Essay on Comparing Views of Religiosity in 3 Films: A MAN ESCAPED, Camera Use, Directors

1. Discuss, by Comparing and Contrasting, the Following Three Films that We Viewed in Class: Focus on Use of the Camera, as well as Each Director's Distinct View of the World. Each of these Films Aspects of Religiosity or Spirituality are Presented, What are they and How Different are they from Each Other in Each Film?

A MAN ESCAPED is a 1956 film. Fontaine, being the protagonist, is an opposition fighter who has been arrested by the Germans. He has been imprisoned and sentenced to death. During the period in which he is waiting for his execution, he comes up with a plan of escaping. He then begins to make his cell boards loose as well as making ropes. The film compels listening throughout its scenes, whereby sound is the one mainly being heard. The voices over are non-simultaneous, as they are happening later as compared to the images. The voices are either external or internal sounds because it is not clear whether Fontaine is reasoning back over the occurrences, or he is recounting them to somebody else (Gabriel, Gilbert, and David 113).

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

Fontaine utters numerous voices or thoughts, which are not registered visually. Repeatedly, in the film, the actor is seen describing his deeds as we see him performing them or just after or even before them. Therefore, the camera does not seem to support the visuals redundantly in this utilization of sound. The option of not using the camera in taking visuals in accompaniment with the voices at the same time emphasizes the past tense and on the prison occurrence as having already occurred. At times, the sound in the film goes after the image controlling or even replaces it. Also, several scenes in the film are so dark, leaving the sound to play a big part in transferring information concerning the action. Besides, except for the scene opening along with the final shots, the camera focuses on capturing the prison interiors and exteriors. It clearly shows that the use of the camera in capturing the videos was not done mostly throughout the film Rather than, using the camera to capture and show the series in the present, the film puts the occurrences in the past. In general, the kind of using the camera in this film is mainly to show that the events took place in the past and not in the present time (Gabriel, Gilbert, and David 115).

From the director's distinct view, the film creates a world of everlasting discontent or anxiety, as well as an unending struggle. The free will in the world is not even an illusion, not even God's presence but with no human agency, thus an individual's best intentions are not enough. Therefore, someone must take action with the aim of bringing faith to life and that one's responsibility for owns deeds is predominant to the moral order of the director's spiritual universe. Bressan's primary interest is in free will and deep religious faith, emphasizing, "the spirit breathes where it will and that Heaven helps those who help themselves" (Gabriel, Gilbert, and David 120). Again, the director displays unfailing faith in the hand guidance of divine intervention, but at the same requiring the actor to act of the belief within that power.

ASHES AND DIAMONDS is a 1958 film, which represents Maciek's maturation, which is the main actor. His utilization of baroque imagery, an intensive focus, and expressionistic lighting depicts the anxious political as well as social realities concerning war-torn Poland. In the film, Maciek is seen working within the after-effects of the 1956 liberalizing thaw. It seems that there are freedom limits it brought. The current change nature together with the artist's shrewd consciousness of a renewed freeze possibility makes it scarcely surprising that the two that is the opening of the film and it is ending whereby the charming Maciek almost falls to the point of facing death on dump rubbish in a curled up fetal position. The film's opening shows Maciek alongside Andrzej; his partner is in the grass lounging (Bo 2018). Here, the slide of the camera downwards from a cross of a chapel suggests a fallen world. In the course of the film, Maciek makes his way inside a ruined church with Krystyna, who is his one night stand, and a picture of crucified Christ hangs in an upside-down position between them. After a short while, the camera slides down again from Maciek to the men corpse's whom he had killed before. The camera here focuses on each bit of the film regardless of the numerous shootings and killings.

From the film, the director's viewpoint is the importance of the power of expression and that someone can find hope and love, especially after close people are killed or die in brutal attacks and heated disputes. It shows how someone can be freed after realistic time and space abandoning. Besides, it shows how humankind can allow and accept bizarre touches that symbolize innocence, which is lost, as well as a fallen world. Its spiritual view is in making decisions on what is right and wrong, as stated by Bo (2018).

THE VIRGIN SPRING is a 1960 film mainly showing scenes of rape, evil deeds, and death. Birgitta is raped by two older men who later murder her. Her father also murders the bestial killers as a way of solving the problem by revenge. The camera focuses on almost all the film scenes despite the aging struggle of getting its equipment working within the harsh weather, but suddenly, the clouds part leaving the sunshine through. Ingmar Bergman's view is the representation of the pagan importance of fire, the earth, and the water. It views God being able to see but not acting. It shows the significance of being certain within the world's place and the gifts of God to mankind (Neary 57).

