Monday, September 14, 2009

Making Sense of Bellour

Okay, I had a really tough time with this article too, but I think I understand it, and I'm going to try to simplify it for everyone here.

Through a complicated dissection of twelve shots from The Big Sleep Raymond Bellour demonstrates how through non-obvious codes the film creates meaning. Bellour describes how twelve shots where there is relative inaction set between two extremely active scenes tell us more about the film, characters, and the film's meaning than the seemingly major scenes. Bellour talks about the relative "poverty" of this segment; he explains how to the average viewer it would seem nothing but a long take, or maybe at most two or three shots, but in actuality the segment is twelve extremely important shots. Although designed so as not to be perceived, in the spirit of classic American cinema, Bellour demonstrates how all of the shots, ordered and edited the way they are, contribute to the development of the movie's narrative and meaning. In order to do this Bellour breaks the shots down into six codes. The codes are dependent on variations of movement and angle between shots (whether the shots are static or moving, and on camera angle), the absence of a character, the way the character uses dialogue to express himself, and the length of a shot. So now let's break it down in easy, plain English:

Shot 1: The only moving shot, and the only shot taken outside the car. Has two different frames, medium shot and medium close shot. The difference between this shot and the following shot is radical. Dialogue is present in this shot, which will be another opposition to the next shot.
Shot 2: Radically different from the first shot. Dialogue absent. Ballour points out how despite the difference between the shots the narrative attempts to preserve the feeling of a continuing shot by keeping both characters in the frame and mantaining the initial camera angle of left to right, which is the simplest way of preserving the feeling of one shot.
Shot 3: Static like shot 2. Preserves original camera angle. One character in shot (a departure from the previous shots), frame shifts (medium close shot to close up), dialogue centers on one character, return of dialogue.
Shot 4: We pass to the other character with the same reduction in framing. Bellour infers that this is to make clear to us the hero and the heroine. However, Vivian does not speak alone as Marlowe did. Also, Vivian is all we see, framed by the car interior. We still saw the night whizzing past Marlowe through the car window in his shot.

After these first four shots Bellour describes how the film organizes itself around this twofold opposition of two characters, and then one character, and the the other characters. Camera angle and the stationary nature of the shot does not change.

Bellour also describes how Vivian alone in shot 11 gives her a privileged status because it is the last shot with one character. Bellour also points out how the order of M/V is inverted around shot 7 as if to pave the way for Vivian in shot 11. Bellour also notes how unlike Marlowe who always speaks in his solo shots, Vivian is silent in shot 11, where she marks her privilege. Shot 12, which shows Vivian and Marlowe together is also silent, giving the segment symmetry as this is reminiscent of shot 1.

Bellour also identifies an important peice of dialogue,"...I guess I am in love with you." This admission is made by both Vivian and Marlowe throughout the segment and corresponds with the motif of repetition and duplicity. However, Bellour points out how it is important to note how they say the dialogue differently. Marlowe says it while gripping the steering wheel and swerving, signifying that he is the action oriented one of the pair. Vivian says it with a tender gesture.

Finally, Bellour tells us about the codic implications of all of this "stuff." Camera angle that blurs Vivian's face and the privileging of Vivian is an easy marking of the "mythologization" of women, a departure from the Hollywood tradition of the woman-object and instead of representation of a relationship of "adult reciprocity." Other codified marks that signal this are Vivian's magnified face which "wholly expresses and receives the admission of love" in this segment.

In summary, through camera angle, number of shots, repetition and corresponding differences, dialogue, and balance Hawks creates meaning in a seemingly unimportant segment of The Big Sleep propped between two action packed scenes.

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