Bellour's "The Obvious and the Code"

Although Bellour's detailed analysis of the car scene in "The Big Sleep" was difficult for me to grasp on first reading, our in class analysis of the 12-shot scene along with viewing the shots again helped me to grasp his thoughts about how certain codes dictate meaning. On first viewing "The Big Sleep" in class, I didn't pick up on the subtle differences in the ways hat the two main characters profess their love for one another. However, the focus on the duration as well as the content and level of close-up of the different shots helped to highlight these differences. It was very interesting how when Viviene tells Marlowe that she loves him, she is caught in a close up and completely lit--both elements, which show her to be sincere. Conversely, when Marlowe professes his love for Vivienne, it is not a close-up shot and encompasses both of the main characters. As a result, we as viewers may not take Marlowe's claim as seriously. Bellour also points out how various repetitions in structure can create meaning. He specifically points to Marlowe being shown driving a car, which portrays Marlowe as the active driving force in the narrative. Through Bellour's article I was able to see how I had deduced specific meanings through formal structures of cinema and editing.