The eye of god and the comfort of what's familiar

         In this shot Father Flynn is looking at this stained glass window while he walks, and pauses to consider it, wearing a face of dismay if not guilt and regret. The eye can be presumed to be the watchful eye of god that is all-seeing. The eye seems to watch Father as he walks and his expression seems to be under the weight of the stare. The sight of the window seems to inspire introspection in Father Flynn, suggesting that he is perhaps considering his standing in the all-knowing view of god. This is supported by the fact that the window is the only source of light in the shot; the light of god illuminates all and "brings to light" any secrets father might have. The radiating design around the eye further signifies that the light originates with god. An interesting comparison can be made between the light of this window and Sister Aloysius' light bulb, which keeps going out. Perhaps the connection can be made here that god's light never goes out while Sister's light is ephemeral and untrustworthy, incubating better the seeds of doubt in her mind. 

       Furthermore the wood columns on the banister stretch from the top of the frame to the bottom, and fill the frame horizontally as well. The columns seem to represent the bars of a jail cell, which is emphasized by the fact that there is no way around the bars in this frame, we can't see over them or where they begin or end. This "prison-cell" symbolism could illustrate that father is guilty, and feels trapped by his guilt under the condemning eye of god; which could be supported if Father's look in the following shot is interpreted as one of guilt. The prison-cell metaphor could also symbolize Father's disconnection from god; if he is evil and has "stepped away from god" as sister Aloysius suggests, then he has lost touch with god, which is supported by his sermon about feeling lost and in doubt at the beginning of the film. The shot could also be interpreted as father feeling the same way but about something he has done at a past parish, rather than abuse.

       

       On page 42 of Molly Sweeney, Molly describes her first experiences of vision after her operation; "Every color dazzled. Every light blazed. Every shape an apparition... And all that movement -- nothing ever still -- everything in motion all the time..." With her expanded sense of the world Molly seems to have regained, in some ways, some of the wonder of childhood that can be experienced only through massive raw sensory input. Because her new sight can only be compared to her previous understanding of pure darkness, every light and color is extremely significant, like the first strokes of color on a blank canvas. Being a child again has it's drawbacks, however; all of the new information can become overwhelming and frightening. At times her visions appeared "aggressive, dangerous. So that after a time the mind could absorb no more sensation... and the only way to escape -- the only way to live -- was to sit absolutely still; and shut the eyes tight; and immerse yourself in darkness; and wait... slowly open the eyes again. And emerge. And try to find the courage to face it all once more." This passage brought to mind an experiment I read about recently in which baby monkeys were given surrogate mothers after birth that simulated their real mothers. (The experiment: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~adoption/studies/HarlowMLE.htm) When a random element was placed in the enclosure, such as a noise-making toy, the baby monkeys would become frightened and cling to their fake mothers; they would stay there until the fear passed and they they would leave the mother to inspect the new thing in the cage. This dependence on a familiar comfort reminds me of Molly closing her eyes to escape the lights when they became too frightening. For the first few months of life, mothers are essentially all that babies know; they are a child's base of comfort and security in an unfamiliar world. For Molly, the world being dark is her security; when it is dark there are nothing to be afraid of. 

an examination of the modern hat.

         Up until the late 1990's, the "ball cap" was the preferred style of hat among american youth. The first thing that was done to a new hat was to bend the brim inward like baseball players do. It was also considered fashionable for one's hat to look worn or frayed; I can recall friends in grade school who used to rub the brims of their hats against the curb to hasten this process. In the early 2000's however, there emerged a new style of hat with the onslaught of hip-hop into popular culture. Unlike the previous style, the kind of hat one might see in a rap video looks pristine, has a flat brim, and usually still has the shiny sticker still attached, and this has since become the dominant style of hat among America's youth.
        Unlike the faux-rustic style of the "ball cap", these new hats glorify the notion of being brand new. The brims are kept flat because that is the way hats are displayed in the store, and the sticker is kept to emphasize the novelty. This is reflective of modern popular culture's obsession with extravagance, and the importance of the act of purchasing. This is why for a long time all white sneakers were fashionable; if they didn't look brand new and absolutely untarnished then they were unstylish. Many of this decade's hit music videos and lyrics feature an abundance of paper cash, as well as new clothes, cars, and the rest. In this culture, it is crucial to appear as if these extravagancies are a part of every day life, which is a way of "deny[ing] wearing a uniform".  The fantasy lifestyle is always portrayed as being regular, and not an exception from the norm.
       Fashion that is based upon novelty and the act of purchasing harkens to some underlying fundamentals of capitalism; consumers must always be buying new things. Durability and function are, in many circles, secondary to novelty and how recently the product was made. In Brave New World, Aldous Huxley predicted that this trend would lead to the manufacture of clothing designed to rapidly fall into disrepair, thus necessitating the purchase of new clothes. Many would argue that this business model has already begun among certain companies. The continual (and unnecessary) purchase of the newest thing is the engine that drives capitalism, and flat brimmed hats with stickers are the epitome of wearing something "new".

