hospital. However, with the camera pan and dolly cart never stopping, it shows the determination that Newman has to talk to his son, Ben, after his son said that he would cancel his honeymoon in order to keep the family business up and running. As Newman exits the hospital, the camera closes up on the exit sign, emphasizing the end of Newman's life if he walks out of the hospital. But Newman keeps going, and trudges on into the rain after spotting his son calling for a car to come pick him up. The camera always runs away from Newman, signifying the impossibility of Newman reaching his son, until it goes into a longshot view, which shows just how far Newman has to go to reach his son. Suddenly, the camera focuses on Newman as he falls to the ground. Unable to catch his son, he starts calling Ben's name. At first, the camera keeps Ben at a distance, once again showing the impossibility of Ben seeing Newman. However, at the last minute, Ben sees his father and runs toward him, which brings Ben's wife, his daughter, Samantha, his ex-wife Donna, and her new husband Bill. After they all gather around him, Newman relates some advice and forgiveness to each of them. To Ben, he tells him that family is more important, while his son's in tears, and tells him to go on the honeymoon. To his daughter, he apologizes for not making it to 200 and tells her he loves her. To Bill, he flicks him off, (O.O), and then gives him the OK sign, signifying his approval. Then to Donna, after Morty tells him of a note in his pocket, he gives Donna a note that tells of when he first confessed his love to Donna. Donna then replies with "Forever and Ever Babe!" Morty then tells Newman that it is time to go and the scene ends with the death of Michael Newman.

Journal Entry 5 Anouilh Antigone

One theme that was central to the story of Anouilh's Antigone was how family is important, for it can leave to a kind and stable life. However, in all of the Greek tragedies that I read, this is not the case. In Oedipus, he kills his father and marries his mother, who kills herself. In Medea, Jason forsakes Medea and his children, only to have it come back and hurt him in their deaths and Medea's treachery. In Antigone, Creon shows no emotion of heart break or sorrow for killing Antigone, and also loses both his son Haemon and his wife Eurydice. each of those stories, the families break up ever since the beginning of the play: Oedipus was almost killed when he was a child and killed his parents; Medea killed her brother and a king, only to then be cast aside by Jason for another; and Antigone, with her father, mother and brothers dead, doesn't listen to her sister and kills herself. Anouilh's Antigone is the only one that emphasizes the importance of family at all. This can be seen in how Anouilh included a scene of romance between Haemon and Antigone, and when Creon told Antigone about her 2 brothers. In both of those, the people showed that the other were important to them, Antigone is important to Haemon because he loves her, and important to Creon since Haemon loves her.

There is also this theme of equality of the sexes in Anouilh's Antigone. In Anouilh's Antigone, women are given a more equal part, which can be seen in how Antigone is given more lines in the play, as well as having the main focus on her. Though it also includes Creon a good deal as well, and Haemon a little more as well. So there is a more equal gender roles. In all the other plays, either one gender or the other is more domineering. In Oedipus, Oedipus was the main focus, in Medea, Medea was the main focus, and in Antigone, Creon was the main focus. All of those plays appealed more to feminism and men instead of equality of gender.

Journal Entry 4 Anouilh Antigone

During Antigone and Creons debate, Anouilh repeated a lot of different words and phrases. This produced different effects in the story. One of the repeated words or phrases was fastidious. Creon first used the word in order to describe himself, that he is "fastidious. [He] like[s] things clean, shipshape, well scrubbed" (pg 34). This shows how even though Creon is kind of laid back at times, he will not stand around and do nothing when the time arises for someone to help. However, Antigone then turns the word against him by saying "You [Creon] are too fastidious to make a good tyrant" (pg 35). This implies that Creon is a bad tyrant, since he can't be pleased like most ones, he keeps looking for more. What this repetition does is emphasize the insubordiantion versus a power, in how Antigone blatently went against what Creon said and made it worse. A phrase that was repeated was the phrase kitchen politics. Creon first says it when he is reminiscing about Oedipus, and trying to tell Antigone "what went on in the back room, in the kitchen of politics" (pg 39). This shows that Creon nkows all of Oedipus' story of what happend to him. Though once again, Antigone rebukes Creon: "Creon, you spoke the word a moment ago: kitchen of politics. You look it and you smell of it" (pg 43). By saying this condescening thing about Creon, Anitgone is saying that Creon looked too much into Oedipus' life and may have interfered with it.

Antigone also uses phrases that could be interpreted different ways. One phrase was "You [Creon] are too fastidious to make a good tyrant" (pg 35). This could mean 2 different things. It could mean what I said above, that Creon is more of a bad tyrant, since he is never pleased with his people. Or, it could also mean that Creon could not be a tyrant at all, since who would want to be a bad one. Another phrase that could be interpreted in different ways is "When it was absolutely certain that nothing, nothing could save him. Then he was at peace; then he could smile" (pg 43). This is when Antigone is talking about her father, Oedipus. One way to interpret the phrase is to say that he really was at peace, that he was happy that now his question had finnally been answered. However, it could also mean resignation; Oedipus could have just given up on fighting the prophecy and become happier.

