How far do your chosen films demonstrate the importance of visual and soundtrack cues in influencing spectator response? Refer in detail to at least one sequence from each film
A key scene from Captain Fantastic is the funeral scene. A binary opposite is created in this scene with a Christian burial vs alternate burial. The mothers funeral set in the church has Ben and his family walking in late and acting like they own the place. There is a bright light used behind them in this scene which contrasts with the dark and sad environment of the funeral. The bright light behind these characters may symbolise they were sent from God to save the mother from being buried in the graveyard and give her the funeral she actually wanted. In the funeral scene, Ben and his family are wearing bright, hippy clothes which contrasts with the dark suits that people are traditionally supposed to wear to any funeral. This shows they're separate from society and have their own beliefs and a different take on life from the others. Due to them wearing a different style of clothing, Jack's children stat to laugh at them which shows they weren't brought up in the correct way and Ben's children are well behaved and sensible which shows although Ben isn't living the traditional American suburban family life, he still brought them up in the right way. The allegiance with Ben is fair as we symphasise with him as these people are burins his wife even though it's not what she wanted. As they drag him out of the funeral, we feel sorry for him as he wasn't doing anything wrong but was only doing what he thought was right. The contrast is saying that traditional funerals are wrong as Ben comments 'she doesn't want to be stuck inside a rotting coffin' which adds a comedic effect to the film which is why they take her body and gives her the funeral she wanted. His children are the only ones to laugh when Ben makes that remark showing they are outcasts from society and don't know how to act the correct way in public. Ben's alternate funeral for her involves singing the song 'sweet child o mine' which is much more emotional than having it take place in the traditional funeral as it's personal to them and are giving her a good send off. They then go the airport and drop her ashes in a public toilet like she requested. This seems very strange to the audience as it's not what people request. At the end scene of 'Captain Fantastic', the family are nw living on a farm. There is still a lot of greenery around the house which links to the start when they are living in the wilderness. Although, he hasn't changed his lifestyle completely as they are still isolated from the rest of society and do not live right in the suburbs. Ben now looks like a normal American citizen which contrasts with him at the start with a full beard and muddy clothes. The tyres are also missing on the caravan which shows they're not going anywhere. When they're al siting down around the table, There is a close-up shot of each child with there homework or books. This shows the children are now at school which is what Jack wanted.
An ideological issue explored is Religion in 'Captain Fantastic' like Ben's ex-wife originally being a Christian but changing her religion to Buddhism when she married Ben. When Ben says they don't make fun of anyone, his daughter reminds him they make fun of Christians although both Leslie and Bo have a love for Bach which is supported by Christians. A social issue raised I this film would be child abuse as when they're rock climbing, one of the kids slipped and broke his wrist.
A key scene from 'No Country For Old Men' is the introductions of Chigurh and Moss at the start. When Chigurh is introduced, his back is turned to the camera the whole time and when he's in the back seat of the police car, his face is still hidden in the shadows which makes the tone of the film seem like a Horror. This contrasts with Moss's introduction where we get a close-up shot of his face and shot-reverse-shots between the desert and Moss's face. Moss blend in with the western environment with the use of brown clothing making him fit right in to the Wild West. This is different to Chigurhs clothing making him stand out. However, there are noticeable similarities between the two for instance, both Moss and Chigurh trying to kill something. Moss with the deer and Chigurh with the innocent bystander. They both say the words 'Hold Still' when they're about to kill. When the officer takes Chigurh to the police station, there is the use of a two-shot angle where Chigurh is hidden among the shadows while the officer is at the front to show dominance. This adds to the general tone of the film feeling like a Horror. When Chigurh strangles the officer, we do finally get our first close-up shot of Chigurh with a crazy, possessed look on his face while he's murdering the officer. This gives the audience's first impression that he's a lunatic and will be a huge threat to our protagonist. We see Chigurh again, cleaning up his wounds in the sink but the camera is purposely placed looking down in an Ariel shot. The camera is angled this way so we don't get a clear shot of Chigurhs face as if the camera is positioned behind him so we only see his back, we'll see his reflection in the mirror.
The film subverts and challenges the conventions of a traditional western film by the hero of the story, Moss, being killed by the Mexican villains before we reach the climax which prevents a showdown and direct confrontation taking place between Moss and Chigurh, good and evil which is expected. Instead the showdown between Moss and Chigurh takes place halfway through the film and is inconclusive. Although the western landscape is familiar to us. Another way in which is subverts the traditional western genre is by having the villain the story- Anton Chigurh feel out of place in a western but he seems like he belongs to the horror genre scubas like when he's put into the back of the police car, hit face is hidden in the shadows which makes the overall tone of the film seem like a horror. At the police station, when he's hidden among the shadows while the officer is at the front to show dominance. When Chigurh strangles the officer, we do finally get our close-up shot of Chigurh with a crazy, possessed look on his face. The audience now aligns with Bell who we now expect to be the hero of the story who will confront Chigurh. However, when he returns to the hotel room but there is no showdown between the two but instead he sits down, confused and defeated. This creates a feeling of unease and suspense (another convention of the horror genre) as Chigurh is just a few feet away from him. The final scene has Bell talking to his wife about a dream he had with a man and a boy, on horseback, venturing into darkness. This symbolises Bell's despair at the darkness of modern crime and provokes the audience to debate their own interpretations.
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