Slides on Age of Innocence

1. The
Age
of
Innocence
Reading
Film
Style

2. • What
are
the
4
elements
of
film
style?

3. Film
Form—Style
• Cinematography:
the
shot–
as
in
the
dura7on,
and
other
factors:
e.g.,
camera
movement.
• Edi<ng:
rela7onship
between
shots-­‐-­‐
cut,
fade,
blackout,
black
in.
Influence
on
spa7o-­‐temporal
aspects
of
the
film.
• Sound:
all
sounds,
not
only
music
(augmented,
oFen
put
in
later)
• Mise-­‐en-­‐scene:
everything
in
the
shot
(includes,
set
design,
make-­‐up,
costume,
character
movement).
Transla7on:
“that
which
is
put
into
the
scene.”

4. Mise-­‐en-­‐scene
• “Archer’s
aesthe7cisa7on
of
Ellen
is
reflected
in
the
portraits
of
women
which
figure
prolifically
in
the
film,
as
well
as
the
painterly
poses
which
the
characters
take
up
from
7me
to
7me.”
(Cook
46)
• Mise-­‐en-­‐scene
refers
to
everything
that
is
in
the
shot:
the
people,
their
costumes,
the
buildings
and
their
décor…

5. Edi7ng/mise-­‐en-­‐scene
• “The
scene
of
Ellen
on
the
shore
is
reminiscent
of
an
Impressionist
pain7ng,
with
sparkling
sunlight
and
soF
colours
crea7ng
a
highly
roman7cised
vista
in
which
the
sta7c
figure
of
a
woman
acts
as
a
kind
of
guarantee
of
order
and
harmony.”
(Cook
46)
• Age
of
Innocence
111-­‐115

6. Edi7ng
• “In
the
scene
where
Archer
suspects
all
of
New
York
is
aware
of
his
infatua7on
with
Ellen,
[…]
[t]hey
allowed
strong
red
light
to
suddenly
enter
the
scene.
While
Archer
remains
‘normal’,
everything
behind
him
turns
red.”
(Mor7mer
6)
• How
is
colour
used
in
the
scene
at
Madame
MingoI’s
and
the
lighthouse?
When
is
colour
a
maIer
of
edi$ng
as
opposed
to
mise-­‐en-­‐scene?

7. Iden<fying
Style
• The
Age
of
Innocence:
46:00-­‐51:00;
111:00-­‐114:00;
123:00-­‐125:00
• Iden<fy
which
elements
are
the
effects
of
cinematography,
edi<ng,
and
mise-­‐en-­‐scene.
• Much
of
what
you
will
no<ce
is
mise-­‐en-­‐scene;
but
can
you
see
ways
in
which
edi<ng
and
camera
movement
are
func<oning?

8. Mise-­‐en-­‐scene
• ‘In
this
“hieroglyphic
world,
where
the
real
thing
was
never
said
or
done
or
even
thought,
but
only
represented
by
a
set
of
arbitrary
signs”,
costumes,
furnishings,
pain7ngs,
crockery,
food
and
flowers
speak
–
crudely
and
subtly.’
(Mor7mer
4)
• Take
note
of
the
use
of
flowers
in
various
forms—
as
real
(bouquets)
or
representa<onal
(ceramic
decora<on),
for
example.

9. Cinematography
• How
does
the
shot
work
in
rela<on
to
mise-­‐en-­‐
scene?
• Are
there
ways
in
which
the
shot
emphasises
specific
elements
within
the
scene?

10. Mise-­‐en-­‐scene
• “Later
Newland
contemplates
Japanese
prints
into
which
he
might
escape.”
(Mor7mer
5)
• Are
there
other
ways
in
which
life
becomes
painterly
and
pain<ngs
represent
life?
What
role
do
the
different
elements
of
style
play
at
such
<mes?
• Are
there
ways
in
which
the
film’s
status
as
melodrama
affects
its
style?

11. Mise-­‐en-­‐scene
• “Pain7ngs
inspired
the
look
of
much
in
the
film.
Scorcese
placed
actors
in
poses
which
‘doubled’
pain7ngs
in
the
background.,
illustra7ng
the
characters’
loss
of
free
will.
An
e7que`e
consultant
[…]
taught
the
actors
to
move
like
upper-­‐class
New
Yorkers
of
the
period.
Moving
less,
their
ac7ons
become
more
significant.”
(Mor7mer
4)

12. The
ques(on
of
genre
• Melodrama
• A
formal
or
stylis(c
effect
is
always
in
evidence
in
melodrama-­‐-­‐con7nual
movement
of
the
camera
in
The
Age
of
Innocence,
for
example.
• These
formal
elements
ar7culate
symbolic
values.
E.g.
music
intensifies
as
a
means
of
foregrounding
intensifica7on
of
feeling
or
stakes.

13. Four
pillars
of
melodrama
• Formal
excess
and
expression
• Socio-­‐poli<cal
disease
(ar7cula7on
of
something
be`er:
hope)
• Utopia
• Sacrifice:
usually
"two
drama7c
points
of
departure."
Typically
gendered:
women
become
the
sacrifice
(passive
role),
men
make
the
sacrifice
(ac7ve
role).