Today in class we continued viewing No Country for Old Men. The assignment to analyze a specific piece of mise-en-scene still stands, and there was plenty to look at today as characters who existed separately began to cross paths. I personally looked at color choices within one scene in a hospital today. One character had a colored suit on and held bright flowers, while everything around him was a plain white. This made him stand-out from the people around as the most important character to that specific scene. Today's viewing ended with a shocking death in the film, so if you have yet to catch up I recommend you attempt to do so before it is spoiled for you!
Outside of class I recently re-watched this year's live action Beauty and the Beast. I mention this because of one specific scene where Belle runs up to into an open field singing about her hopes for her life. This scene relate to the choices of coloration made in No Country for Old Men. While in town Belle is surrounded by brown houses and a dirt ground. She sticks out in her bright blue dress as she walks through town; however, when she runs up to the open field the world around her comes to life with color. There are bright green trees, a blue sky, and vibrant green grass. Suddenly Belle doesn't look so out of place and this shows viewers that as she sings about her hopes and dreams she is doing so in a place where she is comfortable and doesn't need to pretend to want something else. This is just another example of how choices in color can add to the depth with which a scene is viewed.
Excellent post, Steven! You've given us a very thorough description of our class' events that remains cognizant of spoilers. Really enjoyed YOUR example of color values as they relate to the scene. Might be a great model for students who aren't sure whether or not they're on the right track in terms of this mise-en-scene analysis.
ReplyDeleteThe real skill of this post, however, comes from your ability to naturally extend the learning from class (in this particular scene of No Country for Old Men, no less) to discuss color values in that live action B&B film. You're building connections across texts by identifying choices that artists make and evaluating how they impact the development of a narrative. Very well done.
IF you were to improve this post (and they can always get better), maybe you could include an image or link to the scene in which Belle is singing her reprise and coming to life in the field. Might help those who haven't seen this film understand your analysis even better.