Groundhog Day

Title: Groundhog Day

Writer(s): Danny Rubin, Harold Ramis

Director: Harold Ramis

Year: 1993

Actors: Bill Murray (as Phil Connors), Andie MacDowell (as Rita), Chris Elliott (as Larry), Stephen Tobolowsky (as Ned Ryerson), Brian Doyle-Murray (Buster Green), Marita Geraghty (as Nancy Taylor), Angela Paton (as Mrs. Lancaster), and Scooter (as The Groundhog).

Story: A weatherman for a major news station, Phil Connors, heads to the little town of Punxsutawney, P.A. on Groundhog Day to cover the story of Punxsutawney Phil and his shadow. Phil is arrogant and egotistical and does not try to hide his disdain for everyone and everything in his life, especially the event he is covering. Soon after broadcasting the events of The Groundhog, Phil and his crew try to head back to the city. However, a snow storm locks them down in Punxsutawney. As if being stuck in that town wasn’t bad enough, from that point on Phil finds himself repeating that same day over and over again each morning he wakes up. First he takes advantage of the situation by being exceptionally crappy to people and committing crimes, then he loses his mind and takes his own life several different ways. Finally, he realizes that he must change is way of thinking in order to be a better person, win the love of his coworker, and begin a new day in the morning.

Acting Type: Bill Murray is what is known as a personality actor.  From our course textbook, Goodykoontz and Jacobs (2011) describes a  personality actor as an actor with a specific personality and that “films with strong personality actors can make it difficult for audiences to differentiate between the actor and the character” (Section 3.4, Personality Actors, para 1). Bill Murray is also a star, which Goodykoontz and Jacobs (2011) define as someone who is popular and well-known to the movie-going public, someone with a distinct screen persona (Section 3.4, Stars, para 1). Below is a scene from Groundhog Day and an interview from Letterman the same year. Pay close attention to the similarities between Bill Murray the actor and Phil Connors the character. It is these similarities that help categorize him as a personality actor. His witty charm and comedic arrogance often follows him into the roles he is cast. 

Chris Elliott is also a personality actor although not as popular. The majority of his movies and roles are always comedic in nature, including his role in Groundhog Day. Even when one of his roles is a little more serious in nature, he still manages to bring his own personal level of humor to it. From There’s Something About Mary (1998) to Scary Movie 2 (2001) to his work on several comedic television series in the recent years such as How I Met Your Mother (2009-2014), we can see how these roles compliment Elliott’s specific comedic acting style and why he is classified as a personality actor.

There’s Something About Mary (1998)

Scary Movie 2 (2001)

How I Met Your Mother (2009-2014)

Andie MacDowell is a little harder to classify. Goodykoontz and Jacobs (2011) contends that actors that are difficult to classify are known as “wild cards” (Section 3.4, Wild Cards and Character Actors, para 1). The films she has been in vary in genre and the characters she has played vary in personality. Her roles also range from serious to humorous and in between. For example, for her role in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984) she plays a proper, well-bred lady who is soft spoken and intelligent. In Multiplicity (1996) MacDowell plays a normal everyday housewife who is trying to make sense of her husband’s peculiar behavior. This role most closely resembles her role in Groundhog Day. In Daydream Nation (2010) she is a single mother who flirts heavily, laughs loud, and wears a lot of makeup and suggestive clothing. This diversity makes MacDowell a shoe-in for the wild card catagory.

Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes (1984)

Multiplicity (1996)

Daydream Nation (2010)

As we have seen in the above analysis, all of these actors would continuously be placed in the same categories throughout their film careers. However, for the purpose of this part of the discussion we will focus on Bill Murray. As we touched upon above, Bill Murray is very similar in person as he is on screen. He often plays roles that compliment or amplify his existing personality. We saw proof of this relationship from the clips above. However, let’s take a look at his role in Ghostbusters (1984). You’ll find that the similarities between Murray’s character in Groundhog Day (Phil Connors) and his character in Ghostbusters (Peter Venkman) are uncanny. This characterization is consistent throughout Murray’s entire filmography.

This information suggests that the personality catagory of acting is in place to allow actors such as Bill Murray to have a comfortable place to work. In turn, Murray gets to do what he loves, what he is good at in the way that maximizes his output for his audience. That increases the entertainment value of both the actor and the acting style.

 

Resources

[Andie MacDowell in Daydream Nation, the date scene]. Retrieved July 17, 2014, from: http://collider.com/henrys-crime-movie-images-daydream-nation-movie-images/.

[Andie MacDowell in Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, the arrive in Africa scene]. Retrieved July 17, 2014, from: http://monstermania-batcat31.blogspot.com/2011/09/half-of-me-is-earl-of-greystokethe.html.

[Andie MacDowell in Multiplicity, the kitchen scene]. Retrieved July 17, 2014, from: http://www.thefancarpet.com/ActorGalleryPicture.aspx?mga_id=46953&a_id=797.

