Modernism In Film The Tree of Life

Cinema styles

  • There are 2 types of filmmaking: Formalism and Realism
  • Modernism in filmmaking leans toward the Avante Garde, formalistic side of film structure.

Characteristics of Modernism in Filmmaking

Film Format

  • Experiments with Traditional, Classical Hollywood style format
  • Often uses stream of consciousness techniques to bring the viewers into the mind of the characters
  • Places emphasis on the movie itself, and its construction (I.E. Reflexivity)

Story

  • Uses innovative techniques to capture the audience's attention
  • Self Aware
  • Active, and Conscious Viewers
  • Non-linear plot

Characters

  • Inscrutable Characters
  • Conflicts are ambiguous
  • Motivations are withheld
  • Characters can be metaphorical, or symbolic. They are not based in reality
  • Characters may face antagonists, but these are often not clear cut, and they are not Black and White
  • Ex. Un Chien Andalou directed by Salvador Dali

Other Characteristics of Modernist Films

  • Modernist films often utilize memories, fantasy, dreams, mental disorders
  • Often the protagonists do not reach their goals
  • The films often feel fragmented, like they are pieced together rather than crafted
  • They Stress relationships with other people

THE TREE OF LIFE

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