The Acting and Acting Style of Les Misérables

One of the important components of mise en scène is the type of actors in the film. There are five key types of actors; impersonator, interpreter, personality, wild card, and character. An actor who is an impersonator type is an actor who copies the manner, dialect, and behavior of a character, instead of creating a character (Goodykoontz, 2011). An interpreter type actor is one who takes a character and spins it into their own character by adding their own personal touches. A personality type actor is an actor who uses a specific personality in films, usually by playing similar characters in all of their films. An actor who is categorized as a wild card is an actor who cannot be easily tossed into a specific type of actor over another because they are known for many different types of characters. The character type actor is one who plays many different characters, but is not immediately recognized as an actor.

In Les Misérables, there are three very well-known actors in the film. They are Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, and Russell Crowe. I believe that Anne Hathaway is a wild card actor. I choose wild card for Anne Hathaway because she has flawlessly played many types of roles in many different types of movies. She can be seen in comedic dramas like Bride Wars and The Princess Diaries series. She can also be seen in action packed movies like The Dark Knight Rises. She plays a very emotional role in Les Misérables. Here is an example of her wide variety of roles she has played, with a clip from her vulnerable and emotional character in Les Misérables and a clip of her role of a seductive thief in The Dark Knight Rises.

Hugh Jackman also fits into the wild card actor type. He’s seen in many action movies, specifically known for his role in the X-Men series. He is also seen in independent movies such as, Movie 43. His role in Les Misérables is a very moving role where he plays a prisoner who broke parole and changed his life around. Being able to play action movies, dramas, comedies, and now musicals, Hugh Jackman cannot be categorized into one specific type of actor, even though he continuously becomes increasingly known for his action role as Wolverine in the X-Men series. He really opened himself up as an actor by taking on such a risky character, but plays it phenomenally in Les Misérables. When he is singing the song “Who am I,” not a single person thought of him as Wolverine during that scene.

I believe that Russell Crowe is more of a personality type actor. In almost all of his movies, he plays a very strong man role. He can be seen in Gladiator, 3:10 to Yuma, Robin Hood, Man of Steel, and Noah with roles of a strong man in each. Even his role as the police officer in Les Misérables he is shown to be a very strong and conservative man.

I believe that since Les Misérables is such a realistic movie, it really helped Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman to be categorized in the wild card type of actor. Both of these actors are used to playing movies that are fairly fictional since both have super hero movie roles. However, I do not believe that the reality of Les Misérables had an impact on Russell Crowes placement in the personality type actor. Since his acting style is so similar in this movie compared to all of his other movies, it did not matter if it was realistic or stylized.

I believe that Russell Crowe would be placed in the same category of type of actor based on all of his previous films. He has always been seen as a strong man and seems to find the perfect roles to prove just how much of a man he really is. “With a mere four roles – in LA Confidential, The Insider, Gladiator, and A Beautiful Mind – he has knocked the pretty boys into a cocked hat, done away with smug, wisecracking shooters, and single-handedly forced rough-yet-sensitive masculinity back onto the agenda,” (TalkTalk, 2014).

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2011). Film: From watching to seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

LipGlozGirl. (2013). I Dreamed a Dream – FULL SCENE – Anne Hathaway – Les Misérables. YouTube. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzNVmZfNoa8

shaikh. (2012). The Dark Knight Rises – Batman & Catwoman Tunnel Fight BluRay Edition 1080p. YouTube. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRuYvTlgLBU

TalkTalk. (2014). Russell Crowe- biography. TalkTalk. Retrieved from http://www.talktalk.co.uk/entertainment/film/biography/artist/russell-crowe/biography/107

The Sound of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

            Before we analyze the sound in the movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, we need to know exactly what sound is to begin with. There are three basic categories of sound. They are dialogue, sound effects, and music. Each of these categories have to work together to form the perfect film. Dialogue is the communication between characters in a film. The best dialogue is the dialogue that keeps the film going forward and not the small talk (Moura, 2014). Many times actors and actresses have to re-record their lines using automated dialogue replacement to be heard clearly enough so there is not unwanted background noise. There is also a type of dialogue called voice over. Voice over is used to help narrate what the audience is seeing to give them an understanding of what’s going on.

Sound effects are synthetic or intensified sounds that allow producers to put emphasis certain parts of the film. There are many films that use soundstages and the sound effects have to be recorded apart from the scene being shot. Certain sound effects can be created by people called Foley artists. Sound effects can be used to catch the audience’s attention and even give them a rush of adrenaline.

Music is the third category in sound. Music is a very important part of film. In films, music is usually played in the background, used to carry the film, and set the tone of the scenes. Music can also be used to let the audience know the mood of a specific scene. If it’s a sad scene, many times there is slow music that brings out the sorrow in the film. In certain films, music is used to lead the audience in suspense and can really build tension as the film goes on.

