I find myself always coming back to this movie when im considering what I want to talk about in my blogs. I think that hero is an amazing movie. Very well done and entertaining. However, I find some of the scenes to be so strange and unrealistic that I end up losing my suture in the movie and ending up laughing at it.
I feel that this is mostly do to the way that the cuts are done. Some of them put the actor into positions that are not congruent with the previous position, essentially they are jump cuts. In a movie that already has a lot of strange happening I think that jump cuts are a bit much.
Montage is an amazingly effective editing technique but when used wrong can cause some very strange effects. I don't think the directors and editors of hero meant for the watcher to get un sutured in the film due to jump cuts but that is what happens with there choice of editing.
That being said a lot of the scenes in Hero do use a lot of good montage. For instance the scene where they are battling over water is a very cool scene that only works because of the way the shots are put together.
As I interpret it - you're that the the way the jump cuts were introduced made you more aware of the existence of the camera. The cuts made you think about the strangeness of a camera recording such actions; once this happens, the suture breaks and you lose your immersion.
ReplyDeleteI actually had a difference experience with the editing during the fights. The cuts between different angles during the fights made me feel like I was in the fight. To me, non-congruent edits was like getting the perspective of someone fighting in that rapid style combat. I felt that I was immersed in the scene, not simply an observer of the fight.
I'd have to agree with Michael about this issue. It was my first time seeing Hero, and I loved it. Some of it had to do with the beauty of the images and sequences in the film, but the majority of my appreciation for the film was based on the numerous "fight" scenes and my sense of involvement with them. My two favorites were the rain scene and the leaf scene. I believe that my appreciation for both is largely due to the varying and ever-changing shots in each scene. Small details such as Nameless's foot making contact on the ground in a puddle or Sky's hand twisting about his weapon really add elements of authenticity to the sequence, not only ensuring my attention but making me feel as if I am both warriors over the course of the scene, fighting against the enemy I feel I know so well. The camera angles--looking up at Nameless, for instance--tell me how I am doing (obviously not well) and set the tenor for my battle. The same is true for the leaf scene. The attention to detail and beauty seems authentic, elements that would catch one's attention, are carefully considered in the mise-en-scène. The image of Moon cutting Flying Snow's hair, and that lock falling, are all images that women in particular would notice. That is, if it were my hair that had been cut, I would see the same thing. Ultimately, I felt very involved in the fights, so much so that I noticed my body tensing as the battle escalated throughout each sequence. And I believe my involvement can only be attributed to the editing present in the fillm.
ReplyDeleteI somewhat agree with you, Jacob, regarding suturing in Hero. However, as I mentioned in my last blog, I believe that in Hero it is the amazing special effects that have the audience aware of the discourse and therefore cannot truly enjoy the story. Because the spectator is so in awe of these effects they are left wondering how they were done, thus calling attention to the discourse.
ReplyDeleteBut, definitely the scene in the water is the coolest montage sequence of the film. Unbelievable.
http://lkeeley.blogspot.com/2009/04/talk-to-me.html
ReplyDeleteJacob,
ReplyDeleteI would have loved to hear more details about your relationship to the film and your analysis of the directorial choices. Being careful and intentional about your language and providing specific examples will help you to make your points.
Best,
Lex