From the three films, it is clearly shown that God intervenes for mankind. God has a way of speaking to individuals, but it is upon the people to act towards the moral decisions in saving themselves or the others. Again, the three films are presented by much killing of mostly innocent souls. The camera used in 'A man escaped' film is not in excess since it captures a few scenes, only leaving the sound dominating the film. In 'Ashes and diamonds' film, the camera captures every event throughout the film while in 'The Virgin Spring' film, most of the scenes are captured. Ashes, diamonds, and a man escaped are acted following the end of World War 1 and 2 contexts, and they employ sight and sound in their scenes.

2. Compare and Contrast LA DOLCE VITA, VIRIDIANA, and SEVEN BEAUTIES. How is Society Depicted in All Three Films? Can We Say that Generally, the Styles of All Three is Baroque? And If So, Why?

There are numerous parallels shown between Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" and Paolo Sorrentino's "The Great Beauty" (La Grande Bellezza). The setting of both films is in Rome, which can be considered as the films' protagonist. Viridiana's film is a Spanish-Mexican film. The two male leads (Marcello Mastroianni in "La Dolce Vita" and Toni Servillo in "Belleza" are journalists. Mastroianni is a columnist gossiper while Servillo is an intellectual interviewer. It is possible to perceive the character of Servillo as Mastroianni's older version. On the other hand, Viridiana is a young novice who is about to receive her last vows as a nun but instead ends up shocking the world by taking different moves (Farber, Stephen, and Michael 2020).

The two men are trying to bring contradictions into the reconciliation of their city, which they love, where the ancient history is rubbed against novelty. Also, the aristocracy is rubbed against the needy, and the clergy against the pagans. Viridiana tries to assuage her guilt by a haven creation following her uncle's seduction and affair. Despite the numerous similarities, the film's points are quite different. Where "Dolce Vita" is a mosaic of fragmented relations along with images and experiences of the character of Masroianni's, "Great Beauty" is a fresco regarding reconciliation as well as artistic regeneration (Farber, Stephen, and Michael 2020).

In the three films, society is depicted by the language and culture diversification. Generally, the styles of the three films are baroque. It is so because the scenes seem to denote a European architecture style, music along with 17th and 18th centuries art that followed mannerism with an ornate characterization.

3. What Do the Directors Bresson, Wajda, Bergman, and Fellini Have in Common When It Comes to their Directorial Practice?

The commonality in the Bresson, Wajda, Bergman, and Fellini directorial practice is mainly from political reality, as well as the growing homogenization of culture popularity.

4. What is the Importance of the French Film Magazine Cahiers Du Cinema in the Late 1950s and Early 1960s? What is the Term Regarding Film Directors that they Came Up With?

Its importance is the publication popularizing the auteur theory, which held on directors' dominance in their films being virtually the film authors. "Nouvelle Vague" is the term regarding the film directors who sought to make more individualistic as well as stylistically original and creative films.

5. Of All the Films Seen in Class, Which One Did You Dislike the Most and Why?

I disliked the Virgin Spring film because it is characterized by rape, evil deeds, and murder. The film holds too many distressing and traumatizing events, which are all negative in humankind.

6. Of All the Films Seen in Class, Which One Did You Like the Most and Why?

I liked 'A man escaped' film because it clearly shows us that no matter the situation we find ourselves in, we should strive to find effective solutions and not just to sit helplessly waiting for manna from heaven!

7. Currently, Which is Your Favorite Film? How Would You Define its Style and the Vision of the World that it Presents?

Currently, my favorite film is Bird Box, which is more of an attitude style. It gives a view of how individuals react to seeing a monster, who commits suicide after believing that something terrible has occurred in their lives. All their empathy is lost, the devil himself infects them, and then they come to a realization of how humankind can be.

Works Cited

Bo, Katinka. "Ashes and diamonds (vol 28, pg 19, 2018)." SIGHT AND SOUND 28.8 (2018): 95-95.

Farber, Stephen, and Michael McClellan. Cinema'62: The Greatest Year at the Movies. Rutgers University Press, 2020.

Gabriel, Gilbert, and David Sonnenschein. "Inner and Outer Worlds in the Film Gravity: A Multidisciplinary Approach." The Palgrave Handbook of Sound Design and Music in Screen Media. Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2016. 113-121.

Neary, David. "The Virgin Spring." (2018): 56-58.