Journal Entry 3 Anouilh Antigone

The character that I am playing in the group performance is the Chorus in Anouilh's Antigone. The only real motivation that the chorus person has, since it is only one person, is to try and account the events of the play and explain certain aspects of the play. That is why the Chorus explains the characters in the begining and then defines tragedy later on in the story. This motivation affects the story because it pauses what's going on in the story and then offers an explanation to what is going on. This helps establish a closer relationship with the audience since most do not know the story, since it is conveying more to a modern generation, instead of ancient Greece. Some evidence:

"Well, here we are. These people are about to act out for you the story of Antigone" (pg 3)
This was done to get the audinece introduced to the characters of Antigone. To get them used to the story.
"The spring is wound up tight. It will uncoil of itself. That is what is so convenient in tragedy." (pg 23)
This was used in order to explain to the audience tragedy and its significance in the play.

Journal Entry 2 Anouilh Antigone

Literary Devices

• Smooth Silken Hair of Isemene (Image): Your Beautiful hair! How easy it must be never to be unreasonable with all that smooth silken hair so beautifully set round your head" (pg 10): This image of Isemene establishes her rank in society and how she thinks. Since society has always expected her to look a certain way and help her to look that way, it also made her act a certain way too. Isemene's hair shows her obedience, for it is not wild and our of control, but primped up and beautiful, thanks to the beauty products that society gave to Isemene.
• Foil: "I'm older than you are. I always think things over, and you don't. You are impulsive." (pg 11): This foil is between Isemene and Antigone. This foil shows just how different the 2 sisters are. Antigone was raised up to be a little bit more wild, which is why "little boys- [and] little girls" (pg 16), who are some of the most wild, look up to Antigone. They look up to her as a kind of idol. However, Isemene talks about how she always thinks things through. This is because she thinks about how to work with the societal laws and restrictions, while Antigone just goes with her passion.
• Parallel Structure: "There you go, frowning, glowering, wanting your own stubborn way in everything" (pg 11): This alliteration helps out in a certain way. By having multiple -ing endings, it tells of how Antigone is always doing these actions, never anything else. Also, the "i" in "-ing" could represent Isemene herself. By having that in there, Isemene could just be trying to convince herself that she is not the same as Antigone.
• Symbol of Earth, Wind, and Water: Why didn't I "understand that I must not play with water- [...] Or with earth [...] or run in the wind so fast[...] (pg 11): All of these symbols help to emphasize Antigone's character. Water represents her how she is able to flow around anything, to find a way around or out of trouble, but also shows that she goes where she pleases. The earth shows how Antigone has a stubborn resolve. And the wind shows again how she is free, but also a little bit playful and mischievous. Curious to note the absence of fire, which was in the Sophocles' play about Antigone.
• The Number 1000: "A thousand arms will seize our arms. A thousand breathes will breath into our faces. Like one single pair of eyes, a thousand eyes will stare at us" (pg 12): This shows the enormity of the forces working against Antigone and Isemene. It also shows that Isemene thinks that there is no way to work against Creon, for he has the power to call these odds against the pair of sisters.
• Stereotype: "It's all very well for men to believe in ideas and die for them. But you are a girl!" (pg 13): This is the stereotype of how men can go and do whatever they want while women stay in the background in the same place forever. It also tells of social status issues. A man can fail at something and still work to get his reputation back. If a woman were to lose her reputation, Isemene thinks that the woman would have a hard time getting it back.
• Foreshadowing: " Antigone: I'll tell you everything. [...] Haemon: We'll have other evenings my sweet. Antigone: Perhaps we won't" (pg 16): This foreshadows Antigone's death, even though the audience already knows. It tells also of how resolved Antigone is, for she is facing the destiny to die head on, instead of faltering. She tries to make preparation for her death

Journal entry 1 Anouilh Antigone

There were a lot of things that happened in the 1940's that could have influenced Anouilh as he wrote his own version of Antigone. For starters, women were given more freedoms, and allowed to "put themselves out there" more and more, meaning that the women were not tied down by the thoughts of others. This can be seen on how men would ogle at the girls, and then the girls would ogle back in the play. Also, there are going to be technological advances made in a more modern Antigone. This can be seen on how Antigone asked her Nurse to go get her some coffee, as well as the new sense of time of o'clock being used instead of just night and dark and sun and light. Also, as everyone knows, the Second World War began in the 1940's. This could give more shape to the conflict between Antigone and Creon, for Antigone could try to bury her brother out of religion, but Creon may not like that, (at least if he is German). Also, the marriage system in the 1940's was different then in ancient Greece. In ancient Greece, normally a woman was put up with a man if the man desired said woman. In the 1940's, that practice was abandoned, and men then had to ask the woman to see if they would desire to be wed, giving the woman the opportunity to back down if the person asking is not a suitable husband. One other thing that would influence the book is the responsibilities of man. In the 1940's, men had a sense of duty, that when it came down to them needing to do a task, they would fulfill it. This can be seen in how Creon takes over Oedipus' kingdom after Oedipus' sons die. These are just some of the things that could influence Anouilh while he wrote his own version of the tragedy of Antigone.