Captain Fantastic - plot summary/ flawed masculinity/ ambiguity/ consumerism & villains/ heroes

Captain fantastic  

Plot Summary - 

Captain Fantastic is about Ben Cash- the father of six children who live their lives isolated away from society to teach them to live without the necessity of technology etc. The children's mother (Leslie) suddenly passes and Ben must take them into the outside world for the first time to attend their mothers funeral and to grant her wish of being cremated.

Flawed Masculinity - 

 The film represents the flawed masculinity within it as Ben ironically tries to save their children lives by separating them from society but as a result of this he is in fact killing them because they don't have the skills they need to survive in the real world because of this.

Ambiguity in Captain Fantastic - 

The ending of the film is ambiguous because the spectators may interpret the ending differently because we aren't aware whether they are now leading a normal life and going to school etc or whether they lead the same life as before.

Consumerism and Alternative lifestyles -

consumerism in this film is how the Americans buys the things in life that aren't always necessary such as fast foods but they buy anyway. The family in Captain fantastic reject this and the governmental ideas and only survive of the things that are naturally placed in the world because of this they may be classed as misunderstood or strange.

Villains and Heroes- 

Neither Ben or Jack (the grandfather) are the villains or heroes because they both deprive the children what they want for example cremating their mother or letting them go home, but they do this to help them live a better life as a part of society.

Inception - plot summary/end sequence & wider representations

Summary - 

Inception has a range of genres from being an action, science fiction and thriller to a heist movie, it is about a thief (also known as extractors) - Dom Cobb - who has the ability to enter peoples dreams and steal their secrets from their subconscious. His ability to do this has made him an asset in the world of corporate espionage. Dom gets a chance at redemption when he is offered an impossible task to plant an idea in someone's mind. 
The confusing elements of this film are the many narratives within it, this is shown by the different layers of dreams they are in, but also by the end of the film the spectators don't know whether Dom is still in one of the dreams because his totem (the spinning top) is still spinning and so there is no resolution. 

The recruitment of Ariadne - 

The purpose of this scene besides the recruitment is to explain the fundamentals of the dreams and what Dom job is.
We can tell from the performance of Ariadne that she slowly begins to realise she is in a dream by how shocked she looks when the shops surrounding her are exploding and when Dom questions her on how she got to the cafe, because she can not remember. 
The audience placement in this sequence changes throughout as firstly it is Ariadne who questions Dom about the physics of the dreams and he has all the answers. But then the power switches when Ariadne shows what she can do as she starts manipulating the landscapes in Paris and then it is Dom who has all the question for Ariadne. 

The end sequence - 

The camerawork in this sequence used is tracking shots, close ups, slow motion and over the shoulder shots. This creates an active response the spectators can begin to feel like they are a part of it. 
The end scene links into the conventions of a heist movie when they silently acknowledge each other and nod whilst they are all leaving the airport. 
The ending of the film is uncertain because the spectators aren't aware whether Cobb is still in a dream or whether he is in reality because his totem is still spinning. This is a suitable ending for the film because the spectators are left to question if Cobb was still in a dream.

Emotional responses - 

Pessimism - This response could be created by the capitalism views represented by Fischer's company and how he is trying to expand his wealth. 

Optimism - This response could be created by the representation of the flawed male characters.

Empathy - This response could be created by the relationship between Cobb and his death wife, as she is a projection in his dream which the spectators could relate to if they have similar dreams. 

Sympathy - This response would be created by Cobb's relationship between his wife and also his kids. 

Visual and Sonic techniques -

                                                frequent repetition of elements in the film 

Totems (spinning top, chess piece, loaded die) -  Is used for the characters to check if they are still in a dream or in reality. 
Water - Is used to represent refreshness which reflects what the dreams are in each stage. 
Lifts - To represent the different layers of their dreams and so it appeals to gamers.
War/fighting - To show they are in the middle of a battle 
Musical motifs (lietmotif) "Je Ne Regrette Rien" - Used to awaken the characters when they are in a dream and so they know when they are near to end of the certain 
Tempo (of the music) - Reflects the level and depth of the dream they are in 

Wider representations -

The implanting of an idea in Fischer's head represents capitalism and how this film is about trying to stop Fischer's energy company from gaining too much power, because of this Inception can be seen as an anti-capitalism film.

