Part 4 - F.Traits FI- Mise-en-Scène

 Part 4 - Formal Traits of French Impressionism - Mise-en-Scène

Devices of Mise-en-Scène

Mise-en-Scene - not as distinctive a trait - but used
1)Since the Impressionists were interested primarily in the effects of camerawork
  and editing on the subjects filmed,
2)fewer distinctive traits of the movement lie in the area of mise-en-scène.
3)Still, we can make some generalizations about this aspect of their style.
4)Perhaps most important, the Impressionists were concerned about lighting objects
   to enhance their photogénie as much as possible.
5)If filters placed over the lens could enhance a shot’s photographic effect,
6)then shooting through some translucent object placed in the setting of the scene
  could do the same.
7)The Impressionists often shot through textured curtains.

 
In Kean,
1)the hero’s first meeting with the woman he will love
2)has him holding a gauzy curtain up between them.

Kean (Alexandre Volkoff, 1924)

Close up of him sweeping his hands - like come out her and join me.

Close up of her saying no by shaking head
He's clasping his hands - like begging

This must be a play because this popped up

2nd shot is from the poor seats in the back - how clever

Full long shot including audience

A shot of the theater director looking at the script and up at the actors
He shouts something out to them

Intertitle:
"J'ai franchi ces murs sur les ailes de l'amour. Car des limites de pierre ne saurient l'arreter."
(by) Romeo et Juliette. Acte II

Translation:
I crossed these walls on the wings of love. For stone limits cannot stop it.

Back to Romeo with arms dramatically open

Now he sees someone else - an audience member?

He keeps starring at her
cut to her - with a tempting look

Back to Romeo
Intertile:
"S'ils te voient, ils te tueront!"
(Romeo et Juliette. ActeII)

Juliette - taps his hand to get his attention back -- he looks at her like, what?
He's holding her loving veil, caressing it...back to a close up of the vixen

He keeps getting distracted and starring at her.

Intertitle: " Helas! il y a plus de peril a contempler tes yeux qu'a braver vingt de leurs epees.

Translation: Alas! there is more danger to contemplate your eyes than to brave twenty of their swords.

HERE'S THE SHOT

But he's looking at the lady off stage who is making yearning looks - not at Juliette

Cuts between both of them looking back and forth in close up. 

END

Striking Settings

1)Finally, the Impressionists often tried to use striking settings.
2)They did so in two opposing ways:
   a)first, by employing modernist décor and,
   b)second, by filming in real locations.
3)In French society in general,
    “modern” design of the type now labeled Art Deco was fashionable at the time.
4)Some of the filmmakers used celebrated architects and artists as designers.

For L’Inhumaine,
1)L’Herbier had the great French modern artist Fernand Léger design the laboratory of the
   scientist-hero.

L’Inhumaine (Marcel L’Herbier, 1924)

Look for modernist art deco design

real locations

starting shot - longshot?

very cool - curtains are drawn back - 2nd half of stage

Descending the staircase

Close up on his face. 

They are slowly walking towards each other --She looks afraid

he gets her to go upstairs - lovely framed shot

Curtain closes...what? No no filter - we're behind the scenes - no his laboratory

omg - this close up!

Silent until this moment - now a ticking sound

Close ups of her, then him. 

Now we see the art deco

Like big clicking clock sounds and there's the clock

Close up on a wig or scalp

She sees in and grabs it. The lighting is excellent

He grabs it back and throws it on the ground

She kind of graps her chest

Intertile:
"Please forgive this...mystification..."

Mad scientist look.

Intertitle:
"I intended to die when I left your home, but I remembered your saying"

His eyes go narrow and look afar
Intertitle:
"If you can destroy your life so easily, it wasn't worth much to begin.

She gives a superior look and he looks down with unpleasant memories

oh - because if was a memory - it was in green.

Now back to black and white -- he's staring at her with cold squinty eyes

Flash back? to an outdoor scene - where it looks like he wants to drive car off the ledge

Oh- he dumped his car over the edge because

Intertitle:
And then I wanted them to think me dead in order to discover what you kept hidden..."

Interesting intertitle font and bold

Savoir = Need

He looks at her again with narrow eyes...

Car tumbles down cliff

First time i've seen that...previous view point  was him looking out at the valley...next is this

Back to Black and white...

