Super Scenes #8

Posted by Srikanth Srinivasan as All Posts, Copacabana, Gangster films, Goodfellas, Henry Hill, Martin Scorsese, Michael Ballhaus, Organized crime, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Super Scenes, long shot, underworld


Goodfellas (1990)


English


Martin Scorsese

Goodfellas (1990) is one Scorsese film that made it big with both the audience and the critics. Its worm’s eye view of the underworld places it apart from all the films in the genre that still cling to the top level of the hierarchy.

Check this sequence in the film that takes place at a party club called Copacabana. The scene just shows Henry reaching his table with his girlfriend starting from the entrance. Though it’s a scene that is quite light on the minds and introduces us to the vital characters of the plot, the execution of the scene is so solemn and so thought over. The whole scene is captured in a single uninterrupted shot. The camera snakes in and out of thin paths, narrowly avoids collisions and tries to squeeze out into the destination. The way to the table is also too serpentine and access to it seems like a Herculean task, very much like the underworld that the film depicts.

Take a look:

Michael Ballhaus employs the camera like his eyes. Instead of using it as a tool for documentation, he gives it life and makes it an invisible character in the film. He makes it look at events, he makes it empathize and he transfers it onto the viewers. This effect is more pronounced in his earlier collaborations with German wunderkind Rainer Werner Fassbinder, whose setups not only imposed physical restrictions on the movement of the camera, but also evoked a sense of claustrophobia that often reflected the characters’ own. The same period gave rise to his characteristic Ballhaus shot (or the 360 degree shot), again, testifying his opinion on the medium.

Though a lot of films off late have used the long snaky shot to gain unwarranted appreciation, none of them gels with the film as effectively as the Copacabana shot.

P.S: Sorry for another Scorsese scene. But what to do, he is one of the best scene composers alive!

Popularity: 2%



September 17, 2008 | Filed Under All Posts, Copacabana, Gangster films, Goodfellas, Henry Hill, Martin Scorsese, Michael Ballhaus, Organized crime, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Super Scenes, long shot, underworld | Comments Off 

Super Scenes #7

Posted by as All Posts, Aviator, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, Show me all the blueprints, Super Scenes


The Aviator (2004)


Martin Scorsese


English

Much has been spoken about Jamie Foxx’s portrayal of the blind musician Ray Charles in Ray (2004) for which he won the Academy Award that year. But another underrated nominee for the same award was Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance as the rich and ambitious Howard Hughes whose romance with flight never stopped. The performance, however, won the Golden Globe in the same year.

The film follows a section of the life of Howard Hughes whose ambitions were larger than life and personal life, a mess.. His slow mental disintegration (as a result of his OCD) is made worse owing to his financial losses and accidents. The scene given here is where Hughes’ assistant Odie informs him that it is near impossible to complete his project within the given time and there are a lot of hindrances to it. Just then Hughes notices a floor cleaner staring at him while cleaning the floor with a dry mop. His OCD aggravates and Hughes shifts into a state of mental block. He asks Odie to provide the details of the plan and repeats the same line over and over: “Show me all the blue prints“. Here is the transcript of the conversation:

Howard: Odie. That man sweeping up over there…does he work for me? I mean, have you seen him before?


Odie: Name’s Nick, something like that.


Howard: Why’s he looking at me?


Odie: I don’t know.


Howard: Fire him. And make sure they use damp brooms from now on. Respiratory diseases are expensive, and I don’t want lawsuits.


Odie: But can we at least proceed with the instrument panel? The tool shop’s ready.


Howard: I wanna see the blueprints.


Odie: Look, Howard, the deadline is now completely unrealistic. The war is gonna be over by the time she’s done. I need you to help consult on vital decisions, and you’re off dealing with movies. You got 1000 workers waiting for you to make a decision…


Howard: Hey, Odie! Take it easy, all right. You’re under pressure, but it’s gonna do me no good if you crack up on me. All right? Look…take a couple of hours off, all right. You just relax a little.


Odie: Okay.


Howard: See your wife.


Odie: Okay. All right.


Howard: Be sure to show me all the blueprints.


Odie: All right.


Howard: Show me all the blueprints. Show me all the blueprints. I’m serious, now. Show me all the blueprints. Show me all the blueprints.


Odie: Howard.


Howard: Show me all the blueprints. Show me all the blueprints. Show me all the blueprints. Show me all the blueprints. I wanna get this done right. Show me all the blueprints. Show me all the blueprints. Show me all the blueprints. Show me all the blueprints.


Odie: Howard.


Howard: Show me all the blueprints. Show me all the blueprints. Show me all the blueprints…


Howard: Quarantine. Q…U…A…R…A…N…T…I…N…E…Quarantine

The video of the scene is given below. Not much is to be said about the scene which by itself speaks volumes about the capability of DiCaprio as an actor. Announces to Hollywood that Leonardo DiCaprio is here to stay and is going to be an asset to the industry.

