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The Searchers (1956)
The anti-hero, Ethan Edwards
Before writing the review of the movie The Searchers, I changed the subject of the review three times. First, I will start with the wrong side of the film.
Asynchronous transitions from scene to scene
Because John Ford made this movie well over 65 years ago, and I am still not used to older films like this one, I struggled to follow the transitions between the scenes. Every scene in The Searchers is well directed, but combining two scenes was almost impossible. Since that impacted the story flow, I was lost at the film's beginning. However, I got used to these transitions, so they didn't affect me later.
Mission Impossible
Ethan Edward and Martin Pawley's goal in this film was to save little Debbie, but in two hours of running time, that goal seemed unreachable. The fact that Ethan Edwards rescued little Debbie only five minutes before the film ends supports the goal's unapproachability. Unlike the above-mentioned first flaw of the film, I don't consider the virtual distance between Ethan Edwards and his goal a defect but a minor setback for the audience. Because throughout the whole movie, Ethan Edwards and his partner Martin Pawley's relationship is intensively developing, and the unattainability of the mission does not prevent us from enjoying the film.
After criticizing this film's plot and editing, I can finally move on to other elements.
Interior and Exterior
The contrast between the interior and exterior in this film is dominant. At first glance, the desert and the interior of a house share the same spectre of colours, yellow and brown. In the film world, these colours symbolize something domestic, but unlike the house's interior, the desert is not at all domestic; it is often called the wild desert.
At the beginning, the protagonist temporarily leaves the wild world by entering his brother's home but very soon leaves it. The scene at the very end of the film, when everybody except Ethan Edwards gets into his brother's house, tells us that Ethan Edwards's character is not born for a domestic world or civilized world, but he is for the world of doom and death, i.e. The life of the wild desert.
Development of the anti-hero, Ethan Edwards
Ethan Edwards is a vindictive, arrogant, stubborn, and hypocritical character who does not aspire to change. That all changes after he saves little Debbie and when the chance to get back to the life he was missing presents itself, but at that exact moment, the doors of his family home are symbolically shut, telling us that his destiny is the life he chose: the life of the wild desert.
Ethan Edwards shares many traits with the character of the antagonist, the Comanche leader, Scar, whom he fights. Just like Ethan Edwards, Scar is a man who lives in the wild desert. We could say that without the character of Scar, Ethan Edwards would not be the protagonist. On the contrary, he would be an antagonist.
Martin Pawley, Ethan Edward's partner, helps Ethan Edwards change throughout the film. Their conversations, arguments, and fights have taught both characters a lot, but unfortunately, only one character changes, and the other remains the same.
Conclusion
I am delighted that I have watched this film because I know that this is one of many movies which inspired top directors, Martin Scorsese and George Lucas. The film's many flaws are made up for by the cinematography, story, and outstanding acting.
Citizen Kane (1941)
The story of the western man
Personality disorders, narcissism, and self-centeredness are just some of the disorders that can describe the protagonist of the movie "Citizen Kane." I doubt that the first audience that ever saw this film considered "Citizen Kane" to be another ordinary melodrama. Orson Welles's directing and camera techniques are fascinating even for the current era. Many directors today try to emulate the filmmaking techniques used in this film, but they rarely succeed. I think Edgar Wright and Martin Scorsese are the only directors on the right track regarding such directing techniques.
The narration of the film itself is excellently done, a retrospective through the stories of several characters. Considering that the story did not change so much from narrator to narrator, we can say that Mr. Kane's associates, friends, and partners remember him the same. After Mr. Thatcher took the responsibility of raising Charles Kane, darkness, pride, sadness, and pain surround Charles Kane's whole life.
The mise-en-scène of the camera and the film's photography are adapted to specific moments in the film. When Mr. Kane is among people, i.e. His "audience", we rarely have a dimly lit part of the frame. But, when his "audience" is not there, we can notice many dimly lit parts of the frame. Sometimes the faces of the actors in the frame are completely dark. It tells us about Mr. Kane's narcissism and self-centeredness.
The media controlled by Mr. Kane also beautifully showcase his narcissism and self-centeredness. The media in this movie also tell us about the state of society at that time, but the film did not pay much attention to that side of the story.
At the end of the film, the burning of the "rosebud" sled and the dropping of the snow globe with the small cabin inside are very important. Burning a sled under the name "rosebud" tells us that his life is over and that he no longer exists in this world. Dropping a snow globe with his childhood cabin hints that his chance to change his life has rolled around, and he's missed it.
The Lady from Shanghai (1947)
Man's freedom in the hands of the rich (and his heart)
I consider this film to be a good indicator of a man's freedom, but also of the traps into which that same man may be entangled. The very beginning of the film was very simply done. After a very dramatic fight, the protagonist meets the beautiful lady on the horse carriage - that part doesn't bother me, it bothers me the way it's directed. Meeting Mr. Bannister and Mr. George on the boat i.e. Yacht of the beautiful lady, Mrs. Bannister, is very well done. The photography of the scenes on the boat, the directing and the mise-en-scene of the actors and their newly established relationships is very interesting for the viewer. This whole "boat dream" is starting to collapse with Mr. George's master plan to take the insurance money by faking his own death. Only then do we begin to get to know the true characters of this film. From that moment on, there wasn't a second of film I wanted to remove or skip. The scene in the courtroom is very comical, but it's also important because of the development of the characters. The plot itself in the Chinese theater, where Mr. Michael realizes that Mrs. Bannister is Mr. George's killer is unnecessary, but very surprising. The film had gone at an excellent pace until then, but I'm not saying the plot destroyed it, quite the contrary. And finally we see a free man, Mr. Michael, going into the sunset. Actually, far from it, but I'm not so wrong, he's finally going to his freedom. I must also point out that I have a subjective feeling that the film lasted two hours, not an hour and a half. In this case, I consider it a good thing, because the content of the film has not let me down at all. In conclusion, a very good film with a few technical errors, a beautiful photography i.e. Camera work and a group of extraordinary actors.
6 Days (2017)
Great narrative. Great photography. Bad sell.
The narrative, photography and editing of this movie are spot on. I couldn't find any scene that made me feel like changing the movie. The only scene that could've been done differently is the one where the hostages are being checked on the stairwell. Very few interesting frames, but fortunately, it lasted only for a few minutes in total.
Unfortunately, the way the movie was supposed to sell is very wrong. I wouldn't put it as a "crime" or "thriller" movie. With those genres (and a very flashy movie poster) describing the movie, I would've thought I was watching something as "White House Down".
Mark Strong was a great pick for this movie.
Overall, I've given it a 6 out of 10 stars.