Week 47: Socials Roundup
Posts from 20th to 26th November, 2023
Week 47 saw Noirvember continue with posts on Intimidation (1960), Pitfall (1948), and the series Poker Face (2023) vs Psycho (1960). While #sexysaturday saw us break down the very end of the climatic bar scene in Moonlight (2016)
Intimidation
This scene from Noirvember classic Intimidation (1960) is all smooth camera movements shot behind the thief until an alarm sounds, and then the camera techniques change.
Off the thief's frantic look (0:20), a POV shot of a clanging bell, which whips back for the scene's only front-on shot of his panicked face.
The thief runs *straight for the camera*, at which point it switches to a POV running down halls (my (Mel's) favourite little move in the sequence).
Once the thief gets to the door, the shots move closer and closer: a medium of him banging; a closeup of his hand on the lock, which is similar to the shot of his hand on the combination dial mere moments before.
0:40 starts an ECU of the thief's ear, which lasts a full 12 seconds; we see his head become stiller and stiller, see the sweat in his hair, and are consumed wit the thought of how LOUD the alarm and sirens sound to him.
It end with a SMASH CUT to a phone ringing. As the audio of the bank alarm crossfades beneath the phone jangle, it jolts another man awake; he answers the phone in as much discombobulation as our thief.
The whole sequence gives us the feeling of intense confusion and sensory overload.
Moonlight (2016)
For #SexySaturday we're looking at Moonlight and the climatic reunion between Black (Trevante Rhodes) and Kevin (André Holland) in a diner. Their heartstopping performances are beautifully underscored by the simple yet deeply emotive cinematography.
This excerpt is from the very tail of this scene , after the tension has built and built. Every word is charged with unspoken meaning.
The two men are photographed using telephoto lenses, and their eyelines are extremely close together.
Then Kevin walks to the jukebox. Breaking that framing. A beat, then the camera slowly, tentatively *finds* Kevin. It's keeping him connected to Black.
Their eyelines may be wider now but they're *spot on" — "both watching each other, eyes linked, locked", as Barry Jenkins writes in his sublime screenplay.
Moving from the tight eyeline to such spacious framing makes us feel their yearning... Kevin touching his neck, biting his lip. The subtle push in on Black as he takes this in. His desire just under the surface but we can *feel* it…
And importantly, Kevin now walks *into* that frame with Black A beautiful visual showing how Black is "opening, letting Kevin in" (as Jenkin's also writes)
Such beautifully observed and tender filmmaking.
For your reading pleasure, here’s the script:
Pitfall (1948)
#Noirvember is for jail bar lighting.
Many noir films make use of window slats to cast fore-shadows on characters, but Pitfall (1948) takes it several steps further, using curtains, pajamas, stair railings, bedposts, a model plane, and more, to form visual 'cages' around Johnny and Mona.
Angie Tribeca
This sequence from Angie Tribeca pokes fun at how action sequences use stunt doubles, while doing some impressive stunts.
In particular notice at 0:11-0:15 how it pulls off a #TexasSwitch . . . then immediately points out how it works by having the stunt performer pop up and run off in the background.
Poker Face / Psycho
Poker Face doesn't hide who does the crime, but the motives or who *else* may be a Bad Guy are often revealed as episodes unfold.
1.02 "The Night Shift" isn't subtle: Jed is framed like Psycho’s Norman Bates, and we all know what he did . . . and what end he came to.