Popularity: 2%



June 12, 2008 | Filed Under All Posts, Aviator, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, Show me all the blueprints, Super Scenes | Comments Off 

Super Scenes #6

Posted by Srikanth Srinivasan as All Posts, Jake La motta, Martin Scorsese, On the Waterfront, Raging bull, Robert De Niro, Super Scenes

Raging Bull (1980)

English

Martin Scorsese

Raging Bull (1980) is my favorite Scorsese for many reasons apart from the extraordinary performance Robert De Niro as the troubled boxer Jake La Motta who was deservedly honoured by the Academy next year. The mutually reinforcing Cinematography (thanks to Michael Chapman) and the spectacular editing by Scorsese regular Thelma Schoonmaker match the intensity of the lead’s performance.

In the final scene of the movie, a slightly overweight Jake La Motta is sitting in his dressing room staring at his mirror (a la Taxi Driver) just before his stand up show (a la The King Of Comedy!). He is smoking a cigar and moves into a monologue:

Jake: Some people aren’t that lucky… like the one Brando played in “On the Waterfront“, a down-and-outer. Remember the scene in the car with his brother Charlie? It went like this. It wasn’t him, Charlie. It was you. Remember that night you said, “Kid, this ain’t your night. “We’re going for the price on Wilson”. “This ain’t your night.” My night. I could’ve taken Wilson apart. So what happens? He gets a title shot. I get a one-way ticket to Palookaville. I was no good after that, Charlie. You reach a peak, then it’s downhill. It was you, Charlie. You was my brother. You should’ve looked out for me just a little bit. You should’ve taken care of me… instead of making me take dives for short-end money. You don’t understand. I could’ve had class. I could’ve been a contender. I could’ve been somebody instead of a bum. Let’s face it. It was you, Charlie. It was you.

(Enter the event manager)

Manager: How you doin’, champ? Everything OK?

Jake: Yeah.

Manager: Ready?

Jake: Five minutes.

Manager: OK. Need anything?

Jake: No.

Manager: You sure?

Jake: I’m sure. Lot of people out there?

Manager: It’s crowded.

(Exit manager)

Jake: Go get ‘em, champ. I’m the boss. I’m the boss. I’m the boss. I’m the boss.

Jake warms up and starts shadow-boxing as he leaves for the stage. THe screen fades to black. The following text from the Bible appears before the credits roll on:

So, for the second time, the Pharisees

summoned the man who had been blind and said:

“Speak the truth before God.

We know this fellow is a sinner.”

“Whether or not he is a sinner, I do not know,”

The man replied.

“All I know is this:

Once I was blind and now I can see.”

- John IX, 24-26

the New English Bible

The video is given here:

Scorsese, being a cinema enthusiast himself, uses a classic scene from the Brando vehicle On The Waterfront (1954) where Terry (Brando) regrets his spoilt career and what he has become to his brother. Jake La Motta, contrite of all his mistakes that have brought sorrow to himself and many around him, quotes those lines verbatim. The scene does not involve verbalization or melodrama as many directors would be tempted to employ. Rather Scorsese simply asks his character to repeat the already famous lines and leaves the rest to the viewer to interpret. La Motta, as suggested by the biblical passage, has “woke up” and goes towards his new life with the same vigour and passion as entering his boxing matches as The Raging Bull.

Popularity: 2%



June 9, 2008 | Filed Under All Posts, Jake La motta, Martin Scorsese, On the Waterfront, Raging bull, Robert De Niro, Super Scenes | Comments Off 

Super Scenes #5

Posted by Srikanth Srinivasan as All Posts, Martin Scorsese, Super Scenes, Taxi Driver, Travis Bickle

Taxi Driver (1976)

English

Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver (1976) is hailed as the one of the best American movies ever made. The tale of the single male, his alienation from the ultra urban society and his voluntary involvement in the mires of the underworld definitely has its own share of lovers and haters. This post is about the classic scene from the movie where the protagonist, Travis Bickle talks to himself!

Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) is fed up by everything that is going on around. He decides to end it all and purchases a few guns. He prepares a setup on his robe so that holstering of the weapon is easier. He stands in front of a mirror and tests the setup. When he is about to finish, he enters a monologue similar to that in Raging Bull (1980).

Travis: You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? You talkin’ to me? Then who the hell else are you talking… you talking to me? Well I’m the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you’re talking to? Oh yeah? OK.

Here is the video:

Scorsese uses the power of the mirror once again to carve out his character. Travis Bickle has always been a loner with his only attempt at love also failing. In this situation, Travis sees his only companion in the mirror - his image. His arrogance is also visible that establishes his hatred and inability to accept a stranger’s company and the “society” in general. The social isolation coupled with the rot of the society eventually leads to his mental disintegration and hence his choice of violence. Interestingly, the whole monologue is rumoured to be an improvisation by De Niro himself.

Popularity: 2%



June 7, 2008 | Filed Under All Posts, Martin Scorsese, Super Scenes, Taxi Driver, Travis Bickle | Comments Off