They are near the doorway and she's starting to look concerned.

clutches her heart

Intertitle:
"You don't know anything more than that!"

Dramatically shuts her coat and walks away from him.

They walk to another cool location in the factory - with more art deco

Intertitle:
"I know you're here! Otherwise, you would never have come!"

They're both wearing kind of modern velvet clothing

and that hat is crazy

They both sit down together

he says

Intertitle:
"Yes! I know something more...

something here will make you cancel your trip."

He's talking wildly and gesturing with his hands

Intertitle:
While, disarmed, Claire smiles at this mystery, ouside Djorah...

Gorgeous - a memory - because it's in green. Beautiful art deco

It jumps back to b/w present

back to green house

back to b/w another view of factory

He's showing her some invention i think

She's inspecting it and there is a cut-in of a clock

He's inspecting her

Danger of Death

Intertitle:
"Beware! This device is dangerous..."

They cut in on this sign several times getting brighter each time. 

There is a gentle swaying music in the background

Intertitle:
"Until tomorrow...here..."

She smiles evily

Wraps herself in her cape

She's doing something strange now...

She's trying to hold him back...

Ends

I found the rest - and he's not trying to hold her back - he kisses her hand

and is so happy that she is intrigued then black out.

Gourgeous restored trailer i found click here

The whole film click here

I saw this on wikipedia Today the film is often cited as a "manifesto for Art Deco"

In Albert Dieudonné’s Catherine,
1)the heroine and her lover look through a curtained window.

Catherine (Albert Dieudonné, 1924)

Starts with a couple sitting together

then a happy group of theater people come through town

It looks like she wants to get up and join

I think she is a servant - they go and look through the curtained window

I guess this is the seen he wanted us to look at

one more curtained shot and then they open up the balcony window

A close up of the two of them - he's looking at her and she has big eyes

He pulls her close to smell her hair

Now he puts his cheek on her hair

Back to the people outside having fun

back to them

One last look outside with curtain closed

Now they look at each other through curtain and good lighting

They cut outside to the dancers

He grabs her in an embrace

dancers

lovers getting closer

they dance

continual cuts back and forth to crowd dancing and them dancing 

shorter cuts just a second between...you feel yourself spinning

Intertitle : Catherine - now she looks freaked out

And he dies

Last shots are still of circus outside and then him laying on the ground

and back to her shocked face. 

In L’Inondation, - The Flooding

1)Louis Delluc filmed a character walking along a country road

   with the sun opposite the camera,

2)transforming the landscape into one of the film’s many lovely compositions.

L’Inondation (Louis Delluc, 1924)

i love views like this of rural railway stations

Another beautiful shot - train coming in

....une pauvre voyageuse.... a poor traveler.

Eve Francis

I like this shot

Now a front view of the station

Medium shot to her face - she looks nervous and unsure

She sees someone and goes to ask something- then changes her mind.

He kind of looks her up and down suggestively

She doesn't know what to do - oh, maybe she was waiting for someone to pick her up

She starts walking down this road

Longshot

Now close - medium shot waist up of her with landscape behind her - not so beautiful

She's looking all around to see if she sees anyone or anything

she starts running down a street

A horse and carriage come by

It doesn't stop to pick her up - she's getting really tired

Nice landscape shot and longshot of a farm in the background

She just sits for a little and gets up and keeps moving

There's a farm with a wealthy guy playing with a dog

She's so tired and going up a sidewalk of a house

She keeps walking and sways a little like she will pass out

Puts down her bags and sits in front of someone's entrance - one above

Close up of her looking discouraged

The man of the house come out and sees her - he stops

He doesn't look friendly - he was the guy playing with the dog

Intertitle:
"Ou allez-vous donc, mademoiselle?"
Where are you going, mademoiselle?

She passes out in his arms
I found another little bit of the film after this he says

the cold will have seized you. come warm up - then clip ends.

Here's a small clip of film

small description of film clip - Extrait - extract

In a village on the banks of the Rhône, Alban, a young farmer, is about to marry Margot. Monsieur Broc, a town hall employee, finds his daughter Germaine, in love with Alban. When he rejects her, she collapses. The flood of the river suddenly floods the village. One evening Margot disappears