In the film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, you can see all three categories of sound throughout the entire film. Right away cheerful music starts playing as it is going through the opening credits. I noticed when the evil queen has scenes; the music is more dark and slow with certain places of loud music. However, when Snow White has scenes, the music is very light, cheerful, fast paced, and makes you feel happy. The change in music allows the audience to know there is going to be a change of pace in the movie or something is going to happen. The music also plays a key in helping with suspense in some areas as well.

Due to the fact that this is an animation movie, the dialogue was recorded separate from the animation clips. The dialogue does conform to the time in which the film was made. It fits in with the 1930’s dialogue.

The sound effects in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs are fun and very old feeling, but the movie did come out in 1937. From the floorboards creaking to goofy little whips and whistles. The sound effects really make the movie funny in spots. At the end of this clip you can get a feel of the different sound effects used.

Overall the use of sound really carries the movie on the mood. You cannot help, but feel nervous during the scenes with the evil queen or happy when Snow White is singing Whistle While You Work. There is not a specific sound that allows me to infer a particular genre, except that the music definitely makes me feel like it could fit into the fantasy genre as well as the obvious animation. The sound effects are very exaggerated, but fit really well with the music and quirkiness of the dwarfs in parts. The movie would be quite boring in parts if there was not music. Music is one of the most important parts to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Without music, there would be a lot of silent parts and the audience would not get the mood the film was trying to portray.

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2011). Film: From watching to seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Moura, G. (2014). Elements of Cinema. Elements of Cinema. Retrieved from http://www.elementsofcinema.com/screenwriting/writing-dialogue/

Waltdisney406. (2014). The dwarfs return home – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Youtube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtHo5LsXRws.

 

The Story and the Plot of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

This week in class we are supposed to pick a full length movie and discuss the story and the plot of the movie. The movie I chose to blog about is Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone written by J. K. Rowling and directed by Chris Columbus. It was released in 2001. The main actors in this movie are Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris, and Maggie Smith.

Many people believe that a story and a plot are the same thing. However, the story is what happens in a movie and the plot is how it happens. The story of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is that a young boy, named Harry, discovers he is a wizard and attends Hogwarts school of wizardry; where he must defeat his arch nemesis, Voldemort. The plot of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is that an 11 year old Harry Potter is living with his aunt and uncle, the Dursley’s. Harry lived in the cupboard under the stairs and was treated like a slave. One day he received a piece of mail, but his uncle would not let him have it. The letters kept coming addressed to Harry, but he never got to read it. The Dursley family pack up and go somewhere remote, where the letters would not find them. One night, a large man named Hagrid barged into their place and told Harry that he was a wizard and that his parents did not die from a car crash, but because they were among some of the best wizards and witches that were killed by an evil wizard named Voldemort. Hagrid also filled Harry in on how he has his famous lightning bolt scar from the curse that bounced off of Harry as a baby. While on the way to Hogwarts Harry meets two new friends, Ron and Hermione. Harry finds out he is quite good at flying on a broom and a professor adds him to a wizardry game called Quidditch. Harry, Ron, and Hermoine go through a series of events that lead them finding out about the Sorcerer’s Stone. They believed that their professor, Severus Snape, was trying to steal the stone and tried to stop him. Little did they know it wasn’t Snape that was stealing the stone, but Professor Quirrell under the dictation of Lord Voldemort. Harry once again defeats Lord Voldemort when Quirrell touches Harry’s skin. Harry then wakes up in the infirmary with the headmaster Dumbledore (Shmoop Editorial Team, 2008).

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is presented in chronological order. From the moment he was a baby until he defeats Voldemort, it is shown in a time line fashion, with no skipping around. I believe this helped contribute to the general effect on the audience because we are learning about this wonderful new world of wizardry just as Harry is. In the beginning the audience and Harry are both clueless about the wizardry world and what it is like. The character development is crucial in this movie because it is the first movie of eight. When Harry is introduced to Draco Malfoy, he is immediately put off by the way Draco presents himself. He even foreshadows by saying, “I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself.” Draco ends up being one of the more bad people as the films progress.This scene sets up a tense relationship between Harry and Draco for the rest of this film series.

I believe that if this film had a different presentation style than chronological order, I believe that the audience would be confused. This is the first film in the series and the audience is still getting used to the characters and storyline. If it were to jump around, I do not think it would have been a very great movie to follow.

Shmoop Editorial Team. (2008, November 11). Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Retrieved from http://www.shmoop.com/harry-potter-sorcerers-stone/

Stine4me. (2011). Harry and Draco~ I think I can tell the wrong sort for myself. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfAgS5oWmnY.