Also this film represents male trauma post 9/11, which can also reflect the crisis in masculinity and how the characters are flawed.

Gaming is shown which could represent the different layers of dream but also could reflect the gaming generation which is the intended audience for Inception.

OFOTCN & Vertigo, gender representation essay

Compare how gender is represented in one sequence from each of your chosen films. Refer to one character from each film. [20]


This essay will explore the different ways that gender is represented in the films 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest'  by looking at McMurphy's reaction to the voting of the baseball game and 'Vertigo' by looking at Judy's response when Scottie manipulates her appearance to look like Madeleine.

In One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest masculinity is represented as passive in contrast to stereotypical cinema representations, as the male characters are seen as weak and vulnerable because of their illness and by how Nurse Ratched oppresses them. McMurphy progressively changes the view the male characters carry in this film, as he begins to show his power through rebelling against the female character, when McMurphy challenges Nurse Ratched.The nurse denies the patients access to watch the baseball game even though they have majority votes by the patients. By denying the male characters they become 'metaphorically castrated ' this strips McMurphy's masculinity away from him as he is left powerless by Nurse Ratched when he says 'now i want that television set turned on, right now! '[ Nurse Ratched slides the glass panel across the front of the Nurse's station, shutting out his protest] .But further on in this sequence and the film masculinity isn't shown as passive as the patients all in someway gain dominance and control as McMurphy influences them and shows them they don't have to be subservient. McMurphy begins to commentate the baseball game by pretending that it is being shown on the TV, by doing this he is rebelling, showing defiance against Nurse Ratched showing his dominance and how she can not take away his masculinity. Also in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest when McMurphy and the other patients escape to go fishing, McMurphy becomes less passive as he has obtained his freedom from the manipulation of Nurse Ratched, he has gained back his masculinity and so feels more powerful because of this.Gender is also represented in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest by when McMurphy throws a leaving party for himself and for chief, he shows his dominance by rebelling against all authority figures as he plans his escape.



In Vertigo, gender representations resemble the way stereotypical cinema is represented, as the main female character shows her obedience to Scottie when he tries to manipulate her appearance so she is the duplication of Madeleine. In the sequence when Scottie manipulates her appearance Judy doesn't disobey him, so this shows her inferiority compared to him. Judy shows her weakness when she says " if I let you change me , will that do it ? If I do what you tell me, will you love me?” Scottie: “Yes—yes.”

Judy: “Alright then, I’ll do it. I don’t care anymore about me.” this supports the stereotype that is given to women as Judy in this sequence is seen as weak, passive to Scottie because she wants to be loved by him because of this she loses femininity because she is seen as an object that the male characters are used to 'look at'. Another sequence in Vertigo when gender resembles stereotypical cinema is when Scottie buys madeleine clothes. This shows that Scottie is trying to dominate Judy by controlling what she wears, but Judy doesn't care that Scottie is trying to change her as long as he loves her.This shows that Judy is passive and acquiescent because she is complying to Scottie. 

Trainspotting - opening and closing sequences

The opening sequence sets the scene for the film as Renton and Spud are running away from the police after shoplifting something to pay for their drugs. As they are running away a voiceover of Renton plays over the music and action, he says "choose life, choose a career, choose a family [...] cars, compact disc players, electrical tin openers, choose good health, low cholesterol, dental insurance, choose fixed interest mortgage repayments, choose a starter home, choose your friends [...]. Renton says this ironically to suggest that these things aren't good things in life whereas he is pessimistic and only cares about drugs. This contrasts to the closing sequence because Renton has changed his views of the importance of life, he lists the objects again but now he aspires to have in his life. 

Thatcherism was a belief in free markets and a small government under Thatcher as Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990. Rather than planning and regulating business and people's lives, government's job is to get out the way. By this they can buy and sell freely. Margaret Thatcher believed that the victorian family values were the way to improve society, through people bettering themselves. This was not just economic means "but there was an element of it being linked to respectability and societal values". This opposes to Trainspotting because the characters aren't trying to better themselves at the beginning and no not carry societal values this is shown by Renton's speech about Scottish people where he says " we are the lowest of the low", whereas by the end Renton tries to better himself by getting off drugs and gets a job.  

