Movies

Unlike any other kids, the Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan, have developed their passion for film making at an early age. Instead of saving up money to buy toys that they want, they save up to buy a camera that they can use to do remakes of the films that they have watched. With talents for directing and producing, the brothers began working with their first movie  Bloody Simple in 1984. For film buffs who know their genres and their directors, the films of the Coen brothers are feast of clever references (Levine, J. 2000). Although they focus on gangsters and crime-type of movies, the brothers see to it that their styles are renewed in terms of genre and one can never be sure on what to expect next.

Crime movies or usually called as film noir, is a genre that emerged during 1940s to 1960s. The movie The Man Who Wasnt There, a 2001 film of the Coen brothers, falls on this category. Although shot in the modern age, the viewers are brought back to the era of crime movies because of this film and gave a taste of 1940s. However, differences against the original film noirs are itemized. For us to be able to analyze the film, the movie  The Third Man (1949) directed by Carol Reed is reviewed to compare with the Coen brothers film.

Film Noir
Film noir is a term used to describe crime dramas. Along with the crime as the main plot, sexual motivations and cynical attitudes are also portrayed by the characters. The movie The Third Man is a good example of film noir even if sexual motivations are not detailed. Suspicions, on the other hand, are more represented by the characters. Such scenes include the characters of Holly Martins, the police Paine and Calloway, and the Lime.

The term Neo-Noir is later on developed during the 1970s to differentiate genre that took place during 1940s  1960s. Neo-noir is more modern compared to film noir but it is simple an influence of the film noir genre. It also uses same elements as film noir but with a modern touch. The film like The Man Who Wasnt There falls into this category. In fact, the film was shot in colored and was only transferred to black-and-white to deliver the genre. This has portrayed much of what a film noir is all about. There are more sexual motivations than the other movie. Such scenes include the meeting of Tolliver and Ed, Ed and the Medium, and Birdy and Ed. Sexual motivations on this movie are represented regardless of what the age and gender of the character.

In terms of the crime aspect of the movies, there are two different approaches that took place. The Coens film is a about a barber who lives a normal life but accidentally becomes a crime suspect because of his intentions to improve his life. On the other hand, Reeds, film is about writer who tried to discover the real reason for his friends death, only to find out that he faked his death for he is wanted by the authority for stealing penicillin and selling it to black market.

Mise En Scene
Mise en scene is a term used to describe the design aspect of every film. The design aspect includes the set, the props, and the costumes used for the film. It usually tells the story of the film because through this aspect, it will give the viewers an idea on what the movie is all about without even watching the whole film yet.

Film noir genre is normally set up mysteriously and shadowy. Reeds film provided the viewers with a dark and intense ambiance, shooting the film in Vienna, giving the viewers a feeling of the post-war period. Since the film is shot during the 1940s, the props are not really an issue. The objects and costumes used for every scene are according to the period when the film was shot. The location added color to the story of the film, representing the relationship between four different countries particularly America, Britain, France, and Russia.

Meanwhile, Coens film provided the viewers with a gloomy and angry mood. Different from Reeds film which is darker, Coens film is shot brightly, mostly at day time, but the characters mood makes the movie gloomy and miserable. The props used, from houses, costumes, hairstyles, to furniture, the set up actually took the viewers back to 1940s. The location where the film was shot, which is in northern California, also made the film realistic, like it was shot 50 years ago.

Other Notes
Observing the Coens camera shots, most of them are at eye level. Very simple, yet it still revealed the feelings or emotions that each character put forth. Reeds film, in contrast, shot the film on different angles. There are shots taken on a window and Ferris wheel where height is emphasized. Even the use of sewers as an escape route for Lime added suspense in the story. These kinds of shots showed viewers that the coverage of the location is very wide, providing more interest on the viewers.

When it comes to the characters, the films are very different. Coens focused on the life of Ed, a barber who at first does not recognize himself as a barber. The story ran as the barber tried to find ways on how to improve his way of living because he is not satisfied being a barber. Due to the barbers vision of comfortable life by having a dry cleaning service of his own, he let the scammer manipulated him in getting himself involved in his trick. The things and the decisions he made led his life to devastate. Later on, when he realized that everyone does not care about what happened to his life, he admitted to himself that he is a barber not being noticed by everyone.

Then, Reeds film did not focus mainly on one character. There is Martins, who tried risking his life just to resolve the mystery in his friend, only to find out he is a wanted suspect trying to hide form the authority. There is Anna, a forgotten girlfriend, who tendered her love for his boyfriend without knowing that he does not care for her at all. And there is Lime, the suspect in stealing penicillin to earn money, sacrificing the people who cared for him. The difference is that the Coens character is a normal person who lives a normal life. He wanted to make his and his wifes life comfortable so he dreamed of owning a dry cleaning service. The only crime that he committed is when he takes advantage of the situation of his wifes boss wherein he gave an advice to pay the blackmailer. The rest of the crime followed when he was set up by the scammer as the blackmailer, which is also a coincidence. Reeds character on the other hand, chose to be a criminal because he wanted a good life even though his friend and love one will be in danger.

When it comes to the sounds used for the Coens film, the staff made use of the piano sonatas for their background music, which added gloominess to the scene. Reed makes use of the music played on a zither, a stringed instrument. This aspect fell on the negative side when critics mentioned that the music used for Reeds film did not give value on the scene. This is due to the use of same music regardless if the scenes are suspense or sad.

If there is one thing that is similar in both films, it is the part where the characters are overlooked by the authority. When Ed tried to tell the truth about the crime to his lawyer, the lawyer thought that Ed is just trying to make up stories to cover up for his wife. The same goes with Martins, when he mentions to Calloway that a witness saw that there is a third man on the crime scene, the police just advised him to go back to America and not to meddle with the investigation.

All in all, both movies delivered amazing storyline. It is a wonder how simple intentions one can have can lead to greater dilemma when the actions chosen are on the bad side. Also, Coens showed on their film that it is possible for the industry to reproduce film noirs where they can take modern viewers back to the classic films.