[Chris Elliott in How I Met Your Mother, the bathtub scene]. Retrieved July 17, 2014, from: http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/chris-elliott/photos/144488/1154516.

[Chris Elliott in Scary Movie 2, the meet the butler scene]. Retrieved July 17, 2014, from: http://baskino.com/actors/%CA%F0%E8%F1+%DD%EB%EB%E8%EE%F2/photos/.

[Chris Elliott in There’s Something About Mary, the shoe scene]. Retrieved July 17, 2014, from: http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/movies/photos/0,,1891550-21899,00.html.

Cinefantastique Online. (2009, September 22). Ghostbusters: Zul seeks the Keymaster. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9L7UUp0FxY.

Film Trailers In HD And HQ. (2009, August 22). Groundhog Day Trailer HD. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSVeDx9fk60.

Geoff Krall. (2011, February 2). ‘Groundhog Day’ “I’m a god” scene. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VF5P7qLaEQ.

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C.P. (2011). Film: From watching to seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Pukenshette. (2013, June 24). Letterman: Bill Murray interview (1993). [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIRXKRLbS9Q.

 

 

 

 

 

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Big

Title: Big

Writer(s): Gary Ross, Anne Spielberg

Director: Penny Marshall

Year: 1988

Actors: Tom Hanks (as Josh), David Moscow (as Young Josh), Jared Rushton (as Billy), Mercedes Ruehl (as Mrs. Baskin), Josh Clark (as Mr. Baskin), Elizabeth Perkins (as Susan), Robert Loggia (As MacMillan), John Heard (as Paul), and John Lovitz (as Scotty Brennan).

Story: A young boy, Josh makes a wish on an old carnival machine to be big. He wakes up the following morning the same child just in an adult’s body. With the help of his best friend, Billy they set out to find the machine and change Josh back into a kid. Their journey leads them to New York City where Josh gets a job at a major toy company. He meets a girl and becomes successful almost forgetting his whole mission. He finally realizes what he really wants and makes another wish to be a kid again. The story ends where it began with Josh as a normal kid with a normal adolescent life, maybe just a little wiser.

Sound: There are three basic categories of sound found in films. The first is dialogue. Dialogue is simply characters speaking to one another. The second is sound effects. Sound effects are various sounds used to enhance the film and draw the audience’s attention in to the film and hold it. The last category is music. There are two types of music used in films, they are the score and the soundtrack. From the ENG 225 course textbook, Goodykoontz and Jacobs (2011) contend that the score of a film plays in the background while the action happens and the soundtrack is just a list of songs used in or inspired by the film (Section 6.4, Score, para 1).

In Big, we can see effective use of these sounds. For example, the incorporated dialogue helps to enhance the story and develop the plot. In addition, it helps establish  relationships between the characters and gives us an insight into the nature of those relationships. Take the silly string scene for instance, this particular conversation reinforces Josh and Billy’s closeness in this scene. It’s silly and raw, the epitome of best friend rapport.

The sound effects used, particular in the carnival scene in the beginning of the film really set the tone for the moment when Josh decides he doesn’t want to be small anymore. As he sulks from just being embarrassed in front of the girl he likes, the sounds of the carnival go on around him. We can hear laughter, joyful yelling, music, rides in motion, and various other noises common to a carnival. These sound effects add intensity to Josh’s feelings of separation from the world around him.

The score of this film compliments the different scenes and is stylistic to the era in which the movie was made. For example, in the scene where Josh is alone in his NYC hotel room for the first time, the music is subtle, soft, and sad. A very fitting choice for this particular scene. This consistency can be found throughout the film.

The use of sound overall in Big has an enormous impact on the mood of the film. The dialogue, sound effects, and music all provide the perfect accessories to the specific emotion of each scene. As far as genre is concerned, there is only one scene that is accompanied by sound effects that suggests that this film is a fantasy film. That scene is when Josh approaches and uses the Zoltar machine at the carnival for the first time. The sound effects are eerie and reminiscent of something other worldly. Other than that, the sounds that can be found throughout the rest of the film are natural sounds that you would expect to hear from a certain action: a door closing, an elevator gate opening, a skateboard on pavement, etc.

The scenes and sequences of Big would be extremely different if one or more of the above mentioned sound components where removed. For example, if dialogue were removed, the audience might not be so blatantly aware of Josh’s child innocence still present after he is transformed into an adult. If the sound effects were removed, the audience might lose the feeling of being involved or feeling as a part of the scene that those sounds often provoke. If the music were removed, there might be less emotion associated with each scene and less relation to the characters and their experiences.

Resources

Bag Log. (2012, November 9). Big 1988 Original Trailer. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbeAihy-ru8.

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C.P. (2011). Film: From watching to seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

[Tom Hanks & Jared Rushton in Big, the silly string scene]. Retrieved July 9,  2014, from: http://www.iamnotastalker.com/2009/11/05/the-hotel-st-james/.

