Post by spiderwort on Apr 18, 2024 20:37:41 GMT
Every film has its own particular "geography," a landscape that helps advance the story and reveal character. In many cases, in fact, that landscape is often a "character" in the story itself. I'm always fascinated by where and how films are placed, the contribution those locales make to the film, and how the filmmaker utilizes them to advance the story and reveal characters.
I gravitate toward rural landscapes - not only for their graphic beauty but for their inherent living "character" and "spirit," like Terry Malick's vast prairie landscapes in Badlands and Days of Heaven.
On the other hand, I also love the visual architecture of beautifully designed sets (Citizen Kane, among thousands of others) that create worlds so elegant and mysterious that they completely overwhelm the senses with everything from delight to dread.
I can also appreciate cities - from the invented ones like Blade Runner and Metropolis, to the completely realistic, gritty ones like On the Waterfront, or the carefully modulated and manipulated ones like Hitchcock's San Francisco in Vertigo.
I gravitate toward rural landscapes - not only for their graphic beauty but for their inherent living "character" and "spirit," like Terry Malick's vast prairie landscapes in Badlands and Days of Heaven.
On the other hand, I also love the visual architecture of beautifully designed sets (Citizen Kane, among thousands of others) that create worlds so elegant and mysterious that they completely overwhelm the senses with everything from delight to dread.
I can also appreciate cities - from the invented ones like Blade Runner and Metropolis, to the completely realistic, gritty ones like On the Waterfront, or the carefully modulated and manipulated ones like Hitchcock's San Francisco in Vertigo.
The way a filmmaker uses the architecture of space to create worlds from which we can learn about ourselves and the geographical realms of their stories is to me one of the great gifts of the art of filmmaking.
All thoughts, comments and images are welcome (though for the record, I probably won't be able to respond regularly; I will when I can).