Aids in Trainspotting has a frequent reference seen when : Renton goes to get tested for AIDS, during Renton's withdrawal when Dale Winton is shown on TV presenting a game show talking about The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and over time - Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). It is also seen when Tommy dies from the disease. 

1990s music in Trainspotting shows rebellion by Iggy Pops song 'Lust for life' this shows the destruction of Renton himself by how he is abusing drugs and how this is overthrowing society. The use of classical music makes the scenes ironic because it is played when disturbing things are happening but it also makes the scene uplifting.Perfect day by Lou Reed is playing whilst Renton is taken to hospital because he has overdosed which makes this scene ironic. Born slippy by Underworld reflects the change from anarchy to freedom. 

One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest - plot summary

Plot summary

Randle McMurphy is sent to a mental institution after serving a short sentence on a prison farm for statutory rape of a 15 year old. McMurphy is faking his mental illness to avoid doing hard labour for his crimes. After arriving at the institution he meets Nurse Ratched , who subtly suppresses the actions of her patients through a passive-aggressive routine, intimidating and manipulating them. Randle befriends the patients in the ward which includes the anxious, stuttering Billy Bibbit; Charlie Cheswick, who is prone to childish tantrums; delusional Martini; the paranoid Dale Harding; belligerent Max Taber; epileptic Jim Sefelt; and “Chief” Bromden, a tall Native American who is believed to be deaf and mute. Nurse Ratched soon begins to realise McMurphy's vibrant, lively personality which she feels threatens her authoritarian figure in the ward and so begins to ration the patients foods and confiscates their cigarettes. McMurphy rebels against Ratched by stealing a hospital bus, escaping with several patients to go on a fishing trip, encouraging them to become more self-confident. Later in the film Randle realises that his sentence in the mental institution may be indefinite because he needs to be evaluated for his supposed illness, and so plots to escape with Chief. He, Chief and Cheswick get into a fight with the nurses as Cheswick gets agitated over his confiscated cigarettes. Ratched sends them to the “shock shop,” and McMurphy discovers Chief can actually speak, feigning his illness to avoid engaging with anyone. Subjected to electroconvulsive therapy, McMurphy returns to the ward pretending to be lobotomised but reveals the treatment hasn't affected him at all. Later McMurphy sneaks two women, Candy and Rose, into the ward and bribes the night guard and later throws a party before he and Chief escape. McMurphy convinces Billy to have sex with Candy while the other patients drink, the next morning Nurse Ratched arrives to find the majority of the patients unconscious including McMurphy. Nurse Ratched discovers Billy and Candy together, now free of his stutter, until Ratched threatens to inform his mother. Billy is overwhelmed with fear and locks himself in the doctor’s office and commits suicide. McMurphy enraged by this attacks and chokes Ratched before being knocked unconscious by an orderly. Nurse Ratched returns to the ward in a neck brace whereas McMurphy hasn't returned and rumours have spread that he has escaped, but during the night Chief sees McMurphy being returned to his bed. He discovers McMurphy has lobotomy scars on his forehead , Chief kills McMurphy with a pillow and finally escapes through the window by throwing a hydrotherapy cart and is cheered on by Taber.

My Personal Opinion On The Film


From my perspective after watching this film, I think that it is well acted and is convincing as they truly convey mental patients. The diegetic sounds in the film portray the true action that would occur in mental institutions and captures the reality of the patients lives. The non diegetic sounds, such as the incidental music makes some scenes more emotionally heightened for example -when Billy commits suicide and when we begin to realise chief can actually speak also the camera works in the film heightens our emotions for example when McMurphy is having electrotherapy a close up shot is used so we can only witness his pain and we are fixated on his face throughout this scene.










