The response to this film seemed fairly positive. I'd like to hear any thoughts or ideas that we did not cover yet in class. I'd also like everyone to consider how the reading on "Internal Decolonization" applies to this film and also to Trainspotting. Obviously both films are very focused on location, landscape and place, but deal with these topics very differently. What are the differences? Similarities?
Do Danny Boyle's films seem to be generally concerned with location or landscape?
How/why is location or landscape important to a discussion of British cinema in general? How does the article apply to such a discussion?
I liked how the scenes were lit, using the natural lighting of the room, it made the movie feel more natural, less staged. The blinking xmas tree lights in the opening scene gave the temporary illusion that Morvern's boyfriend was breathing. I also really liked that the party scene and rave scenes were shot a bit out of focus with low lighting, it was like seeing the situation through Morvern's drugged out mind.
ReplyDeleteThis movie included a TON of bathing scenes! It seemed like a scene of Morvern doing something questionable was usually followed by the act of bathing or touching water. Insects also popped up a lot throughout the movie, but I couldn't figure out what they were supposed to symbolize, did anyone else catch onto it?
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The term “British” is used to label the citizens who inhabit these countries. This umbrella term has been one of the main issues of cultural identity in the UK. Connotations of “Britishness” are deconstructed through films like “Trainspotting,” and “Morvern Callar.” Both stories revolve around a Scottish character who desires to leave his/her current situation and location altogether. Aspects of Kailyardism are apparent: when Renton and his friends ditched the train station to walk into the iconic landscapes of Scotland, and when Morvern Callar retreats to a small village in Spain. These pastoral and nature imagery contrasted by the cold “urban milieu,” helped accentuate the detached nature of living in urban society. Both films portrayed the club culture in Scotland as a minor escape from confronting social expectations and also internal emptiness. Location and landscape is important to a discussion of British Cinema because the term “British” labels the inhabitants of four separate countries; therefore, it is important to distinguish these ethnic groups and their unique cultures, and location and setting can help reveal that. In the film, the escape from their original locations posits this failing sense of cultural identity, responding to real identity crisis that exists in the UK. The article provides more specific figures to this discussion, but basically it talks about this dominant generalization of what it means to be British and how it prompted the individual countries to reassess their national and international identities.
ReplyDeleteI feel that the constant bathing scenes throughout the movie symbolized Morvern's attempt at emotional cleansing. Representing a baptism of sorts, the image of her submerged in water or sitting inside the bathtub suggest that she is trying to wash away the reality of her boyfriend's suicide and later, her own actions.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly, death seems to be represented by the insects and worms in the movie. The image of bugs crawling around and on Morvern's hand in one scene visually implies the idea of insects swarming a corpse. In this way, the spider coming from under the door of Morvern's room can also be seen as an indicator of death. Because of the movie's rich symbolism, the narrative was carried by these metaphors enough that the lack of dialogue did not weaken the story.
I found the movie to be quite strange, mostly in how out of touch Morvern was. Her original sadness over the death of her boyfriend is replaced and overshadowed by her heartless actions of stealing his novel, chopping up his body and disposing it in the countryside, and taking the funeral money to pay for a vacation.
ReplyDeleteThe parts I did enjoy were not so much the plot and acting, but the lighting and sound design. The lighting as Darcy states is not so much theatrical light, but jut the lighting they have in the room. Blinking Christmas lights, blinding rave strobes, even the sun rising and setting on the hotel balcony. For the sound design, it wasn't so much the music as it was how the music was played to the audience. It ranged from sounding like normal movie music, it there to emphasize some part of the plot, to the music that can be overheard from Morvern's headphones.
I thought Morvern Collar was a great piece. There were so many elements of loneliness that showed through in the color, and scene set-up. We already spoke on this in class, but I loved how the end Morvern was almost as lonely as she is in the beginning, with people dancing around her, as she listens to "Dedicated to the one I love" by The Mamas and The Papas on her headphones (we are in her head with her at that moment) "life can never be exactly like we want it to be" is a line in the song which i thought was very appropriate especially because the film ends so ambiguously.
ReplyDeleteThe way this film deals with location as something more than landscape but a state of mind is what really gets me. When she found her own place within herself, it didn't matter where she was physically any more.
ReplyDeleteAlso i can't understand why so many people described this movie as a lot of "nothing happened"
I felt this movie followed our story line of sad and emotional gut wrenching films. Particular parts involving the main character and her struggle with life in connection to her boy friend’s killing himself and leaving apparently an amazing piece of writing in her hands to do as she wishes, speaks to my generation, being of the baby boomers and living in their wake as it seems, really connected to me. I have always wished of winning some sort of money and truly being able to escape my own reality and create my own. I did find it interesting that during the film both of the girls were dealing with their own life’s while not understanding the ramification's there previous choices, I would never leave my friend on the side of the road to adventure off and not consider what would happen to our friendship, also adventuring out into the world without a plan might not reflect on American culture it seems we always have some sort of plan or at least plan on not having a plan and because of that this particular film was a sort of dream I’ve had. It just makes me think.
ReplyDeleteHey Nathan,
ReplyDeleteseriously she left her there. But i get the feeling she's been wanting to do that since before they left for Spain. If you could get up and walk away from everything or do what ever you want. What would you take and what would you leave behind?
It might have seemed messed up to leave her there but even more so if she never came back to be like hey so you made it back alive. I think it was more about you go your way i'll go mine more than anything else. and better for the both of them too.
I thought the differences in scenery (boyle focusing on "glasgow") is a stody on entrapment of individuals in a society, in trainspotting, its a story of the vicious cycle of drug-addiction and shooting only in glasgow, Boyle re-enforces this cant get out feeling.
ReplyDeleteCallar, is about runing away from your problems or finding an exit to deal with boyfriend's suicide, and mundiaity of everyday life, in a drab pale town like hers.
This film was definitely my favorite film shown in class. The miniml approach to almost everything in this film was perfect. The scene where they are traveling in the cab after leaving the clubbing resort, and she lets her hair flow outside of the car really sums up everything about her. She had been through so much and she tries to escape but even the change in scenery won't distract her from whatever she is thinking its the small sensations or feelings she gets from the music and from the wind passing through her hair that can release her from whatever she is feeling.
ReplyDelete