23/1 The Magnificent Seven Notes + Lecture

The innocent, young one always comes out alive

Red curtain behind main character
-indicating the vocation to fight

Wearing different costumes/change of role
-the girl was wearing white robe before, now she is wearing a green one
-different symbolism

Mise En Scene involves space
-places of characters in the scene
-where the character is walking (walking behind a person and appearing behind him)
-standing in darkness/light

Two people against each other
-Costume color: Blue and red
Standing next to each other, not facing each other

The bad guy always has last words before dying

Farmers remain forever because they are the innocent ones
"The farmers win. We will always lose"
Only 3 out of 7 come out alive

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Historic background of Westerns:

Silent film era
Transition from studio shooting (20s) to on location with the advent of sound and lighter shooting gear
Became popular 'B' movies (30s)
-low budget
-less time for filming/editing
-no big stars in film
-vulgar - just for entertainment
Classic western silent era (to 40s)
Northerns (shot in north)
Spaghetti Westerns (shot in Italy)
Neo Westerns (new westerns)

Major Figures:

John Ford - director
John Wayne - actor
Sergio Leone - director
Clint Eastwood - director/actor

The Magnificent Seven Notes 21/1

Notes:

What are the characteristics of the western genre?

Themes of man taming the great frontier, personal moral code (honor), and retribution
The landscape as a character
Cowboys and indians
Gun fight
The protagonist as a loner (always)

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Films set up expectations for audience
Either fulfill expectation or mess up your mind (plot twist)

In Western films:
always a stand-off
justice

Theme:
The Searchers: Racism, rebel
The Magnificent Seven: Justice for villagers, sexism, transition from settlers to farmers, racism

The Magnificent Seven is remake of The Seven Samurai

Film notes:
"shooting day for night" - shooting at daytime, but because of lighting it looks like night
-because the protagonist shown their soft side, the audience knows what to expect
Expectations rising
Mise en scene - The bandits are riding towards the village, and the background of that scene is a bunch gravestones

Leader: dressed in red - arrogant - leading to gun fire

Able to understand characters through emotions without "save the cat" moment
Character development during the film can be seen
Characters' personality can be seen with mainly dialogues and some actions

The Magnificent Seven Notes 15/1/2014

Old School - music
Western music
Director: John Strurges
1960 film
Characters: Farmers in village, bandits
Farmers: simple clothing - white colored clothing - innocent
Cafe owner: slightly different clothing
Bandits: using guns, riding cattle

Setting: Abandoned wasteland, village

Storyline is simple
Villagers want to learn how to fight
They want to stop bandits raiding their village
Mercenaries - get paid for what you do
People are settling down in towns - they have no jobs
Mercenaries help get rid of people with guns

Heroes helping the weaker ones
-make the hero likable
-identify them with "soft" side or good side

Recruiting people, everyone joins despite small amount of money offered, because there is nothing else to do
Bandits came to raid the village again
Failed mission because they killed all the bandits

The Searchers John Wayne - Notes 13/1/2014

The Searchers Notes

1956 film
Old school -song
Directed by John Ford
Costumes - cowboy
First shot: a woman standing outside, and other characters join her
Setting: Desert (in Texas)
Been to California, back to home
meet his family at home
War from 3 years ago
Loner
Multiple people/cowboys
lives in old wooden house in the middle of a desert in Texas
Character: rough, has an accent
Wearing army uniform, when he lost the war from 3 years ago
Doesn't seem to care
Racism against Indians

Lecture 13/1/2014

Technical Focus: Mise En Scene

Unit 1

Genre: Western

Film in Focus: "The Searchers" John Wayne

Artist in focus: Sergio Leone

Mise En Scene

-props: guns

-setting: desert

-costume: cow boy

-tone: dialogue - crude, rough

-story: plot - vengeance, justice

-characters - loner, justice

Theme?

-What question does the film answer?

Unit 2

Genre: Musicals