Fairy tales in faraway places

  The Innocents (1961), directed by Jack Clayton is a black and white gothic horror film that was adapted from Henry James novel The Turn of the Screw . Deborah Karr takes on the role of the governess, Miss Giddens, who looks after two seemingly angelic children in a remote English countryside mansion. Gradually, she begins to realise that the children might be hiding a sinister side which coincides with the rise of ghost like apparitions. The Innocents is widely regarded to be one of the greatest horror films of all time but it is a horror that is implied rather than directly shown.   Ambiguity is one of the central themes throughout, supported by the use of clever editing techniques. Fred Francis, the director of photography, actually painted on the edges of the lenses to create a vignette sensation, so that one feels as though there is something lurking constantly at the edges of the scene. It’s a film that allows the viewers to form their own interpretations which can ...

  Children of Men (2006) by Alfonso Cuaron is set in the apocalyptic future of London in 2027 when humanity has become infertile. In this dystopian world, newsreel footage claims that Britain is the only country that has maintained some semblance of society whereas others have fallen into chaos and destruction. Britain is ruled by a totalitarian and capitalist government, leading to problems of economic disparity, a capitalist based social class system and continued privilege which Cuaron criticises in the visual framing of London. Despite this, two of the biggest social issues within the film are anti-immigration sentiment and the problem of anonymous terrorism which is clearly seen within the tightly packed symbolism of the mis-en-scene of London’s opening sequence. Cuaron uses a referencing technique to link the events in the film to real life events in the world, thus making the problems appear even more realistic, real and relatable. The film’s opening sequence from timesta...

  In Derek Jarman’s film Jubilee (1977) Queen Elizabeth I has been brought by an angel to contemporary London whereby she follows a gang of violent female rebels. It was widely regarded as one of the first British punk feature films [1] and contains strong anti-establishment views. The clip I have chosen to analyse provides an evocative window into punk music’s changing environment in London during the 1970’s in the face of growing consumerism. Starting from timestamp 46:53-48:00, it begins in the recording studio whereby Borgia Ginz, the owner of a global media entertainment enterprise, is being introduced by Crabs to potential new music talent by the name of The Kid. Anti-establishment sentiment is a strong part of punk ideology and in this clip there is opposition against ‘selling out’ to mainstream record labels and conforming to mainstream music trends.   Ginz represents the global media entertainment business and he both askes when first introduced to The Kid "What c...

  This essay will focus on discussing the female desires of Ana Ozores, the main protagonist within La Regenta , in order to answer the question of what women want. It is within her that the fight between the individual drive for fulfilment and societal ideal is the most unresolved and violent. Women in Restoration Spain during the late 1870’s when the novel was written, had little legal rights and opportunities as they were living in a conservative society during conservative times. Ana’s situation is tragic- she is a sensitive and intelligent young woman but she is trapped in a loveless and sexless marriage to Don Victor, a man much older than her. As a result she is unable to have children and spends most of her time with little to do by way of occupying herself. Understanding Ana’s true desires is complicated because they are often conflicting with each other. She herself does not entirely understand or acknowledge them either. Early traumatic experiences in her childhood have ...