To further my point, here is a link to an informative and hilarious clip from Key and Peele: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5ZM0-f5_CU

The worlds we see and create

      In Jack Kerouac's Dharma Bums, the protagonist describes a basic flaw in the foundation of reality upon perception: "Your mind makes out that orange by seeing it, hearing it, touching it, smelling it, tasting it, and thinking about it but without this mind, as you call it, the orange would not be seen or heard or smelled or tasted or even mentally noticed, it's actually, that orange, depending on your mind to exist!" (143). Kerouac argues that we ourselves actively construct the worlds we live in with our thoughts, minds, and senses. If this is true, no two people could live in exactly the same world, as each human mind is unique. Because reality "depends on [our] mind[s] to exist", it is, in a sense, our minds projecting themselves upon the world and not the other way around. Evidence of people projecting themselves upon the world can be observed in the thoughts and behaviors of almost any given person. For instance, when I watch a movie or read a book, I almost always identify with the main character in some way, and see myself in or as that character, even though the author or director has never met me. A person experiencing paranoia will feel that people and things are out to get them; commonplace items and situations become menacing, and the person may feel a sensation of being trapped that is unfounded in reality. Someone who is self-absorbed or egocentric will naturally assume that other people find him charming and attractive, and perceive romantic signals that don't actually exist. Conversely, people with inferiority complexes might feel hated or scorned by friends, peers, and family who actually care about them. Because the world must pass through our own unique lenses to be perceived, all people have no choice see their own version of the world. As Haley Joel Osment's chilling words in The Sixth Sense proclaim: "they only see what they 'wanna see".

A classic "femme fatale" shot in Double Indemnity

        I chose this shot because it is very characteristic of a "femme-fatale" shot in film noir. First notice the background furnishings in the house; they are ornate and imply wealth and some extravagance. This suggests that Miss Deitrichson surrounds herself with expensive things because she has a certain vanity she must keep if she is to be a successful con-woman. Also, notice the lines in this shot; the wall design, window blinds, desk, and carpet all form horizontal/diagonal lines that point towards Miss Deitrichson. This combined with her being in the dead center of the frame assures the viewer that she must be and is the center of attention. She is drawing you in to her act with the extravagance and her deceiving fake tears, this is characteristic of the femme fatale character trying to fool you to seek her own ends. However, behind her act and her big affront of beauty and wealth and fake emotions, lies her dark and evil intentions. This is characterized by the stark shadow on the wall behind her on the right side of the frame; while she is the center of attention and the frame, there is always an inescapable shadow lurking behind her.

Minority Report Still Analysis

      
               In this still Spielberg chose to create something of a shot within a shot; the camera is outside the house and depicts window which frames a scene within the house. The light inside the house includes serene yellows and rustic pale browns, and there is a slight bloom or glow on some of the whites, together making for a picture that is peaceful, calm, and almost dreamlike. Within the window frame the female is in the foreground while the two males are in another room in the background; while the males are included in this scene, she is clearly the primary focus.
              More information is revealed or implied when you take a step back and consider the exterior of the house in this frame. First, the horizontal lines of the woodwork point towards the interior scene, thus drawing the viewers eyes in. In this final shot of the film, one of the last things we see is this scene within the window frame, this simulated frame combined with the sedentary action in the house creates a look akin to that of a framed painting. The window contains this picaresque scene very neatly; it is a very conclusionary shot that was chosen to remain in the audience' heads after the credits roll. It is a shot that feels very wrapped up with a bow and leaves no hints of fear or uncertainty; an aesthetic choice to create the feel of a peaceful, contented ending to a movie that is full of mystery and doubts.