Roger Ebert Review on One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest










The movie's simplistic approach to mental illness is not really a fault of the movie, because it has no interest in being about insanity. It is about a free spirit in a closed system. Nurse Ratched, who is so inflexible, so unseeing, so blandly sure she is right, represents excessive attachment to or domination by ones mother at its radical extreme, and McMurphy is one who wants to break loose from her version of civilization. The movie is among other things profoundly fearful of women; the only two portrayed positively are McMurphy's  friends Candy and Rose. His characters stand for freedom, anarchy, self-gratification and bucking the system, and often they also stand for generous friendship and a kind of careworn nobility.

Representation of gender in 'Vertigo' and 'One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest'

Vertigo

• The male character loses his strength and power as he becomes more obsessed with the female. 

This happens in vertigo when Scottie sees Judy ,who looks identical to Madeleine although she is dead, he falls in love with Judy but manipulates her appearance to look like Madeleine and becomes obsessed with changing her which strips his strength away from him as he has no control or power. 

• The representations of gender reflect the pre-feminist gender politics of the late 1950s.

This is shown in vertigo by the way Scottie treats Judy when he manipulates her become Madeleine he says " I'll look after you " which suggests that women are incapable of looking after themselves and men are more dominant. Also in the film the occupation roles show the inequality between the genders as women are seen to be working in flower shops and clothing shops. Whereas the men in Vertigo are police officers, detectives or company owners. 

• The audience's point of view switches to the female character after they (the audience)are made aware of her deeds through her confession. This strengthens the female character. 

In vertigo, the female character is strengthened by when she reveals she is Madeleine and Judy which shows how she manipulated Scottie although she is seen to be more inferior because of her gender. By doing this is shows that she is intelligent and has more power over men and opposes to what men though of women in the 50's.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest

• the male characters are "metaphorically castrated " by sexless and loveless females who lack femininity.

In OFOTCN this is shown when Nurse Ratched finds out that Billy and Candy have had sex and she threatens to tell Billy's mum causing Billy to stutter more frequently this represents his fear for his mother showing the Nurse has more power over billy.

• In comparison to the submissive representation of females in the other films , females are worthy of admiration through their strength and resilience. 

This is shown when Nurse Ratched tells the patients to take their medicine and McMurphy refuses, Nurse Ratched orders him to, showing her power and authority over the patients. She tells McMurphy she'll have to make him take it another way if he won't take it orally.

• Masculinity is represented as passive in contrast to stereotypical cinema representations. 

In one flew over , masculinity is represented as passive by how McMurphy reacts to when Billy has committed suicide , he attacks the nurse whereas the other patients don't react and stay quiet showing McMurphy isn't passive put the patients are.

Mise-en-scene in the credits of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

• what does the imagery of the opening shots (the credit sequence) suggest to the audience?

In the opening sequence the credits show Mountains covered in snow which conveys the bleakness of the film, and then a car cutting through the darkness with McMurphy inside this represents that his character is vibrant and full of life which contrasts to the Mountain. The mountains in the credit sequence could portray the mental institution and how McMurphy differs from this.

• Compare the different ways that we are introduced to the two main characters Nurse Ratched and McMurphy 

Nurse Ratched is the first character shown at the beginning of the film, this could represent her dominance over other people including her patients in the institution. Also in the opening sequence she enters the mental institution through a caged door with a red light shone above it. The colour red has associations with war, danger , power, rage, anger, leadership and malice. Red is widely used to indicate danger (high voltage signs, traffic lights). Nurse Ratched in the credit sequence wears a black outfit , this conveys that she has a more sinister side to her character than what is shown directly. Also black has connotations of power, formality, death, evil, and mystery. Black is a mysterious colour and could denote strength and authority. Black contrasts with brighter colours, such as blue ( the colours McMurphy wears ) this can signify the difference between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy and how as the film progresses their characters might clash. The colour blue is associated with knowledge, tranquillity and intelligence this conveys McMurphy's character and highlights the contrasts between him and the authority figure in the film. Rebellion is suggested in the opening sequence when McMurphy arrives at the mental institution wearing a leather jacket which shows that he is a defiant and free-willed character. In the credit sequence Nurse Ratched is represented as the most dominant and superior character as this conveys the 1970's gender roles and how they were challenged by women , this is also shown by how McMurphy is displayed as being inferior. The difference between Nurse Ratched and McMurphy could foreshadow the conflict later in the film.