[Tom Hanks in Big, the carnival scene]. Retrieved July 9, 2014, from: http://cometoverhollywood.com/2013/06/26/movies-in-music-videos-1983-by-neon-trees/.

[Tom Hanks in Big, the NYC scene]. Retrieved July 9, 2014, from: http://filmschoolrejects.com/features/6-scenes-we-love-from-big.php.

 

 

Pulp Fiction

Title: Pulp Fiction

Writer(s): Quintin Tarantino, Roger Avary

Director: Quintin Tarantino

Year: 1994

Actors: Samuel L. Jackson (as Jules Winnfield), John Travolta (as Vincent Vega), Bruce Willis (as Butch Coolidge), Maria de Medeiros (as Fabienne), Ving Rhames (as Marsellus Wallace), Uma Therman (as Mia Wallace), Eric Stoltz (as Lance), Rosanna Arquette (as Jody), Quintin Tarantino (as Jimmie Dimmick), Harvey Keitel (as The Wolf), Tim Roth (as Ringo),  and Amanda Plummer (as Yolanda).

Story: Two hit men for the mob (Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega) retrieving a stolen briefcase for their employer, A boxer (Butch Coolidge) paid to lose his last fight, A gangster’s wife (Mia Wallace) who overdoses on Vincent’s watch, and two robbers in a diner (Ringo and Yolanda) who’s lives are about to change share the screen as their four stories intertwine in this fast, witty crime drama full of  violence and redemption.

Lighting: After careful analysis of this film, I would contend that Tarantino uses not one lighting choice but a variety of lighting styles. We see this variety all throughout the film. However let us take a look at three specific scenes.

In the opening scene, Ringo and Yolanda are sitting in a diner having a conversation. This scene utilizes traditional three-point lighting. From our textbook in ENG 225, Goodykoontz and Jacobs (2011) describe three-point lighting as a style of lighting that is based on careful control of shadows using three main light sources (Section 4.4, para 2). The benefits of using this style of lighting for this scene allow the audience to focus on the pair and the importance of their conversation rather than their surroundings. Had the scene been lit differently, the audience may not have realized just how significant this moment is in the film.

Moving along about 24:00 minutes into the film, we find Butch and Marsellus coming to their agreement about Butch purposely losing his next fight. In this scene, the lighting switches to low-key lighting. Goodykoontz and Jacobs (2011) describe this type of lighting as a “high-contrast lighting dominated by deep shadows with a few bright highlights” (Section 4.3, para 4). The benefit of using his type of lighting is that it intensifies the mood of the scene by sharpening the seriousness of both the characters and the nature of the conversation. This lets the audience know that they are witnessing a very serious interaction. Had this scene been lit differently, the audience may not have understood the depth of Butch’s decision to go back on his word to Marsellus. 

Next, at about 52:00 minutes in, Vincent and Mia just return from the restaurant and are having a night cap. The lighting used in this scene is high-key lighting. Goodykoontz and Jacobs (2011) contends that a high-key lighting design casts a very bright light over everything creating few shadows and a relatively low contrast between the darkest and lightest parts of the scene (Section 4.4, para 1). The benefit of using this style of lighting is that it usually signals happy, funny, or similarly light emotional moments to the audience. For example, Mia is dancing and having a good time in this scene and the lighting helps to tone and shape that mood. However, there is irony in using this lighting choice as Mia eventually overdoses on the heroin she finds in Vincent’s pocket and that is not a happy moment. Tarantino clearly chose this style of lighting on purpose to add a sense of weightlessness to the scene, almost mocking the seriousness of the incident. Had this scene been lit differently, the audience would not have caught on to the irony that Tarantino wished to convey in this moment.

The use of various lighting choices as opposed to a single lighting choice in this film contribute to the theme perfectly. The theme of Pulp Fiction at its core is the various revelations each character in his or her story is experiencing and how those experiences shape their destiny.  As each character is different, undergoing different circumstances, producing different outcomes it is only fitting that the lighting shift accordingly to suit the mood of each individual in each individual scene.

The lighting technique utilized by Tarantino really suits the genre of this film. For all intensive purposes this film is a crime film. However, it comes accompanied by all of the usual Tarantino’s quirks. Therefore, while consistent low-key lighting may be best suited for traditional gangster films such as Goodfellas and The Godfather, this particular flavor of Tarantino calls for a variety of lighting choices to suit its eclectic story line and underlying symbolism.

Resources

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C.P., (2011). Film: From watching to seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Mike Kraneo. (2007, January 3). are you my nigga?. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DicYF4RQBnU.

MOVIECLIPS. (2011, September 27). Pulp Fiction Official Trailer #1 – (1994) HD. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7EdQ4FqbhY.

Stoycho Ganev. (2012, September 23). Pulp Fiction – Opening Scene. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jomr9SAjcyw.

Ukeladam. (2009, August 1). Pulp Fiction: OD Scene. [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKqEWmeZl2Y.